Different Pages

Leo would like to think that he has a mature perspective in life.

He does not have it all together, no. He has his battles with procrastination and academics daily, and he tends to forget his own shoes even when he has practice everyday. There are moments when he zones out in class and makes a wrong answer during recitation (though Spin would argue that that was only one time and he was having a fever then—). Curse the professors who unfailingly fill his to-do lists to the brim. Days when he'd wake up wasted, hating the sun for ever existing so brightly and then himself for thinking he could handle more than five drinks that night. Some days, he ends up wondering what he was doing and what he was going to do both for the near and the far future.

Simple stuff, really.

But, he takes pride in maintaining a GPA worthy of being in the President's List alongside his spot in the university's basketball team. He has a general plan of what happens after graduation, a passable sleeping schedule (—really, Spin, he gets roughly six hours spread throughout a period of 24 hours—he's fine!), and solid relationships that held on for at least some months before they all ended peacefully. It's enough for some of his fellow college students to be curious about him and some professors would comment about him offhandedly in their lounge.

He's content where he was for the time being.

But, by Archimedes above, he's just so exhausted of politely refusing every single person confessing to him like they were in a high school series, and of kindly answering that no, he was not hung up over Eve and it was a matter they both agreed with and, yes, he has no interest in entering a relationship right now.

It does not help that those who hover include his best friend, Spin.

"Look, man,—"

Leo nearly whimpers in pity at the familiar entry into a familiar conversation that he is painfully familiar with that he has told them to not bother with.

"—I'm just, like, really concerned for you."

He pulls the shirt over his head and starts fixing his sports bag. It's practically monotonous, the way he replies with, "There's nothing to be worried about, Spin."

It's the same way he reassures his best friend when he scraped his knee without realizing it on the kindergarten playground. The same way he uttered the words when Leo was caught in a nasty fall after an encounter with furious players in the court. The same way Leo gave him a quick smile after a low score back in the Geometry examination.

It's nothing he can't handle. It's nothing worth worrying over for Leo himself. It's meant to say that there's nothing to be concerned over for others as well.

But like the previous ones, Leo finds himself sending a helpless prayer that his brother in all but blood would finally believe him on this one without further questions. Just a tad bit more with friendly exasperation.

"You're kind, you're patient, you're not envious—you're practically the definition of love from the Bible, my friend," Spin calls over his shoulder. "But you have to let go of your pride and learn that it's okay to make some mistakes when it comes to it. To love."

And he loves Spin, but there are times when it would be nice to shake the mother-hen out of him.

"All philosophical, huh?" They leave the showers and Leo waits until the door slams behind them until he speaks again. "Really, appreciate the concern—I do. But I'm not looking for a relationship right now and I don't regret ending what I had with Eve."

A sigh.

Leo hates the way he mimics Spin in it.

It's a conversation that he's painfully familiar with the ending: with a worried glance to his moving figure and an exhausted groan dying down in his chest. There's nothing changing that right now apparently.

"I'm fine." If it were a lie, he had reached the point where he himself was fully convinced of it. The problem is left with getting them to believe it as well. When there was no reply, Leo mustered up the practiced smile he was so used to giving after confessions and questions like these. "I'm fine, Spin. Come on, let's go."

They're on different pages right now, he reassures himself. Spin will understand; they'll believe it. Everyone will move on and leave him to his own business. Just give them the time.