Chapter Text
“And this one is so cute! Bond-chan looks so relaxed.” Yuma was sprawled across the living room sofa, his head resting comfortably against Jo’s leg as he scrolled through his camera roll.
“You’re holding him in a weird way, though,” Jo commented. His own phone sat forgotten on the coffee table as he leaned in to look at the latest photo. It featured Bond-chan—the dog Yuma and Maki had cared for during a recent filming—looking slightly squished in Yuma's arms.
“It was my first time holding a dog! You know I never had one,” Yuma argued, feigning offense as he flicked to a new photo of the pup in a tiny outfit.
“You don’t necessarily need to own a dog to know how to hold one.” Jo retorted. “Didn’t any of your friends or family have one?”
Yuma sat up, hugging a throw pillow to his chest as he pondered. “I don’t think so. I’ve been surrounded by cats since I was little. But Bond-chan was so sweet and easy to take care of… it makes me wonder if I should get a dog.” He couldn't help the fond smile that tugged at his lips.
Jo sighed, grounding the dream with a dose of reality. “But we’re not allowed to have pets in the dorm.”
“Ugh, I know. Don’t remind me,” Yuma groaned, burying his face in the pillow.
“Maki, are you heading out? Fuma-kun said he’s treating us to dinner tonight.”
At Jo’s question, Yuma peaked over the pillow. Maki had just been in the kitchen wearing a simple t-shirt and sweatpants, but now he reappeared in jeans, a sharp red jacket, and carefully chosen silver accessories. Yuma noted privately that the look suited him well.
The youngest smiled, crouching down by the door to pull on his shoes. “Yes, I’m doing a Weverse live with Nico at the company. Not sure if I’ll make it back in time for dinner.”
Jo nodded understandingly beside Yuma, since it was a known fact Maki and Nico’s lives tended to run long. Maki finished tying his shoes when Yuma remembered something. “Wait, Maki, I got you something, don’t leave yet” Yuma exclaimed, scrambling off the sofa. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry case. “I saw this the other day and thought it would look good on you.”
Inside the box laid a silver bracelet accented with red and black stones. Yuma remembered Maki mentioning that red was his favorite color, and black… Well, black just suited him, Yuma thought. He’d picked it up while shopping with Harua in Harajuku.
“No way! Thank you, Yuma!” Maki’s face lit up, a big smile taking over his features. He lunged forward, catching Yuma in a sudden, tight hug that knocked the air out of the Kansai native. After a few seconds of being squeezed, Yuma had to politely tap Maki’s shoulders to avoid being crushed.
“I’ll wear it today! Make sure you watch the stream,” Maki said with a wink. He shouted a quick “Bye!” to Jo before disappearing out the door.
When Yuma turned back to the couch, he found Jo watching him with a look of pure amusement.
“I think you already found your puppy,” Jo said with a chuckle.
🐱🐶
After Jo pointed out at least three times in the past week how Maki got overly excited over things Yuma did—or simply over Yuma’s existence in general—Yuma began to feel curious.
Apparently, when Yuma had returned from a gym session with Nicholas on Sunday, Maki had draped himself over him the second he stepped out of the shower. According to Jo, the youngest had rested his head on Yuma’s nape for a full minute, just breathing, before retreating to his room. And apparently, Yuma had let him, a fact Jo claimed had shocked every single witness in the room.
Yuma remembered it a bit differently. Maki had approached him after his shower, but he wasn’t nearly as clingy as Jo insisted. He knew Maki had endured a rough week, so he figured the kid was just seeking a bit of comfort, the way he would with any of the older members. Normal stuff.
That didn't stop Jo from recalling another incident. While they were filming content for their YouTube channel, Maki’s mission was to make Yuma say “Stop it!” to him —a feat that shouldn't have been difficult given Maki’s ability for being annoying when he wanted to be and Yuma’s capacity for being ragebaited— but instead, the youngest never reached peak Maki-annoying levels preferring to simply… accompany his hyung. He had rested his long frame against Yuma’s leg, letting the older boy pet his hair and tug playfully at his ears without complaining. He had nearly fallen asleep right there, and Yuma had eventually moved him to the side to cuddle him properly.
