Work Text:
“Shu, don’t forget that you’re on duty today!”
“Heading over to the gate now!”
In the early hours of the morning, a single student walks down the corridor, heading straight to the school gate. His uniform is neat and tidy, not crisp perfection but tidier than most students. A band is pinned to his sleeve, a way to show the other students that he is a part of the disciplinary committee.
Some students would say that sparkles follow him wherever he goes, like there’s something magical about him. He can neither confirm nor deny though.
But who knows?
Arriving at the gate, he sees a security guard standing there, eyes on her watch. She smiles and waves when she saw him though.
“Shu! You’re on duty today?”
“Yep, I can take it over from here. Thank you!”
The security guard leaves him alone, the school gates are wide open, allowing for students to trickle in. The early morning air is a little chilly but feels like a breath of fresh air for Shu. He waves at and greets any students that pass by, giving them a smile. Soon enough a teacher joins him and Shu perks up when he notices who it is.
“Vox!”
The counselor greets him with a small wave, “Morning, Shu. Seen the others yet?”
“Not yet but I think Ike is going to come any time now. You know how Luca and Mysta are though.”
Shu giggles at the sigh that Vox emits “The amount of grey hairs that I’ll get from them,” The disciplinary student was about to respond but a soft voice interrupted him.
“You’re going to be 50 before they get to 20.”
He turned to the gate to see the one and only Ike Eveland with a.. toast in his mouth? He's looking very unamused though but still looking very tidy, a picture perfect model student. He continues to munch onto his toast with a deadpan expression as he stares at Vox and Shu.
Shu starts cackling, “Morning, Ike. What’s with the toast?”
“Morning, I just really wanted toast,” He continues munching.
“Fair enough. I’ll see you at class.”
“See you later. By the way Vox, I’m going to stop by the counsellor's office after school to finish my work.”
The counsellor didn’t say anything, only waving Ike off. The hour goes by peacefully, nothing worth making note of. But Shu starts to fidget as the bell comes closer and closer to ringing — still no sight of Luca or Mysta. The disciplinary committee begins to shuffle, tapping his foot in worry.
He didn’t want to deal with having to write down Luca and Mysta’s name for tardiness again.
Near the last 5 minutes, Shu sighs — having lost hope — and takes hold of the gate as a precaution. Any students within his eyesight start sprinting towards the gate. With almost 2 minutes left, Shu makes the decision to push the gate shut but just as he starts to push, a hand stops him.
He looks up and is stunned to see Luca at a close proximity. Their noses are almost touching as Shu stares at Luca in shock. He couldn’t do anything as he felt his cheeks turn red at the close sight of Luca in front of him. It feels like he’s stuck in place, exposed and wide open — all for Luca to take in. Luca didn’t look like he’s moving anytime soon, either. Both of them freeze in the moment as the world around them slows down.
Then Mysta comes barrelling past the gate, “I’M SAFE!”
The shout snaps Shu out of the staring contest with Luca as he turns to Mysta with a huff.
“Barely. You guys better run to class if you don’t want to get in trouble with Oliver-sensei.”
“Pog! We’ll see you at lunch, Shu!” He doesn’t even have the chance to reply ( once again ) before Luca grabs Mysta by the neck of his shirt and books it to class. A sigh of relief leaves him as pushes the gate fully closed.
But his mind is somewhere else, lost in the moment as he thinks about what had just happened with Luca. His heart is still thumping loudly in his chest, his cheeks are red and warm but he doesn’t know why. His train of thought is interrupted by Vox who gives him a pat on his shoulder.
“You’ll be late, Shu. Get to class, okay?”
“Oh.. Ah, right. I’ll see you later, Vox,” Once the student was out of earshot, the counsellor’s shoulders sag and he sighs. Truthfully, it was painful to watch two of his students pine like no tomorrow. But that’s young love, he supposes. Well, that’s another problem to think about at another time.
For now, he has another fellow counsellor to gossip with.
However, the prospect of class still didn’t take his mind off of this morning’s ordeal. Shu is left staring at his notebook as Oliver-sensei’s voice drowns in the background. He’s not sure why his heart is still thumping loudly (at least to him), or wy his hand is shaking slightly but the warm feeling in his cheeks is still there, though less apparent. Shu feels like hiding away in the disciplinary committee’s office but he knows he’ll get scolded by Rai-senpai and Kaede-senpai for skipping.
