Chapter Text
No one was permitted up on the school’s roof, especially not now that there was nobody left to patrol the grounds. The railing that lined the building was only shin-tall, and the view down to the concrete playground was dizzying from four stories up.
Nicholas’ hand around Euijoo’s wrist was firm and clammy. Had Euijoo stumbled over his feet then, he would have slipped out of the grip and plummeted down the side of the building like a swallow. He shifted his gaze from the asphalt to the sky above them. The whole world was covered in a thin layer of white, translucent clouds.
Euijoo asked, “What was it that you wanted to tell me?” The air smelled like salty wind and the acrid scent of the kuromatsu that surrounded the school grounds.
“I’m sorry.” Nicholas refused to let go of him, as if he were afraid Euijoo would throw himself off the roof if he did. There was that kind of strange and open expression on his face that Euijoo often thought of when he imagined Nicholas in his head, but rarely saw in real life.
The luminous sky behind him stung in Euijoo’s eyes, and made Nicholas hard to focus on. “I don’t want you to go.”
Euijoo stayed quiet. “And I —” Nicholas’ spoke urgently, stumbling over his words. “I think I’m in love with you.”