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1.
"Very funny," Harua says, without looking up from the game he's playing on his phone.
Nicholas glances nervously at Maki, and finds the other boy already looking at him. The two share a confused look before turning back to their friend.
"… What do you mean?" Nicholas eventually asks.
Harua sighs and finally looks up from his phone.
"Do you honestly expect me to fall for this?"
This doesn't clarify much for Nicholas. Maki squeezes his hand gently where their intertwined hands rest in the younger's lap.
Harua takes the silence as an invitation to continue.
"It's a cute bit, trying to convince me you got together. Honestly, Kei-hyung might fall for it, if you wanna try it on him. But that's because he has way too much faith in you guys."
"Hyung," Maki cuts in finally, "you don't believe us? We really are dating."
His voice has taken on the kicked puppy quality he mastered so long ago, essential to his role as the group's maknae. When Nicholas glances his way, he finds the matching puppy-dog eyes on his boyfriend's face.
But Harua just rolls his eyes, much stronger in the face of Maki's puppy routine than Nicholas is.
"That's cute, Maki," he offers, standing up and pocketing his phone. He moves to the door, barely sparing a glance for the couple, who sit frozen on the couch, shoulders pressed together and hands still clasped.
"Try Kei-hyung!" Harua yells behind him, as he slips through the doorway and into the corridor. The door shuts gently behind him, and Nicholas and Maki find themselves alone in the quiet dressing room before either has really processed what's happening.
"That… didn't exactly go how I expected," Nicholas says into the silence.
He and Maki had only officially started dating a little more than a week ago, although they'd been dancing around the relationship talk for a while before that.
Now that they'd put a label on it, though, they'd decided it was time to start telling the members, since their relationship would undoubtedly have some impact on the group. Other than the obvious changes to group dynamics, there were also significant risks to being in any relationship as an idol, especially one with another member.
Nicholas had suggested they started by telling Harua, as the younger member was close with both Nicholas and Maki, and usually offered kindness where other members might take an opportunity to make fun. Maki had been quite nervous to tell anyone, perhaps afraid that their actions would be judged as selfish, but Nicholas had insisted that Harua would be a safe place to start.
This reaction wasn't exactly unkind, nor judgmental, but somehow in all their worry, neither boy had expected flat out denial or disbelief.
Maki huffs out a laugh.
"Is it really that hard to believe?"
Nicholas just squeezes his hand reassuringly. He isn't sure what to say; he's starting to wonder the same thing.
2.
Reluctantly, they follow Harua's advice, seeking out Yudai next.
The oldest member is dependable and kind, but more than anything he's incredibly honest. He's not one to give false assurances or lie to save someone's feelings, but he's also not one to overlook the members' feelings.
On the day that Maki and Nicholas go looking for him, they happen to find him and Fuma curled up together on the couch. The other members are all out, leaving the eldest members alone in the apartment, so it seems as good a time as any to confide in them.
Maki settles uneasily next to Fuma at the end of the couch, so Nicholas perches on the arm of the couch and rests a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Hyungs," Maki starts, then pauses for a long time.
When it seems unlikely he'll pick back up, Nicholas steps in.
"We wanted to tell you both something."
Fuma smiles encouragingly, and Yudai just raises his eyebrows.
"Maki and I are dating. It's new, and we haven't really told anyone yet, but we're serious about each other and about making this relationship work."
Neither of the older members moves. After another long pause, Nicholas continues.
"We know that it could put the group and the members in a weird position, and the last thing we want is to make things difficult. But we've decided it's worth it to face that together. As boyfriends."
Boyfriends. The word still makes his heart race, but now isn't the time for that, Nicholas reminds himself.
Nicholas instinctively squeezes Maki's shoulder, and his boyfriend turns to look at him with a nervous smile. Fuma clears his throat, and Nicholas looks to him and tries to calm his heart down.
Fuma locks eyes with Nicholas, and his face is - not angry, certainly not disgusted, but distinctly disappointed. It feels like the face he makes when a member cracks a joke in the middle of a serious group meeting. Nicholas doesn't really understand why, but he suspects he's about to find out.
"I know you don't mean anything by it, but you really shouldn't joke about these things. We all love you both a lot, and you know nothing will change that, but it's not okay to say things like this just to try and have a laugh at our reaction or something."
Maki makes a confused noise, one that Nicholas feels in his soul, but Yudai steps in before he can get any words out.
