WinYang School

@Liu Yangyang Why was Yangyang only thinking about studying whenever he was around Sicheng! That wasn't how it was between them from the beginning! Sicheng had to nip this behavior before he became nothing more than just a study partner for Yangyang. "No...it's the weekend. We should take it easy," he said. "Thre's a new cafe that opened up...my friend has been telling me about it. Would you like to check it out with me?" In fact, it had been Minjeong who had told him about the new cafe, as she wanted Sicheng to go there with her. He didn't mention her name to Yangyang though, not wanting him to get upset and throw a fit in the restaurant. Picking up the cup of water that Yangyang filled for him, Sicheng made sure the younger could see him deliberately drinking from it. "Do you live close by? I can go meet you at your place first...if you'd like."

@Dong Sicheng While Yangyang debated whether or not he should get a soda to go with his meal, Dong Sicheng was distracted. Yangyang could see it on his face, clear as day. If he was thinking about Minjeong again, Yangyang was going to kill the both of them himself. "Hm?" Yangyang filled their waters to show Sicheng how considerate he could be. "Sure," he answered casually, even though his heart began to race, skipping a beat, even. "I think I got time. Should I bring my homework?"

@Liu Yangyang Yangyang's remark only served to further convince Sicheng that the younger really had feelings for him, which only made his heart feel even more sore as he thought about Juyeon receiving the coffee that had originally been meant for him. Sicheng had spoken stupidly back then, assuming the worst in Yangyang, but at this point, he couldn't just go back on his words. He glanced down at the menu, pretending to busy himself with reading through the options. In reality, he felt that his appetite had all but disappeared, but he had to satify Yangyang anyways. "Eo...a tteokbokki then," he murmured after a while, setting the menu down to finally look at Yangyang. He had already said it last time, about his feelings towards the younger. Would it be too much for him to reiterate himself? "Then...would you like to get coffee with me next time?" he asked, "Not during Office Hours, but maybe over the weekend?" If Yangyang still liked him, then surely he'd accept getting coffee together right? It wasn't as if Sicheng was asking the younger to buy him a coffee at this point!

@Dong Sicheng "No, only the ones I like," Yangyang replied without missing a beat. He wasn't sure what Sicheng was trying to get at, and he wasn't sure if he was allowed to assume Sicheng was being jealous. How could he—what right did he have—when he was the one who turned Yangyang down every time when Yangyang was trying to lure him into that trap? If Sicheng promised to stop letting Minjeong into the room when Yangyang was there, he /might/ consider changing his session back to Sicheng's. "What did I say I wanted earlier? Oh right, tuna gimbap. We can get a soup or tteokbokki, too. You pick which one."

@Liu Yangyang Yangyang's praise only made Sicheng sink even deeper into a rut. What did the younger mean by saying all those things? Was it possible that...he was interested in his new TA now? Sicheng couldn't exactly contest against the younger's accusations either, since it was true that he had not drank the coffee Yangyang brought for him on all the past occasions. He couldn't exactly help the fact that other students did come to him for tutorial, but Yangyang wouldn't try to know or understand that. When they arrives at the restaurant, Sicheng sat down across from Yangyang, staring blankly at the younger's face than the menu. His brows were furrowed, but he didn't quite have an opinion. Right now, he felt no hunger, but there was a very deep-rooted warmth within him that both irked and sustained him. "Do you do that for all your TAs?" he asked, answering Yangyang's innocent question with a rather scathing one of his own.

@Dong Sicheng "Of course it makes me happy," Yangyang said, his feet taking him to School Food on autopilot. "Juyeon hyung is really nice. He always thanks me for the coffee, and he even had a slice of cake waiting for me last time I went. He says my Chinese is really good," Yangyang boasted. "On the other hand, what have you done? You waste all my coffee and always have Kim Minjeong around asking stupid questions. Of course I prefer Juyeon hyung's sessions over your sessions." After his harsh verbal assault, Yangyang pulled Sicheng abruptly into the restaurant. "We're here." As a campus restaurant during the lunch hour, there was a bit of a rush, but Yangyang found them a table near the centre of the floor. "What should we eat?"

