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If people say Yuma behaves exactly like a real cat
they are entirely correct.
Yuma possesses a feline personality that dictates ninety percent of his daily actions and behaviors without him even realizing it
If the concept of a past life were real, Yuma was undoubtedly a cat in his previous existence
Perhaps he lived all seven of his past lives as a cat and this eighth rebirth is his very first time walking the earth as a human being.
Yuma remains completely oblivious to this fact and he has never even owned a cat or studied how they interact, which only proves that his natural feline quirks are completely organic and woven directly into his soul.
It is a sentiment he hears constantly from his fellow bandmates who often blurt out how adorable he is before telling him to stop acting like a literal cat, causing Yuma to knit his eyebrows together and defensively deny any intentional mimicking
It was one of their rare rest days when Yuma woke up late in the shared dorm room he occupied with Nicholas and Taki.
Finding himself completely alone in the bedroom, Yuma remained curled up beneath his blankets in absolute laziness before finally dragging himself out of bed
He wandered out into the common area to find most of the members gathered around the living room couch while a few others lingered in the kitchen eating breakfast
After washing his face and brushing his teeth in the bathroom, Yuma lazily drifted into the living room and collapsed onto the nearest sofa where Harua and Jo were sitting together watching something Yuma considered utterly ridiculous on the television screen
He threw his body directly into the small space between them, letting his head drop heavily onto Jo’s thigh while stretching his long legs across Harua’s lap
Harua looked down at him with a mixture of annoyance and disbelief before speaking up to ask if Yuma thought this was appropriate behavior
Yuma merely offered a low, indifferent hum in response and buried his face into a throw pillow, completely ignoring Harua's glare until both Harua and Jo gave up and resumed talking about whatever was on their minds
Half an hour passed with Yuma lying carelessly between them until he let out a loud, bored sigh that caused both of his friends to pause their conversation and look down at him
"Whatever you two are talking about is incredibly boring," Yuma complained
"Haven't you eaten anything yet yuma-kun?" Jo asked, his baritone dropping into a remarkably gentle register
Yuma lifted his head to look up at Jo, pouting his lower lip as he shook his head side to side to signal that he was absolutely starving
The pampered, melodic whine in Yuma's voice made Harua raise an eyebrow in amusement
Naturally, Yuma had always been an affectionate and clingy person, but he always amplified this spoiled demeanor whenever he was around Jo
He sought out Jo’s undivided attention and warmth with a fierce intensity that he rarely showed the other members, which was exactly what was happening now as he successfully monopolized Jo's focus
Jo recognized this immediately, just like every other member in the dorm who had witnessed the pattern, and he always knew exactly how to cater to Yuma's moods to keep him happy.
"Do you want me to cook something for you here, or should we go out to grab a bite?" Jo asked, prompting Yuma to go quiet as he seriously debated the options
After a couple of minutes, Yuma looked back up at Jo and took one of his hands, stating with absolute seriousness that Jo needed to play with his hair so he could think clearly
Harua burst into a sudden fit of laughter at the absurd request while Jo simply offered a warm, indulgent smile and immediately ran his fingers through Yuma's messy silver locks. Yuma shot an annoyed glare at Harua, kicking his leg out to prod him as he demanded to know what was so funny
Harua chuckled and shook his head, pushing Yuma's legs off him as he stood up from the couch, leaving Yuma alone with Jo who continued to gently stroke the soft silver strands
Yuma let out a quiet, content sound that was almost identical to a cat purring in pure relaxation
The silence that existed between them had always been beautifully comfortable and serene
Both of them were entirely content to sit together for hours without uttering a single word, wrapped in a blanket of warm stillness that shielded them from the frantic chaos of their demanding idol schedules
As the minutes ticked by, the slow, rhythmic sound of Yuma's breathing became the only indication that he was on the verge of falling back to sleep, entirely lured into a slumber by the soothing touch of Jo's fingers threading through his hair
"Yuma-kun," Jo whispered, his voice dropping into a soft murmur that wasn't meant to jar the younger boy awake but merely to test his consciousness.
"Hmm?" Yuma rasped, his voice thick with heavy drowsiness
He didn't bother opening his eyes, choosing instead to curl deeper into Jo's lap as if instinctively fighting against the end of this quiet moment
Jo smiled faintly, his fingers tracing down to playfully nudge the edge of Yuma’s ear in a spontaneous gesture that caused Yuma to squirm slightly from the ticklish sensation "Didn't you say you were hungry a minute ago?"
