Archive of Our Own

Yushi is not reckless. He’s really not.

He was just… being stupid.

Now, Yushi takes a lot of pride in himself, and he knows he is one of the smartest—if not the smartest—students in their batch, so him calling himself stupid means he really did something stupid.

And it is really stupid. It really, really is.

It was just a lapse of judgment, driven by pride, to prove to anyone and everyone that his knowledge has no bounds. After all, he knows a lot about many things. So when Chenle, one of the seniors on the soccer team, proposed this idea for a Valentine’s booth, he immediately volunteered—not because he thought about the consequences, but because he thought about being the smartest guy among the freshmen in their department, or perhaps among all the freshmen in their university.

The idea is simple—they set up a question&answer booth. Challengers pick between numbers 1–30, each number corresponds to a questioner. The challenger answers ten questions from the chosen questioner, and if they answer everything correctly, they get to choose either a free kiss from the questioner or a free cake as a reward.

Now, it seems like the reality—the possibility of getting kissed—has just dawned on him.

Yushi tells himself he shouldn’t be scared. Again, he is smart. He loves reading. He has read a total of fifty-seven books, and that’s just math books alone. He knows about many things—basic, intermediate, advanced. So Yushi shouldn’t really be nervous. He doubts anyone can answer the questions he made.

But still, the realization that there could be someone who will be able to answer all his questions just came to him, and now it is scaring the shit out of him.

Yushi has been kissed before. See, the kissing is not really the problem, or so that is what he tells himself. It is more of who.

Yushi may not be that conservative, but he is still a romantic. Of course, he would only love to share that stupid kiss with someone he actually likes to kiss. In fact, all his previous shared kisses were from people he liked. First, his crush when he was a junior in high school, and second, his first boyfriend in senior high school. And ever since then, he has never kissed anyone else again.

And kissing someone just because he lost a game sounds very ridiculous, and again, it’s scaring the shit out of him.

And now, he is really starting to question and regret his life decisions.

Relax, Yushi. No one is ever going to be able to answer all of the questions you made. And if someone did, they are probably in it for the cake and not for that kiss.

That is what Yushi tells himself whenever the thought of kissing someone frightens him again. But here is one of his other problems. He would rather be kissed than have his opponent win, only to choose a cake and not a free kiss from him. He is being stupid again, he knows this, but is that not double embarrassment? Losing the game, then not being picked over a cake?

Either way, he will feel humiliated, and he really, really, really doesn’t want to humiliate himself.

“What’s that?”

Yushi jolts when he hears the voice from behind him—and when he looks to his side, he sees his roommate, so close, too close for his own liking, leaning in and looking at something. And Yushi finds his heart doing that weird thing again, something that has been happening these past few weeks every time his roommate is near him. He pushes his chair back, putting some distance between himself and his roommate because he really hates what the guy is doing to him. He hates how he can feel the tips of his ears heating up just from his roommate being near him.

It’s because you hate him, Yushi. That’s what anger does to you.

“An angle at the circumference subtends a semicircle. Find the angle. Wait, what’s this for?”

Yushi, realizing what Sion is reading, immediately pulls his chair back instinctively and flips the paper over to prevent Sion from reading any further.

“Nothing!” Yushi answers, almost yelling, which is very unusual because he never yells—and it is a stupid move once again, because his roommate knows this, so his reaction only shows that he is hiding something.

And he is hiding something, because for some reason, the idea of Sion knowing about his current predicament makes him feel embarrassed. Probably because he knows it will just be added to the list of things Sion is going to tease him about, and he swears, for the love of the god, he cannot handle another round of teasing right now, especially not from Sion.

But finally, Sion takes a step back.

“Is that for the booth the soccer team set up?” Sion asks, crossing his arms as he looks at Yushi, as if he’s judging him.

Yushi immediately scrunches his nose when he hears the question, feeling embarrassed and annoyed that Sion knows about it. Well, of course Sion knows about it—the track booth and soccer booth are just neighbors, after all.

“It is,” Yushi answers as he stands up from his chair, pretending to fix the stack of papers on his desk, just because he doesn’t want to look at Sion. He knows the elder will only be annoying about it.

“Show me your questions,” Sion suddenly says, and Yushi can no longer hide the distaste on his face as he looks at Sion with disapproval. Sion’s tone is not forceful—in fact, it is anything but that. It is flat and sounds uninterested, but Yushi knows it is not a question. It is a demand. They have been roommates for almost a year now, and he knows the difference between Sion asking and Sion demanding, and it fucking annoys him that he even knows this.

“Now, why would I do that?” Yushi says, hiding the paper behind him, as if Sion will snatch it the moment he blinks.

Sion only shrugs, so annoying, as he holds his palm open in the air.

“I am not giving you shit,” Yushi says, turning to his side as he reaches for his bag, planning to put the paper inside.

However, before Yushi can do so, Sion steps forward and clamps the bag shut with a single hand.

“Show me the questions,” Sion says again, this time sounding somewhat impatient, which confuses the hell out of Yushi. What is Sion even trying to do now?

Yushi shakes his head in response, trying to give Sion the deadliest glare he can. But it seems to only make Sion push him further, because the next thing he knows, Sion is suddenly in front of him. So close, too close—he can barely see a gap between their chests as Sion looks down at him with those unreadable eyes of his.

“Give it,” Sion says again. This time, his voice is lower, and Yushi can feel his breath fanning against his skin, making him suddenly feel hot.

And his heart—his heart—it’s doing it again.

“N—no.” Yushi can’t help but stutter, especially when their sudden proximity is making his head go into shambles. This is not the first time this has happened. Sion always does this when he is trying to provoke him, when he is trying to get under his skin, and normally Yushi would return the same favor. But for some reason, the air today is different, and there is something else in Sion’s tone that makes him look intimidating—almost as if he is kind of pissed.

Yushi knows Sion will not give up that easily, but what he doesn’t expect is for Sion to suddenly smirk and take one more step closer, making Yushi step back instinctively.

“What? You scared I’ll be able to answer them all?” Sion taunts, his smirk not leaving his lips as he challenges the man in front of him.

He is so annoying. So, so annoying. Of course, Sion knows the exact words that will make Yushi give in. He hates it when he is challenged. Don’t get him wrong—he knows when to ignore and when to fight back; he knows when someone is all talk with no evidence. But Sion is different, and that is exactly why Yushi hates him. Sion is one of the rare people who can actually make him feel like he is losing.

“Fine, fine! Whatever!” Yushi says, slamming the paper into Sion’s chest, exerting some force along with it to push Sion away. “And can you move away? You are in my personal space,” Yushi adds, his voice clearly pissed—not just because he is angry (well, perhaps he is, since Sion does this to him), but also because he feels flustered for god-knows-why.

Sion only laughs in victory—something Yushi also doesn’t wanna hear, because Sion’s laugh pisses him off too—before reading what’s on the paper as he takes a seat in the chair Yushi was previously sitting on. Yes, Yushi’s chair, and, yes, Yushi fucking hates it too.

“Let’s see what you’ve got here,” Sion says as his eyes roam over the questions.

Yushi goes to the mirror, pretending to busy himself as he applies lip balm to his lips, pretending that he doesn’t care about what Sion thinks of the questions he made. Because he really doesn’t.

It’s difficult. I’m sure Sion will never be able to answer them.

Yushi honestly does not know why he is waiting, or what he expects—probably some sort of confirmation? That the questions he made are really difficult? Or maybe to see Sion struggle answering them? He really doesn’t know, but he cannot stop the rush of disappointment he feels when he sees Sion scrunch his nose while still looking at the paper.

