Archive of Our Own

Rhodey ran steadily to campus, the sun beating down on him. He closed his eyes, happily drinking in the warmth of the light rays. Very few things made him feel more free than running through the streets on a warm day, without a care in the world. Nothing could dampen his mood right now.

Well, actually, except one thing. He was headed to his summer class, Chemistry 1010. He hated that subject, but wanted to get it over with as soon as possible, so he signed up for it right after he got accepted into the University of New Mexico. 

He huffed at himself quietly. Who signs up for a summer class right out of high school? He should’ve stayed home and had one last summer where he grew up- he would’ve had so much more fun running through the desert and his fifty acre backyard. 

But no, he was instead on his way to the most boring lecture of all time, with the most strict professor of all time, instead of attending the marathon that he knew was happening in the next town over.

Luckily, he only had a little over a month left in the semester, and then he could take more classes that he would actually enjoy. The track team would finally start having meets, and he couldn’t wait to compete again, especially because this would be his first college track team. Maybe these students would be more of a challenge (though he doubted that).

As he jogged into the science building, he slowed his pace to a walk. He would much rather continue running, but knew that some of the professors didn’t like him speeding around indoors, as they had shot him dirty looks a few times.

He glanced at his phone’s stopwatch. Six minutes and twenty-four seconds! That must be a new record, right? 

He pulled up his notes app, where he kept all his high scores. Hm. He would need to shave off a little more to beat his personal best. He stretched a little bit as he walked, unsure of where he should go. He was about half an hour early, maybe he should grab some coffee before he headed to his lecture. Should he study? Probably- but studying was so much less fun.

He carefully pulled his sweatband off of his forehead. These things gave him a headache, why did he still wear them? He brushed some blue curls out of his eyes. 

“Hey Rhodey!!” A girl behind him chimed. He turned around and paused, letting her catch up to him. “You’re here early too?” She had long brunette hair, pulled back into a long braid down her back, with loose strands framing her face. Her eyes were blue, and she wore baggy jeans and a tank top.

Rhodey recognized her as Emily- she sat behind him in Chemistry. He nodded at her, smiling. [Good morning Emily! I was just going to get some breakfast at the food court cafe.] 

She blinked a little at the sign language. “Uh- one sec!” She pulled out her phone. “Can you sign that again? I’m still learning.”

Rhodey didn’t really want to have to repeat himself, but he signed it again anyway.

“Food… morning… oh! You’re getting breakfast?” She chimed, putting her phone back in her pocket.

Rhodey nodded patiently. [Want to go together?]

Emily squinted, and Rhodey could see the gears turning in her head. He waited for it to click. He was used to having to wait a while for people to translate his words, but it could still be a little annoying. He wished he could just speak so that conversations wouldn’t take so long.

“Together? Oh! You want to eat together?” She asked happily.

Rhodey shrugged, indicating it was no big deal, then nodded as he smiled. He didn’t really know why he offered, it would be a little uncomfortable trying to communicate with her, but she was nice, and having a bit of company couldn’t be the worst thing in the world. He could use a friend.

A warm glow spread on her cheeks, and she twirled her hair a little bit. 

Uh oh.

“I’d love to, Rhodey.” She said breathlessly.

Damn it. Rhodey really didn’t want to lead this girl on, but he could immediately tell that she took his offer as a flirting attempt, which it definitely wasn’t.

He whipped out his phone. He didn’t love typing things out, but if he had to sit still for a second longer while she tried to decipher his signing, he might lose his mind. 

Actually, I remembered that I needed to go to the library and study. Maybe another time?

She frowned at the words, clearly disappointed. “Oh, all right then. I guess I’ll see you in class instead?”

He nodded, turned on his heels, and sped away. Ever since he came to campus, he’s found himself being hit on quite a lot, by literally everyone. Boys, girls, everyone in between. He was having trouble making friends, because barely anyone knew sign language and whenever he tried to be kind to or get close to someone, they would try to date him, then stop talking to him after he’d turn them down.

He huffed as he rounded the corner. Now he couldn’t even get breakfast, because he had told Emily that he was just going to study in a library.

Well, it must be a nudge from the universe, telling him to actually finish the worksheet he hadn’t completed yet. 

He begrudgingly walked into the library, pulling a textbook out of his bag. He had never actually utilized the library as a studying tool before, since he preferred to work in his dorm, where there were no distractions to pull his attention away.

As he rounded the corner to the work tables, he froze.

His eyes locked in on one of the only other students in the library.

It was a guy that Rhodey had never seen before.

He had had almond skin, with short, messy, light brunette hair, with a few strips of blonde intermittently scattered through the brown. His eyes were so dark brown that they looked black, and his thick brows were furrowed with concentration. His hands looked calloused from hard work. He had slight stubble on his face, like he hadn’t shaved in a few days, and square glasses rested on his nose, with eyebags under his eyes. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt, with brown cargo pants and rusty colored Vans. He looked tall.

He was intensely focused on a thick textbook, open wide on the table.

Rhodey swallowed. He was cute. Really cute. What was in that textbook? He was really focused. He was also super handsome. His gaze was intense. And he wore glasses. Rhodey shivered a little, then turned on his heels and walked out of the library, as if on autopilot. He didn’t stop until he made it to his Chemistry classroom. Even though he was twenty minutes early, he sat himself down and stared at the wall. 

Holy shit. Who was that guy? Rhodey had never felt so drawn to another person before. He looked intense. 

What if… what if he looked at Rhodey with that kind of intensity? His dark eyes staring him up and down while licking his lips-

Rhodey jolted. What the fuck was he thinking? He had never thought about another person like that. 

He rubbed his face. He needed to know who that guy was. 

What was his name? 

What was he studying?

What was he looking at so intensely?

