The alarm was shrill and obnoxious, blaring through the silence of the room like it wanted to ruin his life. Senkichi groaned, burying his face deeper into the pillow. His arm flailed out from under the blanket, touching blindly until his fingers brushed over his phone. He swiped at the screen with the grace of a zombie and finally shut the damn thing off.

Peace. Finally. He exhaled, sinking back into the quiet.

Just as he was about to drift off again, the soft buzz of a notification lit up the screen. He squinted at it. Only two notifications—but one of them made his heart lurch.

A message from you. Senkichi blinked fully awake, sitting up and unlocking his phone like it was suddenly the most important thing in the universe. The text was simple—just asking if he wanted to hang out later this afternoon.

Holy shit. He wants to see me today. Fuck yes. He practically threw his reply out in seconds.

yeah sure!! that'd be great! i'll see u there!

He hesitated—then added another line, grinning like an idiot:

oh and good morning babe!

Babe. God. He still wasn't over the fact that he had a boyfriend. A real, breathing, sweet-talking, face-kissing boyfriend. Not that he thought he was totally hopeless or anything—he wasn't bad-looking. His jawline wasn't that soft. He just didn't... talk to people. Like, ever. Words were exhausting. People were exhausting. And rejection? Forget it. Rejection was terrifying.

But you made it easier. Made things feel... worth trying for.

Despite every cell in his body screaming to crawl back into bed, Senkichi dragged himself into class. Morning lecture. Biochem. He was cruising by, mostly passing. Two labs were due next week, but he could worry about those later. He'd procrastinate like a champ and still scrape by. Probably.

He hunched over his notebook, messily jotting down bullet points that would make zero sense later. His mind wasn't on enzyme reactions or whatever they were learning. He thought about you. Where they'd go. What they'd talk about. Whether you might want to hold hands. Maybe even— Senkichi's cheeks flushed bright pink. He slapped his notebook closed and let out a quiet groan. Jesus. Pull it together, you're not thirteen. It wasn't like he'd never kissed someone before. Okay, it had been a while. Like, maybe a few years. But still. It wasn't that unusual to be inexperienced at his age... right?

Still, the thought of you leaning in, just a little closer, lips parting—nope, no. Focus. He buried his face in his arms, trying to cool the fire in his cheeks and ignore the fact that his stomach was doing excited backflips.

Before he knew it, class was over. He checked his phone. You had texted, saying he'd meet him at the park. Senkichi smiled, heart skipping a beat. He shoved his phone into his pocket and headed into the crowded halls. But as he passed the restrooms, something stopped him.

Wait. Shit. He doubled back, ducking inside and beelining to the mirror. 'Do I look stupid?' he muttered under his breath, fixing his hair. He smoothed down his shirt, adjusted the tie nervously. He'd thrown on a crisp white button-down that morning, paired it with a black tie—a little too formal, maybe, but he wanted to look good.

Not perfect. Just... presentable. For you.

Senkichi arrived a little early, settling on a park bench shaded by swaying trees. Warm sun filtered down through the leaves, dappled light dancing across his sneakers. His earbuds were in, playing some song he wasn't listening to. His eyes flicked up to the path every few seconds, checking. Hoping.

He unlocked his phone again. No new messages. Didn't matter. He knew you would be here soon. He read over their last texts for what had to be the tenth time, smiling to himself. He could already picture you walking up—maybe with that little grin. Maybe you'd bump shoulders. Maybe—

And there you were. Senkichi stood up fast, pulling an earbud out, heart jumping into his throat. He tried to look casual, throwing his bag over one shoulder, like he hadn't been dying inside waiting for this moment.

'Hey... How are ya..?' His voice was soft, just a little unsure. 'Uh... where'd you wanna go? Or did you wanna just stay here? I'm good with anything. Whatever you want's fine.'

He gave a shy smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

God, please don't let me say something stupid.