Yuma cringed at Jo’s embarrassed expression while recalling that particular moment.
“He wasn't being annoying that day. I just thought he was being cute,” Yuma argued, feeling a bit defensive over Maki’s behavior.
“That’s the thing… he wasn’t even trying to annoy you. It’s like he used the mission as an excuse to just cuddle,” Jo countered, his own ears turning a soft shade of crimson at the mere reminder of the scene.
Still, Yuma wasn’t entirely convinced.
Maki was always energetic, perhaps not quite as high-voltage as Taki, who was beaming at all times, but enough to be a core member of the "extrovert squad” of the group. It didn’t feel like their maknae’s behavior had shifted as dramatically as Jo claimed it did.
“He acts more like a puppy when you’re around,” Jo had insisted.
Yuma didn't really believe him, but here was the thing: Jo was a good friend, and Yuma had no reason to doubt his judgment. As a man of few words, Jo’s observation skills were often sharper than Yuma’s, who was usually too busy bickering or laughing to notice the finer details.
Still, he decided to keep his friend’s words in mind the next time he interacted with Maki. Just in case.
🐱🐶
He had completely forgotten about the whole “Maki-puppy” situation during the promotion period. With &TEAM’s rising popularity, their schedule was more packed than ever, filled with performances, interviews, photo sessions and video calls with fans. Yuma hadn’t had the mental capacity to think about anything other than work, work, and more work.
That was the upside of being a full-time idol, he’d told himself. There was no time to dwell on trivialities. Besides, the puppy thing wasn't even a problem; it was just a passing comment Jo had made that, for God-knows-what reason, made him feel a bit uneasy, and if Yuma was being honest, a bit defensive.
Perhaps the fact that a close friend would change his behavior so drastically around him without Yuma even noticing was what truly bothered him. That had to be it. Maybe he was just being a bad friend and the guilt of it all was affecting him. That had to be it.
And with that mindset, their comeback activities passed in a flash. Yuma had been running on little more than ramen and miso soup for weeks, so when management took them to an all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue, it felt like a dream. As the members excitedly scrambled for seats, Yuma noticed Maki catching Jo’s arm—Jo, who had clearly been intending to sit next to Yuma. Maki leaned in to whisper something to him, and Jo simply nodded, switching places without a word. The youngest nonchalantly took the seat, sliding in until his thigh was pressed firmly against Yuma's.
Kei, who had taken the seat directly across from them, raised an eyebrow at the exchange. He leaned forward, smiling mischievously. “Of course,” Kei murmured, just loud enough for Yuma to hear, “your puppy sticks to you like velcro.”
Maki didn't seem to hear him; he was already happily chatting with Taki over the side dishes. Yuma told himself that if Maki had heard, he would have said something. He would have laughed it off or denied it, right?
But Maki remained oblivious, leaving Yuma gaping like a fish. He eventually turned back to the older boy with a frown. “What are you even talking about?” Yuma muttered, lowering his gaze to stare at the silver chopsticks on the table.
His thoughts drifted back to Jo’s observations from months ago. Why did everyone else seem to notice something he was completely blind to?
🐱🐶
He knew he could just ask the others about this "puppy situation," but that would make it sound like a genuine problem when it wasn't one at all. No, the best course of action was to consult LUNÉ.
Yuma had created a secret Twitter account back during his &AUDITION days. Someone at the company had warned them not to search their own names to avoid reading malicious comments, but Yuma was far too curious for his own good. The last time he’d logged in was to read reactions to their debut MV; after that, he’d mostly forgotten the account existed, content enough to throw himself into work and anime.
Now, he was glad he hadn’t deleted it.
He started by typing “Yuma and Maki” into the search bar. He was immediately greeted by a flood of screenshots and clips from various events. Some were standard fan posts with captions like “My eyes are blessed,” “Two handsome boys,” or “A puppy and a cat together #YuMaki.”