Could he look at Rhodey like that?

Did he like men? Wait- no, Rhodey didn’t care about that. Who the man was into didn’t matter. He definitely didn’t need to think about that. It was just a cool looking student. Nothing else.

His mind was torn away from the mysterious man when his professor walked in. He needed to focus on the lecture, especially because he was struggling to understand the most recent concept that was being taught.

That cute guy would probably know how to do it. He looked smart. Maybe he could tutor Rhodey. They could-

Rhodey blinked. Stop thinking about him! He needed to focus. He shook his head, attempting to clear his mind of all thoughts of the man in the library.

It didn’t really work. 

* * *

For the following month of the summer semester, Rhodey found himself constantly visiting the library. For no particular reason, of course. 

Sometimes the man would be there, sometimes he wouldn’t. Rhodey told himself that he didn’t care, but still would jog all over campus to find him. Most of the time he was in the library. Now and then, he’d be in the food court. Occasionally, the engineering wing.

Was he an engineering major? That must mean he’s really smart. Rhodey felt a little smug. Of course he was smart, just look at him. 

Today, Rhodey carefully wandered into the library, just to study. Nothing weird. He froze in surprise when he saw that his little friend was not alone this time.

There was a girl he hadn’t seen before, laughing with him. She had slightly tanned skin and long blonde hair, pulled into two wavy ponytails. Her fingernails were well manicured, and her face was pretty. She had crystal blue eyes, freckles, and impeccable makeup.

Rhodey immediately felt something hot and ugly bubble up in his stomach. Who was this girl? Why was she talking to him? He almost stormed over to them, before catching himself.

What did he care if the cute guy had a girlfriend? I mean- of course he did. Who would be able to resist those sexy glasses? 

As much as he wanted to turn around and leave, he was rooted to the spot, watching them interact.

“Oh, be quiet!” She huffed softly. “You have to come over tonight, Bugs is going to be there too. It’ll just be us three, game night is so lame without you! You’ve flaked on us like, three different times!”

He strained his ears, hoping to catch what the man sounded like. But instead, he shifted in his seat, then moved in a way that Rhodey couldn’t see.

“Ugh, I knew you’d say that. You’re such a buzzkill Wiley! You don’t have to study every night. You have like a 4.5 GPA and there is just a week left in the semester!”

Wiley. His name was Wiley. That’s a good name.

Wiley turned more towards the girl, making him more visible to Rhodey, and lifted his hands.

Rhodey gawked as Wiley began to sign at her.

[I have a 4.5 GPA because I study every night! Unlike you, ______, I actually take my work seriously.]

Rhodey didn’t know the woman’s name, so her name sign was unintelligible to him.

She huffed and crossed her arms. “Please just come tonight? We’ve missed seeing you.”

Wiley paused, then huffed out a sigh. After a moment he responded. [Fine. But just this once!]

The woman laughed and clapped her hands softly. “Yay!! This is going to be so much fun!” Then she leaned forward and pulled Wiley into a hug.

Rhodey bristled, then turned on his heels and jogged out of there.

His mind was racing.

His name was Wiley. 

Wiley Wiley Wiley. He liked that name.

Wiley knew sign language. If that wasn’t a stroke of fate, he didn’t know what was. 

He also seemed close with that woman. That was less exciting to Rhodey than the other pieces of information that he has just learned. What was she to him? Were they together? They seemed pretty touchy.

Rhodey had only ever seen Wiley by himself. It was kind of thrilling to see him interacting with somebody else. If Rhodey came up and introduced himself, would Wiley sign with him? Would he use those calloused hands to form Rhodey’s name sign? Would he look at him with those dark, heavy eyes?

Rhodey suppressed a smile, covering his mouth with his hand as he walked. 

“Hi again Rhodey!” A voice called out. He whipped his head to the side, where Emily was waving at him. Her face was slightly pink.

Rhodey paused. He knew what was coming.

She stopped in front of him, shuffling her feet nervously. “I was just wondering… maybe… would you want to get dinner with me this weekend? O-or even next weekend, after the summer semester ends, if that works better?”

Rhodey’s stomach hurt a little. He hated turning people down, but he felt no attraction towards her. She was nice, but that was about all he thought about her. 

[Like… as a date?]

She paused, taking in his signs. She pulled out her phone and frantically typed, likely looking up what the hand motions meant.

Wiley wouldn’t need to look anything up. He knew sign language. They could communicate freely, if Rhodey tried to talk to him. Not that it was relevant.

After a moment, Emily spoke. “Oh! I see.” Her face turned even more red. “Well.. yeah, it would be a date.”

She looked up at him anxiously. He felt extremely bad as he pulled out his own phone to type his response.

That’s very sweet of you, but I’m not interested in you like that. I’d love to be friends though!

The pink melted from her face, and she crossed her arms a little. “Oh. Okay. I guess I’ll see you around then.”

Then she huffily turned on her heels and walked away, clearly annoyed.

Rhodey frowned. Trying to make friends sucked. Why was she so upset? Was his message rude?

He glanced back at the words. They seemed respectful, but he supposed that rejection in and of itself was hurtful.

Rhodey shook his head as he walked off campus. Normally, he would already be running home, but his head was swirling with thoughts.

Why were so many people interested in him? It put him in an uncomfortable situation, having to turn them all away. 

Was there anyone that he would accept a date from?
Yes. There was one. His mind drifted to a fantasy image of dark, hungry eyes looking at him, using sign language to ask him out.

He sighed dreamily. Wiley. He should really talk to him. Nobody else had ever been on his mind so much. 

But what if Wiley didn’t want to talk? Would that make things awkward? Would the only person he’d ever been interested in turn him away? He couldn’t bear that thought. 

