Archive of Our Own

It was the most heated match Shu ever watched.

Okay, maybe it was a bit biased, because Shu didn’t really go his way to watch any sports matches before.

He was only here as the student council president cheering on their high school basketball team in the semifinal match of their regional tournament—and maybe as a good friend of some of the players too. Okay, not some —Shu was friends with all five of the regular players. He was here to cheer on all of them and witnessed the most momentous match of all his high school years.

For the past three years, their school team wasn’t able to get themselves into the national tournament. They all did their best but their opponents were simply better and luckier . If they manage to win this match today, the chance to play in the national tournament wouldn't be a dream anymore. Only the first and the second placements of the regional tournament were qualified to enter the national preliminaries; that's why their team must win this match today no matter what.

That’s why every single student of their school enthusiastically came to this match to cheer on them. And that’s also why Shu was there even though he felt extremely out of place—he was dragged here by his council members, they reasoned it's only natural for their president to go too if everyone else was going, and Shu bitterly couldn't refute that.

Fervent cheers, incoherent shouts of players' names, painful screech from hoarse voices—everything was mashing together into a head pounding clamor. Shu tried to keep his eyes on the court, on the fast moving ball being passed around, of bodies clashing and bumping into each other; but the ear splitting shout both on his left and right side kept distracting him from the actual game.

"YEAH, VOX!!! SHOW THEM WHO IS THE BOSS!!!" Ike screamed right next to Shu's ear when Vox successfully shot the ball through the ring. Before the game started, Ike was rolling his eyes dramatically and complained non-stop after Vox shamelessly declared he would win this game for his beloved Ike. "He is their captain—he shouldn't say something like that in front of his team!" He said earlier, as he grumbled to himself even more. Shu could only smile at him, finding it amusing how Ike always seemed annoyed with Vox's advance yet secretly swooned over his smallest gesture. Now look at him, shouting and cheering like a maniac whenever Vox scored a point and threw a flirtatious wink at him—how shocking .

"Beat their asses, Fuufuu-chan! You got this, baby! Wooo!!!" Uki shouted in the same heat as Ike, one hand gripping painfully onto Shu's shoulder, jostling the poor black-haired boy roughly. Shu tried to pull Uki's hand from him as he feared his shirt sleeve would be torn apart if he kept tossing him around; yet Uki's death grip on him was too strong for him to escape from.

Where did the soft, always-on-low-energy Uki go? Because the one who sat next to him, yelling and bouncing around energetically like possessed, was someone stranger to him—no longer his best friend he always knew. 

Slowly Shu slid back, crumpled on his seat even more. He put both hands over his ears as he tried to muffle noises as much as possible, and protected his poor eardrums.

He glanced around his surroundings; all of his friends were going crazy. Never did he see his friends get so heated like this—not even in their annual Sports Day Festival when competition and chaos notoriously happened back-to-back. They screamed like there's no tomorrow, face red and sweaty like they're the one playing on the court. Even Shu couldn't tell which one was more invested in this game—the players who actually play the game or their supporters who cheered on them.

The growing tension and endless suspense was suffocating here—Shu felt nauseous than before. Even so, he was stuck there … quite literally, as he couldn't leave his seat without getting caught in this madness. But oddly enough, every time Shu's attention came back to the court, he couldn't take his eyes from them. He was actually intrigued by the game to the point he felt he didn't want to leave, like … this game actually interested him.

What?! Shu Yamino actually enjoyed the game?! A real sport game?!

No, no, no —it's not like he turned into a sports enthusiast just because of this one match. It was simply because the game was so good , he felt super invested in it.

Their opponent for this match was West Niji High School—their well-known long-standing rival in this region. They were mainly the reason why their school, East Niji High, couldn't advance to the national tournament—they always stopped them right in front of their goal. Like a sick curse, both East and West always ended up in the same bracket, and had to face each other in the semifinal—and it's always the West who came out as the winner. A heated match was something to be expected from them; and boy , how heated it was. It sparked the competitive fire inside anyone watching them—even Shu, who was peaceful and passive most of the time, was affected by it.

The tactical passing of the ball, the dramatic slam dunks, the unexpected three-point shots, and the score that kept overturning each other—everything was so nerve-racking. Nobody knew for sure who would win this fiery match.

It was exciting—exhilarating even.

Another three-point was added to their opponent's scores, followed by particularly loud cheers from the opposite side. "Damn. Luca is on top of his game today." Elira whispered from behind Shu's seat, leaning forward to see the game better. Shu glanced over at the player mentioned, finding him very easily recognizable even from this distance.

Ah, yeah —Luca Kaneshiro, the captain and star player of West Niji High. He was arguably the most popular high school basketball player around this city, maybe even national-wide too because … you know, his team was regular on the national tournament. Not only for his three-pointer prowess and notable lucky streaks, he's also famous for being exceptionally good-looking—attracting girls and boys alike. Heck , he even got fans tailed after him wherever he goes like moths chasing after light. Saying he's attractive was an understatement; he's ungodly gorgeous.

Shu never saw him in person—only heard about him through sayings and rumors—but looking at him right now, on the court where he reigned with confidence and burning passion, Shu couldn't say he wasn't instantly charmed by his presence alone.

He didn't know why—maybe it's simply because Luca was quite in his strike zone .

Oh, he was definitely Shu's type. Golden hair that looked so shiny and soft; body toned and strong he didn't budge a bit even when bumped roughly against other players; piercing, laser-focus look when he was in offensive mode; voice deep and authoritative as he shouted commands to his team; and particularly how his lips curled into smug smirk whenever his shot landed so smoothly … it's sexy—and Shu wouldn't try to deny it. Or maybe something about his general atmosphere and endless energy that drew Shu to him.

Irresistible charisma?— maybe that's what it's called.

Either way, it didn't really matter. Shu might have a little crush on the boy, but it's not like they would ever talk to each other. They didn't have anything in common; except for the fact their school were rivals. Shu didn't even play sports and he didn't know Luca outside the basketball court. Nothing could make the two of them properly meet each other; they didn't share mutual friends nor associates. It's hopeless—he'd better forget about it.

Nearing the end of the game, just a mere seconds from the timer to reach zero, Fulgur dunked the ball into the ring after Doppio successfully rebounded from the opponent's attack; passing the ball quickly to Claude, who teamed up with Alban smartly, and tore through the opponent's thinning defensive wall—adding another point for them.

That's it, that's the game—everybody thought. With two points difference and only one second left, their win was already secured.

But their opponents didn't give up yet. Even with only one second left, they still threw the ball inside, quickly passing the ball to Luca who stood at the center of the court, fully trusting him to land them a last score. Luca himself didn't wait nor move from his place; he jumped and confidently shot the ball far high up in the air—right there without hesitation.

Although it took the spectators' breath away, everybody knew that was a crazy attempt. A futile one; yet they still went through it like believing a miracle was going to happen. Luca was too far back in his own territory, there's no way he could land a successful throw from more than half court distance. Heck, it was crazy he thought he could make it just like that!

But as crazy as it sounded, the ball did go through the ring smoothly as the blaring buzzer started to roar into life.

What the—buzzer beater?!

Deafening silence quickly turned into unbelievable cheers—so loud it was, the entire stadium shook. Most of the spectators who cheered on West Niji High cried in joy, hugging each other in disbelief over their win, while their opponents were too stunned to say something.

Shu himself felt like he turned into a jelly. His limbs fell uselessly next to his body—luckily he was still seated or else he might have fainted on the floor right now—he felt his soul leaving his body through the tip of his fingers, shakily exhaling his breath he not knowingly was holding. All of his friends and schoolmates around him still silenced, stunned in place, until tears gently rolled down their cheeks as reality finally caught up. Shu looked down at the court, his own eyes stung. It was so heartbreaking to see how his friends weeped with frustration over their loss while their opponents celebrated and tackled each other in a group hug pile. Even from afar he could see how Alban sobbing uncontrollably while hugging Fulgur who patted his back in reassuring manner; Doppio and Claude cried silently next to them, head hung low and body slumped on their bench; while Vox, their team captain, still so professionally shook their opponents' hand one by one although with misty eyes and strained smile like he choked back his cry bitterly.

