Archive of Our Own

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“Fujinaga!”

The voice was so loud it easily echoed through the schoolyard.

Sakuya had to squish his eyes and hide the smile trying to creep on the side of his mouth. He pressed his fingers around his waist, composed his face into one that showed he didn't care about anything happening, and turned to look at the shorter boy who was approaching the soccer field.

He was getting closer, taking his bandana off as he went; his wet hair falling onto his forehead as the sun went down.

“Do you know how many times your beloved soccer ball has interrupted our game?”

And there he was. Hirose Ryo.

His eyes locked on Sakuya’s as if he wanted to kill him right there. His brow was furrowed in clear irritation, which showed in his tightly pressed lips and the way he held the soccer ball in his hands, almost trembling.

Absolutely adorable, if you ask Sakuya.

They just stood there for a moment after Sakuya's hands quickly went for the ball in the other boy’s possession, only to fail once he raised his arms to stop Sakuya from grabbing it and stepped slightly back.

It was Hirose's turn to let out a sarcastic smirk and shake his head slightly.

“Until you all promise you'll respect our game,” He said, pointing his index finger at the other players on the field in a threatening gesture, “I'm not giving the ball back.”

Sakuya let out a deep sigh, bringing his fingers to his eyes as he leaned on one leg. If someone saw him like that, they would say he was frustrated or suffering, when in truth Sakuya couldn't help but find Ryo absolutely cute in that position, acting all mad while being the smaller one on that field.

And soon he felt Yushi approaching and whispering in his ear, like he knew the team captain was distracted. “Hey, you need to say something.”

And he really had been quiet since the beginning of the conflict. But this wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last, even if Sakuya promised they wouldn't do it again.

But still, he would lie to Ryo for the tenth time. Not because he liked it, but maybe the chances of seeing the boy up close increased, and he wouldn't waste that opportunity easily.

“Okay, okay. We apologize for that, alright? It’s not our fault they didn’t properly separate the soccer field and the basketball court, you know?” Sakuya said, his eyebrows now raised, as if he really meant it.

And it was a rhetorical question, because both of them knew very well that was the truth.

Both clubs had always fought over the school’s sports funding, and so far it had never been anything serious. What happened was that both the basketball and football teams needed to bring results to the school in amateur matches and the annual competitions that took place. If they didn’t reach the expected goals, their funding would be cut, and nobody wanted that because it could eventually mean the end of the club, being replaced by something more profitable.

In meetings, they had to present reasons for the club to receive more money that month, whether they needed more training time, new uniforms, new balls, or equipment. Everything depended on the school’s budget, and that also determined the team’s success or failure, since a team with the necessary resources certainly had better chances of winning. Everyone understood that.

And they had coexisted peacefully since then, but then the indoor court ended up needing renovations, and the basketball team could no longer use the reserved time they had for training, leaving the outdoor court as the only option. The problem was that no one had used that court in years it was even a bit deteriorated. The times the basketball team was forced to use it before were in the late afternoons, when they could no longer train indoors, or on weekends.

In addition, the court was next to the soccer field, and the fence separating both was not very useful. Since it wasn’t heavily used during the day, except for physical education classes, there had never really been a problem with the separation of spaces.

That is, until it became the main option, and the peace between both teams was disrupted.

And Ryo knew that. Just as he knew he had never intended to show his exasperated side before all that confusion had started.

And he hated Fujinaga so much because, from the very first day, he seemed like he didn’t care. Sometimes Ryo was sure he was making fun of him and of the basketball team; that was what triggered something inside Hirose Ryo, the composed top student who was usually calm, peace maker and didn’t even care about winning that much.

But he also wouldn’t accept losing his team, the one he loved so much, his breath of fresh air away from academics.

“So, we promise we will try not to… shoot the ball too hard?” Sakuya tried again, his expression a little weirded out, like he wasn’t saying the right thing.

