Work Text:
It was 7:20 in the morning when Ryo stepped foot inside the school gate. The sky was a blend of peaches and blues, the sun barely up to greet the world a good morning. The crisp winter air was sharp on his skin and even his scarf couldn't stop a shiver running up his spine.
Ryo hated early mornings.
He hated setting his alarm an hour early. He hated being up before the sun itself. He hated getting out of the shower and speed running dressing himself up so he doesn't die of hypothermia. He hated not eating breakfast with the rest of his family. He hated his mother rushing to pack him his lunch.
He made his way to the field and sat down on a bench with a perfect view of the soccer club going through their morning practice. He quickly took out his earphones and his biology notebook, switching on his study playlist and focusing on the flowcharts and mindmaps in front of him. He could faintly still hear the sounds of the coaches whistle and the pitter patter of cleats on the hard winter ground.
If you asked Ryo why he came early, he'd reply that it was because it was quieter in the mornings. Because the cold helped wake him up. Because he could get a head start on studying before classes muddled the rest of his day together like watercolours; but none of that explained why his eyes kept drifting from the neat lines in his notebook to the field.
He didn’t look for any one person in particular, not really. At least, he told himself he didn’t. Still, every time the players broke formation, his gaze followed a familiar silhouette without conscious thought - dark hair damp with sweat despite the cold, movements a little too earnest for morning practice.
Ryo adjusted his scarf, tugging it higher to cover his pink cheeks. He wasn’t cold anymore. Not really.
He tried to focus again, pen tapping lightly against the page as he traced over a diagram he already understood. The music in his ears blurred into background noise, but the rhythm of the field kept slipping through anyway. The thud of a ball, a sharp laugh, someone calling a name that made Ryo’s grip on his pen tighten just a little.
It was stupid, he thought. He saw Sakuya every day. They shared classes, shared notes, shared the kind of easy conversations that didn’t need effort. There was nothing special about seeing him now.
And yet.
Ryo checked the time on his phone, then frowned faintly when he realized he still had ten minutes before practice ended. He shifted on the bench, pretending the stiffness in his legs was the reason. Pretending he hadn’t memorized the usual schedule by now.
And when practice finally wrapped up, Ryo didn’t look up right away. He waited, counted his breaths, finished writing out one last line until the familiar shadow fell across the edge of his notebook.
Only then did he glance up, expression carefully neutral, like this moment hadn’t been quietly anticipated since the moment he’d stepped through the school gates.
“Morning,” he said, as if he hadn't been missing something deeply until just now.
“Good morning, you're early today,” Sakuya replied, a soft smile on his face. There was a drop of sweat running down his temple, and his nose was red from all that running around in the dry winter cold. All Ryo could think about was how cute Sakuya was like this.
“Mm, well, I know that you have morning practice on Wednesdays,” Ryo replied, looking back at his book.
“Yeah, but you almost never come to watch me play,” Sakuya whined as he sat down beside Ryo, fanning himself with his shirt. “Don't even want to support your boyfriend, how mean,”
“Well, unlike you,” Ryo starts, shooting an eye toward Sakuya's shorts clad legs. “I happen to actually get cold in 12° weather.”
“Ehhh I get cold too though? Especially when I'm all sweaty,” Sakuya states while bringing his lips together into a small pout.
Ryo smiles at that and closes his notebook, bringing a hand up to Sakuya's hair and ruffling it, giving him endless words of praise that sounded half genuine and half like a mother who just wanted her kid to stop whining.
“Go freshen up, ‘kay? I'll wait for you near the lockers,”
And with that they parted ways - Sakuya going back to join the rest of his team mates and Ryo putting everything back in his bag and pulling out his phone to mindlessly scroll through Twitter for five or so minutes, retweeting every tweet he saw about his kamioshi Doyoung along the way.
When he eventually made his way to the shoe lockers - definitely later than he was supposed to - he saw Sakuya standing to the end, leaning against the rack and looking deep in thought.
“Saaaakuya〜?” Ryo piped up, earning a small flinch from the younger. “Sorry for making you wait, I got distracted by all the pictures from yesterday's fan sign～ You know how it is, right?”
Ryo expected Sakuya to complain again - maybe even say another few words about how ‘bad of a boyfriend he is’ and how he should be glad that ‘Saku is so forgiving’ - but he was met instead with the feeling of something cold against his cheek, the precipitation sticking to his skin.
