SUGAR & ICE. － lbc

° twenty-three °

It was a long awaited conversation, planned out and envisioned down to the smallest of details, various outcomes and responses having been considered.

Pete looked back at him with raised brows and stunned eyes, a textbook on his lap as he sat beside Can.

"I don't know."

Okay, so maybe Can hadn't considered one of the responses.

"What? How can you not know if your best friend is gay or not?"

The brunet shrugged his shoulders, a loose smile on his pink lips which made Can briefly wonder if Pete actually was aware of something he wasn't.

Yes, Tin had kissed him and yes, Tin had asked him out, but could Pete possibly take him seriously?

It was as clear as day that his best friend didn't harbour such feelings towards him and was only doing it to seperate him from Ae, therefore Pete had no clear answer to Can's unexpected question.

Tin had gone out with a multitude of girls, Pete was aware of this, yet even if his friend had never been with a male, could that cancel out the possibility of him not being completely straight? He certainly had no qualms about kissing Pete directly on the mouth and that was quite darn non-heterosexual of him.

"I'm not sure, really. I'm sorry, Ai'Can."

The smaller sighed in somewhat defeat, posture sagging as he puffed his cheeks in thought.

"It's fine, Pete. No worries at all."

An awkward silence formed and initially Can had decided on outing everything which had happened between him and Tin, but then, in that moment, actually making himself open his mouth to formulate such sentences was impossible.

Pete could talk to Tin for him, tell him to stop his games or bullying or whatever he had been trying to pull, but Can simply couldn't recount the things that kept tormenting him aloud.

Saying them would just make them even more real, and gaining further reality meant making himself face it all even more, and Can couldn't bare having to ponder on the topic for much longer.

"Oh, then one last thing."

Pete's head shot up, eyes leaving his dress shoes to meet the other's serious gaze.

"Would you please not talk to him about me? Like, don't stay telling him stuff about me."

The request left Pete frowning in mild bewilderment, but he relentedly nodded in agreement nonetheless.

"Okay, Can. If that's what you want."

"Yeah, it's what I want."

Another uncomfortable silence.

"Can I ask why you －"

"I should really go now."

Their words intertwined, but Can still managed to decipher that which Pete was about to inquire and he instantly became even more motivated to escape.

"So-Sorry, Ai'Pete, but like I said, I really need to go now," Can apologised, stumbling over his words while hurrying to stand up.

Pete gave him that genuine smile he seemed to offer everyone, but the kindness in his eyes did nothing to ease Can's anxiety. He needed to be more careful. Pete wasn't stupid. If Can continued talking about Tin, the other would be sure to begin pressing him with questions, just as he was about to do.

"It's okay. I have a lecture to get to in a few minutes anyway," Pete replied, also standing and arranging his bag's strap upon his shoulder.

Can nodded and with a quick wave he scurried away like a frightened animal, cheeks softly tingling.