He shook his head, and took off jogging. He shouldn’t be worried about this. Wiley would probably go to the track meets when the fall semester started, right? People liked sports events. Then, after Wiley noticed him, he could flirt and gauge where the man’s head was at. 

One way or another, he was going to get Wiley to notice him.

* * *

Rhodey arrived early to his Biology lecture. It was the first day of the fall semester, and he was eager to start studying classes that he actually enjoyed. Plus, the first track meet would be taking place in two weeks, and then Wiley would see him in action. They would finally interact. Maybe then, Wiley would see that they both knew sign language, and they could communicate freely. 

Maybe, after meeting him, Wiley would find him attractive. Maybe he would daydream about him too. Maybe they’d hold hands. 

Rhodey smiled to himself as he pulled out his notebook. Things were going to go his way, he would make sure of it. 

Students constantly filed into the classroom, but Rhodey barely noticed any of them until someone pulled out the chair next to his and sat down. She was talking on the phone.

“You’re funny, Bugs. But there’s no way I’m letting you eat my snacks. You always just take my baby carrots, and I need those for tomorrow's dinner!”

Rhodey froze. He knew her voice. He slowly turned his head to the woman, and nearly jumped out of his skin. 

It was her! The woman who he had seen in the library with Wiley. Today, her nails were pink, and her hair was tied up in two messy space buns. She had a little makeup on, and looked like a supermodel as she giggled at the person on the phone.

“I’m serious. Leave those alone! If you’re that hungry, go get yourself food in the food court, dumbass. You’re supposed to be on campus anyway. Yes. Okay, see you tonight!” She hung up the phone, smiling to herself, then pulled out a notebook of her own.

Rhodey just stared at her. Maybe he could ask her about Wiley. He’s sure that she knew sign language, since she had communicated just fine with him. She must know a lot about him. She could tell him anything he wanted to know.

She turned to him, her smile never faltering.

“Hello! You stare a lot. I’m Lola!” She outstretched her hand. Lola. That was her name.

He carefully took her hand, choosing to ignore the comment about him staring.

“What’s your name?”

He swallowed, then lifted his hands. Moment of truth. He fingerspelled, [R-H-O-D-E-Y, R-O-B-E-R-T-S.] Then he showed her his name sign. 

Her smile never wavered. “Rhodey? That’s a cool name! Here’s my name sign!” She showed hers. “What’s your major?” 

Rhodey blinked, then smiled, in spite of himself. It was really nice to be able to communicate so easily.

[Kinesiology. What’s yours?]

“Fine arts. So far I’m just doing gen eds though, so it’s going to be pretty boring for the first few semesters.” She sighed. “I just want to do my core classes already!”

Rhodey laughed lightly. [Are you doing any sports?]

She shook her head. “Nah- I did basketball in high school, and I was damn good at it too! But I just want to focus on my studies right now. How about you?”

[I’m doing track and field.]

Lola’s face lit up. “Oooo! That’s really cool! So are you going to be competing in the track meet in two weeks?”

Rhodey nodded. [I’m really excited, I love to compete.]

“I believe it! Well, you can bet I’ll be there!” She said happily. Just then, the professor entered the room, and everyone quieted down and faced forward, preparing for the lecture to begin.

Rhodey’s mind was somewhere else though. Lola was nice. Really nice. She knew sign language, and she didn’t even comment on the fact that he didn’t speak! He definitely needed to ask her about Wiley. But not today, of course. He needed to build more of a bond with her first. That would be a weird thing to ask someone about so soon after meeting them.

That’s what he had initially planned, anyway. But the next week, when she sat next to him, he signed immediately, without thinking. 

[Who is that guy who you hang out with?] As soon as he signed it, he flushed. What the hell was he doing! He barely knew the woman! This was only their second class together! She was totally going to think he was creepy.

She stared at him for a second, thinking. “Bugs? He’s my friend. He is kind of a little bastard-”

Rhodey shook his head. [The other one. With glasses.]

She didn’t respond for a moment. A small smile played on her lips. “Do you mean Wiley?”

Rhodey nodded, embarrassed.

Something danced in Lola’s eyes. “Where have you seen him before? All he does is study. That man has almost no social life.”

[I’ve just… seen him around. I was curious about him.]

Lola rested her chin on her palm. “I bet you were.” Rhodey’s cheeks warmed. What did she mean by that? 

“What do you want to know?”

Rhodey shrugged a little. [Anything.] Everything. He wanted to know everything.

She leaned back. “Hmm, let’s see. His name is Wiley Koyote. Here’s his name sign.” She showed him. He mimicked it, then stifled a smile. He finally knew his name sign.

[I saw him signing. Does he communicate with ASL too?]

She nodded. “Yup! He has selective mutism. But it’s real serious, I don’t think he’s spoken a word aloud in years. He prefers just to sign.”

Rhodey nodded. Wow, so they both were essentially mute. He was someone else who could understand the everyday struggles of not being able to speak, and how difficult it can be living in a vocal world. And that someone else just so happened to be the hottest man Rhodey had ever seen. Not that that mattered, of course.

Lola tapped her chin. “What else? He’s the biggest geek of all time. He loves studying, and he’s an engineering major.”

He knew it! Of course Wiley would be in a cool major like that. 

Rhodey, rather embarrassingly, felt himself turn pink as he asked, [So… does he have a girlfriend?]

Lola’s smile only grew. “Why? Are you interested?”

Rhodey frantically shook his head. [No! I was just… curious.]

“Sureee!” She teased, giggling. 

Rhodey couldn’t help but notice that she didn’t give him a clear answer, but it would be incredibly mortifying to ask again- so he awkwardly signed, [Thanks for telling me about him.]

“No problem! But if you’re really wanting to get to know him, I’d just talk to him yourself. It could never hurt him to make more friends.”