“Strawberry milk,” Sakuya explained, averting his gaze. “As a thank you for coming early today…”
Ryo looked at him for a solid minute before pulling him into a bone crushing side hug, going on and on about how cute Sakuya was (much to his dismay, as he was sure everyone was staring.)
The bell snapped them out of it, however, making them quickly make their way to class, not wanting to be late to homeroom.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
It's English period when Sakuya and Ryo end up with their desks together. Their teacher, a lovely old lady, brought the class print outs - some practice worksheet she wanted to discuss in class - and asked everyone to share with the person sitting beside them.
The warm winter sunlight filtered through the few leaves left on the trees and made its way through the windows, leaving Sakuya's jacket all toasty - ‘like a personal heater’ Ryo had told him.
“The first question is on relative adverbs,” Mrs. Morino starts, adjusting her glasses and squinting at her own copy. “Let's see…’The park where we first met. That park is always blooming with flowers.’ Now can anyone join the two sentences with the right adverb? Hmm, how about Souma-kun?”
Sakuya had started to zone out then, filling the margin on his side with absent-minded doodles, but quickly felt a pair of eyes glaring holes into the side of his head.
“You’re gonna fail if you don't pay attention, you know?” He quips, meeting Ryo's big puppy-like eyes with his own doe ones.
“You’re not paying any attention either though?” Ryo points out, ready to talk about all the cats and eyes on their print out.
“Fujinaga-kun, could you please answer the next one?” Their teacher called out all of a sudden, surprising both of them.
“Y-Yes..! Um, ‘Do you..remember that day? The first time we travelled together was that day’. It will become ‘Do you remember the day when we first travelled together’,” Sakuya answered, quickly adding a small ‘I think’ to the end in case it was totally wrong.
“That is correct. Good job, Fujinaga-kun, you may sit.” Mrs. Morino smiled before going on to explain how.
“No need to pay attention, I revised it yesterday,” Sakuya says, giving Ryo a smug smile, earning him a small kick under their joint desks.
“Since when were you a goody-two-shoes? Reviewing English? Next thing you know, you'll steal my rank,” Ryo teased, intertwining his fingers with Sakuya's where no one could see them to show that he was just playing around.
“I just want to get into the same university as you, that's all,” Sakuya explains, before holding Ryo’s hand back, squeezing it a little. “I mean, what if some foreign exchange student who can read Shakespeare in its original verse while simultaneously doing advanced trigonometry steals you away?”
Once again, Sakuya was too cute for Ryo to handle.
“You really think I'll ditch my cute doll of a boyfriend with a heart of gold for some snob who probably wouldn't even let me cuddle him while watching movies?” Ryo asks, laying his head on Sakuya's shoulder, rubbing absent-minded circles onto the back of his hand with his thumb.
“Hirose-kun, please keep in mind that you're in a classroom,” Mrs. Morino said out of the blue, popping the bubble of lovey-dovey comfort they had around them and making Ryo sit up straight, letting go of Sakuya's hand, and mutter an apology.
“How embarrassing for you, Mr. Student council treasurer,” A voice from behind teased, one of Ryo’s friends.
“Really embarrassing, I think I might break up with you so I don't get bullied,” Sakuya joined in, slowly moving his chair away as if to make his point, earning him a kick loud enough that Mrs. Morino ended up scolding Ryo again.
“See, now I got scolded because of you..!” Ryo whisper-shouted, making Sakuya chuckle.
“I'll buy you yakisoba pan tomorrow, don't get upset about it,” Sakuya replied, hoping that would ease him a little. “And I won't break up with you even if you embarrassed yourself. Isn't that apology enough?”
“Wow, because not breaking up with your boyfriend when you were the one who embarrassed him in front of the whole class is soooo noble,” Ryo quipped back, pout evident in his voice.
“The noblest,”
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
“Ahh, I think I'm gonna starve to death,” Ryo grumbled, lunch box in hand as he made his way to their usual spot for lunch - the rooftop.
Usually, students aren't really allowed access to the roof, but as a member of the astronomy club, Ryo basically got a free pass to the roof from the teacher in charge.
The door opened with a click and revealed an empty rooftop, just the grey floor and the tall green wire fence surrounding the perimeter beyond the metal railings.
“No one else is here today?” Sakuya asked, his own lunch in hand, wrapped by pastel pink polka dot fabric - though it seemed to be larger than usual, taller perhaps. “Seriously lucky girl syndrome,”
“Wouldn't it be lucky boy syndrome?”
