That night, the campus felt too quiet for what it was holding.
The courtyard was still wet from practice day, puddles reflecting the lights like broken mirrors. The air had cooled sharply, and the wind carried a clean damp smell that made the buildings look more distant than usual. Students walked in small groups, whispering, laughing, or pretending they weren't counting down to tomorrow.
The water festival wasn't just a day.
It was a mood.
It turned ordinary time into anticipation. It made everyone feel like they were standing behind a door with music on the other side.
XH walked back from the convenience store with a plastic bag in one hand, hood up, shoulders tense. The bag held cheap snacks, energy drinks, and cough drops he didn't want to admit he had been buying more often lately.
His chest tightened lightly again, as if it disliked the cold.
He paused near a lamppost.
Breathed.
Slow in, slow out.
The tightness eased, but it left behind a faint irritation, like his body was reminding him it could interrupt him whenever it wanted.
He continued walking.
His phone buzzed.
JP: BRO MEETING TONIGHTTZ: mandatoryHS: why is everything mandatory with you peopleNS: 9pm. my place. don't be late. no excuses.
XH stared at the last message longer than the others.
NS's tone was calm, but when NS said "no excuses," it usually meant he had already sensed something coming.
XH typed back.
XH: ok
Then another message buzzed, private.
Kitty: are you free tonight
XH's thumb hovered.
June: can we talk before tomorrow
Two messages arrived within the same minute.
The timing felt like a joke the universe kept repeating.
XH stared at his screen until it dimmed.
He typed slowly.
To Kitty: I have a meeting with the boys at 9. can we talk afterTo June: I'm meeting the boys at 9. can we talk after
He hit send before he could overthink the wording.
Both replies were almost identical.
That was the safest way.
That was also the most dangerous way.
Because safety was starting to feel like another form of lying.
NS's place was not a dorm.
It was a private building that happened to contain NS.
The first time XH came here, he had thought he entered the wrong address. The gate alone looked like it belonged to someone with an entire family history behind it. The driveway curved like a lazy river toward a mansion that sat quietly under dim lights. Even the air felt expensive.
Two staff members greeted them at the entrance, polite, expressionless, trained to treat teenagers like they were normal guests.
JP walked in like he owned the place.
TZ tried to act normal and failed.
HS stared at the ceiling like it might collapse on him out of guilt.
XH still felt weird every time.
Because NS always acted like it was nothing.
Like wealth was a background sound he had grown up tuning out.
They entered the living room.
A huge screen TV was mounted on the wall. A fireplace was lit. The room smelled faintly of wood and clean linen.
Snacks were already laid out on the table.
Energy drinks. Chips. Fried chicken. Bottled water.
JP pointed. "Bro. You live like a villain."
NS shrugged. "Sit."
TZ flopped down immediately. "Okay."
HS sat carefully on the edge of the couch like he was afraid to crease something.
XH sat in the armchair, setting his plastic bag down with the rest.
NS studied him for a second, then asked quietly, "How's your breathing."
The question hit too cleanly.
JP looked up. "Breathing."
TZ frowned. "What."
HS blinked. "Are we dying."
XH's stomach tightened.
He forced a casual tone. "It's fine. Just cold air."
NS didn't look convinced, but he didn't push.
Instead, he leaned back and said, "Tomorrow is the festival. Tonight, we talk."
JP leaned forward dramatically. "About what."
NS's gaze moved across the room. "About the fact that you're all idiots."
TZ laughed. "Accurate."
HS whispered, "I knew it."
NS's eyes settled on XH again. "And about the fact that he's under pressure."
JP's grin faded slightly. TZ's laughter quieted. HS looked at XH with sudden concern.
XH exhaled. "I'm fine."
NS didn't argue. He just said, "Okay."
That "okay" meant he didn't believe him but was choosing not to fight him.
JP cracked his knuckles. "So what is the plan tomorrow."
TZ raised his hand. "Plan. We get wet."
HS muttered, "I hate you."
JP laughed. "No no. Real plan. Like, who do we protect."
TZ pointed at the ceiling. "Our dignity."
HS sighed. "We lost that already."
NS spoke calmly. "We protect the girls."
XH's eyes flicked up.
JP nodded instantly. "Yes."
TZ nodded too. "Yes."
HS looked confused. "Why."
JP stared at him. "Because engineering majors are feral."
TZ added, "And because we are feral too."
HS looked like he regretted choosing friends.
NS leaned forward slightly. "Engineering will target Kitty and June. They already did during practice. Tomorrow will be worse."
XH's jaw tightened.
JP's voice grew sharper. "KM especially."
TZ's face darkened briefly. "Yeah."
HS whispered, "So we just… block."
NS nodded. "Block. Cover. Don't let anything escalate into real injury."
JP smirked. "We can still destroy them though."
NS's gaze was calm. "Yes."
XH stayed quiet, listening.
Then JP leaned back and grinned again. "Also, we have to talk about your roof situation."
XH's stomach sank. "No."
TZ laughed. "Yes."
HS blinked. "Roof situation."
JP pointed at XH. "Bro. You are literally a campus rumor machine."
XH rubbed his face. "Stop."
NS's voice cut in, calm but serious. "He promised to decide before the next big event."
The room quieted.