Rhodey definitely didn’t want to be friends, but he wasn’t about to tell Lola that.

[Maybe I will, thank you.]

She just looked at him, her smile a little too knowing. He looked away, and tucked some hair behind his ears. 

Just talk to Wiley. That’s exactly what he was going to do! No more watching him from afar, no more waiting around for next week’s meet. He was going to befriend him, today!

* * *

A week later, he laced up his running shoes, preparing for the meet, slightly bitterly. He did not talk to Wiley. He tried a few times to visit him in the library, but every time he laid his eyes on those cute glasses and dark eyes, he would almost involuntarily whip around and leave.

Why couldn’t he just talk to him? It shouldn’t be that hard! He had literally no trouble talking to anyone else. In fact, so many people had been talking to him recently that he was sure that he had no issues with communicating with anyone- he had even gotten good at typing stuff out on his phone, which used to annoy him. It didn’t make him anxious or stressed to interact with people- in fact, he was rather outgoing and extroverted. 

So how come whenever he was in the same room as Wiley, his hands wouldn’t work and his feet would force him away? 

Whatever. It didn’t matter, because Wiley should be at the meet today. Basically everyone he knew was going! And he knew Wiley wasn’t sick, he was just fine in the food court today- meaning he had no reason to miss the sports event. 

As he stepped out onto the track, the blinding lights shining on him, he desperately scanned the crowd. 

Where were those cute glasses? Where were those dark, focused eyes? They would be focused only on him tonight, right?

But he didn’t see him. When his eyes found Lola, her blonde hair shimmering in the crowd, his heart jumped- but he didn’t see Wiley. The only person next to her was a man with messy bleached white hair and hazel skin. Not Wiley.

Did he not come? Rhodey’s heart sank a little. Why wouldn’t he come? He supposed that Wiley was a hard worker, but he didn’t even want to see a sports game?
Whatever, he didn’t even care! It was no big deal. Time to focus on the competition. Wiley would definitely come to the next one.

* * *

He didn’t. 

Rhodey huffed softly, looking out into the crowd two weeks later at the following meet. His eyes found Lola again, with the same man as last time next to her, who she had confirmed to be their other friend, Bugs- but no Wiley.

He was annoyed. After he had done so well at his first meet, he had been boosted into new heights of popularity, which had been fun, but slightly nerve racking. He had hoped that due to his success, Wiley would be curious and come to this one. Clearly he wasn’t curious enough.

Rhodey needed to up his game- he needed Wiley to see him. He wanted nothing more than those dark eyes to finally be looking at him. 

Only him.

He steeled himself to run. Time to wow everyone. When the whistle sounded, he took off, flying free across the track. 

His eyes were locked in on the finish line, but his mind was elsewhere. 

If he ran fast enough, Wiley would notice him. Wiley would see him. They would finally talk, and hopefully, he’d be able to charm Wiley into spending more time with him. 

What if they got together? 

What would his hands feel like on his waist? 

What would his lips taste like?

Rhodey squeezed his eyes shut as he flew across the finish line. He smiled as the crowd lost their minds. He had finished far before his fellow competitors. When he joined his teammates, high fiving them all, he just hoped that the rest of his races would go that well. Maybe then, Wiley would finally come to the next meet.

He steeled his resolve. He would make that man notice him, if his life depended on it.

* * *

“Rhodey, you were so incredible!” A woman squealed. He didn’t know her- in fact, he didn’t know anyone in the group of students that surrounded him as he tried to walk to his class.

[Thank you.] He signed, trying to squeeze past them all.

Someone gently grabbed his shoulder. “Don’t go yet, I have a question to ask you.” She giggled.

Jesus, here we go again.

He smiled slightly stiffly. [What is it?]

“Well.. I think you’re really cool. Would you want to go to the arcade later? Like… as a date? My treat!” 

Her friends shoved her gently, all giggling.

He pulled out his phone, sighing softly as he typed. Sorry, I’m very flattered! But I’m not interested. I’d love to just be friends though!

She pouted, then turned on her heels and walked away without another word. Her friends kept giggling as they followed after her.

One girl remained. “You can say no, but I’m throwing a party the day after your next meet. It’s just for fun! Please come. It would be great to have you there, and a lot of people are coming. You can invite whoever you want!” She smiled at him.

Hm. A party could be fun! Maybe Wiley would be there. He nodded, smiling. He pulled out a sticky note and wrote his number on it. Text me the details. Thanks!

She took the note and beamed, then winked and followed her friends.

God, and he thought he was getting hit on a lot before the track meets? That was nothing. He could barely walk anywhere without getting bothered anymore. 

Whatever- he’d go to that party, and if Wiley wasn’t there, he’d leave.

He walked into his Biology class, and sat heavily beside Lola.

“Hey Rhodey! I saw your meet the other day. You’re so fast, it’s amazing to watch!”

Rhodey shrugged a little, smiling. [I’m glad you enjoyed it.] Then he fiddled slightly with his hands. 

“What is it? Is something on your mind?” She asked kindly.

He shrugged again. He would not bother her with this. He wouldn’t do it. He wouldn’t!

[Was Wiley busy? I didn’t see him there last night.] 

Fuck, he couldn’t help it.

A knowing smirk crept on her face, making his cheeks warm. “You noticed that he didn’t come? That’s interesting.”

[I just… he knows sign language! I think it would be cool to get to know him. That’s all.]

“Mhm. Yeah. Well, he just isn’t a big fan of sports. He’d much rather be cooped up in his room, working on schoolwork. What a lunatic, am I right?” She laughed.

Rhodey’s heart sank. [So he won’t ever come to one?]

She looked at him sympathetically. “I don’t know, Rhodey.”

He frowned a little. Now was not the time to worry about this, the professor had just shown up.

