Work Text:
“Just go and confess already.” Kiriko rolled her eyes overdramatically before biting into her sandwich.
Mizuki tore his gaze from the person across the canteen, squinting at her instead. She smiled while chewing her food, her cheeks so stuffed that it made her look like a hamster.
“What?” he asked, pretending he hadn’t understood what she meant.
“Come on, you’ve been oogling Wuyang for months. Every time he gives you any kind of attention, you start beaming like the sun. You’re so down for him, and everyone can see it.”
“You can see?” Mizuki asked, voice rising an octave. He threw a nervous look around. Everyone around them was tending to their own business, standing in the serving line or sitting at their tables to chat and eat.
“Yeah, it’s pretty obvious,” Genji added. “Well, to anyone but you and him. He’s giving you the same looks.”
“He’s not. Why should he have any interest in me?”
Wuyang was so different compared to Mizuki. He had this air of coolness to him, with his easy smiles and constant stream of funny quips. He seemed to get along with everyone, unlike Mizuki, who usually kept to himself or stuck close to a few friends.
Any time Wuyang talked to him, Mizuki felt flustered, even if he genuinely liked talking to him. Wuyang never seemed to run out of things to say, whether it was about his hobbies, his friends, the college wrestling team he competed with against other schools, or random things he had picked up on campus. He was a chatterbox, and Mizuki liked how he filled the silence that usually followed him around. Wuyang was like sunlight, falling over Mizuki and pushing away the dark thoughts that usually lingered like rainclouds.
He liked him. He liked him so much.
Maybe he even loved him. He had never felt anything like that before, but that was the only explanation for the way his heart felt like it was trying to break out of his chest whenever he thought of the other. For the way his palms turned oddly clammy, the way anxiety and calmness somehow existed in him at the same time whenever he was close.
“Other question, why shouldn’t he? You’re nice and caring, and you look hot!” Kiriko replied. “He’s openly gay too, so you don’t have to worry about that either. And trust me, he is looking at you that way.”
Just in that moment, Mizuki glanced over and caught Wuyang doing the same. Their eyes locked for a second. Before Mizuki could think to look away, Wuyang lifted his arm and waved at him, across the entire canteen. Like it was nothing. Like there wasn’t a crowd of people between them. He didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed.
Mizuki’s face heated up instantly, just from the simple gesture alone. He had noticed him. Even here, in the middle of all these people…
Wuyang dropped his hand again, but he didn’t look away. He stayed there, still looking at Mizuki like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Mizuki, on the other hand, suddenly didn’t know what to do with himself. Was he sitting normally? How did breathing work again? He looked down at his tray for a second, then at his drink, then anywhere that wasn’t Wuyang, panicking about what to do. Distantly, he heard Kiriko and Genji chat, but his brain didn’t convert their noises into actual words.
When he finally dared to glance up again, Wuyang was still watching him, open and completely unbothered. Mizuki swallowed, his heart doing something irritating in his chest. It was just a wave. So why did it feel like everyone in the room had seen it?
“Earth to Mizuki, can you hear us?” Kiriko waved her hand in front of Mizuki’s face, and his attention snapped to her.
“Huh? Sorry, I… Wuyang just waved at me. Oh no, stop, Kiri, don’t—” But Kiriko was already turning around in her seat, trying to make out the other boy in the crowd. She was going to expose him. For what, he didn’t know, but now Wuyang must know they were talking about him.
He saw her raising her arm, and then it was already too late. She waved at Wuyang and Mizuki wanted to slide down the bench and out of the canteen.
“What are you doing?” he hissed, somehow trying to make himself smaller. A total fail considering he was taller than most of his peers.
“Helping you, of course,” she explained, turning back around. “He stood up. I think he's coming over.”
“He's definitely coming over,” Genji agreed, his eyes set on Wuyang, who must be striding through the hall, pushing past the crowd. Mizuki didn't dare to look up.
“Actually, I need to go, I need to have a talk with Professor Amari—”
“Oh, you too?” Wuyang's voice sounded to the right of Mizuki. He knew he was coming this way, but it still felt like Genji just stabbed him with a fork or something, shocking him in place.