“Gender doesn't matter here,” Sakuya simply stated, sitting down on one of the small benches placed there. “Doesn't ‘lucky boy syndrome’ sound off? So not magical,”
“Hmm, I guess so,” Ryo mused as he found his seat beside Sakuya, placing both their water bottles on the ground on the side and his own lunch box on his lap.
“Actually, I- I have something for you,” Sakuya revealed, untying the knot of the pink cloth and letting it fall to reveal not one lunch box, but two separate ones.
“Eh? Eh? Seriously?? You made a bento for me?” Ryo’s voice was high, full of shock, eyes as wide as saucers.
Sakuya laughed softly at his reaction, rubbing the back of his neck. “Don’t make it sound like I committed a crime. It’s just food.”
“Just food?” Ryo echoed, staring down at the neatly packed box like it might disappear if he blinked. “You woke up early for this even when you don't have morning practice. You hate mornings almost as much as I do !!”
“Well, you always forget to eat properly when you’re stressed, and we had that science test today” Sakuya shrugged, carefully sliding the bento closer to him, “Plus it's a thank you for always coming to morning practice..”
Ryo felt something warm bloom in his chest; too big, too sudden. He lifted the lid slowly, reverently, like it was something fragile. Inside, everything was arranged with careful intention - tamagoyaki cut into even slices, chicken karaage still glistening slightly, cherry tomatoes cut into halves to make hearts tucked into the corners like little accents. Even the rice had been shaped neatly, sprinkled with sesame seeds.
It was unmistakably Sakuya - earnest, thoughtful, and full of love.
“You didn’t have to do this,” Ryo said quietly, though his fingers were already tightening around his chopsticks.
“I wanted to,” Sakuya replied just as softly. “I wanted to make omurice originally, but I kinda failed…”
That was the problem. Sakuya always wanted to do things for him. He always wanted to wipe his sweat for him when his hands were full, he always wanted to buy him icecream, he always held the umbrella, always tilted it towards him. And Ryo, who had spent most of his life convincing himself he didn’t need anyone, found himself accepting them far too easily.
He took a bite of the omelette. It was a little sweet, still warm somehow, and it made his throat tighten.
“…It’s good,” he murmured.
Sakuya beamed, a bright smile on his face, leaning back against the bench with visible relief. “Thank god～ I was so worried I overcooked it,”
Ryo stole glances at him between bites. The way his shoulders relaxed now that the verdict was out, the way his hair caught the sunlight, the faint crease between his brows that only appeared when he was concentrating or nervous. It struck Ryo - not for the first time - how deeply familiar Sakuya had become to him, like a constant presence he hadn’t even realized he’d started orbiting.
The rooftop was quiet, save for the distant hum of voices from below and the occasional gust of wind rattling the fence. The winter sun hung low but gentle, warming their backs just enough to make it comfortable. It felt like a moment suspended in time, tucked away from the rest of the school day.
“I feel like I’m being spoiled,” Ryo said after a while, poking at his rice. “If you keep this up, I’ll get lazy,”
“It’s fine if you get lazy,” Sakuya replied easily. “I’ll make you miso soup everyday for the rest of our lives,”
Ryo laughed, a soft sound, and leaned his shoulder against Sakuya’s without thinking. Sakuya didn’t pull away. If anything, he leaned closer.
“Don't you think it's a little too early to get married?”
And for a fleeting second, Ryo wondered what it would be like - sharing meals like this every day, complaining about classes or work, studying together for exams, choosing to spend the rest of their lives side by side. The thought made his chest ache in a way that was both sweet and terrifying.
He quickly shook it off, focusing instead on the food in front of him.
“Hey,” Sakuya said suddenly, quieter now. “You okay?”
Ryo blinked. “Huh?”
“You went all spacey,” Sakuya teased, nudging him gently with his elbow. “Student council stuff again?”
“Something like that,” Ryo replied, smiling, though his gaze softened as he looked back at the bento. “Thanks. Really.”
Sakuya hummed, clearly pleased, and they fell into a comfortable silence again, one filled not with awkwardness, but with the easy understanding of two people who didn’t need to fill every gap with words.
For Ryo, that might have been the most dangerous part of all.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
It was a Friday when Ryo and Sakuya found themselves behind the kyuudou building. They had a free period - and after 15 minutes of begging the substitute teacher - were allowed to play in the ground. And of course, the both of them had to take advantage of that fact. And if anyone asked? They just went to the restroom and got distracted by a cat passing by.