Yuma opened his eyes slowly, looking up to meet the gentle, affectionate gaze Jo was directing at him
He knitted his brows in a childish pout and insisted in a stubborn, sleep-laden whine that he wasn't sleeping at all, but was actually thinking deeply about what he wanted to eat
Jo let out a soft laugh, pointing out that this deep thinking had apparently required thirty minutes of lying immobilized in his lap
Yuma finally lifted his head from Jo's thigh and sat up straight, his lower lip still protruding in a dramatic pout
"Going out in public feels too exhausting today," Yuma murmured. "The dorm is quiet since everyone else is busy, so let's just make something here, Jojo”
Faced with that wide, pleading expression that perfectly mirrored a kitten begging for a treat, Jo found it entirely impossible to refuse him. He nodded in agreement and stood up to head toward the kitchen with Yuma trailing closely behind his heels like a loyal shadow
Once inside the kitchen, Jo began sorting through the refrigerator to whip up some simple pancakes for Yuma's empty stomach while Yuma hopped up to sit directly on the smooth marble countertop right next to him
Yuma did absolutely nothing to help, choosing instead to observe Jo's movements with an intense, curious gaze, tilting his head from side to side with every swing of Jo's arm as he mixed the batter
When Jo turned around to grab a bowl from the shelf behind him, he found Yuma standing unexpectedly close, so close that the stray strands of Yuma’s silver hair brushed lightly against Jo's chin
Yuma let out a soft, warm sigh and rested his forehead against Jo's broad shoulder, murmuring lazily about how incredible the batter smelled and telling Jo to hurry up because he was dying of hunger
Jo froze completely in place, the pancakes instantly vanishing from his train of thought as a sudden, sharp flutter erupted in the deepest corners of his chest
The strange, warm pulse caused his breath to catch in his throat as he looked out of the corner of his eye at Yuma, who was leaning against him with absolute trust, as if Jo’s shoulder was his own designated sanctuary in the world
Jo had always known that Yuma was naturally affectionate with everyone in the group, but under the dim, warm light of the kitchen, a quiet realization illuminated his mind: Yuma never granted this specific, unreserved vulnerability to anyone else.
Jo relaxed his tense shoulders, letting a small smile touch his lips as he recognized a rush of new, unnamed emotions flooding his heart
He quietly resumed cooking, keeping his pampered cat as close to his side as possible, and the two of them eventually enjoyed the fresh food over quiet chatter and soft laughter, cherishing the warm comfort of every second spent together
⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅
A few days had bled past since that warm morning in the kitchen, and the unrelenting chaos of their demanding schedule had quickly recaptured the dorms.
Dance practice had been exceptionally grueling and drawn out, returning the members to their living spaces in the evening looking like a collection of energy-deprived bodies searching for any comfortable surface to collapse onto without moving.
That night, the living room was filled with a quiet, sluggish hum. A random documentary was flickering across the television screen, though not a single person was actually focusing on it as the members drifted into their own quiet corners of the room
Yuma was sitting directly on the warm rug, propping his spine against the edge of the couch with his eyes half-lidded
He held his phone in one hand without pressing a single button, staring blankly at the illuminated screen due to the sheer exhaustion that rendered his eyelids incredibly heavy
In that specific moment, he looked like a tiny curled-up ball of a person, completely checked out from the universe around him
On the other side of the room, Nicholas was seated in the single armchair sipping from a glass of iced juice, exchanging a few quiet words with Taki who lay completely stretched out on the opposite sofa
Nicholas caught sight of Yuma’s entirely defenseless, utterly spent state. A mischievous smirk immediately claimed his features, and he decided to test the boundaries of Yuma's patience
Rising from his seat, Nicholas moved across the room with quiet, light steps that closely resembled a hunter tracking prey
He slunk up right behind Yuma and leaned over slowly, reaching a hand out to aggressively ruffle Yuma's silver locks, throwing the strands into an absolute mess while speaking in a teasing, laughing voice. "The quiet obedient Yuma? This is bizarre. Where did your sharp tongue disappear to today?"
But Yuma's reaction triggered far quicker than anyone anticipated
Exactly like a startled cat sensing a sudden threat, Yuma jerked his head back with a visible gasp, his shoulders tensing dramatically
He whipped around to face Nicholas with wide heavily annoyed eyes, knitting his small eyebrows into a sharp scowl as he snapped in a prickly, defensive tone. "Nicholas! Stop it. Your hands are freezing and my hair was already a mess. Don't touch me like that! It's genuinely annoying."
Nicholas’s loud ringing laughter echoed through the space, and he threw both hands into the air in a mock surrender as he took a step back. "Alright, alright, I apologize you ferocious cat! I didn't mean to trigger your temper."
Even Taki turned around to chuckle at the sight of Yuma's puffed-up expression, which was overflowing with sheer irritation and pouting
Yuma continued to clumsily smooth down his silver hair with his palms while muttering incomprehensible complaints under his breath, keeping his brows knitted together as he refused to look at anyone else in the room, retreating right back into his defensive cautious posture.
Right at that moment, the door connecting to the hallway of the kitchen swung open, and Jo stepped into the living room
He was dressed in comfortable, oversized cotton clothes—loose black-and-white plaid pajama pants and a simple black t-shirt
He carried a small book and his reading glasses in one hand, fully intending to sit down and read in absolute peace
The very second Jo's feet crossed the threshold into the room, something extraordinary occurred. Nicholas caught it out of the corner of his eye while Taki’s mouth fell open in pure surprise at the spectacle.