"Fuma's right, you guys. Let's drop this for now and leave it be. Maki, would you run to the upstairs apartment for me and see if Yuma is around? He promised to help me with dinner tonight."
Maki reluctantly starts to get up, turning to Nicholas with a mix of confusion and distress. Nicholas doesn't really understand what's going on, but he doesn't like the look on his boyfriend's face, so he stands up too and reaches for Maki's hand in the hopes of reassuring him.
Right as their hands meet, Fuma stands abruptly and claps a loud hand on Nicholas' shoulder.
"Will you stick around, Nichol? Yudai and I want to chat to you about something for a minute."
Nicholas turns to his hyung, ready to deny the request - he's not about to let Maki walk out of the room alone when he clearly needs reassurance and comfort - but the look on Fuma's face pulls him up short.
The disappointment from earlier has increased tenfold, and alongside it now sits some serious frustration, maybe even anger. Nicholas looks to Maki and tries to give the most reassuring smile possible.
"No worries, love," he tells his boyfriend, "I'll catch up with you in a few."
Once the maknae has left the room, Yudai and Fuma quickly round on Nicholas.
"Maki looks up to you a lot, Nicholas," Yudai starts. "I'm not sure who's idea this was, but as his hyung, you should know better."
Fuma nods, adding, "You might not mean anything by it, but it's not okay to lead Maki on like this. Whatever's going on with you two, you need to be gentle with his feelings. Don't let him get hurt because of this joke - I'm sure that's not something you want anyway, so you need to be more careful."
Nicholas kind of feels like he's going to be sick. He's once again struck with the feeling of not knowing what to say.
"It was a mutual decision, Kei-hyung," he starts. "I told you, we care about each other a lot. All the more reason why I have no intention of hurting him."
At the last part, he nods at Fuma, hoping somewhat helplessly that the older boys will actually believe him.
Yudai just sighs.
Fuma tries to smile at Nicholas, but it comes out mangled and wrong behind his frustration.
"Just… be more careful, won't you?" Fuma says. "I'm glad you mean well, but it's still best if you just drop this topic."
Nicholas swallows hard, tucking away the urge to cry, and nods. He told Maki he would catch up to him, and he's not going to let the other boy down. Whatever the members might think, Nicholas is determined to be good for Maki, and hiding away to cry about the lack of acceptance of their relationship won't be helpful to either of them right now.
"Okay, hyung," he says. "I'll see you both later."
He's out the front door before he can hear whatever the older pair might say in response.
3.
After the initial response to the news of their relationship, Nicholas and Maki are both reluctant to tell any other members, especially given Maki's original concerns.
Still, Nicholas insists, not all the members will be so uncaring or judgmental. Jo, for one, very rarely judges anyone for anything, and Yuma may be quick to judge in trivial cases, but he knows when to be kind instead.
One evening, Maki and Nicholas return from a dinner date and step inside one of the apartments that the members share, finding Jo and Yuma curled up on the couch watching a drama.
The scene is far too reminiscent of their conversation with the two eldest members, though, and Nicholas knows neither of them want to be caught up thinking of that while they have this conversation, so he catches Maki's eye and gives a small shake of his head.
The next morning, when Nicholas emerges from Maki's bedroom, he finds his boyfriend quietly laughing in the kitchen with Jo and Yuma, and Maki sends him a relaxed but reassuring smile.
"Morning," Nicholas murmurs, entering the kitchen, and is met with gentle greetings from the other three.
He walks right to Maki's side, and after half a second of hesitation, gives Maki a soft kiss on the cheek before leaning against him.
Yuma raises his eyebrows, but Jo doesn't seem to react.
"Something you two want to share?" Yuma asks.
Maki makes a noise of agreement; Nicholas feels the hum vibrate through him.
"Hyung and I…" Maki starts, and when he pauses, Nicholas lets the silence sit so Maki has a chance to fill it.
"We're in a relationship," the younger eventually says. "A romantic one. We're dating."
Jo turns, face still neutral, and makes eye contact with Yuma. Neither of them says a word, but Yuma holds Jo's eyes for a few long seconds before laughing quietly.
"Is that so?" Yuma eventually replies. He sounds somewhat disbelieving - Nicholas is much too familiar with that tone by now.
"It is, actually," Nicholas answers, trying not to let his frustration bleed into his voice too much.
Yuma says nothing. Nicholas turns to Jo, hoping the other boy might have something more helpful to say. Jo smiles at him, but it feels distinctly placating.
"Well, that's good to know," Jo says evenly.
