The lunch bell rang with a loud clang that echoed through the school halls, followed by a stampede of students pouring out of their classrooms like wild animals released from captivity. The cafeteria buzzed with chatter and laughter as students crowded around vending machines, lined up at the hot food stations, and claimed their usual seats with tribal-level territorialism.
Yuki, however, preferred solitude.
He clutched his neatly wrapped lunch to his chest like it was precious cargo and carefully slipped past the crowd, heading for the farthest table by the window. It was quieter there—sunlit, slightly chilly, and far from the noise. A perfect little bubble to enjoy his favorite combo: a homemade egg sandwich and a small carton of milk.
He unwrapped his sandwich with delicate fingers, his lips parting slightly as he took the first bite. Warm, fluffy egg, just a touch of mayo, and perfectly toasted bread—it was heaven. His cheeks puffed a little as he chewed, eyes momentarily closing in bliss.
And then—
THUD.
The bench across from him shook.
Yuki's eyes snapped open. "Wha—?!"
A tall figure dropped into the seat across from him like a king claiming a throne.
"Yo."
It was him.
Shin.
The same annoying, cocky guy from the rain. The same boy who had, in just one short encounter, completely hijacked Yuki's mental peace with his smirks and flirtatious nonsense. He looked just as infuriating—his uniform tie was half-loose, his sleeves rolled up, and his hair slightly tousled, like he'd just stepped out of a magazine shoot he didn't even try to look good for.
"What… are you doing here?" Yuki asked, blinking.
"Sitting," Shin replied, completely relaxed.
"I didn't invite you to sit."
"Didn't say you had to," Shin grinned, leaning forward with his arms crossed on the table. "This seat was empty. Seemed like fate."
Yuki narrowed his eyes. "There are lots of empty seats."
"But none with a view like this," Shin said smoothly, locking eyes with him.
Yuki's mouth opened in horror. "You're doing it again!"
"Doing what?"
"Flirting!"
"I'm just being honest."
Yuki turned his face away quickly, cheeks warming. "You're so annoying."
"And you're really cute when you're annoyed."
Yuki choked on his milk.
Shin tilted his head. "You okay there, princess?"
"I'm not a princess!" Yuki coughed, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve. "And I'm a boy, for your information."
Shin raised both brows, mock innocence in his expression. "I never said you weren't."
"You implied it!"
"Did I?" Shin smirked. "I just said you were cute. That doesn't change whether you're a boy or not."
Yuki opened his mouth. Closed it. Reopened it.
"I… you…!" He huffed, taking a bite of his sandwich like it was Shin's face. "Stop twisting things."
"Can't help it," Shin said, chin resting on his hand now. "You make it way too easy."
"Do you tease everyone like this?"
"Nope." Shin smiled lazily. "Just the ones I want to keep teasing."
"That doesn't even—ugh!" Yuki puffed up in frustration, his cheeks red as he stubbornly focused on his sandwich.
Shin watched him for a second in silence, then reached forward and poked the corner of Yuki's sandwich.
"Egg sandwich?"
Yuki looked up suspiciously. "Yes?"
"Your favorite?"
"…Maybe."
Shin leaned forward conspiratorially. "Can I have a bite?"
"No!"
"You sure?"
Yuki covered his sandwich protectively. "Don't you dare."
"You're not gonna finish it anyway," Shin teased.
"I am absolutely going to finish it!"
"Then let me help you."
"I swear if you touch it I will throw this milk at your perfect face—!"
Too late.
Shin darted in and took a clean bite from the edge of Yuki's sandwich, right from his hands. He chewed with exaggerated delight.
"Mmm. Not bad."
Yuki stared at him, speechless, clutching the half-eaten sandwich like it had been assaulted.
"Did you just—did you actually—that's an indirect kiss!"
Shin winked. "I know."
"You're horrible!"
"Thank you."
Yuki looked down at the sandwich, then at Shin, then back again, and finally just let out a long, dramatic sigh. "…I did owed you one."
"I'll make you one next time," Shin offered casually.
Yuki's face flushed. "Y-You don't have to do that!"
"Too late. It's a promise."
Yuki stared at him across the table. Shin wasn't even trying to be cool or impressive. He just… was. And somehow, despite all his nonsense, Yuki felt like he couldn't look away.
They lapsed into a weird kind of silence—one where Shin kept smiling like he had the upper hand, and Yuki tried to pretend he wasn't flustered out of his mind.
Yuki let out a long, exasperated breath and gave Shin his best death glare, which—given his big round eyes and soft features—looked more like a pouty kitten than anything menacing.
"You are the worst," he muttered, more to himself than to Shin.
"Yet you're still talking to me," Shin said with a smirk, taking another bite of his apple.
Yuki didn't dignify that with a response. He looked back down at his sandwich—his poor, innocent sandwich that had suffered an unauthorized Shin-bite—and, without thinking, took another bite from the same spot.