Yuma, who had been incredibly prickly and hostile just seconds ago, looking entirely ready to bite anyone who dared cross his perimeter, turned his head toward Jo
Within a fraction of a second, the defensive edge completely evaporated from his eyes. His tense eyelids relaxed, and his deeply knitted eyebrows smoothed over, instantly replaced by a remarkably docile, soft gaze that carried a childish desire for comfort
Yuma didn't utter a single syllable, but his eyes tracked Jo's movements across the room like a magnet
Jo walked over to the exact sofa where Yuma was leaning his back, taking a seat in the empty space right beside him and placing his book down
Jo had barely settled into the cushions before Yuma moved automatically and with absolute, unreserved clinginess. He slid his body across the floor and leaned his entire weight against Jo's leg, resting his head heavily onto Jo’s thigh
He turned his face inward toward Jo's stomach
burying his forehead into the soft cotton of his shirt while releasing a massive, long sigh from the depths of his chest, as if saying: ‘Finally, I am safe from Nicholas's teasing.’
Jo went rigid for a brief second before a warm, familiar smile touched his face. He wasn't at all surprised by Yuma's sudden behavior. Instead, he extended his long arm to gently rest his hand over Yuma's shoulder, beginning to stroke up and down in a deeply soothing repetitive motion
Yuma closed his eyes in absolute solace, every ounce of tension draining from his frame as he transformed into a completely soft, compliant creature under Jo's touch.
Nicholas watched this dramatic, unbelievable transformation unfold in absolute silence, holding his glass of juice as his eyes shifted between Jo’s calm demeanor and Yuma’s absolute, total surrender. He couldn't hold back his wicked knowing smirk any longer.
Leaning back into his armchair, Nicholas directed a burning gaze toward Jo, speaking in a deliberately loud, playful tone. "Jo... listen to me carefully. Do you possess some kind of magic spell to attract him or what?"
Jo blinked at Nicholas, offering a questioning look from behind the frames of his glasses, while Nicholas laughed and continued. "Just a few seconds ago, this cat was ready to chew my hand off and tear me to pieces just because I touched the tips of his hair. And now, the moment you sit down he turns into a tiny innocent kitten and buries himself in your lap without you even asking! What is this unfair discrimination?"
Jo suddenly felt a profound wave of heat rush to his cheeks at Nicholas's direct words.
He looked down at the boy lying so comfortably in his lap, who hadn't even bothered to open his eyes or acknowledge Nicholas, completely content to merely fist a handful of Jo's shirt in his sleep-laden grip.
"Yuma... Yuma just prefers quiet when he's exhausted, Nicholas-hyung. And I'm quiet, that's all it is," Jo responded in a voice he desperately tried to keep steady and casual. However, his fingers that had been rhythmically stroking Yuma’s shoulder stuttered for a few seconds in pure embarrassment before resuming their path.
"Quiet?" Taki chimed in with a laugh from his couch. "Jo! Yuma acts around you like you're his absolute owner. The rest of us are just total strangers to him when he's tired!"
Nicholas laughed again and shook his head, shifting the conversation back to Taki on a completely different topic granting Jo his space.
But in that exact moment, despite Jo's desperate attempts to maintain an aura of calm, the words spoken by Nicholas and Taki carved a deep, sudden path into his mind.
Jo lowered his gaze to map out the intricate details of Yuma's face, which was incredibly close to his own. He noticed the long, still eyelashes, the nose slightly flushed from sheer exhaustion, and the gentle rise and fall of Yuma's chest as he breathed with absolute, unreserved safety within Jo's personal space.
Jo began to think with a hyper-awareness he had never experienced before. ‘Is he really only like this with me?’
Previous instances began flashing through his mind. He remembered how Yuma complained whenever K hugged him too much, and how he quickly pulled away if Fuma tried to tickle him. Yet with Jo... Yuma actively sought out the touch of his hand, asked him to play with his hair, and fell asleep like this without a single ounce of caution.
Jo felt a foreign incredibly powerful throb echo in his chest, a soft flutter in the deepest chambers of his heart that caused his breathing to slow down. For the absolute first time, he no longer viewed Yuma's actions as a mere "cute cat-like personality." He began to feel the heavy weight of how exclusive this behavior truly was, and a strange, possessive awareness crawled into his soul—a quiet realization that made him want to lock this affection away entirely for himself, refusing to let anyone else ever share it.
⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅
It had been an exceptionally grueling, long day on the set of their brand-new music video.
The stage backgrounds had been constructed with aggressively loud, sharp neon installations that perfectly mirrored the fast-paced, high-octane tempo of the track
Members were scattering everywhere across the backstage area while the entire set buzzed with the chaotic movement of camera crews, makeup artists, and wardrobe stylists
True to his naturally loud, hyperactive demeanor—which always amplified whenever he was either profoundly exhausted or overly excited—Yuma was bouncing through the corridors. He was teasing everyone in sight, his resonant voice and bright laughter echoing clearly through the busy spaces.
In a quiet corner right beside the monitoring screens, Harua was perched on a tall stool, examining his features in a small hand mirror held up by one of their stylists.
