"Is that sarcasm?"

Marlo is making a face at him and it feels like warm liquid is filling his entire body.

"It isn't! I like talking to you, and you're really good at teaching." And you're small enough to hold and I want to make sure nothing ever makes you sad again, he doesn't say, because that would be weirdly intense and probably would freak Lev out. 

"They are not divorced, more's the pity, it's easier to hide things from people who aren't talking to each other, but when I was a kid all the men I idolized were, like, David Bowie." 

"David Bowie turned you gay? He'll be so proud."

"Thank you. I like you too. You're patient and kind and you try really hard and you want to be a good person." And you have the kind of abs that until now I thought were made up by Hollywood as an unrealistic beauty standard, he does not say, because he is trying really hard not to be gay.

"David Bowie, Interview with the Vampire, there's a handful." 

"Thank you!" 

He's glowing. 

The warm liquid feeling has gotten stronger and turned into a sort of electricity dancing on his skin. 

"Want to sit together today?"

"Oh, if you're modeling yourself after Interview with a Vampire, do I have to be worried you're going to drink my blood?"

"Of course not, I'm not Lestat I'm Louis. Clearly." 

"Sure!" 

He should maybe not sit with Marlo because Marlo makes him think extremely homosexual thoughts. 

But on the other hand Marlo is progressing really far in his recovery from homosexuality and is not going to kiss him, and Marlo likes him. 

Does Marlo want to hear about Brandon Sanderson.

"I might be disappointed!"

Marlo would love to hear about Brandon Sanderson! 

He is.... conflicted about how much he wants to listen to whatever Lev has to say, when Lev isn't right there, but when Lev is right there that seems much less salient. 

"Well. Not like Louis never bit anyone." He would love to punctuate that sentence by kissing Asher, but.

"I'm terrified!"

When Lev is happy he bounces in his seat. 

Lev is adorable. 

(There's — nothing wrong with noticing that, it's true, it's not like Marlo is thinking about how much he wants to hold him and kiss him and —) 

Lev keeps talking to Marlo for all of dinner and all of free time and he says "one more thing" so many times that Clayton throws a pillow at his head and tells him to shut up.

It turns out, once you get Lev to start talking, it is impossible to shut him up.

He listens and occasionally asks questions for all of dinner and all of free time and until Clayton throws a pillow at Lev's head, at which point he laughs and apologizes to Clayton and goes over to his bed o the other side of the dorm and definitely does not dream about how good Lev's smile is and how soft his hands are and how good it would be to kiss him. 

That's very strange because Lev absolutely does dream about how good it would be to kiss Marlo. And also other things.

Asher concludes that it is important that Raine get enough sleep and so they should not have sex tonight.

It is a very disappointing conclusion.

And Sasha falls asleep thinking about his boyfriend (his boyfriend!) and gets a better night of sleep than he has since their first day here. 

The next afternoon, group therapy is about finding and submitting to your Higher Power. 

There is therapy homework. 

Lev sticks close to Marlo when they come out. 

"I'm not super thrilled by this homework."