Chapter Text
Galo furrowed his brows as he peered through the viewfinder, gently adjusting the focus of his lens. Orange and yellow merged and faded and swirled together again until the edges of the autumn leaves cut through the blue of the sky, the afternoon sun filtering through the cracks, illuminating their transparency to reveal the shadows of veins running through their flesh, reminding Galo how very much alive dying leaves can be. He squinted an eye full of azure and snapped the shutter.
He took one look at the illuminated photo and groaned.
"Another bust?" Aina hummed, looking up from her notebook to watch Galo run a frustrated hand through his blue head of hair.
"Yeah," he let out a breathy sigh, letting his arm flop onto the grass. He stared up at the branches of the oak tree they were under, watching the wind rustle through the leaves, "I can't give up though. Not if I want to have the best portfolio by the end of the semester."
"Let me see it," Aina crawled over to where Galo was lying, hovering over him, pink strands of hair tickling his nose. He carefully handed her his camera.
A little smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she stared at the small screen, "Galo, what do you mean? This is good."
"It's okay, but...I don't know, there's something missing. It's not inspiring enough to give me a theme idea, you know? How am I supposed to have the world's best portfolio if I have no inspiration?"
"Relax, drama queen," Lucia smacked on her bubblegum before continuing, "It's literally the first day of class. You have plenty of time to figure it out."
"Ugh." Lucia was right, it was their first official day of college, and in true Galo fashion, he already placed an enormous amount of pressure to prove himself and be the best in his major. He felt it sit on his shoulders, felt it hover at the nape of his neck as he stared at the rustling leaves, the sun rays bleeding through them and catching his eye. He quickly sat up.
"Yeah, and besides, you have plenty of great photos already. I'm sure you’ll find something that'll inspire you. Also, it's your very first photography class, so cut yourself some slack." Galo had trouble pushing Aina's reassurance away. As much as he wanted to remain stubborn, he couldn't, her eyes too full of comfort and indigo. He averted her gaze to look at Lucia instead, who was busy fixing her pink and blonde buns. She still gave herself a moment to pause and smile at him, even if it was a little sharp and impish.
He let out another sigh, this time finally releasing his pent up frustration as he took his camera back from Aina. He gave his friends a grateful smile, which then curled upwards into his normal cocky grin. Aina and Lucia both laughed as they rolled their eyes.
"No worries, I'm gonna have the best damn portfolio this campus has ever seen!" He quickly stood up and spread his arms out wide, sprinkling blades of grass into the air. He began to slowly turn in a circle, his grin still brimming with confidence from ear to ear, "I have this big ol' campus to explore! I'll find something that'll get my ass in gear and—"
Galo froze, his pupils contracting into something small, turning his eyes into pure celeste sparkling with wonder. Amongst the sea of roaming students, there was one in particular who vice gripped Galo's chest, squeezing until he was sure his heart would burst out of his ears.
He stepped onto the field with a sort of graceful wispiness, each swing of his arm nimble and elegant, almost curling in the air like smoke. He wore dark blue jeans and a tight high-neck tank top that revealed his midriff, and Galo could see the faint edges of his toned physique. His pale skin was kissed pink by the sun in some places, and his light blonde hair looked soft and feathery, framing his sharp jaw and glimmering mint in the right light. As he glided closer, Galo was able to get a good look at his eyes. Those eyes. Lilac and hibiscus melted together, eliciting a softness underscored by the long lashes fanning over them. They made eye contact for a brief moment, Galo's face flushing with heat as the other student slanted his eyes. He wanted to move towards him, wanted to walk on over and say hello, anything to hear what this alluring young man sounded like. Galo wondered if he sounded like velvet, or a sunrise, or the soft petals of his eyes. He didn't get a chance, however, because every time he tried to will any of his limbs to move, it was if they were welded together from the heat of his infatuation. So all Galo could do was hopelessly stare as the space between them began to shrink.
