It's been three months since Wenhan noticed the smiling boy with the black fang earrings and mud-streaked legs on the field, and he's still barely done a thing about the stupid crush.

 

He calls it a crush, but it feels like more than that. A lot more. Something about Cho Seungyoun messes with his heart and head more than any other crush ever did, but Wenhan tries to brush it off. It works—to a point.

 

So Wenhan just keeps watching Seungyoun from afar, because, sure, he may be one of the swim team's top swimmers, but he's sure not a top player in the romance category.

 

---

 

Sungjoo is relentless in his attempts to get Wenhan to do something, but Wenhan is stubborn. 

 

"Stubbornly stupid," Sungjoo scoffs jokingly after yet another failed attempt to push Wenhan to confess. 

 

Wenhan ignores him as he picks at his lunch. Seungyoun is sitting at a table a few ways away, eyes crinkled in laughter. Wenhan struggles to hold back a smile when the soccer player mimics kicking a ball and bangs his knee on the underside of the table. His friend, the blond freshman Wang Yibo, looks at him, unimpressed.

 

"Honesty, Han," Sungjoo continues, hitting Wenhan lightly to get his attention back. "I don't know how much longer I can stand you mooning over that guy all the time. Just ask him out already!"

 

"Shut up," Wenhan hisses out of the corner of his mouth as he quickly turns his head away from Seungyoun's table. "His friend's looking over here!"

 

"Who- oh, , Wang Yibo-" Sungjoo says in a startled whisper. He ducks his head behind his backpack faster than Wenhan's ever seen him react, making him wonder briefly if the older had neglected to tell him something about his own romantic interests. He risks a glance back at Seungyoun's table; the brunet seems to have already recovered from his injury and has resumed his animated retelling of some soccer story, even though it looks like Yibo is hardly listening.

 

The bell rings then, and Wenhan stands up quickly, throwing his backpack over his shoulder, and rushes off to his next class before Sungjoo can say a single word. Unbeknownst to him, Seungyoun approaches the table just moments after, frowning in the direction he had run. He says something, a disappointed look on his face, to Sungjoo, who shakes his head and makes a "my lips are sealed" motion before walking off. Seungyoun's face falls.

 

 

---

 

Second place. 

Wenhan tears his goggles and swimcap off and wipes the water off his face with a groan as he plants his elbows on the pool deck, bobbing slightly. He's sure he's gained at least a second, probably more. He leans across the lane line to give one of the other swimmers a courteous high-five, then hauls himself out of the pool and starts towards the showers. 

"Wenhan!" The voice stops him short, and he turns to see who called him, heart jumping into his throat when he sees.

Cho Seungyoun is running across the slick pool deck towards him (Wenhan's surprised he doesn't slip), a nervous grin on his face. "Hey, uh, good job," he says as he comes to a halt in front of Wenhan. There's a barely noticeable tremor in his voice that Wenhan just catches; he contemplates it somewhere in the back of his head but most of his thoughts are taken up by things like Cho Seungyoun is talking to you!!!

"Thanks," Wenhan blurts out in reply. He shifts awkwardly and runs a hand through his still-dripping hair. He notices Seungyoun's eyes widen and drop down from his face to his chest, trailing down his body. It flatters him, the flush rising in Seungyoun's cheeks, even when Wenhan himself is struggling to form coherent sentences because god, he's cute. He suddenly remembers that they're still standing next to the pool in plain sight, even though most everyone else's attention is on the swimmers, and says, "Um, what-"

"I came to watch you swim and then I wanted to ask-" Seungyoun breaks off, bright red, then takes a shaky breath and continues in a trembling voice, "I wanted to ask if you'd go out with me."

He laces his fingers behind his back, blushing fiercely, and looks wide-eyed at Wenhan. Wenhan stares back at him; every nerve in his brain seems to have short-circuited to the point where all he can do is open and close his mouth silently. A hesitant grin grows on Seungyoun's face.

"Yes," Wenhan finally manages to choke out. "Definitely yes."

Seungyoun's smile is impossibly wide, impossibly bright. "Great - great - oh my god-" He looks like he's going to burst from excitement, until he says quickly, "Friday after school at the Plaza - ditch practice for once?"

Wenhan nods. "Friday after school at the Plaza," he repeats. He gives Seungyoun a warm smile. "See you there."

He turns and walks away, weaving through the crowd, and only when he's in the locker room drying off does he really process what just happened. He stifles a squeal - a squeal - with his towel, then glances around to make sure no one is there to witness his idiocy. 

