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“Hey, have you ever seen what happens when you put rubidium in water?”
The lopsided grin and messy brown hair had been what caught Shiro’s attention. The big brown eyes that seemed to sparkle behind the boy’s glasses were endearing, and seemed to draw Shiro in. He watched the way the glasses slipped down the bridge of the other’s nose, resting on the very tip.
Takashi Shirogane, at the young age of 17, knew this boy was going to be both the best, and the worst, thing to happen to him. He knew that this boy, who was top of his science courses, would worm his way into Shiro’s heart. Shiro, the all-star player of their high school football team, the well-desired quarterback that had the most charming smile, knew he would fall victim to this boy’s crooked grin and lit-up expression.
“Matthew Holt, don’t you dare mix those two compounds together. We just finished decontaminating the other lab you caused a reaction in last week.”
Shiro had only watched in awe as his new lab partner, Matthew, scowled at Mr. Harris. What was this? This little science nerd that Shiro could break over his knee if he wanted to, was actually a mad scientist. This scrawny kid, probably at most 130 pounds soaking wet, could easily kill Shiro with just a drop of the wrong compound.
What a terrifying concept.
Matthew turned to Shiro, “You have this, uh… concerned look on your face.” He snickered a little, lopsided grin widening a bit as he watched Shiro. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything that could hurt you. Experimentation is for a more controlled setting, or somewhere Mr. Harris can’t scold me. Anyway, I’m Matt Holt.”
Shiro blinked in surprise momentarily, before taking Matt’s outstretched hand. “Takashi Shirogane. You can just call me Shiro, though. Does that... happen a lot?”
Matt dropped Shiro’s hand after a moment, raising a brow. “Does what happen a lot? Oh , you mean causing a reaction that forces lab evacuation and week-long decontamination. Well, not really. I mean I’ve done it about six times this year already and we’re only just starting the second semester, but it’s not like I make a habit of it.” Matt laughed with a small snort, and gosh if Shiro didn’t find that just adorable that the boy snorted slightly when he laughed.
“Six… six times?” Shiro’s eyes widened a little, shock written on his expression that caused Matt to laugh again and damn that little snort. The way Matt’s grin lit up his face, Shiro could see the little freckles that were scattered along Matt’s cheeks and nose, and the little dimple on the other’s right cheek.
“Yeah, six times. The first was hydrogen peroxide and sodium iodide. My ratios were too big and I might have covered a third of the room in purple foam.” Scratching the back of his head, Matt seemed to think about what the others were. “The second was the Pharaoh’s Snake reaction, which is just mercury thiocyanate heated up, it’s actually really cool but also creepy. The third time was potassium chlorate and gummy bears. I’m pretty sure they’re still finding pieces of gummy bear around the lab, actually. The fourth--”
“I get it. You like to experiment.” Shiro chuckled weakly, eyeing the boy beside him. He could only predict what kinds of trouble Matt would get him in. Well, at the very least, Shiro could hope Matt wouldn’t get him into too much trouble.
There was another snicker from Matt, who only let his elbow rest on the top of the lab table, chin propped in his hand. “ Like is putting it lightly, Shiro. You’re underestimating how enamored I am with chemistry and how certain compounds react when put together. Trust me, within a week you’re going to know more about chemical compounds than you’d ever think you’d learn in a chemistry class.”
Shiro didn’t doubt that for a second, not when he already had the feeling he would be bailing Matt out of multiple situations in the future. A chuckle under his breath reminded Shiro that in the span of fifteen minutes, he had already found a good, reliable friend in Matt Holt.
“Uh… no? What’s rubidium, anyway? I’ve never heard of it.”
Shiro confessed on the second to last day of their junior year. Over the course of the second semester, Shiro had found himself spending more time with Matt outside of classes. They had spent lunch together almost daily, save for the days Matt was out sick, or Shiro had a meeting during lunch with his team. Shiro had come to know some of the more personal details of Matt’s life over the course of the semester.
For example, Matt had a sister five years younger than him named Katie, and she was just as smart as he was. In return for learning this about Matt, Shiro had shared the fact he had a younger brother that was three years younger than him named Keith.
