Akari and Ruan stood outside the mall. All dressed in casual clothes, with hoods and masks. Akari scanned the Mall from down to up. His jaw dropped behind the mask.
He then turned and faced Ruan. He could see his eyes, and could tell that he was smiling.
"There is no way we are going in there," Akari said and turned to leave.
"Wait, wait," Ruan blocked his way. "Why?"
Akari's brows knitted. He then sighed tiredly. "Because its public and most of the people in our school might be in there. So we are not going in there unless you want both of us to be the centre of an hot topic by tomorrow morning."
Ruan didn't give in. He pointed to the masks they wore. "But we have this," he said and smiled.
"This is endangerment," Akari deterred, pointing to the mall.
Silence grew between them.
Akari stared at the entrance of the mall again. People moved in and out through the glass doors, laughing, carrying shopping bags, living their normal lives. The thought of running into someone from school made his stomach tighten.
Ruan didn't say anything. He simply waited.
Akari glanced back at him. Even with the mask covering half his face, his eyes were bright, hopeful, stubborn, and annoyingly patient.
"You're really not giving up, are you?" Akari muttered.
Ruan shrugged lightly. "Not really."
Akari exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"If we get recognized," he warned, pointing a finger at Ruan, "I'm blaming it all on you."
Ruan's eyes immediately curved with victory. "So that means..."
"It means we go in for a short time," Akari interrupted quickly. "Short. Time."
Ruan stepped aside and gestured dramatically toward the mall entrance.
"After you."
Akari shook his head, already regretting his decision, and walked inside.
The mall was brighter than Akari expected. Music echoed softly through the halls, and the scent of popcorn and coffee lingered in the air. Akari kept his hood low and his mask secure while scanning the crowd like a criminal on the run.
"You look more suspicious when you do that," Ruan whispered beside him.
"I'm being careful," Akari whispered back.
"You look like you robbed a bank."
Akari elbowed him lightly.
Their first stop was a small photo booth near the arcade area.
Akari crossed his arms. "Absolutely not."
"Come on," Ruan insisted, already pulling the curtain open. "It's anonymous. No one will know."
"You say that now until the machine uploads it somewhere."
Ruan grabbed his sleeve and dragged him inside before he could protest further.
The tiny booth barely had enough space for two people.
"Sit closer," Ruan said.
"We are already too close," Akari replied.
The countdown flashed.
3…
Ruan suddenly leaned his head toward Akari.
2…
Akari's eyes widened.
1…
Flash.
The first photo captured Akari staring in shock while Ruan looked smug.
The second photo showed Akari trying to push him away.
The third photo had both of them laughing.
And the last one, Akari unknowingly leaned towards Ruan and pecked his cheek.
When the photos printed, Ruan grabbed them like treasure.
"I'm keeping these forever."
Akari rolled his eyes but didn't ask for them back.
They took more crazy, funny and romantic photos before they wandered through several stores afterward.
Ruan forced Akari to try on ridiculous sunglasses.
Akari made Ruan wear a ridiculous hat that made him look like a tourist.
They bought small random things, snacks, a phone charm, and a hoodie Akari pretended he didn't like but still carried around.
Next came the arcade.
Akari turned out to be surprisingly competitive.
"You cheated," Ruan accused after losing a racing game.
"You just suck at driving," Akari replied calmly.
Ruan narrowed his eyes. "Rematch."
Three rounds later, Ruan still lost.
Akari smirked. "Maybe stick to walking."
By evening, they went to watch a movie.
Akari spent half the time commenting quietly about the plot.
"That makes no sense," he whispered.
"It's fiction," Ruan whispered back.
"That is not how physics works."
Ruan barely paid attention to the movie anyway. He was too busy noticing how the light from the screen reflected softly in Akari's eyes.
After the movie, they took the elevator to the rooftop. The night air was cool, and the city lights stretched endlessly below them. Akari leaned against the railing, looking out over the skyline.
Then suddenly—
BOOM.
A burst of colour exploded across the sky.
Akari's head snapped up.
Another firework followed, painting the night in red and gold.
"Wait...are those fireworks?" Akari said, surprised.
Ruan looked up.
"Looks like it."
More fireworks bloomed across the sky, bright and loud. Akari completely forgot about hiding or being careful. He leaned forward slightly, eyes wide, watching each explosion with quiet amazement.
The colours reflected in his eyes like tiny stars.
"Woo! It's beautiful. Isn't it?," Akari asked glancing at Ruan.
Ruan smirked, eyes stuck on Akari.
"Certainly, " He replied.
But in actual sense Ruan didn't look at the fireworks. He looked at Akari.
The way Akari's shoulders relaxed. The way his eyes followed every spark across the sky. The way he smiled without even realizing it.
Ruan felt something warm spread through his chest. He had seen Akari angry, sarcastic, guarded. But moments like this—when Akari forgot to protect himself from the world, were rare.
Precious.
Ruan exhaled softly.
And just like that…
He fell in love with Akari for the millionth time.