Chapter Text
The morning bell chimed loudly, but Kai and Manu barely noticed, still laughing about a tackle from yesterday’s game as they pushed past the crowded doorway into English class. Following a half-step behind, Tim stopped dead in his tracks when Kai threw an arm carelessly over Manu’s shoulder, a sudden, heavy ache blooming in his chest that had absolutely nothing to do with rugby.
Slumping into their usual row at the very back of the classroom, Kai and Manu immediately started tossing a crumpled paper ball at the clock, completely ignoring the teacher’s opening instructions. Tim sat right next to them, pulling his cap low and burying his face in his book to hide the burning heat in his cheeks, desperately trying to laugh along with their jokes while praying they wouldn't notice how his hands shook every time Kai’s knee brushed against his under the desk.
“You good, mate?" Kai whispered, leaning in so close that his breath brushed against Tim’s ear, sending a sharp jolt straight down Tim's spine. Tim kept his eyes glued to his desk, aggressively scribbling random words and forcing a tight nod as the teacher spoke up to give a tasks to them
Oi, seriously, what's wrong?" Kai whispered again, nudging his knee hard against Tim's under the desk, completely oblivious to the panic he was causing. Tim didn't dare look up, clamping his jaw shut and forcing his eyes onto the whiteboard as he swallowed down the sudden urge to lean into the touch, knowing he had to play it cool or risk ruining everything they had.
The chaotic energy of Wednesday afternoon hit its peak as the trio pushed into the Italian classroom, where Ms Dunja was already yelling over a barrage of flying paper airplanes and no one listening to here complaint about the seat plan. Manu immediately vaulted over a desk to grab his favorite spot in the back corner, while Kai grabbed Tim by his backpack strap, pulling him along into the madness like nothing had happened.
Manu slammed his palm on the desk, shouting a terrible Italian accent that had the entire back row erupting into loud laughter. But the moment Kai leaned over, his shoulder pressing heavy against Tim’s as he wheezed out a laugh, Manu’s grin instantly vanished. He went dead silent, his eyes darting between Kai’s arm and the small space left between the two boys, a sharp line forming between his eyebrows as he aggressively snapped his pen cap shut.
The chaos of the Italian classroom faded into background noise for Manu , jealousy twisting tight in his chest as he stared at Kai ,the boy he’d secretly been pinning for after nearly 3 whole terms. Across from him, Tim kept his eyes glued to his desk to hide his own burning blush, completely unaware that Manu wasn't mad at the disruption, but desperately envious that Kai was leaning into Tim instead of him. Meanwhile, Kai sat right in the middle of their secret love triangle, flashing a oblivious grin at both of his best friends without a single clue that he was the exact center of both of their worlds.
In Manu’s mind, he always found Tim a threat he always found it weird how Tim would go quiet after he and Kai had a conversation or did anything really close to each other.
Tim stared at Manu’s sudden dark look, a cold spike of panic hitting his stomach as he wondered if his own secret crush had just been exposed. Before the heavy silence between the three boys could shatter, Mar (Me!)walked as slowly as they could over to their desk and plumed down with a annoyed face while repeating in her head “fuck my fucking chungus life” over and over as she glared at them confused and then went back to writing down sentences.
“Why are you here?” Asked Manu trying not to look annoyed
Mar just glared at him even more before muttering “Cause you guys are so loud I was sent here to shut you guys up”
“EXCUSE ME!?” Manu gasped so the whole class could hear
“It seems like your just coming onto me”
now it seemed like it was Mar’s turn to scream “EXCUSE ME! EWW NO FCKING WAY!”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I am good looking” proudly exclaimed Manu as he winked back at Kai desperate to get his attention
“OMG just leave me alone!” Exclaimed Mar now in a very annoyed tone
“No”
“Yes”
“No”
“Yes”
Soon enough the two began to argue back and forth which seemed to drag on forever.
As Manu loudly defended himself one last time rolling his eyes and gesturing dramatically, he used the heat of the bickering as the perfect excuse to aggressively slide his entire desk a few inches to the left landing it firmly in Kai’s personal space. Not wanting to be left stranded or out of the loop, Tim immediately seized the moment, scraping his own chair forward and dragging his desk along with him until the three boys were packed tightly together once again, leaving the girl with all the room in the world and an even bigger headache
The ring of the bell finally released the school and the chaotic corridors quickly emptied as everyone flooded towards the tuck shop. Standing in the bustling queue, Tim kept his eyes fixed on the glass display case, his heart doing a nervous flip when he spotted the very last chocolate sprinkle donut on the tray, Kai’s absolute favourite. Without hesitation, Tim tapped his card against the reader, quickly snatching up the treat before Manu or anyone else could grab it, his chest tightening with a mix of excitement and nerves at the thought of handing it over.