@Liu Yangyang Not going to lie, Yangyang's bold statement hurt Sicheng's feelings. He thought he had been very patient in fielding the younger's question. While he did understand Yangyang changing sections in the moment of anger between them, he didn't think Yangyang would try to stay there permanently. That inevitably drew a pout to his lips as he stayed silent, not having any heart to tell Yangyang that it wasn't a good choice. Because that wasn't true. Juyeon was also a good TA in the class. Though he wasn't a native Mandarin speaker, he could easily teach the tones and grasp the core content that Professor Chen expected them to. Sicheng trailed along behind Yangyang, and after they passed by the crowd, he finally said in a sulking tone, "If that's what makes you happy..."

@Dong Sicheng Yangyang laughed, short and harsh. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he asked. Although his words were cold, he still held Sicheng's hand, bold whenever he had a chance to fluster Sicheng. He could tell Sicheng was feeling shy, evident by his twitching fingers and the fumbling of his words. "Well, if you must know, I switched sections. Juyeon hyung is my TA now, so don't make excuses trying to get me into your office. I'll know if you're pulling your dirty tricks again!" They crossed the street together, and although a crowd of students headed toward them from the opposite direction, Yangyang didn't falter. "He's very appreciative of my coffees, so I think I'll stay with him."

@Liu Yangyang "Eo...let's go to School Food then," Sicheng agreed, trying to recall in his head what that place was. His mind didn't get to focus for long though, since Yangyang had picked up his hand, and it almost sent him into overdrive. Sicheng cleared his throat, blinking and looking around to try and control himself. Should he slacken his grip? Tighten it? Right now, his hand rested rather limply in Yangyang's, and he was being pulled along like he was walking an overexcited puppy. Trying not to focus too much on the fact that their hands were intertwined, Sicheng asked again, "So uhm...you haven't really come to Office Hours recently. Is everything going well for you in the course?"

@Dong Sicheng Although the gift could be an olive branch, it could be the start of Sicheng's treacherous plan, too. Yangyang couldn't let the heated kiss in Sicheng's office get to him so easily. It could very well be just another step in Sicheng's plan to drag Yangyang, and Yangyang couldn't afford to let his guard down too low, no matter how much he wanted it to. "I want to go to School Food," he said, figuring he'd save Sicheng the stress of deciding. "It's a gimbap kind of day." With that, Yangyang picked up Dong Sicheng's hand. He told himself it was because two can play at /this/ game, but deep down, he wasn't even able to hide from himself that it was because he just really wanted to hold Sicheng's hand while they headed to lunch, pretending everything was normal between them.

@Liu Yangyang Sicheng had the tendency to scratch the back of his hand when he was unsure of something. Without full certainty that Yangyang would accept his gift, he began to scratch the back of his hand again, all the way until he could feel release as the younger put the sewing kit away. That was a good sign! And then from there, things were awkward. T least for Sicheng. He didn't know where to go from this. Should he offer to walk Yangyang back to the main meeting hall?

"Well, I'm actually about to get lunch. Do you want to come with me?"

"Sure," Sicheng accepted once again, a smile spreading unknowingly on his face as Yangyang extended their time together. He had never actually beamed so brightly /towards/ Yangyang before, so he had to tone his excitement down just a little, "Where would you like to go eat?" he asked, ready to accept anything. Since he and Yangyang were going to get lunch, that had to mean...the barrier between them had somewhat come down, right?

@Dong Sicheng The thought of Sicheng gifting a sewing kid to someone else made Yangyang's stomach churn. He snatched the kit from Sicheng, inspecting it quickly before snapping it shut and putting it in his bag. "Not sure if I feel better yet, but it's a start," he said, as nonchalant as he could afford. He really thought Sicheng would ask him to lunch, but it turned out he only wanted to give him a little gift, which wasn't the worst, Yangyang supposed. It was a gift that Sicheng put some thought into. Yangyang would have to cut him a little slack, to show how pleased he was. "Well, I'm actually about to get lunch. Do you want to come with me?"

