The next day, nothing had changed in the world, but Tawan and Fah's world was different.
They did not say it, not exactly. There were no grand speeches; only an unspoken understanding that fell between them when eyes crossed outside of class. This is ours for now.
No one on campus knew. They still bickered in public, but their arguments felt different now—lighter, filled with secret smiles no one else understood.
"Move," Fah hissed at the workshop doorway as Tawan leaned against the frame, blocking it.
"You could say please," Tawan said, grinning in a way that annoyed Fah.
"You're in the way."
"And yet you're smiling."
Fah realized too late that he was. He gently shoved against Tawan's shoulder, pushing him aside. Tawan stepped, but not in time to withdraw as he breathed, "Meet me on the rooftop after class."
Fah's ears burned.
---
The engineering building roof was deserted when Fah arrived. A gentle breeze ruffled his hair. He spotted Tawan sitting on the low wall, sleeves rolled up on his white shirt, looking utterly at ease.
"You came," Tawan said matter-of-factly.
"You instructed me to," Fah said, attempting to be even-toned but losing it; his heart pounded in his chest.
Tawan hopped down and closed the space between them until they were almost touching. "You keep following instructions so well."
"Shut up," Fah said, but he didn't step back.
Tawan's grin turned softer. "You okay? Yesterday was… a lot."
Fah nodded once. "Yeah."
"That's it? Just yeah?" Tawan teased, but his voice was quieter this time.
Fah's breath hitched. "…I'm glad."
Tawan's eyes warmed right away. "Me too."
And then, as naturally as breathing, Tawan leaned in. The kiss was gentle at first—a light touch, a question—but Fah lifted his chin, responding eagerly. It deepened slowly, as the first swallow of something warm. Tawan's arms around Fah's waist, holding him secure but not pushing; Fah's hands around Tawan's shirt, hesitantly, then gripping hard.
They parted to breathe, and Tawan rested his forehead on Fah's.
"You know that this is kind of addictive, right?" Tawan breathed.
"You started it," Fah said, though his voice was gasping.
Tawan smiled gently. "I like to start things with you."
They kissed again—this time slower and longer, a kiss that built and built until Fah was dizzy and laughed softly into Tawan's mouth when they finally broke away.
---
After that, the rooftop belonged to them.
Between classes, they stole moments: quick kisses hidden behind doorways, quiet jokes they shared that no one else understood, hands that brushed briefly enough to create sparks. They kept their cool in front of friends, but sometimes Tawan would look at Fah across the cafeteria in a furtive way that made Fah's stomach flip.
At night, Tawan would stand outside Fah's dorm sometimes. They'd huddle whispering about small things—tests, awful food, absurd gossip—shoulder to shoulder, before Tawan would nudge Fah's chin and kiss him into another grin that left them both smiling like kids.
It wasn't stupid. It wasn't for show. It was just theirs.
One night, after yet another borrowed hour atop the roof, Tawan placed a hand against the side of Fah's face and touched his cheekbone with his thumb. His voice gentled in a way Fah had never experienced before.
"You make me… happy, you know that?"
Fah's chest stuttered. He didn't dare to say much, so he nodded instead, leaning forward until their noses bumped.
"Good," Tawan breathed, and he kissed him again, slow and deliberate.
For once, Fah didn't care who might see or what happened next. He let himself desire—softly, passionately—hanging onto Tawan to him under the starlight, where no one could find them.