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[busybean]

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[sweetabatina]

"Are you ashamed of what we just did?"

[busybean]

His head snaps up at that and he shakes his head quick, dragging his fingers through his hair. "No! Jesus. I'm trying to be - respectful of you or whatever." He's young; most of his experience is with hookup apps.

[sweetabatina]

"Well, I want you to stay. Hang out. That's what I was thinking." Ceder says with an expression like saying the truth so plainly is physically hurting him.

[busybean]

"Oh." Leo actually looks at him in the face before he flusters again, and instead shifts to settle in the most comfortable way he can on the couch. "Okay. Uh. I'd really like that."

[sweetabatina]

"Good." He gets up from the couch and crosses to the TV, grabbing a couple of controllers. He returns to the couch and plops down on the opposite side from Leo, and tosses him one.

[busybean]

He takes the controller, clearly comfortable holding it even if he has no idea what it is they're about to play. "Hey," he says after a moment, driven by idle curiosity more than anything else, "how old are you?"

[sweetabatina]

Ceder turns on his XBox, rolling one of the thumbsticks around idly.

"Twenty-eight." He says, "Why?"

[busybean]

Leo pauses for just a split second, but moves past it quickly, shrugging as he turns the controller on. "No reason. Just curious."

[sweetabatina]

"Hnh." He's loading up a racing game, the latest Forza.

"Racing is my favorite." He says, "-how old are you?"

[busybean]

"Couple of years younger than you." Six, actually, but he's already made it weird once, he doesn't want to do that again. "God, I can barely drive a real car."

[sweetabatina]

"I've got other stuff, too." Ceder says, cleanly filing Leo's age in his mind as '24-25ish.' "This isn't totally like driving. It's like pushing a magnet around."

[busybean]

"I don't mind," he says, shooting him a lopsided sort of smile. "Just letting you know I'm bad at them."

[sweetabatina]

"Don't worry, it's not a test. Just tell me if you're not having fun, okay?"

[busybean]

"Ceder. I think I could sit in the dark and stare at the wall and have fun right now."

[sweetabatina]

Ceder glances at him and grins,

"Because of my winning personality and not the drugs, right?"

[busybean]

"Can it be both?" He laughs a little at that, reaching out to sort of tap him with his foot. "Where are you from, anyway? Sorry, I guess I realized I don't actually know that much about you."

[sweetabatina]

"Legally? Boston. But I grew up mostly in DC." Ceder says, nudging Leo's foot back. "My dad got elected pretty soon after I was born, and the old fossil's not giving his seat up until he's dead."

[busybean]

"Oh shit, your dad is in politics? God, mine is just a lawyer, and that was enough pressure." It's idle chatter, and he's relaxing through it.

[sweetabatina]

He glances away from him, eyes focused on the screen, a crease forming beside his mouth,

“My dad is a senator.”

[busybean]

"God, that sucks," he exhales. "He shitty to you?" Leo says it like he's expecting it, like it's the only option.

[sweetabatina]

“He’s fine.” Ceder shrugs, “He’s- supportive. In a very milquetoast way.”

[busybean]

"Oh," Leo says, and he relaxes visibly, smiling sideways at him again. "Mine kicked my ass out. Haven't talked to him since. Don't really miss him, though."

[sweetabatina]

“Jesus.” Ceder blows out a breath, “What a piece of shit.”

[busybean]

"Yeah," he says with a laugh. "I was fifteen. Mom caught me making out with my lab partner."

[sweetabatina]

Ceder furrows his brow,

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have complained about my shit.”