Throughout the lecture, his mind worked tirelessly. How could he convince Wiley to come? Preferably without having to talk to him first- he’s sure he would just mess that up.

As the lecture finished, and Lola began to pack her things, he gently grabbed her arm. She turned her attention to him, and he signed quickly. [Wait, Lola- What if you made him go to the meet? Like- convinced him that it would be fun?]

She blinked at him, then giggled a little. 

He suddenly felt very sheepish. [Or not. Maybe instead…] A thought struck him. [There’s a party next week, the day after my meet. I was told to invite anyone. Would you want to go? Could you maybe get Wiley to come with you as well?] 

He was basically pleading, which was very embarrassing, but if it meant he could meet Wiley, he could bear it. 

Lola looked so gleeful that it was almost hard to look at.

“I can definitely try! Worse come to worse I’ll just lie about the party and say we’re going to study. Send me the deets when you get them!! This will be so fun.” She pulled out her phone and passed it to him.

He smiled as he punched in his phone number. She would get him to come! If not to the meet, then at least to the party! He would get to finally, finally talk to Wiley.

Lola was smiling smugly as he handed the phone back.

[Please don’t tell him I asked you to do this.] He signed. He was sure that how he felt was being made incredibly obvious to Lola, but he didn’t care. It would all be worth it if Wiley came.

He also wouldn’t be able to survive the embarrassment if Wiley ever found out that Rhodey had practically begged his friend(?) to make him go to a track meet, just so that he would notice him.

“My lips are sealed!” She mimed zipping her mouth shut and throwing away the key. “I’ll see you at the next class, and then at your meet! And hopefully Wiley will too!” With that, she winked and skipped out of the classroom.

Rhodey covered his mouth to hide the smile on his face as he left the room. Wiley was going to notice him, as soon as next week!

Or… maybe he could finally build the courage to just… talk to him face to face. If he was going to do it, today was the day. He could make a good first impression, and then really wow him at the meet with his running abilities.

He changed direction and speedwalked to the library. His heart was pounding. He could do this.

He stood nervously behind a bookshelf, close to where Wiley was working. He paced a little bit, trying to calm his racing heart. Just talk to him. He could do it.

He paced a few more times, before something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

A woman was standing there, puzzled, watching Rhodey’s pacing. She glanced from Wiley to Rhodey, and he could see gears turning in her head. She was coming to some sort of conclusion, but Rhodey didn’t want to be there to find out what that was. He quickly sped out of the library, his face flaming. 

Damn it, another missed opportunity. Whatever! He just had to wait a little bit longer. Hopefully that girl wouldn’t tell Wiley about him staring. How creepy would that make him look! Wiley might think that he was stalking him, which he definitely wasn’t. 

Well, not outside of school, at least. 

* * *

Rhodey took a few deep breaths. He wasn’t even sure why he was nervous- he hadn’t asked Lola if Wiley had said yes to coming to the meet or not. He might not even be there tonight.

But he still had carefully done his hair in the mirror, pulling it back into his usual ponytail- except this time, he intentionally pulled out a few extra loose curls. Those looked good, right? Yeah. Then he picked out some cute diamond studded earrings. Those would definitely stand out.

He waited patiently for his turn to enter the track. Maybe Wiley would come, maybe he wouldn’t. Regardless, he needed to do his best. He couldn’t let the cute guy distract him. In fact, he wouldn’t even let himself search the crowd until he finished his first race. 

When it was finally his turn, he stuck to it. He refused to glance once at the audience. His teammate turned and said some sort of joke, and Rhodey laughed as he stretched, not entirely sure what he had even said. 

Don’t look around. Focus on the meet.

He repeated the mantra a few times in his mind as everyone lined up. When the whistle sounded, he took off. 

What if Wiley was here? Looking at him now? 

He smiled, imagining him sitting in the stands, transfixed.

When he crossed the finish line first, he threw his hands in the air and ran to his teammates. They high fived him and celebrated. 

Now he could look. He whipped his head around, doing his usual scan of the crowd. 

His eyes quickly fell on Lola, and next to her was… him.

Lola was standing, and Wiley had gripped her wrist. He signed something, but Rhodey was too far away to decipher it. Lola began to poke his nose a few times, and then sat back down.

Wiley laughed, and pushed his glasses back into place again.

He laughed. He laughed at Lola. She was tapping his nose playfully. Were they actually together? Had he read her wrong this whole time?

Suddenly, Wiley’s eyes fell on him. Rhodey was still squinting at Lola, and hadn’t reacted in time. Wiley looked around, trying to find what he was looking at, and Rhodey quickly spun around and faced away. 

How embarrassing! Wiley must’ve seen him glaring. What was going through his mind? Rhodey wasn’t glaring at him! 

No more looking. Not until the meet is over. He would just end up being too distracted to do a good job. Plus, he needed to look focused and cool if he wanted Wiley to think about him.

As the races continued, and Rhodey kept getting first place, he itched to look at Wiley. He was running extra quickly, mostly to impress the man. Knowing that he was watching made Rhodey feel extra confident and slightly smug. 

Wiley for sure knew he existed now. He was watching him run. Hopefully only him. 

When the final race finished, he stepped back out onto the track. People were filing out, but not Wiley. He was signing with Lola, who was smirking as she got up. She said something to him, and then reached out her hand, which he took. She pulled him to his feet. 

A possessive, jealous feeling crept into his stomach. How close were they? Did she absolutely have to be touching him like that? What were they talking about? Did he like the meet? Would he be at the party tomorrow? Were he and Lola dati-

“Hi Rhodey.” A soft voice called out.

Rhodey turned and found himself face to face with a woman who he hadn’t seen before. She had ginger hair, loose and wavy, falling down her shoulders, with green eyes and a floral sundress.