And you could almost see red flames coming out of Ryo’s head, because he breathed in deeply, tightened his fingers in the spherical object, and closed his eyes, as if he were composing himself for a battle he needed to win.

“You're so ridiculous, has anyone ever told you that?” It came in almost a whisper, now closer again so only Sakuya could hear.

Sakuya took a step forward, lowering himself on purpose to answer while staring directly into Hirose’s eyes. Don’t ask why he could do that so easily, maybe it was because he swore that was his perfect façade at work.

“No, usually they say I’m handsome. Why?” he said in an equally quiet but playful tone. Ryo’s eyes widened before he rolled them vehemently and looked away.

“Okay, so, no more soccer for today. Until you, Captain Fujinaga, take it seriously.” Ryo said firmly, both feet now on the ground, completely sure of what he was saying.

“What do you mean, Hirose?” Ryo heard Harua said from behind, stepping in front beside Yushi.

“What you just heard.”

Harua got closer, looking at Sakuya and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“So, what should we do?” the boy asked, waiting for Sakuya to take his place.

If you were the captain, you made the decisions, you had the first word, you guided the team.

That’s why Ryo was standing there too, holding the discussion.

“I’m not one of the girls who scream for you in the bleachers, Fujinaga-san.” 

What a pity. 

Sakuya’s thoughts came before his words.

And before he could respond, it was Yushi’s turn to speak, as if he knew that if things continued like that, they would end up arguing until nightfall and beyond.

“You know we have more soccer balls to use, right, Hirose-kun?”

As soon as he started, he had Ryo’s attention.

“We’ll be more careful, we just can’t control our speed or strength sometimes. Can you please give it back? We’re really sorry for giving you guys a hard time.”

Sakuya felt shame creeping into his body, knowing Yushi could handle that better than he ever could.

And it was as if Ryo noticed, because the shorter boy lowered his guard, his expression softening.

“Hm… Okay. I’ll let it pass, because you really know how to talk to others, Yushi-kun,” Ryo said more calmly now, his eyes turning to Sakuya while he praised Yushi.

“That’s not-” Sakuya tried, but was stopped by his friend pushing his back as he stepped closer to Ryo, looking back with warning eyes.

“Thank you so much.”

Yushi said with a smile, and that’s when Sakuya’s jaw dropped, because Ryo smiled back at him.

It felt like he was being betrayed.

And while looking back and forth between Ryo and Yushi, the basketball captain soon gave Sakuya one last dead glance before turning away, readjusting his bandana again and running back to his court while taking Sakuya’s heart with him once more.
-

“Are you trying to steal him from me, Yuchan?” Sakuya said in a sarcastic tone the moment he and Yushi were alone in the locker rooms.

At the same time he felt one of the training vests being thrown onto his face. He reacted immediately with a disgusted expression, looking at Yushi as he threw the vest back at him.

The boy only smirked at Sakuya, speaking while fixing his school uniform again, since he hadn’t brought any extra clothes that day.

“You’re the one giving him away for free, Sakuya. What kind of idea is it to keep irritating the guy?”

The white-haired boy sighed as if he had suffered the greatest loss of his life, throwing himself onto the bench and leaning his back against the nearby lockers.

“I don't want to annoy him, but it seems like it's the only way to get his attention,” Sakuya kept talking while looking down, his right hand fingers tapping lightly against the other, as if he were thinking about everything and nothing at once.

As soon as Yushi finished packing his bag, he sat down beside Sakuya to adjust his shoes so they could finally go home. He wasn’t in the mood to hear the boy’s whining about Ryo again that day.

“You know that's not true. We’ve known each other since our junior year of high school, and you've had this crush since day one. You think I don't remember what you said when you first saw him?”

Yushi had his eyes now fully focused on Sakuya.

“He has to be mine.” They both said in unison, Sakuya smiling foolishly as he repeated the words and Yushi rolling his eyes at the line.

“Corny.” 

“And he will be, okay?” Sakuya confirmed as he stood up, fixing his clothes.