Tim walked down to the edge of the rugby field, holding the paper bag tightly so the donut wouldn't crush. Across the grass, the rest of the team was running a chaotic scrimmage, but Tim's eyes instantly locked onto Kai and Manu in the center of the pitch. From where Tim stood at the boundary line, the angle of the tackle looked incredibly weird, Manu had wrapped his arms completely around Kai’s waist to bring him down, their bodies tangled together in the grass for a few seconds too long before they finally broke apart, laughing and breathless
A sharp pang of jealousy hit Tim right in the ribs as Kai finally untangled himself from Manu and jogged over, his face flushed and breathing heavy from the tackle. Before Tim could even open the paper bag, Manu was right on Kai’s heels, casually dropping a heavy arm onto Kai’s shoulder while staring intently at the treats. Spotting the chocolate sprinkle donut, Kai’s eyes lit up completely, and he broke into a massive grin, breaking off a huge piece and holding it right out to Tim’s mouth
"Here, take half, mate.”
Tim’s throat went entirely dry as he stared at Kai’s muddy fingers holding the food, Manu’s dark, possessive glare drilling directly into the side of his head from behind Kai’s shoulder. "N-no, I'm good," Tim managed to choke out, his voice cracking so badly he could barely force the words past his lips. He swallowed hard, keeping his hands jammed deep into his blazer pockets to hide how much they were shaking while the burning weight of envy twisted tighter in his gut
“I wish I could stop being such a fcking wimp” thought Tim’s as he wondered what he would be like if he wasn’t so shy all the time.
The afternoon sun slanted through the windows of the media arts room casting long shadows across the laptops and camera tripods. Tim stood by the back wall, his heart sinking into his shoes as the teacher clapped her hands and began reading out the assigned production groups for the term. He had already mentally mapped out their usual setup Kai handling the camera, Manu directing, and Tim managing the editing scripts but that setup was instantly crushed when the teacher called his name alongside three quiet students from the front row.Across the room, Kai and Manu were instantly paired up together, high-fiving so loudly the sound echoed off the studio walls. Tim slowly walked over to his new table, a heavy, hollow ache settling deep in his chest as he sat down and pulled his laptop out of his bag trying desperately to work with his teammates. Looking back over his shoulder, he watched Kai lean over the desk to point at something on Manu’s laptop screen, their shoulders pressed together in easy familiarity. Tim swallowed down the lump in his throat and stared at his blank screen, the quiet sting of pining setting in as he realised just how far away he was from the only person he wanted to be near.
“Ugh no way he would want me ” said Tim as he began to zone out of the discussion
“Manu’s so much more… cooler, confident idk just better than me!” Thought Tim again as he began to doubt himself.
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The final bell of the day echoed through the hallways, and within minutes, the heavy double doors of the school swung open to release the flood of students. Tim walked out onto the pavement alone, the cool afternoon air hitting his face as he slung his heavy backpack over one shoulder, his chest still feeling heavy from the afternoon in the media studio.He didn't get very far before the familiar sound of loud laughter and scraping shoes made him pause near the school gates. Turning around, he saw Kai and Manu jogging down the concrete steps together, their rugby gear bags slung carelessly over their shoulders. The setting sun caught the edges of Kai’s messy hair as he turned to say something to Manu, his bright, easy smile instantly making Tim's heart do that familiar, painful flip
Oi, Tim! Wait up!" Kai!s voice boomed across the pavement as he jogged ahead, leaving Manu to follow a few paces behind. Kai instantly closed the gap, throwing a heavy, comfortable arm over Tim’s shoulders and pulling him into his side with an easy grin, completely breaking the isolation Tim had been feeling all afternoon. "You vanished after media, mate. We’re walking the long way past the park, yeah?"Behind Kai’s back, Manu’s easy smile vanished into a tense, hard line. His eyes locked onto Kai’s arm wrapped around Tim's shoulders, his jaw tightening as he aggressively hitched his rugby kit bag higher up his shoulder. A sharp, possessive glare flashed across Manu’s face before he forced his expression back into a cool, detached smirk, stepping up to Tim’s other side to deliberately crowd the space and reassert himself in the tight circle.
Tim stayed right there under Kai’s heavy arm, refusing to move even an inch as the warmth of Kai’s shoulder pressed against his own, anchoring him to the spot. He deliberately ignored Manu’s sharp glare, focusing entirely on the rhythmic sound of their footsteps hitting the pavement as they bypassed the park completely. The three boys walked the long way all the way to their street corner, the thick, unspoken competition between Tim and Manu vibrating silently through the air while Kai chattered happily between them, completely blind to the battle being fought for his attention.