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Sion was convinced Twitter had been specifically designed to ruin his day.
If he opened it first thing in the morning, he already knew exactly what he’d find: Sakuya memes, NCT reels… and Yutdaeng.
Always Yutdaeng.
Lately, it had gotten worse. Way worse.
A ten-second clip of Yushi laughing with Jaehee and suddenly there were thousands of people posting things like they’re in love, look at the way they look at each other, or nobody can fake chemistry like that. Then came the threads—entire analyses of every shoulder brush, every shared glance, every time Jaehee rested his head on Yushi during a livestream.
Sion hated admitting it, but jealousy looked awful on him.
It made him feel pathetic.
Because he knew exactly who Yushi looked for in the middle of the night when he was half-asleep; who knew all his little habits—the real ones. The face he made when he was tired, when he was hungry, or when he wanted affection without having to ask for it.
And still, those videos made his blood boil.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Yushi. He could never do that. Yushi was honest with him in a way he probably would never be with anyone else.
That wasn’t the problem.
The problem was that nobody looked at Sion and Yushi and thought there’s definitely something going on there.
And maybe that was his own fault.
Sion had always been good at taking care of the whole group. Giving hugs, fooling around, paying attention to everyone equally. It came naturally to him. He’d spent so many years trying to be a good leader, a good hyung, someone warm and dependable for everybody… that somewhere along the way, the way he cared about Yushi had become quiet.
Private.
Too private.
With Yushi, he didn’t need to exaggerate. They never had. They’d been together for so long that half the time one look was enough. They’d shared laughter, tears, silence… Yushi belonged to Sion. And maybe that was exactly why the jealousy was eating him alive.
Because while the internet obsessed over Yushi with everyone else, Sion had to sit there quietly and watch people miss the way Yushi always ended up beside him. The way he unconsciously searched for Sion’s hand under the table. The way his eyes found him every single time he spoke in public.
And yeah, Sion was possessive. Extremely.
The whole group knew it, even if nobody ever said it out loud.
That night, the dorm was especially noisy. They’d finished practice late, and everyone was scattered around the living room, starving, trying to decide what to order for dinner.
“Fried chicken.”
“No, pizza.”
“What if we get both?”
“That’s way too expensive, idiot.”
Sion barely listened to the argument from the kitchen while drinking water with one hip against the counter. His gaze drifted automatically toward Yushi, curled up on the sofa with his knees tucked in, scrolling through his phone.
He looked exhausted.
His hair was flattened from wearing a cap for hours, and the sleeves of his sweatshirt swallowed his hands almost completely.
Then Sion heard him mumble quietly, almost to himself.
“Ramen?”
He hadn’t even said it loudly. It wasn’t directed at anyone. Just a random thought tossed into the air while he kept flicking through videos with his thumb.
But Sion was already moving before he could think twice.
He opened a cabinet. Pulled out a pot.
“What’re you doing, hyung?” Jaehee called from the living room.
“Nothing.”
“Are you cooking?”
“I’m hungry.”
Lie.
Well. Partially a lie.
While everyone else kept arguing over takeout, Sion quietly started making ramen. He added more toppings than usual. Chopped green onion. Made the egg separately because he knew Yushi liked it that way —the yolk still a little runny.
Steam slowly filled the kitchen.
Sion was leaning over to taste the broth when he felt arms wrap around his waist from behind. His body recognised Yushi before his brain did.
Small. Warm. Shy.
Yushi rested his forehead between Sion’s shoulder blades without saying a word.
Sion smiled instantly.
“I thought you were watching videos with the others.”
“Mhm.”
“Then what’s this?”
Yushi took a few seconds to answer. His fingers toyed lazily with the fabric of Sion’s hoodie.
“Smelled good.”
Liar.
Sion turned his head just enough to glance back over his shoulder. Yushi immediately avoided eye contact, hiding half his face against Sion’s back instead.
Something inside Sion melted.
Because that side of Yushi completely undid him.
A soft laugh slipped out of him as he turned off the stove.
“You wanted ramen, hm?”
