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All his life, he kept hearing people say that college should be the best years of your life. Be free, drink and have fun as much as you want because you’ll miss that youth when you’re older. Parties were never his strongest suit, but Shu decided that maybe it’s time he finally tried out the nightlife, and boy, is he starting to regret it.
His friend, Uki, dragged him to a party hosted by some rich kid he doesn’t know. It’s being held at a modern villa. The place is decked out with booze, a pool table sits in the middle with people drunkenly poking and missing the target. A large swimming pool is outside where guys and girls would jump in and make a loud splash.
Everything feels a little too overwhelming for a guy who barely steps out unless needed. Shu heads outside near the side of the road, nursing a solo cup filled with whatever mixer drink is available inside. He’s not about to fall asleep in a stranger’s house full of wild people.
In the midst of a quiet night, well, as quiet as seven meters from a full-blown party as you can get, Shu’s solitude is interrupted by someone squatting down next to him. “What are you doing all alone outside?” the person asks.
Shu looks to his side to see a guy with blonde hair and lilac eyes. He has no idea who he is or why he came up to him unprompted. The ravenette sighs. Beats going through the night alone while he waits for Uki. “Why do people host these parties anyway? Other than to get high or drunk. It sounds like a pretty crappy party to me,” he says while turning to the empty road.
In the corner of his eye, he sees the blonde sitting down next to him, knees tucked and head resting on top. “Some people go to parties to forget the struggles of studying. To have a little break and let loose.”
Shu scoffs bitterly and looks down at the red cup that rests between his crossed legs, “I don’t know. I feel more stressed out being here. All that screaming, loud bass boosted music, people openly making out with one another without shame. I wouldn’t be surprised if the host is someone like that since they’re the ones making this party in the first place.”
The guy next to him laughs, “I’ve met the host before. What makes you think he’s this awful person?”
Shu just shrugs his shoulders. “Just my gut feeling. I never had the best memories with rich kids. Snobby, arrogant. They always live life on easy mode with their parents’ money. We may not be well off, but to them, anything that is deemed less is something to be made fun of. That’s why I said what I said about the host. Probably just another one of them…”
The stranger next to him frowns, but before he gets a chance to speak, someone else comes up to them. “Shu? Why are you out here? Oh, hi Luca, nice seeing you too. By the way, Shu, let me introduce you to this handsome blonde. He’s the host of this party.” Uki, who is slightly flushed on the face, points to the tallest of the three.
Shu’s eyes widen as he sputters. He can’t find the right words, so instead he grabs his friend’s arm and drags them away. The ravenette is beyond embarrassed. All this time, he has been complaining and talking shit about the host, to the host himself.
Not only did he insult his party, but he also assumed the worst of him. Can someone just bury him in the ground right then and there? At least he doesn’t have to see the guy after this, right?
Classes resume on Monday. Shu says goodbye to his friends before walking into his hall. He takes his usual seat, with someone taking place next to him a few minutes later. Shu’s heart drops when he sees that it’s Luca of all people. The last person he hoped to encounter.
He glances to the other side; he’s trapped. Both ends of the table are filled, and he doesn’t want to make a scene by jumping over to the front. He bites the inside of his cheek, his pen nervously taps on his notebook, “Hey Luca…” he greets awkwardly.
The blonde looks over, his smile never leaving his face. “If you want to apologise about the other day, there’s no need. I didn’t take anything to heart, so loosen up. We can start things over again if that’s what you’d like.”
Shu lets out a sigh of relief. He’s been worried about it since that night, constantly thinking about what words to say if they do happen to stumble upon each other. Luca turns out to be a much more relaxed person than he thought, and that just makes him feel all the more bad for framing him as this arrogant, mean rich kid.
He then hums curiously. Now that he thinks about it, “Have you always been in this business elective?” because Shu never remembers seeing him before.
Luca lets out a fake offended gasp while placing a hand over his mouth, “Shu Yamino, how mean of you. I’ve been here since the beginning, and you never even noticed me?” he whines.
Shu looks at the blonde nervously, sweat pouring. He didn’t mean to offend the guy…again. God, he really should learn social cues better. He kept making himself look bad in front of Luca. Truth be told, he doesn’t remember the name of anyone in this class.
He didn’t get a chance to say his apologies when their lecturer steps in. Luca’s faux sadness is gone in the blink of an eye as his attention is now back to his studies.
Throughout class, Shu couldn’t help but steal glances at the man beside him, wondering if he was still upset with him. Luca still has his radiant smile, so he couldn’t really tell. His grin suddenly turns brighter as he looks at Shu excitedly. “Do you want to be my partner?” the blonde asks all of a sudden.
Shu is taken aback by the question and asks him to repeat. “For the project. Everyone needs to group up in pairs, so I’m wondering if you’d like to work with me.” Ah, a group project. He really should be paying attention to the lecturer. Since Luca is the only person he knows here to some degree, it’ll probably be the best option. Plus, he really does seem like a genuinely nice guy.
He accepts the invitation and watches as an invisible dog tail sways behind the blonde excitedly. Ok, maybe he can admit he’s quite cute too.
