The whispers had only grown louder.
By the next day, the halls buzzed with rumors — Ayan and Kairo in the council room, sitting too close, staring too long. Some claimed they were fighting again. Others whispered they were something else.
Ayan walked past them all with the same calm mask, but his hands tightened around his books. He hated the way people's eyes lingered, curious, prying. He hated even more how Kairo strolled through it all like a king amused by the chaos, smirking as if the gossip was his crown.
"Enjoying the attention?" Ayan muttered when they crossed paths near the staircase.
Kairo leaned in close, his voice a dark purr.
"Only when it bothers you, Omega."
Before Ayan could retort, their homeroom teacher called them in.
"You two," the teacher said, adjusting his glasses. "Since you're partners for the project, you'll also present it together in front of the class. Tomorrow."
Ayan's brows twitched. "Together?"
"No negotiation," the teacher snapped.
Kairo's smirk widened. "Guess you're stuck with me."
---
That evening, the council room wasn't empty — it was heavy. Papers scattered across the desk, blueprints half-drawn, and two boys circling each other like predators trapped in the same cage.
Ayan was trying to outline their lines, crisp and precise. But every time he started, Kairo cut in.
"Too stiff."
"Too boring."
"You sound like you're lecturing a corpse."
Ayan slammed the paper down. "At least I don't sound like I'm flirting with the entire class."
Kairo's grin sharpened. "Maybe I am. What's it to you?"
Ayan's eyes narrowed. His voice dropped, soft but venomous.
"It's pathetic, Kairo. Acting like the world bends to you. Like you matter to me."
The words hit like a blade. Kairo's jaw tightened, his amusement twisting into something darker.
In one sudden motion, he slammed his palm flat against the desk, leaning across it, face inches from Ayan's.
"Do you ever stop pretending you're untouchable?" he growled.
Ayan didn't flinch. Instead, he leaned in closer, lips ghosting a smirk.
"What's wrong? Gonna bite now?"
The air thickened. Their breaths mingled, hot and shallow, as though the line between hatred and something else was razor-thin. Kairo's hand shot forward, grabbing Ayan's collar, tugging him forward until their foreheads almost touched.
Ayan's pulse hammered, but his smile stayed cruel. "Do it, then."
For a moment — a dangerous, burning moment — it felt like they might. Might shatter the space between them.
But Kairo released him with a sharp exhale, stepping back.
"Not here," he muttered, his voice rougher than he intended.
Ayan straightened his collar, smirk never faltering. "Coward."
The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by their ragged breathing.
By the time they left, the rumor mill was already spinning again.
Some swore they saw Kairo pin Ayan against the desk.
Others claimed Ayan nearly kissed him.
Neither confirmed nor denied.
And both, alone in their rooms that night, hated the way their hearts still pounded remembering the fire in each other's eyes.
---
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