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there was something about starr that archer couldn’t quite grasp.
maybe it was the way his laughter didn’t just bubble up—it spilled over, like sunlight pouring into a room during the early hours of the day. he walked into spaces like he was meant to brighten them. and archer, quietly in his own world, never tried to get to the bottom of it or tried to explain it too much.
he just basked in starr’s warmth with a subtle fondness and he always, always followed.
he watched ahead as his own mother linked arms with starr, talking animatedly like there was no one else who cared. to their credit, everyone else seemed too busy to mind for it was move-in day at their university. there were boxes everywhere, all filled to the brim and labeled by room for ease. on the curbside, there were freshmen accompanied by proud moms and reminiscent dads (not that the latter would ever admit to being emotional). the whole scene was not much different from theirs, judging by the duffel bag of clothes he was holding in one hand and the smaller sized guitar on the other, all belonging to his little sister, sofia. it was her move-in day, and like any dutiful older brother, her helped her make move-in day a lot less stressful—something archer could mostly credit to starr.
as sofia and their mother climbed the steps to the female-only dorm, starr lagged behind with an expectant look on his face. archer watched his mouth move, probably making a comment about how the uni’s volleyball court was only a 5-minute walk away. after all, it was all he could talk about in the days leading up to this very tuesday, excited to finally have someone he could play with other than his boyfriend who, admittedly, had much more talent in creating mixtapes than receiving a serve.
“you know, archer,” starr said, squinting at the sky like he was about to challenge it. “you always seem to lurk behind me. see anything in particular that you like?” starr was talking in singsong, already expecting his boyfriend to not take the bait.
“i’m not lurking,” archer said from his place two steps behind. “i’m just... walking in the same direction.”
“mmhm. which is, coincidentally, always where i am, right?”
starr was looking directly at him, eyes gleaming with amusement, but didn’t sound annoyed. if anything, there was warmth tucked between his words—that quiet invitation that archer always picked up on. he opened his mouth to say something, anything that could measure up to the way his heart ached, only to be interrupted by his mother and sister grabbing the rest of her things and stuffing them in a trolley.
soon after, archer bid his goodbye to sofia, promising to meet up with her for lunch the following day. he looked over to the side, a fond look on his face as he watched starr lean down to softly press his cheeks against his mom as a gesture of affection, sofia following suit. if his breath hitched while looking at his smiling boyfriend, his rosy cheeks pulled in a wide smile, no one had to know. falling in love with starr everyday was something he did anyway.
they walked to the cafe near their own dorm, starr animatedly retelling something chan did the other day. archer mostly hummed in response, laughing when starr started flailing his arms to reenact chan’s dramatic fall.
“see, this is why you need to come hang out more,” starr said, elbowing him lightly. “you always miss the best moments.”
archer smiled, eyes fixed on the ice slowly melting in starr’s iced americano. “i don’t think i do.”
“what do you mean?”
he looked up. starr was watching him now—maybe a little impatient, but more curious, head tilted slightly like a sunflower tracking the light. funny, because archer always though starr was light himself.
“i think... just being around you is the best moment.”
starr blinked. once. twice. “hey.”
archer chuckled. “what?”
“you can’t just say something like that with a straight face.”
“i can,” archer said, soft. “and i mean it.”
there was a pause—rare in the world of bright, bubbly starr—where even the air seemed to wait. then, slowly, his lips curled into a smile that came from something gentler than amusement, quickly attempting to cover up his blush with an eyeroll.
he took a long sip of his drink that was fading in color as the heat of the afternoon quickly melted the ice. he was avoiding archer’s eyes. “well, that’s good because i like when you’re around.”
archer tilted his head. “even if i’m always following you around?”
starr looked at him then, real and radiant, cheeks still pink.
“especially then.”
the rest of the walk to their dorm was silent for a while after that, but it wasn’t empty. as the sky took on an orange hue, archer gently pulled his boyfriend by the shoulder and pressed a kiss to his temple.
he had always been content just orbiting his sun, but moments like this reminded him that his sun—the biggest, brightest star in his own galaxy—was orbiting him, too.