Yuma darted toward Harua with reckless racing steps, riding the ultimate high of pure adrenaline after successfully wrapping up the filming for his solo choreography segment
He threw his arm around Harua's neck from behind, teasing him with exaggerated loudness
Because Yuma’s unfiltered, spontaneous nature often made him completely blind to personal boundaries when he was in a playful mood, his impulsive momentum caused him to suddenly swing his face toward Harua’s.
In a split-second accidentally clumsy blur of motion, Yuma threw a swift, loud kiss right against the very edge of Harua’s lips, laughing boisterously as he did so.
"ruru-ya! You looked absolutely incredible in that last take!" Yuma cheered
Harua beamed with immense happiness, turning fully toward Yuma to cradle his face with both hands, the two of them instantly falling into an incredibly close, affectionate posture
"Yu-kun was absolutely the best and coolest too!" Harua matched his energy, triggering another wave of loud giggles from Yuma as the two of them practically dissolved into silly, breathless laughter, perfectly locked in their usual organic wavelength.
But just a few meters away, Jo was standing completely still, sipping water from his plastic bottle
He had witnessed the entire scene unfold from start to finish while standing alongside EJ.
He saw Yuma’s reckless, headlong rush, and he saw the exact fraction of a second where Yuma's lips casually brushed the corner of Harua’s mouth in that thoughtless burst of affection.
In that precise moment, Jo felt as though every ounce of oxygen had been violently forcibly extracted from his lungs.
A sharp bitterly suffocating knot tightened inside his chest, and a dark scorching wave of jealousy erupted deep within his soul—a toxic sensation he had never experienced in his life
That specific physical proximity, those soft lips that Jo himself was desperately terrified to even approach, were being handed out to someone else so casually, as a mere passing joke in the middle of a music video set. Jo anchored his darkened, unblinking gaze onto Yuma for a handful of heavy seconds before coldly snapping his face away.
He didn't yell, nor did he cause a scene. Instead, he buried the raging fire consuming his chest beneath an impenetrable frozen mask of absolute indifference.
Throughout the remaining hours of the shoot, Jo became unnaturally quiet, embodying a calculated coldness that went far beyond his usual reserved nature
He didn't joke with the members, nor did he participate in any of their side conversations. He moved across the set like a silent ghost, completing his takes with a dry, sterile professionalism before immediately retreating to the most distant chairs
He sat isolated from the entire group, staring blankly down at his phone without actually processing anything on the screen.
Yuma noticed the unsettling shift instantly, and the moment a break was called, he attempted to close the distance.
He jogged over to Jo and plopped down right next to him on the long bench, letting his silver head drop carelessly onto Jo’s shoulder as he spoke in his usual cheerful pitch. "Jojo! Did you see my dance segment? You didn't give me a single reaction today!"
But Jo slowly deliberately shifted his shoulder away with an icy detachment, displaying a harsh barrier that caused Yuma to automatically recoil, his eyebrows knitting together in immediate confusion at the rejection
Jo looked at him with eyes entirely hollow of their usual warmth, his voice dropping into a flat, monotone murmur. "I didn't notice, Yuma. I was too busy memorizing my own steps."
Jo stood up calmly, walking away without another word and hitting Yuma’s affectionate advance with a solid wall of ice that Yuma had never once received from him, leaving the loud cat standing in a state of absolute bewilderment and anxious, childish distress.
By the time they finally returned to the dorms late that night, the heavy suffocating tension still hung visibly over the atmosphere.
Jo walked straight into his shared bedroom, slowly peeling off his jacket before lying down on his bed.
He positioned his laptop across his thighs, carefully faking an intense focus as he read through random documents with a completely rigid expression
On the opposite side of the room, Yudai and Maki were sitting on their respective beds, quietly munching on some snacks while whispering about how exhausting the shoot had been.
Then, right at the threshold of the room, Yuma appeared.
He had already changed into his oversized woolen sweater, the long sleeves completely swallowing his hands. He stood within the partially open doorframe, leaning his shoulder against it with a glaring uncharacteristic hesitation that looked entirely foreign on his usually boisterous frame
He kept shifting his weight forward as if intending to walk in, only to take a hesitant step back, biting his lower lip anxiously while his eyes remained entirely glued to Jo.
Maki and Yudai caught sight of him suddenly, exchanging a rapid, confused glance, deeply perplexed as to why Yuma was hovering at the entrance like a total stranger instead of invading the space with his usual noisy energy.
As for Jo, even though he had spotted the flash of silver hair out of the corner of his eye and recognized Yuma's presence the exact millisecond he arrived, he fiercely resisted the urge to look up
He kept his eyes locked onto his laptop screen, putting on a flawless performance of a boy completely consumed by his work, entirely oblivious to the person standing at the boundary.
Maki knitted his brows in sheer curiosity, breaking the silence in a confused tone. "Yuma hyung? Why are you standing at the door like that, looking so hesitant like a stranger? Just come in."
Yuma let out a small, trembling sigh that caused his shoulders to drop, casting his gaze down to the floorboards as he rubbed his oversized sweater sleeves together
He answered in a quiet, subdued voice that was completely drained of energy and laced with a subtle hint of sadness. "I want... I want to talk to Jojo about something... but he seems really busy."
