#`a

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he muttered dryly, reaching up to push blood-matted fringe out of his eyes.

       Suddenly, the female is at the front desk and Zitao finally shakes himself out of his thoughts to pay her attention like any other good employee would. A polite smile spreads across his lips to appear more friendly despite her being unable to see it. “No worries, I’ll take care of all of your laundry needs. Showing you the ropes around here is included in that, of course.” He paused after speaking, not quite sure how to go about asking if she could handle everything on her own. He didn’t want to appear insensitive about her condition because he wanted to do anything but that, but in all his time at the laundromat he had never seen someone visually impaired like this, and he wasn’t quite sure how to talk to them about it. "You know, I can always wash your laundry for you if you want me to. …Unless you want me to show you around instead."

       He trips over himself when he shoves past the throng of people, and finds himself unceremoniously landing onto the couch in a mess of limbs, something that has him suddenly giggling uncontrollably despite something hard and painful digging into the side of his stomach. He doesn’t realize what it is before he gathers his bearings— or whatever’s left of them by now— and lolls his head to the side to peer at the offending appendage pressing into his ribs. An elbow, he notes, before tilting his head further up and oh. A person was attached to that elbow, and attached to that person was… a frown? Zitao finds himself mimicking the strangers expression before he opens his mouth, gaping for a moment until he’s finally able to form the words he wants, despite them being slurred. “Somebody… doesn’t look too happy to be here—” A sudden pause and then he’s uncharacteristically giggling, hands gesturing wildly around and nearly smacking the man in the face as he grins."You sir need to let go and enjoy the atmosphere— do something spontaneous." 

       Another date. Zitao didn’t know if he wanted another date yet. The male seemed nice and genuine, with a dazzling white smile to match— but Zitao could never feel sure. Being set up on a blind date meant he didn’t know the male’s true intentions behind that grin, and it had his paranoia beginning to set in. He didn’t want someone that would lead him on and toy with him, and he definitely didn’t know if the male was like that or not so he was wary— but maybe he was thinking too much about it. Dates were harmless for the first few, right? As long as he didn’t get stood up, things would be fine. With a silent sigh after much inner turmoil and his decision unmade, his eyes slowly fell back onto the male as he offered up the best idea he could think of for the time being. “How about if we go on a second date.. you meet me at my work when I get off?”

"Hm," He gazes up with a frown marring his lips at the question, pondering— though it isn’t a second later that he’s shaking his head, mouth pulling into a line as he answers. "There are definitely people that I like to be around, but I wouldn’t say there is anyone that I like romantically. Most people I talk to are mere acquaintances so far, meaning I’m not close enough to them to have any romantic feelings for anyone. I believe those kind of feelings will have to wait for some time."

"Oh, I—" Zitao hesitates, eyes searching around him as he chews his lower lip while hoping for an answer that would get him out of answering the question directly. His sexuality wasn’t something he liked to share with anyone, his personal life being well, personal, but there wasn’t a way out of this. Frustration edges its way into his expression as he brushes a hand through his hair, heaving out a sigh with his eyes fixated on the ground below him. He knew sexuality wasn’t a problem for some people to come out with, but his upbringing had him wary about telling anyone, and where he lived and the views surrounding him didn’t help the situation either. Yet he had to answer honestly, he had to. ”I’m interested in.. both.”

       Maybe it was obvious by how much smaller he’d become over the last few months, but he hadn’t been eating as often recently— or at all, really — after that one night, that one certain night he’d lost the person most important to him to the clutches of death, and it seemed to finally be catching up to him. He didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want people to worry or pity him for his health, and he definitely didn’t want to be told to sit down when he was trying to work to become better and forget everything in the process. He wanted to do it all on his own, but it was obvious that he was tired and distraught, undeniably so physically and emotionally, from the things he had gone through recently despite not wanting to show his weaknesses to anyone. Right now though, he found himself staying put for the time being even though he didn’t want to. Maybe it was time to listen to someone for once, to listen to the way his body was protesting everything. “..Only until I feel a bit better, right?”

"You think I’m handsome? How cute, I bet you are too— or pretty, depending on which one you prefer." His lips quirk up at the corners, a chuckle escaping from the confines of his chest as he leans back, providing his answer with a shrug. "I really can’t lie answering this because I really don’t know— and also because I wouldn’t say I’m that handsome— but I’ll say genetics would be the reason. Yeah, that sounds about right.”