Despite Robin's repeated attempts to hail a taxi, after the third taxi driver declined, fearing that the obviously intoxicated Yohan would unleash his stomach contents in their backseats, he gave up.

"Alright, it's about a 15-minute walk  to Redcliff. You ready?" With Yohan leaning heavily on him, Robin's voice carried a slight strain. The man's bicep was pressed against the back of Robin's neck, his arm lazily draping over his chest.

"Uhhhh, mmmmmm," Yohan managed to mumble, swaying slightly as they stood together. Lifting some of his weight off Robin's shoulders, Yohan fumbled in his pockets with his free hand. Eventually, he pulled out his carton of cigarettes, flipping it open with his thumb. Only one cigarette remained, and his face wrinkled in disappointment.

Attempting to stand upright without Robin's support, Yohan stumbled slightly. Robin observed as Yohan grappled with the cigarette box, the slender stick slipping through his fingers and bouncing onto the floor.

"Let me," Robin said softly, picking up the cigarette from the floor. The paper enveloping the tobacco was slightly creased from Yohan's failed attempt to extract it from the packaging.

"I shouldn't be encouraging this," Robin chuckled, placing the cigarette between Yohan's lips.  His hand lingered for a moment, watching as Yohan's mouth parted slightly, allowing Robin to delicately rest the cigarette on his bottom lip, his hand so close.

As Robin withdrew his hand, leaving the cigarette precariously hanging from the corner of Yohan's mouth, Yohan rummaged in his pocket once again, this time for a lighter. Intoxicated coordination failed him yet again, as he struggled to spark the flame in the light night breeze.

"Heeelllpppp..."  Yohan mumbled through the cigarette in his mouth, flipping open the lid and attempting to ignite with a click, click, click, to no avail.

"Alright, alright, give it here," Robin said, stepping closer to Yohan. Taking the lighter from Yohan's hand, he cupped his other hand around the dark-haired boy's mouth, the pinky briefly brushing against his lips. Robin effortlessly lit  the flame, letting it dance over the end of the cigarette.  The tobacco glowed a deep amber as Yohan inhaled. Robin instinctively placed the lighter in his own pocket without a second thought.

Yohan staggered back, allowing his head to loll towards the sky as he released the cigarette from his mouth, letting swirls of smoke ascend into the air. With a contented sigh, he exclaimed, "Jesus, that's so much better."

"If you say so," Robin teased, deftly slipping himself back under Yohan's arm to prevent him from toppling over with every sway. "Come on, we really need to get you home."

Robin reached for his phone, intending to pull up Google Maps, but before he could, Yohan interjected, "I know the way! Follow meeee!" With that, Yohan's arm lost contact with Robin's, and he began jogging down the street to their left, his path anything but straight.

"Yohan, wait up!" Robin called, attempting to chase after him.

♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡

Robin managed to catch up with Yohan after a brief game of chase that Yohan found uproariously amusing. Ducking and diving, Yohan evaded Robin's attempts to grab onto him; the chase provided unexpected stability to Yohan's intoxicated state. Now walking side by side, their arms occasionally brushed against each other as Yohan took the lead.

As they approached a dimly lit alleyway branching off from the main road, the feeble glow of the street lamps struggled to penetrate the darkness of the narrow path.

"Um, are you sure this is the right way?" Robin questioned, glancing up at Yohan, who wore a stern expression with a furrowed brow, deep in concentration.

"Shortcut," Yohan replied bluntly, guiding Robin down the dimly lit alley without meeting his gaze. A palpable tension lingered between them as they traversed the slightly muddy path, remnants of recent rainfall and autumn leaves scattered on the ground. Towering trees formed a natural arch over their heads, casting elongated shadows in the darkness.  The path stretched seemingly endlessly, with no clear end in sight, and they walked side by side in silence.

Suddenly, Yohan came to a halt, no longer walking beside Robin. Turning to face him, Yohan stared at the ground, his breath heavy, and his hands clenched into fists at his sides. In the darkness, Robin discerned the outline of Yohan's shoulders rising and falling. The moon cast a subtle glow on his hair, and the half-bare trees overhead swayed in the light wind, creating a rustling symphony in the silence. 

Robin cautiously stepped forward towards Yohan, concern etched across his face. "Yohan, are you okay?" he asked tentatively, approaching with slight caution.

Yohan looked up at him, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight, a hint of moisture making them shimmer. His mouth formed a slight downward turn, and his face bore an intent expression as he peered into Robin's eyes.

"I... I think..."

"What? What's the matter?" Robin  rushed closer towards him, concerned, as he let a hand rest on his upper arm tentatively, trying to get a better look at him in the darkness.

"I... I think... I think I...like...y..."

Yohan suddenly violently pitched forward, and a torrent of sickness erupted onto the ground, spewing with force and coating the bottom of Robin's jeans as he hastily recoiled to escape the impending splashback. Yohan, hunched over in discomfort, turned away, emitting a series of nauseating bursts, each expulsion revealing an oddly coloured, sickly green liquid that seemed to defy the natural order.

Gross...

Having spat on the ground several times, Yohan used the back of his hand to wipe remnants from his mouth. Stumbling closer to one of the narrow alleyway walls, he turned his body away from Robin, one hand seeking support against the cool stone surface. His head hung low, still avoiding eye contact with Robin as he gazed  down at the unsettling pool of vomit close to his feet.