“My name is Annabelle. I’ve seen all your meets, and I’m really impressed with your skills.” She moved energetically as she talked. He smiled and nodded appreciatively. [Thank you.]

“Are you going to that party tomorrow?” She asked. Rhodey nodded. 

“Awesome! Me too. Maybe I’ll see you there?”

Rhodey nodded again. Then, because he couldn’t help it, his eyes strayed away. Wiley was almost out the main gate, but he was paused, his head fully turned in Rhodey’s direction, and he was staring directly at him.

When Rhodey caught him staring, Wiley startled and quickly looked away, rushing out of sight. 

Rhodey smirked a little to himself. He had no reason to be so nervous- Wiley clearly at least had some thoughts in his mind about Rhodey. He just needed to gauge what he was thinking.

The woman cleared her throat. Rhodey snapped his head back towards her, realizing that he had probably just looked like a total jerk. She was still smiling though. 

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

Rhodey nodded, then waved goodbye.

As he jogged home, he replayed Wiley’s look in his mind. Those dark eyes finally fell on him. He was hungry for more. He needed more. He had never really tried hard to flirt with someone before, but tomorrow would be the day. 

When his phone buzzed, he giggled softly to himself as he read her text.

Lola: Great job tonight! Wiley really liked watching you compete. Also he’s totally coming to the party tomorrow! I may or may not have just told him we would be studying. Good luck! :D

His heart jumped a little faster than normal. Wiley liked watching him compete. That could mean so many things. He was for sure coming to the party tomorrow. 

He would talk to him. 

He would flirt with him.

Wiley’s dark, intense eyes would be looking at him, up close.

Rhodey’s smile didn’t falter the rest of the trip home.

* * *

Rhodey carefully held up two different shirts against his chest in the bathroom mirror. Would the slightly cropped shirt, or tank top look cuter? Hm. Cropped. He pulled it on, then adjusted his hair. He let lots of loose curls fall, making the ponytail look intentionally messy. 

Which earring should he wear? Gold hoops would be cute. He stepped back, then spun in a circle. He looked good, hopefully. He wanted Wiley to be intimidated, and hopefully find him a little sexy. 

He had rehearsed what to say to Wiley the whole time he got ready. Be confident. Lay on the flirting a little thick. Make it as obvious to Wiley as possible that he was interested. Swallow down his nerves- now was not the time to be shy. Wiley would like the confidence, right?

Rhodey rubbed his eyes. The truth was that he wasn’t super confident. What if Wiley was dating Lola? Or maybe even someone else. What if he just wasn’t into men- or even worse, he was and just didn’t find Rhodey attractive?

Maybe, even if he didn’t like the look of him, he would be interested in confidence. Rhodey could be confident. He could be bold. He stood up straight and blew out a breath.

His doorbell rang. 

Moment of truth. He stepped out of his dorm and smiled at Lola. She beamed back. Her hair was in an elegant bun, and she had a pretty dress on, with makeup and high heeled boots. She looked really nice. 

[Cute outfit, you look great!]

“Aww stop! Your outfit is so much cuter.”

[You’re so sweet! And thank you for driving me.]

“Of course! Thank you for inviting me! This is going to be so much fun.”

Rhodey hoped so. [When will he be getting to the party?]

“Hmm, probably in about half an hour. This is going to be so fun! How excited are you? You’ve been trying to talk to him for so long!”

Rhodey flushed a little. [I’m excited to have someone else with mutism to have as a… friend.]

She smirked a little, but didn’t say anything else. When they arrived at the party, Rhodey steeled himself. He knew people would be fighting over his attention, but there was only one person he wanted to talk to. He could grin and bear it until Wiley showed up.

As expected, he was swarmed almost the second that he walked into the house. You would think he was some kind of celebrity with how people reacted to him. Sure, he was a good athlete, but he didn’t feel like that warranted this kind of attention.

He eventually made his way to the refreshments table, smiling and nodding along with what each person chatted with him about. 

His eyes landed on the alcohol. He normally tried to avoid drinking, but maybe it would give him a little extra confidence tonight. He waved Lola over.

“What’s up?”

[What’s the least alcoholic thing here? I just want to be a teensy bit buzzed.]

“Ooo, I think it’s that one. I think it’s lemonade and peach vodka? But everything here is really strong.” She sighed a little. “I’m jealous! I’m the designated driver this time, but next time it’s my turn to drink!” 

Rhodey laughed. [Of course. Thank you!] He grabbed a cup and took a swig. He recoiled. Ew! Holy shit, that was gross. Lola giggled at his disgust.

Whatever- drink it quickly and then he wouldn’t need to touch another cup. He chugged it, shuddering as the sharp aftertaste lingered in his mouth. His eyes landed on a baggie of sunflower seeds, which were his favorite. He grabbed it and started popping them in his mouth, hoping to get some of the icky taste off of his tongue. 

As he crunched on a few more seeds, a group of people came up to him.

They excitedly chatted with him about his meet. Rhodey politely nodded along. He glanced at Lola, who was looking at something on her phone. Then she smiled and skipped out of the room. Damn, he would’ve preferred a friendly face to chat with, rather than these people he didn’t know. He’s sure they were all very nice, but he wasn’t really in the mood to talk with them. He leaned against the table, smiling politely as one of the men excitedly told him about his upcoming football game.

Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder. He glanced over, and saw that Lola was back. Thank goodness. He calmly waved the group away, nodding his thank yous, then smiled at Lola.

“Wiley just got here! He’s over there!” She said, pointing behind her. Rhodey’s heart stuttered and he looked up.

There he was. 

Wiley stood, staring directly at him. His jaw was slack. He was wearing a band t-shirt, with baggy jeans. His hair was slightly messy, but in a cute way. His glasses were sort of crooked, and his dark eyes were wide. 