“I know fate wants us together too, so it’s going to help me.” The boy said with that kind of certainty that always scared Yushi.

He knew it rarely led to anything good. When Sakuya wanted something, he would do anything to have it. And a lovestruck Sakuya could mean trouble, like what had been happening ever since.

Fujinaga had fallen in love at first sight. That much was true.

He didn’t usually believe in things like that, until he saw Ryo.

The boy had completely ruined Sakuya’s brain chemistry with those beautiful eyes, soft black hair, a cute shining smile, and his impossibly small appearance; not just in size, but overall. He had once told Yushi that he could easily turn Ryo into one of his keyrings if the boy let him.

And for two whole years, all he did was admire him from afar.

They sat on opposite sides of the classroom, and Ryo was always with Riku, since the other boy also played basketball and, from what Sakuya had discovered in his top-secret research, Riku and Ryo had known each other since elementary school. So Sakuya had no reason to see him as a direct rival for Ryo’s heart, which is why he usually considered the boy an exception. He even liked him for always pampering Ryo the way Sakuya thought was just right.

However, despite the distance, Sakuya’s eyes could reach Ryo wherever he was. While he studied, while he talked with Riku during breaks about something NASA had discovered, or about how he felt like drinking melon soda that day.

And ah, how beautiful he looked when he made cute expressions so Riku would buy it for him.

Even during lunch, he would try in one way or another to sneak glances at where Ryo was.

And Sakuya’s heart told him he was satisfied with that for a while, he had to watch and collect information about his crush.

But then, the situation on the court happened, forcing Ryo to talk to him for the first, second, and third time.

He also heard some girls, and even boys who had come to the bleachers to watch the basketball team play, talking about how pretty and attractive Ryo looked.

And so Sakuya came to realize he was the jealous type. After all, he saw Ryo first.

He was also not ready to deal with that properly, so he always kept a poker face even when his chest hurt at the mere sight of Ryo walking around in those oversized basketball clothes.

During soccer practice, he would even get distracted watching Ryo play. He was really good with his feet and legs, like playing was a choreography Ryo knew by heart. The basketball shoes made him a little taller, but he was still shorter than Sakuya. He usually wore a headband that made his naturally soft hair bounce during games. Not to mention the tank top and shorts, which sometimes made Sakuya lose his sense of reality, thinking about how many people were seeing Ryo like that too, so impossibly beautiful.

No one could judge Sakuya for liking Ryo so much. He had a long list, and he kept adding items to it every day.
—

“Then, the assignment is very simple, isn’t it?” All the students answered in unison, “Yes,” including Sakuya.

The literature activity was actually quite easy.

The teacher had asked the students to write down a goal they wanted to achieve in their senior year on small pieces of paper. Later, she would collect them all and go from desk to desk so each student could pick one randomly.

The idea was for them to write some kind of encouragement; something sweet, supportive, or anything that could help that person achieve their goal. Afterwards, they would have to read their responses aloud in front of the class, and in the end, no one would know who had written to whom, and they would encourage each other simultaneously.

Sakuya felt relieved that it was something that did not require too much effort. Those days had been exhausting, with all the studying and the pressure of college entrance exams.

Even though he tried not to care too much; hoping the school day would end quickly so he could go play with his friends, he still felt the pressure imposed by his parents, who kept asking what career he was going to pursue.

He figured the teacher was probably aware of that stress too.

He didn’t need to think much. He picked up the blank piece of paper and wrote the most obvious and silly thing a teenager could write

I want to win over the person I like.

He knew it might sound ridiculous, but no one would know it was him, unless Yushi happened to pick his paper. After all, he believed that only the other boy, besides the teachers, could recognize his handwriting.

After handing the paper back to the teacher, Sakuya let his gaze drift out the window, watching the sky pass by and enjoying the gentle breeze of the spring afternoon. His eyes eventually wandered to the other side of the classroom, as usual, where he spotted Ryo talking to Riku about something he couldn’t quite hear.