He definitely knows that look.

And that’s not even a look of defeat.

That’s a look of annoyance.

What is he even annoyed about?

“Why did you even join this?” Sion asks, looking at Yushi—not at Yushi’s back, but Yushi’s reflection in the mirror.

Yushi tries to swallow his disappointment by focusing on his lips, rubbing another layer of lip balm in there, which he knows is unnecessary, but he refuses to show his disappointment to Sion.

“I’m on the team,” Yushi says, as if it’s the most obvious answer.

And Sion only shakes his head. “Sungchan told me about the mechanics, which means I know you volunteered as a questioner.” Then he leans on the chair, raising his other foot and resting his ankle on the opposite knee. “There could only be two reasons why you would nominate yourself for something like this. I know for sure no one pressured you, because Sungchan wanted to join but it was already full.”

Really? Yushi thinks. Perhaps he should talk to Sungchan. Maybe he can still back out. Maybe he can replace him. Chenle wouldn’t mind, right? Maybe—

“Either you want to win and prove to everyone that you are that genius freshman, or…” Sion pauses, gauging Yushi’s reaction, who is now turning to him with a visible hint of annoyance on his face. Sion knows he already hit the spot, but it’s not too bad to tease him further, right?

“Or what? Pray, do tell—what could be the other reason?” Yushi asks, and by that, he knows he is already admitting that what Sion said is right.

“You want to be kissed.”

Yushi’s reaction is instant—from shock to horror to disgust. It’s truly a funny sight, and Sion cannot help but let out a small laugh.

“What? Am I wrong?” Sion teases further.

“Why the hell would I want that?” Yushi fires back, his heartbeat slamming against his chest. He knows it’s not true—that’s literally the reason why he’s questioning his life choices at the moment. But for some reason, Sion saying it is making him feel weird. Sion always makes him feel weird things.

Sion knows Yushi all too well. After countless arguments, countless debates, countless silent treatments, countless complaints, he already knows Yushi like the back of his hand, so he also knows that Yushi is telling the truth. But even so, he wants to provoke him further.

“I don’t know, Yushi. If you don’t, you wouldn’t make your questions too easy.”

And that really makes Yushi infuriated. Really, Sion truly knows how to erupt a volcano out of him.

“Easy? Be for real. These questions are way too advanced for undergrad students, and even more way too advanced for you,” Yushi fires back, snatching the paper from Sion’s hand before looking at the questions again.

Yushi knows the questions he made are already at the most advanced level of trigonometry; even the simplest terms are already out of this world—unless the participant is someone like him, someone who loves to read books about math—then that would be easy for them, but he doubts it. He doubts anyone actually reads the book Trigonometric Series—at least not someone from the undergrad students.

“Someone’s going to answer all of those correctly,” Sion presses on as he finally stands up from Yushi’s seat and walks toward his bed before dropping his body onto it. “But you do you.”

And again, Yushi believes Sion is just trying to get a rise out of him, so he doesn’t listen. Instead, he tucks the paper back into his bag before heading to his own bed, not even bothering to give a response when Sion tells him goodnight Yushi, because he doesn’t have to. He knows Sion doesn’t mean it.

𓊆ྀི❤︎𓊇ྀི

When Yushi enters the campus the next day, it’s as if everywhere his eyes go, red follows.

Everything is almost filled with heart-shaped red balloons, big posters about Valentine’s Day, and even bigger banners. There’s even a giant brown teddy bear mascot that looks too soft and too fluffy to be walking around, wearing a tight white shirt with Happy Hearts Day printed on it, giving people fresh stems of roses of their choice.

The whole campus is lined with plenty of booths, starting from the entrance all the way to the university’s back gate—and everyone seems so creative about it. Yushi passes by a mysterious-looking booth with a stand sign outside that reads, Mysterious Confession Booth. Then he walks past another mysterious-looking booth with a banner in bold black letters that says, Love Fortune Booth. And then there is also a marriage photo booth, which looks far too embarrassing for Yushi if he ever gets picked to take a picture with someone there.

There is even a café booth prepared by the choir team, where the members are cosplaying as human versions of cats, their heads adorned with soft, fluffy cat ears. Yushi ends up stopping by to greet his friend Liz, whom he was paired with for a physics project last semester.

After promising his friend that he’ll visit again later, he finally heads to their own soccer booth. Yushi is not even going to pretend he isn’t nervous—because he is. And the fact that his conversation with Sion this morning keeps replaying in his mind is not helping him at all.

—FLASHBACK—

“So, did you redo your questions?” Sion asks as he dries his hair with a towel. He just got out of the shower, wearing nothing but that ugly plain black tank top and his ripped jeans, which makes him look more like a model than a struggling university student. Although Sion is anything but struggling since he looks so relaxed despite being on the Dean’s List and a member of the track team, and also, Yushi will never admit that he just thought Sion looked like a model. Sion would never let him live it down.

“No,” Yushi answers flatly as he rummages through his backpack.

Sion suddenly stops what he is doing and turns toward Yushi, his eyes serious once again, just like last night.

“You will lose.”

Yushi only sighs as he picks up his lip balm from the bedside table and heads to the mirror to apply it. “So what? I wanted a kiss, remember?” Yushi lies, just to get Sion off his back.

Yushi doesn’t think he needs to change them. Again, he knows Sion is just lying. Sion probably only wants him to change them to prove that he took his advice and listens to him. And Yushi cannot have that. He will never listen to Sion. Said guy is probably plotting his downfall at this very moment. He can already imagine how Sion’s ego will grow once he manages to make him listen.

“Really? With anyone?” Sion asks, and Yushi sees him watching through their reflection in the mirror.

“You make me sound desperate,” Yushi says, smacking his lips after applying the balm, though he doesn’t sound the slightest bit offended. “But, sure.”

Sion only shrugs as he shifts his gaze to the hoodie lying on his bed before picking it up. “That came from you, not me.”

Yushi just rolls his eyes, doing his best not to let the conversation get to him. After fixing his hair and finally feeling content with how he looks, he grabs his backpack from his chair and leaves the room, not even bothering to reply to Sion’s Happy Valentine’s Day, Yushi, and slams the door just a tad louder, enough to say I hate you as a form of response.

—END OF FLASHBACK—

Yushi exhales sharply through his nose, annoyed with the fact that Sion has really managed to get under his skin once again. He really, really, really hates him.

Yushi grabs the paper from his pocket once again and looks at the questions.

He rereads them, and rereads them, and rereads them.

He really, really fucking hates Oh Sion.

“Yushi! Finally you’re here! Booth starts in an hour. Are your questions ready?” Chenle asks, currently fixing the chairs for the challengers.

Say they are. Say they are. Say they are.

“Uhh, I just realized there’s an error in one of my questions, so I’ll have to change it. Don’t worry, I’ll write them down on the cards as soon as possible,” Yushi says, mentally slapping himself for listening to Sion.

Fuck you, Oh Sion.

Chenle stops what he’s doing and looks at Yushi with a suspicious expression. “You sure it’s from your own stock knowledge?”

Yushi understands why Chenle is skeptical. After all, it’s one of the rules that their questions should be something they know the answer to, something that is from their own knowldege—not something they looked up in books or on the internet.

“I’m sure, hyung. I can even explain it to you if you want.”

“Okay, okay. I trust you anyway. Just make sure they’re all ready in an hour. Go to our tent—you can do them there.”