It was their spot, a secret haven behind the kyuudou building. There wasn’t much - and it seemed that the administration forgot about it as well - as the place was basically taken over by nature. There was a large maple tree, shedding the last few amber leaves to prepare for its winter sleep, and a small bench beneath it. It was beautiful in the hotter months, the fresh leaves shading everything viridescent like someone slapped a filter over everything. The autumn months did the opposite, turning everything warm - a contrast to the chilly breezes that would blow.
Sakuya was currently crouched on the ground, searching for ‘the perfect leaves’ for whatever diy project he started this time; maybe it was a keychain or maybe even maple leaf earrings - now that would’ve been a sight to see. Ryo, seated on the bench, just looked at him, the muffled shouts and yelps and cheers from their classmates who were actually playing serving as background music. Even with the dullness of winter, Sakuya still managed to bring a soft warmth to Ryo’s chest. His soft hair tinged with the red of the remnant maple leaves, his blazer perfectly fitting his stupid broad shoulders, his bread-like cheeks peeking out.
“I swear I just saw //the// one,” Sakuya mumbled, causing Ryo to just hum in reply. “It shouldn’t be this hard. Why can’t leaves just be shaped the way they’re meant to be?”
“Well, it has a lot of reasons. Environment, genetics…But the main reason is the need for sunlight I’m pretty sure.” Ryo answered as stopped looking at the younger and brought his gaze to the leaves above. “Plants grow in whatever shape maximises sunlight intake.”
“I was not looking for an explanation, but consolation…” Sakuya huffed, but quickly brightened up when he found the leaf he saw before, immediately showing it off to Ryo.
Ryo leaned forward a little as Sakuya held the leaf up between his fingers like a prize, the veins catching the light just right. It was almost perfectly symmetrical, a deep amber fading into gold at the edges.
“That one?” Ryo asked, a smile tugging at his lips despite himself. “Looks like every other leaf to me.”
“That’s because you don’t see,” Sakuya shot back, mock-offended, scrambling to his feet and brushing dirt off his knees before flopping down beside Ryo on the bench. He placed the leaf flat against Ryo’s hand like it was something precious. “How this one’s special! Look, no tears, no holes. It survived the wind and the rain and everything and came out with zero scratches only for you to say that it’s like the other leaves?”
Ryo glanced down at it, then at Sakuya, the words settling somewhere deeper than they probably should have.
“Guess it’s stubborn like you,” he said quietly.
Sakuya hummed, not even upset about being called stubborn, and leaned back on his hands, tilting his face up toward the tree. A few leaves fluttered down around them, one landing in his hair. Ryo noticed before Sakuya did. He hesitated just for a second before reaching out and carefully plucking it free.
“You had one,” he murmured.
“Oh,” Sakuya said, turning his head slightly. Their faces ended up closer than intended, knees brushing. He froze for a moment, eyes flicking to Ryo’s hand still hovering awkwardly in the air. “Thanks,”
Ryo pulled his hand back a little too quickly, clearing his throat. “You’re welcome.”
They sat like that for a while, not talking. The noise from the field felt far away now, dulled by the rustling leaves and the low hum of the city beyond the school walls. Ryo rested his elbows on his knees, fingers loosely laced together, trying not to think about how close Sakuya was, how warm his presence felt even through layers of fabric.
“You’re staring again,” Sakuya said suddenly, not looking at him.
“I am not,” Ryo replied immediately.
“You are,” Sakuya insisted, finally turning to face him with a grin that was way too knowing. “You have this one look whenever you look at me, like you’re thinking really hard about something important,”
Ryo opened his mouth to deny it, then stopped. He looked away instead, eyes drifting back to the tree.
“I was just thinking,” he said slowly, choosing his words with care, “that I like this place,”
Sakuya blinked, still smiling. “That’s it?”
“…And that I like being here with you,” Ryo added, voice quieter now. “It makes me happy,”
Sakuya’s grin softened into something gentler, something that made Ryo’s chest ache in that familiar, confusing way. He scooted a little closer, their shoulders touching again.
“Yeah,” he said. “Me too,”
Ryo lifted his hand instinctively, fingers hovering near his cheek before softly tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. “Your hair has gotten longer, huh?”
Sakuya swallowed.
“Ryo…” he whispered, voice barely above the rustling of the leaves.