He looked back at the scoreboard above their heads.

Only one point difference—and that difference was the one to end their dream.

That's so cruel and yet, that's just how competition was all about. They couldn't really do anything about it—their team was doing their best, giving their all; it wasn't their fault they lost. Just standing proudly with their chin high up was the only thing they could do despite the tears on their cheeks still not dried yet—and as their supporter, Shu clapped his hands hard and cheered for them till the end, followed closely by the other students as they praised them for their achievement once more.

That match was the first and the last Shu ever watched of their team but it deeply left a mark in his heart.

"I'm going to the restroom."

Shu waved his hand as he turned his back when they regrouped with their friends before going home. "Don't get lost!" Uki shouted back at him with amused chuckle, but Shu was already too far to hear it.

He acknowledged he had poor navigation skills—to the point his friends often teased him about it whenever he ended up getting lost somewhere on his track—but it wasn't that hard to locate the restroom with these many wayfinding signs pointing the direction for him.

He walked through the winding corridor, turned left, and immediately met a group of girls crowded at the end of the hallway.

Huh? Did he turn the wrong way?

Shu looked again at the sign hung on the wall; it's clearly depicting a simple standing-man symbol with an arrow pointing at the end of this hallway.

Wait, did they go to the wrong place? Or was it a universal restroom?

But then again, Shu remembered the women's restroom sign was in the opposite direction, right before he turned to this hallway; so this restroom shouldn't be a universal one.

… is this a prank?

To be honest, Shu didn't care whether it was a prank or not. He might not be the intended victim of the prank and might have just ruined it altogether, but he really didn't want to deal with that when he was in the right place. Of course he could turn back and find the restroom on the second floor but no—he needed to pee now.

So with careful steps and alertness turned to the max, Shu approached the unexpected flock. "Umm …." he muttered under his breath, not quite sure what to say. But as quiet as his mumbling is, their eyes still found him—simultaneously staring at him with as much shock as Shu's pair of vivid amethyst. Before Shu even properly said something to their sudden attention, the girls scrambled out of the way, and backed off to the very corner of the hallway. They glared at him, still with wary eyes and even more dangerous flare—like a cornered beast that was unsure whether to attack or spare him and let him go.

Shu didn't wait any longer though. He quickly opened the restroom door, and escaped that bizarre situation before the girls even reacted to him—not wasting any second to save himself from them.

As a last measure, he slammed the door hard enough to scare away anyone near the hallway; finally able to breathe again after the door closed properly and blocked off the outside. His heart was beating so fast and hard he could clearly hear it in his head, like he'd finished running a marathon, and he was suddenly feeling fatigued just from that.

What the heck was that?!

It seriously felt like he just escaped death—a very dangerously close one nonetheless. Never in his life did he find himself in that kind of situation; that was so bizarre it seriously scared him.

Shu contemplated whether he should lock the door or not—worrying if someone would go to this restroom and find themselves in the same situation as him. In the end he chose to lock it, just for safety reasons … and honestly no sane person would want to go there after seeing that many people crowding outside.

Well, except Shu of course; because he was kinda desperate and underestimating the ridiculousness of the situation.

When Shu turned his back, he finally realized there was already another person in the restroom.

Leaning on the sink counter with phone in hand, there stood no one other than Luca Kaneshiro himself. His lavender-colored eyes widened as he looked at Shu with a mixture of confusion and shock; mouth slightly ajar and brow raised high. He was out of his jersey uniform and wore a tracksuit instead—meaning he was already cleaned up and ready to go home—but somehow was stuck here in the restroom.

Yeah, that made more sense now.

They stood there stupefied, staring at each other for a whole minute; brilliant purple met paler one. None of them knew how to break the uncomfortable silence—not even tried to feign a cough just to escape this awkwardness. A moment of realization later, Shu darted his eyes to his side, finally breaking the awkward eye contact with the boy before completely turning his back on him again. Rather than using the row of many empty urinals, he quickly slipped into one of the toilet stalls—the farthest away one in the corner—locking it with a soft click behind him.

W-wha-what to do now?!

Shu felt strangely panicked.

He was considered a calm and composed person most of the time—unfazed by silly and crazy antics his friends pulled around him. He was the voice of reason and the much-needed functioning brain cell that made sure nothing went awry. Of course he would still go along with his friends' chaotic foolery if it amused him enough, but he never went too far. He always got everything under his control and never lost his composure even once.

Although he was nothing like his usual self now, because he never thought he would bump into Luca like this—at the restroom nonetheless—and frick, he's so much hotter in person.

He was taller and bigger than Shu thought when he watched him from afar. His purple eyes are lighter than Shu's vivid violet eyes—they're almost bluish pale lavender—shining with confidence and something that Shu couldn't put his finger on. His dirty-blond hair was pulled into a messy, cute little sidetail; the lower layer of his hair fell just below his shoulder, with strands of his parted bangs framing his face and some even reaching his eyes. His posture was relaxed while standing still; yet at the same time he looked tense— wary —that Shu could feel his stares were sharp and intimidating. 

Well, he couldn't blame Luca for being on full guard, though. He wasn't the one who was chased and cornered by a flock of fangirls here. 

… although technically Shu was cornered by a flock of fangirls too … like, just now—but they were Luca's fangirls not his .

Shu sighed, feeling more and more nervous. His heart was pounding so hard, he started to feel dizzy. Now that he knew Luca was there, what move should he take?

Should he talk to him? Like maybe make a small talk to lighten the mood? Or maybe he shouldn't? Just go and pretend nothing happened like a bro should've done? Would that make it less awkward or would it make him feel like a heartless butthole? What if he annoyed Luca just by … being there? Wait, how do you flush more quietly?!

Shu slapped his cheeks, flinched when it echoed louder than he meant to be.

Calm down, Shu Yamino!

This wasn't really how he usually reacted and it shocked him to his core more than anything else.

Why did he get flustered like a love-struck teenage girl just by seeing his crush?! They hadn't even talked yet and he was already a complete mess when he was supposed to be the calmest person, in time like this; like a clear undisturbed lake water, a centuries-old tree that grows at its own pace, the unyielding boulder on the slope of a mountain ridge, the 'Immovable Buddha', the impassive capyba—you understand that.

Well, technically he's a teenager and had a crush on Luca; but point taken.

With a long, defeated exhale, Shu calmed himself down as much as he could, and finished his business swiftly. He hesitated again before opening the stall door, but ultimately he composed his face once more and got out. Hoping his face wouldn't show much of his emotion, he approached the sink—right next to Luca who focused back on his phone—washing his hands in silence.

In the end, he decided not to talk to Luca, not only because it's a safer option, but also he couldn't trust himself to hold a conversation right now. Embarrassing himself in front of his crush would be a nightmare that will haunt him to his grave, so no—thank you .

Yes, of course he knew they wouldn't see each other after this, so it wouldn't really matter; but still, no unnecessary embarrassment, please.

As Shu finished thoroughly washing his hand, he stole a glance at Luca.

The boy was frowning deeply at his phone, finger furiously scrolling through pages and pictures that Shu recognized as a certain social media feed page. Although he seemed so serious, Shu knew from his movement alone, he was just mindlessly scrolling the page like it mattered. Looked like he tried to busy himself with that—maybe he used it as an excuse to ignore Shu to make it less awkward for them—so Shu took the cue to leave there quickly.

Shu looked at the mirror for the last time before he left. Despite his racing heart, he looked fine—scarily calm. He was shocked, really, as he was a complete wreck not even five minutes ago just by thinking how to act in front of his crush; but now, as if nothing happened, he wore his neutral expression perfectly. Maybe he shouldn't underestimate his emotion masking ability and poker face ….