Shiro learned that, while Katie loved peanut butter and hated peanuts, Matt was allergic to peanuts and their parents had to dedicate two different cupboards for the siblings, to ensure there was no cross contamination in the house. All of Katie’s silverware and utensils were kept separate from Matt’s, and thankfully, they never had an issue.
Shiro shared he was allergic to strawberries and bees, and he had learned this all in the same day when he was eight and Keith was five and the two boys had gone strawberry picking with their parents. Keith had aggravated a bee that was nearby as Shiro was eating a strawberry, and since Keith had hid from the bee behind Shiro, it was him who had been stung. The next thing the boys knew, Shiro was having trouble breathing and Keith was shouting for their mother.
Matt had asked about the scar across the bridge of Shiro’s nose, and the way he backtracked in a way that made it seem like he thought he crossed into touchy territory was endearing. Shiro had only laughed, and once again, acknowledged it was because of Keith. Shiro had been teaching Keith to ride a bike when he was 9 and Keith was 6. The training wheels had just come off of Keith’s bike, and in a moment of unsteady pedaling, Shiro had dove forward to catch his little brother. Shiro had landed on the ground, the bike falling on him and the pedal hitting him just right to slice open the bridge of his nose. One ER trip and plenty of stitches later, Shiro had known he would have a scar.
Shiro had also learned that Matt was awful at history, but it was okay, because Matt was going to be a chem major in university, but he was torn between inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry, but there was a part of him really wanted to study atmospheric physics and dynamics. He had mentioned the possibility of a double major, or minoring in a chemistry, but he hadn’t decided yet.
But aside from learning the smaller details of Matt’s life, Shiro picked up on the little habits Matt had. There was the way that Matt started pulling his unruly hair back when he knew his experiments could explode with one wrong move, or the way he stole Katie’s headbands when his bangs were getting in his way while studying. There was the way the upper left side of his lips would curl in annoyance when a calculation wasn’t adding up properly, or when he wasn’t happy with the results of something his nose would crinkle.
There was the cute way Matt pressed his teeth into his tongue when he stuck it out in concentration, too, and the way he would tap his right temple with his index finger when he was thinking hard about something. There was the way that Matt was essentially a zombie until exactly 9:34 am and he had a cup and a half of coffee and two-thirds of a bagel, which Shiro found to be ridiculously endearing.
Shiro had realized only after his brother pointed out that Shiro knew all these little details that okay yeah , maybe he had some more-than-friends feelings for Matt. This was in the middle of the semester, after Matt had caused three more bouts of decontamination and gotten suspended for a week.
So, like any logical 17 year old dealing with his first crush on a boy, Shiro hid it. He pretended he didn’t have feelings for Matt, and hoped when they were together he wasn’t acting suspicious. He didn’t let his feelings for Matt get in the way of conditioning or his studies, and spent time together with Matt the way he usually would.
It was after Keith urged Shiro to just confess already, you’re not getting any younger that Shiro decided to confess the day before the last day of their junior year. There was two reasons for this choice. The first was that if Matt rejected him, Shiro could spend the rest of the summer moving past his crush on Matt, and not make it obvious during their senior year. The other reason was that if, on the off chance, Matt didn’t reject him, Shiro would have the glory of saying he and Matt got together in their junior year of high school.
Sure, it wasn’t the best reason, but it was the only one he had. Keith had made a face, complained about how gross Shiro was like all fourteen year olds did when their older sibling was crushing on someone
So, despite the fact Shiro was convinced Matt was going to outright reject him, or that Shiro was going to ruin their friendship, he confessed. Shiro would never admit how much of a mess it was, how that a simple I like you could be so hard to say, but it was. He had tripped over his words, stuttered a few times and was red up to his ears, but he had said it.
Imagine Shiro’s surprise when Matt only smiled at Shiro, gave an easy I know , and echoed the confession as if it were a regular conversation.
