The moonlight filtered in faintly through the curtains of Yuki's small apartment room. It was quiet—far too quiet compared to the insane chaos that had exploded earlier at school. The echoes of screaming fans, collapsing walls, flying desks, sparkles, jiggle physics, and Super Saiyan madness still rang in his ears like leftover fireworks. He was finally home, tucked inside his one-room apartment. It felt safe here. Calm. Way less embarrassing.
Or so he wished.
Yuki flopped onto his soft single bed, wearing a ridiculously oversized pastel pink t-shirt that went halfway down his thighs and cute, snug white thigh-high socks. His slim legs kicked up in the air, and he rolled over onto his belly, letting out a deep, dramatic sigh. His snowy white hair messily framed his delicate face, a face so androgynously pretty that even he had a hard time believing it was his own sometimes.
Today had been... too much.
He buried his face into his pillow, muffling a frustrated groan. The competition at school had gone off the rails. What started as a light-hearted contest between him and Aiko had somehow spiraled into an anime-style duel, complete with power-up screams, exploding clothes, and magical glowing sparkles.
And the worst part?
Neither he nor Aiko had even won. No. It was her. The clingy, over-affectionate, borderline girlfriend-in-everything-but-name little sister Ai who had jumped into Shin's arms and stolen the win with one innocent cheek kiss and a tearful cling. It wasn't even a fair fight!
Yuki sat up, pouting deeply, hugging his pillow to his chest. "Ugh, that jerk... Why is he so—so... infuriating!"
He threw himself backward again, legs flipping up into the air as he rolled around like a restless cat. His shirt hiked up a little, revealing a sliver of his pale thighs, but he didn't care. He was too busy thinking. Remembering. Replaying all the humiliating things he had to say, wear, do in the competition. The flirty lines. The outfit changes. The sparkle sound effects.
"I deserved that anime-style beating..." he muttered with a pout, puffing his cheeks. "But still!"
No matter how hard he tried to stay mad or flustered, he couldn't get him out of his mind.
Shin.
It was always Shin.
Even when Ai clung to him like a koala. Even when they looked like some perfect married couple from a shoujo manga. Yuki didn't care. He told himself again and again: Ai can't marry him. She's his sister. That relationship, no matter how close, had a boundary. A line. And he—Yuki—could still cross that line.
Marriage.
The thought hit him like a truck.
His face immediately turned the color of a tomato as he curled up in bed, his pillow squished against his chest. "W-What am I even thinking!? W-We haven't even gone on a date!"
His legs squirmed, toes curling in his socks as his imagination went wild. Just the idea of being married to Shin, waking up next to him, having Shin greet him with a morning kiss, cooking together... maybe even sharing a bath—
Yuki stopped breathing.
No. He wasn't ready for this thought.
His entire body flushed. He felt an odd tingle between his legs and he froze. "W-What the—"
His hand darted down under the blanket.
Oh no.
He was getting a boner.
Yuki sat up like a spooked cat, red as a beet and mortified. "N-No! I didn't mean to—! What do I do?!"
His eyes darted to the phone on his nightstand. His brain short-circuited for a moment. Then, without thinking, he snatched the phone, stood up, and made a mad dash to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
...
A few minutes later, the door slowly creaked open. Yuki emerged, hair slightly damp at the tips from washing his face, his legs a little shaky, his cheeks practically glowing from the heat.
"T-That jerk..." he grumbled, biting his lower lip and flopping back into bed. He hid under his blanket, curling up like a shrimp. "This is all his fault... making me do this."
On his phone screen, the culprit of his shame was still smiling.
It was a photo Shin had sent the previous night.
Yuki's heart skipped a beat.
He blushed furiously, then tapped the home button to hide it.
Only to see the same photo as his home screen.
"I-It's not like I have my wallpaper as him because I like him or anything...!" he snapped, cheeks puffed, voice high and tsundere to the core.
He groaned and opened his chat app. The same conversation with Shin sat there, untouched. The last message was from Shin, sent earlier during the competition: "You looked cute today, even when you were screaming."
Yuki bit his lip again, staring at the blinking cursor.