But his newly-found confidence was shredded into pieces as he opened the restroom door. He closed it back only a mere second after he got a glimpse of what waited beyond the door.

They multiplied.

The girls—who initially were only around twenty or so—grew in numbers so many that he could only see swarms of people filling the entire hallway. Were they here for the same reason—Shu didn't know, Shu didn't want to know. But for now, he locked the door again, stepped back to the sink counter, and stood there awkwardly next to Luca.

Shoot—he should've brought his phone with him.

Luca, who was on his phone and ignored him pretty much all of the time, finally looked up and asked with a puzzled expression. "Don't you wanna go?"

"I can't." Shu answered; a curt yet more than enough sentence to explain everything.

"... sorry." Luca mumbled with a tiny voice, casting his eyes down on the floor, looking dejected. He definitely got what Shu was talking about and felt responsible for that.

Shu smiled wryly at him. "It's okay. It's not your fault." He said, reassuring the taller boy. But Luca only looked even more remorseful than before. "I mean—you're stuck here too, right?"

Although Shu knew Luca was the reason why those girls were flocking outside, he was aware it's not like Luca asked them to wait there and guard the restroom or something. There's no way he was willing to be stuck here in the restroom for hours—only with phone in his hand and nothing else—when he clearly looked like he was ready to go home. And the way he stood all the way leaning on the sink, on the opposite wall from the door, just showed how much he was unwilling to stay remotely near the door. He was probably waiting in much safer distance until the girls went away, before he could go too.

"Y-yeah," Luca replied, stuttering a bit. He glanced at Shu shyly before tearing his eyes away, looking at anything except Shu. He fidgeted, suddenly seemed so nervous. Shu waited for him while restraining himself from smiling too widely. "Umm …" Luca started, face getting redder like he was too embarrassed to continue. "I-I'm Luca, by the way."

"… yeah?"

"Yeah …."

Shu looked at Luca dumbfounded, blinking twice while comprehending his words, before bursting into snorts and laughter so hard his whole body shook. He just couldn't believe that's what Luca was going to say to him—all fidgety and embarrassed, with his entire face so red like a ripe tomato. It was too ridiculous, too unexpected, he lost his composure in an instant.

The taller boy watched him laughing with confusion written all over his face, "W-why are you laughing?!" he squeaked, voice changed into a whiny higher pitch, and very clearly embarrassed. The blush on his cheek got even deeper in shade—making Shu laughed even harder.

No way—he's so cute!

Shu took a deep breath after his laughter finally died down and tried to compose himself again and again. "Sorry, sorry," he apologized quickly, feeling the tingling buzz starting to spread on his face, still out of breath. He looked at Luca once more and smiled gently at him. Although he was calmer now, his amusement still bubbled inside him and threatened to burst into another fit of laughter. "I mean— … okay?" he said, fighting so hard to stifle a giggle under his breath.

"What do you mean?" Luca whined and frowned—a very cute little pout. He looked like a little sulking puppy. "I-I'm just trying to introduce myself here …."

Shu restrained himself from laughing again. "I … don't think there's anyone who doesn't know you, Luca. Like—you're pretty famous around here, you know?" he said, but at the same time he couldn't help himself from teasing the taller boy a little.

Luca blushed again, but then he snickered. "Say you, Mr. President of East Niji High, Shu Yamino." He said, smugly getting back at Shu.

Hearing his position title and full name straight from the blond's mouth startled Shu. "How did you …?"

"W-well! We might be rivals but … y'know! I'm still friends with Vox and the others." Luca quickly explained, still with flustered face. The directness he showed just now was replaced by another cute timidity—a very swoon-worthy gap moe . "We did many friendly practice matches in either your school or mine. And … I kinda saw you here and there when I went to your school. E-everybody knows you, so … I heard about you a lot from time to time too."

"... oh. I see." Shu simply said, not really sure how to respond.

What? So Luca already knew about him, huh?

That's … kinda embarrassing, to be honest. If he didn't come to watch this match, Shu might never have known about him; but Luca would still know him either way. And his friends apparently talked about him around people outside his school, like Luca, too. It's kinda worrying as he knew how mischievous his friends could be. He hoped they didn't talk badly or embarrass him in front of his eventual crush. Like, really, seriously, please God, don't embarrass him even more—he would die.

Luca released a low chuckle again. "Yeah. You're so popular, y'know? Everybody loves you."

This time, Shu felt his cheeks burn. Being called popular by your super popular crush really flattered him. It's like being complimented by a legendary, professional master of the FPS game he loved—no, it might be even the creator of the game themselves complimenting him!—and it's the highest honor Shu could ever get.

Even so, he didn't feel he was that kind of popular—he's just well-known, not popular . Because for him, being well-known wasn't enough; they had to be a literal people magnet to be called popular.

Sure, his schoolmates—and maybe some students from other schools—might recognize him as East Niji High student council president. That's it—that's just all of it. His popularity wasn't in the same category as Luca's own popularity. Nobody would be attracted or admire him as he is, even with his sparse, insignificant achievements being displayed on a wall; because he's just so, so normal. He's just a regular guy you could find anywhere else—he wasn't that special.

Don't worry though—Shu knew he had his own unique charming quality. However he also knew his charm couldn't really be considered as attractive to everyone else. Like … he was sufficiently charming to make people stay friendly with him, but not enough to make them crush on him. He never met someone who confessed their attraction to him; so he could, pretty confidently, say he wasn't popular.

Thus, he straightened up that overstatement. "No, I'm not as popular as you think. Or rather, I'm not popular at all." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not like you, Luca. I'm just a guy ."

But Luca seemed to be not convinced. "You sure?" he asked. Shu nodded awkwardly at that.

"Y-yeah." Shu replied after Luca wouldn't stop staring down at him. "Like—I've never been surrounded by that many people before, hahaha."

Luca hummed and smiled at him—a stupidly dazzling smile that blinded Shu. "Maybe you just don't see it." He said, voice low and velvety.

That made Shu blushed harder while Luca chuckled at his reaction.

The way Luca enunciated his words with his slight accent, the way Luca's laughter rumbling deep from his chest, the way Luca's gaze never faltered as he looked deeply into Shu's eyes, and the way his face grew softer in every second passing; everything about him made Shu's heart flutter with excitement. Shu acknowledged he had a feeling for the boy, but— oh Gosh—maybe it wasn't just a mere crush.

Shu quickly looked away from him. His face was red, blushing all the way to the tip of his ears—he could feel and see it through his reflection in the mirror. He sucked a shaky breath as he collected himself, again . 

How much time did he need to calm himself down in under five minutes now?!

"A-anyway ..." Shu stuttered, trying to find something to change the topic. He closed his eyes for a moment before looking back at Luca once again. "Congrats on your win. That was an intense game." He said, his smile bloomed naturally as he congratulated the blond.

"Oh! Hahaha." Luca laughed sheepishly at the sudden praise. He was definitely taken aback, but seemed happy with that—proven with pinkish blush that colored his cheeks once again. He fumbled to put his phone in his pocket, then rubbed his nape with a lopsided grin. "Uhh, thank you, I guess? We defeated your school though." He said bashfully. His lavender eyes peeked cutely through his long bangs.

Shu giggled at the display. "Well, yeah; you did. But a good game is still a good game," he said as he leaned onto the sink counter, body relaxing. "Especially your last three-point shot. What was that buzzer beater? That's so unbelievable!" He commented, suddenly getting excited; his smile never leaving his face.

"Oh, that one?!" The blond beamed at him. Lavender eyes twinkled as Shu mentioned his last shot. He must be very proud of that one shot—and it was an incredible, miracle-like shot that was worthy of high praises. "I don't know! I myself couldn't believe I made it." He claimed, a huge grin plastered on his face. His voice changed into a slightly cheekier tone as he added, "I guess I was just lucky." A cute mischievous giggle then followed.