The moment Ryo noticed him—when their eyes met—Sakuya quickly looked away, turning back to the sky outside, eyes closing as he let out a soft sigh.

He knew Ryo had probably found that strange, and he tried not to dwell on the embarrassment that was already starting to creep through him.

He looked so pretty that day too.

“Alright! Now I’m going to hand the papers back. You’ll have fifteen minutes to write your response. Remember, it can be something brief.” The teacher’s voice pulled him back.

Sakuya took the paper quickly, offering the teacher a small smile before opening it with a flicker of curiosity.

I want to kiss someone before going to college.

It could’ve been just another silly thing any student might write, just like what he himself had written.

But no.

Sakuya definitely recognized that handwriting. He could recognize it from miles away, without even needing glasses. 

That confession could only belong to Ryo.

As the white-haired boy read the words again, repeating them in his mind until they started to lose their meaning, his fingers tightened against the desk. He swallowed hard; his gaze drifting, unintentionally, back toward Ryo, who was now turned away, focused on writing.

Good.

Sakuya quickly looked down again, forcing himself to breathe “Okay, Sakuya, you just need to answer,” he told himself, though the tremble in his fingers betrayed how far from simple the task actually felt.

I hope I can be that someone.

He thought for a moment he was tired of overthinking, so he wrote the first thing that came to his mind.

The moment he read it, even his mind seemed to buzz noisily. Sakuya squeezed his eyes shut and folded the paper quickly, before he could regret it.

It was fine. No one would know it was Ryo. The answer was vague, too vague for the boy to guess it could be him.

As if sensing his best friend’s nervousness, Yushi nudged him lightly with a pencil and whispered, “Are you okay?”

Sakuya simply nodded, attempting to smile.

He wasn’t okay.

The time passed, but he didn’t quite see it, stuck in that moment, only being pulled out of his trance when it was Ryo’s turn to present his response.

“I’m sure you have everything you need to achieve it. If it ever feels too hard or overwhelming, please talk to a close friend or someone you trust. You’re not alone.”

He finished gracefully, his gentle voice making Sakuya’s chest tighten.

After the class applauded and a few encouraging cheers filled the room, Sakuya simply waited for his turn.

When the teacher called him to the front, he stood up and felt like the walk to the front of the classroom lasted forever. He opened the paper as if he needed to read it, trying not to make eye contact with anyone in particular.

“I hope I can be that someone,”

He read, faster than he should have, wondering if anyone had even heard him.

“That’s it.”

The teacher looked slightly confused “I said it could be brief, but I didn’t expect it to be that brief, Fujinaga-kun.” and the whole class laughed, turning their eyes toward him, including Ryo.

And Sakuya couldn’t hold his gaze for even a second.

There was a faint, almost imperceptible smile on Ryo’s lips, as if he were simply going along with the rest of the class’s reaction. Everything seemed normal.

But in Sakuya’s twisted mind, he knew Ryo was laughing at him.

And deep inside his chest, there lingered a quiet hope; the hope that Ryo knew that answer had been meant for him.
-

That day, Sakuya walked beside Yushi toward the soccer field with an uneasy feeling. He didn’t know exactly why, but he suspected that even if no one knew who his words had been directed to, it had still been the first time he had mentioned, albeit indirectly, how he felt about Ryo.

And Sakuya didn’t quite understand the anxiety that slowly consumed his thoughts. He didn’t know why he kept overthinking everything.

Had he been too direct in his response? Too shameless? Why did he feel like someone could see right through him, like everyone somehow knew he was desperate to be Hirose Ryo’s first kiss?

Because that was the truth.

There was also that. Ryo had never kissed anyone. And sure, Sakuya hadn’t either, not even a peck, but the thought that no one had ever touched those lips he constantly dreamed about filled him with a strange sense of pride… and a kind of urgency he hadn’t felt before.

The urgency to tell Ryo how he felt, before someone else did.

“Sakuya? Earth to Sakuya.”

