"I'm going to try and seduce my boyfriend. Gently."
It started with a text.
> Yuuki: Hey. Are you in your room?
Kaito: Yeah. Just got back from the library.
Yuuki: Is Haru home?
Kaito: Not yet. I think he's still with Rin. Why?
Yuuki: Good. Can I come over?
Kaito: Sure. Everything okay?
Yuuki: Everything's perfect. Don't panic.
Kaito stared at that last message like it was a live grenade.
"Don't panic."
Which, of course, meant panic.
He sat on the edge of his bed, heart hammering. The window was cracked open, letting in a gentle breeze that fluttered the curtain. It smelled like night rain and new grass—the kind of scent that always made the world feel softer, more nostalgic.
A knock came not long after.
When he opened the door, Yuuki stood there, hands clasped behind her back, rocking on her heels.
She wasn't dressed any differently—just her usual oversized hoodie, short skirt, and black leggings. But there was something in her eyes tonight. Mischief. Fire. A quiet kind of confidence that twisted into his chest like a corkscrew.
"Hi," she said sweetly.
"H-hi," he stammered. "Come in."
She walked in like she belonged there. Like she'd been there a hundred times. Like she had every intention of making this night… different.
He shut the door behind her.
"Is Haru coming back soon?" she asked, turning slightly to glance around the room.
"Not that I know of."
"Good."
She plopped onto the bed, legs folded beneath her. Kaito remained standing awkwardly, like he was afraid to breathe too loudly.
She patted the space beside her.
"Come here."
He sat.
Close. But not too close.
Yuuki turned to him. "Kaito?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I… try something tonight?"
Kaito's brain short-circuited.
"Wh-what kind of thing?"
Yuuki hesitated, then reached for his hand. She held it gently between hers, her thumb brushing across his knuckles.
"You know I've never been this serious about someone before, right?" she said softly.
He nodded. "Me neither."
"And I know we're still figuring things out. But… I like you. A lot. And I want to be closer to you. Not just emotionally, but… physically too."
Kaito's throat tightened. Her words were calm. Mature. But her cheeks were flushed, and he could feel her pulse trembling through her skin.
"I'm not saying we should… you know. Go all the way," she added quickly. "I just… I want to know what it feels like to hold you. Really hold you. Is that okay?"
Kaito blinked. He was used to Yuuki being bold. Blunt, even. But this—this was something else.
It wasn't lust. It wasn't impulse. It was something vulnerable. Honest.
"I… I'd like that," he said quietly. "I want to be close too. I just… don't know how to do this."
She smiled—relieved. "Neither do I. But maybe we can figure it out together?"
---
The first few minutes were hilariously awkward.
Kaito tried to put his arm around her but ended up elbowing her shoulder. Yuuki tried to lean into him but misjudged the angle and bumped her forehead against his jaw.
They laughed. Nervous. Tender.
Then, somehow, they found a rhythm.
Yuuki curled against him, her head resting just beneath his chin. His arm draped around her, hand resting lightly on her waist. The softness of her body against his was new—foreign, yet comforting.
They didn't speak.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable.
It was sacred.
Kaito focused on the way her breath slowed in sync with his. On the scent of her shampoo—lavender and something warm, like vanilla. He focused on the feeling of her fingers tracing slow, lazy patterns on his chest.
No rush.
No pressure.
Just presence.
His mind, usually a carnival of doubt and noise, was finally still.
"I used to think love had to be big," Yuuki whispered after a while. "Fireworks. Movie kisses in the rain. Grand gestures."
He smiled. "Like standing outside someone's window with a boombox?"
She laughed into his shirt. "Exactly. But now I think… love is this."
"This?"
She nodded against him. "Being quiet together. Sharing space. Feeling safe. It's not flashy, but… it's real."
Kaito swallowed hard. "I've never felt this safe with anyone."
Yuuki looked up at him then, her face inches from his.
"Kaito," she said softly, "can I kiss you?"
He didn't trust his voice. He nodded.
And she kissed him.
It was gentle. Unpracticed. A little clumsy.
But it was theirs.
Their lips met again, slower this time. Kaito felt the warmth flood his cheeks, the way her hand found the nape of his neck. It wasn't about desire. It wasn't about performance.
It was about trust.
About choosing each other in that moment.
When they finally pulled apart, they stayed close. Foreheads pressed together. Breathing shared.
Kaito whispered, "So… does this make us a real couple now?"
Yuuki chuckled. "I think we were real the moment you said my laugh was your favorite sound."
He blushed.
"I still don't know what I'm doing," he confessed.
She kissed his nose. "Good. Neither do I."
Later, as the room dimmed and the night grew deeper, they lay side by side under Kaito's blanket, still fully clothed but tangled up like stars in a sleepy constellation.
Yuuki tucked her hand into his.
"I don't want to rush anything," she said, voice muffled by the pillow. "When the time is right, we'll know. Okay?"
Kaito nodded. "Okay."
They lay there, sharing the kind of silence only people in love could understand.
And outside, the university world went on—noisier, busier, and more chaotic than ever. But in this little corner,
inside this small dorm room, two people had found something rare.
A quiet kind of love.
Patient.
Tender.
Real.