Simon offered another shrug, which seemed to be half his vocabulary at this point. “Everyone’s a train wreck on the inside. And even so, that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve him or whatever other bullshit you think.” His words came out harsher than he’d intended, and be rushed to soften his words. “I mean— you know what I mean, right?”
"It's fine," Kaye rushed to answer, wishing that he hadn't told Simon too much. He always had an impulse to say too much, and that always came out even more when he had too much to drink. "I don't like him anyway. He's just a friend," he added with a small shake of his head.
Simon sighed. The last thing he’d expected to be doing tonight was pep talk the cute guy who’d let him stay over at night. “If you say so..” he replied, raising his glass to his lips again.
"Well, what about you? Who's caught your eye so far?" Kaye asked, raising a teasing brow as he motioned around the room. Now that the conversation wasn't surrounding him, he seemed to regain his joking personality quickly.
Simon was definitely not going to admit that his eye had, in fact, been drawn to Kaye— hell, he wasn’t even admitting it to himself. He raised his own brow in response to the other man’s, faking a convincing smirk. “No one… yet. Maybe there’s someone you could recommend?”
"Well, what's your type? Brunette or blond, brown eyes or blue," Kaye listed as he glanced around the room, part of him satisfied that Simon hadn't been attracted to anyone yet, though he didn't exactly understand why he felt that way. There were plenty of cute guys here, many of which that would easily be attracted to Simon.
Simon turned the question over in his mind, tapping his fingers against the top of the bar. “I’ve always liked brown eyes….” he replied, biting his lip in thought. “Hazel eyes are nice, I guess. Hair doesn’t really matter to me… I generally care more about the personality.” He hesitated, unsure why he was telling Kaye this. “Someone who won’t mind how…. cautious I am. Someone understanding..”
Kaye hummed in thought as he looked around the bar, glancing over the bar tenders for a few moments as well. He knew many of them, so that might be a good start. "Understanding…right," he repeated in thought, his eyes finally settling on another blonde haired boy who appeared to have darker eyes. He couldn't remember their name…though he thought it was along the lines of Finn, or Finley. "They're rather nice. Tough at times, though they're sweet." Kaye continued to look around the bar, looking for any other options.
Simon followed Kaye’s gaze to a cute boy with messy blond hair and dark eyes. “Hm, he’s attractive enough, I guess. What’s his name?” he inquired with a tiny smile. “Do you know him?”
"Finley, and yeah, he's a friend of mine," Kaye answered with a small shrug as he glanced over towards Simon. "And attractive enough? You're going to be more difficult than I thought," he teased with a bright grin, as he looked around the bar once again.
Simon flushed ever so slightly, leaning his elbows against the bar. “What can I say? After so long being single, I’ve got high standards.” He was 90% sure that the alcohol was getting to his head, but a small part of him thought that might just have been Kaye’s unintentional charm. “What about you? Got a type?”
"I like people with interesting features. Scars, hair colors of every type, even mismatched eyes," Kaye hummed, a small, crooked grin crossing his face as he took a sip from his drink. He had pretty much just called Simon out for his eye color, though he wanted to see how the boy would react.
A flicker of astonished disbelief crossed Simon’s features as he took in Kaye’s meaning. Was he….. flirting? With him? He blinked, barely managing to raise his eyebrow. “Mismatched eyes, hm?”
"Yeah, they're cute," Kaye added with a small hum, his smile turning into more of a faint smirk at Simon's almost shocked expression. Flirting came rather easily to him, and he especially liked doing it to Simon and gauging their reaction.
And suddenly, it was Simon who felt flustered and shy. “Is there something you’re trying to say?” he asked carefully, giving a suave tone a go. He failed, coming off as more nervous than confident and flirty.
"I don't know…is there something you think I'm trying to say?" Kaye asked, his tone almost innocent as he raised a brow at Simon. He leaned forward on his elbows, seemingly satisfied with the fact that he wasn't the nervous one anymore. Though, seeming Simon flustered was not a sight he was used to. "Or, is there something you want to say?"
There was a man flirting with him. Flirting. With him. Simon flinched back involuntarily, scrambling to get a hold on himself. “Did someone put you up to this?” he asked disbelievingly, hating the way his heart rate seemed to speed up.
Kaye's brows drew together as he saw Simon flinch back, confused by the sudden movement. "Put me up to what?" He asked, concern and confusion evident in his voice as he watched the other men. Did Simon think that someone was setting him up somehow…?
“Never mind…” Simon sighed, averting his eyes. He’d gone and messed things up… again. As usual. He inhaled gently, letting his eyes travel from person to person in the bar, until— he froze. That’s not possible..
Kaye nodded slowly and went to open his mouth to say it was alright, though he noticed Simon's sudden alert and followed their gaze. He turned around hesitantly and glanced around, not able to quite make out who was in the bar since the lights were dimmed down. Instead of speaking up, he watched Simon's face for a reaction…to see if it was either good or bad.
Blond curls just like his… cold blue eyes that cut through the crowd… skin marred with a landscape of freckles and scars, much more prominent than his.. It was unmistakably Erik. Simon’s face darkened.
Kaye followed Simon's darkening gaze, his eyes falling on a man that appeared to look just like him, except for the darker freckles on his face. Was that his…brother? A cousin perhaps? "Simon, who is that?" He started slowly, his brows drawing together in confusion.
“Excuse me for a second,” Simon told Kaye, rising from his seat at the bar. He wove his way through the tables, his breathing growing quicker and coming in shorter spurts until barely any air was coming through his lips. Coming to a stop directly behind the younger man, he took hold of his shoulder roughly. “What the hell are you doing here??”
Kaye got up once Simon grabbed a hold of the man, and from here it was hard for him to tell the difference between the two. Though, he began to trail after Simon, only taking a few short steps every couple moments as other people in the bar seemed to sense the hostility. What was happening? He suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to help Simon, though he knew that probably wouldn't be appreciated.
Erik glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow with an air of condescendence, though he was clearly the younger by at least four years. “Long time no see, big brother,” he drawled, taking a deep drag from the cigarette poised between his two fingers. Simon clenched his jaw. “What are you doing here??”
Eric flashed a grin, all teeth and no emotion. “You tell me.”