Friday won't come fast enough.

 

---

 

"Oh my gosh!!" Sungjoo almost shrieks when Wenhan tells him the news on Friday. Wenhan flinches. "I told you he likes you," he continues smugly. Wenhan mutters a "shut up, zhuzi" in reply, but Sungjoo continues to gloat anyways. 

He torments Wenhan until the end of the day (Wenhan is seriously reconsidering his chocie in friends), when Wenhan takes off as soon as the bell rings to get to the plaza down the street. Sungjoo laughs at his swiftly retreating back, until he spots a head of long blond hair headed his way and he shuts up faster than Wenhan could ever get him to.

Wenhan slows as he walks into the Plaza's boba shop, looking around for the familiar smiling face he's supposed to meet. When he doesn't see him in the building, he frowns and sits down at a table by himself after buying a drink, watching the door like a hawk. After a few minutes, someone walks in that Wenhan recognizes, but it's not Seungyoun; Zhou Yixuan, the twenty-one year old whose family lives across the street, strolls in confidently, black hair messy. The long-legged college student orders something, then spots him as he turns from the cashier. He walks over to Wenhan with a smile and sits down across from him. 

"Hey, haven't seen you in a while," he says in greeting. Wenhan takes a sip of his drink and mumbles a vague response. Yixuan's eyebrows knit together immediately. (He's always been the doting mother type.) "What's happened?" he asks, concern in his voice.

"My date's late." Knowing Seungyoun, Wenhan supposes he shouldn't be surprised, but he's still a little downed. Yixuan's surprise irks him more than that, though.

"Date?" Yixuan blinks. "Sorry, I mean, it's just... wait, who?"

"Cho Seungyoun, you probably don't know-" Wenhan's mouth snaps shut when the shop door opens and Seungyoun finally comes in. He jumps up and says loudly, "Seungyoun!" Seungyoun's head turns so Wenhan's afraid he's broken his neck, then the younger breaks out into a grin and he rushes over. 

"Sorry, I got kept after class, I'm really..." Seungyoun trails off as he locks eyes with Yixuan, who is looking up at him with a mix of amusement and appraisal. Wenhan groans inwardly. "Uh, hi."

"Hello," Yixuan says politely. He stands up and moves aside, motioning for Seungyoun to sit. "I was just talking to Wenhan, but I'll take my leave now." He retrieves his drink that just then was brought out (Wenhan wonders if this was planned, with that kind of convenient timing) and leaves with a wave of his hand. Seungyoun watches him until he's out the door, then sits down where he was sitting and gives Wenhan a questioning look.

"Family friend," Wenhan says before Seungyoun can ask. "Don't worry about it." Seungyoun's obvious confusion fades, and he brightens considerably.

"Oh, okay." Seungyoun puts both elbows on the table and rests his head on his hands and says, "So, um, what's up?"

Wenhan feels a laugh, more awkward than anything, rise in his throat. "Not much. Want a drink?" He jerks his head in the direction of the cashier. Seungyoun shrugs.

"Not really feeling like it. Too nervous." Seungyoun lets out an embarassed laugh. "I know this sounds super weird and stuff but I've had a crush on you since like freshman year and okay yeah now that I say it out loud that is really weird but..." He meets Wenhan's eyes, the color that's already starting to become familar in his cheeks, and continues, "and Yibo's made me think you like me too - I mean since this is happening obviously you don't hate me but, I mean, uh." 

Wenhan finds himself leaning forward and taking one of Seungyoun's hands in his as he smiles widely. "Oh my god, Seungyoun," he says softly. Seungyoun stares at him bemusedly. "Hell yeah I like you."

"Oh." 

Wenhan's had awkward first dates, but this is almost painfully awkward, even though they're both red and smiling. Yet Wenhan keeps pushing, keeps blurting out confessions and getting Seungyoun's in return, until an hour later he feels like he knows everything about the soccer player with the black fang earring who wears his heart on his sleeve and the employees are getting tired of their presences. 

They walk out together a few minutes past the hour mark and then just before they part ways, Seungyoun turns puppy-dog eyes on him and asks shyly, "Can I kiss you?"

"Wow, how old are you, twelve?" Wenhan laughs. But he faces Seungyoun anyways and tentatively leans forward, eyes closing themselves as they get closer. Seungyoun's lips are soft aginst his, and he somehow he smells like cotton candy, and it's short, short and sweet, and Wenhan's heart flutters like a trapped bird and he knows he's going to be stuck on Cho Seungyoun for a long, long time.

 

---