Winner Takes It All

Chapter 10

Leo was a freak accident. His parents had gotten drunk one night and done it and nine months later, out he plopped.

So Leo made it his mission on his birthday to teach them a lesson about safe sex by being nothing short of a bratty, needy, tyrant. This year though, his parents had been clever enough to plan a trip to India on the same week as his birthday.

Leo resented them for it but had resolved that it wouldn't stop his fun. He had grand, ambitious plans to get very, very drunk with some friends and maybe make out with a few choice, good looking strangers.

Leo checked his phone and replied to his friends, resolutely ignoring the sinking disappointment he felt when he saw that Xavier still had not wished him a happy birthday.

It's because we're friends now and friends wish each other happy birthday, he told with himself, he's not sure he believed it though.

Leo felt the urge to check his phone again. Enough Leo, he reprimanded himself. He won't have texted you in the minute since you last checked.

Leo checked the phone again anyways, just to be safe.

"You going out soon?" Liam asked, popping into the room and ruffling the hair Leo had just carefully styled.

Leo groaned and smacked his hand away but nodded. "In 15 minutes maybe. I'm going up to the roof for a bit."

———

Leo sat there on the roof, head tipped back as though he were sunbathing, even though it was night. It was quiet up there, a place of its own, separate from the noises from the street and the world below.

Leo heard footsteps and his heart picked up as he caught sight of Xavier climbing up the ladder to the roof. He settled down beside him on the concrete floor.

"Happy birthday", Xavier murmured. He smiled and handed him a post-it note.

Leo looked down at the neon yellow square with disbelief. "Gee thanks."

Xavier smirked. "Open it."

Leo eyed him warily. "It's not a drawing of a penis is it?"

Xavier burst out laughing. "You're literally into guys. Why is that the worst thing you could imagine seeing?"

"You have a point", Leo admitted, still eyeing the paper warily. Maybe it was a murder confession.

"Open it", Xavier urged.

Leo flipped open the little post-it sceptically.

"Shut the fuck up." His heart stopped beating. The world stopped turning. The night sky flipped upside down.

Xavier grinned widely.

"How? Wait I need to see if - "

Leo fumbled with his phone and YouTube app in a flap. Sure enough - a dancing girl in a gas mask.

"How?" Leo turned to Xavier with wonder.

"It was actually quite a long process - I had to contact Vevo and ask them to send me a list of all the German artists they partnered with and then I went through all of them, there's actually a surprisingly big market for - oh my God are you crying?"

Leo nodded, laughing through his tears.

"Why in God's name are you crying?" Xavier asked incredulously.

Xavier tipped his chin upwards gently and swiped away a tear, his thumb warm against Leo's cheek.

"So. Happy." Leo hiccuped through his sobs.

Xavier stared at him in bemusement, palm still resting against his cheek.

"You are the most ridiculous person I've ever met", he mused as his thumb swept away another tear.

Leo sniffled and Xavier bumped his shoulder gently against his.

"Thank you," Leo mumbled smiling, feeling strangely shy all of a sudden. "For the present, not for calling me ridiculous."

Xavier looked over at him for a long moment without saying anything, his gaze just tracing the lines of Leo's face in a way that made him feel like he was beautiful. "It was the least I could do," Xavier said after a beat.

The words carried on the wind and something in Leo's chest beat a little harder. He looked away from Xavier somehow unable to bear the weight of his gaze.

"I can't believe you made me cry. This must have been your plan all along", Leo muttered eventually.

"I do a nice thing and this is the thanks I get", Xavier huffed, but he was smiling.

Leo sniffed and buried his head into Xavier's shoulder. "God. You must think I'm pathetic."

"Pretty much, yeah", Xavier joked.

Leo punched his shoulder.

"Ow! Kidding. Don't worry, it was cute."

Xavier flicked his nose gently. Leo scrunched it in response but he was smiling. He did that a lot more often these days.