Blue's mind was a mess. It was the only way he could describe it, and it was particularly strange because Blue didn't... do this. He was always the one grinning, timing the perfect exit with the perfect line. He was the one who listened to his friends gush, who celebrated with them, who cheered them on. He was, in many ways, the perfect friend. But he didn't want to be friends. He wanted...

He might've gulped if he wasn't so certain the man - the extremely handsome, extremely attractive, extremely... everything man - would notice. He felt naked already. Wait, already? he thought, baffled. Oh lord, he was blushing now. His long lashes came down over his soft, doe-ish eyes, crinkling at the corners with his smile.

"You're... incredibly persuasive," Blue said, taking a grateful sip of his drink. He was suddenly extremely thirsty. Persuasive wasn't the word he'd intended to use, but he was grateful he'd managed something less... like something his mother would say. He bit his lower lip at Zhenya's comment, making a visible effort to ease the tension in his shoulders.

"Is it that bad?" he asked, his smile a bit self-conscious. "I never know what to do at these things."

The compliment caught him off-guard, a look - one of those looks, though he wouldn't have known he was capable of it - coming to his eyes for a moment. "I think that's you," he said before he could stop himself. "I mean, look at you."

Blue just sort of, vaguely gestured with his second drink, as if to prove his point. He peered down into his drink, wishing he could blame it for the looseness of his tongue. At Zhenya's words, his gaze returned to the other man's, accepting the offered hand as if it were natural, as if it were expected. Partially because it was, if Zhenya's tone was any indication. Blue was happy to obey.