Ryo leaned in slowly, giving Sakuya enough time to pull away if he wanted to, even if he never did. Instead, Sakuya tilted his head slightly, eyes fluttering shut as if he’d been waiting for this the entire day. Their lips met softly, almost shyly, like they were both afraid of doing it wrong. It wasn’t what you’d describe as a perfect kiss - Ryo’s nose bumped Sakuya’s cheek, and Sakuya let out a small, shaky laugh that was warm against Ryo’s lips. They pulled apart just as quick, resting their foreheads against each other’s, faces dusted with a pink hue.
“That was sudden,” Sakuya spoke up.
“Yeah, I guess,” Ryo replied, his lips pulled into a wide smile.
Sakuya laughed under his breath, then leaned in again - more confident this time - pressing a quick second kiss to Ryo’s lips, lighter and sweeter, like a macaron. Ryo’s hand curled into the fabric of Sakuya’s peach cardigan without even realising it.
The bell rang all of sudden, sharp and intrusive, shattering the moment like glass. Sakuya groaned, tipping his head back dramatically.
“Worst timing ever,” he complained. “I was emotionally invested.”
Ryo laughed, standing up and offering Sakuya a hand. “Come on. We’ll get in trouble if we’re late again.”
Sakuya took it without hesitation, squeezing once before letting go. They walked back toward the building side by side, fingers brushing, both of them smiling like idiots with their cheeks rosy - excused as being from the cold.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
The student council room always smelled faintly of paper, black tea, and whatever incense the previous president had insisted on burning years ago. It was late afternoon, sunlight slanted through the tall windows, catching the small particles of dust in the air.
And Ryo? Ryo was drowning.
Not literally, of course, but the stack of documents and papers in front of him made it feel close enough. Budget reports, club requests, forms that needed stamps he had never gotten to use before…he just stared at them like they would start multiplying if he dared to blink.
Sakuya was seated nearby, scrolling through his phone, just waiting for Ryo to be done with his work so they could walk home together. He glanced up, and that was all he needed to notice that something was off with Ryo.
“You’re doing that thing again…”
“What thing?” Ryo mutters, voice sharp, already defensive.
“That thing where you look like you’re considering faking your own death and living in a big seashell near the sea,” Sakuya answered, earning a small ‘how short do you think I am?’ from his boyfriend, before pushing his chair closer to him. “Move over,”
Ryo obeyed without thinking, shifting just enough for Sakuya to look over the papers, their warmth shared.
“Hm? You already sorted through these though?” Sakuya said, holding up a stack of papers. “They’re not stapled,”
“Oh? Seriously?” Ryo blinked.
“See? I am useful～” Sakuya replied, a victorious smile on his face.
“No flirting in the student council room～” A voice pipped up.
Across the room, Sion sat in the president’s chair like he belonged there - which he technically did - as he watched the both of them with a sly grin, chin resting on his palm.
“You know,” Sion drawled, “If I’d known that the treasurer came with a free personal assistant-slash-boyfriend, I would’ve not even looked at other applications,”
Sakuya pouted instantly. “I’m not his assistant..!”
“He so is,” Ryo said at the same time, making Sakuya elbow him in the ribs. Hard.
“We’re not even a couple,” Sakuya added, looking away with a ‘hmph’.
Before Sion could say something back, Yushi, seated at the far desk with a laptop open, didn’t even look up before opening his mouth. “You still have a stack of documents to look over, Mr. Student Council President,”
“You’re so strict, my dear vice president!” Sion’s grin softened, eyes turning into crescents.
“Sign these,” Yushi answered, not even bothering to reply to Sion, even though there was a small smile on his face.
Sion did, almost instantly - without even checking - before sliding the papers back like it was the most natural thing in the world. Yushi leaned into Sion, looking over the paper in front of him, letting their shoulders brush.
“The drama club requested an increase?” Yushi asked, bewildered. “Their spending last semester doesn’t even justify it,”
“They’re dramatic, it’s in the name,” Sion replied.
Sakuya scooted closer to Ryo, whispering, “They’re kinda scary, huh?”
Ryo nodded slowly, not even looking up from his desk.
Across the room, Sion laughed at something Yushi muttered under his breath, leaning in too close. The other didn’t move away, his fingers just curled tighter around his pen, ears burning a bright red.