“You… know what I mean by I like you, right?” Shiro asked, as if Matt wasn’t his genius friend that had incredible observation skills. “Like, as in--”
“More than friends, I know. Shiro, you’re not that great at hiding it when you think you are.” Matt teased, reaching out to poke Shiro lightly, the tip of his finger bending the slightest amount when pressed against Shiro’s bicep. “You’re actually kind of obvious about it, but it’s a cute kind of obvious.”
Shiro groaned, “How long have you known?”
“Since maybe two months ago? Like I said, you’re incredibly obvious about your feelings.” Matt laughed softly, bumping his arm against Shiro’s, grinning that endearing lopsided grin at the other. “It’s one of the reasons I like you, too.”
“So, um… does that mean we’re, you know… dating?”
Matt laughed, slipping his arm though Shiro’s, tugging him in the direction they had originally been headed - towards Matt’s home to hang out before Katie and Keith were out of school for the day. “Yeah, you’re my boyfriend now. It was about time you confessed, too!”
Out of all the outcomes that could have come from Shiro’s confession, the reality of being able to say he had been with Matt since their junior year was a reality.
“Rubidium? Oh, it’s an element in the alkali metal group. It’s a silvery-white metallic color.”
Matt and Shiro remained together through their senior year of high school.
Not that anyone had really been surprised when Matt came in on the first day of senior year wearing Shiro’s much too big for him letterman jacket with a goofy grin plastered on his face. They hadn’t batted an eye at the fact Shiro’s arm was slung over Matt’s shoulders, a light flush on his cheeks.
Shiro was smitten. He was absolutely, 100%, irrevocably smitten with Matthew Holt. Allura, Shiro’s best friend for the past six years, had mentioned at one point that Shiro and Matt seemed like they had been together since freshman year, and not since the end of their junior year. Nyma, the pretty blonde Allura had been crushing on for months and had wormed her way into the small friend group, had only laughed at Allura’s observation, but hadn’t disagreed.
Shiro couldn’t disagree with them either, not when he had Matt tucked against his side, all 5’7” of him against his 6’2” frame. So, maybe they were kind of cheesy and perfect, and a little gross at times because of how much Shiro just let his adoration for Matt be known. Generally, when it got too overwhelming even for himself, he always flipped the topic to Allura and her infatuation with the pretty blonde that wouldn’t show up to their lunch period for another ten minutes. It was easy to do when the boys were sitting side by side across from Allura, and were tired of the teasing from their friend.
“When are you going to ask Nyma out?” Surprisingly, it had been Matt who asked the question, pointing his fork at Allura in a bored manner, head resting against Shiro’s shoulder. Shiro could only grin at the way Allura’s cheeks had visibly pinkened at the mention of her crush, and the girl was shaking her head.
“I’m not because I do not have a crush on her.” Shiro thought Allura’s statement would have been more believable if Allura’s blush didn’t extend to her ears and neck at the mention. “I have no idea what gave either of you the idea I did.”
“Okay, ‘Lura, when Rolo broke up with her last year, you took the class ring that creep gave to her from her, put it back in the ring box, and threw it across the damn cafeteria at him, muttering that you were aiming for his head. And you hit him . Square in the forehead.” Matt pointed out, stabbing at the cafeteria macaroni with his fork before eating the forkful. “You’re just as enamored with her as I am with Shiro.”
Shiro flushed at the casual comment from Matt. Sure, he and Matt had been dating for almost 6 months by this point, but that didn’t mean he didn’t get flustered at the smallest notion from Matt. The simple phrases the chemist would say, as if they were nothing, sent Shiro’s heart racing and he was in so deep .
Shiro would have said he was in love if he wasn’t only eighteen and in a relationship for less than a year. He would know for sure as the months passed, and if his feelings didn’t change in the least. Shiro was sure that his feelings for Matt weren’t going to change, because Matt surprised him every day and being with him was never boring.
