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The rain started in the afternoon, when Yushi had to sprint up the stairs and run inside his room so he wouldn’t get drenched. Later in the day, distant rumbles started to sound, and strong winds added themselves to the storm. By the time night settled over the university campus, a heavy thunderstorm was in full swing.
Yushi sat on the wooden floor beside his bed, headphones in to drown out the outside noise, and laptop open as he watched a choreography video for his next dance class. Across the room, Riku sat curled up on his desk chair, his knees pulled up to his chest as he pretended to read something.
Neither of them had spoken more than a few words that day. They never talked much to each other. They had lived together since the beginning of the year, just two quiet people who managed to exist in the the same room without awkwardness and without feeling uncomfortable, but also without closeness. Silence was never uncomfortable between them. For them it was just normal, familiar.
After a few minutes of the thunder outside being quiet, a loud crack of thunder sounded suddenly. Too violent, and too close. Yushi jumped, just slightly, from the sudden sound heard through his headphones. He looked up from his screen at Riku, who had gone very still. His book was on his desk, and his fingers were holding it around the cover, grabbing it so tightly his knuckles turned white.
There was another crack, making Yushi pull out one of his headphones. He opened his mouth to say something, his lips barely parting before he stopped himself when Riku stood up from his chair.
Riku didn’t say anything. He just walked slowly across the room with his fluffy white socks on the cold wood. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes kept shooting glances at the window.
When he got to Yushi’s side of the room, he lowered himself to the floor beside him. He was close enough that their knees almost brushed. Yushi froze in his spot, unsure of what to do.
The glow of the laptop was the only light in the room besides the small lamp on Riku’s desk he used to read. Yushi could still hear the music in his one headphone he was still wearing, but it sounded different with the boy suddenly sitting so close next to him.
Riku didn’t have to say anything for Yushi to understand what was going on. His body was slightly tense, his shoulders were drawn in like he was trying to make himself smaller, and with the way he sat so close to Yushi, it was more than clear to Yushi.
Another crack of thunder came, louder and even closer this time. Riku flinched. It wasn’t obvious, but it was enough for Yushi to notice. He hesitated before he slowly held the loose headphone up to Riku. The older boy took it without question, putting it in his right ear, and connecting himself with Yushi who was still wearing the headphone in his left ear.
“Are you okay?” Yushi asked, his voice soft as he turned off the video and pulled up his playlist.
Riku nodded slowly, but too quickly. “Yes,” he murmured, his eyes glued to the window. “I just don’t like the sound of thunder.”
Yushi hummed quietly as a response. He didn’t want to press it. If Riku said he was okay, then Yushi would believe he was okay. But the wind was still loud, and the thunder kept making its loud noises.
He scrolled through his playlist, and pressed play on something calm and comforting. Soft vocals and slow instrumentals filled their ears. The kind of music that filled the room with the feeling of warmth.
Riku let out a breath. He shifted just slightly, his arm brushing against Yushi’s on accident. It caused a soft feeling of goosebumps on Yushi’s skin. The younger boy kept his eyes on the screen, but he could feel something flutter in his chest. He was unsure of what to do with Riku sitting so close. He didn’t want to pull away. If anything, he wanted to lean closer to the boy.
When the next thunder cracked, Riku’s body tensed again. This time, Yushi could feel it. He looked at Riku from the corner of his eyes before daring to fully look at him. He tilted his head a little and offered, “You can sit closer if you want to.”
Riku turned his head to look at him, surprised for a second. It was like he hadn’t expected Yushi to react in the way he did. But without a word, he shifted closer. Their legs touched, their shoulders aligned, and their arms brushed.
Yushi swallowed once, as the action caused another flutter in his body. But before he could even think twice about what the older boy was making him feel, Riku leaned his head on his shoulder, the contact making Yushi freeze in his place for a second. His breath caught in his throat, and his heart beat slightly faster than it normally would.
He had always been interested in Riku, finding him cute, and pretty. But he had always been too shy to show his interest to the older boy. Him telling Riku he could sit closer was his first move at getting closer.
“Is this okay?” Riku asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Yushi nodded, turning his head just slightly so his cheek brushed Riku’s soft hair, and he could see how Riku’s eyes had closed. “Yes,” he whispered. “It’s okay.”
They sat together like that for minutes that felt like hours. The music sounded soft in their ears as Riku kept his head on Yushi’s shoulder, and only a few minutes later, Yushi let his head rest on Riku’s just to see what it would feel like.
With Yushi’s movement, Riku shifted again. He didn’t move away. Instead, he tucked himself quietly against Yushi’s side. His legs were pulled against his chest, like they were when he was still sitting at his desk, and his head was still resting on Yushi’s shoulder.
Yushi wasn’t sure what to do with the way his heart felt. He closed his eyes for a moment, just like Riku was still doing, and let himself lean more into the feeling. The storm continued outside, but it felt distant, the music and Riku’s body like a soft wall between them and the outside world.
Gently, Yushi turned his head, just a little, but enough he could see how Riku’s eyes were still closed, and his lips parted slightly. He wasn’t trying to stare at the boy, but the way Riku was so close, it was difficult not to. The way his breathing had evened out, the way soft pink spread on his cheeks, and the way he leaned into Yushi’s side like he trusted him completely.
Riku’s eyes fluttered open. He looked up at Yushi, locking their eyes. To Yushi, it felt like the world stopped spinning for a moment, freezing them in place.
“Riku,” Yushi whispered, barely audible.
The older boy blinked up at him. “Hm?”
Yushi tried to swallow the dryness away in his throat, afraid his words would be too much.
So he leaned down instead, just a little, just enough. Their foreheads brushed, and his lips stopped close to Riku’s. He gave him space to move away if he wanted to, but he didn’t. Riku tilted his head up just slightly.
Just enough to close the distance.
The kiss was soft, gentle, careful. It was filled with warmth and hesitancy. Filled with everything they had never said, and didn’t need to say.
Riku’s fingers curled lightly into the fabric of Yushi’s hoodie, and Yushi moved his own hand to hold Riku’s chin with his fingers.
When they pulled back from the kiss, Riku gave him the cutest smile. “That was okay too,” he said.
Yushi let out a soft laugh through his nose, his cheeks flushed pink. “That was definitely okay.”
They leaned into each other again, Riku’s head back on Yushi’s shoulder, and Yushi’s head back on Riku’s. They let the thunderstorm blow over as they were wrapped in the warmth and comfort of their room, and with the soft sound of Yushi’s music in their ears.