An awkward silence stretches out into the kitchen. Nicholas' frustration boils over.
"Is that all? Nothing else either of you want to say?"
Jo looks to Yuma; Yuma just shrugs.
"Great! Awesome. Thanks so much, you guys. So glad we decided to trust you with this important news."
The three members all look to Nicholas at the outburst, expressions ranging from disinterest to concern. Nicholas can't meet anyone's eye, so he just turns and walks out of the room.
Maki is only a few steps behind him, calling out his name, and Nicholas takes a deep breath; it's not his boyfriend that he's angry at, after all.
"Nicho…" Maki says gently, reaching for the older member's hand.
Nicholas spins to face him, and he sees in Maki's face the same gentle sadness he feels in his chest. He wraps his arms around the other boy, tugging him into his chest and hooking his chin over the other's shoulder.
They stand like that for a while - seconds or minutes or hours, Nicholas isn't sure - before Maki eventually speaks.
"Why is nobody just… happy for us?"
His voice breaks on the last word.
"I don't know, love. But I'm sure they'll get there eventually, okay? We'll be fine."
Nicholas tries to believe his own reassurances. He's not sure if he succeeds.
4.
Unsure of what they have left to lose, Nicholas and Maki decide they may as well tell the last few members. Their expectations for any kind of positive reaction are dwindling, but Maki suggests they may as well take advantage of not needing to keep it a secret, at least.
Still, when Maki leans in to kiss Nicholas, sitting on the younger's bed with the door to his and Taki's room wide open, Nicholas instinctively pulls away, eyebrows raised.
"What if Taki comes in? Or someone else walks past?"
Maki just shrugs, smile a touch mischievous.
"So what? It's not really a secret anymore, is it? Why should we hide?"
Nicholas thinks back to the conversation with Yudai and Fuma, their odd warning about Maki getting hurt making his stomach sink. He doesn't really want to fight his hyungs today, or get scolded by them, but the hopeful look on Maki's face cuts through his worries.
Nicholas smiles back, kneeling up to hook a leg over Maki's lap and take a seat right up in his space, their noses almost brushing against each other.
"I guess we shouldn't, hm?"
Nicholas smiles, mirroring his boyfriend, and presses his lips to Maki's.
Maki gives an approving hum, and opens his mouth, gently pushing Nicholas' lips apart.
The push and pull of their tongues, as they take turns fighting for control of the kiss, starts to grow in intensity. Nicholas gains control for a second, leaning further into Maki and pushing him to lean further on the wall behind him. He repositions his hips, sitting heavily down into Maki's lap once again, and a quiet whine escapes from the younger's throat.
Nicholas breaks the kiss to catch his breath, huffing quietly as Maki makes a disappointed noise. Maki juts his head forward, pecking Nicholas' mouth once, twice, three times, and the two laugh gently before deepening the kiss once again.
It's at this moment that a high pitched, disbelieving voice sounds from the corridor, right outside the bedroom door.
"No way! Are you serious?!"
Maki pulls away quickly, head whipping to the doorway, where Taki stands with hands on hips and eyebrows disappearing behind his hairline.
Nicholas looks to Maki, who looks back at him nervously. Nicholas is still seated entirely in Maki's lap, legs starting to wrap around his back and wrists crossed behind Maki's head. Maki's lips are swollen where Nicholas has been biting at them, and there's a bright pink blush high on his cheeks.
He looks borderline edible, and Nicholas has to fight himself not to dive back in, knowing it's not exactly appropriate given the circumstances. He considers climbing back off Maki's lap, but the damage is obviously already done; besides, he's quite sure Maki is hard underneath him, and Nicholas doesn't really want Taki to get an eyeful of that. Most likely none of them want that.
Maki swallows nervously, hands still on Nicholas' hips, and starts to speak.
"Um, so… the thing is, Taki..."
He barely gets a few words out before Taki is speaking over him, disbelief spilling out of him.
"I can't believe this!"
Maki frowns a little, likely thinking something similar to Nicholas: when Taki's shock wears off, will he actually believe Nicholas and Maki? Will he be able to accept their relationship, or will he be just like the other members?
"I know," Maki continues, voice picking up strength, "but Nicholas and I-"
"Be honest, did Yuma put you guys up to this? I swear, that guy can't respect basic rules. Or, like, boundaries. This is a bit much for ten thousand yen, honestly."
Nicholas blinks. Maki does too.