He blinked, noticing Yushi’s fingers waving in front of his face, trying to get his attention.

“Hm?” he turned, a confused expression on his face.

“You’ve been acting weird since after literature class today.”

“Ah, it’s just…” Sakuya took a deep breath, gripping the strap of his backpack.

“My response was for Ryo." If Yushi wasn’t close, he probably wouldn’t have heard it.

“Heh? And how do you know he’s the one who wrote it?”

“Well… maybe I looked at some of his assignments when I took them to the history teacher the other day. Or I stayed a few minutes after the bell rang and sneaked a peek at his notebook.” The confession made it sound like he had committed a crime.

“Dude, you’re helpless." Yushi said while he wallked.

"And what did it say?”

The younger hesitated for a moment. Maybe it wasn’t right to share something Ryo thought no one would ever know, even if Yushi was his closest friend.

“It’s a secret, Yuchan.”

Sakuya looked at Yushi as if already expecting his understanding, and that was exactly what he got; a small nod and a friendly squeeze on his shoulder.

“Got it. You want to keep it to yourself.”

Thankfully, soccer helped distract him. As he ran, his thoughts began to settle, and he focused on the game; calling out to his teammates, warning them about their positions, and keeping track of the score.

Of course, every now and then, Sakuya’s gaze would drift back to the basketball court—as if he were enchanted—searching for only one person.

And that day, whenever the ball rolled toward the soccer field, Sakuya was always the first to run and retrieve it, handing it back to whoever came for it. The same happened when the soccer ball ended up near the basketball court; he would rush to get it immediately, not even giving it time to interrupt the other team’s practice. And every time, he would bow slightly and apologize softly to the boys.

Ryo found that strange. Very strange. He had never seen Sakuya act like that before. They had never really had a proper conversation, only brief exchanges caused by awful situations, but something stirred in the back of Ryo’s mind, a curiosity he couldn’t quite understand.

Sakuya decided to stay after practicing that day. He made sure not to worry Yushi about his safety, saying he would just practice a few more penalty shots on his own before heading home. The field had lights at night, and the security guard on duty would still be around. Besides, Sakuya had already shown Yushi that he had informed his mother.

-

After that day, the rest of the week went by in a way Sakuya could never have imagined outside of his dreams.

He and Ryo now greeted each other every morning. The first initiative had come from the boy Sakuya was crushing on. Even though Ryo sat in the front and on the opposite side of the classroom, he had waved at him the next day while whispering a “good morning,” with that smile Sakuya already knew, now entirely directed at him.

In fact, Sakuya no longer knew what to do with his heart since that day; it felt more like a loudspeaker for everyone to hear every time he and Ryo interacted.

During games, they would end up simultaneously passing each other the balls that kept finding their way into the other’s “battlefield.”

And yes, they did pass them to Each Other only, as if they had rehearsed it.

There were moments when Sakuya waited for the basketball to roll across the grass, running toward it with sharp focus. And more than once receiving disapproving shouts when someone from his team tried to pass him the ball while he was already far away, running toward Ryo, who was already making his way toward Sakuya as well.

And, unexpectedly, the exact same seemed to happen on the other side.

Deep down, both of them were grateful to have found some kind of unspoken agreement that allowed them to train peacefully and, hopefully, do well in the upcoming competitions.

It wasn’t anything special, nothing more than those brief greetings at the beginning and end of classes, and the moments when they met to return lost balls.

But for Sakuya, it meant a lot. To the point that he was smiling from ear to ear every day. Even his little sister asked their mom what had happened to her brother, because he looked like a fool after dinner; staring into nothing and smiling, while throwing the spoon into the trash instead of the cabinet.

-

They arrived together at the party, which was being held at the house of one of the football team members. Obviously, it should have felt strange they came together, but neither of them seemed to care much at that moment and everyone was having fine on their own way to notice them.

“Ryo-chan!”

Sakuya heard, and amidst the colorful led lights, he spotted Riku approaching.

