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Fu Orostor was a university student. One of the most outstanding of his generation, in fact. He had excellent grades.
He was very intelligent. No matter the subject, he put in a lot of effort.
The people around him always told him he was good at everything, wondering how he managed to do so well without having to try so hard.
This made him laugh; he didn't see anything special about being good at everything, about standing out.
He considered himself just another student, a very nervous one. Prone to self-sabotage, excessive stress, and that awful insomnia that hits you like the flu virus and leaves you with a lingering cough for about a month.
He tried his hardest, yes. And he also recognized his abilities. He was just like any other university student, really.
He firmly believed that at the end of a semester, everyone -including himself- should go to therapy to confront and reflect on all the emotions, feelings, and thoughts we'd experienced during those months.
Psychologists' conjectures.
I didn't tell you, Fu Orostor studies psychology; the behaviorist branch. Not out of interest, it was simply the specialty offered at the university where he studies.
He was drawn to psychology in general; he didn't have a favorite branch. But Freud was everywhere, really.
He was a simple guy.
He wore casual, comfortable clothes, a couple of sizes too big, but he looked good, even cute, in whatever he wore. He didn't carry much in his backpack, just his folder, a couple of books, and his pen.
But what he ALWAYS carried with him, and what was like his >personal trademark< was his coffee thermos.
He brought coffee every day, without fail. Summer or winter, he could never go without a good cup. He had long since overcome the sleeplessness and tremors that coffee tended to cause. His greatest achievement in life, if you ask him. He is Fu Coffee Orostor.
Perhaps all psychology students become addicted to coffee at some point, perhaps…
Fu Orostor is attractive. Was he popular? Yes, maybe a little. But he didn't like attention, or fake people.
He had a small group of friends: Riyo, Amo, Rudo, and Follo. Some of them had been his friends long before university (Riyo and Rudo). He also talked to a few others he liked from his year.
In fact, he was shy and introverted. He didn't like to talk more than necessary. I forgot to mention, he also hated presentations.
He liked university life, even though it was torture most of the time.
Fu Orostor had a boyfriend.
What? Yes. As unbelievable as it was.
I mean, a BOYFRIEND? In every sense of the word??? HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT HIS FRIENDS DIDN'T KNOW?? More importantly, how did they find out??
Well, that's what a very agitated Rudo said in the group chat.
He mentioned having seen Fu with a tall guy, dressed all in black, in the parking lot in front of the communications building, a building near the psychology faculty and where Rudo passes every day to get to his own building: plastic arts.
He had hidden behind a wall to spy on them, all for the sake of gossip, he thought.
Riyo asked him how he was so sure, and Rudo replied that they were "very close”, so Amo asked him to take a picture and send it right away via chat. And so he did.
This guy, Fu's boyfriend? He was leaning against a motorcycle, A MOTORCYCLE??
Okay, +82838188381 of aura.
He had Fu by the waist, like he was hugging him.
Fu had his arms around the stranger's neck; it seemed like they were talking. Very close, if you ask Rudo.
Follo responded with a “NO WAY”, same homie.
The boy was wearing a helmet, only the visor was up, so you couldn't see his face. SHIT.
Fu's friends were more than curious; they were IMPATIENT to know who it was.
Rudo looked again, and just then the unknown boy lifted his helmet, but only enough to give Fu a kiss on the lips. A KISS ON THE LIPS?! SO HIS SUSPICIONS WERE CORRECT!
Rudo watched them say goodbye, and Fu was the first to leave. He decided he'd seen enough, so he continued on his way to his classroom.
What he did notice was that the boy had two toned hair and wore some kind of long, blue earrings.
Man, he’d discovered a freaking treasure.
That same day, when Fu finally got a chance to use his phone, he read the messages, terrified.
He replied with "Hey guys...", and all he got was a message from Riyo that said: “YOU'LL TELL US EVERYTHING TOMORROW”.
Oh, bro, he was done for.
"Who's your boyfriend?".
That's the first thing Riyo asks him the next day.
They were supposed to meet somewhere on campus to hang out.
"Yeah! Spill the beans!!". Damn it, Rudo, always sticking his nose where it doesn't belong.
"Why didn't you tell us anything?". This time Follo spoke up, and a curious Amo nodded in agreement.
"T-that...", Fu blushed at the accusations. What had Rudo seen?
"Yes, I have a boyfriend”. Everyone gasped in response.