"Ummm…" Maki starts, but doesn't seem sure of where to go from there.
"Yuma… doesn't really have much input on when and where we… make out. Or, y'know, anything to do with our… relationship."
The words feel inadequate, almost juvenile in Nicholas' mouth, and somehow it feels like they're not the right words, although Nicholas has no idea what those could possibly be.
Taki looks between the two of them, then lets out a loud laugh, eyes crinkled up in amusement.
"Oh man, I hope he's splitting the win money with you guys if he's asked you to put on such a convincing performance. Tell Yuma he wins the bet, whatever, it's not that serious to me, honestly!"
"Bet?" Maki asks. "What bet?"
But Taki has already disappeared from the doorframe, giggling his way down the hallway, having seemingly forgotten whatever he came to the bedroom for in the first place.
Maki turns his baffled look on Nicholas instead, and Nicholas can do nothing but laugh.
"Are they making bets about us? What the fuck?" Maki asks Nicholas, knowing his boyfriend knows as much as he does about it.
Nicholas just laughs harder, settling back into Maki's lap and leaning his head into Maki's shoulder while he shakes with confused laughter.
Maki lets out a giggle of his own, and the tension of the expected confrontation starts to dissipate. Nicholas has no idea what to make of any of it, of whatever this means for Yuma's recent cryptic reaction, of what exactly Taki was betting against here. He also finds he doesn't really care much right now, with a beautiful boy underneath him, lips starting to mischievously peck at Nicholas' ear, his cheek, his neck.
"Well," Nicholas says, letting out a long breath. "Where were we?"
When he looks up to meet Maki's lips with his own, they're curled high into a grin.
5.
Nicholas tells Maki that they really shouldn't worry about whatever the members think; they'll come around, he says, and in the meantime there's nothing to be ashamed of.
Still, though he won't admit it to his boyfriend, it's starting to eat away at him, the thought that none of the members seem to understand or support their relationship. He bottles the feeling up, trying not to let it bring Maki down, but eventually he has to admit to himself he should talk it out with someone.
There's one member who hasn't said anything about he and Maki yet, even if he's probably heard about it from the others, and he also happens to be the person Nicholas is most comfortable opening up to. Other than Maki, obviously.
One evening, when Maki has taken Taki and Harua to his parents' place for a home cooked meal, Nicholas finds Euijoo right where Nicholas expects him to be: in a heap on the floor of a practice room at the company, still catching his breath from running their new choreography over and over again.
Nicholas lets himself into the practice room, grabs Euijoo's water from near the mirror, passes it to him, and sits down next to the other boy.
"Thanks," Euijoo breathes, then gulps down half the bottle in one go. Nicholas gives him a minute.
"So," Euijoo says eventually. "What's going on?"
"Would you believe me if I said nothing?"
"Probably not?"
Nicholas huffs a laugh. He's not really sure where to start.
"Well, apparently there's a betting circle going around about Maki and I."
Euijoo laughs, but he doesn't turn to look at Nicholas. So, he probably knew about that part.
"I don't really care about that. I'm just… kind of confused. About how everybody is acting, with Maki and I."
Euijoo hums.
"How are they acting?"
"I don't know, like they won't take us seriously I guess? Like they don't even believe us?"
Euijoo raises his eyebrows, finally turning to look at Nicholas.
"Can you blame them? I mean, what exactly were you expecting, Nichol?"
Nicholas is so shocked he almost laughs. Or cries, maybe.
"What?"
"Come on, you guys have been doing this little act forever! You have to realise that eventually, everybody stopped buying into it."
"… Act?" Nicholas echoes quietly.
Euijoo must hear something in Nicholas' voice, because he gives Nicholas a somewhat pitying look before continuing, voice resigned.
"Look, all the members love you a lot. Both of you. I think they're just getting a bit sick of you and Maki's whole… thing. Nobody's upset with you or anything, though. If you just leave it be, I'm sure everything will settle down easily."
Just leave it be. Right. Because that's totally something Nicholas is willing to do with his relationship.
He thinks Euijoo expects him to be relieved, to be reassured by this. To thank him, maybe, for being honest with him - something they've always been with each other, when no one else will be.
Instead, it's all Nicholas can do to gather himself and stand up from the practice room floor, nodding gently when Euijoo looks up to him but refusing to meet his eye.
"Okay," Nicholas says. "I'll leave you to keep practising."
He makes his way out of the room, a fragile silence following him.
"Nichol?" Euijoo calls, as he's halfway out the door. Nicholas pauses, but doesn't turn around.