“I thought you weren’t coming anymore,” Riku said with his usual pout, which made Ryo smile and briefly pat his hair.

“Someone managed to convince me to come,” he said into Riku’s ear, and Riku looked at Sakuya right away with an expression still confused.

Sakuya saw the two of them leaning close, whispering into each other’s ears; probably something he shouldn’t hear, or maybe something he didn’t need to. So he just stayed there, looking for Yushi.

“Well then, thank you for bringing Ryo-chan with you, Sakuya,” Riku said, linking his arm with Ryo’s.

“Sure,” Sakuya replied briefly, glancing at Riku and then at Ryo, who immediately looked at the ground when their eyes met.

Then Riku gently pulled the smaller boy along, heading toward the kitchen.

“Come on, Ryo, let’s get something to drink.”

“Oh, okay. See you later, Sakuya?”

For the first time, there was hope in his voice.

“Sure. The night’s just getting started, right?”

Sakuya could only ingreesed it.

And the smiles didn’t seem to leave their lips, even as they said their goodbyes, waving to each other.

At the party, there were supposedly only soft drinks, since they were underage, but Sakuya had seen one or two hidden bottles of alcohol. He didn’t really feel like drinking, but he ended up trying some after Yushi insisted. He made a face at the strong taste after the first dose and refused all the others Yushi handed him.

So he stuck with his soda, talking to friends and cheering their victory from time to time, while people came over to congratulate him.

Ryo hadn’t left his mind for even a moment.

“Who wants to play seven minutes in heaven?” someone said, and Sakuya saw a group of students gathering in the center of the room.

“Come on,” Yushi pulled him over before Sakuya could even think properly.

Soon he was already sitting in a circle with other people, some of whom he didn’t even remember.

And Ryo was there too.

They looked at each other.

Then Sakuya noticed Riku narrowing his eyes at him in what he interpreted as a threatening look.

So… What he has done now?

“Okay! I’ll start." and the bottle began to spin.

But that thought died the moment someone said, “Okay, Sakuya, your turn.”

The first thing Sakuya did was look at Ryo again, who was already looking back at him, his legs crossed and both hands gripping his knees.

Oh, Sakuya was really dumb.

How had he not even thought about the possibility of being alone with Ryo in a room for seven whole minutes?

They both looked away almost immediately, and Sakuya knew that at that moment, all he could do was hope with everything he had that the bottle would land on Ryo.

And then he spun it.

During the few seconds it turned, his eyes kept switching between the bottle and Hirose.

And when it almost landed on Riku, the brunette quickly moved slightly, pulling Ryo just enough so that the tip of the bottle pointed at him instead.

And then, Sakuya’s world stopped.

He wasn’t even sure if he was breathing as he stood up, hearing people making suggestive comments and whistling at the two of them as they walked toward the small room without saying a word.

When Yushi closed the door, not without raising his fists for a quiet “ganbare,” Sakuya felt all the nervousness gathering in his spine.

He looked at Ryo for a moment, who just smiled softly at him from across the room. Sakuya fidgeted, glancing again at the ceiling and the nearly empty walls around them like they were really interesting.

“I’ve never kissed anyone.”

The confession came out quickly.

And before Sakuya could respond verbally, he noticed, even in the dim light, how tense Ryo was.

The black-haired boy couldn’t meet his gaze, his eyes drifting to the side as if he were trying to make himself smaller, as if he could disappear.

And something in Sakuya’s chest stirred, his heart beginning to race; this time, out of worry.

“We don’t have to do this, Ryo,” he said as calmly as he could offering a reassuring smile.

“We can just… Talk.”

That seemed to work to some extent, since Sakuya could see Ryo’s shoulders relaxing a little.

But he was wrong.

It was the next question that made Sakuya’s stomach twist painfully familiar.

“You don't want to?”

Sakuya widened his eyes slightly, blinking quickly in the habit he had since childhood whenever he was surprised.

