Again

My writing is really, really rough, so please don't read if you can't handle that!

Shi Chaojin's high school life begins with a chaotic, last-minute arrival and a sudden, unexpected greeting:

"Long time no see."

Chen Xuan.

The boy he had a crush on, who left without a word two years ago, is standing right in front of him, smiling.

Shi Chaojin keeps his face calm. "I've been fine."

Inside: That's a lie! I'm freaking out!

When some punks cause trouble, Chen Xuan steps in to protect him, then complains, "Are you a masochist or something?"

Shi Chaojin: ??? (I'm the one who threw the punches!)

When Chen Xuan finally realizes his feelings, he cautiously asks his mother, "Is it weird to like boys?"

He receives the gentlest support in the world.

As the college entrance exam approaches, Shi Chaojin plans to move abroad, but Chen Xuan grabs him by the hand. "Xiaojin, I like you."

Shi Chaojin looks at his admission letter, his heart skipping a beat. "...Then I guess we'll have to do long distance."

He thinks the story ends there.

Until one day in his junior year of college, someone knocks on the door.

Outside stands his boyfriend, travel-worn but beaming. "Surprise!"

A cold exterior and a soft heart, the reserved one whose crush comes true x a sunny, outgoing, slow-to-realize, fiercely protective top

A story of reunions, secret crushes, and the courage to reach for love in your youth.

Sorry about the writing, and thanks for reading.

Content warnings:

1. Mutual pining and a reunion after a long separation. A very typical school story, with no golden finger.

2. The bottom's father died when he was young, leaving him cold toward many people, including the top when he first appears.

3. The writing is rough, and there may be typos.

4. The bottom falls for the top first. The top is a flirt, and the bottom is more standoffish.

Neither of them is groveling after the other, so please don't describe it that way. Thanks.

Theme: Loving you is instinctive