“Will do, hyung. Thank you.”

Yushi doesn’t waste any more time and immediately heads inside their tent to fix his questions. He lays the paper and the cards open on one of the tables and reviews them again.

Hmm, this one’s okay. This one’s okay too. Evaluate sin20 sin40… okay, this is fine too.

Yushi reads them one by one for the umpteenth time before finally deciding which one to change.

“Alright, let’s change number ten.” Yushi says to himself.

The questions should start from the easiest to the most difficult, and he thinks maybe his last question isn’t too hard.

It’s not like he’s listening to Sion, right? He would have reviewed them anyway and would have changed this even without Sion telling him to. Besides, he’s only changing one number.

Yushi wracks his brain for a difficult question, thinking and analyzing. He recalls all the books he has read, specifically those advanced trigonometry books from high school, recalling problems, recalling formulas, recalling names, recalling shapes, recalling angles, recalling circles, recalling lines—

Lines.

That’s it!

Yushi immediately writes the question, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips as he scribbles it down. Damn, he is so smart! He really is. And he is really, really proud of himself.

Twelve people. Twelve people have picked Yushi’s number, yet none of them answered everything correctly. In fact, none of them even got five right. And it’s really making Yushi feel good. He really, really feels so good.

Sion is so wrong.

Now that he thinks about it, even if he hadn’t changed the last question, no one would have reached number ten anyway, so changing it was pretty useless.

Though, Yushi shouldn’t be celebrating this early. Only two hours have passed, and there’s still the rest of the afternoon, but he really doubts anyone will be able to answer it. The last two challengers who picked his number were chemical engineering seniors, and even they weren’t able to answer everything.

“Yushi, you didn’t even go easy on your questions,” Ningning says as she enters the tent with a defeated smile after her questions were answered correctly by a junior. She’s quite lucky the winner chose cake as a prize and not a kiss.

“Yeah, Yushi. I read your questions, and even I don’t know them,” Haruto says next as he takes a seat next to him.

Yushi only gives them a grin, quite proud of himself.

“You guys can take a break. Come back after fifteen minutes,” Chenle announces from the entrance of the tent, earning whistles from the vacant questioners.

Yushi and Haruto decide to visit the food stalls, hoping to find something good to eat during their short break. The entire area is crowded with students from different departments, all trying out various kinds of food. Some have flowers in their hands, some carry boxes of chocolates, and some… have hands on their hands.

So much for public displays of affection, Yushi thinks.

Haruto must have noticed the shift in his expression, because he suddenly laughs. “It’s normal. It’s Valentine’s Day, after all. Don’t look like a bitter single,” he teases, earning a scoff from Yushi, followed by a sharp who says I’m bitter? That only makes Haruto laugh again.

They pass the booths, observing and watching, trying to find something interesting, until something big and brown suddenly stops in front of Yushi, startling him.

It’s the teddy bear mascot from earlier.

The teddy bear hands Yushi a single red rose, and Yushi cannot hide the biggest smile that forms on his lips as he accepts the flower. After all, it’s not every day a huge walking teddy bear gives you a flower.

“Thank you,” Yushi says with a genuine smile. The teddy bear bows, gives him a flying kiss, and then leaves, making both Haruto and Yushi giggle.

They continue walking, Yushi now focused on the flower instead of the booths, already pondering which book he should place the petals in. However, his thoughts are cut short when Haruto tries to get his attention.

“Look! Look! The fake marriage photo booth!”

Of course, Yushi follows where Haruto’s finger is pointing, and there, he sees it.

It’s none other than Sion.

And a girl he doesn’t recognize.

The girl looks shy, but there’s a big smile on her face, and she’s blushing like crazy. She’s got a fake crown on her head, and a veil hangs from it all the way down to her arms. The people around them—probably her friends or classmates—are teasing her, or teasing them.

Sion, on the other hand, is wearing a tux. The hoodie Yushi saw him this morning was thrown haphazardly on a chair, as if Sion had rushed when taking it off. He also looks shy that Yushi nearly scoffs, thankfully, he catches himself in time.

“He sure is getting popular around here,” Haruto says as they halt in their tracks to watch the… commotion. Yushi doesn’t even know why he stopped. He doesn’t want to watch it, doesn’t even want to look. Just seeing Sion makes his blood boil.

“Put your arms around her,” the photographer says, earning a round of teasing from the crowd. Yushi really shouldn’t be watching this, shouldn’t care what Sion does. But for some reason, he can’t look away. He wants to see.

There’s an embarrassed smile on Sion’s lips as he shakes his head, hands raised slightly, rejecting the photographer’s proposal, earning him a few groans from the crowd, and Yushi notices the girl’s smile faltering slightly.

And really, it shouldn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter because it doesn’t. Who cares if he puts his arms around her? Who cares if they end up being some Valentine’s couple? Definitely not him. Because he doesn’t care.

So why—why does it suddenly feel like he can… breathe?

And breathe, he does—a big sigh escaping his lips. Yushi knows they should leave—he should leave—and he is about to, until Sion suddenly looks in their direction.

And that’s when their eyes meet.

Yushi feels himself frozen in place, his breath hitching, his grip on the flower turning rigid. It’s as if time has stopped for him, or for them, like everything else around them is suddenly static, and there's only Sion and him.

He can see Sion’s smile faltering at the sight of him, and for some reason, it tugs at his chest—quiet but disturbing and out of place. But it should be normal, right? Of course Sion will look at him like that. After all, he hates Sion, and Sion hates him too. They hate each other. So it’s just normal. It should be normal.

With a gulp, Yushi finally breaks eye contact, turning away and shifting his gaze anywhere but the fake marriage photo booth—anywhere but Sion.

Keeping in mind that he’s not interested in watching what happens next, he starts walking again.

“Let’s go. We’ll be late.”

One hour left and the booth will finally close. Yushi already has forty-four challengers, yet still none of them were able to win. Though someone was finally able to answer up until six.

And said someone is Yushi’s current challenger—a junior from the Architecture department. And Yushi won’t even lie. He feels nervous about this. This guy is quite smart, and pretty serious too. Not to mention, he’s also very confident.

“Sin twenty degrees plus sin one forty degrees plus sin two twenty degrees plus sin three forty degrees,” the guy mumbles the question, scribbling numbers onto the paper Yushi had given him earlier before pressing numbers on the calculator.

Yushi looks at the timer, his mind mentally counting.

Please hurry up. Yushi mentally says to the clock, hoping the buzzer will go off before the guy can give him an answer.

Nineteen, eighteen, seventeen, sixteen, fifteen, fourteen, thir—

“Zero.”

Well, fuck.

Yushi exhales shakily as he takes the number seven card from the guy.

“You look nervous,” the guy comments, looking at Yushi with an observing gaze, as if he’s trying to study him. Something Yushi doesn’t like people doing to him.

“I’m not,” Yushi lies, trying his best to keep a stoic face and a steady voice. Thankfully, he succeeds.

“You know, I took this challenge because I want the free cake, but you know what? Getting a kiss from you doesn’t sound bad. I’d be honored to get a kiss from you, you know, a Valentine’s Day kiss.” The guy says, laughing lightly as he speaks, not knowing how his words send awful goosebumps across Yushi’s skin.

Don’t get him wrong, the guy is cute. He’s wearing round glasses that look a little too large on him, but somehow they suit him. And he’s dressed like a cute dork—a green sweatshirt with diamond patterns and baggy military pants.