As the work dragged on, Sakuya found himself helping around with more than he expected; sorting papers, reading out figures, even catching the occasional mistakes Ryo overlooked. Ryo gave him small glances sometimes, something warm and quiet in his chest bubbling at how willing Sakuya was to help him out with even boring tasks like this.
At some point, Sion stood, stretching. “Let’s wrap it up for today, I’m bored～～”
Yushi shut his laptop with a soft click, leaning back in his chair. “You’re always bored, hyung～”
“Only when I’m not looking at you,”
Sakuya grimaced. Ryo pretended to throw up.
As they packed up, Yushi paused beside Sakuya. “You’re good to him,” he said quietly.
Sakuya blinked. “Huh?”
“He almost never relaxes when he’s doing council work, but his shoulders didn’t look that tense today.” Yushi glanced at Ryo, who was busy arguing with Sion about something stupid, trying to figure out how to put it in words. “You do too, of course,”
Sakuya smiled, putting his arms around Yushi. “Mhm, love does that～ You’re like that around Sion-senpai too, Yuu-chan～”
“Stop being so cheeky,” Yushi quipped back instead, blushing. “Also, why does hyung get to be called ‘senpai’ and I’m just ‘Yuu-chan’?”
“Because you’re waaay cuter than him,”
“Fujinaga Sakuya, are you stealing my dear lover?” Sion butted in, his voice filled with fake dramatism. “Why do you never cling to me?”
“It’s alright, hyung, he’s just a little baby,” Yushi answers instead, bringing his hands up to squeeze Sakuya’s cheeks, making the younger complain about it.
Sion smiled, bright, charming, perfectly unserious. “If you cling to him any more, people might start thinking he’s yours,”
Yuu frowned. “Sion.”
“What?” Sion shrugged. “I’m just saying. I leave you alone for five minutes and suddenly you’ve got a new attachment.”
Sakuya laughed, immediately easing. “Oh, don’t be like that, senpai. I just worry about Yuu-chan.”
“Mm,” Sion hummed. “I can see that.”
Ryo, who had been quiet until now, stepped forward with a visible pout.
“Don’t tease him like that.” He said, lips coming together in a pout. If he had a tail, it would be sticking up straight right about now.
Sion’s eyes flicked to Ryo, surprised just for a moment, before the grin returned. “Tease who?”
“My bo- best friend,” Ryo replied flatly, moving closer to Sakuya and pulling him away from Yushi - who thought he looked like an angry puppy protecting its owner.
Sakuya huffed, but leaned into Ryo without thinking. “It’s fine, Ryo. Sion-senpai is just joking,”
“Yeah,” Sion echoed. “Just joking～”
“We’re done here, I’m hungry,” Yushi finally spoke up, adjusting the strap of his bag.
“Together?” Sion immediately turned his attention back to him, expression softening, almost like a switch had been flipped in his head.
“...Obviously,” Yushi replied, humming a soft tune to himself.
“We’ll be going then!” Sion announced, wrapping an arm around Yushi’s shoulders. “Thank you so much for the help today, Saku-chan～”
“Yeah yeah, just get going,” Sakuya answered, going to pick up Ryo’s bag along with his own bag.
Ryo glanced down at Sakuya, who was still smiling faintly, completely unbothered. When they finally left together, Sakuya tugged lightly on Ryo’s sleeve.
“Hey,” he said. “You did good today,”
Ryo smiled at him, tired but warm. “Well, I guess I had some help,”
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
The library in winter always felt warmer than the rest of the school.
Not just because of the heaters humming quietly along the walls, but because it existed in its own kind of hush; pages turning, pencils scratching, the faint scent of old paper and wood polish. Sunlight made its way through the windows and pooled lazily between the bookshelves.
Ryo liked it here. Sakuya liked it even more.
They sat at a corner table, half-hidden by a shelf of reference books. They had their maths books spread out in front of them. Ryo’s handwriting filled page after page as he moved from problem to problem. Sakuya, who had been very enthusiastically doing his own homework for the first ten minutes, was now slumped sideways in his chair, chin resting on his palm.
“This is so boring,” Sakuya whispered, dragging out the words.
“You still have to do it,” Ryo whispered back, eyes still on the page.
“But I hate it with my whole heart,” Sakuya countered.
Ryo finally glanced at him, lips twitching despite himself. “Well, if we’re going to go to the same university..”
“Don’t pull that card on me,” Sakuya leaned closer, peering at the page upside down. “All I see are numbers and your handwriting, which is kinda cute.”