Thankfully, the universe managed to give Galo a small break. A large gust of wind billowed throughout the field, forcing the other student to stop as large autumn leaves swirled around him. By some force of will, Galo absentmindedly lifted his camera, peered through the viewfinder, and snapped the shutter. Once the leaves settled onto the earth, the stranger carded a lithe hand through his hair and stared at Galo once again, taking the time to glance down at his camera before meeting his celeste gaze.
He definitely noticed Galo taking a picture of him.
Panic began to settle into every crevice of Galo's skin, starting with the electrical current running through the lines of his palms as the grip on his camera tightened. The student began to walk towards him, but before he could cover any meaningful distance, Galo heard fast footfalls muffled by the grass behind him.
"Hey, Lio!"
Two upperclassmen ran past Galo, one of them accidentally shoved through his shoulder. He stopped to apologize, scratching the top of his fluffy red head with an olive hand.
"Sorry, mate! But some advice? Try to look more alive." Before he could continue, he was pulled along by his friend with long navy hair clashing with the paleness of his skin. They stopped when they reached who was presumably Lio, both pulling him into a tight bear hug. The trio shared a laugh, and Galo could pick out the soft bass of Lio's giggle spiraling through the air, tumbling along with the falling leaves until it gently settled onto his ears. Galo shuddered.
Lio and his friends began to walk past Galo from where the duo ran from, but before they got too far, Lio looked over his shoulder to give what Galo would optimistically describe as a smolder and a half smile before turning away.
Galo stood as statuesque as ever, staring until Aina's and Lucia's giggles forced him to snap towards them. He'd forgotten they were even there.
"Galo I've never seen you stay so still and quiet before," Aina stood up and gently took the camera from his hands, "it would seem you have a bit of a crush there."
"Huh!? No way, I don't even know him!"
"I think it's cute," she continued, ignoring his protest, "I've never seen the Galo Thymos rendered speechless and flustered. You even took a picture of him. Let's see it then."
"Galo, who knew you could be such a creep?" Lucia chimed, standing up to lean against her girlfriend.
"Wait, was it really that creepy? Ah shi—"
"Nah, not really. I'm just teasin'. Well, maybe a little, but the man of your dreams didn't seem to mind. If he did, I'm pretty sure he would have confronted you about it. That little blonde looks like he could tussle with a grizzly bear."
Galo blushed at that, and he wasn't entirely sure why. He blamed the flush of his cheeks on his prolonged exposure to the afternoon sun and not the image of Lio rough housing with him for a bit.
"Galo..." Aina's breathless voice coupled with her widened eyes full of sparkling midnight as she stared at his camera screen made him raise an eyebrow, "you should look at this picture."
"Uh, sure," he took his camera back from Aina and stared at the photo on the screen. The airs of the afternoon had settled since its last breath, but Galo swore he felt another almost sweep him off his feet.
Autumn leaves twirled and swirled all around the frame, billowing about as if the world exhaled for the first time. Instead of simple orange and yellow merging and fading and spiraling together, this time it was amber and gold melting and fluxing and twisting, forming blazing helixes around Lio, who was just off center with a hand running through his hair. The afternoon sun illuminated the paleness of his skin, his expression rivaling the glow of the cinders in the form of leaves scattering about. And his eyes, those eyes, transformed into amethyst crashing into pink spinel, the sunlight refracting off the margins and colliding with the lens. He looked like he was emerging from a blazing inferno.
Galo was left breathless for the second time that afternoon.
Lio...
"Guys, I think I found some inspiration."
+++
Galo couldn't stop tapping his pen against his desk, his left leg pumping up and down underneath. The lecture hall was slowly starting to fill up, and he watched as more and more bodies piled in through the double doors, friends recognizing friends, students giving each other polite waves as they took their seats. Galo tried to ease his nerves, but being nervous wasn't a feeling he was particularly used to. He wasn't even sure why he was so apprehensive, he'd been just fine during his morning classes, so why now?