But Yushi really can’t imagine himself kissing the guy. He’d rather buy him as many cakes as he wants than kiss him.

Not wanting to give the guy any wrong ideas, Yushi decides not to comment on what he just said and simply hands him the next card. Thankfully, the guy simply accepts it.

“What theorem deals with the collinearity of points on each of the three sides of a triangle? Hmm… I don’t think I know this one.” The guy says, still staring at the card right in front of him. And Yushi cannot even hide the relief on his face the moment those words escape the guy’s mouth.

“How do you know these things? Did you Google these?”

Yushi immediately scrunches his nose, obviously offended.

“We made these questions right after it was announced what our booth would be about, and Ningning and Chenle made sure we didn’t use our phones or any gadgets or books,” Yushi explains, even though the whole mechanics had already been explained to the participants beforehand. Chenle even provided a video from that same afternoon he announced the game and when they made the questions, just to make sure no one would accuse them of cheating.

The guy must have noticed the distaste on Yushi’s face because he suddenly lets out a giggle before dropping the pen on the table. “Alright, I give up. I have no idea what this one is,” he says as he leans on the chair. “You’re smart. Even though I answered the previous questions, I’m surprised you already know about those. You should join the Math Club.”

And this—this is the kind of compliment Yushi wants to hear instead. 

“Soccer has been keeping me busy enough.” And Yushi means it. Yes, he loves math, but he loves soccer too. And he wouldn’t want to join both. Don’t get him wrong, he is an overachiever, but he can be an overachiever in his own program and in soccer.

“Well, alright then. Just know the Math Club will welcome you anytime,” the guy says, now standing up from his seat. “I guess that’s it for me. See ya!” The guy says before leaving the small enclosed area, pushing aside the thick fabric that keeps their little enclosed space hidden from the rest of the crowd.

Yushi stretches in his seat, bending his arms behind his back to loosen his shoulders after hours of nonstop challengers following his break.

He checks the time and notices there are only twenty minutes left before six. And he doubts anyone else will come—everyone must have given up by now.

So far, only four questioners remain, including him, and Yushi must admit he’s pretty proud of this small achievement. He also cannot wait to claim the unlimited ramen coupon Chenle promised to give to the questioners who will win. Just thinking about it already lifts up his spirits, and he’s already making a mental note to use it tomorrow.

Yushi is about to start packing his things when the curtain to his little enclosed area suddenly parts, causing him to instantly look up.

And Yushi doesn’t even have the words to explain how shocked he is to see him.

Sion sits at the chair right across from him, his face calm and relaxed, as if being here is completely ordinary.

And Yushi can only stare, still unable to form a coherent sentence, until Sion finally speaks.

“Question one, please.”

“What—what the fuck are you doing here?” Yushi blurts out, his tone a mix of disbelief and accusation.

“I saw your booth still open, I read the mechanics, I saw the prize, and I thought—why not?” Sion answers nonchalantly, his face carrying that same disinterest that makes Yushi want to rip his hair out in frustration.

“You—you cannot be here!” Yushi sputters. And he cannot explain why his heartbeat is doing that thing again—pounding wildly against his chest as if its goal is to make him collapse.

“I don’t see any rule that says Oh Sion cannot be here.”

“Don’t play smart with me.”

Sion just shrugs and grabs a pen from the holder. “Now, question one, please.”

Yushi knows Sion will not budge no matter how much he tells him to leave, so really, what’s the point of arguing? So with a sigh, Yushi gives in, trying his best to ignore the abnormal pounding of his heartbeat.

“Where’s your tag?” Yushi asks, noticing that there’s no number pinned on Sion’s hoodie. Right. The hoodie. He’s wearing it now. Yushi thinks as he recalls the earlier events—Sion in a tux. Sion smiling at that girl. The crowd cheering them on.

“I don’t have one,” Sion answers nonchalantly, his eyes darting around the enclosed space, observing the place. Then they pause briefly on something behind Yushi—his bag—but Yushi is too busy rummaging through his folder to notice.

“You should’ve gotten one. Didn’t Ningning give it to you?” Yushi says as he writes down a number on a blue slip of paper. “Well, whatever. You’re number forty-five.” Yushi then stands slightly from his seat, leaning forward to pin the number onto the right side of Sion’s hoodie.

Sion steadies the fabric to help, and when he notices Yushi struggling to lock the pin, he reaches for it to help, causing his fingers to brush against Yushi’s. Yushi almost freezes at the sudden contact, but he quickly brushes it off by clearing his throat and settles back into his seat as if nothing happened. However, his heart continues pounding, even more worse now, because he can still feel the touch of Sion’s fingers on his.

“Forty-five, huh? A lucky number,” Sion comments, smoothing the paper flat against his chest to make it look neat.

Yushi chooses to ignore that, because, who even believes in such thing?

“Alright. Let’s begin, shall we?” Sion says, looking pretty excited.

Yushi hesitates, feeling his hands slightly shaking from nervousness. He doesn’t even know why he is nervous.

But perhaps… perhaps it’s because a part of him knows.

After all, everything happens for a reason. And that means he hates Oh Sion for a reason.

And that reason is that he and Sion are so different, yet so alike at the same time. As much as he hates to admit it, just like him, Sion is also a genius. Behind that teasing, mischievous, and loud personality of his is a brain that knows no bounds, filled with knowledge not everyone possesses.

And that’s why he is nervous. Because he knows—he knows Sion could actually win this.

Yushi takes the first card and slides it across the table toward Sion instead of handing it to him. He knows Sion will notice his hands shaking if he lifts them.

He gulps as he watches Sion read the question, noticing just how calm and relaxed the older is.

It doesn’t even take Sion ten seconds before he writes his answer down.

Yushi hesitantly accepts Sion’s card, afraid to look at the answer. But he has no choice, does he? Taking a deep breath, he flips it over.

Correct.

Question two. Question three. Question four. Question five…

Question two, question three, question four, question five… it’s all the same. Sion answers them like it’s nothing, handing Yushi his answers ten seconds after getting handed the cards, as if some of the question doesn’t require time, as if some of the questions doesn’t have numbers, as if the questions are simply just one plus one, as if he already memorized the answers like the back of his ha—

Memorize.

Yushi’s eyes widen as realization hits him.

“You! You cheater!” Yushi sputters, pointing an accusatory finger at Sion.

And Sion even has the nerve to look clueless, mirroring Yushi’s shock with wide, innocent blinks. But the small smile creeping onto his lips is enough for Yushi to know that Sion has been playing with him all along.

“Me?” Sion asks, acting like he has no idea what Yushi is talking about.

“Yes, you! Who else?”

And of course, Sion only laughs, not even bothering to deny it. “I warned you, and you didn’t listen.”

Yushi instantly shakes his head, frustration written all over his face. “This is cheating. You already knew the questions beforehand!” Then he exhales sharply, pushing his chair back, ready to call Chenle. Sion needs to be disqualified.

“Come on now, Yushi. Don’t be a bummer. You don’t even have proof,” Sion says, grinning as if this is all just a game to him. He doesn’t look the slightest bit guilty.

Yushi tries to ignore him, already heading toward the curtain to call Chenle, when Sion suddenly grabs his forearms, stopping him from doing so. The grip isn’t tight, in fact, it’s surprisingly gentle. Surprising because Yushi thinks Sion is anything but gentle.

“It’s not my fault you were careless and showed me the questions,” Sion says with that stupid lazy smile of his.