Ryo’s ears went red instantly. “Sakuya.”
“What?” Sakuya grinned. “It is.”
From the desk near the entrance, Jaehee looked up.
He was organizing returned books with meticulous care, movements gentle and practiced. At the sound of voices, he hesitated, clearly debating whether to say something. After a moment of internal panic, he stood and shuffled over, hands clasped in front of him.
“Hirose-kun? Fujinaga-kun?” he called out, a gentle smile on his face. “Sorry, but could you keep it down a little?”
“Oh- sorry!” Sakuya said immediately, straightening. “We’ll keep it down,”
“Yes, so sorry,” Ryo echoed, mortified.
Jaehee’s smile softened. “Thank you…and if you need anything, I’ll be at the desk, okay?”
He lingered for a second, eyes flicking between them. Ryo felt a strange prickle at the back of his neck.
“…Also,” Jaehee added softly, “Riku told me to tell you he hopes you’re not overworking yourself,”
Ryo smiled back. “Tell him to take care.”
Jaehee nodded again and started to walk away, almost dropping a book from the stack in his arms on the way back.
Sakuya watched him go, amused. “He’s so nice～”
“He is,” Ryo agreed. “Too kind for his own good.”
They fell into silence again. Real, comfortable silence this time.
Sakuya leaned closer, shoulder brushing against Ryo’s arm. Then closer still, until his forehead rested lightly against Ryo’s temple. It was instinctive, unthinking. The way they always were when no one was watching.
Ryo stiffened for half a second, before relaxing.
“You’re warm,” Sakuya whispered.
“So are you,” Ryo murmured back.
Sakuya smiled, eyes drifting shut. “I like doing work with you,”
Ryo swallowed. “Even maths?”
“Especially maths,” Sakuya said, “You make it bearable,”
Something in Ryo’s chest gave way.
He turned his head just slightly. Just enough for their lips to brush, barely there, feather-light. More breath than kiss. But it was still a kiss.
They lingered for half a second too long.
A soft gasp sounded nearby.
They froze.
A girl stood a few steps away - someone from the next class over if they recalled correctly - clutching a book to her chest. Her eyes were wide; not shocked, not disgusted, just surprised, like she’d accidentally opened the wrong door.
“I-” She started, then stopped, panicking. “Oh my god, I’m sorry- I, like, didn’t mean to-”
“No-” Sakuya blurted out at the same time Ryo said, “It’s okay!”
“I won’t tell anyone,” she rushed out, waving her hands. “Like seriously. I promise. Pinky promise, even,” She fumbled, then laughed nervously. “I just, um, Ruka-chan said sometimes things are…complicated? So I thought maybe- I mean-”
Ryo stared at her.
Sakuya stared at her.
“…You knew?” Sakuya asked quietly.
She swallowed. “I mean kinda. I guessed?”
Ryo felt his heart thud painfully. “Everyone?”
“No! No, no, just me. And, um… maybe a couple friends.” She waved her hand quickly. “But only ’cause some of us noticed stuff. Like. A lot of stuff.” She shifted her weight. “You’re, like…really obvious when you’re together.”
Sakuya laughed weakly. “We are?”
She nodded. “Totally, you look so super happy together,”
Silence fell again. Different this time, heavy, vulnerable.
Ryo took a breath. Then another.
“…Please don’t tell,” he said softly.
“I won’t,” She said immediately. “I swear,”
Sakuya reached out without thinking, hooking his pinky around Ryo’s under the table. Ryo squeezed back.
She smiled, small and sincere. “For what it’s worth,” she added, “I think it’s lowkey really cute,”
When she left, the library felt impossibly quiet.
Ryo leaned back in his chair, covering his face with one hand. “We’re dead.”
Sakuya burst out laughing, nerves and all. “Relax. If we survived Sion-senpai, we can survive this, right?”
“…This is different,” Ryo muttered. “She's so gonna tell anyone..!”
Sakuya leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek - hidden, careful, but no less affectionate. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out together～”
Ryo lowered his hand, looking at him.
“…You promise?”
Sakuya smiled. “Promise.”
Outside, the winter sunlight still spilled across the library floor, warm, steady, impossible to take back.
And just like that, before they knew it, their secret wasn’t quite so secret anymore, and soon everyone knew that student council treasurer Hirose Ryo and the soccer club's beloved Fujinaga Sakuya were ‘like, so super in love with each other’