During Senior year, Shiro continued through with football - how could he not? He was the starting quarterback and the most versatile when it came to plays. Keeping on top of football didn’t mean he didn’t spend less time with Matt. If anything, Matt was around more than ever, supporting Shiro in everything, particularly when it came to the games. Shiro could always hear Matt screaming at the top of his lungs with Allura and Keith. The scream of “Kick their ass, babe!” never went unnoticed, and Shiro knew his face was always fire engine red beneath his helmet.
When it came to Senior Superlatives, Shiro and Matt didn’t win Best Couple . That went to Allura and Nyma, who after months of prodding from Shiro and Matt, finally worked up the courage to confess to the blonde… only to have the blonde confess first, and at the end of the first semester, no less. However, Shiro and Matt had won Most Likely to Get Married In 5 Years , which made Shiro turn red down to his chest and Nyma to cackle.
Allura, at the very least, had only smiled kindly while Matt hid in the hood of the hoodie he had stolen from Shiro, reinforcing the superlative they had won.
“Oh. So… what does it do when it’s mixed with water?”
“Matthew Holt, you are a terrible influence on your sister.” Well, not quite the greeting Matt had been expecting from his boyfriend as the first greeting of July. Well, that wasn’t not quite true. It was July 3rd and Matt and Shiro spent July 1st and 2nd together. It was the first unexpected greeting of July, when Shiro let himself into Matt’s backyard no later than 10 am.
Ironically, Katie had been next to him when Shiro had invited himself over.
“Not that you’re wrong Shiro, because you’re definitely not wrong, but what is it that Matt did this time that made him such a bad influence on me?” Shiro liked Katie. She wasn’t that annoying little sister of the boyfriend, but rather the little sister that was witty and could provide intelligent conversation with someone five years her senior.
Katie looked scarily similar to Matt, though Shiro supposed that was what happened with dominant genes in siblings. Her hair was the same shade of brown as Matt’s, and her eyes were just as big and inquisitive as her brother’s. Though her hair was long, reaching her mid-back when she didn’t pull it back, and there was a lack of glasses on her face, if Shiro hadn’t known better, he would have mistaken them for twins the first time he met Katie Holt.
“You,” Shiro rounded on Katie this time, pointing down at the 14 year old, who quirked a brow at him. Her hair was pinned up in a bun, bangs clipped back to keep everything out of her face. Even at 10 am, it was already disgustingly humid and sticky. Even Shiro was annoyed with the weather, and wished he hadn’t chosen a short sleeved tee, and a tank top instead. “You need to stop teaching Keith how to build explosives.”
Katie snorted, turning back to the project in front of her and Matt. “Oh, please. They’re harmless little stink bombs, sulfur and ammonia in a bottle. They’re just gross. As if I’d actually teach Keith how to make an explosive that would harm someone.”
Matt held up his hands in defense when Shiro turned on him. “This wasn’t my idea. Katie likes when I have to experiment for chemistry and the internet is also a thing that exists. If I didn’t tell her, she would have found out anyway.”
“You didn’t tell me about the ammonia and sulfur, actually. That’s the most basic of basics, even a kid could do that stuff. You showed me the more fun stuff, like the 5 pound gummy bear and the potassium chlorate. Now that was fun.”
“Guys,” Shiro ran a hand through his bangs, exasperated. “Keith already likes to pick fights, especially with that Lance kid. I don’t need him hiding stink bombs in the poor kid’s backpack and locker.”
“Speaking of, when do you think your brother will realize he’s totally, undeniably, 100% crushing on Lance?” Katie questioned, turning to point a pipette at Shiro. “Like, I hang out with Keith all the time, since I skipped a grade, and he never stops complaining about Lance.”
“Keith hasn’t had his gay awakening yet, Katie, and don’t meddle and make it happen sooner. As obvious as it is to the rest of us, he hasn’t realized yet and probably won’t until his senior year.” Shiro chuckled, only feeling slightly bad since his amusement was coming at his brother’s expense.
“We could take bets--”
“We are not betting on my brother’s love life or lack thereof.” Shiro cut the idea off immediately, shaking his head. “We were talking about you teaching my brother awful things that shouldn’t be taught to him.”