Yushi snorts, because that just proves his point—those words are not gentle at all. He yanks his hands away from Sion’s hold, trying to ignore the lingering sensation of Sion’s rough palm against his skin.

“You provoked me into showing you the questions,” Yushi shoots back.

“And I told you to change them, and you didn’t listen,” Sion fires back.

Yushi nearly pulls his hair out in frustration but, thankfully, manages to stop himself. He knows Sion is right. Sion did tell him to change them. He told him last night. He even told him this morning.

He really, really should have realized why Sion said that—why Sion keeps on saying someone will be able to answer them all. Because it’s actually him who’s going to answer them all.

But really, can they blame him? Who would’ve expected Sion himself to fucking show up as a challenger? Who would’ve expected that Sion is after the prize—

The prize.

Yushi can’t help but gulp at the another, sudden wave of realization.

He must be talking about the cake. Yeah. He’s definitely talking about the cake. After all, Sion’s sweet tooth knows no limits—Yushi himself is an unwilling witness to that.

“You know what? Fine! Whatever!” Yushi huffs, giving up. For some reason, the realization makes his head feel all mushy. And a mushy Yushi hates arguing. He doesn’t even know what he’s supposed to feel anymore. He drops back into his chair and takes the next card before sliding it across the table toward Sion.

Sion accepts it shamelessly, even daring to read it aloud before writing his answer down. He doesn’t even pretend to think. He just hands it back immediately, and Yushi can only roll his eyes.

As expected, Sion answers everything correctly—until Yushi glances at the last, final card in his hand.

Yushi doesn’t know why, but his heart starts pounding loudly again as his eyes scan the question.

Right. I changed the last question.

Yushi slowly lifts his head to look at Sion. And Sion only raises an eyebrow at him.

Yushi must be crazy. He really must be going crazy. Sion is really making him go crazy. Because why is he suddenly hesitating? Why is a small part of his brain screaming at him? Asking him why he changed the question? Why the fuck is he suddenly regretting changing it?

It can’t be. He cannot be serious right now. He cannot possibly want Sion to win.

“Tokuno, hurry up,” Sion says, drumming his fingers against the table as he looks at Yushi.

Yushi tries to swallow whatever is stuck in his throat as his thoughts grow messy and confusing. He doesn’t know why he’s suddenly feeling like this. All he knows is that Sion is really not good for him.

This is what you want, Yushi. You want to win. Especially against Sion.

Sion stretches his hand across the table and opens his palm, silently urging Yushi to give him the last card.

And Yushi does. He places the card there—on the same hand that touched his forearm earlier. The hand whose roughness still seems to linger on his skin.

He watches Sion carefully, attentively, trying to gauge his reaction.

And for the first time, the grin on Sion’s lips slips away.

“So, you did change something.”

Yushi gulps again before turning his head slightly to the side. “The last one was easy. I had to come up with something harder.” Yushi tries to sound snarky, but his voice remains still and almost quiet.

Sion nods his head, the amusement in his eyes earlier fades away like it was never there.

Yushi can feel his palms growing sweaty, nerves tightening in his chest as he waits to see how this will unfold.

Maybe he just feels bad for being the cause of Sion’s disappointment. After all, Sion did look happy earlier—confident and expecting a sure win. So maybe Yushi is just feeling guilty for ruining that.

“The line formed by dropping perpendiculars from a point on a triangle’s circumcircle to its sides. Hmm. This one’s hard.”

Yushi glances at the timer. The seconds seem to pass faster than usual.

Seven… six… five… four… three… two—

“Here.”

Sion’s face is unreadable, and the tone of his voice suddenly sounds flat. He doesn’t even wait for Yushi to check the answer before standing up from his seat, already moving toward the curtains.

Oh… he didn’t get it, Yushi thinks, assuming Sion must’ve gotten it wrong from that expression. And for some reason, disappointment also sinks into his chest.

Stop it, Yushi. This is what you wanted.

Yushi clears his throat and flips the card, not really interested in what Sion must have written, but still, Yushi has eyes, so he is still able to read it even in just a single glance. And he has to double-take because—what the fuck.

“Strawberry,” Sion suddenly says, his back already turned to Yushi. “I would love strawberry.”

Yushi looks at Sion with wide eyes, then back at the card.

Simson Line.

Fucking Oh Sion got it right.

𓊆ྀི❤︎𓊇ྀི

“Why are you following me?” Yushi asks, turning around abruptly, causing Sion to almost bump into him. He looks up at the older with squinted eyes, still annoyed at how everything unfolded.

Sion won, which means he lost, which means he didn’t get the free coupons.

And Oh fucking Sion wants a cake.

Now, of course Yushi doesn’t want to kiss Sion. Of course he’s not disappointed that Sion doesn’t want to kiss him. Of course he’s relieved he won’t be kissing the man who annoys him twenty-four seven. But still, his pride is on the line.

“Uh… to get my prize?” Sion says in a tone that suggests the answer should be obvious.

“I told you, I’m giving it to you once we get back to our dorm,” Yushi replies. Unfortunately, they ran out of cake—well, technically, Ningning took the remaining ones because she thought no one else would win. After all, only Yushi and three other questioners were left. Who would’ve expected a challenger twenty minutes before closing?

Sion shakes his head. “That won’t do. You might run away.”

Yushi scrunches his nose at that. He might not like Sion, but he’s not a sore loser. “You are unbelievable. Whatever. Just—don’t get too close. I don’t want people to think we’re on a date or something…” Yushi mumbles the last part under his breath. For some reason, saying it out loud makes him feel shy.

It’s Sion’s turn to snort. “I think you’re the one thinking that.”

Yushi glares at him, clearly offended. “Excuse me? I wouldn’t want to go on a date with you. I’m just saying—it’s still Valentine’s Day. People would normally assume two people walking together are a couple.”

“Sure, Tokuno. Whatever you say,” Sion replies with a relaxed grin that Yushi would love nothing more than to wipe off his face. “Hurry up. I can’t wait to get back and claim my prize.”

“Or you could just wait there for me,” Yushi mutters under his breath as he continues walking toward the bus stop.

Thankfully, they didn't wait for too long before the bus arrives. Unfortunately though, the seats are already full, so they have no choice but to stand in the aisle. It’s cramped and hot, and the road is bumpy. Yushi tightens his grip on the overhead hand strap to make sure he doesn’t lose his balance.

“Hold it tightly. We wouldn’t want you falling,” Sion says from behind him.

Yushi turns his head and tilts it slightly upward to glare at Sion, only to freeze instead.

Sion is close. Too close.

“I’m trying,” Yushi mutters in annoyance, quickly turning his head back, flustered by their proximity.

He shifts his weight again, trying to readjust his position while carefully switching the single stem of rose the mascot had given him earlier from one hand to the other. It would be easier if he just let the flower get crooked or snapped, but he can’t. He wants to bring it back to their dorm intact, maybe even place it in a vase as he waits for the petals to dry up.

After a few more minutes, Yushi feels his arms starting to ache. He lets go of the overhead strap for a second, about to transfer the rose to his other hand again, when the driver suddenly hits the brakes, causing him to lose his balance. His heart jolts in horror, already knowing he’s about to fall before it even happens.

However, just before he tips forward, a strong arm wraps around his front, just above his stomach, and he’s yanked back, his back colliding hard against Sion’s chest, knocking an audible oof out of him.

“I told you to hold it tightly!” Sion hisses, sounding angry, but Yushi can hear the hint of worry in there. “You should’ve put that in your bag,” Sion adds in annoyance. His voice is low, but Yushi can still hear him clearly. After all, they’re close. Even closer now that Sion’s forearms are wrapped around his front.