He looked delicious.

Rhodey smiled at him. Suddenly, he wasn’t nervous anymore, but he blamed that in part due to the alcohol in his system. He had never wanted anyone as much as he wanted the man in front of him, and he was going to be pulling out all the stops tonight.

He slowly looked Wiley up and down. He looked even better up close. Wiley carefully pushed his glasses up his nose.

He liked that. He nodded to Lola and walked up to him. 

He had to tip his chin up to make eye contact. Wiley was so tall. He really liked that.

[Hello, I’m Rhodey. You’re Wiley Koyote, right?] He signed.

Wiley’s eyes grew, if possible, even wider, and then he blinked. [You know ASL?]

His hands looked really good when they were signing. Rhodey giggled softly.

[Of course. I’m mute.] He responded.

Wiley nodded. [Same. Well.. sort of.]

He knew that already, of course. [Oh, I know.] He signed eagerly, then he paused. 

Oh god. Why would he sign that? That made him look totally creepy! He stilled for a moment, unsure of what to say next. How could he explain away that odd comment?

Luckily, Wiley continued before he had to. [So, how do you know Lola?]

Apparently Wiley didn’t find what he said to be weird at all. Rhodey blinked. Now would be a really good time to discover what their relationship was. [She and I sit next to each other in Biology.]

He paused, before asking, [How… do you know Lola?] 

Wiley shrugged. [She’s a childhood friend.] 

That should’ve been good enough, but Rhodey just couldn’t help himself. [So… just a friend? Not your girlfriend or anything?] 

Dumb! Why would he ask that!

Wiley snorted, seemingly amused at the very idea. [Not in a million years. Just friends.]

Rhodey immediately felt a hundred pounds lighter. He had guessed that they weren’t together, but after their seemingly flirty interaction at the meet, he hadn’t been so confident anymore.

[Good to know. Do you want anything to drink?] 

Wiley nodded. [Sure. Something not too strong though.] 

Rhodey nodded, then turned around. The second he wasn’t facing Wiley, his face melted into a gooey smile. 

Wiley wasn’t dating Lola. Rhodey was officially talking to him, face to face. He looked really good. Like, really really good. He silently huffed to himself as he poured a cup of vodka lemonade. He needed to calm down.

He vaguely wondered if Wiley would like the drink. He couldn’t imagine anyone liking it, but some people had an acquired taste for alcohol. 

He turned around, but froze when he saw where Wiley had been looking. Wiley’s eyes shot back up, locking with Rhodey’s, before he quickly looked away.

Rhodey couldn’t help it. His lips quirked up in a slightly smug smirk. He walked back to Wiley and grabbed his hand, feeling sparks where their skin made contact for the first time, then pressed the cup into his palm.

Feeling bold (and maybe a little tipsy), he signed slowly. [Hate to see me go, love to watch me leave, huh?]

As soon as he signed it, he was slightly embarrassed. He had never flirted with someone like that before. Actually, he never flirted with anyone ever before. Was that how you did it?

When Wiley's eyes widened and a warm flush spread to face, however, Rhodey felt a surge of confidence. 

He was so cute. Rhodey really wanted to taste his lips. But he would be patient. If he kissed him now, Wiley might freak out, and he definitely didn’t want that. 

Wiley looked down without responding and started to drink from his cup. Rhodey laughed lightly, and when Wiley choked on the nasty drink and yanked the cup away from himself as if it were poison, his laughter only intensified. Wiley’s face was scrunched in disgust as he looked inside the cup.

He coughed a little as he signed. [I thought I asked for something not very strong. What is even in this?!]

Rhodey tried, unsuccessfully, to stop giggling. [Sorry- that is the least strong drink they have. It’s strawberry lemonade and peach vodka.]

Wiley huffed a little and turned away, startling Rhodey a little bit. Had he messed up? Was Wiley upset with him? Oh god. He didn’t want that.

He carefully rested a hand on Wiley’s shoulder, and Wiley jumped slightly. His head whipped back to look at Rhodey.

[Okay, I’m really sorry. I should’ve told you how strong they were.] He signed.

Wiley just stared at him, wide eyed. Rhodey felt powerful under the man’s intense gaze. He never wanted him to look away. 

Simply because he couldn’t help himself, he reached up to brush some loose hair from Wiley’s forehead and adjusted his cute glasses, before he slid his hand down from Wiley’s shoulder to his chest. He wanted to touch him more. He wanted to do so much to Wiley, but he let his hand fall and continued signing.

[You’re coming to my next meet, right? I saw you there yesterday.] He inched slightly closer.

Wiley swallowed, and Rhodey’s eyes followed the movement in his throat. Then he nodded.

[Y’know, I was wondering when you would finally come see me on the track.] Rhodey admitted. Wiley looked around, as if trying to confirm that Rhodey was talking to him, and Rhodey had to stifle a snicker. Who else would he be talking to right now?

[Me? The first time I saw you was yesterday. Why were you wondering about me?] He signed, bewildered.

Rhodey huffed, trying not to pout. Of course he wouldn’t know. [Yesterday wasn’t my first time seeing you.] How much should he share? He didn’t want to make Wiley uncomfortable, but he wanted to convey to him just how interested he was.

Wiley blinked. [We’ve met before? I don’t think so, I know I would’ve remembered that.]

Rhodey paused. He hadn’t thought this far ahead. What should he say? Should he be honest? Yeah- honesty was best. It wasn’t that weird that Rhodey saw him on campus a lot, they did go to the same school. [No, I just see you around often. Your nose is always buried in a book. You’re almost always at the library, or in the engineering wing, sometimes in the food court. I go to all those places too.] He paused a little, before teasing. [You just don’t notice because you’re a bookworm.] 