His mind kept drifting back to the early afternoon, kept drifting back to burnt sienna curling around the perfect muse. Despite the frigidity of the lecture hall, Galo felt his cheeks flush, and he chugged the rest of the water he had to chase away the blush. He took a deep breath and focused on the students walking through the doors. It helped for a moment as he felt his leg stop shaking and the tapping slow down, until he saw a very familiar blonde head of hair float into the hall. Galo's chest hitched and he flung his pen clean across the room.
A few students turned to him with arched brows, but he paid them no mind as Lio caught his gaze. He stood at the doorway for a moment, those ametrine eyes sparkling like fireworks from across the room as he stared at Galo. Finally, after an achingly long couple of seconds, Lio graced Galo with a small smile and began to climb up the stairs towards him. Galo felt the spark of electricity return, felt it trickle into the crevices of his palms as well as the dips of his collar bones, felt it slither into his rib cage and jolt through his veins. He seriously regretted drinking all of his water, almost choking on air as Lio closed the distance and sat down next to him.
Speechless wasn't even the word as he watched Lio get settled. His movements were graceful and defined all at once, pulling his textbook out of his bag with a thoughtful carefulness before placing it on his desk. He pulled the rest of his supplies out one by one, a clear pen case, a small black notebook, and an eyeglass case. Watching someone pull simple everyday items out of their bag shouldn't be so mesmerizing, but it is, it is and Galo can't find it in him to avert his eyes elsewhere, as if he'd miss something precious if he did. His gaze wavered for a moment watching Lio shiver slightly in the cold room. Galo almost built up the courage to offer the flannel he kept at the bottom of his backpack and never used, but Lio reached into his own and pulled out a wooly, tawny cardigan and put it on. The swing of the sleeves caused a small draft of air, and Galo could smell faint traces of something soft and sweet flutter in the air.
Lio smelled like roses.
Galo tried and failed not to blush again, finding himself completely overwhelmed and they haven't even spoken to each other. Galo wasn't sure if he was ready for that.
Lio opened his eyeglass case and put on a pair of black-framed glasses, the lavender and carnation hues of his eyes colliding with the sheen of the lenses. Galo almost passed out when Lio finally turned to him, eyes full of ametrine slanting in tandem with his smirk.
"Hi."
Galo decided Lio's voice didn't sound like velvet, or a sunrise, or the soft petals of his eyes. No, his voice was resonant and rich, a soft sonorous bass that slipped into his ear and swirled around his heart.
"Hi," was all Galo managed to echo.
"Is this your first semester here?"
"Uh, yeah, it is. What about you?" Galo felt his heart hammer against his chest, felt it pound in his ears and hum in his wrists. Making conversation with anyone and everyone has always been easy for Galo. Yet here he was, at a loss for words, his boastful confidence slipping out of his nose while he stared at Lio, his mind fluttering as the latter tucked a minty strand of hair behind his ear, which was adorned with a cute black triangle stud.
Maybe Galo did have a crush. A huge, overwhelming, finger-numbing crush that enveloped his skin like wildfire.
"It's my first semester as well," Lio opened his notebook and began to scribble the date at the top. Even his handwriting was pretty, a lovely combination of whirls and sharp edges, "I must admit, I've had quite a turbulent first day so far. I haven't had the time to become acquainted with any classmates, and the day has certainly been windy. I walked through the oak field earlier and the biggest gust of wind almost knocked me over."
Lio narrowed his eyes and Galo sincerely thought he was going to pass out right then and there. Surely his comment about the wind was an indication that he knew he took his picture, and Galo didn't know if he could survive such a confrontation.
"Ha, yeah I guess it was pretty windy," Galo began to sweat while Lio kept his gaze steady.
"Hmm, it surely was," Lio's impish smirk softened into a small smile, "I was hoping I'd be able to befriend someone in this class. Would you like to be the first friend I've made here?"