"AND BEFORE YOU ALL GET MAD AT ME, I WAS PLANNING TO TELL YOU!!!".
"When?". Riyo was enjoying the situation.
"W-well... we haven't been a couple long... we made it official a week ago..."
"Okay, that's not a long time, huh?", Rudo said.
"I didn't know you were like this, Fu, how bold!". This time it was Riyo.
"You're the first in the group to have a partner!, I can't believe it!". Follo shouted, envy evident in his voice.
"Congratulations, Fu, I'm so happy for you”. Amo said, his only friend.
"Tell us about him”, Riyo said, resting her chin in her hands, waiting for a fairytale style story.
And he told them everything.
His boyfriend was Zanka Nijiku.
He doesn't study there; he's at another university.
How did they meet? Well... actually, they used to be friends. They went to the same high school.
In fact, they were VERY close. They were in the same class, and at some point they started talking and became friends.
The more time Fu spent with Zanka, the more he found himself having feelings that weren't just friendship.
He realized he had fallen in love with the boy. He also confirmed that he liked men; he had never been attracted to women.
As a child, this caused him conflict, fear.
But later he understood that it was normal and that love didn't necessarily have to be between a man and a woman.
This whole situation -coupled with the crisis of adolescence- made him feel bad and experience many emotions, so he inevitably distanced himself from Zanka.
He didn't want to cause the boy any problems, so he never confessed his feelings to him.
They went from being friends to strangers.
All of this happened during their high school years.
Later, when Fu had been at university for about a year, he ran into Zanka again at a party.
One of those parties they called "icebreaker", where people from a specific major hung out and got to know each other. You know, young people's slang.
That particular party had been organized by the psychology department, so only students from that major were supposed to go (supposedly).
Fu went because Follo persuaded him to go together and try his luck at finding love; which didn't happen because as soon as he set foot in the party, Follo started drinking and drinking until Fu lost sight of him…
He met Follo at university; the boy spoke to him on the first day of classes, and they’ve been friends ever since.
Back in the present, Fu was alone… he simply sat in a corner, watching the people go by. This confirmed his hatred of parties.
When he considered looking for Follo to leave, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
He turned and saw it was Zanka… What? How? When?
He stared at him, speechless.
Zanka was the first to speak.
"Hey Fu, it's been a while!". And he sat down next to him.
Damn. His voice sounded deeper. Had Zanka grown his hair out? And now it was two shades. Fu's heart sighed.
"Yeah, haha... it's been a while!". He felt a little uncomfortable. Until that moment, he'd believed his crush on Zanka was over... how silly of him.
"How have you been?!".
"Excuse me?!". Fu couldn't hear well because of the loud music.
"How have you been?!".
"I can't hear you!!". Fu wanted to turn off the music, damn it.
Zanka leaned close to his ear and called out: “Let's go somewhere else!". Fu felt a flutter in his stomach.
Zanka moved back a little to look him in the face, and Fu nodded in response. So Zanka got up from the couch and gestured for Fu to follow him, and they walked far enough away that the music wasn't a problem.
They left the house and sat down on the bench across the street. They were alone.
"What are you doing here? I mean, this is supposed to be a psychology department party...", Fu was the first to resume the conversation.
"Actually, I don't even go to your university. I only came because a friend invited me to the party, hehe”. Zanka said casually. "I never thought I'd find you here. It's a small world”, he continued.
"I guess so...", Fu felt strange. It had been over a year since he'd last seen Zanka.
"Have you been okay?". Zanka asked him.
"Yes! I've been doing quite well...", "I'm really glad to hear that”.
And Zanka gave him a genuine smile. He'd forgotten that stupid smile that used to drove him crazy.
After their friendship ended on bad terms, Fu never thought the boy would ever speak to him again.
"Listen, Zanka. I-I… want to apologize for what happened in high school... I was very immature at the time and-"
"Don't worry about it. We were just teenagers. The past is the past, right?". Why was he treating him like nothing had happened? Fu wanted to cry.
“Likewise, I’m so sorry…”, Fu bowed his head and stared at the floor.
“Listen, I admit I hated you at that moment. I was so angry with you, you know? I thought about begging for your friendship… but then I understood that these things happen”.
Remembering the past made Fu’s heart ache.
Knowing that the sixteen year old Zanka had suffered because of him made him feel a thousand times worse.
“I gave you have a bad time… forgive me…”,
“Stop apologizing!, I told you everything’s fine!!, Let’s talk about something else…”, and Fu took him at his word.