@Liu Yangyang Yangyang must've assumed that Sicheng had some kind of stronghold over the school staff to even fathom that he'd do something as reckless as poison a whole cafeteria's worth of food. Ridiculous as that accusation sounded (and was), it still managed to make Sicheng stumble of his words and stammer, "Wh-what? No, I was just wondering." Yangyang was too unpredictable, so it was a lot for Sicheng to process while trying to also get his point across, "Anyways...I wanted to give this to you," he said, clearing his throat and holding out the small bag. Inside was a long box with a set of sewing materials packed into a travel-sized container. "Since your costumes were ruined last time...I thought this might help you feel better." Sicheng thought for a moment, then threw in, "But if you don't like it, that's okay. Just leave it in the design room...someone else can take it."

@Dong Sicheng Yangyang spun around, backing up into a rack when Sicheng revealed himself in front of him. "No..." he said, squinting in his suspicion. "Why? Did you poison a dish in the cafeteria and hope I'd get lunch?" Or was Sicheng going to ask him to lunch? Yangyang's heart tickled at the prospect of being asked on a lunch date with Sicheng. For once, Yangyang didn't want to give him too much of a hard time, or even play a malicious prank on him. He wanted to go to lunch with Sicheng, and he wanted Sicheng to pay for it as his first step to making it up to Yangyang. "Bad idea. You probably poisoned some other poor soul."

@Liu Yangyang Despite all of the acting roles he'd taken on where he had to court or pursue a love interest, Sicheng didn't have any real life experience doing so. Since Yangyang had so casually agreed to meeting with him, Sicheng wondered if he had been too timid about their encounter this entire time. It happened way faster and easier than he thought it would. Sicheng had hurriedly gone back to the front of the club room, where he tied up some loose ends with Kun, and then he slipped away before anyone could notice, not wanting any person or reason for him to miss his meeting with Yangyang. He didn't need the younger to think that he was making light of the whole situation again.

Yangyang arrived just a few paces after Sicheng went into the dressing room. He had gone into the back to check on the inside contents of the small paper bag that he had brought with him earlier. "I'm right here," he answered when Yangyang's voice came from the entrance. He popped his head out first, then stepped into full view of Yangyang. Now he was starting to feel like a choked up chicken that forgot how to cluck again, staring at Yangyang as he tried to smoothly initiate another conversation with the younger again. "Hey, were you able to...grab something to eat at the meeting before you came over?" he asked, folding his arms behind his back so that the bag in his hand was out of sight.

@Dong Sicheng The anticipation of what Sicheng was going to do about their newfound feelings for each other was killing Yangyang. He had largely accepted he didn't hate Dong Sicheng, and probably hadn't for a while now. Liking him was much more fun. Flustering him, making his cheeks and the tips of his ears go red, was much more amusing. Alas, he should've known Sicheng was not that quick on his feet, because it took a few days for Sicheng to approach him. When he did, Yangyang was more than happy to agree to Sicheng's talk. He had discussed it with Dejun, his learned and experienced friend, and they both agreed Sicheng should at least have to work for it, to make up for all his wrongdoings in the past. Yangyang took his time packing away the costumes he was showcasing during the meeting before heading to the dressing room. It looked largely empty, even seemingly void of Sicheng. "Hello? Anyone here before I turn off the lights and lock the door, leaving you stranded for the night?"

@Liu Yangyang Sicheng's lips were tingling as Yangyang pulled away. He couldn't believe that he had actually kissed the younger - and for as long as he did either! He was still trying to full process what happened when he felt a firm hand against his chest and give him a push away. Sicheng's head turned to follow Yangyang's moving figure as the younger strode past him and picked up the cup of coffee. He didn't even know if that coffee was going to be thrown in his face or splashed on his shoes, but Sicheng wouldn't have been surprised by that act of retaliation. But for Yangyang to just glide past him and act as if nothing had happened between them, Sicheng's heart palpitated nervously. It even felt like his internal organs were shifting around as he watched the younger disappear around the corner. So...if Yangyang wasn't moved by an act like this, Sicheng really thought he was out of options.