“Shiro, you know I wouldn’t ever teach anything to Keith that would possibly get anyone killed or himself in trouble. The worst that could happen is he spills sulfur and ammonia on himself and he stinks like hell for a while.” Shaking her head, Katie turned back to her little experiment, dropping water onto… something. Shiro wasn’t sure and wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
“Aw, let them have their fun, babe. Katie’s little pranks are harmless. There’s something I wanna show you, that we’re gonna do in style tomorrow.” Matt motioned Shiro over, and Shiro took the time to notice that Matt’s short sleeve was loose on him, and upon closer inspection, that it was his .
Shiro gave in, moving over to Matt’s side, “Alright, what crazy scheme do you have up your sleeve this time?”
Matt’s grin was unnerving, “ Homemade fireworks , Shiro.”
He regretted asking.
“Heh… do you really want to know? It’s more fun to show you.”
It was a cool night in August when Shiro and Matt went to an open-late arcade. It wasn’t their first time at the arcade, and wouldn’t be their last, but after preparing for the upcoming school year and entering university in just a few weeks, they had decided they needed a night to relax.
“You know, I can make it to level four in this game, but I can’t ever find the red piece before the aliens catch me.” Matt commented, slumping against the machine, the screen reading Game Over . “The princess won’t give you the last piece until you collect the red piece and bring it back to her.”
“You’re getting way too worked up over a video game. What’s the point of it, anyway? I don’t think I’ve ever seen this game in my life.” Shiro bumped Matt with his hip, nudging the other out of the way for an attempt to try.
“You collect the colored energy pieces and bring them back to the princess, who will give you the last piece you need to build a world-saving robot. The first three pieces are super easy to get, but the red energy piece is surrounded by the aliens. Once you get the red piece, in theory you’re supposed to run to the exit of the alien ship and it’ll bring you back to the princess. She’ll give you the purple energy, and then you can built the robot.” Matt explained, pressing a token into the slot. “It’s straightforward, but not as easy as it sounds.”
“I don’t get it,” Shiro laughed, starting up the game as Matt propped himself against Shiro’s arm. “But I’ll take your word for it.”
Twenty minutes later found Shiro collecting the red piece to Matt’s shock and horror, and Shiro felt himself straighten up in pride.
Another two minutes later, and Shiro was caught by the aliens before he could return to the princess’ castle. Matt continued to pout, despite the fact that Shiro had leaned over, catching Matt’s pout with his lips.
“Even if I am better at a videogame than you, I still love you.”
Shiro didn’t realize his words until Matt froze, cheeks pink and eyes showing disbelief. That… wasn’t how Shiro had planned to tell Matt he loved him. It was too late to take it back, not that he was going to, but he could feel his own cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
“...I love you, too. Even if you are a jerk who can get farther than me in a game on his first try.”
“Why can’t you just tell me what happens? I have the feeling if you showed me, nothing good would happen.”
Shiro and Matt attended the same university, though they were assigned to dorms on the opposite ends of the campus. Despite the fact their majors were somewhat similar - Matt a physical ochem major, while Shiro an engineering major with a focus in aerospace - Shiro and Matt were separated. As freshmen, they didn’t have the luxury of choosing their own roommate, and if Shiro was to be honest… it was a little relieving. Not that he didn’t want to room with Matt, because really, what was more convenient than being your boyfriend’s roommate?
Honestly, nothing really.
Shiro was more relieved because they had passed the one year mark, which is when everything really started getting serious. For Shiro, the idea of living with Matt when they were just entering their second year together as a couple was… quite frankly, terrifying. There were so many things that could go wrong, so so many that Shiro had called Allura up at two am three days before move in day to rant to her.
Allura, bless her soul and tolerance to Shiro’s overthinking, had stayed up with him until four, despite the fact she had only been asleep for a little more than an hour when Shiro called. Her gentle tone reminding Shiro that he didn’t have to live with Matt in their sophomore year was reassuring, and Matt would understand. Matt would be up all hours of the night anyway, that’s why he was placed with a roommate that wouldn’t be disturbed by Matt’s studying. Their university tended to place students in similar majors together for this very reason.