They continued talking about how things had been going for them during that time.
After a long while, Zanka suggested to Fu that they go back to the party to get something to drink. The boy agreed, even though he had never drunk before.
Bad idea.
After the fourth sip of his drink, everything started spinning.
That had been the warning not to keep drinking, and he hadn't listened.
By the time he finished his glass, he was having trouble speaking.
Zanka tried to continue the conversation, but he noticed that Fu was staggering from the alcohol and his face was red.
“Okay, I’ll take you home, alright?”. Zanka got up from his seat and put one of Fu’s arms over his shoulders, lifting him up in the process. He held the boy’s limb while wrapping his other arm around his waist.
“N-no!… I- I need to find… my friend…”, Fu tried to pull away.
“Look at you!, You can’t even walk on your own!”.
Zanka never thought he would see Fu again, but he also never imagined he would have to deal with a drunk Fu in his life.
Fu looked at his face; the boy had an angry and reproachful expression. His lips were pursed. Zanka smiled at the adorable image in front of him.
"Listen, your friend is probably out flirting with someone, or maybe he's already left. It's very late, you know? It's almost 3 a.m..."
Fu was confused. Had he spent so much time talking to Zanka?
"Try looking for him tomorrow, when you're sober”.
Fu just nodded and Zanka started walking, carrying the boy's weight practically on his own body.
Zanka took Fu out of the place and walked a little until they reached the main street, where he hailed a taxi for the two of them.
He put them in the back seat and tried to get Fu to tell him his address, without success.
The boy was in a daydreaming. Zanka decided to take him to his apartment, so he gave the driver his address, and they set off for home.
During the ride, Fu rested his head on Zanka's shoulder; he was very sleepy.
Zanka didn't object and left the boy in that position for the rest of the trip.
When they arrived at their destination, Zanka paid the taxi fare and then got out of the vehicle, dragging Fu with him.
He had to carry Fu princess-style because he couldn't stand up.
"Yay! Yippee!! How fun!!!". Said a lazy Fu, raising his arms up in the air.
"Hold on tight or you'll fall!". Zanka was losing patience.
"Yes, sir!". And Fu wrapped his arms around Zanka's neck, giving him a smile.
This action made Zanka feel uneasy in his chest.
Was he going to get sick? It was getting cold.
He hurried into his apartment and went to his bedroom, intending to lay the boy on the bed so he could got some sleep.
He laid him carefully on the mattress and placed the boy's head on the pillows.
He stepped back a little to take off Fu's shoes and then covered him with a blanket.
He would sleep on the couch in the living room.
He was about to leave the room when he heard Fu's weak voice speaking.
"S-should I tell you… a se.. cret?", Fu slurred his words… Zanka thought he looked cute.
"Tell me”. He stammered. "Actually… I distanced myself because… I was… in love with you… hehe…"
Fu Orostor… you just dug your own grave…
"What?" Zanka moved closer to the boy again to look at his face.
He was clearly a mess. His eyelids were half closed, and he was giggling like an idiot.
"Or still?… I don't know… seeing you again… makes… my heart beat very fast…", Fu seemed to be rambling in his thought.
"What did you just say?" But it was too late because Fu had already fallen asleep. Damn it.
Zanka left the room and promised himself that he would talk to the boy about this as soon as he woke up.
Zanka lay down on the sofa.
He didn't sleep a wink all night.
He was confused.
Had Fu been in love with him?
He wanted to know EVERYTHING.
The next day, Fu woke up in someone else's bed.
WHERE WAS HE? WHAT HAD HE DONE AT THE PARTY??
The last thing he remembered was being with Zanka… how much had he drunk?
His head was spinning, damn it. First and last time he'd ever drink alcohol.
He sat up in bed and looked around, but he didn't recognize the room.
Well, at least he had his clothes on…
He spotted his phone under the covers and found messages from Follo. The guy was accusing him of ditching him at the party yesterday… ironic…
It was 11 a.m.
He stumbled out of bed and left the room, fearful of what he might find on the other side.
He opened the door and saw another door, a bathroom, perhaps?
He kept looking and found a small living room right in front of the bedroom.
On the left was a small kitchen, where a person standing with their back to him… oh… it was Zanka…
Well, knowing that the room where he had slept belonged to Zanka reassured him a little.
He approached the boy slowly.
From the smell, it seemed he was cooking something.
Zanka heard the footsteps behind him and turned around.
“Good morning...", Fu said.