What do I even say...?
He thought hard. Really hard. He sat up, hugging his knees to his chest, then finally started typing:
Yuki:
"Hey... Are you awake?"
...No, too vague. Too clingy. Wait, delete—
He erased it. Tried again.
Yuki:
" I just wanted to say thanks for today... even if you made me say weird stuff in front of the whole school. And wore that ridiculous outfit. And got anime-punched across the room. And—"
No! I sound like I'm complaining!
He deleted it again.
Finally, after fifteen more attempts, he typed something new and stared at it for a while. Then, heart pounding, he hit send:
Yuki:
"Hey. You're probably asleep already, but... today was a lot. I'm not sure if I should scream at you or thank you or hide under my blanket for a year. But... I had fun. Somehow. Even though I lost. Even though I got humiliated in front of the entire school. You make things feel like they matter. Like I matter.
I thought I'd feel worse losing to your sister, but I didn't. I was just watching you smile, and for some reason, that made it okay. That made everything okay.
I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. Sorry. Ignore me. I'm just... being weird.
Goodnight, Shin."
He hit send and immediately smothered his face in his blanket.
"Stupid! Stupid! Why did I send that!?"
---
Meanwhile, in another apartment across town, Shin stirred.
He was sleeping peacefully, wrapped around his younger sister Ai like a blanket. She rested against his chest, breathing softly. Her arms were looped gently around his torso, and her cheek pressed against his collarbone.
Ding.
The sound of a message quietly vibrated his phone from the nightstand.
Shin slowly opened his eyes, careful not to wake Ai. He reached out with one arm, grabbing the phone and checking the notification.
Yuki.
He smiled gently.
His heart warmed as he read the message, line by line. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he whispered, "Idiot…" under his breath.
He looked down at Ai sleeping so peacefully and kissed the top of her head with a soft smile. "You're still my favorite girl, Ai," he whispered, "but that little snow bunny is something else."
---
Back in his bed, Yuki peeked one eye out from under the blanket. No reply yet. But he didn't mind.
Not really.
He rolled onto his back, hugging the phone to his chest. It was warm. His chest was warm. And he smiled.
Just a little.
"I'll win next time," he muttered, curling up again. "I'll make you fall for me. Even if I have to explode a whole classroom to do it."
---
"Hey Kiddo…"
Yuki stared at his screen, eyes wide and twitching.
"I am not a kiddo…" he muttered under his breath, his lips trembling as his thumbs hovered over the keyboard. His body curled up under the covers, still wearing that soft oversized T-shirt that nearly swallowed his petite frame, the long white socks reaching just past his thighs. His cheeks were still burning, and not just from the message.
He whimpered, a little frustrated sound escaping his throat as he buried his face into his pillow.
Damn it, why does he always say stuff like that?
He had just finished calming himself down in the bathroom. That stupid photo Shin sent the other night—that was still branded into Yuki's mind like a curse. Or maybe a blessing. He couldn't decide.
I'm not a pervert…! he screamed inside his head.
But he had been. Just now.
His face grew redder. He curled tighter into a ball, hiding under his blanket like it could erase what had just happened. But the memory didn't fade. His fingers still tingled. His chest still fluttered.
And now Shin had replied.
Like a sleepy, annoying prince dropping into his life with a casual "Hey Kiddo," as if he didn't just ruin Yuki's whole sanity.
He let out a soft groan. His fingers tapped at the screen quickly.
---
Yuki:
I am NOT a kiddo…
You're just old. A whole… like… ancient. Grandpa Shin.
---
He bit his lip, immediately regretting the "Grandpa" part. That was pushing it. But it was too late. Sent.
A reply came almost instantly.
---
Shin:
Hah… still feisty even this late at night?
Shouldn't you be in bed already, Kiddo? Or do you stay up thinking about me?
---
Yuki's soul left his body.
"W-what…!" he gasped, slamming the phone against his chest as if that would protect him from the implications.
He had stayed up thinking about Shin.
And worse.
His thighs squeezed together slightly at the memory, and he let out the softest, most humiliated little noise.