HS whispered, "He did."
TZ's grin faded slightly. "Oh."
JP exhaled and leaned forward again, tone softer. "So are you deciding."
XH stared at the table.
The fireplace cracked quietly.
Outside, wind brushed the windows.
XH spoke slowly. "I'm trying."
JP nodded. "Okay."
TZ nodded too. "Okay."
HS looked relieved and anxious at the same time.
NS's gaze stayed steady. "Trying isn't deciding."
XH swallowed. "I know."
NS leaned back. "Then decide before you lose both."
The words landed like a heavy book dropped on the table.
XH's chest tightened again, but he ignored it. He didn't want his body to interrupt something this serious.
JP broke the tension by grabbing a chicken wing. "Alright. We can't solve his love triangle tonight."
TZ laughed weakly. "We can try."
HS whispered, "We shouldn't."
NS's expression softened slightly, and he said, "We're not here to pressure him. We're here to remind him he's not alone."
He glanced at XH. "No matter what happens tomorrow, we have your back."
XH looked up.
NS's eyes were calm and sincere.
Then NS said something that didn't sound like a joke at all.
"I would die for you," NS said, voice even. "If I had to."
The room went silent.
JP's wing paused halfway to his mouth.
TZ stared.
HS looked like he might cry.
XH's throat tightened. "Don't say that."
NS shrugged slightly. "I'm saying it. Because it's true."
JP cleared his throat awkwardly. "Okay that was… intense."
TZ muttered, "But kinda cool."
HS whispered, "I feel emotional."
XH stared at NS. "Why."
NS's gaze didn't move. "Because you're my brother. And because I don't like the way the world looks at you lately. Like it's waiting for you to break."
XH's chest tightened again. He forced a slow inhale.
The tightness eased.
But the words stayed.
Waiting for you to break.
Later, the boys spread out, half watching a random show, half talking about nonsense to soften the intensity.
JP argued that he would win festival games by intimidation alone.
TZ claimed he would flirt his way out of getting soaked.
HS tried to study and failed because JP kept throwing chips at him.
NS stayed quieter than usual, watching XH's face like he was monitoring his health in real time.
At 10:30, XH's phone buzzed.
Kitty: I'm outsideJune: I'm outside too
XH stared at the two messages.
His stomach dropped.
Because it wasn't possible that both of them meant the same "outside."
Unless the universe was being cruel again.
He stood up slowly.
JP noticed immediately. "Bro. Don't tell me."
TZ sat up. "No way."
HS whispered, "Please no."
NS's gaze sharpened. "Where."
XH swallowed. "They're both here."
JP burst out laughing. "This is cinema."
TZ groaned. "This is disaster."
HS looked like he would pass out.
NS stood. "I'll go with you."
XH blinked. "No."
NS's voice was calm but firm. "Yes. Not to interfere. Just to make sure nothing gets ugly."
XH hesitated, then nodded.
They walked toward the front entrance.
Outside, the night air was cold enough to sting.
And there they were.
Kitty stood near the gate, coat zipped, phone pouch still around her neck like she never took it off.
June stood a few steps away under a lamppost, hair loose, face composed, eyes bright.
They both looked at XH.
Then both looked at NS.
Kitty's lips curved faintly. "Of course you brought your guard."
NS's expression didn't change. "Someone has to keep him alive."
June's eyes flicked to XH. "We need to talk."
Kitty said at the same time, "We need to talk too."
Silence stretched.
XH's throat tightened.
He breathed in slowly.
Then exhaled.
He looked between them.
"Tomorrow is the festival," XH said quietly. "It's going to be loud. It's going to be messy. I don't want to hurt either of you in front of everyone."
Kitty's eyes softened slightly. "Then don't."
June's voice was quieter. "Tell us now."
XH swallowed.
He couldn't give them an answer tonight without breaking something.
But he also couldn't keep standing still.
So he chose the only truth he could say without lying.
"I care about you both," XH said. "And I'm scared of what I'll destroy if I speak too quickly."
Kitty's jaw tightened. "Fear doesn't protect us. It protects you."
June's eyes glistened slightly. "But you promised before the next big event."
XH nodded. "I know."
Kitty stepped closer, voice low. "Then promise one more thing."
XH looked at her.
Kitty's eyes held his. "Tomorrow, don't hide behind games. Don't let water be an excuse. If you look at me, look at me like you mean it."
June stepped closer too, voice firm. "And if you look at me, don't look at me like I'm temporary."
XH's heart pounded.
NS stood slightly behind him, silent, steady.
XH nodded slowly. "I promise."
Kitty exhaled softly, as if she had been holding her breath all week.
June's expression softened a fraction.
Then Kitty said, almost gently, "Good night."
June echoed, "Good night."
They turned in opposite directions, walking away into the cold, leaving XH standing under the lamppost with NS.
NS didn't speak for a moment.
Then he said quietly, "Tomorrow will expose everything."
XH stared at the wet ground, reflecting the light.
"I know," XH whispered.
He inhaled.
His chest tightened again, faint but sharp.
He breathed through it.
And in the silence, he felt it.
Not just fear of romance.
Fear of time.
Because tomorrow wasn't just a festival.
Tomorrow was a crack.
And whatever had been building inside him, quietly, was getting ready to break through.