"Sorry... that was disgusting." Yohan rasped, his voice hoarse and worn from the acidic ordeal.

Robin attempted to compose himself, disregarding the fact that his jeans were now slightly splattered with the unappealing greenish-yellow liquid. Though still grappling with a fuzzy head from his own alcohol intake, he remained lucid and aware of his surroundings, a stark contrast to Yohan, who stumbled a bit more as he struggled to pull himself upright.

"It's alright; it happens to us all at some point,"  Robin reassured, his eyes fixed on Yohan in his vulnerable state.

This wasn't the Yohan Robin recognized. Granted, he had only known him for a few weeks, but the Yohan before him seemed like a different person. He looked small and childlike, shivering slightly as he retched once more.

Now that Robin thought about it, most of the night Yohan wasn't himself, not after he took the tequila shots—no, after their moment in the smoking area together. His whole demeanour, from the cool, stoic boy he knew, became this loud, boisterous creature surrounded by the others. While it was no secret to Robin that alcohol could make people more confident, he wasn't dumb. The sudden shift and stark contrast in Yohan's behaviour was, well– weird.

Now, seeing Yohan in this vulnerable state, his once strong body seemed suddenly frail and helpless, as if he didn't know how to navigate his own distress. Yohan's once cool and effortless demeanour was now wavering, giving way to a fragile and helpless figure. His shoulders trembled as he let out audible sniffles.

Is he... crying?

"I'm sorry... I'm a mess." Yohan  confessed through small sobs, leaning against the stone wall to support his weight. as a tear trickled down his cheek. His eyes remained glued to the floor, as if anticipating punishment for some wrongdoing.

Robin, overriding the repulsion lingering in the pit of his stomach, rushed over to Yohan, nimbly stepping over the unsightly pool on the floor. He wrapped an arm around Yohan's shoulders, offering solace and support.

"Hey... hey... hey... It's okay," he reassured softly, his hand gently stroking the side of Yohan's arm.

"It's–" He sniffled.  "It's not okay, though, is it? This is just fucking embarrassing."

"What? The throwing up part... or the crying part?"

Yohan didn't reply to Robin's question. Instead, he collapsed to the floor, sliding down the wall, with Robin's arm still securely around him. The two boys slid down to the floor. Yohan's knees were pressed tightly against his chest as he hugged them, his face directed downward towards the floor on his knees. He continued to sob, and Robin, in an effort to provide comfort, shifted his hand from lightly stroking Yohan's upper arm to tenderly rubbing his back, leaning forward slightly in the shared vulnerability.

They must have sat in that silence for what seemed to be hours. Robin tenderly stroked the crying boy's back in small circles as he continued to weep. Yohan kept his face hidden, buried in his crossed arms, resting on top of his knees. Yohan let out a small sound, attempting to speak, as he said it almost inaudible.

"I've just been so confused recently."

Confused? Confused about what? About... us? Surely not...

"That's okay; life can be confusing," Robin comforted, leaning slightly closer to Yohan. The circles on his back shifted to a delicate figure-eight motion. He could feel the subtle ridges and bumps of Yohan's back muscles through the denim vest; they occasionally twitched slightly as Robin made contact.

Yohan seemed to let out a large sigh as his shoulders raised and fell. "No, but... you don't understand... You're so confident;  you've found your group of people. I don't even understand why you've wanted to hang out with me,"  his face still hidden from Robin's view, his voice stuttered, lacking the usual confident tone.

But how... He's the cool, confident one? Not me? What is he talking about?

"I... I like hanging out with you, Yohan. You're nice, and I'm not confident." Robin admitted, the stroking of his back slowing slightly, trying to express his tender care.

"Yes, but—it's not—it's not like... You don't understand," Yohan muffled into his forearms, his crying seemingly easing off slightly.

"Shhh, it's okay," Robin whispered, summoning the courage to lean his head slightly onto Yohan's shoulder, offering a comforting presence.

"It's not, though... You wouldn't understand," Yohan responded, his words hanging in the air.

"What wouldn't I understand?" Robin gently prodded.

There was a long pause, and unspoken emotions hung in the air before Yohan spoke very quietly.

"I don't like boys."

Robin's hand on Yohan's back ceased its circular motion. His entire body froze at the weight of Yohan's confession, a heavy stone dropping to the pit of his stomach. 

Did I hear that right? Yohan doesn't like boys... Does that mean... he doesn't like me? In what way?

"Um, what did you say?" Robin croaked from the back of his throat, removing his hand that rested on Yohan's back.

"Um... It doesn't matter," Yohan said, letting out one last large sniff. He lifted his head from his knees, rubbing his eyes with his fists to wipe away tears. "Let's just go, yeah?"

Yohan lifted his body from the floor, leaving Robin still sitting there, stunned.

"Coming?" Yohan said flatly, standing up, facing away from Robin, concealing his face. His legs towered over Robin as he turned and started to walk down the alleyway again. His coordination improved since he had thrown up but, still not perfect.

"Um... yeah, coming!" Robin hurriedly got up and meekly followed behind him, wrestling with the unanswered questions swirling in his mind.