Fevered Kiss (MewGulf AU)

🌻Chapter 8

🌻

The next day was overcast. The sky filled with heavy gray clouds, threatening rain at any moment. Despite the wind that whipped through the trees, the campus was full of students exchanging notes and idea what would be on the exams.

Gulf gazed at the sky and sighed, mindless of the almost-festive bustle around him.

The weather was always cloudy when he was depressed like this. Gulf heaved another sigh as he let himslef get caught up in the crowd heading toward the dining hall. He felt like he'd already used up a lifetime's supply of sigh.

Last night, he'd been unable to calm his heightening emotions until he took care of the tension himself. Then he'd buried himself under the kotatsu and fell asleep, feeling wretched and trance-like. But he couldn't sleep in his bed because it reminded him of Mew.

Under the kotatsu, Gulf had slept lightly, waking several times during the night. Today, his body was heavy, with a listlessness born of sleep-deprivation and violent self-loathing.

He'd been weird last night, no question about it. He had to make sure that such a thing never happened again, he had to stop kissing Mew---no matter what. He just had to be direct about it. Then they would go back to just being friends. That way, remembering about Mew wouldn't get him hot the way it had the night before.

It was simple. Gulf knew that,
but...

"Gulf!" A hand clapped him on the shoulder and he jumped. "Did that really scare you?"

Gulf turned around to find Mild and Boat standing there. Mild had been the one who clapped Gulf in the shoulder.

"I was just thinking about something," Gulf said.

"You din't look so good," Mild's frown was worried.

Gulf struggled to form a smile. "I just haven't slept much because of studying."

"It's not like you to lose sleep over exams, Gulf," Boat said softly.

Gulf laughed evasively. Boat was right. It wasn't the exams he was losing sleep over.

"That's true. You're pretty dependable when it comes to that stuff," Mild agreed.

Boat muttered, "It's unlike you."

"Me, on the other hand," Mild said. "I put it all off until the last second and end up staying up all night before the test...hey, Boat, look what you made me say!" Mild joked, looking around with wide, startled eyes.

"Hey, where's Mew? It's weird not to see him with you."

Gulf laughed bitterly. His friend had asked the question in a way that said it was obvious. Even these two took it for granted that he and Mew would be together.

As the three of them started walking, with Mild in the middle, Gulf said, still laughing, "It's not that unusual. I mean, we don't hang out that much."

"Really? You've been together a lot lately," Mild said, shaking his head.

Over the top of Mild's head. Boat watched Gulf calmly. "Gulf, you don't seem to get it, so I'm going to come straight out with it. You and Mew are really striking together."

"Not me. Mew's the one who's striking."

"You really don't get it." Mild said.

Boat was nodding thoughtfully.

Mild said, "I mean, sure, no one stands out as much as Mew, but Gulf, have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror? You're not bad-looking, but you're eyes are something else."

"What do you mean something else?"

"Special. How can I explain it? Like, they bewitch you. They pull you in. They're...what do you call them again, Boat?"

"Bedroom eyes."

"Yeah, that's it!" Mild nodded.

Gulf slapped him lightly. "You're a dumbass. When we were kids, you used to say my eyes were creepy because you couldn't tell what I was thinking."

"Well, maybe I'd thought that when I was a kid, but, right, Boat?" Mild had a habit of deferring to Boat when he couldn't explain something.

Boat was used to it and nodded slightly. "You've got the definition of bedroom eyes."

Mild nodded like this explained everything.

Boat looked over Mild's head. "Some of the girls who say they're coming over to talk to Mew actually want to talk to you."

"No way." Gulf gave up. Maybe his eyes did leave an impression on people. But they weren't bedroom eyes.

"Yes way. It may not be as much as Mew, but we do hear rumors about you."

Gulf glared at Boat, who seemed to know it all.

Then Mild tugged on his arm sharply. "Hey Gulf, over there!" he whispered.

There was a tall man standing in front of the brick wall of the dining hall. In his black cargo pants and black and white striped shirt, he looked like a slender beast of prey. Even in the crowd of students, he stood out.

There was only one person it could be: Mew.

Next to him stood a slim girl, she had pretty long hair. It was hard to tell from so far away, but her features were fine, and she was very beautiful. The snow white coat she was wearing looked amazing on her.

"Wow, talk about some seriously beautiful people. I've never seen Mew's girlfriend before. I wonder who she is. Do you know, Boat?"

"I don't recognize her. I don't think she goes to our school."

In contrast to the overly excited Mild, Boat was perfectly calm.

Gulf could only stare at Mew and the girl. It was like his eyes were glued to them. He couldn't look away.

'That's Mew's girlfriend. She's pretty. They look good together. She must be the one who called him yesterday.'

It had been obvious that Mew wasn't irritated by the call that had ended their kissing so abruptly. Mew's lack of expression wasn't a lack of emotion, he just didn't let his emotions show. Gulf knew that well, after spending every day with him for an entire month.

The couple seemed to be having a serious discussion. Gulf could only stare at them.

'So the rumors are true. We really do have to stop,' Gulf thought. Dimly, he realized that the idea was really getting to him.

"Hey! Gulf, what's up?" Mild asked, surprised to see Gulf turn away.

"I just remembered something I have to do," Gulf said, without looking back as he took off. His chest ached as though his heart was burning. Was it because he had to stop kissing Mew? Would something like that hurt this much? Was that really the only reason?

If they stopped the make-out session, they could go back to being friends. Stopping would be the best thing for both of them. So why was he getting so torn up about it?

A month ago, Mew had been expressionless and kind of scary, but basically, a nice guy. Nothing more. Gulf had never imagined that they'd kiss, let alone sleep together. And none of his wildest dreams ever made him think that kissing could turn him on the way it did.

'What's Mew thinking, kissing me? He has a girlfriend. Doesn't that make it cheating?'

No, it wouldn't be called cheating. That would make Gulf the other woman, and Gulf wasn't a woman at all. Maybe it was nothing but a little fun for Mew. After all, Mew had never tried to touch Gulf since the night they slept together. Mew had only kissed him.

But why would he want to touch Gulf again? Why would he want to sleep with a guy?

'Mew was just having some fun. Just fooling around.'

But even if Mew was just fooling around, it didn't answer the question of why he'd kissed Gulf. Gulf really had no idea what Mew was thinking.

Suddenly, Gulf remembered that there had been another time when he hadn't known what Mew was thinking...

TBC