"If you and Maki were to ever… y'know, for real. We'd all support you. You know that, right?"
To ever what? Break up? Nicholas swallows harshly. So they'd have his back if only he'd leave the maknae alone?
"Good to know," Nicholas gets out, finally pushing his way out of the door frame and letting the door shut behind him.
He's grateful that he doesn't run into anyone else in the company building, and opts to walk back to the dorm building so he can collect himself.
He goes over and over his conversation with Euijoo, the earlier warnings from his hyungs about hurting Maki, the confusion and disbelief and denial the other members answered their relationship with.
With all the pieces laid out like that, a new possibility occurs to him; maybe the members just don't think Nicholas is good enough for Maki. Maybe they don't think he can take care of the younger member, be a good influence on him or support him the way he needs.
All this time, Nicholas and Maki had been fighting back against the members, thinking they just didn't understand, didn't support them. But maybe they did understand; better than Nicholas himself. Maybe their disbelief was just them not wanting to believe it, hoping that the relationship wasn't real.
Maybe the truth is, the members do know better. Maybe he should have listened to them from the beginning.
Before he's aware of it, Nicholas finds himself back in front of the dorm building, thoughts racing through his head and dread sitting heavy in his stomach.
He isn't sure what to do with this realisation, isn't sure if the members are right to be concerned. He doesn't know what to tell Maki, what to do if having the one thing he always wanted has just made things worse.
He is sure, however, that he isn't going to figure it all out tonight. No, tonight he's just going to curl up in Maki's bed, let his boyfriend cuddle him when he gets back home, and forget about everything else. Just for tonight.
+1
It's been a few days since his conversation with Euijoo, and Nicholas thinks Maki can tell something is wrong, but he still doesn't know what to say about it all.
They're having a 'family movie night', the first in a while, and the nine members are scattered across the living room; four of them squeezed into the couch, Yuma and Taki on bean bags, Jo plopped awkwardly on the floor, and Maki and Nicholas on the loveseat.
It was Taki's turn to pick the movie, so the room is lit up by a Japanese horror film from before any of them were born, and Nicholas is not having a good time.
He's not usually this scared watching horror movies, but something about this one is getting under his skin, and he's currently doing everything he can to not hide behind Maki. Luckily, none of the other members have noticed that Nicholas is almost shaking in fear, so he isn't being made fun of. Yet.
Yudai isn't so lucky - he let out a tiny scream at one of the jump scares, and Fuma and Taki have hardly stopped laughing at him since.
The terrifying creature haunting the protagonist makes an appearance again, and Nicholas accidentally makes a noise, a quiet whine high in his throat. Maki turns his full attention to him immediately.
"You okay, love?" Maki asks softly into Nicholas' ear, reaching out for his hand and squeezing it tightly.
Nicholas just nods, not wanting to open his mouth in case something embarrassing escapes.
Maki gives him a gentle kiss on the cheek, obviously uncaring of the scrutiny from their group mates, and Nicholas leans back into him contentedly. He feels another kiss on his chin, the shell of his ear, the top of his head.
"I'm here, Nicho. I'm not going anywhere," Maki murmurs.
Nicholas couldn't feel safer. He opens his eyes, not sure when exactly he shut them, and immediately locks eyes with Yuma, staring openly at Nicholas and Maki from his beanbag on the other side of the room.
Nicholas looks away, feeling the anxiety that's been haunting him for weeks pick back up at the reminder of the judgment they're facing.
He takes a deep breath, focusing back on the TV and squeezing Maki's hand, but his boyfriend speaks again, much louder this time.
"Fuck off, Yuma-hyung," Maki says harshly, eyes locked with Yuma's.
Shock echoes through the room, everyone turning sharply to look between Maki and Yuma, unsure what prompted the outburst.
Nicholas sits up, attention fully on Maki, who reaches out an arm and wraps it protectively around Nicholas' shoulders.
Yuma puts his hands up and raises his eyebrows, looking defensive and a tad confused.
"I didn't say anything!"
"You didn't need to. Whatever issue you have with hyung and I dating, you need to get over it and mind your own business."
Yuma scoffs, clearly ready to spit back a reply, but it's Fuma who speaks first.
"Maki…" Fuma starts, voice gentle but firm.
"No! I'm sorry, Fuma-hyung, but it's not just Yuma. You've all been so unsupportive, so… mean. You're treating us like you're disappointed in us. All we wanted was for you all to accept us, to be… happy for us. I don't understand why you're not happy for us."