Shu squinted his eyes a little, gentle smile turned into a teasing one. "Isn't that a bit cheaty to be that lucky, though?" he asked.

Luca laughed smugly. "I have 8-leaf clover luck afterall!" He declared, arms stretched wide open, his smile was so wide, Shu could see his little fangs peeking.

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

The two of them chuckled over their silly conversations. As if the nervousness and awkwardness they felt prior never happened, they talked like they'd known each other for years—even though they just met, like, five minutes ago. Conversation flowed naturally between them; even banters and jokes could be easily shared with common understanding. It simply felt so nice to talk to the blond, Shu thought, and he kind of felt like hitting the jackpot being stuck with him here.

Shu bit his bottom lip as he was overtaken by a lull in the conversation. "So … when is the final match?" he asked again, trying to keep the conversation rolling.

"This Saturday night—in two days." Luca answered without hesitation. His beaming smile now became a permanent fixture on his face.

"Oh, wow." The black-haired boy said mindlessly. "Are you not tired?" he asked gingerly, curious at how they managed to play in those matches and not die from exhaustion. That's kinda impossible for him though; no matter how good he's with his time management, he wouldn't last more than a day.

Well, Shu did some martial arts back in middle school and he did well in those too—but he never participated in any competitive sports like this, so he wouldn't know just how tiring it would be. He knew on top of matches, they still had regular practice everyday—at least his school team did—and a day with two matches in a row wasn't something unheard-of for them too. But he, as the spectator, felt completely exhausted just by watching the match today; he couldn't even comprehend how Luca and the other players could keep up with all of that crazy schedule.

"Well, I am." The taller boy responded, nodding his head along. Yet his bursting, endless energy didn't convey that. "I'll get a good rest after this—don't worry about it." He said later, reassuring Shu as if he knew the shorter boy was concerned about his well-being.

Shu looked at him wide eyed as he realized what his question implied.

Wait, no—he was just curious! He simply wanted to know what the actual basketball player felt after their match. It's not like he was actually worried about Luca or something or … did he really sound like that?!

Luca chuckled amusedly while watching Shu get flustered once more. That quickly earned Luca a piercing yet mortified glare from the pair of striking amethyst eyes in front of him. He cleared his throat, grinned sheepishly as he spared the black-haired boy any further embarrassment, and joked, "Although … I'm kinda stuck here now."

Shu gladly accepted his mercy and scoffed. "Must be hard to be that popular." He commented, voice unintentionally cold.

"... yeah." Luca mumbled, barely a whisper. His face fell for a split second—going unnoticed by the black-haired boy. He bounced back quickly and forced a wry smile. "W-will you come and watch, Shu?" he asked, followed with a nervous laugh. It was an attempt to divert the conversation into something lighter, yet his eyes still twinkled with hopefulness.

The shorter boy hummed to himself before answering, "Well … the third placement match will be held earlier on that day, so … yeah. I think I'll come." He said with a shrug. Normally he wouldn't want to leave his room on Saturday night and preferably be left alone to play his games until the next morning; but he was so sure his friends would drag him out of his house to watch the matches otherwise. He should just accept his fate now anyway.

"I see." Luca noted mindlessly; his brilliant smile morphed into a wistful one.

As if they ran out of words, they only stared at each other, holding their gaze stubbornly, and waiting for something—anything—to break the silence.

Shu took the time to study the other boy's visage more closely. The shape of his eyes were slightly hooded, but his lavender irises—with its icy edge of shimmering blue—looked like he could see far deep into your soul, making his eyes look sharper and piercing. Oddly enough, he wasn't as intimidating to look straight in the eyes; not with how overwhelmingly friendly he seemed, brimming with warmth and gentleness. He also had a well-structured strong jaws that, unlike Shu, was devoid of roundness or feminine softness. Perfectly arched brows, high bridged nose, and thin lips that were shaped in a small lopsided smirk … he's just perfect .

Shu admitted he's a very handsome young man—yeah, we'd already established that a long time ago—but his handsomeness wasn't something Shu had ever encountered before. He befriended many exceptionally attractive people—like Vox, who dripped with sexiness, for example—yet Luca wasn't quite like that. He had a more boyish quality in his charm, but it wasn't quite like people with overwhelming boyish appeals, like Doppio or Alban, either.

Something about him was just so unique and irresistible, making anyone craving more and more of his attention. Well, everybody would agree that he's ridiculously gorgeous; evident with how many fans that always swooned over him. He's an absolute heartthrob with a sweet, funny, and friendly personality; a beautiful face; a heart full of determination; a blinding brilliant talent; a good smart head; endless dripping charisma; and an unfairly tall and sturdy body, like—Jesus , left some crumbs for the others will you?!

His little observation session was abruptly stopped when Luca's warm hand suddenly raised, brushed away his black hair that framed his face, before then gently cupping his left cheek. He could feel how big Luca's hand was when the tip of his long fingers reached all the way behind his head, holding him completely still. "... Luca?" he called with a shaky voice, breath hitched as Luca's thumb mindlessly stroked his skin.

It took another second before the blond realized what he was doing. "S-sorry!" he jumped, eyes widened, and hand jerked away from Shu as if he was burned. He quickly turned away, raising his other hand defensively to hide his flushed face; sadly, the blush that painted his entire face red was too obvious to be hidden. "It's nothing!" Luca exclaimed—flustered. He bit his bottom lip as he averted his glance away, refusing to look at the shorter boy in the eyes.

"Are you sure?" Shu asked, face flushed as red as ripe tomato, matching the taller boy. He stepped to look at the boy directly, chasing him even when the blond desperately wanted to hide from him. Although Shu knew what the other's answer would be, he couldn't help himself but ask—because in his twisted mind, he wanted to see Luca's reaction. He wanted to see that cute expression.

"Y-yeah!" Luca finally turned at him with a wide grin, trying his best to sound and look normal. But the way his eyes trembled and the growing flush coloring to the tip of his ears and down to his neck, it was just so obvious he couldn't hide his embarrassment anymore. "S-sorry, Shu! It's … i-it's really nothing." he said, stammering uncontrollably, hiding it between awkward coughs and forced laughter; hoping Shu would leave him off the hook for once.

Shu, on the other hand, didn't stop staring at him like he knew Luca would fold in any second. His big amethyst eyes bore a hole into the blond, not letting him get away easily.

Luca waved his hands in panic. "N-no, really! I—I …" he flailed. He tried so hard to dodge the black-haired boy stares; yet he was defeated again and again by those flaming amethyst irises in front of him. The intensity of those eyes were too much for him to resist.

"I just … I—I just t-thought …" Luca stuttered, reluctant to finish his sentence. He gulped once, then twice, and finally he gave up. "... y—you …  y-you're so pretty …." He finished it with a squeak; voice growing so quiet towards the end, it was almost inaudible. Unfortunately for him, Shu heard all of his words as clear as the blue sky on a hot summer day.

Oh.

Wow.

Shu quickly averted his gaze as his face burned hotter. "W-well …" he muttered as he played with the end of his hair in embarrassment. "Y-you're very handsome yourself."

"Oh!" Luca exclaimed, eyes widened impossibly wide. "T-thank you …?" he said, somehow sounding like he wasn't sure if he heard Shu right.

Both of them didn't say anything nor felt brave enough to look at each other's faces. They just stood there awkwardly, looking down at the tiled floor, not knowing what to do next. Their entire bodies flushed red with embarrassment—from the top of their head to the tip of their toes—to the point they looked like they had been steamed alive.

What was that?!

Why were they flirting?!

Shu bit the inside of his cheek. His heart was beating so fast he could hear it in his head; his chest felt tight like it was going to burst open in any second. Of course he was so happy—no, elated even—to the point he couldn't stop the urge to grin to himself like an idiot. His brain was barely functioning—it might be rendered useless now, and he might be a real idiot from now on.