“I don’t want it to get crushed,” Yushi explains, his heartbeat somersaulting again because fuck—Sion’s hold on him, his back pressed against Sion’s chest—they’re making him feel things he doesn’t want to name.

Then he hears Sion exhale sharply through his nose, sounding frustrated. He mutters something under his breath—words Yushi fails to decipher because the driver decides it’s the perfect time to honk.

“You’ve been holding that since one p.m.”

One p.m.—that’s oddly specific for someone who supposedly hates him. Why would Sion even notice, let alone remember? And how the hell does Sion even know he’s been holding it since one p.m.? It wasn’t even one. It was nearly two when he took a break. Sion just loves exaggerating. But still, how does he—

Oh. Right.

Sion saw him.

Yushi lets out a slow breath as the memory resurfaces—the fake marriage photo booth. God. Just thinking about it makes him feel annoyed again.

“You can let go of me now,” Yushi says, suddenly pissed at the image of Sion smiling at that girl.

Damn. Maybe he really does hate Sion so much that he can’t even stand seeing him happy.

“Not if you’re not going to let go of that stupid flower,” Sion replies. It’s not quite a demand, but close. There’s something else in his tone that Yushi can’t quite describe.

But maybe he’s just overthinking it. Maybe Sion is only annoyed because he almost fell because of it. And of course, Sion would probably be embarrassed to be stuck with someone who nearly fell flat on his face on a crowded bus.

“I won’t,” Yushi says back, albeit softer. Because somehow, he feels embarrassed for being sentimental over a flower. It’s not even because he loves flowers or because he’s in love with the idea that someone gave him one. It’s more because it’s the first flower he’s ever received. He’s never gotten flowers before—not even from his ex-boyfriend. So getting one now, for the first time, makes him want to treasure the petals. Cringe, but whatever. He just wants to treasure it, okay?

“Why? Was it from someone you like?” Sion asks, and Yushi feels the grip around his front loosen slightly.

And honestly, it doesn’t matter whether he tells the truth or lies about it, because that’s not what matters to him. He simply likes the idea of receiving one. It doesn’t matter who it’s from.

So he tells the truth. “No, it’s from the giant teddy bear mascot.”

He feels Sion suddenly freeze behind him, but it’s almost as if he only imagines it, because Sion is quick to regain his composure. “Ah,” Sion replies, trying to sound nonchalant, but Yushi feels his arms tighten around him again.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yushi asks, momentarily forgetting how close they are as he turns his head to frown at Sion—only for his forehead to lightly bump against Sion’s chin as the bus jolts at the same time.

“Will you stop moving?” Sion hisses again.

But Yushi couldn’t care less—he looks up, and then freezes.

He realizes they’re even closer than before, and Sion is looking down at him.

Yushi gulps at the proximity. Sion is just… right there. So close that Yushi can see the faint freckles scattered beneath both of his eyes. He can see the handsome mole on the right side of his forehead. He can see his deep brown eyes—soft, yet somehow still intimidating.

And his lips.

Those lips.

“For someone who claims to not want to go on a date with me, you’re staring at me like you want to kiss me,” Sion says, his voice low—almost a whisper, like it’s meant for Yushi and Yushi alone.

And Yushi instantly feels heat crawl up his neck, spreading to his ears and cheeks, prompting him to quickly turn his head forward again, refusing to let Sion see how flustered he is over those stupid words.

“Shu—shut up.” Yushi mutters under his breath. But he knows Sion hears it perfectly well, because he laughs softly behind him. And Yushi has to pretend he doesn’t notice when Sion pulls him just a little bit more closer.

Almost half an hour passed, and they finally reached the busy streets of the city, where everything was surrounded by commercial establishments. Just like back on campus, almost everyone they saw had flowers in their hands. Cute couples holding hands strolled through the streets with smiles on their faces, some even with their kids.

“What are we doing here?” Sion asked, following closely behind him.

Right. Yushi hadn’t told him why they came here. He hadn’t said it was for that stupid strawberry cake. In his defense, he didn’t want to. He didn’t want Sion thinking he was going out of his way for him when he could have given it later. In his second defense, he didn’t want to feel indebted. Sure, it was a group thing—basically, all of the soccer team owed Sion his prize—but as Sion’s questioner, Yushi felt the responsibility fell on him. He could always ask Chenle for a refund next week.

Yushi ignored Sion’s question and scanned the streets for a bakery. Once he spotted one just across the street, he didn’t hesitate and immediately crossed over.

Arriving at the front door of the bakery, Yushi turns to Sion, who is just right behind him.

“Just wait for me here,” Yushi says, stepping inside the shop without waiting for whatever Sion might say.

Honestly, he feels bad—he really does. After all, Sion came all the way here with him. Sure, it isn’t his fault, he never told Sion to come, he even told him to go home—but Sion insisted. But even so, he still can’t help but feel like he’s wasting Sion’s time.

Thankfully, Sion listens and waits outside.

Yushi immediately moves to the displays and looks for a strawberry cake. Thankfully, there’s one left. It’s a bento cake, but it should be enough. It is covered in light pink icing with slices of fresh strawberries on top, it looks perfect—until Yushi reads the edible words in the middle, all written in cursive:

I like you.

Yushi instantly feels the tips of his ears warming.

He cannot give this to Sion.

“Excuse me, do you have any other bento strawberry cakes left? One that has nothing written on it?” Yushi asks the man at the counter.

“I apologize, but that’s the only strawberry cake we have left, also the only bento cake left. Everything else remaining is two-tiered,” the man answers in an apologetic tone, which makes Yushi feel even worse.

“No, no, please don’t apologize.” Because there’s really nothing to apologize for. “Uhh…” Yushi hesitates, weighing whether to buy it or search for one in another shop. He could, but he’s afraid he won’t find another one and this one will be sold by the time he returns. So the safest choice is to just buy it.

“I’ll take it.” It will be fine. Sion knows this doesn’t come from him. This is his prize, the whole soccer team is giving it to him. Yushi is just the one buying it, so it’s not a big deal.

“Is that all, sir?”

“Uhh… I’ll take half a dozen of strawberry cupcakes as well,” Yushi adds. He plans to hide the bento cake in his bag and just show Sion the cupcakes. He can give Sion the cake back at the dorms—giving it to him outside might make people assume the wrong thing.

If he gives it to him right now, Sion would probably just laugh after finding out this is the real reason he came here. And onlookers would think he’s confessing and being rejected at the same time. He can’t have that.

Normally, Yushi doesn’t give a fuck about what people think. But this is Sion. He can’t be embarrassed in front of a guy he hates.

Yushi pays for the bento cake and the cupcakes, then quickly walks to a vacant table to hide the bento cake in his bag. He carefully places it at the very bottom of his backpack, making sure it doesn’t tilt sideways or get crushed. Thankfully, his bag isn’t too full, leaving enough space for the small box.

After making sure the cake is safely tucked away, he heads outside, one hand holding the box of cupcakes along with the rose. Sion is still there, right where Yushi left him, just casually looking around the area.

When Sion notices him, his eyes immediately land on the box in Yushi’s hand.

“Cupcakes. You came all the way here just to buy cupcakes?” Sion says, peering through the transparent cover.

“I was craving cupcakes,” Yushi replies, shrugging as he forces himself to keep a straight face.

“You’re not the type who would waste a few hours on a Saturday night just to buy cupcakes,” Sion points out.