He reached up and playfully pushed his shoulder. [I wouldn’t forget you. I like smart guys.]

Was all of that creepy? Would Wiley look at him with disgust? He hoped not. This had to convey that he was interested. How else could anyone take that interaction other than flirting? He just hoped that it wasn’t bad flirting.

Wiley was quiet for a moment, smiling softly, but looked relatively unfazed when he began to sign. [Thank you. I think athletes are really cool. How did you get to be so fast?] 

Rhodey fought the urge to pout as he shrugged. He didn’t want to talk about sports. All he wanted to do was shove his tongue down Wiley’s throat. [Practice, I guess. But I’ve always been quick.]

Suddenly, an idea struck him. This could be the perfect opportunity! [Would you practice with me tomorrow? I know it would be pretty early, but it would be nice to have a running buddy.]

He had never invited anyone to practice with him before. Normally, that was his sacred, ritualistic alone time, where he would listen to music and run for hours on end until he had to go to class. He normally started at around 5AM, so the chances are that Wiley would say no. That was pretty early, after all.

But then Wiley nodded, without any hesitation. Rhodey’s heart swelled, and he couldn’t stop the smile that split his face. They would be spending their mornings together!! 

[Let me see your phone.] He signed, trying not to jump up and down with giddyness. 

Wiley handed it over, and Rhodey typed out his phone number.

He paused a little on the name. What should he write? Just his name would be pretty boring.

He typed out Rhodey - Practice buddy, and then an idea bloomed. Hm. He added a heart emoji. There! Now Wiley couldn’t possibly think that Rhodey wasn’t interested. He sent himself a hello message, then handed back the phone, and watched as Wiley’s eyes rolled over the contact. 

Rhodey wanted nothing more than for those eyes to roll over him, but he could be patient. 

Wiley nodded his thank you. Rhodey grinned. 

Then, because he was feeling bold (and definitely a bit drunk), he held eye contact as he reached out a hand and ran it gently up Wiley’s wrist, all the way to his elbow, then dragged it back down. His skin felt nice. 

He did it a second time. What would those strong arms feel like wrapped around him? 

He repeated the motion one final time, feeling the goosebumps that had formed on Wiley’s arm. His eyes were wide in surprise and his lips were parted.

Rhodey let go of his arm, and had to hold back a small whine at the loss of contact. Then he stuck out his tongue, winked, and turned back towards the party, leaving Wiley stunned.

Holy shit he couldn't believe he just did that. He pressed his fingers to his lips, covering his smile. He had talked to Wiley. He had touched him. They would be hanging out more. Would they get together? Did Wiley think he was attractive? 

His head swirled with possibilities, each making him giddier than the last. When he turned around and craned his neck, Wiley was gone.

People started trying to talk to him, but his eyes sought one person. When he honed in on her, he pivoted and speedwalked in her direction.

Lola stood in the corner, laughing with a big group of people. She glanced over and noticed Rhodey. Her face lit up and she said something to her friends, breaking away and skipping towards him.

“Sooo? How did it go?” She chimed, clasping her hands together excitedly.

Rhodey smiled nervously. [I think it went well? I was mostly just happy he was finally looking at me.] He paused a little after signing. He realized just a second too late that that was a little bit of an odd thing to say, seeing as he hadn’t officially told Lola how he felt about Wiley yet.

Her face broke into a delighted grin. “Oh my god, I totally knew it!! You like him!” She poked his chest a few times playfully.

Rhodey covered his face, trying to hide how warm his face was as he shook his head.

“Don’t lie Rhodey! You do, don’t you?” She jumped up and down in her excitement. 

Rhodey peeked through his fingers, then nodded once, almost imperceptibly. 

She squealed. “Oh, this is so exciting!! You have to ask him out!”

Rhodey waved his hands in front of himself before signing. [No way! Not yet! I need to be sure he is interested before I do anything hasty!]

Lola sighed dreamily. “Whatever you think is best. This is literally the most amazing thing to ever happen to me. Little Wiley is growing up- he’s even getting cute athletes to like him!”

Rhodey blushed. Wiley was anything but little. How tall was he, anyway? He must be around 6’4”. That’s so hot. But Rhodey decided not to comment on that to Lola. Instead, he cleared his throat a little.

[I’m ready to leave wherever you are, no pressure though!] Now that Wiley had left, he didn’t see any reason to stay. 

Lola nodded. “I’m good to head out now. Let me grab my things real quick!”

As they walked out the door, Lola pulled out her phone and began to type. 

“I’m just texting Wiley really quick!” She said as she finished typing the message and sent it.

Oh, that was a good idea. He should text Wiley. 

But what should he say? Something mildly flirty would probably be good. 

As he sat down in Lola’s car, he pulled out his own phone and smiled when he saw the message that he had sent to himself from Wiley’s phone.

Wiley’s phone number was right there. In his phone. He could hypothetically text Wiley anything that he wanted, and he would see it. 

Okay, nothing weird. Just something short and simple, that still felt a little flirty.

He carefully typed out a message.

See you tomorrow morning, handsome.

That was pretty normal, right? Wiley was objectively handsome. He must hear it all the time. Yeah, that was good. He hit send before he could overthink, then giggled a little to himself.

“Whatcha laughing at?” Lola asked, smirking a little.

Rhodey shook his head. [Nothing.]

She shrugged, then resumed paying attention to the road.

Rhodey looked out the car window, smiling to himself.

He and Wiley would practice together in the mornings.

He would get to see his cute face with his cute glasses. His messy hair and dark eyes. He would find a way to have them brush against each other tomorrow. He needed to make contact with him again.

He shivered a little, then sat up, determined.

His goal was set, and his mind was made up. He was going to make Wiley Koyote his. No matter what. 

And when Rhodey Roberts set a goal, he always, always achieved it.