"Yes!" Galo answered a little too quickly, and Lio raised an eyebrow in response, "I mean, yeah we could be friends, if you want."
Lio's eyes widened in relief and Galo could have sworn he saw a bit of pink settle on the peaks of Lio's cheeks, but it quickly vanished.
"Great, I suppose we should introduce ourselves. I'm Lio, Lio Fotia."
"I'm Galo Thymos. Nice to meet you." His name came out a little shaky, but Lio simply huffed out a tiny giggle.
"The pleasure is all mine," there was something mischievous in the almost sing song tone of his voice, but Galo tried not to linger on that.
"Good afternoon, class," the professor finally entered the lecture hall, "I'm Professor Colossus, and welcome to History of Visual Arts. Turn to chapter one of your textbooks as I'm assuming you've all read the foreword and the introduction already."
The class collectively shuffled as everyone turned the pages of their books. Galo reached into his backpack to grab his, only to realize he left it in the back of Aina's car earlier that morning as they rushed to make it to their first class. He let out a frustrated sigh, causing Lio to look up with a raised brow.
"Everything okay?"
"No, I forgot my textbook and it's the first day of class."
Lio gave him a reassuring expression, "We can share my textbook, then. I don't mind." Lio balanced his textbook in between their desks, leaning in very close to Galo, who was sure Lio could hear how fast his heart was beating. The smell of roses was fully in bloom, and Galo felt a bit dizzy from it all. The proximity of Lio caused a blanketing heat to erupt from the pit of his stomach, and Galo wondered if this was something a little more than a crush, which sounded absurd, but Galo didn't have anything to compare these feelings to, he'd never had a crush on anyone, always so focused on being the best and proving himself.
He opened his notebook to begin note taking, but he'd forgotten he flung his pen across the lecture hall. Lio noticed him fluster again and gave him a questioning look.
"I, uh, don't have a pen. Well, I had one, but I accidentally threw it across the room." Galo whispered.
Lio's eyes widened and sparkled with amused bewilderment, "You threw a pen across the room?"
"Accidentally!"
"Uh huh, and how do you accidentally throw a pen across a room?"
"I don't know! I guess I'm just an idiot."
Lio frowned at that, "Don't say that, besides," he reached into his pen case to retrieve another, "I have plenty of pens. You can keep this one, just promise me you won't chuck it across any lecture halls."
Galo held out his pinky as he accepted the offer, "I pinky promise!"
Lio's cool demeanor broke for a moment, his face blushing while he stared at Galo's pinky. It took all of Galo's remaining strength to not audibly gasp like a fool, the sight of a flushed Lio rendering Galo weightless.
Breathtaking.
Lio curled his pinky around Galo's and finally rewarded him with a genuine smile void of any mischief, "Good."
The lecture went on, and Galo was grateful for the distraction of the material. It may have been an introductory course, but Professor Colossus wasn't pulling any punches. It took some effort on his part to keep up, but it kept Galo from stealing too many glances at Lio, even if his arm felt a little numb from the heat of Lio's propinquity.
About thirty minutes into the class, Lio stood up a little and leaned in very close to Galo, his lips almost grazing his earlobe, "I saw you, you know."
Somehow, Galo felt everything and nothing all at once. He felt the entirety of his stomach drop to his toes and the nerves in the tips of his fingers suddenly stopped working.
"Uh, wha—"
"I saw you take a picture of me in the oak field," Lio sat back down and resumed taking notes as if he hadn't caused Galo's entire nervous system to short circuit. For the remaining fifteen minutes of class, Galo was pretty sure he blacked out, unable to remember any of the notes he somehow managed to scribble down by the time they were dismissed.
Galo remained seated as Lio gathered his belongings and put his glasses away.
"Well, I have my last class in about ten minutes, but when you're free, you should show me that picture sometime, and maybe explain why you took a picture of me in the first place."
"It wasn't lik—"
"See you on Wednesday, Galo Thymos," Lio turned on his heel and began to walk away. Again, Galo was left speechless and staring as he watched Lio saunter through the double doors.
