The campus had settled into a late afternoon hush one of those soft, golden moments where the sunlight slanted through the windows like it was trying to listen in on unspoken feelings. Jiang Xiao Shuai sat by the window in the quiet corner of the library, fingers flipping a closed notebook without purpose. He had reread the same paragraph three times but hadn't absorbed a single word.
Across from him, Guo Cheng Yu watched, chin resting on his palm, eyes not even pretending to focus on the open pages in front of him.
"I kissed you," Xiao Shuai said, suddenly breaking the silence, not looking up.
"You did." Cheng Yu smiled softly. "You do remember."
Xiao Shuai's ears turned red. "Shut up."
Cheng Yu laughed, low and warm, pushing the book aside. "You've been avoiding me since."
"I haven't."
"You have."
"Have not."
"You avoided my eyes for four days straight," Cheng Yu leaned in just slightly, voice dropping to a teasing murmur. "You even switched seats at lunch."
"I didn't want people asking questions," Xiao Shuai mumbled, cheeks burning deeper. "Everyone's already watching Chi Cheng and Suo Wei like hawks..."
Cheng Yu tilted his head. "And would it be so bad if they watched us too?"
Xiao Shuai's brows furrowed. "It's not that. I just... I don't even know what we are."
The vulnerability in his voice hit Cheng Yu like a soft wind through paper. "Then let me tell you what we are," Cheng Yu said, voice quieter now. "We're two idiots figuring it out. We're friends who kissed. We're... maybe something more, if you're not running from it."
Xiao Shuai looked up, finally, and met his eyes.
"I'm not running," he said, barely above a whisper. "I'm just scared. Of ruining this."
Cheng Yu reached across the table and gently laced their fingers together.
"You won't ruin it, Jiang Xiao Shuai. You're the first thing that's felt real in a long time."
For a moment, they just held each other's gaze, a silence forming that wasn't heavy or awkward but full of everything unsaid.
Then, like second nature, Cheng Yu stood and tugged Xiao Shuai to his feet. "Come on. I need to show you something."
They walked in quiet steps toward the rooftop of the literature building a place Cheng Yu often went to escape the noise of the world.
The city spread out in a hazy blue below them. The sky was beginning to deepen into lavender and gold. The breeze tugged gently at Xiao Shuai's shirt, and he leaned on the railing, hair in soft disarray.
Cheng Yu came up beside him.
"I come here when things feel too loud. When I'm confused... or in love."
Xiao Shuai turned, startled. "Are you saying–?"
Cheng Yu stepped closer, voice low and certain. "I like you. A lot. Probably more than I should."
Xiao Shuai blinked, heart racing. "Why me?"
Cheng Yu smiled, soft and sincere. "Because you're you. And you're the only one who's ever made me feel like I could be more than a flirt. Like I could be something good."
Xiao Shuai's hand trembled slightly as he reached for Cheng Yu's. "Then let's not label it yet," he whispered. "Let's just... stay like this a little longer."
Cheng Yu leaned in, resting his forehead against Xiao Shuai's. "As long as you need."
And under the darkening sky, with the wind whispering promises only they could hear, the two boys stayed there—quiet, steady, and slowly falling.