Yushi nodded without moving away from his back. The motion was tiny, sleepy, and Sion could picture him perfectly: eyes half-lidded, cheeks rounded from the shy little smile he was definitely hiding.
“Go sit down. Hyung’ll make you something good,” he teased, patting the hands still looped around his waist.
Yushi let out a muffled laugh before lightly smacking his hip. Barely a touch—small, hesitant—but enough for Sion to catch the double meaning instantly.
“Yah—” Sion laughed under his breath, turning slightly to look at him. “What exactly is going on inside that head of yours?”
Yushi shook his head quickly, though his ears were already turning red.
Which only made Sion laugh harder.
He watched Yushi shuffle back toward the living room, trying to act normal while hiding inside the sleeves of his oversized sweatshirt. But the pink on his cheeks gave him away completely. And Sion had to physically stop himself from following him just to kiss him.
………….
Yushi was the first one at the table with the ramen Sion had made for him.
His happiness lasted exactly forty seconds.
“Wait—this smells that good and it’s only for him!?” Sakuya complained the second he walked into the kitchen, dramatically leaning over the bowl.
Ryo appeared behind him like a ghost summoned by food.
“Hyung, you’re actually cruel…”
Yushi immediately wrapped both arms around the bowl, hunching over the table like he was protecting national treasure.
“No.”
“Just one bite.”
“No.”
“Yushi…”
“No.”
Sakuya opened his mouth ridiculously wide and leaned forward, trying to steal a bite straight from Yushi’s chopsticks.
Yushi let out a tiny shriek and leaned away while Sion, still standing by the counter, laughed so hard he nearly dropped the spoon in his hand.
“Look at him,” Ryo said, pointing at Yushi. “He looks like a hamster defending food.”
“Sakuya, stop bothering him,” Sion said.
“But you never make me ramen!”
“That’s because you eat chicken nuggets like an eight-year-old.”
Ryo burst into laughter so loudly he nearly choked on his drink.
Sakuya looked genuinely offended.
“That was personal!”
“It was true,” Yushi mumbled before quickly shoving another bite into his mouth while everyone was distracted.
Sion caught the smile Yushi tried to hide behind his chopsticks and had to look away for a second because, honestly, he looked way too pretty.
Half an hour later, the food finally arrived.
The living room instantly filled with the sounds of pizza boxes opening, soda cans cracking open, and everyone talking over each other. Riku insisted that three-cheese pizza was humanity’s greatest achievement while Jaehee kept trying to shove his hand away because he was stealing the biggest slices.
“That one was mine!”
“Life’s unfair.”
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t. I’m adorable.”
“Unfortunately true.”
Meanwhile, Ryo was trying to open a garlic sauce container with way too much force.
“Hyung, this thing’s broken.”
“It’s not broken. You’re just weak,” Sakuya replied.
“You wanna fight?”
“I’d win.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
“I’d win easily.”
“You look like you’re fighting the sauce container,” Riku added.
“And I’m losing.”
While everyone kept making fun of Ryo, Yushi stretched one leg under the table until it brushed against Sion’s.
Barely a touch.
Small.
Subtle.
But Sion looked up immediately.
Yushi kept pretending to pay attention to the conversation while sipping his drink, though the corner of his lips twitched the second he realised Sion understood. In response, Sion slowly nudged his foot against his.
Nobody noticed.
Riku was still dramatically reenacting “the battle against the garlic sauce,” making Ryo complain louder every second. Yushi laughed so hard he ended up leaning forward.
Under the table, his fingers carefully searched for Sion’s hand.
Sion hooked two fingers loosely with his, hiding his smile behind his glass.
Yushi gently stroked the side of his hand with his thumb.
Sion looked up and found Yushi already watching him. His cheeks were slightly pink from laughing, his messy hair falling into his eyes. Sion squeezed his hand once.
Yushi smiled so softly it almost hurt to look at him.
He loved him.
God, he loved him so much.
They’d been together for so long that sometimes Sion forgot where he ended and where Yushi began. It was a strange, warm feeling—like always finding your way back home after the longest day imaginable.