They met in the dim light of the debate hall, where words were weapons and wit was a sharp knife. Jinhai Liu, meticulous and calm. Huang Shui Hai, persistent, sharp-tongued, brilliant in a way that made people listen, especially Jinhai.

From the first round, they had been at odds. Every competition, every score on the board, every hand raised in class was a silent war. Teachers praised them in unison. Friends whispered bets on who would win. They felt equal parts admiration and annoyance, and neither wanted to admit how heated their feelings were for the other.

It should have stayed that way. Cold, calculating, competitive. No feelings at all.

Jinhai hated the way Huang Shui smiled when he knew he'd won. Huang hated how Jinhai challenged him like no one else ever had. And yet, they continued to circle each other. It was as if even their hatred knew it wasn't the whole truth. Perhaps they were never meant to be simply competitors, could be more.

.

.

.

"Jinhai, you'll come home with me, right?" Jun called out from behind the chair. 

"Damn, can you stop surprising me?" He almost smashed the table, but held back. Honestly, he couldn't compete anymore, but his mind never stopped competing with Huang. Jun scratched his head with a grin, his eyes pleading for pity. Jinhai nodded, smiling.

The school bell had rung, and the students were quickly packing their school supplies into their bags. Jinhai didn't immediately pack his things, instead staring absentmindedly out the window. He narrowed his eyes and raised his eyebrows in surprise.