RED [BXB]

ELEVEN

this is so long overdue i am so so sorry.
i promise i'll update more, thank you to those who stuck around.

***

"Hey, babe," Zoya called out to Luke, beckoning him over with the wave of her manicured hand. He took hold of Mason's forearm, dragging him through the crowded café till they reached their usual table.

Luke leaned down to kiss the top of Zoya's forehead, who smiled blissfuly up at him, almost starstruck. Then, her pretty face scrunched up distastefully as she noticed another presence.

"Oh, you brought—what's his name—Marcus?"

Mason grit his teeth, "My name's Mason."

"Lovely," she muttered sharply, not sparing him a second glance.

In all honesty, the poor boy was clueless as to why Zoya always acted so hostile towards him. As far as he knew, he hadn't done anything to harm or offend her in the very short period he'd known the group. It was odd, therefore, that she was always snapping and glaring at him, yet a total sweetheart to everyone else.

Although it bothered him, Mason was never the type to let minuscule things bother him, and his roommate's girlfriend disliking him was about as minuscule as it got. He shrugged the matter off, settling back into a chair next to Nicky, who beamed at him behind dark blue lips.

"Excuse the Russian, she's in a worse mood than usual. Guessing the store probably didn't have her favorite brand of vodka."

At Eric's comment, Mason chuckled loudly, much to Zoya's dismay. She wore a disgusted sneer, "If you're going to make jokes about Russian stereotypes, don't ever forget that I can make one phone call, and you'd be dead by morning. No questions asked."

Mason shuddered, feeling threatened by the intimidating glint in her eyes. Though he feigned indifference with an irritated roll of his eyes, Eric blushed ever-so-slightly, his cheeks tinting rose at her hostility.

"Relax, Zee. It was just a joke." Luke pacified, his words—lighthearted, as always—slicing through the tension that lingered in the air.

"Your friends are being assholes, Lucas," she snapped back, pouting.

"Hey, we're your friends, too," reprimanded Nicky, at the same time Mason exclaimed, "Your name is Lucas?!"

Luke gave him a confused—albeit amused—glance. "I mean...yeah? Did you think my actual name was Luke?"

Mason turned his head to the side, his utter embarrassment making it hard for him to face four pairs of eyes directed mockingly at him. "Whatever."

Luke threw his head back, laughter bubbling from his throat. "You're adorable, Marcus."

"Blow me, Lucas."

The latter raised his eyebrows mischievously, "I just might."

Mason's mind flashed back to Luke's lips locked on his in the privacy of their dark room, causing heat to travel up his spine.

"Two words," Nicky suddenly spat, "Sexual. Tension."

"Yeah, I'll say," Eric conceded humorously.

It was Zoya who spoke up next, shoulders tense and posture stiff, "How was your quiz, Lucas?"

Her voice quivered as she spoke, but her not-so-subtle attempt at changing the subject of conversation worked like a charm. Mason watched as Luke responded, his whole body buzzing animatedly.

And just like that, the table erupted into loud chitchat, and Mason felt trapped on the outside. It was like he was peering at the group through a store-front, listening in but unable to actually join: ostracized. 

He felt his throat close up uncomfortably; what was he even doing here? They'd all known each other for a while, and—as much as he hated to admit it—Zoya was right. He had no business invading their circle and intruding into their lives.

"You know what, guys?" he spoke up, catching their attention as their chatter halted. "I think I'm gonna head back."

"Why so soon?" Nicky wondered, staring up at him sadly.

"I'm pretty spent," he shrugged unconvincingly. Mason could feel Luke watching him, but made no move to return his gaze.

Suddenly, he stood up, untangling his arm from Zoya's iron-grip. "Yeah, me, too."

Mason stared back at him with widened eyes. "No, it's fine. You should stay with your friends."

"Oh, don't think I'm going back for you," Luke teased, raising an eyebrow. "I'm also pretty beat. See you guys later."

He leaned down, pressing a kiss to the top of Zoya's forehead. She protested, urging him to stay, yet he didn't spare her a second glance.

"Are you gonna get movin', Marcus, or are you just gonna stare at me all night?"

Mason rolled his eyes, "In your dreams, Lucas."

He held the door of the café open behind him, waiting for Mason to exit before his witty retort, "Oh, we do a lot more than just look at each other in my dreams."

For the umpteenth time, Mason was rendered speechless by Luke's overtly sexual remarks. All he could do was blush furiously as he followed the boy, wordless.

It took him a moment to collect himself, but he eventually managed to respond, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had a crush on me, with all the flirting you've been doing."

"Oh wow, you just noticed? Shame, I really thought you were smarter than that," he snickered.

Scoffing, Mason reached out to push him playfully. Luke, always the opportunist, grabbed the arm that'd shoved his shoulder and pulled Mason closer, intertwining their fingers together.

The other boy froze at the action, screeching to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Alarmed, Luke turned to him.

For the first time that night, he looked serious, genuine concern evident in his eyes, "Is this okay?"

His voice was soft, sending an array of chills down Mason's back. The latter surveyed his surroundings—of the people milling about on the street, none of them seemed to even notice what was going on. They carried on nonchalantly, and nobody had given them a dirty look or started shouting obscenities at them, yet.

Mason had always thought that the second he even looked at a boy inappropriately, everyone would know, and he'd be attacked by an angry mob shouting slurs at him.

When that didn't happen, he glanced down at their joint limbs, and only then did he notice the warmth spreading from his hand all the way to his core. It was peaceful, shielding him from the icy wind and the icy world.

Luke observed him patiently, curiously, waiting for Mason to panic and abruptly snatch his arms away. Instead, Mason nodded weakly, fighting against a smile that threatened to overtake his lips.

Luke's eyebrows raised on their own accord, not expecting the sudden twist but welcoming it wholly. In retaliation, he tightened his grip on Mason and commenced walking.

Despite himself, he was grinning uncontrollably. It wasn't even that significant, but Mason had agreed—if anything, that was progress. As an optimist, Luke couldn't help but feel elated at the notion.

Playfully, he knocked his shoulders against Mason's, chuckling when the other boy averted his gaze to the ground and flushed crimson.

Breathlessly, he murmured, "You'll be the death of me, Cooper."