Shit.
+++
"You threw your pen across the room?"
"It was an accident!"
"Oh, I definitely believe it was an accident. What I'm having a hard but hilarious time conceiving is how you even got so ruffled to the point where you threw your pen across a whole ass lecture hall," Lucia opened a bag of chocolate covered pretzels as Galo walked her to her class. The late afternoon was on the verge of fading into the evening, the sky starting to bleed orange into the blue. He picked up the camera that hung around his neck and snapped a photo of the transitioning stratosphere. He took a look at the screen and frowned.
Galo didn't have any remaining classes for the day, but Aina and Lucia still had one more and he hitched a ride with them, so he had no choice but to be at the mercy of Lucia's teasing. The trio had an hour break after his History of Visual Arts class, and he took the time to relay the events of his last encounter with Lio. He kept his gaze on the leaves of the oak tree again as his roommates snickered at his presumable misfortune. Aina's class was on the other side of campus, so when they parted ways, Galo figured he'd walk Lucia to class since it was close to the library, and he supposed he could get a head start on his studies. After all, how was he supposed to be the best in his major without being proactive?
But as Lucia continued to cackle in between pretzel bites, Galo was feeling a tiny smidge of regret.
"I...I don't know, Lio is just so..." Galo wasn't sure how to describe how utterly mesmerizing Lio was, so he did the next best thing and waved his arms around in hopes Lucia would understand.
"Oh, I know, I have eyeballs," Lucia popped another pretzel in her mouth, "I can't wait to tell Remi and Varys once we're all home."
"Do you really have to tell them?" He reached into her bag of pretzels and took a couple pieces. Lucia tried to snatch them back, but Galo barely had to raise his arms to keep them out of reach, "They're never gonna let me live it down, especially Varys."
"Exactly, and paws off!" She slapped his hand away as he reached for her bag again, "We never get to actually rile you up over stuff like this. Who knew all it took was a cute lil' blonde who looks like he could fight a shark and win?"
All Galo did was sigh in response. She was right, he was completely and utterly god smacked by Lio, and they barely even spoke to each. How could such minimal interaction elicit such visceral sensations out of Galo? He replayed their small conversation in class over and over again, unable to forget the smell roses, the gentle and strong bass of his voice, the length of his eyelashes as they fanned over a pair of stupefying eyes...
And of course, how could Galo forget that at some point, he'd have to explain himself to Lio. At least that meant he'd be able to talk to him again, technically.
He glanced around the campus to distract from the growing unease blossoming in his chest. Despite being right in the middle of a concrete jungle, the University of Promepolis was surprisingly lush, even boasting an entire field dedicated to oak trees. Fauna bloomed around every corner, accentuating the beautiful brown and greystone buildings dotted along the grounds. The windy day allowed dried leaves and a few petals to twirl around the bustling students, and Galo's attempt to distract himself from all thoughts of Lio failed miserably as he was vividly reminded of the way the autumn leaves curled around him.
"Well, we made it. Thanks for walking with me, and try not to fall on your ass for Lio, at least wait until I can start recording," Lucia ran up the steps of the engineering building, which was paneled entirely with large, glass windows. She shot him a peace sign before disappearing behind the transparent door.
"Hey, I wouldn't fall on my ass! If anything, I'd make it look really cool," he called out before the door shut behind her. He could hear the faint muffle of her giggle as he heard the lock click.
It only took him a minute or two to reach the library. It was tall and imposing, and casted a large shadow on the gray concrete below. Galo could feel his hand twitch instinctually as he gripped his camera, wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead with the other. He grinned through the nerves, crumpling them up in a small ball and tossing them out of his head. He was feeling pumped up, eager to get a head start on his classwork, to prove he was more than just his camera.