Never in his entire life he felt this kind of giddiness, like thousands of butterflies dancing in the pit of his stomach, tickling him with something that was blooming in the deepest part of his heart. It's new and exciting—making him want to squeal, to scream, to roll on the floor—charging him with an extra burst of restless energy. When he finally calmed down from the fog of excitement, questions suddenly popped in his head.

What to do now? What do people do at this point?

He … certainly didn't expect something to develop as quickly as this.

Sure, he had a big, big, major crush on Luca, and the boy apparently took a liking to him too; but they just met literally ten minutes ago and … they barely knew each other. Asking the boy out now, just because they had attraction to each other, felt too soon—and honestly, an overall dumb move. Also, public restroom wasn't an ideal place to ask someone out, like, seriously ….

Shu didn't know what to expect from this situation nor did he know what Luca was expecting from him. This was a stalemate—nothing he could do. And so, he racked his brain, thinking deeply. For now, escape was his only viable option.

"I—I'll check if they're gone yet …" Shu said abruptly, mumbling his words as he turned his back from the taller boy. He didn't care whether the boy heard him or not—maybe still too stunned to even register what he had said. He strode straight toward the door, hand on the knob, and flipping the lock open.

In a split second the door opened ajar, grabby hands and squashed bodies rushed forward, slamming into the door like a big force of tsunami waves crashing down, forcing its way to open the poor door wider. "Oh, shoot!" Shu involuntarily cursed, pushed back to repel them, trying to once again lock away those crazed flocks before they could burst the door out of its hinges. Unfortunately for a skinny boy like him, he alone wasn't enough to fight the big crowds that kept pressing forward.

Shu felt his limbs were strained to their breaking point as he kept on struggling. His shoulder was squished on the door, legs braced in forward stance, hands never leaving the door knob. Even though he put on all of his weight, it's still not enough to slam the door shut. It's only a matter of which one would break first; Shu's body or the poor door.

Suddenly, a big hand slammed down on the door, right next to his head—so hard it made him flinch, but the sheer power of it finally closed the door shut. Another hand snaked next to his side, flipping the lock swiftly; finally ending his struggle and stopping the pushing from outside. Shu felt his body relaxed but then tensed again when he realized how close Luca was to him—and how he was basically trapped in the confines of the taller's arms. He whiffed a mixture of warm cinnamon and distinct musk odor from the blond that made his face burn; but more importantly he was on eye-level with his massive boob—chest , that made him blush impossibly harder.

Shu gulped nervously—his heart rate spiked up dangerously. Before Shu could open his mouth to say anything, a loud bang on the door made him jump, followed by another violent banging, over and over. The door knob rattled harshly, as if someone tried to rip it open. Shu choked on his scream when he felt a strong arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him plush against a hard and sturdy body. He was dragged backward without any warning—body tensed and eyes still focused on the door that was still holding on to its dear life. Once he was at a safe distance from the door, the arm that held him finally released his waist after pulling him further backward.

Luca then stepped forward, standing in front of Shu—blocking him from the door and practically using his larger body as a shield. He looked angry— furious —his eyes glinted dangerously like he would kill anybody who dared to enter the place. Luckily, the bangings and the rattlings died down after a minute, followed by complete silence afterwards like nothing happened.

Luca sighed, then turned around; body still tense, yet his face softened. "Are you okay?" he asked carefully as if he didn't want to scare Shu.

"Y-yeah …" Shu answered with a wry smile. He peeked at the door behind Luca and chuckled. "You deal with this everyday, huh?" he asked rather flippantly, trying to lighten the mood a little, but Luca didn't seem to appreciate that.

"Sorry, Shu. It's all my fault." The blond said, looking more and more remorseful for something that's outside of his control.

The black-haired boy shook his head. "No, it's not, Luca." He reached out his hand and reassuringly squeezed the blond's shoulder. He didn't know what else to do to make the boy believe in his word.

Luca looked like he wanted to cry. "I'll …" he mumbled, movement going frantic, "I'll just—I'm gonna go and distract them, yeah? You can slip outside after that."

Shu panicked and accidentally shouted, "No! They're gonna kill you!"

Well … ' kill' was an exaggerated word choice—Shu realized. But looking at how ferocious the crowds outside … maybe it's not that far fetched.

"No—I mean … you don't have to do that. We can wait a bit longer." Shu quickly rephrased his sentence, holding onto Luca's arms tightly so the taller one couldn't proceed with his plan. Luca was still stubborn and not giving up though; so Shu looked around for something to hatch a new plan, until he catched that something from the corner of his eyes. "... or maybe we can try the window."

"H-huh—?!" Luca spluttered, taken aback; before he knew it, Shu was already climbing the sink counter and stretching his arms to reach the window sill. "W-wait, wait, wait! Hold on! Hold on!" He quickly grabbed the boy by his waist and lifted him away from the counter before he managed to hurt himself.

"Wha—?! Luca!!!" Shu shrieked when he felt he was held up in the air before being put down to the ground like a little child. He was mortified by how easy the taller boy lifted him up like he weighed nothing. Shu wasn't that skinny, dang it!

"No, no! That's dangerous! You can hurt yourself!" Luca spoke out his concern, but it ended up sounding more like a scolding than anything; irritating Shu by mistake.

Shu folded his arms in front of his chest. "It's fine, Luca. It's not that high. I can reach it." He said while huffing—not hiding his annoyance. He might be a bit shorter than the blond but he's still tall enough to reach the window with no problem.

"Yeah? Still dangerous though." Luca retorted; the frown in Shu's face fell deeper. "Also I don't think we'll fit in there." He added, examined the single window that was up above them.

The window was quite small—no wider than 60 cm by 45 cm—and sat right above the sink counter. It's an awning type of window—the one with hinges on top and opened from the bottom—so theoretically it could be easily opened wide. Good thing they were on the ground floor; they wouldn't have a risk of dying if they fell from that height. Still, they didn't know if they could safely land on the other side, the risk of getting hurt was still high. And seriously, Luca still thought the window itself was too small to fit a grown teenager like him, he might get stuck.

Shu shook his head with a sigh. "No, we will fit—" he stopped himself, looking down at Luca, eyes straight into his chest.

He tried so hard to not mention it because he didn't want to be rude or sounded inappropriate, but the blond's … 'bosom' … was arguably big.

Like, it's not that kind of 'the jiggly melons' type; but the sheer size of it ... it's massive—it's humongous . It even seemed like the zipper of his tracksuit jacket would be ripped in any second from a simple movement just to contain them—stretching to its maximal capacity and holding on a single thread for dear life. If Shu tried to cup his hands on those, it felt like it would spill off his palms. Not like he would actually do that though—that should be counted as harassment. But it's still undeniably big for a man. Heck, his boo—pectoral muscles … were so big, it might be even bigger than some girls Shu knew.

Not like he hated it though!

Shu sighed again, sounding defeated. "... maybe you won't." He remarked.

"H-huh?!" The blond boy flushed deep red and quickly covered his upper body with his arms—feeling being judged by the shorter boy.

Shu just shrugged at him. "We don't know before we try it," he said, already putting his foot on top of the sink counter.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Luca stopped him again right before he could climb the counter. "Just—let me try it first, okay?" he bargained, sounding almost like a plea.

"Why?"

"It looks dangerous!" He exclaimed, frustrated by how stubborn the shorter boy was. He frowned and went silent for a moment, looking hesitant. Luckily, Shu stopped his move and waited patiently for him to speak up. "Also …" he started, still hesitating. He looked around, avoiding eye contact; and it became clear he was too embarrassed to continue his sentence. "I-if I get stuck … you can help me from here, yeah?" He said timidly, only to be responded with a deep scowl.

Wait, on second thought, that's actually quite a rational argument.

If Shu made it outside first and Luca was stuck there, he might not be able to help the boy and probably would injure him if he tried to help. But if he went after Luca and the boy was stuck in the process, he could reach him pretty easily by standing on the counter and help pull him back down safely.