A month into the project has passed, things have been smooth sailing and by proxy their relationship grew . They work on their project every weekend at Luca‘s house. Without the crowd and party atmosphere, the place is beautiful, bright and peaceful.
The two of them currently have their laptops open, typing away in peace while a maid pours hot tea and prepares snacks for them. Luca’s leg bounced in place. He’s getting restless from the silence. He glances at the man in front of him.
Shu is focused on his work, unconsciously making a face with pouty lips. The blonde blushes, thinking about how adorable he is. “Let’s take a little break,” he says while standing up. Shu hums and watches him pass a Nintendo Switch controller. “Always stressing over your studies isn’t good for you.”
The ravenette shrugs. He saves his work and walks over to the living room to join the taller. They get along very well as they throw in jokes and laugh out loud. Luca especially feels content. Oh, how long has he wished for a moment like this? He had been crushing on the man next to him since the start of their university life.
Only up until that night at the party, seeing his crush alone and down in the dumps is when he finally got the courage to initiate a conversation. Slowly, he’s been wiggling himself into Shu’s life. Often meeting up even outside of the one and only class they have together.
The ravenette, though sceptical of their relationship at first, quickly warmed up to him and seems to be enjoying his companionship a lot more lately. The way they smile whenever they meet up, and Shu would sometimes be the one to initiate the hangouts. Maybe, just maybe their relationship can blossom into love.
With the project deadline getting close, Shu is also getting much more on edge. From Luca’s point of view, the ravenette is often sporting a frown on his face. They’ve known each other for around three months at this point, and because Shu rarely expresses himself openly, being this upset is definitely out of the ordinary.
They’re back at Luca’s place to finish off the last bits and pieces. Shu has his head resting in his palm, brows furrowed. He grits his teeth and slams his pen down with a groan when the numbers still aren’t balanced. What the heck is he missing?
Luca frowns. Shu offered to take over the task of balancing the books for their made-up company, but all it does is turn him into a frustrated mess. “Shu…” he calls out to him gently.
“What, Luca!” the other shouts at the top of his lungs. The blonde is taken aback by the outburst, face turning what looks like a kicked puppy. Shu’s face immediately turns pale. He bites his lip and looks away, his hand rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “Luca…I’m sorry, I didn't mean to scream at you. I just-” he flinches up when a hand gently touches his head.
He looks up to see Luca with his signature smile. “It’s ok, I get how stressful it can be. You know if you need help, you can just tell me. We’re a team, I’m always here to lend a hand.” Shu looks down; the guilt of raising his voice at his friend is still getting to him.
Luca moves closer next to him and takes the scattered papers to read through them. He points out the little mistakes in Shu’s calculation, and slowly, the two rework on the task. At the end, they managed to get the results they wanted with Shu cheering out loud, “We did it. Oh my god, we actually did it! We finished the project!” he says excitedly while pulling Luca into a hug.
The blonde’s face heats up, heart thumping against his chest loudly as he wraps his arm around the other. Would this be a weird time to subtly ask if Shu has any interest in being in a relationship? He has been observing Shu in silence, noticing that he has never mentioned anything when it comes to romance. That could indicate he’s single, but Luca wants to be sure.
The two let go from their embrace with Luca clearing his throat, “By the way, have you heard the rumour of Claude dating someone from our rival esports team?” He starts off the topic by mentioning Shu’s friend to get his attention.
The ravenette’s eyes widened while shaking his head, “How dare he not mention this to me and Uki first?” he mumbles with a fake cry of betrayal before laughing. It’s only a rumour, but he definitely has to tease his friend about this later on.
Luca nods his head, then takes a deep breath. “That makes me wonder…Shu, do you-” he pauses when Shu’s phone rings loudly.
The ravenette smiles softly when he looks at the caller ID and picks it up. He excuses himself and heads outside, where the swimming pool is, but Luca did not miss the way Shu so cheerfully says “Hello, Babe” to the person on the phone.
Luca sits there in silence, his world and hope shattering to pieces then and there. Shu has had a significant other this entire time? There goes his chances of pursuing him…Now that he thinks about it, does Shu even swing that way? Has he never stood a chance in the first place?
While Luca is lost in thought, Shu continues his conversation, “-I sound cheerful? Well, I just finished that project I told you about, thanks to Luca. He helped- What do you mean, I keep talking about him lately? Babe, he’s my friend. No, I would never cheat on you. What? I think you’re being a little too paranoid. Don’t you trust me? Yes, I promise I’m not doing anything with him. Yeah…Talk to you…whenever you decide to reach out to me again. Yeah, I love you too…”
Shu ends the call with a sigh. Lately, things with his partner have been a little shaky, but he trusts that things will go well. They were so happy before, so there’s a big chance those feelings will return. He shakes it off and returns to the living room with a smile, “Sorry about that. What were you going to say?”
Luca waves his hand dismissively and shakes his head, saying nevermind and not to think about it. Shu nods but can’t help but feel that something is wrong.