"Ah- yes... Good morning, Fu”. Zanka replied. He hadn't slept at all, and it showed in the dark circles under his eyes.
"Excuse me, what happened yesterday?, And why am I in your apartment?", Fu's face was a little swollen and his hair was a mess.
His big eyes looked at Zanka's as if they were the last thing he would ever see in his life.
Had he always looked at him like this? He was getting lost in those blue-green eyes.
“You were really drunk and I don’t know your address, so I brought you here… I’m sorry if I scared you”. He replied, turning away and returning his attention to what he was cooking.
“No! It’s okay… thank you so much, Zanka”. Fu received no response, so he continued, “Did I cause you a lot of trouble? I’m sorry…”, Fu was still behind Zanka, watching his back.
“No, of course not”. Zanka wasn’t looking at him, and Fu felt uneasy.
"Well... actually, yes”. He turned off the stove and began to take out plates to serve what he had prepared.
He went to the counter and placed everything on the table under Fu's watchful gaze.
"What... thing...?", Fu thought his heart would leap out of his chest from nervousness.
"First, please sit down”. Zanka took a seat, and then Fu sat down across from him, fearful.
"Well... yesterday you said something... strange..."
"What did I say?", Fu asked, alarmed.
Zanka took the first bite and, after swallowing, replied: “You told me you were in love with me... or are you...", Zanka stopped what he was doing to look at Fu.
Fu froze with his fork in his hand, staring at his plate.
"Th-that…", Fu didn't dare look up. "Y-you know, people say a lot of silly things when they're drunk, haha…", "Is that a lie? Because it's a very silly one that, and in my opinion, there's no point in continuing”. Zanka was annoyed.
Okay. Fu, you study psychology, man, and you know it’s best to tell the truth, right?
"You're right… it's a lie”. Fu gave him a small, apologetic smile.
“I don’t know what I said last night… but I liked you in high school. Before I knew it, I was in love with you…”, Fu wanted to disappear.
“Is that why you stopped talking to me?”, Fu nodded.
“And why didn’t you ever tell me?”, Zanka felt guilty for forcing Fu to confess. A part of him told him he had to. And by a part of him, I mean his university self, the one studying law.
“I was scared… I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable…”
And they continued talking for hours. They cleared up what had happened.
Fu confessed that he was confused, that he thought he was no longer in love with Zanka… but seeing him at the party yesterday rekindled his feelings… which would make sense because he never really stopped feeling anything completely, and during all that time he hadn't had a partner or any fleeting romances. Basically, his love life had remained static.
Fu also told Zanka that if he decided to distance himself from him, he would respect his decision.
Zanka defended himself and told him that he wouldn't do that. That Fu could never make him uncomfortable.
He confessed that he was confused too, and apologized for not noticing Fu's feelings earlier. But if Fu wanted, they could give it a try. After all, Zanka had also had feelings for Fu at some point in high school.
This confession left Fu speechless.
However, Zanka told him that he wanted to take the time to get to know Fu well, to fall in love with him. Fu, blushing, agreed.
And so they did.
They started talking, but not as friends, rather as romantic interests.
It's been about five months since then, and they've just made their relationship official.
"And that's it...", Fu finished telling his friends his love story with Zanka Nijiku.
"Wow”. Riyo said.
"I know”. Fu replied.
"I can't believe your boyfriend is Zanka!, The same Zanka who was with us in high school?", Rudo still couldn't believe it.
"Yeah, blockhead, didn't you pay attention to what Fu told us?", Riyo playfully slapped him on the head.
"Ouch! I wanted to be sure, okay?". The whole group of friends laughed at the scene.
"Wow, man. I'm so happy for you, seriously”. Follo said, affectionately draping an arm around Fu's shoulders.
"You have our support, Fu!". Amo joined the hug.
"Thanks, guys”. Fu felt happy, grateful to have such amazing friends.
"Introduce us to him someday, okay?". His friends could be very nosy when they wanted to be.
"Okay, I promise...", Fu might organize an outing to formally introduce Zanka.
"Hey... had Zanka picked you up before? I mean, we'd never seen him until yesterday”. Rudo was the most gossipy in the group, can you tell?
"No! He just bought the motorcycle, but he said he'll be picking me up every day..."
And his friends started singing together the Luis Miguel song that goes "TELL ME WITH A KISS, TELL ME THE SECRET WITH YOUR LOOVEE”, and Fu, laughing, joined in. They shared the same brain cell.