"Okay. Fair enough." Shu relented, agreeing to Luca's deal. He stepped aside and let the taller boy climb the counter. He watched as Luca effortlessly reached the window sill without stretching—unaware his display of height advantage bothered Shu so much. "Are you okay, Luca?" Shu asked with a monotone voice, a little worried when he saw Luca struggling a bit.

Luca didn't answer, and honestly didn't really pay attention to his question. His body was halfway out through the windows; it seemed he struggled where to put his legs and didn't know what to do next. He couldn't really move that much with how small the window was. "Yeah … just— … a bit more …!" he said absentmindedly, voice strained as he struggled even more. Suddenly he was gone—body quickly sliding off, falling head first to the other side of the wall with a big thud.

"Luca?!"

Shu called his name in panic but got no answer. He climbed on the sink counter hastily, arms stretched far above as he clambered up the wall. With great effort that certainly would strain his body, he pulled himself up on the window sill, poking his head out as he searched for the blond boy.

Oh Gosh, oh Gosh—he might have injured the star player! The boy still had a match in two days—a very important one on top of it—if he got hurt and couldn't participate because he got hurt while following Shu's stupid idea, Shu was definitely going to be killed by the West Niji High people! They might even wage an all out war against his school too!

"Luca? Luca?" He called the boy name over and over like a mantra, crawling further so his upper body was out through the window.

Fortunately for him, the voice he wanted to hear the most at the moment called back to him not long after. "It's fine, Shu! I'm okay!" Luca exclaimed, grinning as bright as the sun while sitting with legs spread apart on the ground. There was no blood, no broken bone, no bruises, and no scratch visible on him—he was fine. Shu exhaled a long breath that he was holding, almost going completely limp on the window sill—so relieved to see the boy well.

Luca, on the other hand, chuckled in amusement as if he couldn't see how worried sick Shu was—afraid of something bad happening to him. He stood up and patted off dust on his tracksuit pants. "It's a bit higher than I thought, but it's still doable." he commented, talking nonchalantly about his fall.

Shu was speechless. 'Doable,' he said?! As if falling head first to the ground from this distance was nothing to be scared about! 

Not gonna lie, Shu didn't know how the blond managed to do that. From his perspective right now, he looked so high above the ground—so far away from the floor—that there's no way he could have landed safely without breaking a bone or two. It's even unbelievable he didn't get a single scratch either, like, seriously—how athletic this boy was?!

"C'mon, Shu! Just get on it! Don't worry though, I'll catch you!" Luca beckoned him with a grin. He even spread his arms wide as if he was ready to catch Shu anytime.

Shu still wasn't so sure about this, but he couldn't back down either. He pulled himself more, hanging on a little far outside of the window, one hand gripped the glass pane away from touching his back. He could just slide down from here, but wow , that's still kinda scary; even if Luca promised he would catch him, Shu didn't think he could just dive head first to the ground. His arms were getting tired and shaky from balancing his entire weight, his body was straining so much he would be super sore tomorrow.

Shu thought that maybe he would land more safely if he somehow managed to go down legs first. It's gonna be hard to squeeze himself and rotate his body in this small space, but it's worth the effort to try. So he turned around, arms twisted in awkward positions, braced his right leg on the window sill, squeezing through, before completely losing his balance and comically falling backward, head plunged first. "Uwah!"

He fell down, tumbling on the ground—yet he couldn't feel the impact that much as a larger body cushioned his fall. A pair of strong arms protectively enveloping him in a tight embrace, making extra sure his head was covered. Because of that, his face was smothered by a hard yet soft and kinda pillow-y cushion that he thought he would die of asphyxiation more than a brain injury. Once the arms around him started to loosen up, Shu wriggled free from his cushion, until he could lift his head and gasped for a breath. He was immediately greeted by a dazzling handsome face.

"See? I told you; I got you." Luca said with a smug grin on his face, hair messy, and clothes disheveled. He was half-sitting under Shu—bodies pressed into each other, arms still draped around Shu's back like he never wanted to let go.

As seconds passed and they slowly registered their positions, their heart rate almost simultaneously spiked up, thumping crazily like a mad rodeo ride. So loud it was, it became the only sound they could hear in their ears. Shu could feel Luca's frantic heartbeat under his hands that rested on top of his chest—and he was sure Luca could feel his heartbeat through his skin too. Their faces were so close their breath mingled, tickling their skin with warm puffs of air—but it lasted only a second as both of them choked on the air; breath taken away in enchantment.

The boys blushed hard when they finally broke away from their reverie—quickly scrambling away from each other. When Shu tried to extract himself from the blond, a sharp pain shot through his right leg. "Ow …" he winced, looking down at his leg and seeing red everywhere. "Huh?" He turned his leg around, examined the wound more closely.

Both the skin of his right calf and the cloth of his pants was torn in a thin long strip; gushing so much blood it trickled to his ankle and stained his sock and sneaker in red. It looked like the cut itself wasn't that deep—still hurt as heck though—but the sight of blood just made things seem more alarming.

Luca jumped with worry, face contorted into horrified expression. "S-Shu! Your leg! You're bleeding!"

Yes, Luca, he's bleeding—anybody could see it.

Even though Shu wanted to retort as dry as possible, he held back seeing how panic-stricken the blond was. "It's okay, Luca." He tried to reassure the taller boy while trying to find something to press the wound with.

… wait a moment.

Why was he—the one who got injured—reassured him? Shouldn't Luca be the one who comforts him at times like this? Should he be the one to freak out?

Shu had the tendency to laugh at his own injury—but to comfort another person for his injury? That's new.

However once he looked back at Luca, he finally understood why he felt the urge to comfort him. The blond was clearly distressed; panicking even more as he hovered over Shu and got a glimpse of his wound. It's almost like an instinct for Shu to be the one to comfort him, like ... he really didn't want to see him making that sad face.

The black-haired boy smiled wryly; trying to ease away all of his worry with a shrug. "It's not that bad, really. I'll just have to walk to the infirm—"

"Don't worry, Shu! I gotchu!" Luca cut him off, already standing to his full height.

"Huh? W-wha—?!" Before he knew it, Shu was scooped off the ground; effortlessly lifted in a princess carry. His hands quickly found Luca's neck, gripping into his tracksuit collar in vice-like grips as his world tilted a bit and his legs dangling up in the air. "W-wa-wait! Luca! Put me down!" Shu squeaked, getting so embarrassed being carried like that. He tried to squirm away, but Luca's hold on him was too strong; he didn't budge even a bit.

Luca was silent as he adjusted his hold a bit more, careful about the wound, and pulled Shu closer to his body—making sure the black-haired boy was secured enough, he wouldn't be jostled too much in his arms. "It's okay! We're gonna patch you up quick!" he said charmingly—completely ignored how red the other's face was.

Shu spluttered in horror, "No, no, no! Put me down, Luca! Lucaaaaaa—!"

His scream got farther and farther as Luca just ran with all of his life—leaving only dust and echo of Shu's wail.

Luca really didn't waste time.

Before he knew it, they were already in an almost empty parking lot. Why they're in the parking lot and not the infirmary, Shu didn't know. He closed his eyes the entire time, too scared to see what was happening because of how fast Luca was when he ran. Everything became a blur in his eyes—his brain couldn't catch up with the speed—and he got a little nauseous if he kept his eyes open. Thankfully, Luca was careful enough to not jolt him too much or even drop him on the ground.

Luca ran to the car that parked a bit farther in the back. "Guys!!!" he called loudly to the three boys that stood around the car, catching the attention of a boy with bright yellow hair. "Sonny!!!"

The boy, Sonny, looked at him with a face that slowly turned into a horrified look. "W—what the fuck, Luca?! You kidnapped their council president!" he accused, finger pointing at the blond while yelling on top of his lungs.

"No, no, no—look!" Luca quickly stopped in front of them and showed them the wound on Shu's right calf. "He hurts his leg!"