“YuMaki?” he muttered to his empty bedroom. It was obviously a combination of their names. Curious, he clicked the hashtag.
Soon after, Yuma realized his little Twitter adventure had been a mistake. A huge one.
He hadn’t known his face was capable of reaching such high temperatures, but his skin felt like it was smoldering. He had clicked the tag to see if the fans noticed the "puppy" dynamic Maki seemed to have developed as much as his members had, and not only had they noticed, but they had also compiled several (emphasis on several) video edits of Maki acting like a literal golden retriever around him.
@kireijuju watching #yumaki go from their usual cat-and-dog bickering to maki saying "yes" to everything yuma says without a single word of protest gave me whiplash... maki oomf what happened?
@_takuns maki looked so smitten with yuma on their last stream, did he suddenly fall in love? lmao #yumaki
@andninico my whole tl is #yumaki pilled
⤷ cant blame us tho, they have been CRAZY these past weeks
⤷ they’ll be reaching government status in no time if maki keeps looking at yuma like that.
⤷ Like what?
⤷ like he wants yuma to put a leash on him? OPEN YOUR EYES OOMF
Yuma closed the app in a rush, suddenly feeling like he had run a marathon. The staff was right.
Nothing good comes from invading fan spaces.
🐱🐶
After his deep dive, things only got weirder on a random Saturday, while Yuma was frying eggs for himself and Fuma. He was humming Detective Conan’s 21st opening theme —the best one, in his humble opinion— when he felt a pair of arms wrap firmly around his waist. Something soft brushed the side of his head, right near his left ear.
“Mmmm... you smell nice,” Maki mumbled in a sleep-heavy voice. He let out a long yawn that tickled Yuma’s ear before releasing him to grab a protein drink from the fridge and disappear from the kitchen.
Yuma stood frozen. The ghostly sensation of the intimate hug still clung to his sides.
“What the hell was that?” Fuma, who had been sitting at the counter, was staring at him as if Yuma were the one to blame and not their oversized maknae.
“I-I don’t know?” Yuma managed, hurriedly killing the heat before the eggs overcooked.
What was that? Maki was touchy with everyone, but he had never been that soft with Yuma. He joked around with Taki and Jo constantly; he even tried to "kiss" Euijoo so many times he’d earned a stern warning from their leader. But this quiet, domestic clinginess with Yuma was a terrifying new development.
“Well, it’s not like I really want to know,” Fuma sighed. “Can you get me some orange juice?”
“Yeah,” Yuma replied soullessly, staring at the eggs like they had personally insulted him. Orange juice sounded good. He felt suddenly thirsty, and strangely tingly.
🐱🐶
Yuma eventually agreed to let Harua do his nails after being pestered about it for an entire week. Maybe some self-care would help him relax after these stressful few days.
“So, for the design... I have some ideas, but did you think of anything, like I asked you to?” Harua asked as they sat at the living room table, surrounded by a bunch of nail tools and polishes from Harua's carefully crafted collection.
“I did, but I’m not sure if it’s too much,” Yuma admitted, nervously tapping his fingers on the wood.
“What is it? Let me see.” Harua leaned in with palpable curiosity, his own perfectly manicured fingers scrolling through Yuma’s Pinterest board. Suddenly, he paused. “Puppy paws?”
“Are they hard to draw?”
“Don’t underestimate me. The design is easy,” Harua said, looking up. “I’m just surprised. I thought you’d want something BTS-related.”
Yuma laughed, shaking his head. “That was my first choice, but then I saw the paws and they reminded me of—” He snapped his mouth shut, eyes darting away to look at his hands. Maki, his brain supplied instantly. “Of a puppy I saw on the street yesterday,” he finished lamely.
“...Sure,” Harua replied, setting up his nail art station. He didn't call out the obvious lie, but Yuma could tell he wasn't letting it go.
“We can talk about puppies while I work on your nails. Give me your right hand.”