Across from him, Shin's eyes sparkled with quiet mischief.
Yuki chewed slowly, swallowed, then went for another bite—completely forgetting, in his flustered haze, that Shin had taken a chunk out of it earlier.
It wasn't until after the second bite—after he'd already finished chewing, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and was reaching for his milk carton—that he noticed Shin staring at him.
With that smirk.
That stupid, smug, knowing smirk.
"…What?" Yuki asked, suspicious.
Shin raised an eyebrow, clearly trying not to laugh. "Nothing. Just admiring how bold you are all of a sudden."
Yuki narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking abou—"
Then it hit him.
His eyes dropped to the sandwich in his hand.
Then widened in horror.
"Wait—DID I JUST—?!"
Shin leaned forward, grinning. "Yup."
Yuki clutched the sandwich like it betrayed him. "But you—! And I—! I didn't—!!"
"That was my bite, Kiddo."
"Don't call me—!! Wait—THAT WAS AN INDIRECT KISS?! AGAIN?!"
Shin nodded, completely unashamed. "And you didn't even hesitate this time. That's progress."
Yuki looked like he was going to explode. "I FORGOT, OKAY?!"
"Sure you did."
"I DID!!"
Shin rested his chin on his hand, watching him unravel with amusement. "You didn't even flinch. Just chomp. Like you wanted to taste me."
A few students nearby turned to look at Yuki's sudden outburst. Yuki immediately shrank into his seat, practically folding in on himself as he tried to disappear behind his milk carton.
"You are evil," he hissed from behind it.
Shin shrugged innocently. "Just stating facts."
"You should be arrested."
Shin chuckled. "You're really fun to mess with, you know that?"
"I'm not a toy!"
Shin's smile softened just a little. "I know. But you make really cute faces when you're flustered."
"Stop saying things like that so casually!" he choked, cheeks glowing red.
Shin just laughed, low and warm.
"You'd be less fun if you didn't react so perfectly."
Yuki covered his face with his hands. "This is a nightmare…"
"Nope," Shin said, resting back casually with a satisfied sigh. "This is lunch. And honestly? Best lunch I've had all week."
Yuki peeked at him through his fingers, unable to stop the tiniest smile from tugging at his lips.
He hated how good that made him feel.
And how easy Shin made it all seem.
Yuki ducked his head and muttered something that sounded like "stupid dog."
Shin smirked again. "Did you just call me a dog?"
"If the shoe fits," Yuki snapped, cheeks puffed.
Shin leaned in, eyes glinting. "Woof."
Yuki threw a crumpled napkin at him.
Shin looked down at the half-abandoned sandwich lying on the tray, then back up at Yuki's still-red face.
Without breaking eye contact, he casually picked it up and took a bite.
Yuki's mouth fell open in horror. "Y-You—! That's mine!"
"You threw it," Shin said through a mouthful. "Abandonment. I'm just doing what any loyal stray dog would do. Rescuing it."
"That is the dumbest excuse I've ever heard!"
"And yet, here we are." He took another bite.
Yuki slapped both palms on the table. "Give it back!"
"It's halfway gone now, Snowflake," Shin said, unfazed, waving the sandwich like a trophy. "You want it, you'll have to fight me for it."
Yuki looked genuinely torn. Not because of the sandwich, but because of how obnoxiously casual Shin was being about their not-one-but-two indirect kisses. And now he was just… munching on it like it was no big deal.
"You're seriously enjoying this, aren't you?" Yuki asked, voice flat.
"Like you wouldn't believe."
"You're gross."
Shin leaned in, resting his elbow on the table. "But I'm your gross."
"I never agreed to that!"
"You sat through this whole lunch with me. That's practically a date."
"It's recess! It's forced proximity!"
"You ate my bite."
"That was an accident!"
"And now I'm eating yours." He popped the last bite into his mouth and dusted his hands. "So, technically, we're even. Spiritually, though—you're mine now."
Yuki's jaw dropped again. "I—You can't just claim people like that!"
"I can if they're cute."
"You're impossible."
"And yet, still here," Shin said with a wink.
Yuki groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Why does the universe hate me."
Shin chuckled and leaned back with that relaxed, confident air of his—like he had all the time in the world to tease Yuki, like the rest of the cafeteria didn't exist.
Then, just a little softer, he added, "Hey."
Yuki peeked between his fingers. "What."
"You seriously like egg sandwiches?" Shin asked, gesturing toward the now-vanished sandwich.
Yuki hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. I like egg sandwiches."
"Huh." Shin tapped his chin, thoughtful. "I'll remember that."
"Why?"
"Because next time I'll make you one."
Yuki blinked. "Why?"
Shin grinned. "So I can steal it again."
Yuki threw his milk carton at him.
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END OF CHAPTER : 3 : LUNCH BREAK BANTER!
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