"Do you want to?”

Ryo sigh in response.

“Fujinaga… time is passing”

And as if responding to Sakuya’s anxious thoughts, the answer came out soft, shy, almost a whisper “I want to.” 

Another moment passed before Sakuya could finally fully recover from what he just heard.

He didn’t want to sound stupid, but he had never rehearsed for that moment, even though he had been expecting it for years. Still, he had to be brave, so he stepped closer, trying to swallow the tight feeling in his throat.

Now he could hear Ryo's breathing, slightly uneven, just as nervous as his own.

“I’m going to touch you now.” The warning made Ryo let out a soft laugh.

“Sakuya, stop being ridiculous.”

“How can I? It’s your fault,” Sakuya said, this time with a too dramatic tone and pleading eyes.

“Yeah. Yeah. You’re lucky you’re also really handsome." 

Before Sakuya could process the compliment, a hand settled on his shoulder. Ryo rose slightly onto his tiptoes, and then a light pressure met his lips—lasting no more than a second.

“I really liked it. Do you think we can do that for the few minutes we still have?” Ryo whispered again, this time close to Sakuya’s ear.

A shiver ran through the poor taller boy.

And then he finally let one of his hands rest softly on Ryo’s waist; light, careful, yet somehow natural, even though he had never done this before. His other hand gently cupped the small face, his gaze briefly tracing Hirose’s eyes before he slowly closed the distance, letting their lips meet once more.

This time, they didn’t pull away, they simply stayed there with their lips clued to one another. They didn’t really know what they were doing, but maybe they didn’t need to rush anything.

Sakuya moved his lips gently against Ryo’s, searching for a better angle, wanting to feel their softness again.

Ryo’s lips were small and delicate, something he felt he should handle with care.

Even if it was a little clumsy, they fit together better than either of them had expected. So they tried again, their lips brushing softly in a series of brief, tentative kisses, as if learning with each touch.

Ryo’s fingers pressed lightly against Sakuya’s shoulder again, and Sakuya pulled back slightly, taking it as a sign to stop. But Ryo kept his eyes closed for a moment—then reached out again brushing a kiss against Sakuya’s lips once more before finally adjusting his posture.

“You’re good at this, Sakuya. Better than at soccer.”

Both of Ryo’s hands rested on Sakuya’s shoulders as he leaned back against the wall, never once breaking his gaze.

“You’re also my first kiss, Ryo.” Was all Sakuya could say.

“Oh, I could tell that even if you hadn’t told me.”

“Hey!”

“I like you. And I’ve been liking you for almost three years now.” Like his thoughts had decided they wanted to be heard, Sakuya spoke again.

“Three years?!”

Oh, he wasn’t really expecting that.

“Yeah. And I also wrote that ‘I hope I can be that someone’ as a response to you." 

In that moment, Ryo blushed like never before, gripping Sakuya’s shoulders tightly—so tightly it might have hurt, if Sakuya wasn’t already in love with him—his focus lost entirely on the pretty boy he had just kissed.

“I’m not asking how you know that came from me because I’m really embarrassed right now.”

Sakuya just murmured a quiet confirmation, staying there, watching Ryo’s cute, embarrassed expressions.

Oh, he was more than in love. He could ask for Ryo’s hand in marriage, if he were crazy enough.

“Ryo… do you think I could be the only person you kiss while you’re in college too?”

“Are you asking me to be your boyfriend?”

Okay, that was better and more logical.

“I am.”

“Wait, you didn’t even say you liked me back.”

The realization made his blood rush down to his feet.

And Ryo couldn’t help but laugh slightly again because Sakuya was cute and charming, more than he had imagined.

“I’ve been liking you for some days now. Not as deep as years, but I hope it counts.” He didn’t leave room for any doubt, even if teasing Sakuya was fun.

Sakuya’s grip on Ryo’s waist tightened and he gave that side smile, feeling his face burn.

“I'm happy we both achieved our high school goals.”