There had been more than a few drinks floating around the air throughout the night, much like it had been for the past couple of months. The three roommates had been with each other often, having been to class enough to chat between lessons and sharing a few drinks over the weekend.
This weekend was much like the other weekends, though the three roommates were exhausted, having completed a large exam that same afternoon.
"Man, I can't thank you enough for helping me study for this," said Algy. "I definitely wouldn't have made it without your help."
"No sweat," Leon replied, the beer swirling around his mouth. "We gotta stick together somehow, right?"
"Right," Wolf replied, staring into his glass. His mind was in a different place altogether, not focused on the conversation between Leon and Algy. The two were talking about random things; sports, studying, figuring out their plans for the summer break that was coming up, but Wolf wasn't speaking much at all.
Leon leaned nearby Wolf's ear, close enough so that he could speak softly to him without anyone else noticing. "Something the matter?"
"Hmm?" Wolf was snapped out of his daze, somewhat startled by Leon's question. "Sorry, nothing's the matter. Just thinking, I guess."
"Thinking about what?"
Wolf froze, unable to piece together the words he wanted to convey out. "Nothing, I guess." Wolf turned his attention back to his beer, which had almost run out.
Algy saw this too and leaned forward on the top of the bar so that he could see Wolf better. "Want another one?"
"I shouldn't," sighed Wolf. "I'm still a bit thirsty, but I don't want to drink too much tonight, after what happened last week."
"Fair enough," chuckled Algy. "Even I can't take that much beer in one night!"
"At your height?" Leon smirked. "I'm amazed you can handle some beer at all!"
"I've had experience," said Algy. "What did you think I did at my house before I came here?"
"Hey, it's not fair you had your own bar in your house!" shouted Wolf in jest. "Maybe I'm just a bit tired though. I kinda want to celebrate too, but right now I haven't had a good night of sleep in a while."
Leon nearly burst out laughing, biting his lips to hold in his laughter in. "You? Sleep? That's rather strange, coming from you!"
"Don't joke! I wasn't the one that passed out on the couch after the 5K run last month!" Wolf smirked as Leon grumbled while he swirled some more beer down his throat.
Algy leaned back on the barstool as he held his beer bottle in his hand. "Well, I don't mind if you head back, then. The boxing match is coming up, so I'll stay until the end of that."
"Sure thing," Wolf replied, handing the bartender a bill to pay for his tab. "You staying here, Leon?"
"Nah, watching a bunch of paid professionals beat themselves up on live TV isn't my idea of entertainment."
"Suit yourself. I can find my way back home," said Algy.
"You won't mind being by yourself?" Wolf asked.
"Not at all, besides, I can defend myself if I need to."
"Alright," smirked Leon. "Just don't think you can match up to those punks on TV, ok?"
The three laughed as Wolf and Leon stepped outside, as night had fallen onto Corneria, and the only light was the streetlights beaming down onto the streets. There was hardly anyone else on the roads with the two.
"You didn't have to go with me," said Wolf. "I could have found my way home."
"Figured I'd tag along with you anyway," Leon replied, speaking more softly so as to not to disturb the quiet of the night. "You heard me in there, too."
"Yeah, but I figured you'd want to party with moneybags in there. I mean, the guy's got a fat wallet, I'm just worried someone's going to beat him up one day."
"Is that what you're worried about? He was telling me about the self-defense classes he took before he joined the Academy. I'd have to say, he seems very well adjusted for someone who's rich."
"True. Frankly, I don't know what I'd do without him. I'm just too sheepish to admit it to him, if I'm being honest. I don't know what I can do to pay him back."
"That cram session helped out a lot," said Leon, as the two continued walking slowly down the sidewalk.
"Yeah… but that was mostly you, Leon. Besides, I don't know how much of this shit we'll remember after we're done here."
"Who knows. But if we play our cards right, we might be in the same squad once graduation rolls around."
"Hmm. That's what worries me. How long is this going to last? I've never had anything this good happen for so long. Everything can turn in an instant."
Leon didn't reply immediately, thinking about Wolf's words. Turn in an instant? What the hell is that supposed to mean?
The three had talked a bit about their upbringing, but from what Leon could gather from Wolf's vague descriptions, his wasn't anything to be proud about. Out of the three, Algy certainly had the best luck out of them, being born into the right family. Even Leon could say he had a more stable household than Wolf did.
But the last time he tried to talk about their past, Wolf seemed uninterested in continuing the conversation, even a bit irritated about talking about it. So Leon decided to change the subject, not wanting to sour their moods.
"Well, I'll probably play that FPS game some more when I get back."
"Oh?" Wolf seemed a bit surprised, if slightly disappointed.
"Unless you had something else in mind…"
Wolf scratched his head, again being unable to find the words to say to Leon. "Not really, if I'm being honest…"
"What, are you trying to go out with someone?"
"…No…" Wolf appeared hesitant at the comment.
The two walked silently for a few moments, taking in the cooling air of the night.
Leon glanced over to Wolf, who was staring blankly into the distance.
"You're too cute to be single… you know that, right?"
Wolf stopped in his tracks, his face turning red as his mind started to swirl. "…What's that supposed to mean?"
"What do you think? That you're too good looking to be single!"
Wolf stuttered, breaking a nervous smile. "…Are you trying to say something to me?"
"I was about to ask you that! I've seen that look before, Wolf. The way you glance at other men, the number of times you've talked about men… the amount of times you haven't talked about women the same way the others do at the Academy. In fact, I don't think I've seen you go out with a woman at all."
"So what?"
Leon found a small alleyway tucked inside a building and gently guided Wolf in there, so that nobody would be able to see the two talking to each other. "I've looked at men the same way before, too. You're not the first guy I've had a crush on."
By now Wolf's face was almost completely red, his mind stunned and completely blank as he stared at Leon's glistening eyes.
"You promise to keep this between us?" asked Wolf quietly.
"Anything you wish."
"…I think I'm in love with you."
Leon paused for a moment, his own confident mind starting to waver a bit. "You think you're in love with me?" He smiled, not wanting his laughter to give his position away. "Why don't you find out for sure?"
The two looked at each other in the eyes, as Wolf's mind slowly melted away in carnal desire. They stood mere inches from each other, as Leon leaned onto the wall of the alleyway, staying perfectly still, silently goading Wolf to make the move.
Wolf leaned his head closer to Leon's, holding each other as they pressed their lips against each other…
Nothing else around them mattered. It was as if time itself stopped, and all their troubles and worried fluttered away in an instant. All that they could think about was pleasing their new lover.
Almost as soon as it started, Wolf released his lips from Leon's, and slowly drew his head back to where it was. His heart was pounding away like mad, and Leon's was pounding away as well. They stood there for a few moments, not saying anything, not thinking anything, but breathing heavily, not sure what to make of their brief moment of passion.
Wolf was the first to break the silence. "We… can't stay here…"
"You're right," replied Leon, stepping back onto the street as if nothing happened. "It's too risky here."
The two started walking back to their apartment, checking behind their backs to see if there was anyone else around them. There wasn't a single soul within the same block.
Leon turned to Wolf, who was slowly starting to regain his composure. "You want to take this further when we get back?"