For now, he’ll suppress the urge and try to focus on class.
When lunch time rolled around, Shu has his head on his desk, groaning in pain. Focusing during class did not happen.
There’s no use crying over spilled milk now. Shu sighs, grabs his lunch and heads up to the counselling office.
By the time he got there, Luca, Mysta and Ike had already arrived. Vox is nowhere to be seen but he figures that he’s out with Nina on an errand. Or they’re just lounging in the teacher’s room.
“Shu! What took you so long? Usually you’re the first one here!” Mysta asks with a mouthful of food, almost spitting it in Ike’s face. The writer grimaces and bonks him on the head.
“Chew before speaking!”
“Ow, Ikeeeyyy..!”
“Yeah, Mysta. That’s unpog!”
Same old, same old. Nothing really ever changes with Ike and Mysta. Well.
Not for now, at least.
Shu silently eats his lunch, basking in his friends’ chaos. Normally people tend to avoid any form of chaos or loud noises and Shu can’t explain it but nothing feels more like home than spending time with his friends. There’s a different kind of warmth that fills him when he’s with them.
A different kind of warmth than the one he gets with Luca.
“Shu?” Speak of the devil, Luca calls his name.
“Yes, Luca?” The blonde hasn’t said anything yet but Shu already knows what he wants with his puppy dog eyes. Sure enough, Luca is holding out his lunch box. There’s still vegetables and seafood in it. Shu sighs thr the second time today, knowing Luca well enough by now.
“Luca…”
“Please? I don’t wanna eat them..”
“You always leave too much, you should at least try to eat the vegetables, Luca.”
Shu doesn’t know what came over him but before he knew it, he had a piece of green bean on his fork, offering it to Luca, “You’ll be really pog if you eat this. Here, aaahhh..”
It’s Luca’s turn to be flustered, his cheeks turning red. He couldn’t muster more than a single, quiet ‘okay’ as he accepts whatever vegetable Shu feeds him. He assures himself that the vegetables are worth the smile Shu gives him whenever he takes a bite. This goes on until Luca had finishes all of his vegetables, inciting a loud cheer from him and proud applause from Shu.
Meanwhile, Mysta and Ike aren’t impressed at the blatant affection in front of them.
“They’re really clueless, aren’t they?”
“No more than us, Mysta.”
“Wait, what?”
With that, lunch came and went peacefully.
The last bell of the day rings, signalling the end of the school day for anyone without club activities. Shu manages to finish his classes without a hitch. Ike had waved them goodbye after class, making a beeline to the counselling office to finish his piece for the magazine and Mysta had joined him.
Presumably to pester him.
Shu did have some paperwork to do in the Disciplinary office but he was told to go home.
Mito-senpai had practically shoved him out, even though she isn’t the Disciplinary Committee’s head, she's still the Student President.
“Go home and rest! Kaede has everything under control,” She said but Shu can’t help but feel a little bit guilty for leaving early. He’ll buy Kaede-senpai lunch tomorrow to make it up to her.
However, that left him with his current problem. He would love to leave early if it weren’t for the heavy rain. The rain started just after lunch and Shu hoped that it would stop by the time the bell rang but luck wasn’t on his side.
On a day that he forgot his umbrella, no less.
This sucks.
Shu’s resigned to running in the rain back home. Petra didn’t have club activities and since him heading home early was unexpected, he’s sure that she’s already home. With no older sister for help, Shu kneeled down to roll up the hem of his pants, getting ready to book it.
Well, at least that was the plan before Shu felt someone tap his shoulder.
He flinched but turns around anyway. Lo and behold, a familiar tall, beefy blonde greets him.
“Luca?”
“Shu? I thought you had something going on with the Disciplinary committee today?”
“I did,” He stands, holding onto Luca's arm to stable his wobbling, “but Mito-senpai told me to go home.”
His friend laughs (at him?), “That’s good, isn’t it? Anyway, why aren’t you heading out yet?”