The three boys were alarmed when they saw blood completely drenched the fabric of Shu's pants. "Quick, put him down! Let me check." The boy with black and magenta underside hair ordered Luca to lay Shu down on the ground, swiftly examined the wound. "Ren, can you bring me the first aid bag?" he asked the other black-haired boy with striking blue eyes.

"Here." The boy gave him a red bag with a small white cross printed in the front, full of first aid equipment.

The boy with magenta underside hair worked fast, quickly grabbed a pair of disposable latex gloves before anything. Because of where the wound was located, he needed to cut off Shu's pants to get a better access to the wound; leaving Shu with hilariously uneven pant-leg length. He cleaned the wound with freshly opened bottled-water, before applying antiseptic spray, and then wrapped it in layers of clean gauze bandage. The way his hands moved so skillfully and efficiently made Shu thought he was being treated by a real, qualified doctor—not a mere highschooler boy in a basketball team. Although Shu didn't think he saw the boy playing on the court today, he might be one from the medic team or something—that's why he was so good at dealing with injuries.

The boy checked his bandaging once more to make sure it's secure enough before pulling backward. "It's okay, the cut is not that deep; the bleeding has stopped too. I don't think you will need a stitch for this." He said with a gentle smile, his voice thick with a French accent. "But I still suggest you go to see a doctor after this to make sure you won't get an infection—so the wound can heal properly too."

Shu nodded timidly at him. "Thank you so much." He mumbled, too shy to say it loudly. He was glad he's under such great care. Shu was sure the wound wasn't that of a big deal; but imagine his friends saw him like this, all bloodied and battered just from a simple quest of going to the restroom, he would surely give them an early heart attack.

The boy only smiled sweetly at him; his golden eyes gleaming with delight. They talked a little more about the wound while the boy cleaned up his equipment. The other black-haired boy offered Shu a bottle of water to drink—all of them were really sweet to him, a complete stranger.

Sonny, who stood gingerly not too far away from them, finally opened his voice. "You're lucky Zali is with us today," he said while punching Luca's shoulder playfully, even though his face was still unamused. He then added, "why don't you bring him to the infirmary anyway?"

"Oh!" Luca exclaimed, realization finally dawned on him. "You're right!" he said, as if that never came to his mind.

"What—?! You don't think about it?!" the bright yellow haired boy shouted in disbelief, completely taken aback by his friend's recklessness. Even Shu and the other two boys were shocked too.

Luca shouted back at him, defending himself. "No! I was too panicked to even consider that!" He claimed, and yeah, fair enough; he was really panicking at that moment. 

The boy with striking blue eyes bursted gleefully with a very distinct laugh. "Well, it's fine in the end, right? I think it's fine." He commented, somehow looking happy with how everything unraveled in front of him. He's the tallest one out of the four; Shu remembered he was one of the regular players on the team, his position was the same as Fulgur. He looked at his friends one by one, smiling so widely at their contrasting expressions. Only the boy with magenta underside hair laughed along with him, while Luca still had this confused puppy look on his face.

Sonny sighed heavily. "You guys are really …" he grumbled, rubbing his brow feebly; feeling helpless with these happy-go-lucky bunch. He then turned to Shu, giving him a wry smile and sympathetic look. Somehow he looked more gentler than Shu previously thought. "Sorry about that, Mr. Prez. They can be very carefree."

Shu stared at him for a whole minute. "Umm … how did you know about me?" he asked, completely out of nowhere. It was a bit jarring for him to have so many people recognize him in such a short time.

"Oh! Sorry for not introducing myself." Sonny then lowered himself and sat next to Shu. "I'm Sonny Brisko, the vice captain," he said, stretching his hand to the black-haired boy.

Shu took his hand in a quick shake. Yup, he already guessed that since he saw the boy earlier. He has such a commanding, no-nonsense air about him that might be handy for leading a team. "Hi, Sonny," Shu said politely, before then adding, "you still didn't answer my question though."

"Oh, right. I know you through Alban." Sonny replied curtly.

"Oh, you're Alban's friend?" Shu asked back curiously, and the boy nodded at him with an uncharacteristically solemn face. Right —even though they're rivals, they still got along with his school team members; he remembered Luca said that earlier.

"Yes, I am." He answered, tone stern.

Luca swiftly sat next to Shu, looking dead serious when he grabbed both of Shu's shoulders. He blurted, "No. He is Alban's stalker."

"I'm not stalking him!" the bright yellow haired boy retorted as quickly as he could; hand slapping Luca's shoulder faster than his words.

"Yes, you're!" the blond shouted, starting a fight.

The two of them started bickering again, both seemed equally serious. Shu could only look at them in confusion. "... should I be concerned about this?" he asked hesitantly, not sure about interrupting their argument.

The boy with blue eyes chuckled amusedly. "Haha. It's okay, Mr. President. He is just a little bit infatuated with Alban, but deep inside, he is a good guy, I promise." he said, somehow not really convinced Shu.

Not gonna lie, even though Shu doubted Sonny was no less than a good hearted person, his friend's answer didn't really clear up the stalking allegation. And looking back again, he often caught a glimpse of Alban sneakily going out with a man donned in a black hat and mask after school—was that Sonny?

The boy grinned a charming boyish smile when Shu looked at him with suspicion; completely brushing away the latter's skepticism. "I'm Ren, by the way," he added, holding Shu's hand in his and shaking it a little too enthusiastically.

"And I'm Vezalius, one of the managers. You can call me Zali," the boy with magenta underside hair chipped in; his signature smile never left his face. Oh, that's why Shu couldn't really recognize him—he actually wasn't one of the players.

"Oh, hello. I'm Shu." He said almost on instinct, before then broke into a nervous chuckle. "… but I guess you already know that."

"That we do." Zali said in a sing-song voice. He stared at Shu for a moment, golden eyes peered into amethyst ones; chuckling a little as if he found something funny. "Maybe Sonny isn't the only one …" he mumbled, throwing a mischievous glance at Luca.

"Huh?"

Luca, who caught the conversation, quickly turned his back. "Shh! Zali! Shh!" he hissed, index finger pressed in front of his lips. His flustered face and the desperation in his eyes only made Zali laugh amusedly at him, followed by Ren who simply found it funny.

He threw a quick glance at Shu; afraid the boy would catch up with whatever Zali was implying. Luckily, he still looked confused as ever—brain worked so hard to decipher the unknown secret the other boys shared with each other. Luca sighed in relief, throwing a piercing glare to his two teammates to shut them up.

Sonny broke the awkward tension. "Well, now what? We can drive you back home, but I guess you wanna go meet your friends first, right?" he asked, questions mostly directed to Shu. 

Shu looked at the ground, contemplating his option. "Yeah …" he whispered absentmindedly. Maybe it would be better if he returned to his friends first—after all, his bag and stuff were still on his seat—even though he wanted to go home as fast as possible and just hit the snooze button. But then he remembered something more important. "Actually … I think they'll get worried if I don't show up soon. I only said I was going to the restroom, and … maybe they think I got lost or something." Shu added, chuckling bitterly to himself. Oh, how they would tease him and his poor navigation skill mercilessly after this ….

"Where's your friends now?" This time Ren was the one who butted in to ask that.

"We parked near the north gate. We went together using our school buses, so everyone must be there." He answered. Honestly, Shu didn't know where they're right now—like, they might be in the farthest parking lot away from where his schoolmates were. But assuming from where the West Niji High location was, there's a big chance they're actually in the west parking lot; and that's a bit far from the north gate but still not the farthest.

Sonny nodded his head, slowly stood up, and hands reached into his pockets. "Okay then, we can—"

"Don't worry, Shu! I'll get you there."

Luca's confident voice stunned them all. "What?!" The four boys spat out in unison, looking at Luca like he had grown a second head.

"Wait, Luca—" Sonny tried to stop him, but Luca already scooped Shu from the ground and gathered him in his arms.