The library smelled exactly like he thought it would, the musk of old yellowing pages lingering in the air. He was shocked to see so many students already studying, he was certainly not the only one acting on his diligence. In fact, the library was so busy and full, Galo had to climb all the way up to the fourth floor to find an available seat. After walking past rows and rows of books, he found a small clearing of tables, but before he could sigh in relief, he realized there was only one table with a few extra chairs.
And that table was occupied by Lio.
Galo felt every organ that lived in his torso fly right to the middle of his throat, and his lips pressed into a thin line to suppress the gasp he so desperately needed to let out. Lio was hovering over their History of Visual Arts textbook, his glasses perched delicately on the bridge of his nose. He appeared to have ear buds in, which Galo only noticed because he couldn't help but allow his gaze to wander over to that lovely triangle stud, which would explain why he hadn't noticed him just yet. He watched him take notes for a moment, his hand moving with a kind of graceful flourish Galo found endearing, which made him notice tiny specs of paint splattered over some of his fingers.
Galo finally took a deep breath and lightly clapped the sides of his face before he made his way over to the table.
He's just a person, Galo! It'll be fine, you'll be fine. You've never backed down from anything in your whole life and you're not gonna start now!
He carefully placed his camera and bag on the table before he took the seat diagonal to Lio, who promptly looked up at Galo. The lilac of his eyes began to twinkle and he gave Galo a very pointed smirk.
"Couldn't wait until Wednesday?" Lio's whisper wormed its way in between the gaps of Galo's ribcage again, who wondered if it would feel like this every time Lio spoke.
Still, he tried his best to keep his composure, determined not to falter under Lio's dazzling stare.
"Actually, I just came here to study for our class. Professor Colossus really dug deep on our first day."
"She most certainly did," Lio narrowed his eyes, "quick question, though. How are you supposed to study for her class if you forgot your textbook?"
Galo froze, he completely forgot to grab it out of Aina's car during his break, his mind too preoccupied with his previous encounter with Lio.
Great. Now it looks like I've been following him and that this was all on purpose. Argh!
"I don't mind sharing again if you'd like," Lio pulled out the chair next to him, lightly patting the seat, as if he were daring Galo to take it.
And Galo never said no to dares.
"Sure, thanks again. I really appreciate it," he made his way over, carefully sitting down as Lio watched him. Galo realized he miscalculated a bit, he didn't know just how close he'd be to Lio once he sat down, the smell of roses curling in the air around them. Lio placed his textbook in between them, scooting even closer to Galo, who wondered if Lio knew just how alluring he looked underneath his tawny cardigan. Galo shook his head and took out his notebook and pen.
"Oh, I see my pen has made it through the whole day. Not that I doubted you or anything."
"Of course, I take good care of the gifts I receive, especially if they're from my friends," Galo bit the inside of his cheek as the weight of his words settled into the air. Lio was kind enough to relax his smirk into a smile and seemed genuinely appreciative of what Galo said.
"That's good to hear," he flipped through the textbook a couple pages back to allow Galo a chance to catch up. He couldn't stop staring at the pink and yellow paint speckling his elegant fingers, curiosity threatening to spill out.
"You've got some paint on your hands, are you an artist?"
Lio raised an eyebrow at the simplicity of his question but decided to answer anyway, "Yes, I'm actually a fine arts major in studio art. The class I had following Professor Colossus' was Intermediate Painting."
"What, no way! That's really cool, Lio. I'm also a fine arts major," the nerves finally fell out of Galo's ears, distracted by how impressed he was with Lio's choice of major.
Lio wavered for a moment, his cheeks quickly flushing champagne before propping his elbow on the table and placing his chin in his palm. Galo wondered if he overstepped somehow, his heart beginning to sink to the heel of his foot, but relief quickly came in waves as Lio smiled at him once more.
"Let me guess, photography?"
"Yeah!" Galo picked up his camera and began fumbling with it, "I've been takin' pictures since disposable cameras were a thing, so you know, a long time!" Every bit of apprehension left without a trace as Galo turned on his DSLR.