Ever since that day, Luca has been getting a little distant, and it upsets Shu a lot. Was it because he shouted at him? When he questioned Luca if that were the case, he just said nothing was wrong, and he already forgave that little mishap back then. He has no idea what is causing their split, and they haven’t been given a lot of chances to talk other than in their class together.
Neither of them have been hanging out together, and Shu feels like a piece of his life is missing. He sighs and decides to tell his partner about his problems. However, they don’t seem to care enough about Shu’s relationship with Luca and keep pushing the topic away whenever Shu tries to talk about it.
The ravenette frowns and says goodbye, only for his partner to respond with “Yeah, sure…goodnight” and end it there abruptly. Now it feels like two pieces of his life are gone. First, his friend, now his partner. Just what is happening?
A week passes, and Shu decides to tell his worries to Uki. The purple-haired man listens intently and tells him to give both of them some space. Once that conversation ended, Uki felt suspicious of Shu’s partner, whom they had been with for the longest time.
So, like the amazing friend he is, he puts his detective skills on and stalks them online. What he found is heartbreaking and only fuels his anger. Turns out Shu’s partner had been cheating on him for at least four months now, way before Shu and Luca knew each other, so Uki is sure this is not caused by jealousy.
He immediately tells Shu his findings with screenshots and pictures for proof; safe to say the ravenette is distraught by the news. He confronts his partner face-to-face and breaks up with them then and there. He feels like crap. He wants to escape and forget. The person he thought he had a perfect relationship with turns out to be a lie.
He was on his way home after the fight. The sky is now dark as he passes by a house with a wild party going on. The place is very much familiar to him. It’s Luca’s house. He said screw it, his day has been terrible and walks inside. The party is already in full swing with music blasting so loudly that it can throw your balance off.
He chugs a cup of alcohol, something stronger than what he’s used to. He wants to feel wasted and dead for a night. As he tumbles deeper inside, he bumps into a familiar face. It’s Sonny, one of Uki and Luca’s friends. They talked before, but he’s not as close to him as those two are.
“Whoa. Hey Shu, you good? You seem kinda lost.” He greets him. Shu groans, his drunken body resting against a wall as he starts spilling everything that just happened. He couldn’t care less who he’s complaining to, he just needs to vent it to someone.
“-And not only that…Luca has been avoiding me, and I have no idea why,” he mutters with a hint of frustration and disappointment.
Sonny crosses his arms, head looking around to check if the subject matter is close by. Now that he’s sure the coast is clear, he leans into Shu to whisper. “You didn’t hear it from me, but Luca has been avoiding you because you had a partner.” Shu tilts his head, confused. What does that have to do with why Luca is acting that way?
Sonny shakes his head, exasperated by them. “Luca has a crush on you. After finding out you’re taken, he avoids you because he doesn’t want to disturb your relationship and get in the way. He’s trying to forget his feelings for you, and the only way he knows how is to step away.”
Shu stares blankly while his drunken brain takes in the information. He doesn’t say anything and chugs whatever alcohol is left in his cup. He throws the empty container haphazardly and grabs a billiard stick, swaying from side to side while making his way to the pool table, with Sonny watching from afar with a frown on his face.
Later in the night, Sonny goes scouring for Luca, who is in his room playing games with his friends. He calls him over and drags him downstairs. They make their way to the pool table, where Shu can be seen passed out drunk on top. “You should take him home. He had a rough night,” Sonny ushers.
Luca, though conflicted, let out a long sigh. He hesitantly lifts Shu up while wondering what caused him to be like this. As far as he knows, Shu is not much of a drinker. The ravenette responds sluggishly, groaning when Luca slings him over his shoulder. His eyes closed, knowing he’s safe in Luca’s arms.
They silently and slowly make their way to Shu’s place. It’s not too far away, and the blonde memorises the place after coming over once or twice. They made it to his doorstep, and Luca gently placed Shu back on his feet. Before he gets a chance to leave, he hears Shu call out to him, “I heard you have a crush on me. Is that true?”
Luca stays quiet; he’s faced away from Shu, yet he feels like his soul is being presented in front of a stage. “I won’t go inside unless you tell me the truth.” Shu pushes now that his mind is getting clearer. He needs answers now when the man is right in front of him. Who knows when else they’ll see each other?
Luca shoves his hands in his pockets. He turns around, but his head remains hanging low to avoid eye contact. “Yeah…I do,” he mutters. His heart is beating loudly out of nervousness. Would this permanently break their friendship because Shu finds it weird?
He sees Shu’s sneakers come into view, a hand lifting his head up by the chin until they meet eye to eye, “Just so you know, I broke up with my partner. Turns out they’ve been cheating on me. It’s too soon for me to accept your confession and be back in a relationship, but I’m not entirely opposed to it. I missed you a lot when you avoided me, and I think that says a lot about how I think of you. Let’s have a casual date tomorrow, and slowly build up from there.”
Shu ends by giving Luca a kiss on the cheek. He staggers inside and wishes Luca good night with a smile before closing the door. The blonde stands there, shocked. A hand touches the place he was kissed, his face turning flushed. He smiles, knowing he has a chance.