Even though that heartbreaking, fragile tone sliced through Jo’s heart like a razor blade, his stubborn pride and the lingering venom of jealousy blocked him from moving. He continued to tap away at his keyboard with a forced artificial coldness.
Yudai and Maki looked from Jo, to Yuma, and then right back to Jo. They looked at each other, instantly sensing the thick, unspoken hostility vibrating through the air, causing both of them to fall completely silent as they watched the scene play out.
Finally, Yuma began moving with incredibly slow, completely silent steps into the room until he reached the edge of Jo's mattress. Because Jo stubbornly refused to lift his head, Yuma leaned down and sat directly on the edge of the bed right beside his hip.
Yuma extended his hand, which was still entirely hidden inside the wide sleeve of his sweater, and placed it gently over Jo's knee
He began to apply light rhythmic pressure, shaking Jo's leg in a deeply intimate, pleading manner as he spoke in a velvety, warm voice filled with raw vulnerability. "Jojo... please stop ignoring me. You didn't look at me a single time during the entire shoot... Did I do something wrong to upset you?"
Jo kept his eyes glued to the screen, responding in a flat clinical tone. "I told you Yuma, I was just tired."
"You're lying," Yuma whispered, the last bit of sharpness completely melting from his voice, replaced by a raw, desperate intimacy as he dragged his body closer to Jo, reaching out to fist a handful of Jo's t-shirt, tugging it lightly. "I know you too well, Jojo... this coldness is genuinely killing me. If you're angry at me because of how loud I was, I just wasn't thinking. I was just overly excited... look at me, at least."
Yuma’s intense desperate affection and the fragile, cracking tone of his voice completely shattered every single wall of ice Jo had spent the day constructing
Jo felt his defenses collapse entirely into dust at the sight of this proud, loud creature stripping away every ounce of his ego just to make amends—even though the entire issue was rooted entirely in Jo's own head.
Jo let out a deep defeated sigh and slowly closed his laptop, setting it aside on the nightstand. He turned his entire body to face Yuma, looking directly into those big, exhausted brown eyes, and every ounce of sharpness instantly drained from Jo's features, replaced by that timeless, profoundly deep warmth.
"You are incredibly reckless, Yuma-kun..." Jo’s deep, resonant voice washed over the quiet bedroom. "And your thoughtless actions sometimes... they make me completely lose my mind."
Yuma didn't wait to hear another word of reprimand. He scrambled across the mattress with unbelievable speed, throwing his entire slender frame directly into Jo's lap, burying his face deeply into the crook of Jo's neck while wrapping his arms tightly around Jo's waist with a fierce, possessive grip—as if marking his territory all over again while simultaneously whispering an apology.
"Then don't pull away... and never look at me with that coldness again, I can't handle it from you," Yuma mumbled against Jo's skin, his voice incredibly faint, thoroughly melting with drowsiness and the sudden rush of safety.
“You can scold me and be furious with me, just don't use that coldness."
Jo relaxed his long arms around Yuma’s frame, pulling him in with an intense fierce depth as he buried his chin into the soft, warm silver hair
The two of them settled down into the mattress together, entirely surrendering to the rush of emotions, locked in a heavy, comforting embrace that brought absolute tranquility after the storm.
On the opposite side of the room, Yudai and Maki were sitting completely frozen, their snacks suspended mid-air in absolute, jaw-dropped shock. Maki slowly turned his head to face Yudai, their eyes locking in pure astonishment at the sudden, intensely intimate dialogue that had just played out right in front of them.
They could do nothing but shake their heads with wide, silent smiles, utterly amused by the dramatic nature of this cat and his owner, who had managed to fall fast asleep in each other's arms within a matter of seconds.
⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅
The clock was slowly ticking toward ten in the morning, and the dorms had submerged into an exceptionally tranquil, comfortable lull
At this hour, some of the members were still fast asleep while others preferred to fiercely guard this quiet pocket of time for themselves
Warm streams of spring sunshine sliced through the massive glass windows of the living room, casting a brilliant golden square of heat directly onto the plush gray rug.
Jo emerged from his bedroom carrying a cup of freshly brewed black coffee, its rich aromatic scent trailing closely behind him
He had fully intended to spend his morning relaxing on the sofa, but his long strides slowed to a halt, a tender instinctive smile claiming his lips the exact second he took in the scene before him
There, in the absolute center of that sun-drenched patch of carpet, Yuma was sitting with his knees tucked tightly against his chest, completely basking in the heat that illuminated his silver strands.
He was fully awake, lazily scrolling through his phone while humming a faint melody under his breath, his features beautifully relaxed and radiant under the direct sunlight
He looked exactly like a pampered house cat that had successfully claimed the warmest spot in the residence and was stubbornly refusing to budge.
Moving with absolute weightlessness, Jo quietly settled onto the edge of the nearest sofa, placing his coffee cup on the side table
He did nothing but observe Yuma in silent fascination, his eyes overflowing with undivided devotion.