After their kiss, Sicheng went home with his stomach churning in endless circles as he once again fell into a stupor. He didn't know what to make of Yangyang's response to his kiss, and he wasn't sure if that was a green light for him to keep trying. Yangyang had told him that he wanted nothing more between them, and that they would be nothing more than strangers moving forward. Was that the path Sicheng was supposed to take? There was only one way to find out. And the place that all his answers could be found? The theater club. The next Monday, when their all-member meeting was held, Sicheng singled out Yangyang in the room. He didn't make a move to approach the younger out right away, but he would wait until after the meeting was over for his chance. After Kun talked about their agenda and updated everyone with the status of their current production, the new roles were announced and auditions were scheduled to begin within the week.

While other club members began to look through their options of roles, Sicheng skipped the commotion and went over to the costume-design and set-design crew, meeting Yangyang's gaze. "Hi, can I talk to you for a moment?" he asked, steeling his nerves once more. "Just the two of us. I'll meet you in the dressing room."

@Dong Sicheng Yangyang broke away first. He wouldn't let Sicheng end things on his terms, of course. Now that he knew Sicheng truly, /genuinely/ liked him, Yangyang held all the power. He held Sicheng's gaze for a moment, then a wicked smirk spread across his lips. "You're going to have to do a lot better than a cup of coffee if you want to do that again," he said in a low voice. He pushed Sicheng off and grabbed the drink off his desk, despite his initial refusal. Stalking right past Sicheng, Yangyang paused at the office door. His smile softened a fraction, and he waggled his fingers in goodbye. "See you around. Don't call me to your office for something so stupid again."

@Liu Yangyang Sicheng may have been the one who initiated the kiss, but he felt like he was the one being thrown in a for a loop. He had steeled his nerves, preparing himself to be pushed off or slapped as the result of being so invasive towards Yangyang, who was technically here as Sicheng's /student/ right now. Instead of all that, he was kissed so had that he felt like his tongue was almost being pulled out his mouth, and his lips were suctioned tightly against Yangyang with no way of escaping. His brows scrunched together as he tried to keep up with the younger's kiss, and he tried to process all of the emotions that went into their aggressive lip lock. Yangyang had gone about his crush in a very different way, but perhaps it was because of his unique approach that it really clung to Sicheng, and he started to wonder when and where along the way had Yangyang really already made a place for himself in Sicheng's heart already.

@Dong Sicheng "You what?" Yangyang deadpanned. Did Sicheng think he could use the same trick Yangyang was using? Stupid. Yangyang got up to leave, only to find his path to the door blocked by Sicheng. Before he could do anything—yell, push, struggle—Sicheng held him in place and their lips met in a firm kiss. Yangyang only allowed himself a split second of confusion before he grabbed at Sicheng's face, cupping Sicheng's smooth cheeks against Yangyang's palms, and kissed him back just as hard, if not harder. His tongue danced against Sicheng's lips before pushing past them forcefully, pulling Sicheng against him. He liked Sicheng for real, probably. He wanted to kiss Sicheng more often outside of the kissing booth and when he was trying to mess with Sicheng's mind.

@Liu Yangyang In front of most people, Sicheng kept his cool pretty well. He was level-headed and spoke his mind without needing to add his emotions into it. Yangyang was a different story though. As he sat there, listening to the barrage of insults that were thrown his way, Sicheng thought that his mouth had sealed itself shut. Had he really ruined Yangyang's life beyond repair? And the last thing he wanted to do was gloat, but somehow the younger was fixated on that. "Wait-" he said, seeing the script that was basically just a piece of trash now. "I know this is a lot to process right now, but I've been thinking about what you said before." Sicheng had never confessed before, and he felt like his heart was going come up and out of his throat as he reveled in his feelings towards Yangyang. "You did all those things because you liked me. I was thinking about...and I think I...feel the same way too." Was he groveling now? That's what it sounded like. But, Yangyang didn't look the least bit moved by it. So, Sicheng acted out of desperation. He got up out of his chair and closed the distance between them. Before anything else could stop his guts, he pressed his lips against Yangyang's and kissed him hard and square.