And Yushi really hates how well Sion knows him. Is he really that transparent?

“Well, I don’t call it wasting if it makes me happy,” Yushi says, not even thinking about his words—just saying whatever comes to mind to get Sion off his back.

“Cupcakes make you happy?”

Yushi only hums in response before muttering a quiet sure and starts walking back toward the bus stop.

The ride back to their dormitory is quieter than earlier. The bus now has plenty of empty seats, which means Yushi finally gets to sit in his favorite spot—the window seat. He expects Sion to sit somewhere else, but to his surprise, the older boy sits right beside him.

And maybe it’s because he’s tired that he doesn’t argue this time and just lets Sion be.

It’s a few minutes later when Yushi feels a gentle shake on his shoulder.

That’s when he realizes he fell asleep.

“We’re here,” Sion tells him, already standing.

Yushi hurriedly adjusts his bag and the box of cupcakes in his hand. An then panic suddenly surges through him when he can’t find the stem of the rose.

And Sion must have noticed, because he immediately lifts the flower into the air. “I have it, I have it… jeez. You dropped it while you were asleep, so I picked it up. I’ll hold it for you. You’re already struggling with that box—unless you want me to hold that instead?”

Yushi scrunches his nose and pulls the box farther away from Sion. “No thanks. You might damage them.”

“I think you already did when you decided to fall asleep in a cramped seat and drool all over your shoulder.”

Yushi’s eyes widen instantly. His free hand flies to the corner of his mouth, wiping frantically for any trace of ugliness.

And Sion suddenly bursts out laughing, making Yushi unable to stop himself from smacking Sion’s elbow lightly when he realizes the elder is just making fun of him again. He really can’t stand him. “You are so annoying, God, I really hate you.”

“Sure, Yushi.”

Yushi didn’t know how exhausted he was until the moment his eyes land on his bed. All he wants is to drop his body there, let himself be swallowed by the mattress, cover himself from head to toe with his fluffy blanket, and sleep.

He’s so tired—from the booth, from the game, and from the quick trip to the city.

“I’ll call dibs on the bathroom first,” Sion says, quickly grabbing his towel and heading straight to the bathroom without even waiting for Yushi to complain—which Yushi does even though Sion is not there to hear.

“He’s such an ass,” Yushi mutters, annoyed that he wasn’t even given a chance to fight for first use of the bathroom.

With a sigh, he carefully places his bag on his desk and opens it, taking the box of the bento cake out.

Just like he wanted, the box is still intact, wrapped in a purple ribbon at the top. He carefully places it on the counter, hoping Sion will see it later and that he doesn’t have to be the one to show it to him.

When Sion finally comes out of the shower, Yushi doesn’t waste any more seconds and immediately grabs his towel before heading to the bathroom, because he just really wants to lie down on his bed—and he can’t do that while still wearing clothes from outside. It’s a dumb rule he made for both of them, which Sion agreed to immediately because, as it turns out, he also hates it when anything that’s been outside touches his bed without being cleaned first.

Yes, that is also one of their similarities.

Coming out of the shower, now clad in a simple black shirt and grey sweatpants, Yushi sees Sion sitting on his own bed, back leaning against the headboard, and his eyes glued to his phone.

There’s a weird smile on Sion’s lips as he types, and Yushi can only roll his eyes at the sight, annoyance bubbling up again as he imagines people probably sending him late Valentine’s Day greetings—or maybe that girl from earlier, texting him a goodnight message.

Yushi mentally slaps himself for thinking such things because, really, why should he care? Sion could be texting anyone and everyone, and that should be the least of his concern.

It’s because you know him—you know what he really is. That’s why you find it absurd that someone likes him when he’s nothing but an annoying guy. Yushi tells himself, trying to reason why he feels so irritated at the thought of Sion texting someone.

Hoping to distract himself and stop dwelling on nonsense thoughts, Yushi grabs the box of cupcakes from his study desk and places it on the chair beside his bed before plopping down on his stomach. Then he opens the box and takes out a piece of cupcake.

They are decorated nicely—pink bread, pink icing, colorful sprinkles on top. Yushi didn’t lie when he said he’s not that fond of cupcakes, but this one in particular looks appetizing. He licks the icing first, letting the sugary cream melt on his tongue, and he can’t help but moan in delight.

It tastes so fucking good.

For a moment, he forgets about the other presence in the room as he lets himself melt under the sweet on his hand. Yushi will not even lie, he didn’t expect the cupcake to taste this good.

“Wow, you really do love cupcakes.”

Yushi immediately snaps his head toward Sion, only to see the elder looking at him with amusement in his eyes. That’s when embarrassment hits Yushi, because fuck—he must have looked absolutely ridiculous.

“Stop looking at me!” Yushi whines, but his voice doesn’t rise, instead, it sounds small, swallowed by his embarrassment. He adjusts his position, sitting up on the edge of the bed instead, realizing he must have looked utterly silly in his previous position.

“I would, but you were making those… sounds,” Sion smirks, clearly implying something else with those words, making Yushi’s face turn even redder. He instinctively grabs the nearest pillow and throws it at Sion.

“Shut up!” Yushi almost screams, looking anywhere but at Sion because he is already embarrassed enough. God, why did he even make that sound?!

“When will I get my prize?” Sion asks, grabbing the pillow Yushi threw (yes, it’s Yushi’s pillow) and hugging it to his chest.

“You already did,” Yushi says, like Sion should already know.

Sion looks at him, confused, but doesn’t say anything, as if he’s waiting for Yushi to clarify.

“There,” Yushi points at the box of bento cake on the coffee table with his lips. “Your cake.”

Sion immediately gets off his bed, setting aside Yushi’s pillow, and walks toward the table. Then he lifts up the box and peers inside.

“A bento cake,” Sion states.

“Not just a bento cake.” Yushi answers. “A strawberry bento cake. Just like you asked.”

Sion is silent at first, still looking at Yushi with confusion, before his eyes widen slightly in realization. “Please don’t tell me this is the real reason why we went to the city.”

Yushi rolls his eyes for the second time, picking another piece of cupcake from the box before taking a bite, annoyed that Sion is still asking when Yushi knows he already knows the answer.

“It’s your fault. You could have asked for something simple, but no—you wanted a fucking cake,” Yushi mutters under his breath, though still loud enough for Sion to hear. He’s not saying it out of pride anymore, he’s just blaming Sion for the wasted time. Besides, saying it won’t change anything. It’s not like Sion can take it back and ask for a kiss. So no, kissing is not going to happen. Yushi is not saying this because he wants a kiss to happen. He just really wants to pin this all on Sion.

But to his surprise, Sion only laughs in disbelief, making Yushi glare at him.

“What’s so funny?”

Sion exhales while still laughing, before leaning his hips into the counter as he opens the box of cake.

“Oh… you are going to kill me.”

Now, what the hell is this man saying?

“What? You suddenly don’t like strawberry? Well, that’s not my problem anymore. Go get another cake yourself,” Yushi grumbles, taking another bite of the cupcake, not even noticing how the icing smears messily at the corners of his lips.

Sion continues to laugh, a mixture of disbelief and amusement in his expression, before he sets the box down on the table and turns his gaze fully toward Yushi. “I didn’t ask for a cake, though.”

Yushi frowns, lifting his eyes from the cupcake to look at Sion. “What?”

“I said, I didn’t ask for a cake,” Sion points out, still smirking slightly, but there’s something sharper in his eyes this time, something… else.