Allura would always be the voice of reason for Shiro when it came to his little crises. She especially came in useful when Shiro needed someone to listen to him figure out how to balance spending time with Matt, working on his homework, and continuing with football, seeing as he had come in on scholarship, despite his excellent grades.
Shiro had to be reminded to breathe six times in the span of three minutes, but minor details.
In the end, Shiro never had much to worry about. More often than not, whenever Shiro was done with practice, Matt would already be there to head back to Shiro’s dorm with him. They would have a three hour study session, where Matt did more formulas than Shiro had ever learned, while Shiro worked on his engineering homework.
Despite being in the same room, and having been dating for over a year, they still found it necessary to sneak in their kisses, as if someone could catch them at any moment. Shiro’s roommate, a physics student by the name of Konnor, didn’t care about their relationship. As long as Shiro and Matt weren’t messing around while Konnor was around, they could share all the kisses they wanted.
It took some getting used to, really. At the same time, it was easy to adjust to this new routine. Wake up at 5:30 am, slump back over onto his bed at 5:33 am. His snooze alarm would go off at 5:45 am, which is when Shiro would groan quietly and finally slip out of bed and into a hoodie, before grabbing a pair of boxer-briefs and sweats and making his way to the bathroom where he could finish getting ready for the day.
Then it was dropping by the little coffee shop on campus around 6:30 am, before heading to the gym for two hours. By 8, he had enough time to go back to his dorm for a quick shower, and change his sweats out for jeans before heading out to his 9 am. From 9 am to 1 pm, Shiro was in back to back classes, and he had a break for lunch from 1pm to 1:45 pm. From 1:45 pm to 4 pm was more class, and then from 4 pm to 6 pm was football practice. From 6 pm and on was free for Shiro, until he repeated a similar schedule the next day.
That’s why Shiro dedicated his weekends and nights to spending time with Matt, even if most of the nights were spent doing homework instead of going on dates. University was rough like that, where Shiro had to quickly adjust to a college-level schedule from his high school one.
But they survived their first year of university, somehow. Shiro knew how he needed to adjust his schedule to make his life easier, to balance the four most important things to the 20 year old; Matt, football, his studies, and his family.
By the time sophomore year rolled around, Shiro was taking one less course per semester, even if it meant extending his time at school, but he didn’t mind. It gave him, and Matt, the freedom to actually go out during the week, between Shiro’s practices of course. They managed to find the time to go to Keith’s basketball games, the junior in high school having quickly become the star of his team, and one of the best point guards their high school had in recent years.
It became tradition for Shiro and Matt to make it to all of Keith’s games, cheer the loudest from the stands just to watch the heat creep up the junior’s neck. They weren’t alone in embarrassing Keith from the stands. There was always a third party, sixth if you included Allura, Nyma, and Katie, that cheered for Keith.
Shiro vaguely recalled the boy as the up and coming soccer star that Keith constantly complained about as Lance.
What kind of brother would Shiro be if he didn’t endlessly tease his little brother about Lance?
“Well, showing is better than explaining, but alright, listen closely, Shiro.”
Shiro lost his right arm their junior year, at age 21. Consequently, he had to leave football behind, though he could have still played with his prosthetic, technically. Shiro didn’t want to risk it coming loose on the field, or having to adjust to switching arms for carrying the ball down the field. Of course it had hurt more to leave his sport than to actually lose his arm, at least figuratively.
The official diagnosis had been Shiro had poor circulation in his right arm, that was only made worse from years and years of football. Apparently, it wasn’t uncommon to have poor circulation in only one part of the body, particularly if you had been sickly as a child, which, coincidentally, Shiro had been. Mixing the poor circulation and sports was a recipe for disaster, apparently, when the blood stopped flowing to his arm, and it was too late to save the limb from Shiro’s bicep down.
Matt had been with him the whole time, through the moment Shiro had realized something was wrong with his arm, to the official diagnosis and treatment, to listening to the doctor after he woke up in his room, post-op. Matt had been there, holding his left hand, thumb brushing over the back of Shiro’s hand, listening to how the doctor noted that Shiro’s circulation was fine in his left arm, and should have no problems in the future.