Sensing Jo’s presence, Yuma lifted his head instantly. When he noticed Jo sitting all the way up on the couch
away from his personal perimeter, his small eyebrows knitted together in minor dissatisfaction
He let out a low discontented hum. Even with the comforting warmth of the sun enveloping him, the physical distance between them felt entirely too vast to tolerate
Refusing to sacrifice his bright sunlit patch, Yuma tossed his phone aside. In a fluid, remarkably agile motion, he dropped his slender frame low to the floor and began to slide forward.
He crawled purposefully on his hands and knees across the soft rug, moving directly toward the sofa where Jo sat, his unblinking gaze locked onto the taller boy the entire time like a cat making a bee-line for its master’s warmth.
He didn't halt his momentum until he reached the space right where Jo’s feet were anchored
Pulling a throw pillow beneath his knees, Yuma tucked himself directly between Jo's legs, extending his calves forward to rest over the cushion.
Then, leaning his upper body back, he dropped his forearm and elbow over Jo’s knee, propping his chin against his palm
He tilted his head all the way up, staring up at Jo’s face with wide, energized eyes.
Jo felt the sudden shift and the immediate, staggering proximity of Yuma’s body. He looked down, a wave of profound affection striking his entire being, and he leaned his torso forward to close the gap
"Yuma-kun... the sofa is significantly more comfortable," Jo whispered in a voice saturated with warmth. "Why don't you come up and sit next to me here?"
Under the cascading rays of the morning sun, Yuma’s deep brown eyes shifted into a clear brilliant hazel, glittering like two pieces of dark crystal as he mapped out Jo’s features.
"The sofa is too far from the sun," Yuma replied, his velvety voice rich with a clever, pampered undertone. His free fingers reached out to lazily toy with the hem of Jo’s pants right around his ankle, a soft smile playing on his lips as he added, "And it’s warm right here... because you’re here too, Jojo. Your proximity makes this exact sunlit spot absolutely perfect."
Jo felt his heart swell with an almost painful rush of love at the raw, unfiltered honesty of Yuma's words
He couldn't find a single syllable to utter in response. Instead, he leaned down even further until the remaining air between their faces practically dissolved.
Extending his large warm hand, Jo brought his palm up to cradle Yuma’s cheek with immense tenderness. His thumb began to stroke back and forth across Yuma's skin with a feather-light touch, his remaining fingers trailing behind Yuma's ear to thread through the soft silver strands that had trapped the heavy heat of the sun.
Yuma closed his eyes slowly, a soft purring vibration of pure happiness rippling through him under Jo’s affectionate touch.
A few quiet moments bled past before Yuma opened his eyes again, anchoring his deep, lingering gaze into Jo’s stare, thoroughly soaking in the physical contact. He leaned his head heavier into the broad safety of Jo's palm, answering the touch.
He lifted his other hand, gently wrapping his fingers around Jo’s wrist to pull Jo's hand slightly forward. He began to trace the long, elegant structure of Jo's hand, making a silent, childish comparison to his own fingers
His fingertips brushed lazily across the prominent veins stretching along the back of Jo’s hand, fully immersed in the raw sensory comfort of the moment.
They remained suspended like that—wrapped in a delicious, deeply intimate silence and intense warmth where all boundaries vanished into a slow exchange of long stares and quiet touches
Yuma kept himself curled securely against Jo's legs as an absolute, silent mark of possession. Meanwhile, Jo remained entirely lost in the details of the spoiled, mischievous creature who had actively chosen to begin his morning anchored to him alone, completely shutting out the rest of the world.
Jo kept his posture bent low, his tall frame almost entirely shielding Yuma from the intensifying glare of the morning sun. Yuma’s small fingers were still tracing the slow, deliberate pathways of the veins on the back of Jo’s hand, as if he were memorizing the unique anatomy with an unusual intensity.
"Your hands are always so warm, Jojo," Yuma murmured suddenly, breaking the quiet morning atmosphere with his clear, velvety voice, his eyes still refusing to leave Jo's fingers. "Even in the winter, when we’re trapped in those freezing practice rooms, your hand is the only thing that holds this kind of heat."
Jo smiled faintly, a familiar, delicious ache blooming in his chest at the realization of how many tiny details Yuma subconsciously stored away about him
He moved his fingers deeper through Yuma’s silver hair, massaging his scalp with a heavy gentleness he knew the younger boy absolutely adored. "Maybe it's just because I move around a lot."
"No," Yuma countered, snapping his head up instantly. His bright, gleaming eyes locked directly onto Jo’s with a sharp, hyper-aware look that was brimming with childish stubbornness. "Fuma moves around way more than you do, and K-hyung never stops running, but their hands are never like this. You're the only one who possesses this specific warmth."
Yuma’s free hand shot forward. In a fluid, confident burst of movement, he fisted a handful of Jo's cotton shirt right at the collar, tugging it downward to pull Jo even closer.
There wasn't a single shred of hesitation or fear left in Yuma’s demeanor.. his physical energy was wrapped in a silent challenge, a clever display of the spoiled nature he utilized flawlessly whenever he wanted to monopolize Jo's focus entirely.
