Chapter 7

N did not show up the next day. Leo just heard from Hongbin that apparently, N was sulking at home because Seohyun's performance for Leo's school was suspended for a few more months. Also, Hongbin added that N was grounded for not letting his mother know where he had been the previous night.

"How did you know?" Leo murmured absentmindedly as he eyed on the cute kitten sticker on one of Hongbin's notebooks. The latter giggled while he watched Leo stare at the sticker. Hongbin found out that Leo liked small things, animals and kids just few days ago when Leo stopped walking all of a sudden to pet a cat by the street. Hongbin thought that it was cute since Leo's normally cold demeanour truly contradicted how he would act when no one was watching him (or at least when cute things are involved).

Leo realised that it had been quiet for a while so he peeled his eyes off of the sticker only to catch a giggling Hongbin. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "How did you know? I thought you didn't like N?" He asked to tease the younger, but he did not expect Hongbin's cheeks to flush a soft shade of pink.

"I-I just heard," Hongbin stammered, collecting his notebooks from Leo's hands. Leo wanted to know more of the details, but decided against it, thinking that it might just get Hongbin really embarrassed. And as his mother taught him, 'Don't do unto others what you don't want others to do unto you,' Leo thought that he would not really want others prying unto the details of his life (but perhaps N was an exception since N just would not leave him alone if he does not speak up).

"Have you spoken to Sanghyuk?" Leo asked, attempting to change the topic of the conversation.

And for the second time that day, Hongbin jolted and his face became bright red. "U-Uh... Y-yes. I mean," He cleared his throat, "H-How could I not when N-hyung kept on bothering me to talk to Hyuk? It's not that I wanted to! It's just that –"

"Okay," Leo said simply, putting Hongbin out of his misery. He sort of had the idea that Hongbin and Sanghyuk might have become friends while he was not paying attention. 'It's a good thing,' he thought. Only because N would be really excited when he finds out especially since Sanghyuk would not have to be by himself if ever he passes the exams –

Hongbin scrambled to fetch his ringing phone from the table that Leo was using. They were in the school library for once and the librarian threw him a glare for his noisy device. Leo did not even notice that Hongbin had already left him because he got distracted, once again, by a bird that just landed by the tree branch outside.

"Hello?" Hongbin answered his phone in a hushed voice. "I was in the library, you know!"

Sanghyuk giggled on the other line. "I thought that you were always at the greenhouse like you said before! And besides, it's my lunch break, hyung!"

Hongbin frowned. "Just because it's your lunch break, it doesn't mean that you can call me as you please!"

"Hyung, I'm using my lunch money to call you using the school's payphone. I'd appreciate it more if you don't complain," Sanghyuk replied, smirking only because he knew that Hongbin would lose the argument and also because that was truth – he did not have to lie about it.

"I never told you to call me anyway!" Hongbin groaned, "What would a child like you even know?"

Sanghyuk pouted even if he knew that Hongbin would not be able to see how adorable he was (Sanghyuk always knew how to get through anyone older than him – especially N who would fall for his antics every single time) "I know a lot of things, hyung. And one of them includes your obsession with Park. Hyo. Shin." Hongbin immediately felt blood rushing to his cheeks the moment he heard those words from Sanghyuk. Never had he felt so embarrassed in his entire life. He swore that it was only Leo that was aware of his admiration for his favourite singer, Park Hyo Shin. Hongbin was also convinced that Leo was not the type to talk about secrets like that. So...

"H-How did you –"

Sanghyuk cut him off with, "My time seems to be running out soon, Hongbin-hyung. I guess I'll see you later then~"

Hongbin was too stunned to answer. Once he had finally mustered some words, he only heard the 'beeping' sound indicating that the call has ended. He cursed under his breath, complaining about how poor Sanghyuk was for not being able to hold a conversation for at least 10 minutes. Just then, Leo pushed the library's door open. It startled Hongbin that he gasped and scolded him right after, "D-Don't do that, hyung! You scared me!" His voice was so loud that he felt as if the librarian was glaring at him through the doors, but he chose to ignore it to follow Leo.

Leo did not seem to care about anything (or at least what Hongbin was saying). But Hongbin swore that he heard him say something along the lines of, 'I'm hungry. I need food.' He smiled because he thought that it was cute – Leo was cute in his own way.

Leo felt not anger, but something entirely different when 'next time' arrived and N was not paying attention to him at all. His lifelong friend was chatting away with some girls from his school again and it baffled Leo slightly since it was originally N who would initiate contact and bother him. But now, it seemed like he was being ignored? Why was he getting mixed signals? He did not know and he would not ever know until he would ask – that was what his mother taught him.

"He's not ignoring you, hyung," Hongbin said, understanding the look on former's face. He shook Leo's shoulder slightly. "But that could actually be the case if something happened between the two of you. Did anything happen?"

Leo furrowed his eyebrows. "We slept together," He said with a straight face and it only silenced Hongbin for a second. Knowing him though, Leo must have been the other kind of 'sleep.'

"You mean you slept next to each other? Because –"

"He snuck inside my room and wanted to sleep on my bed. I didn't want to be on the floor so I had to compromise with his spoi