“Hi, Wuyang,” Kiriko mused. A sharp pain in Mizuki's shinbone made him flinch and glare at her. She smiled knowingly at him, her foot retreating to her side under the table.
“How are you? You need something from Professor Amari, you said? How convenient, then you can go together, right?”
Wuyang laughed, and Mizuki felt yet again like he was taking damage just from the happy sound. “I'm good, thanks, haha. I would like to request a deadline extension for her assignment. She hasn't reacted to my emails yet. What about you?”
Knowing he was addressed, Mizuki finally turned to him. “ Uh, same, eh, kinda.” His mouth seemed to have forgotten how to form words. He had handed in the said assignment two weeks ago, but this was the only answer coming to his mind.
Wuyang didn't seem to notice, he was gently smiling at Mizuki like he always did. Just — friendly. No hint he was feeling in any way as Mizuki did. God, could the others see how nervous he was? How could they know he was head over heels for the other boy?
“You guys should go before lunch break is over, or you might miss her,” Kiriko supplied support. Genji nodded like she had said something extremely wise.
“Didn't you want something from me?” Wuyang asked her.
“Me? Nah, Mizuki just said you looked good today, so I wanted to check. Not greeting you seemed rude.”
Mizuki was going to kill her. He was going to send a crowd of evil spirits her way. He had not said that. (Unless Kiriko was somehow able to read his thoughts.)
Mizuki didn’t answer right away. The words caught somewhere in his throat, his mind going blank for a second longer than it should have. He wasn’t sure if Wuyang had ever complimented him before—but it felt… nice.
Genji’s elbow nudged gently into his side, snapping him out of it.
“Kiriko is right, we should probably go before the next classes start. You coming along?” Wuyang supplied. He must think Mizuki was so stupid, considering everyone had to animate him right now.
“I— yes. Yes, I will,” Mizuki said, hoping he didn’t sound as robotic as he thought he did. They had talked often enough without Mizuki feeling so out of it. Was it really just enough to realize his feelings for the other guy to make him lose all his sense of self?
He got up, slung his bag over his shoulder, and reached for his half-empty tray when Kiriko shot forward.
“We can return your tray for you, don't worry,” she offered, and Mizuki would almost feel thankful if it wasn't for her conveniently stealing his dessert, a pink glazed doughnut, from said tray. He followed Wuyang out of the canteen, throwing one last glance over his shoulder, and caught both his friends giving him enthusiastic double thumbs up. They were awful. But he knew they meant well.
Professor Amari’s office was located in a building other than the canteen, so they had to cross the campus. There was a small park in the middle of it, and people scattered here and there, sitting at picnic benches to study or enjoy their lunch. Others had shrugged out of their jackets, using them as makeshift blankets to sprawl out on the lush grass, enjoying the warm spring day.
Wuyang wore one of his usual, tight-fitting tank tops, his white hoodie slung around his hips. Mizuki trailed a step behind him, his taller frame still making him tower over Wuyang. He tried to listen to what Wuyang was talking about, something about wrestling? — but his mind got distracted by a single strand of hair that had slipped from Wuyang’s topknot and curled in the back of his neck. Not for the first time, he wondered what the other would look like with his hair down. It looked so silky smooth. Would it feel the same when he’d sink his hands into it?
He walked straight into Wuyang, making them both stumble. He hadn’t even noticed the other had stopped in his tracks.
“Shit! Sorry, my fault,” Mizuki blurted.
Wuyang turned around, smiling awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. “No, it’s on me. I just stopped right in the middle of the way!” His expression shifted, turning oddly serious as he looked at Mizuki. “Listen… I was actually waiting for a chance to catch you alone.”
Oh spirits, this was it.
This was the moment he’d tell him that Mizuki was being weird. That he’d noticed the staring. That he was uncomfortable. And honestly? Mizuki wouldn’t even blame him. He’d be weirded out, too, if someone acted like that around him. He would—
“I know we don’t hang out that much, so this might come out of nowhere… but I really like you. Like, really like you, you know?” Wuyang let out a loud sigh, his shoulders dropping. “God, I’m awkward as hell.”
Mizuki’s eyes widened. Was the other implying he had feelings for him? Just now, when he had been bracing himself to be let down? How was that even possible? Had the lucky charm he bought yesterday actually worked?