“What the hell do you mean you didn’t ask for a cake? You told me you wanted strawberry—what else does that mea—”

“Your lip balm.”

Yushi freezes mid-word. He blinks at Sion, wide-eyed, confused—but somewhere deep down, he already understands.

“Wha—what?”

“Isn’t that the flavor of your lip balm? Strawberry?”

Yushi unconsciously bites his lips, suddenly feeling conscious. Then he realizes his lip balm has long since faded, now replaced by the lingering sweetness of the icing.

Sion walks toward him, passing right by his own bed as if it doesn’t exist, and stops directly in front of Yushi’s.

Yushi freezes in place, his breath caught in his throat, as Sion bends slightly to meet his level. His gaze pins Yushi, soft yet intimidating, stealing the air from his lungs.

Sion is looking at him too intently, and Yushi feels his heart doing it again—that hammering, that loud thump thump thump vibrating wildly against his chest, causing him to curl His fingers into fists, as if trying to anchor himself, but it does little to steady the storm inside him.

Sion is close… too close. 

He should push him away. Remind him what they are, tell him they shouldn’t be this close.

They hate each other. He hates Sion. Sion hates him. There is no way Sion is implying what Yushi thinks he’s implying. There’s just no way.

“You’re thinking too much again.”

But Yushi can’t. He can’t move—not when Sion looks at him like this—like he wants to see him, like he wants to be near him, like he wants to… kiss him.

And especially not when Yushi feels the same… when he wants to kiss him too.

“Don’t think a kiss from you is something simple,” Sion says, and Yushi flusters, reminded of the careless words he’d thrown out earlier. Warmth rushes through him at the realization that Sion had picked that up—that he had been paying attention to everything Yushi said. And it’s even more overwhelming that Sion is telling him he’s wrong, as if he’s implying he would treasure it—a kiss from Yushi.

"May I?” Sion asks in a whisper, genuine and surprisingly sweet.

Despite every part of his mind telling him to say no, Yushi nods, letting his eyes fall shut. Because how can he say no when he also yearns?

The first touch is light, almost feathery, almost as if it’s not there—yet a surge of warmth blooms inside Yushi the moment he feels Sion’s lips move against the corner of his mouth.

It’s barely even a peck, but it’s there—soft and certain. Yushi feels his fingers curl tighter, and his head going light. Yet just as he starts to melt into it, Sion already pulls away.

“It’s sweet. You’re sweet, Ushi-ah…” Sion says, and heat crawls through Yushi’s whole body as he meets Sion’s gaze, because Sion himself also looks shy. His own cheeks are flushed, and his ears tinged red. Sion looks impossibly endearing like this, as if he just got his first kiss from the person he likes, and Yushi wants to roll his eyes—not because he hates it, but because he likes it… he likes the way Sion is looking at him right now, after what he just did.

“You made us waste so many hours, made us stand in a cramped bus for thirty minutes, and made us buy a cake you didn’t even want. The least you could do is kiss me properly,” Yushi mutters, shy but with clear intention, not even bothering to hide that he wants to be kissed again.

And Sion huffs out a soft laugh before closing the distance once again, this time, his hand cradles Yushi’s face to keep them steady. He presses his lips against Yushi’s—still but with a soft push that speaks more than any movement could. The kiss isn’t messy, it’s controlled, just lips against lips, but it’s impossibly consuming that makes both of their hearts stutter.

When they pull apart, everything around them feels off-balance, like the world is tilting—yet at the same time, everything is falling perfectly into place. Sion is still smiling shyly, and Yushi can’t help but frown—because he feels shy too, and he’s far too embarrassed to admit that he still wants more. So he does the only thing he knows how to do—he masks it with annoyance, lets the frown stay, pretends it’s irritation instead of the way his heart is still racing.

“You still owe me a kiss. The prize says the challenger gets a kiss. But I was the one who kissed you, so technically, you still—”

Yushi cuts Sion off, tugging him by the strings of his hoodie and pressing his lips to his again, catching Sion completely off guard. Not fully prepared, and with Yushi still seated and him just uncomfortably leaning down, Sion leans his knees onto Yushi’s mattress to steady himself as he returns the kiss.

This kiss this time is less softer. Sion tilts his head, angling his face to deepen the kiss. When he tastes that sweetness again, he swipes his tongue lightly across Yushi’s lips, chasing it, and Yushi can’t help but let out a soft whimper against him.

Yushi doesn’t even notice when Sion loosens his fist, too consumed by Sion’s tongue pressing on his lips.

When they finally pull apart for the second time, both of their lips are shiny and swollen. Sion grins happily and proudly, and Yushi rolls his eyes, trying—and failing—to hide his growing shyness.

“I better not owe you anything anymore,” Yushi mutters as he stands to clean up the box of cupcakes and put them in the fridge.

Sion only laughs, then sits back on his own bed, giving Yushi some space.

They don’t talk after that, just letting the comfortable silence settle in them. Yushi finishes tidying while Sion watches him, waiting.

As Yushi is about to throw away a cupcake liner, he realizes he’s been gripping two unfamiliar folded papers. Then he remembers, during the kiss, Sion had slipped them into his hand.

With a frown, he unfolds the papers, only to become even more confused at what he reads.

“Coupons to Hoshi Ramen… Where the hell did you get these?” Yushi asks, turning to Sion, who avoids his eyes, though the grin on his face says everything.

“Oh, Chenle told me to give them to you,” Sion says, too casually.

“But why?” Yushi presses, hoping for an explanation. Chenle should only give these to the questioners who won. Are these extra coupons?

“Chenle told me to give them to you since you won,” Sion replies, as if that alone explains everything.

Yushi goes still, still looking at Sion, waiting, and for the first time this day, Sion looks nervous.

“Sion…”

“I may have… told him… I knew what your questions were.”

Yushi snorts, still struggling to comprehend. “If he knew, then he wouldn’t have allowed you to be—!” Yushi’s eyes widens as he gasps, his words freezing mid sentence when realization hits him like a big wave.

Sion coming in twenty minutes before closing.

Sion not having a number tag.

Ningning taking all the cake with her.

What the fuck.

“You… you were not a challenger.” Yushi stares at Sion, disbelief written across his entire face.

And Sion—even now—dares to fucking grin at him. “I told you, you’re going to kill me.”

Yushi shakes his head, a mix of frustration and fury boiling all over him.  Oh Sion wasted his fucking time and money. “Oh Sion… you are so fucking dead.”

Sion only laughs softly before that infuriatingly teasing look slips back onto his face. And Yushi already knows he’s about to say something stupid again, something that will make his head pound all over again. And of course, he is right!

“I thought so too, but then I saw the writing on the cake,” Sion says, almost smug, and Yushi feels heat crawl up his cheeks when he realizes what Sion is talking about. The words didn’t come from him. He wasn’t the one who told the baker to put those words down, yet why does it feel like he’s been caught red-handed? “I didn’t know you like me, Ushi-ah.”

Yushi nearly rips his hair out in frustration and embarrassment. “Ugh! I hate you!” he screams, grabbing another pillow and hurling it straight at Sion, which, of course, Sion catches with ease.

Sion only laughs as stands up from his bed and walks over to Yushi. Yushi glares at him, face flushed with pure annoyance, yet Sion just laughs again before stopping right in front of him. And then, before Yushi can react, Sion leans in and presses a soft peck against his lips, catching him completely off guard.

Then Sion pulls back, giggling at Yushi’s surprised expression. “Sure.”