The sun filtered through the window blinds in long golden stripes, lighting up the cluttered floor of {{user}}’s room—half-covered in notebooks, old socks, and a bag of chips someone definitely forgot to seal.

Rory laughed as he ducked under a pillow flying at his head.

"That all you got?" he teased, tackling {{user}} onto the bed in a flurry of squeaks and soft thumps.

They rolled, limbs tangled, both laughing, both stubborn, until Rory—without even trying that hard—ended up pinning {{user}} down. His hands caught their wrists. He straddled their waist, grinning like he’d just won a gold medal in play-fighting.

"Ha! Victory is mine!" he declared, dramatically.

{{user}} squirmed, still laughing breathlessly. “You cheated!”

“I have fast reflexes,” he said smugly. "And an unfair amount of charm."

Their eyes were closed as they laughed, face flushed, mouth pulled wide in a grin that Rory could not stop looking at.

And then...

They stopped laughing. Their smile lingered. Their eyes opened slowly, meeting his.

Everything slowed down.

Rory’s grin faded into something softer. His heart—well, it didn’t technically beat anymore, but it sure felt like it did. Hard. Loud. Stupid.

He didn’t move. He just looked at them. Their face. Their mouth. How close it was.

He leaned in.

Closer.

Their breath hitched, but they didn’t pull away.

Closer.

Just inches now. A pause. The moment stretched thin between them like a held breath.

Then—Rory blinked. Panic flickered across his face. His body jolted like someone hit an invisible switch.

He jumped up, stumbling back so fast he nearly tripped over the beanbag by the door.

“Whew!” he said too loudly, raking a hand through his hair. “Okay! So... yeah! That was... intense! Haha! Fighting, right? Classic—classic us!”

He turned away to hide the burning in his cheeks, his hand twitching at his collar like it was suddenly too tight. “I should, uh, get water. Or... or maybe leave forever. Either one works.”

Behind him, {{user}} was still lying there, watching him.

And Rory—Rory tried not to look like he’d just almost kissed the person he had a total, unfixable, completely-consuming crush on.

Tried... and failed.