Jo complied without a fight, shifting right to the absolute edge of the cushions. He effectively erased the distance between them until his knees practically bracketed Yuma’s shoulders as the younger boy sat on the rug
Jo leaned down until his warm breath brushed directly against Yuma's forehead, completely submitting to the demands of the cat who continuously claimed his attention. "And what else, Yuma-kun? What is it that I have that the others don't?" Jo questioned, his voice dropping into a deep resonant pitch that carried a quiet challenge of his own, matching the sudden, erratic thumping of his heart.
Yuma’s gentle smile widened, revealing a quick flash of his signature sharp fangs. He released his grip on Jo's collar, extending both of his small palms to firmly clamp against Jo’s jawline, holding his face in place with absolute confidence
He shifted his weight, pressing the tip of his nose right against Jo's in a remarkably close, tender nuzzle.
He traced every single detail of Jo's face from this impossible proximity—the reading glasses balanced on the bridge of his nose, the dark pools of his eyes hidden behind the lenses, and his relaxed lips.
"You have an endless amount of patience... and you tolerate my loudness when everyone else gets exhausted by me," Yuma stated, his voice dripping with a pure, unadulterated honesty
He moved his thumb lazily over the sharp contour of Jo's jaw, adding with a heavy, feline spontaneity, "And you make the absolute best hot chocolate... and... you always look at me. Even when I'm standing far away from you, I can always feel your eyes tracking me."
The air caught in Jo's throat for a heavy second at that final admission. He felt his heart hammer violently against his ribs, fighting a desperate battle to ensure Yuma's sharp eyes didn't detect the sudden slight tremor in his pupils
Yuma’s casual confession that he could feel his gaze all along was equivalent to ripping away the mask Jo had been hiding behind for months.
But before Jo could formulate a response or make a move, Yuma abruptly shifted, growing irritated with his current posture at the base of the couch.
With a rapid, fluid extension of his slender body, Yuma lunged upward, driving himself onto his knees right on the sofa cushions until he was practically settled directly in Jo’s lap. He threw his arms securely around Jo’s neck, pulling his face in until their noses were brushing once more. He stared straight into Jo's eyes with a docile, challenging look. "Why did you go quiet, Jojo? Did I say something wrong?"
Jo felt the full, burning heat of Yuma's entire body pressing flush against his own, the clean refreshing scent of his shampoo filling his senses.
Every single remaining wall of reservation inside Jo completely dissolved into nothing. His long arms reached out wrapping securely around Yuma's slender waist, anchoring him flush against his chest right on the edge of the sofa with a fierce, unyielding hold.
"You didn't say anything wrong, Yuma," Jo whispered deeply into the warm crook of Yuma’s neck, feeling the younger boy’s frame instantly go entirely soft with absolute satisfaction at the tight embrace. "You just... notice a lot of things."
"I only notice you, and I always notice how much you love giving me your entire attention," Yuma murmured with absolute transparency, his voice muffled and thoroughly saturated with happiness
He tightened his fists into the cotton of Jo's shirt from behind, locking his absolute mark of ownership over their shared proximity.
All the while, the long streams of morning sunlight continued to wrap around their entangled forms, serving as a silent witness to those quiet, heavy moments that were rapidly charting a course far deeper than the boundaries of friendship could ever contain.
⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅
The wooden table was dark, rectangular and narrow, tucked into a dim corner of a second-floor café balcony that overlooked the back alleys of Shibuya.
Night had fully settled over the city, and the wind was just biting enough to make iced drinks feel like a mistake.
Nicholas sat in the center of the table while Jo and Yuma shared the long wooden bench directly across from him
At first, Nicholas had been talking with his usual animated drive, using his hands to sketch the details of an concept for their upcoming wardrobe in the air.
He had thought that going out with them would be a welcome break from the monotony of the dorms, but after just thirty minutes a heavy suffocating knot began to tighten at the base of his throat—the kind of discomfort that made him want to stand up and leave immediately.
The cause wasn't noise.. it was the strange thick silence that enveloped every small movement between Jo and Yuma, making Nicholas feel entirely like an unwelcome third party.
Yuma, who usually filled the dorm rooms with his sharp voice and loud laughter, was submerged in a state of cold, calculated stillness
He hadn't looked at Nicholas once while the older boy spoke. Instead, he had hitched one leg up onto the wooden bench, his calf resting heavily over Jo's thigh while the other dangled lazily down
He leaned his entire weight flush against Jo's side, visibly content that not a single inch of space separated them
His oversized gray woolen sweater completely swallowed his hands, but beneath the table, his hidden fingers were moving with a slow continuous friction, idly tugging at the fabric of Jo’s pants near his thigh in a silent, possessive rhythm
Jo looked completely at ease with the absolute proximity, thoroughly checked out from reality and anchored deep within his shared universe with Yuma—where no outsiders could ever intrude.
"...so then I told the stylist that olive green wouldn't match the lighting setup," Nicholas continued, though his voice gradually slowed to a halt as he realized Jo wasn't looking at him either
Jo was leaning his long frame down, his head bent low as his eyes traced the line of Yuma's hidden hand inside the oversized sleeve
Slowly, Jo extended his long arm beneath the table. His broad fingers slid directly into the opening of Yuma's sleeve, locking his hand in a firm, secretive grip.
