That hadn't been flirting! Barty was excellent at flirting and seducing others when he put his mind to it, and calling Evan cute had just been a matter of fact, just part of how the world was. It hadn't been meant to make him think -
Barty nodded, glancing down and swallowing a few more pieces of his pride. And the little bits of happy interactions they'd been working toward...dissipated slightly. "Mmhmm," Barty replied, not really wanting to protest, to make things worse.