Shiro had been given an option of a few different prosthetics. Due to the fact his arm had been removed above the elbow, and the fact he was still so young, he had been recommended a hybrid prosthetic, one that combined body power and electrical power.
There was also the choice of no prosthetic at all.
Shiro had looked down at the place where his right hand would have been, and made the decision to go through with the prosthetic. The catch was that there would be more surgery involved, and intensive therapy, but he was prepared.
There wasn’t any possible way he could have returned for the rest of the season in the first place, and post-season conditioning would have been murder on him after having been out of the game for so long.
Despite the disappointment, Shiro had known he had made the right decision.
He still cried when the doctor left the room, hand tightening around Matt’s in a way that should have been painful, but felt weak even to Shiro. Matt had climbed into Shiro’s lap, despite the nurse’s warnings, ignoring how he already missed the touch of Shiro’s hand on his hip, to pull Shiro against him.
It was the first time Shiro had openly cried in front of Matt in their four years of dating.
Matt was as supportive of him as they day they met.
“Alright, I’m listening.”
“Matt.”
Turning around in horror, Matt nearly dropped the beaker of… whatever had been in his hand. Shiro wasn’t sure of what Matt was holding, but knew that it wasn’t anything good, he was sure.
“What are you doing here?” Matt questioned, gingerly setting the beaker down before adjusting the headband holding his bangs back. “You know I can’t let you in here without goggles on because I might accidentally kill you.”
Shiro held up the bag in his hand - takeout. Glancing at the watch on his wrist, Matt was embarrassed to see it was already 7 pm. “I still don’t understand how a pair of goggles is supposed to keep me from dying, but at least take a break for dinner.”
Matt laughed quietly, before nodding and moving to another lab table. “Okay, dinner. You brought the good kind of crappy takeout, which is actually kind of perfect and you’re wonderful and I love you.” Sure, they weren’t technically supposed to eat at the lab tables, but no one was around and now that Shiro brought food, Matt realized how hungry he actually was.
“Yeah, the one that won’t give you food poisoning the night you eat it, and then when you decide to eat it again when you’re feeling better, you get food poisoning again.” Shiro grinned at the flush that took over Matt’s cheeks, the shorter of the two flicking a noodle at Shiro with the chopsticks.
“Hey, it was finals week, and I was severely lacking sleep.” Matt defended, before shoveling a good amount of noodles into his mouth. It hadn’t taken long for Shiro and Matt to find a Chinese food restaurant that Matt could eat at, which Shiro supposed were the perks of being in such a concentrated area of students. They had discovered the place not long after Matt’s food poisoning incident, and the menu had been super helpful at which dishes contained allergens - like Matt’s peanut allergy.
It had become their favorite spot to go to, and the staff had always been super accommodating to preparing dishes so there was no cross-contamination and no peanuts touches any of Matt’s food. They had visited so often that the owner recognized the two and knew them by name, which when Shiro thought about it, was kind of embarrassing.
“I don’t know why you kept it, is really where I was going with that.” Shiro pointed out, chuckling as Matt scowled when he finished off his noodles.
“I take it back, you’re the worst.”
“I love you, too.”
“It explodes.”
Now, a year later, Shiro was used to his prosthetic. Sometimes it still took him a while to remember he controlled his right arm by choosing to, but his life was relatively normal. He had to teach himself how to write with his left hand, though he had perfected the ability in just a few short months. His writing still imitated that of a sixth grader part of the time, but hey, after spending the entirety of his life right handed and then having to switch, Shiro didn’t think he was doing too bad.
It was easier to focus on engineering this way, and Shiro didn’t think he had ever been more relaxed in his life without the stress he hadn’t realized football had been putting on him. There was sense of being free for the first time in years that Shiro found himself enjoying, his free time being spent with Matt, or Keith, who had just started university.
