Chapter Text
Giyuu inhaled as he got ready for the day, tying his hair into its usual ponytail. He applied some eyeliner, not wanting to stand out too much. Today, he was auditioning for his college’s production of “Romeo and Juliet”, only because his best friend Shinobu was practically forcing him to.
“Think about it, you’ll make so many new friends! And we all knew you need those,” Shinobu had said with her usual cheery smile just days ago. Begrudgingly, he had agreed, knowing that he needed more friends and something to do after classes. He just hoped he got a minor role.
Giyuu strode out of his dorm and headed towards the auditorium already nervous. He prayed for his hands to stop shaking as he entered the dimly-lit auditorium. He spotted Shinobu, sitting poised in the very front row of seats. She smiled when she saw him, her dimples standing out. Giyuu had always thought Shinobu was incredibly beautiful, and if he weren’t gay and she weren’t a lesbian, they would probably be dating.
“Hi, Giyuu, sleep well?” she chirped. Giyuu just nodded, fidgeting with the rings on his nervous. Shinobu, ever perceptive, picked up on his nervous tick, and chuckled.
“Nervous, are we?” She mused, her smile slightly teasing.
“Of course I’m nervous,” Giyuu shot back. “You’ve been doing theater since we were kids and this is my first audition.”
“Oh, you’ll be fine!” Shinobu reassured. “Just don’t overthink it.”
Giyuu scoffed at this. Overthinking was practically his middle name. The auditorium continued to fill with more people, some he recognized, others he had never seen before. Mitsuri, the pink-haired girl Shinobu had been crushing on for months, sat down right next to her, and Giyuu saw Shinobu’s usual composed expression melt away. Rengoku, who Giyuu had a couple classes with sat down right behind him, bursting with his usual enthusiasm. Giyuu felt someone sit down next to him, and he turned to see who it was.
That was when he saw him.
Sanemi. The chemistry major who Giyuu had been thirsting over for months. Of course he would never admit that aloud, no matter how much Shinobu teased him. There was just something so alluring about him, his ice white hair, his violet eyes, and those scars that snaked down his face and onto his chest. And of course, he was ripped.
Giyuu immediately turned away and stared at the floor, praying Sanemi hadn’t seen him.
But of course he had.
“The hell are you staring at, freak?” He bellowed. Giyuu could feel the anxiety pooling in his gut as his eyes went wide, utterly terrified.
“Nothing, sorry,” he replied sheepishly. Sanemi just scoffed, but fell silent as the director, Mr. Ubuyashiki, took the stage. He looked incredibly calm, and smiled as he stared at the students before him.
“I’m so glad to see so many of you here today,” he greeted. “I’m sure you all know how beautiful this play is, and I know you’re going to do it justice.”
Giyuu felt even more nervous then. What was he even doing here? He had never been in a play before, and was utterly clueless as to how an audition would even work. He had no time to drown in his anxieties, however, because Mr. Ubuyashiki was already calling names.
“Iguro and Mitsuri, can I have you read as Romeo and Juliet?”
The dark-haired boy made his way to the stage, and Mitsuri hurried after him. Giyuu noticed that she was taller than him, and also looked like she could knock him out if she wanted to. They read through the scenes, and Mr. Ubuyashiki watched them intently.
“Very good. Now, can I have Shinobu up here to read as Rosaline?”
Shinobu gracefully walked onto the stage, standing right next to Iguro. They read through their scene, and Mr. Ubuyashiki watched them carefully, clearly thinking deeply about something.
“I’m going to try something,” he stated. “Shinobu, can you read for Romeo, and Mitsuri, keep reading for Juliet.”
The two girls looked confused, but followed his orders anyways. As soon as they started reading, Giyuu knew that this was the perfect choice. Their chemistry was off the charts. Mitsuri had the innocence of Juliet down perfectly, and Shinobu was charming enough to play Romeo better than any man.
“Thank you, girls. You may sit back down now. Can I have Sanemi read for Mercutio?”
Sanemi grunted as he got up from his chair, and Giyuu wondered why he was even here in the first place. He was a gruff, athletic chemistry major who did track and wrestling. Maybe he had lost a bet.
“How about we bring one of our newcomers up here. Giyuu, can you read for Benvolio?”
Giyuu was so shocked at hearing his name called he practically jumped out of his chair. Shinobu shoved him playfully towards the stage. He walked up nervously, and stood beside Sanemi, picking up on how good he smelled.
Giyuu’s hands shook as he was handed a script, flipping to the page he was asked to read.
Sanemi had the first line, and it shook Giyuu to his core how good he was. His inflection was amazing, and his acting was moving. When it was Giyuu’s turn to read, he was surprised by how steady his voice sounded. They maneuvered their way through the several pages, and when they were done, the audience erupted into applause. Giyuu noticed Shinobu looking pleased as she clapped in the front row, and he smiled at her.
“Excellent job, thank you two,” Mr. Ubuyashiki complimented, and Giyuu, flushed, rushed back to his seat. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he had never felt so thrilled before. Before he knew what was happening, Sanemi was leaning over, his breath hot against Giyuu’s ear.
“Good job,” he mumbled. Giyuu was so shocked he couldn’t formulate a response for several seconds.
“Thanks, you too,” he choked out. He immediately hid his red face under his jacket sleeve, and could already see Shinobu coming up with a witty jab.
“Thanks, you too!” She mocked in a high-pitched voice. Giyuu glared at her.
“I don’t sound like that,” he shot back. Shinobu just smiled, clearly reveling in his embarrassment.
More people were called up, and the audition went on for what felt like forever, until Ubuyashiki dismissed them, saying that the cast list would be out the next day. Giyuu felt his heart drop, not expecting it to be so soon.
When he crawled into bed that night, all he could think of was Sanemi’s face so close to his, the warmth of his breath ghosting over his face. Had he really complimented him? Giyuu knew he was making a big deal about nothing, but Sanemi didn’t seem like the type of go to throw around meaningless praises. He rolled over in bed with a sigh, trying to find something else to think about. But it was impossible when Sanemi had talked to him, stood next to him and made his stomach do backflips. He exhaled as he prayed for sleep. He was in so deep.