“I would but I forgot my umbrella and Petra-nee is already home by now, I think.”
“Oh. That’s not poggers,” Luca frowns and Shu appreciates the sympathy. He really just wants to go home.
“I was getting ready to book it through the rain,” The option still stands. Shu studies the rain for a bit. It’s still heavy but not bad enough that he can’t run all the way home. He’s no track star like Pomu but he can run pretty fast.
“Do you want to share an umbrella?”
Maybe he can get home fast enough without getting too soaked — wait.
“What?” Shu whips his head back to Luca, eyes wide and mouth agape.
“I have an umbrella, do you wanna share it?”
The taller of the two gestures to his umbrella, compact in his hand. Shu doubts it could fit the both of them, “I don’t think that’s going to fit us both, Luca. We’re not exactly Petra-sized.” No offence to his sister but her small stature helps in certain situations like this one.
“Well how about I give you a piggyback ride then?”
“…Under the umbrella?”
“Yeah! Here, I’ll give you my jacket too, to keep you dry,” For the nth time that day, Shu doesn't have the chance to protest before a weight is placed on his shoulders. Luca’s jacket smells a bit like expensive perfume but something about it is inherently just Luca. Instinctively, Shu holds onto the jacket tighter, feeling warm and safe.
He could get lost in the feeling forever.
“Here,” Suddenly, an umbrella is thrown into his hands — causing him to fumble with it — as Luca crouches down in front of him. It’s only now that Shu notices how broad Luca’s back and shoulders are, “Get on, I’ll carry you back home!”
Fully knowing that Luca is incredibly stubborn about this, Shu gives up on arguing. He places his hands on Luca’s shoulder before getting hoisted up by the back of his thighs. He yelped before encircling his arms around Luca’s neck for support. Luca just laughs, having the time of his time teasing Shu as he twirls and spins them around in joy.
“Luca! You’re going to drop me!”
“No, I won’t! You’re totally safe with me!”
He knows that he is but Shu won’t tell him that any time soon.
When Luca finally stops twirling them around, Shu opens the umbrella and off they go under the rain. Shu tries his best to make sure that Luca doesn’t get the brunt of the rain but the blonde insists that he keeps himself dry first and foremost.
“Make sure you’re dry first!”
“Then you’re going to get soaked!”
“As long as you’re okay, I’m pog!”
Despite their back-and-forth banter, Shu enjoys being piggybacked. Luca’s jacket was bigger on him — obviously due to his larger stature — but Luca’s body warmth almost lulls him to sleep while they’re in the middle of being absolutely pelted under the cold rain. Shu rests his cheek on Luca’s shoulder, holding onto his shoulder a little bit tighter. He’s sure that Luca tightened his grip on his thighs but maybe it’s just his hallucination.
A fragment of imagination from his deepest desires.
"Thanks for taking me home, Luca..”
“No problem. Anything for you, Shu,” The rush of butterflies from those three simple words should not give him as much serotonin as it did. He shouldn’t feel all warm and mushy inside. His heart shouldn’t be beating a million miles per hour, his cheeks shouldn’t feel warm to the touch.
Yet, something in Shu hopes that Luca can hear; can feel his heart pounding.
Luca says nothing. The rest of the walk is silent, save for the sound of the rain pitter pattering on the umbrella. The melancholic feeling of the rainy atmosphere, the warmth that’s shared and the love that fills his heart makes Shu smile. The urge to sing slips through without him noticing.
[Be my only one]
[The name I want to call you by]
[Let’s hold hands and walk along ]
Wishing to listen to more, Luca slows down, taking small deliberate steps just to enjoy Shu’s singing for a few more minutes. He doesn’t know the song, it’s in Korean but he feels happy just being able to listen to Shu’s soft singing voice.
Shu can always be seen laughing at school, enjoying his youth with their many friends. Or he could be seen as part of the disciplinary committee, stern and caring. But Luca knows that there are days when Shu wants to disappear, to be alone on some days.
The days where he’s just Shu.
Only Shu.