“What I’m trying to say is… I’m interested in you. Romantically, I mean. Every time I see you on campus, I feel like my heart’s going to burst out of my chest. And then Kiriko said you think I look good? Maybe I’m reading too much into it. My sister’s been teasing me about having a crush for weeks, and — yeah. I just wanted to tell you. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same, but I didn’t want to miss my chance. So… yeah.”
Seeing Wuyang this flustered was new to Mizuki. His own face felt hot, but Wuyang’s was just as red. His amber eyes caught the sunlight, something hopeful flickering in them as he fidgeted with one of the loose sleeves hanging from his waist. He looked even more adorable than usual.
A storm of butterflies took flight in Mizuki’s chest, tangling up every word he tried to say, until something finally slipped through.
“It’s mutual.”
Wuyang opened his mouth, but no words came out.
They stood there in the middle of the path winding through the park, birds singing, the wind rustling through the trees around them. Neither of them spoke, both caught in the same stunned silence after everything that had just been said.
Mizuki found his words again first, suddenly wanting to elaborate.
“I’ve been crushing on you too… to the point where Kiriko said I was starting to look stupid, because I wasn’t going to make a move on you. I was just too scared to do it…”
He pushed his gray bangs out of his eyes, more to keep his hands busy than anything else, but he caught Wuyang following the motion. Was this what Kiri had meant when she said Wuyang looked at him a certain way?
“I was wondering for a while… if I ever found the courage to ask, would you go out with me someday? On a date, I mean.” He forced the last words out, holding onto whatever courage he had left.
Wuyang blinked. Then he let out a short, slightly breathless laugh. “You know… that was actually what I was going to ask you, and then everything else just came out instead. I get super nervous around you, haha — see, I’m already losing my point.”
He shook his head, smiling.“Yeah. Yes, I’ll totally go out with you.” He paused, then added quickly, “Would you give me your number so we can figure out a day and time?”
Wuyang pulled out his phone, unlocked it, typed something quickly, and held it out to Mizuki.
Their fingers brushed briefly against each other as Mizuki took it, and a pleasant prickle went from the tip of his fingers up his arm. Wuyang’s phone had a dark blue case with a small pachimari pendant dangling from the left corner. A fresh contact window was open, waiting for Mizuki to enter his number. The top input field read Mizuki, along with a blue heart and a wave emoji. He stared at it for a moment, feeling a smile pull at the corners of his mouth.
“I uh, I put the emojis because Mizu means water, right? My Japanese isn’t the best.”
“It’s cute,” Mizuki said, handing him the phone back. “You’re right. I didn’t know you spoke Japanese.”
“Hardly. I pick up a few words, but I’m—”
Wuyang stopped mid-sentence, blinking at his phone, suddenly quiet.
For a split second, something in him shifted, and a cold wave of panic washed over Mizuki. Did he regret asking for his number?
But it faded just as quickly when Wuyang looked up again and continued.
“Look at the time, break’s almost over! You wanted to talk to Professor Amari! We need to hurry!”
Mizuki couldn’t stop his chuckle. It slipped out before he could think to hold it back.
Wuyang looked at him, clearly confused. “What’s so funny?”
“I handed in my assignment two weeks ago,” Mizuki said, still smiling a little as he looked away. “I don’t actually need to talk to her.”
“You were lying? How dare you!” Wuyang stared at him for a second, then groaned. “Wait, no, I actually do need to talk to her. Shit.” He hesitated, biting his bottom lip. “Are you… I mean, do you still want to come with me?”
His eyes flicked up to Mizuki. “Unless you think it’s awkward now.”
It was.
But the entire conversation had already been awkward, and Mizuki still didn’t regret a single second of it.
“I’ll come with you!” he said quickly.
They both hurried off, half walking, half breaking into a quick pace to make it in time.
“Come on,” Wuyang muttered, more to himself than anything, already pulling Mizuki along.
Mizuki followed without thinking — until Wuyang’s hand slipped into his, warm and certain.
For a moment, Mizuki just stared at their joined hands, something soft and bright settling in his chest.
He felt… lucky.