"It's fine!" The blond cut him off without listening him. He grinned at the boy in his arms before he took off again. "Hold on tight, Shu! Here we go~!"

And thus, the two of them already gone as quick as they came—like a sweeping summer storm that only lasted for a short period—leaving the remaining three boys standing still in almost empty parking lot, dumbfounded.

Sonny whipped his head to look at his two friends, face still flabbergasted. "Does he know we can just drive there?" he asked in great disbelief; the two boys could only laugh nervously.

Once they were close to their destination, Luca slowed down—turned into a light jog. Shu thought the boy finally got tired carrying him around and running at the same time; but when he started humming merrily, sending a pleasant buzz through his chest, Shu realized that's not the case.

The blond's eyes were focussed forward when he suddenly said, "Thank you, Shu."

"... huh?" Shu almost couldn't understand him for a moment. He studied the boy's expression, trying to find something that amiss, but found nothing in there. "I did nothing though?" he said, utterly confused, as the boy only laughed at his reply.

"Yes, you did." Luca claimed, finally looking at him in the eyes. His lavender eyes were soft and full of joy—twinkling like a  pair of beautiful stars.

Shu asked absentmindedly. "Really?"

"Yeah. Really."

Shu ducked his head and smiled—couldn't resist the persistent tug on the corner of his lips. Somehow the way Luca answered his question made his body filled with warmth. It was such a pleasant feeling, the one that rushed all across his body over and over, to the point he could forget the dull aches that lingering in his leg. When he looked at the boy again, the pleasant feeling rapidly turned into something overwhelming; setting him a blaze with something he never experienced before—and before he knew it, he fell for the boy once more.

Oh, he'd already gone too deep into this …

Shu swallowed hard, hiding his reddened face on Luca's neck, and unintentionally gulped the blond's scent as he tried to breathe. "Well … if you say so …" he mumbled, barely a whisper. But Luca could heard him and he chuckled gently—throat rumbling with mirth.

They didn't talk after that, letting the silence swallow them in its gentle cradle.

Shu was lost in his own thoughts. He hesitated to voice what he was thinking, contemplating so hard whether to say it or not. In the end, he steeled himself and said, "I should be the one to thank you, Luca." He faced the boy once again, with a genuine smile plastered on his face—heart thumping, cheeks burning. "Thank you so much. For everything." He said; if necessary, willing to repeat it again and again, and it wouldn't be enough to show how grateful he was to the taller boy.

Luca halted for a moment—a shiver ran through his spine as he focused on Shu with great astonishment. His face beamed, eyes crinkling, and cheeks hurt from how wide he smiled. "Anytime, Shu!"

When they finally showed up before the East Niji high crowds, they were quickly surrounded by people who ran at them with great concern. A rapid succession of questions was repeated by a group of familiar people. "Shu?! What happened?! Are you okay?!" Shu swore they kept asking him without actually giving him a chance to answer that.

"Yeah. I'm fine." he replied bluntly; impassive as ever.

Well, to be honest, if one of their friends suddenly came back with leg bandaged up and clothes stained with blood, he would freak out too. Luckily, none of them questioned him further—nor did they ask why the captain of their rival team was escorting him in princess-style carry. They're truly, very considerate for that, thank goodness.

Luca put Shu's leg down to the ground slowly and gently; keeping his hold on Shu until the boy fully gathered his bearings and could stand without stumbling. "Well, I should get going now." He said after trusting Shu's arm safely onto one of his friends. He smiled at him for one last time, already looking lonely. "See you again, Shu."

"Y-yeah …" Shu spluttered; couldn't find a proper word to reply to him. He reached out impulsively when the blond turned his back on him. "Luca—"

"How dare you show your ugly ass here, Luca!!!" From one of the buses parked there, Vox's baritone voice boomed through an opened window. Behind him, Alban and Claude waving their middle fingers up in the air.

"Fuck you!!!" Fulgur added—shouting as loudly as he could with a big grin plastered on his face. The boys jeered, dancing foolishly like little unruly kids who got excited after doing something bad.

Luca held his two middle fingers to them in retaliation. "Hahaha! Fuck you too!!!" he shouted before running back to his waiting friends; his maniacal cackles echoed loudly for a while.

After that, everything fell back into the usual peaceful pace.

Shu learned that they actually delegated Ver and Elira to go searching for him after he failed to show up for more than ten minutes. They really thought he got lost somewhere on his quest—which is really embarrassing for him—but didn't tease him for it anyway. They were genuinely worried about him and just so relieved when he finally showed up although injured; willing to show him mercy from teasing and chastise. They even held back on questioning him after they saw how worn out he was; except for one person.

"So, what was all of that about?" Uki asked nonchalantly, as if he wasn't cornering Shu by sitting on the aisle seat next to him. Usually he sat next to his boyfriend, Fulgur—but today he insisted on sitting next to Shu so he could interrogate him on their way home. He didn't look at Shu directly, just looked like he was minding his own business; although by the way he sat firmly on his seat, Shu knew the purple haired boy wouldn't let him go easily.

Shu sighed in anguish, knowing so well what the other boy was asking him about. "... it's a long story," he replied, really didn't have the energy to explain. Or rather, he couldn't really explain it.

It was too surreal and absolutely unbelievable—even a cheesy soap opera story sounded more rational than whatever happened to him twenty minutes ago. He might as well be dreaming all of that, but the constant dull pain on his leg was proof that everything was real. Like, how could he tell Uki that he was stuck in the restroom with his crush because they were chased by his crazed fans, and then got injured as they followed his stupid idea to escape, and finally his crush carried him in bridal carry because he thought it would be faster for them to move around?! Uki would think he was reciting a cringe love story!

"Sure." Uki said dismissively. He turned to look at Shu, heterochromatic eyes glittering with intent—not giving him any mercy. "We'll hear the details after this, right? " he asserted, his voice as soft as ever.

"Uki …" Shu groaned; already dreaded what's coming next. Even if Shu said no, Uki would do anything to get the details, no matter what. He would annoy the boy all day if he deemed necessary.

Uki let him go from his grip for now—swiftly changing the topic. "Have you thanked him though?" he asked and Shu knew who he was referring to

"I … did. But I don't feel it's enough." Shu admitted with a long sigh. Well, they exchanged gratitude on the way to the north gate; and still, Shu felt it wasn't enough. Not only did the blond carry him twice and help him get his wound treated, Luca helped him many times when they were still stuck inside the restroom too. A simple word of 'thank you' would never be enough.

"Yeah, I think so." Uki remarked as if he knew everything. "I mean, he carried you here bridal-style—"

"Uki!"

"—you should treat him to a meal or something. Or just ask him on a date, really." Uki suggested, face serious, even though amusement sparked through his eyes.

Shu groaned. His face tinted with pinkish red from the suggestion. "No, Uki. It's not like that."

"Sure, " he said, voice laced with understanding. The purple haired boy chuckled as the blush on Shu's face became more obvious. He showed mercy and cut off the teasing, after he was satisfied enough. "Just thank him properly, okay?"

The black-haired boy agreed without defying. "Yeah. I'll do that." He said meekly, the blush still coloring his cheeks.

"The date?"

"NO!" Shu squawked, voice loud enough to startle all of the other passengers; making Uki laugh so hard at his response. He covered his face with his palms, embarrassed by his sudden outburst—face burned so hot, he couldn't hide it anymore. Gosh, he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him right now. He growled while glaring daggers at Uki through the gap of his fingers—hoping it's enough to shut him up. Once Uki's laughter died off and he calmed down, he lifted his face and mumbled, "I'll talk to him later." He said in exasperation—but his reddened face told otherwise.

Uki hummed knowingly; still relentless at teasing as ever. "So you ask for his number, right?" he asked casually, amusement still obvious as his lips curled upside.

At that question, Shu's face drained of colors, slowly turned pale; falling into a stupefied expression when realization came to him. "Ah."

He forgot.