Lio huffed out a breathy giggle, "I admire your enthusiasm. Speaking of taking pictures, when are you going to show me the one you took of me?"
Galo felt his chest tighten, but only momentarily as he scanned the planes of Lio's face. There was no ulterior motive tucked away, only glimmering curiosity swimming behind a pair of glasses.
"Uh, sure. Let me pull it up," he flipped through the photos he took for the day until he finally found it. This time, he couldn't help but quietly gasp, unsure if he'd ever get used to Lio's splendor being framed by goldenrod hues. He hesitantly passed his camera over to Lio, who made sure to carefully grab it with an attentive touch.
Galo watched as Lio's eyes widened as large as sunsets, his brows skyrocketing up in tandem. He's lips parted slightly as he lifted his glasses to perch them on his head. The champagne hovering over his cheeks deepened into a rosy peach.
Galo realized Lio was absolutely flustered, and he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
"Hey so, I...I'm not exactly sure why I took the picture, my hands kinda just moved on their own when the leaves started twirling around. I have a portfolio assignment for my photography class, and I was struggling with coming up with a theme. Seeing you with all those leaves and stuff was just...inspiring. I can delete it if you wa—"
"Don't."
"What?"
Lio turned to him, eyes big and round and absolutely glimmering with flattered exuberance. His peachy cheeks were pushed up by a wonderfully big smile, and Galo was starting to suspect those silly stories about Cupid's arrow that Aina and Varys liked to tell had some meaningful weight to them.
Beautiful.
"Don't delete this," Lio let out a laugh, "it's extraordinary. The colors, the composition...Galo, you're very talented," he stared at the photo for another moment before gingerly passing Galo his camera back.
Galo wondered if his cheeks were just as painted peach as Lio's. He scratched the back of his head, a tiny bit of nerves tickling his fingertips, "Thanks! I was hoping to include it in my portfolio, if that's okay."
"Yes, it's definitely okay," Lio checked the time on his phone, "let's continue studying, though. I have to leave in about thirty minutes."
"Oh, same! Let's get crackin'."
Galo found it astonishingly easy to converse and spend time with Lio. They were very much in sync as they poured over the material, gently correcting each other when they had the chance. They would get distracted here and there, Lio having to suppress a loud giggle every so often as Galo told some ridiculous jokes, who never repressed a laugh as Lio told some of his, earning them an earful of shushing from the other students.
They walked out of the library together, stopping right in front of the doors as they breathed in the evening air. Galo stared at the celestial bodies sprinkling the sky, the chirping of crickets singing in sync with the sparkle of the stars. Galo decided they didn't hold a candle to the marvel of Lio's eyes. He turned to face him and found him already staring back, causing the both of them to flush once again.
"Hey, Lio."
"Hmm?"
"This might be a weird ask but," Galo hesitated to take a deep breath, buying himself some time to work up the courage to ask his question, "would it be okay if I took another picture of you sometime? I think I know what kind of theme I want for my portfolio and it'd be a big help."
Lio's smile was reassuring and so warm, filling Galo's head with a tender coziness he wasn't ready for. He truly felt like his soul was burning.
"I think I'd like that. It's like I'm your muse," Lio quietly laughed, "but on one condition."
"Yeah, anything you want!" Galo winced at how suggestive that sounded, but Lio didn't seem to mind.
"You can take more pictures of me if you let me paint a portrait of you," Lio stepped just a little bit closer. There was still plenty of space between them, but Galo could feel his cheeks swirl from a subtle peach to a deep vermillion,"you're not the only one with end of the semester assignments, nor the only one who has been struck by inspiration."
"U-uh, yeah sure," Galo blinked once, twice, then gently slapped the sides of his face, "absolutely! I'd love to help you out," he extended his hand and Lio took hold of it, his nimble fingers wrapping around Galo's palm, causing one more electrical current to jolt through Galo and settle in his chest.
Lio gave him one more smile, "It's a deal, then."