It was also the first year Shiro and Matt started living together. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a small apartment that was mostly covered by the university. The most they had to pay was utilities and a minimum amount in rent, something they had no problems covering. It was a two bedroom, though Shiro and Matt shared one room. The spare room was set up for Matt’s chemistry projects, with a futon for it Katie or Keith crashed there for a night.
It wasn’t much, but it was home, their home.
“It… explodes. Why are you telling me this?”
It was one of those days where Shiro was out of class early, the professor of his afternoon class canceling due to a family emergency of some sort. Shiro wasn’t really given the details, though he vaguely recalled the words baby and mother . Putting the pieces together, he could only assume that Professor Montgomery’s partner was finally going into labor and needed her more than her class did.
Fine by Shiro, he’d congratulate Professor Montgomery when he saw her next. It just meant there was more time to spend with Matt, despite the fact they lived together, and had been dating for five years.
Five years, looking back, was a long time. To Shiro, it felt like only a moment. Every day with Matt brought a new adventure, he felt, even if it wasn’t entirely true.
Was Shiro in love?
He thought it was pretty safe to finally say yes , yes he was. He had known for years now that he was completely in love with Matt Holt, but after five years, he was more certain than ever.
Shiro’s thoughts consumed him as he entered the science building where he knew Matt would be neck-deep in lab materials. He had a project due soon, and more often than not, Shiro would find Matt in the lab after hours, working diligently. Nights like that were when Shiro would bring Matt something to eat, and pull his attention away from formulas and different chemicals for an hour or so.
There was a small sound coming from the lab Shiro was approaching, a hissing and popping noise that he could have sworn he heard before. It only took a moment for Shiro to place the noise - gummy bears and potassium chlorate.
Opening the door to the lab, Shiro sighed, eyes closed in exasperation. “Put the innocent gummy bears down and step away from the potassium chlorate, Matt.”
“I’m so proud of you for being able to recognize what I’m doing with with your eyes closed.” Shiro only opened his eyes when Matt’s feet touched the ground, a loud sound in the otherwise silent lab. “You brought food! Oh man, did I skip lunch and dinner again?”
“No, no. It’s only lunch time. Professor Montgomery cancelled her afternoon classes. I think her wife finally is having their baby, since we got a rushed email from her at 9 am.” Shiro shrugged, placing their lunch down at an empty lab table. Too frequently were they breaking the no eating in the lab rule, but Shiro didn’t mind so much, and Matt always hid the evidence.
“Oh, I’m happy for them. I didn’t realize Sarah was that far along. Give my congrats to Professor Montgomery.” Matt sat across from Shiro, sliding the goggles up to sit on top of the headband. “So, what’d you bring for us?”
“I’m still weirded out that you know Professor Montgomery’s wife’s name, Matt.” Shiro shook his head, pulling out their lunch, knowing it was nothing fancy, just pasta from the noodle place a block away from their university. “What are you actually working on that isn’t torturing candy?”
Matt flushed, glancing away from Shiro. “Let’s just say you’re better off not knowing in case I get in trouble for it.”
“ Matt .”
“Anyway! Katie told me that Lance and Keith started dating recently. I guess Lance screamed his confession at Keith in the locker room?”
“You’re not getting out of this that easily, Matt, but yes, she’s right. Keith told me all about it while you were in class. He tried to suffocate himself on our couch for about an hour while I watched and listened to him whine.”
Matt snorted, dropping a few noodles back into his bowl. “But they’re happy. Every time Keith comes over, he’s glued to his phone. I was wondering what had happened, and now I know. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”
Shiro laughed, shaking his head. “I honestly thought you knew. Besides, you’ve been so focused on your thesis and project, I didn’t think to mention it. You like gossip as much as Katie does, and you would have put everything off.”
“I refuse to acknowledge that statement as right or wrong in favor of eating my lunch.” Shiro rolled his eyes, a fond smile settled on his lips. He watched the way Matt concentrated on making sure none of the sauce flicked onto his glasses, or dropped onto the table.
Shiro’s life wasn’t perfect. With Matt, though, it got a little more perfect each day.
“Because it reminds me of us. Innocent and useful when separate, but explosive and exciting when together.”