They ended up sitting on the low wall behind the cafeteria instead of going inside.
It was quieter there.
The afternoon sun was warm but not too harsh, and the distant noise of students blended into a soft background hum. Kiel sat beside Ita, swinging one leg lazily while sipping a canned drink.
Ita glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
"Why are you being like this?" He asked suddenly.
Kiel blinked. "Like what?"
"Like…" Ita gestured vaguely. "This. Flirting every five seconds. Acting weird."
Kiel tilted his head, pretending to think.
Then he smiled.
"Maybe I fell in love."
Ita stared at him for a full three seconds.
Then he rolled his eyes.
"Shut up."
"I'm serious," Kiel said.
"You say that every time."
"And?"
"It's your stupid joke."
Kiel didn't respond immediately.
He just looked at Ita quietly.
In his head, though, it was chaos.
"He looks so pretty even when he's annoyed."
Kiel tried not to grin too widely.
"He doesn't even try. He just sits there and somehow looks pretty like that."
Ita was squinting slightly because of the sunlight, his expression naturally sharp, his hair moving softly with the breeze.
"He's strong. He's smart. He acts cold but he's actually soft."
Kiel's thoughts continued.
"He helps me with math. He listens to my nonsense. He doesn't leave."
"He's a good person."
Kiel smiled to himself like an idiot.
Ita noticed.
"…Why are you smiling like that?" Ita asked suspiciously.
"Nothing," Kiel replied quickly. "Just thinking."
"That's dangerous."
"Thinking about how lucky I am."
Ita groaned. "There you go again."
But deep down,
Ita knew something.
Kiel was all he had.
At school.
Outside that house.
Outside that suffocating world.
Kiel was the only person who made him laugh.
The only one who didn't look at him like he was strange or broken.
The only one who stayed.
Savior.
The word slipped through his mind again.
Ita reached into his bag quietly.
"…Here," he muttered, holding something out awkwardly.
Kiel blinked.
"A box?"
"It's cake," Ita said quickly, avoiding eye contact. "I made it."
"You made it?"
"At night," Ita added quietly. "It's chocolate. You said it was your favorite."
For a moment, Kiel just stared at him.
Then his expression softened completely.
"You made this… for me?"
"Don't make it weird," Ita snapped immediately.
Kiel took the small box carefully like it was something fragile.
He opened it.
Inside was a slightly uneven slice of chocolate cake, clearly homemade.
Kiel's smile this time wasn't teasing.
It was real.
"You're going to make me actually fall in love " he said softly.
Ita's face immediately went flat.
"I regret giving it to you."
Kiel laughed and took a bite.
His eyes widened dramatically. "Wait. This is actually good."
"Of course it is."
"You're wife material."
Ita smacked his shoulder. "Shut up!"
"I'm serious! Marry me."
"I will throw you into traffic."
"Worth it."
Ita shook his head in disgust.
"You're impossible."
Kiel chewed thoughtfully before asking, "So what kind of guy do you like?"
Ita blinked.
"…What?"
"If you're not gay," Kiel said teasingly, "what's your type?"
Ita deadpanned instantly.
"I like girls."
Kiel froze mid-bite.
"…Oh."
"I'm straight," Ita added flatly.
Kiel dramatically clutched his chest. "You wound me."
"Good."
"So there's no chance?"
"There was never a chance."
Kiel let out an exaggerated whine. "Heartbreak. Betrayal. After I just confessed."
"You did not confess."
"I emotionally invested."
"You're mentally unstable."
Kiel grinned again.
But before he could respond,
Someone bumped into Ita's shoulder roughly.
Hard enough to make him stagger slightly.
He looked up.
Lucas.
Lucas stood there with two of his friends behind him, hands in his pockets, expression smug.
"Well, well," Lucas drawled. "Didn't know we were interrupting a date."
Ita's jaw tightened.
Kiel straightened beside him.
"It's not a date," Ita said flatly.
Lucas smirked. "Really? Because you two were acting like a married couple earlier."
His friends snickered.
"I could hear you from across the hallway," Lucas continued mockingly. "Baby this, baby that."
Ita felt irritation crawl up his spine.
Of course.
He wasn't gay.
He knew that.
But he didn't like being mocked.
Especially not like this.
Especially not by Lucas.
Lucas was rich. His family donated to the school. Teachers always sided with him. Whenever he got into trouble, it magically disappeared.
Ita knew better than to start something.
Even if he wanted to.
Even if his fists clenched at his sides.
"I said it's not a date," Ita repeated calmly.
Lucas leaned slightly closer, smirking. "Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Kiel looked ready to say something back.
But Ita subtly grabbed his sleeve.
Don't.
Kiel glanced at him.
Lucas noticed the movement and chuckled.
"Relax," Lucas said. "I don't judge."
The tone made it clear he absolutely did.
"Just keep the flirting out of my sight. It's embarrassing."
Ita's eyes darkened slightly.
But he stayed silent.
Because fighting back would only make things worse.
Lucas gave them one last mocking look before walking away with his friends, still laughing.
Silence lingered for a moment.
Kiel looked irritated.
Ita just stared at the ground.
"I could've punched him," Kiel muttered.
"And get suspended?" Ita replied calmly. "He'd win."
Kiel clicked his tongue.
Ita exhaled slowly.
Of course he wasn't gay.
He liked girls.
He knew that.
But what Lucas said still left an uncomfortable feeling in his chest.
Not because of the accusation.
But because,
Kiel was the only good thing in his life.
And people were already trying to twist it into something ugly.
Ita glanced at Kiel.
Still holding the cake.
Still sitting there beside him.
Still choosing him.
"…Don't flirt in front of people," Ita muttered.
Kiel blinked.
"Why?"
"It's annoying."
Kiel grinned slowly.
"So you don't mind when it's just us?"
Ita's eyebrow twitched again.
"You are unbelievable."
Kiel laughed.
And despite everything,
Ita felt just a little better.