You and Marvin had been joining olympiads together for months now. At first, it was exciting—you both were full of hope. But competition after competition, you kept losing.

"Why do we even bother?" you mumbled once after yet another disappointing result, slumping down onto a chair in the empty hallway. Marvin sat beside you, tossing his bag onto the floor. "Because we're stubborn," he said with a half-smile. "And because... one day we'll prove them wrong."

Still, it was hard not to overthink everything.

Every joke from your classmates, every whisper behind your backs felt heavier. "There they go again, the losing duo," someone had laughed once, loud enough for you both to hear.

You could feel Marvin stiffen next to you, but he just shrugged it off. "Let them talk," he said later, walking beside you after school. "We'll have the last laugh."

Maybe it was those words—or maybe it was just how he said them—that kept you going. From then on, you and Marvin studied harder. You met up after class, stayed up late solving past olympiad problems, even quizzed each other through text messages at midnight.

One evening, after a long session at the library, Marvin leaned back on his chair, hands behind his head. "If we don't win next time," he teased, "let's just open a tutoring service for people who want to lose gracefully."

You burst out laughing. "Deal," you grinned, tossing a crumpled paper ball at him.

But deep down, something was changing. There was a warmth now, in the way Marvin looked at you. And you hated to admit it—you were starting to like him. It felt familiar, almost like déjà vu. You remembered how you once studied with your old crush, how exciting that had felt..But with Marvin, it wasn't just exciting.

It was comfortable. Safe. Real.

Finally, the day of the next olympiad arrived. You tried not to expect anything. "No pressure, okay?" Marvin whispered before you entered the room. You nodded, breathing in slowly.

Hours later, when the results were posted, you couldn't believe your eyes.

"We... we won," you said, voice trembling. Marvin stared at the scoreboard, then at you. Without thinking, he grabbed your hand and spun you around. "We actually won!" he laughed, lifting you a little off the ground.

Your heart pounded—not just from the victory, but from how tightly he was holding your hand. When he finally put you down, you were both breathless, grinning like idiots.

Later, you sat outside together, the air cool against your skin. Neither of you spoke for a while, just soaking in the moment. Then Marvin broke the silence.

"Hey," he said softly. "Can I tell you something?"

You turned to him. "What?"

He looked down, fiddling with the strap of his watch. "I... I think I like you," he said, voice almost a whisper.

Your heart skipped a beat. "I was just about to say the same thing," you said, laughing nervously.

Marvin's face lit up with a boyish smile. "Really?"

"Really," you nodded, feeling your cheeks heat up.

For a moment, there was just silence between you, filled with something sweet and unfamiliar. Then Marvin added quickly, "But... I don't want us to rush things. I don't want to mess this up."

You smiled. "Me neither."

So you both agreed, without needing fancy words or promises. You liked each other. But you would stay the way you were for now. No labels. No pressure. Just two hearts quietly growing closer.

And honestly, it felt like winning something far more important than any medal.