He laced their fingers together tightly, running his knuckles over Yuma's palm before loosening and repeating the motion.
Jo didn't smile, nor did he utter a single word of affection; his features remained completely flat and impassive behind his reading glasses, yet the nonexistent space between their bodies throbbed with a heavy, unspoken intimacy that pointed toward absolute possession.
A sudden sting of embarrassment washed over Nicholas.
He went quiet for a handful of seconds, tracking Jo's hand completely vanished inside Yuma's sleeve, before speaking up in a dry, cutting tone. "Am I invisible here? Or are you two practicing some secret ritual I'm not privy to?"
Yuma lifted his clear brown eyes slowly, fixing Nicholas with a deliberate, sharp stare that was completely hollow of his usual childish noise
He tilted his silver head, letting it rest lazily over Jo's broad shoulder, and answered in a low velvety voice that carried an unnerving calm. "We're listening to you, nicholas. You said olive green wouldn't match the lighting setup."
The tone was entirely hollow of playfulness. It was a cold response that drew a sharp, definitive boundary between Nicholas's reality and their own private world.
The dessert arrived shortly after—a single slice of concentrated, bitterly dark matcha cake placed directly in the center of the dark wood. Yuma picked up the small fork with one hand and cut a tiny piece
He didn't offer it to Jo in a theatrical, childish gesture.. instead, he halved the piece on the prongs and ate the first half himself, his eyes locked entirely onto Jo's in a heavy, exposed stretch of eye contact that belonged to them alone.
Automatically, and without Yuma needing to utter a single word, Jo leaned his upper torso forward and down
He erased the remaining distance between their faces until the edge of his reading glasses practically brushed against Yuma's soft silver bangs
Jo took the remaining half of the cake directly from the prongs of Yuma’s fork with his lips.
They were impossibly close, entirely stripped of boundaries, isolated from every external sound around them
They were close enough to actively share the same warm breath
close enough that Yuma felt his heart hammer so violently against his ribs it might burst through his skin at any second
To anyone looking at them from afar, they looked exactly like two teenagers deeply in love, stealing a kiss in the dark.
Jo chewed the small bite slowly—excruciatingly slowly—his dark eyes never once wavering from Yuma's gaze behind his lenses with a heavy, serious intensity that sent a sudden, electric shiver straight down Yuma's spine.
"Bitter?" Yuma whispered, his voice incredibly faint, as if they were communicating in a dialect that no third person at the table could decipher.
"A little," Jo murmured back, his baritone vibrating in the space between them
Beneath the table, his free hand dropped heavily onto Yuma's knee, applying a firm unyielding squeeze that spoke of a deep, rooted possessiveness. "But it's delicious... incredibly so."
A tender, flushed smile broke across Yuma's face, his cheeks rapidly staining a soft pink.
At that exact moment, Nicholas felt a literal wave of suffocation hit him. There were no exaggerated "cute" actions or loud giggles for him to brush off or tolerate as a joke
There was only a heavy, razor-sharp energy—an overwhelming, exclusive intimacy circulating between the two of them that made the presence of any third party feel like a blatant violation of a private sanctuary
The atmosphere was completely frozen to the outside world, entirely consumed by their mutual gravity.
Nicholas grabbed his wallet and phone from the wooden table in a swift, decisive motion
He pushed his tall frame up, leaning his knuckles against the edge of the dark wood as his features hardened, thoroughly exhausted by the realization that he had been entirely redundant from the absolute start.
"I'm leaving," Nicholas stated, his tone firm and devoid of any humor. "This table doesn't have enough room for three people. The oxygen here belongs exclusively to you two, and I'm not in the mood to spend my night watching this silent weight."
Jo lifted his head slowly, looking up at Nicholas with eyes entirely calm and unbothered
He offered a simple nod of agreement, making zero effort to engage in polite small talk or ask him to stay. "Alright, hyung. Get home safely."
As for Yuma, he simply wrapped his hand tighter around Jo's arm, pulling the older boy's limb closer to his chest over the balcony floorboards. He shot Nicholas a quiet, sideways glance that carried a silent streak of pure satisfaction at his departure
Nicholas turned on his heel and walked away with heavy, rapid strides, exiting the balcony and leaving that dim pocket of the café behind.
The very second Nicholas's footsteps faded completely into the night, the cold, defensive edge entirely evaporated from Yuma's face
He let his slender frame drop sideways, stretching across the length of the wooden bench as he buried his face completely into the crook of Jo's neck and chest. He inhaled Jo's scent deeply, his hidden fingers tightly bunching the fabric of Jo’s jacket from behind.
Jo leaned over him completely, throwing his long arms around Yuma’s body, pulling him into a fierce, heavy embrace. He ran his hand over Yuma’s back beneath the warm, glowing strings of yellow balcony lights, the two of them finally melting into the sanctuary of their own world—where no one else would ever dare to intrude again.