@Dong Sicheng Yangyang eyed the cup of coffee before him. Sicheng definitely poisoned it. Yangyang wasn't stupid, especially not when Sicheng made a scathing comment like that. He left the cup untouched, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his arms tight over his chest. "Talk about what?" he demanded, his voice hard as his stare. "Dong Sicheng, there is nothing I want to talk to you about. I don't want anything to do with you. From this moment on, we're nothing more than strangers. I'm going to request to change my tutorial section after this. You've ruined my life enough, and now you want to gloat?" Rummaging in his bag, Yangyang pulled out Sicheng's script. He had been keeping it with him for a few weeks now, although he wasn't sure why. It was such a waste of space in his bag, and now tormenting Sicheng didn't hold the same appeal as it used to. He stood up and slammed the script onto the desk. "Take it back. Now we're even, so stop bothering me."

@Liu Yangyang Sicheng was starting to get in and over his head with worry about whether or not Yangyang would actually show up. Maybe the last chance he thought he had didn't really exist after all. And if Yangyang /did/ show up, what exactly had Sicheng planned to say to him? He thought he should just treat this as another scene in his script and act like he normally would as the main character. Perhaps dramatizing it would make the whole situation less awkward for Sicheng.

Yangyang did eventually show up, though it wasn't the encounter that Sicheng had hoped for. "Oh," Sicheng said, trying to process which assignment was talking about. He shook his head, pulling out the chair that was next to him. "It's not about your assignment. I wanted to talk to you," he said, pushing a small cup of coffee forward. "This is for you," Sicheng murmured, "The same caramel machiatto you took from me last time..." He was half expecting Yangyang to just dump it in the trashcan like last time, but it was worth a shot. "Can you stay for a while? Let's...talk."

@Dong Sicheng Office hours with Sicheng? Yangyang nearly crushed his phone reading the email on the screen. Once, office hours with that boy was the highlight of Yangyang's week, where he would torment Sicheng to his heart's content. Now, that place was going to become Yangyang's personal hell, being trapped in there with Sicheng. He considered skipping, but that demon would probably mess with his grades if Yangyang didn't show up. So, Friday afternoon, he begrudgingly slinked to Sicheng's office. He was half expecting to see Kim Minjeong already there, but to his unpleasant surprise, she wasn't, meaning there was no one to take the brunt of Sicheng's attention from him. Yangyang sat across the table with a heavy sigh. "What?" were the first words out of his mouth. "What do you want? Did my last assignment not go through? I downloaded the receipt from the submission drop box, so I'll just show you and we'll both be on our ways."

@Liu Yangyang Yangyang didn't seem the least bit interested in having an extra pair of hands to help. Sicheng stayed anyways. He continued to ruminate about what he could say to Yangyang, but every time he turned his head to say something, the somber expression on Yangyang's face reminded him that he welcome here to begin with. It was rather shocking really, since Yangyang had been so adamant that he liked Sicheng, but it seemed like a switch had been turned off overnight. When they finished, Sicheng thought about asking for what was left of his mangled script back from the younger, but Yangyang had stormed off before he could even get in a word of good-bye.

With nothing else up his sleeve, Sicheng had to resort to using his position of power. He sent an email to Yangyang, requesting him to drop by during his next Office Hours so they could discuss some matters. Leaving it vague, Sicheng hoped that it would give him some leeway to bring up some personal matters between them. Since he wanted to have this conversation with Yangyang alone, he sent an email informing the rest of his section that he would not be available for that particular day's Office Hours, and would be holding a makeup section at a different time in the following week.

@Dong Sicheng Just what the on earth was Sicheng up to now? Yangyang didn't think he'd be brave enough to shred costumes beneath Yangyang and the security camera's eyes, yet he insisted on staying. It was suspicious through and through. "Whatever," Yangyang muttered, making sure to keep Sicheng in his peripherals. "If you up my costumes, I'll kill you myself." Whatever the reason was, there was just no conceivable way Sicheng was doing this out of the goodness of his heart. Yangyang did not trust him one bit. He kept silent the entire time they cleaned the costumes, and when they were done he forced Sicheng to leave with him, making sure to lock the door behind him. With only a glare, he was off, desperate to put the weird experience behind him.