"…This jerk…" he mumbled, face buried deep in the blanket. "Why is he always like this…"
He couldn't admit it. He could never admit it. But his heart was racing like a mad thing inside his chest, drumming wildly with every vibration of the phone.
He peeked at it again.
---
Shin:
You there? Or did I tease you too much already?
---
He clutched his phone tighter. Something hot twisted in his belly. He hated how much power Shin had over him with just a few words.
He took a deep breath. Typed furiously.
---
Yuki:
Don't flatter yourself!
I was just… bored! And you always say stupid things, so I thought I'd check on you! And also, you lost today's match too, so maybe you were crying in a corner or something.
---
He huffed. That sounded strong. Totally not flustered. Not obvious at all.
Shin's reply came back… suspiciously fast.
---
Shin:
Crying? Nah. My cute little sister was cuddling me to sleep. Felt like heaven.
---
Yuki's jaw dropped.
He rolled over and kicked the air.
"WHY DOES HE HAVE TO SAY THINGS LIKE THAT?!"
His legs thrashed under the blanket. He threw a pillow into the air and caught it again like it offended him.
Cute little sister. Cuddling.
He could see it. Ai's soft expression, her small frame tucked into Shin's chest, his arms wrapped around her protectively. It hurt. He hated how much it bothered him. But then again…
She can't marry him…
Yuki blinked. That thought had slipped in before. It came again.
And with it, a much more dangerous thought.
But I could…
His face turned crimson in an instant. He grabbed another pillow and screamed into it silently.
"What's wrong with meee…!" he whined. "We haven't even… dated yet! Why am I thinking of marriage?!"
And worse—worse than all that—he had just… done that with Shin's picture, maybe, who knows.
He couldn't even look at the screen now. He felt like a criminal.
And then, the phone buzzed again.
---
Shin:
Hey… I'm glad you messaged though.
Even if you're all tsundere and mean about it.
It was a long day. I needed to hear from you.
I… kind of missed you, Yuki.
---
Yuki's heart exploded.
He physically curled, hiding under the blanket like it could protect him from the emotional bomb Shin had just dropped.
"Wha—! WHA—!!"
His body wiggled helplessly under the covers, legs kicking again, the socks rubbing softly together.
He missed me?!
Yuki's lips trembled.
He bit down on his knuckle to keep from squealing.
And then he whispered, "That's not fair… You can't just say that…"
He peeked at the screen again, rereading those words.
His body was so warm. He clutched the phone to his chest.
His heart wouldn't stop beating.
---
Yuki:
You're so dumb.
You just say whatever you want like it means nothing.
You're the worst.
...I missed you too, okay?! Idiot.
---
His finger hovered… then tap. Sent.
Immediately, he wanted to die.
He pressed his face into the mattress, making a long squealing noise that no human should ever make.
His whole body was trembling.
Why did I say that?! Why did I actually send it?
But Shin didn't leave him hanging.
The reply was instant.
---
Shin:
Heh…
There's my cute Yuki.
You should say stuff like that more often.
I like it.
---
Yuki froze.
Then—
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
He rolled violently across the bed, wrapping himself up in the blanket like a sushi roll.
His legs wiggled. His toes curled.
His thighs were trembling again and he swore his body was just broken now.
"Stupid… stupid Shin… you're too much…"
He felt like he was going to cry and laugh at the same time.
His heart was jelly. His stomach was lava. His brain was gone.
And then, a little pop-up.
[Shin is calling you...]
"EH?!?!?!"
He froze.
Like a deer in headlights.
Like a bomb was about to drop.
He didn't even get a chance to think. His thumb moved on its own.
Accept.
The screen flashed.
Shin's voice came in, low and warm and teasing.
"Hey, Kiddo."
Yuki exploded.
"I AM NOT A KIDDO!!"
His voice cracked.
There was a silence.
And then—Shin laughed. A real, full, amused laugh that made Yuki's stomach somersault.
God. He could hear his voice. After everything he just did in the bathroom…
He was going to die.
---
END OF CHAPTER : 26 : YUKI'S HEART!
---