[ On rainy nights]
[Or on lonely daytimes]
[Please colour me with your shiny light]
[I’ll do better when you promise me we will stay together ]
Out of the blue, Luca slows down to a stop. It’s rare to hear Shu singing, despite participating in many singing events at school. But this Shu — this particular Shu whose voice is as soft as a cloud, this Shu who is living in the moment and taking in the beauty around him — is one meant for Luca and Luca alone.
This is a side of Shu that Luca has the privilege of seeing the most. Out of their student body, out of their friends, even out of their family; only Luca gets to see this side of Shu.
[ Now I believe]
[La la la la la la la I sing a song like this]
[With the one I was desperately looking for]
[My, oh my, oh my, oh my love ]
Luca has had his ups and downs. He knows that he’s not a model student like Ike or Shu. He realises that people tend to have a skewed idea or perception of him. Nina calls him a golden retriever but with his loud voice and his large build, Luca scares more people than you’d expect.
It’s one of the reasons why he had very few friends growing up. Too big to be with the kids, too loud to be left alone, too different to fit in.
All of a sudden, here comes a 5 year old Shu — hand outstretched towards him with a toothy grin.
“Do you want to build sandcastles together? ”
Luca decided there and then that he would give his all for Shu who had given him a chance. Even though they were just little kids, Luca never forgot the kindness the other had shown him. The choice that Shu had made.
[Every step we take]
[It’s like a dance we perform together]
[My, oh my, oh my, oh my love]
[Be my only love]
However, he isn’t the only one who feels this way. Shu remembers seeing a boy his age sitting alone on the swings. Shu remembers his mother telling him that no one likes being alone, that making friends is a good thing.
The boy looked like he needed a friend.
So Shu walked over with a smile and a hand outstretched, asking if he wanted to build sandcastles together.
Luca isn’t purely scary. He never was. Shu always fought to stop people’s perception of that. He remembers arguing with his aunt who told him that Luca was bad news. He remembers getting in trouble with a teacher for fighting a boy who called Luca a monster. Shu would do it all over again, he wouldn’t hesitate to defend Luca.
Shu doesn’t know what Luca thinks of him but one thing is for sure and that is, Shu Yamino will always give the world and more to his best friend. Whenever and wherever Luca needs him, he’ll be there.
Always.
[Be my only one]
[I don’t have to hide my feelings any more]
[The words I sincerely wanted to say]
[I say I love you]
The world around them is drowned out, fading away from their mind as Shu’s singing surrounds them. Memories of the life they’ve lived together fills their mind, the feeling of joy and gratitude expressed through their relationship. In the midst of it all, both of them come to the realisation, a revelation; that the love they share may go deeper than friendship.
In the midst of it all, the love that they have for one another — past the point of friendship — has bloomed into a garden with an infinite number of flowers.
An infinite number of flowers for the infinite love they have for each other.
[ On tiring nights and busy day times]
[Please make room in your heart for me to rest]
[I’ll do better when you share your love with me ]
One of them continues to sing, fuelling the other with the strength to send him home. One of them feels the beating heart of the other, pleading with heavens above that it’s beating for him. One of them holds onto the other’s shoulder, wishing to be the one who embraces it everyday.
Both of them brace against the currents of love as it crashes on them.
Two souls tied together with a string of red, foretold years before. Two hearts jumping for joy whenever they are together.
Two boys truly, utterly, hopelessly in love with each other.
Shu has long since finished the song, resting his chin on Luca’s shoulder. Soon they come to a stop in front of Shu’s front door. The rain hasn’t stopped, lightening up ever so slightly. Luca lowers Shu down carefully, the other student trying his best to keep him dry as he does so.
Shu hands the umbrella back to Luca, gasping once he remembers that Luca’s jacket is still on his shoulders, “Luca, here! You should take this back—”
“Keep it. Give it back to me tomorrow,” Shu blinks, looking wide-eyed at Luca. He has a weird look in his eye, Shu notes the absence of his usual mirthful spark.
“Are.. you sure?”
“Positive.”
The conversation stops there, Luca is standing with an umbrella under the rain, Shu is blanketed with Luca’s jacket in front of his front door. After a few more minutes of silence, Luca clears his throat and gestures to leave.
“Guess I’ll uh, guess I’ll go now, huh?”
“Huh? O—Oh right! Uhm, please take care on your way home..,” Luca swallows down the disappointment that he feels, taking a deep breath before turning around. He takes one step and another and another.