@Liu Yangyang Yangyang had always been slick with his tongue. Sharp, too. Sicheng naturally averted the other's gaze as he was reminded of the time that he had very shamefully sabotaged Yangyang's costume. In the moment, he had been overcome with anger that he acted without thinking. The poor freshmen that he sabotaged would never know that he was the mastermind behind it all, and they'd have to live with that performance down in their acting histories. Sicheng didn't like that feeling of being so turned away so drastically, and he almost caved to Yangyang's bidding, but he stopped after stepping back two paces. "I'm not here to try anything," Sicheng said, taking note of what Yangyang was working on. He looked around the room, hoping to locate another brush. Luckily, there was one on the countertop in front of him. "You've been working late these past few nights. What can I do to help? You can just tell me what to do, and I won't get in your way."

@Dong Sicheng Yangyang could be an actor, too. As soon as he heard the voice, he made sure Sicheng was greeted with a grimace. "Oh, it's you," he said. "Your idea of 'help' is probably going to cut my costume to shreds again, so no thanks. And yeah, I'm here by myself, but don't forget Kun-ge set up a security camera to catch the costume-sabotager, so don't even think of trying anything funny." With a scoff, his nose upturned, Yangyang continued to brush at the arm of the suede jacket he held. Although he had been ruminating revenge, the sight of Sicheng filled his heart with ache. Why did Sicheng have to reject his fake-confession so cruelly? "I think you've ruined my life enough, so just leave me alone. You got what you wanted, didn't you? I don't even want to see your stupid face again."

@Liu Yangyang After coming to his realization at the Speed Dating mixer, Sicheng had the weekend to think over his emotions. He supposed that liking Yangyang wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, since the younger had clearly just latched onto him like glue. Perhaps, if he thought about it from the perspective of being liked by an underclassman who didn't know how else to get his attention, then the itch powder, the incessant office hour visits, and the attempt to learn his coffee order...were not too bad. Joohyuk must've been some kind of master at love, because not only did he start the relationship that he said he would, he was correct about Sicheng and Yangyang's too.

So, after coming to that understanding, Sicheng figured he could try and make things clear with Yangyang at their next office hours. He'd explain to Yangyang how he understood the situation, and that he'd be willing to let bygones be bygones. The only thing wrong with his plan, other than the fact that he'd never confessed to anyone before, was that Yangyang didn't show up to his office hours. Not the first time, and not the second time too. Sicheng didn't quite understand, since the younger /always/ came, since the start of the term. He came to class, but promptly disappeared when the professor finished the lecture. Sicheng thought he caught sight of Yangyang working closely with the costume design team at the theater club room, but the younger had not even turned his head to give Sicheng a chance to catch his attention.

With all of those anomalies present, Sicheng started to wonder if he was ever going to get the chance to have the conversation with Yangyang. Once more, he found himself doing the unusual - he sought Yangyang out himself. Last he heard, Yangyang was really keeping his promise to Kun to work hard in preparing the costumes. Sicheng knew that he was working on the newest set after his classes, so he decided to pop in after his script-writing meeting. He caught sight of Yangyang first, and hesitated to actually move forward, but he froze in his steps when the younger caught him without even turning his head. Sicheng swallowed the lump in his throat, straightened himself up, and stepped further into the room, smelling the faint dusty scent of costume fabrics around him. "Hey," he greeted, "You're here by yourself? Would you like some help?"

@Dong Sicheng Yangyang had enough of Dong Sicheng's bull for the time being, he decided. He had midterms coming up, an entire new set of costumes to recreate after the last ones were torn to shreds, and he had to help Dejun navigate his new relationship, which had taken off after the Speed Dating event. He rarely saw Sicheng anymore outside of class and club rehearsals—he had even completely abandoned the idea of harassing Sicheng at his office hours. It was pointless, and seeing Kim Minjeong's face filled Yangyang with rage for inexplicable reasons. He was better off spending his time maintaining the costumes in the club's storage room, so no one could accuse him of being a fake again. It was one of those costume cleaning evenings, after a long rehearsal, that cursed man appeared again. Yangyang was brushing a coat when he heard a noise from behind the rack. "Who's there?" he called out, wary. No one would usually be around the costumes but him... him or some costume-sabotaging son of a . "Don't hide, I heard you."