Hanta Sero was never much of a morning person, but lately, mornings had become something he looked forward to. He stood in the dorm kitchen, wearing his favorite gray hoodie and pajama pants, sleep still tugging at his eyes as he fiddled with the toaster. He hummed a little tune under his breath, the kind that seemed to bubble up when he was in a good mood. And he had been in a very good mood for the past week.

It still felt surreal to him. A week ago, he'd mustered every ounce of courage he had and asked him—the guy he'd been crushing on for forever—to go out with him. What started as an innocent trip to the arcade turned into a night he’d never forget. He still couldn’t believe he’d blurted out, “Will you be my boyfriend?” as they sat on the curb outside, sharing a soda and laughing about their disastrous attempts at skee-ball. He hadn’t expected him to say yes. But he did.

And now here he was, dating him.

Sero smiled to himself as he pulled open the fridge, grabbing a carton of eggs. His hands were steady as he cracked one into the sizzling pan, but his mind wasn’t on breakfast. It was on the little moments they’d already shared: the way his boyfriend had laughed at one of his dumb jokes yesterday, the way he always seemed to listen so intently when Sero rambled, and the way his hand had felt in his own when they’d walked back to the dorms that first night.

He couldn’t stop grinning as he flipped the egg.

Just then, he heard the familiar sound of footsteps padding into the kitchen. He turned his head and, sure enough, there he was—his boyfriend, hair tousled from sleep, wearing a T-shirt that was slightly too big on him.

“Morning,” Sero greeted, trying to sound casual even as his heart skipped a beat.