Each step that he takes, his heart feels heavier, regret eats at him as he walks further and further away from Shu. Gritting his teeth, Luca stops in his tracks, his grip on the umbrella almost turns white but the squeeze in his heart is tighter. He doesn’t want to leave feeling unsatisfied. He doesn’t want to live not knowing what today left them.
He doesn’t want to live, never knowing Shu’s answer.
Luca is about to turn around, to run back to Shu’s place when a loud voice calls out for him, “LUCA!”
He snaps his head back and to his surprise, Shu is running in the rain towards him. Luca’s jacket is still on his shoulders as he runs to Luca like a man on a mission. He probably is. Shu stops in front of Luca, a few metres away, panting from the run.
Luca thinks that Shu looks beautiful even under the rain. His heart skips a beat.
“Shu..?”
“Luca…,” The conflicting expression on Shu’s face doesn’t suit him , Luca can’t help but think. Shu should only be smiling. After all, he looks the most stunning when he smiles.
“W—Wait, why do you look sad? What’s wrong? Did someone bother you at school? I’ll fight them—”
“Luca Kaneshiro, shut up for once!” He does as he’s told.
The man in front of him stares him down, the look in his eyes softens as he walks right up to Luca. Now they stand face-to-face, centimetres apart. Shu studies his face, searching for something but Luca doesn’t know what. He’s never quite sure what goes on in Shu’s mind. However, Luca is certain that Shu would never hurt him, even as Shu cups both of his cheeks in his hands, Luca feels nothing but safe.
Safe with the one he loves.
“Luca, please be honest,” Vulnerable is the word Luca would use to describe them right now. Vulnerable hearts that bled for the world once upon a time, “What do I mean to you?”
What does Shu Yamino mean to Luca Kaneshiro? What does the beautiful, magical looking man in front of his eyes mean to plain ol' him?
In short, the answer is—
”Everything,” Shu inhales sharply, “You’re my everything and without you—”
Without Shu, Luca wouldn’t be here.
Without Shu, Luca would’ve never gotten a guitar for his birthday.
Without Shu, Luca wouldn’t have fallen in love with music as much as he does.
Without Shu, Luca would’ve lost his way a long time ago.
Without Shu Yamino, there is no Luca Kaneshiro.
“Without you, there is no me .”
Three things happen in the next minute.
First, Shu puts both of his hands on Luca’s shoulders and pulls him closer. Second, the umbrella in Luca’s hands falls onto the ground and rain immediately soaks them to the bone. Third and most importantly, they kiss.
There are no fireworks, no explosions. It’s just them. It’s always been them. Only Shu and Luca.
Pulling back from the kiss, Luca rests his forehead on Shu’s to savour the moment. Suddenly, everything falls into place and his heart feels full of love. Shu’s love. For him. Shu loves him. His childhood friend of 12 years is in love with him.
…
..
.
Wait—
Luca pushes Shu away gently by his arms with a loud exclamation, “You’re in love with me?!”
To his horror and chagrin, Shu laughs his heart out, the rain sliding down his beautifully sculpted face. Luca’s cheeks are oddly warm.
“I thought the kiss was obvious, Luca.”
“And it was pog but you really love me? Promise?” This time, Shu didn’t tease him. He smiles softly at him, eyes so full of love and devotion for Luca — for him. The blonde feels like his heart is going to explode with the unbounded affection he holds for this talented human being in front of him.
“Luca Kaneshiro. I am hopelessly in love with you. I will continue to love you until my time in this world reaches its end.”
In response to that, Luca picks Shu up by his waist and spins him around. This time, he laughs with him instead of demanding to be lowered back down. Shu’s laughter is warm enough to make him forget that they’re still under the rain, spinning and smiling without a care for the world around them.
Luca lowers him down eventually and Shu takes the opportunity to pull him into another kiss. In a thousand lifetimes, across the universe, Shu will find his place in Luca’s arms.
Their hearts are connected with a single red thread that can stretch and fray but will never break. Somewhere else in another lifetime, a deity smiles, seeing the luck that a singular red thread has. One day she’ll see where both ends meet.