Maki's voice starts out strong, fuelled by the anger and frustration that's been stewing for weeks, but by the time he finishes speaking, it's died down to a quiet, sad mutter.
Nicholas holds even tighter onto Maki's hand, feels helpless to protect him from the hurt. He wonders if that's exactly why the members don't think they should be dating.
Maki looks to Nicholas, who looks right back, and finds a single tear rolling down Maki's cheek. Before he can even think about it, Nicholas is leaning up to cup Maki's cheek in his hand, swiping the tear away with his thumb before pressing his lips gently to Maki's for a short second.
Nicholas leans back, suddenly remembering their surroundings. He looks around the room; no one is watching the movie anymore.
It's Taki, of all people, who breaks the heavy silence.
"I… think there might have been a misunderstanding."
All eyes turn to Taki, eyebrows raised expectantly.
"Maki, Nicho-hyung. Are you guys… actually dating? Like, for real?"
Nicholas almost throws his hands up in the air and storms out of the room. Maki looks like he's considering the same thing, but instead he opts for being direct.
"Yes! Why is that so hard to believe!"
There's a large sigh, like half the room has just let out a breath they've been holding for too long. Nicholas hears a quiet "ohhh," maybe from Jo, and Yuma giggles quietly.
Nicholas doesn't understand what the fuck is going on. In the confusion, he meets Euijoo's eyes, and the leader smiles at him, kind but apologetic.
"So," Yudai starts, then pauses for a long moment before continuing. "We… might have all thought it was a prank."
"A prank?!" Nicholas blurts out, sentiment echoed by Maki.
"Well, you used to joke about it all the time!" Yudai defends, voice getting increasingly high pitched. "Do you know how many times I've heard Maki call Nicholas his husband in the last few years?"
This point in particular is true, Nicholas will confess, but -
"That's an entirely different thing!" Nicholas replies.
"How were we supposed to know that?" Harua asks, adding to the conversation for the first time. "When you went around giggling and telling us you were a couple now, what made that any different? We all know Maki loves to prank his hyungs."
Maki just rolls his eyes at that.
"It was different," Maki says, "because we were being vulnerable with you guys. We were nervous to tell you, and excited about finally being together, but we were serious about it too. I thought you would understand that."
Fuma sighs, and says, "We knew there were… feelings involved. We got worried that the joke had gone too far, that one or both of you was going to get hurt by it. We were so caught up in trying to protect you that we didn't stop to think that you could just be telling the truth."
"But we were," Maki says, voice tiny.
Several people make cooing noises. The feral part of Nicholas wants to hiss and tell them to back off, but he holds back.
"We know that now," Euijoo says gently. "I'm sorry, both of you, for not understanding before."
"And we do support you, support the two of you being together," Yuma pipes up.
"It's about damn time," Harua says, under his breath.
Maki rolls his eyes, but there's a smile spread across his face.
Nicholas turns to the older members, all sat in a row on the couch. He still can't shake the thought that they were upset with him, that they thought he wasn't right for Maki. It had been a misunderstanding, he knows that now, but it still leaves a sour taste in his mouth.
"Hyungs," Nicholas starts, vaguely in Fuma's direction, then has no idea how to continue.
It's Yudai who breaks the silence, reaching an arm out for Nicholas' shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Nicho. For what Fuma and I said to you. We should have known you would never let Maki get hurt. We should have trusted you more."
Nicholas didn't know how badly he needed to hear that until right now.
"I'm glad you have each other," Euijoo adds. It feels like an apology, somehow, and Nicholas just nods.
"Yeah," he says, turning to look at his boyfriend once again. "I'm glad too."
He leans his face up towards Maki's, and their lips collide in soft smiles. Nicholas bites gently at Maki's bottom lift, and the kiss opens up suddenly, tongues intertwined and bodies shifting closer.
"Not glad enough to watch that though!" Taki yells, and the two break apart with a giggle.
"Seriously," Yuma says, half to himself. "Do we need to set boundaries about PDA in the common spaces?"
The room fills with laughter and groans, as the attention slowly shifts back to the awful film still playing on the TV. Maki wraps his arm back around Nicholas' shoulders, pulling him down until he's curled into Maki's chest, and Nicholas burrows in contentedly with his back to the TV.
He feels a kiss pressed to the top of his head, and he starts to drift, smile on his face and chest lighter than it has been in a long time.