VALENTINES DATE

O17

❝i'll show you a trick!❞

sakuya beamed, tossing the zinnias behind his back. they wobbled in the air, threatening to fall. jaehee chuckled nervously, but quickly reached out and snagged a bright orange one before it tumbled. ❝is it gone?❞ sakuya asked, trying not to smile too much.

jaehee tilted his head, carefully inspecting the flowers in his hand, ❝what do you mean? i'm holding it..❞

❝a bug flew inside, is it—❞

jaehee's eyes popped wide. ❝A WHAT?!❞ he jumped back, flinging his arms out in a comical gesture, sending the zinnias swaying precariously. sakuya stared at him, a single eyebrow raised. ❝it was a lady beetle,❞ he deadpanned.

❝i-i didn't want to scare it.❞ jaehee mumbled, trying to save face. sakuya chuckled, shaking his head playfully. with a light laugh, jaehee returned the smile and they continued their walk, the warm breeze rustling through the leaves around them. suddenly, sakuya stopped short, his eyes widening a fraction. ❝hey, that's..❞

before jaehee could react, sakuya snatched the zinnias from jaehee's grasp and broke into a run, the vibrant flowers bouncing in his hand as he raced towards the familiar figure in the distance.

the surprise barely registered on jaehee's face before a wide, knowing smile spread across his lips. ❝good luck!❞ jaehee called out, a playful glint in his eyes. he didn't even question sakuya's sudden dash, instead choosing to cheer him on with a burst of encouragement. 

-

❝i'm home!❞

sakuya leaned at the doorframe for support while he takes off his shoes. slipping into his slippers, failing to notice familiar shoes resting at the corner along with the rest.

pushing himself upright, he noticed a black coat hanging on the coat rack—a coat he didn't recognize. ❝do you have guests? i've never seen this coat before.❞ he stepped into the room, heart hammering a silent rhythm against his ribs. there, unexpectedly, his eyes met another gaze.

❝yeah, thats riku's. by the way, this is ryo.❞ yushi quickly explained, eyes fixed on his work. ❝take him to your room and socialize with him while you're at it.❞

sakuya offered riku a curt nod as he passed by their table. without a word, he grabbed ryo's shirt and tugged him upstairs. as they disappeared up the staircase, riku leaned in, a curious smile on his face. ❝was that your little brother?❞

❝half-brother.❞ yushi confirmed, not meeting riku's gaze.

riku's smile faltered slightly, but he recovered quickly. he started to return to his work, but his eyes drifted back to yushi. what had begun as a casual observation turned into a focused study. the high cheekbones that sculpted yushi's face, the soulful depths of his eyes, the full lips—riku forced himself to look away, a strange heat rising in his chest.

❝riku!❞

the sharp call yanked riku from his daze. his mind drifted elsewhere, the frustration of the problem melting away in the warmth beside him. he blinked, struggling to focus. the scent of yushi's cologne filled his senses, a distracting counterpoint to the dry scratch of pen on paper.

❝you're still on number 6,❞ yushi said, his voice a low murmur as he explained the steps, the gentle scrape of pen against paper the only other sound in the room. ❝you solved it right, but this isn't the final answer yet.❞