🐱🐶
About an hour later, Harua eventually sent him back to his room with a beautiful set of nails and some food for thought.
“If his behavior really did change and I didn't notice, does that make me a bad friend?” Yuma had asked halfway through the session.
“I don’t think so. You can be a bit clueless, but it’s part of your charm,” Harua replied. When Yuma didn't respond, he continued, “You’re very direct. You say what you like and what you hate without beating around the bush… even if you're a bit mean sometimes. Don't look at me like that! We know there's no ill will, you just lack awareness.”
“Not noticing Maki’s change isn't a crime,” Harua concluded, buffing the top of Yuma’s nail. “You just weren't paying enough attention.”
“So you noticed it too? That he acts differently around me,” Yuma asked a bit hesitantly.
Harua just gave a mysterious little smile. “Who knows? I can’t rat out my best friend. Good luck, Yu-kun.”
🐱🐶
A few months prior to his current predicament, Yuma had said on TV that he didn’t love Maki and that they were incompatible.
To clarify, he didn’t actually dislike Maki. It had just been a segment where Euijoo, acting as the MC, asked a question and Yuma had to choose a member to answer. He’d picked Maki, and to his surprise, Maki had reciprocated, choosing Yuma as the member he wouldn’t be close to if they weren’t in the same group.
Yuma remembered their first interactions vividly. Maki —who was actually shorter than him at the time— had been terrified of him. The younger boy used to avoid his gaze every time Yuma approached to discuss their performances for monthly evaluations.
Yuma understood why. He knew he looked like a grumpy cat when he wasn’t smiling, and he accepted that he could be intimidating. Perhaps not quite as intimidating as Nicholas, but fifteen-year-old Maki seemed to get along just fine with the Taiwanese boy. They probably just had more in common back then.
It used to bother him. Getting along with Taki had been easy; it happened almost instantly, and Taki was best friends with Maki. The two of them were so similar: bright, energetic, and effortlessly cute. Taki would jump excitedly when Yuma arrived while Maki avoided him like the plague.
Yuma and Maki only truly began to bond after they were announced as &TEAM members. Steadily, they got to know one another over shared morning routines, quiet car rides, and the gaming nights that Fuma and Yuma hosted for the group. Maki also liked to watch anime so when Yuma found himself on the sofá to catch up on his favorite show, the youngest happily joined him.
They weren't a "unit" like Euijoo and Nicholas —Yuma didn’t think anyone could come close to the soul-deep bond those two shared— but they had become close. Maki knew when Yuma was exhausted and would offer his shoulder as a pillow. Yuma knew when Maki was frustrated with the choreography and would stay behind to practice with him until the younger got it right.
They weren't a unit, but they were just fine.
So what had changed? Had Yuma said something weird? Had something happened to Maki that Yuma had missed? Now that his eyes were open, Yuma was far too aware of everything. He noticed every look, every touch, both in front of the cameras and in the quiet of the dorm life.
And it was driving him crazy.
🐱🐶
They were rehearsing for their Korean comeback showcase when Yuma finally decided to test the waters —how far he could take it, how far the younger would let him—. Across the stage, Maki was deep in discussion with Fuma about their performance.
“Maki, come here,” Yuma called out, signaling with his hand.
Maki abandoned Fuma instantly. As he approached, he instinctively lowered his head toward Yuma, looking down expectantly. Without hesitating, Yuma reached up, caressing Maki’s right cheek with his thumb. He leaned in, wearing a small, humored smile, and whispered two words:
“Good boy.”
He watched with clinical precision as Maki’s eyes widened. Not only that, but his mouth fell open and no sound came out. Inside Yuma’s head, everything clicked right into place.
Satisfied —and slightly panicked himself due to his own actions— Yuma let go and exited the stage as fast as he could claiming he was going to find some water, trying his best not to raise suspicion among the members still lingering around.
So this was a thing. Maki wanted it, it wasn’t in Yuma’s head.
Fine. Yuma could work with that.
Maki could be his puppy.