The calendar on the wall said March, the red-circled days almost here.
College graduation for Shin, Yuki, and Aiko — just a few days away.
High School graduation for Ai and Rika — right after.
The apartment felt warm in that late afternoon glow, the sun sinking just enough to turn the light a soft amber. The living room smelled faintly of something sweet from the kitchen — probably whatever Aiko had decided to bake with Rika's help — and the hum of the TV filled the air with lazy background noise.
Shin sat dead-center on the couch, legs stretched out, back relaxed, remote in one hand. His other hand… well, that one wasn't as innocent.
On his right, Yuki lay sideways, head and part of his upper body against Shin's chest, his short white hair brushing Shin's jaw whenever he shifted. He had his phone in hand, thumb scrolling with practiced disinterest, but the faint blush on his pale cheeks betrayed that he wasn't ignoring Shin's wandering fingers.
On Shin's left, Ai was sprawled out with her head in his lap, phone held above her face, her legs lazily draped over the armrest. Every so often, Shin's hand would slip down to her side — over her ribs, along her waist — and she'd just hum softly, tilting her head in contentment without looking away from her screen.
He wasn't even pretending to hide it.
Shin's right hand gave Yuki's hip a slow squeeze, the pads of his fingers pressing just enough to make the boy's breath hitch.
"Oi— stop that," Yuki muttered without looking up, his tone sharp but not convincing. His phone wobbled slightly in his hand when Shin's fingers trailed further, grazing under the hem of his loose hoodie.
Shin smirked, leaning closer so his voice rumbled low into Yuki's ear.
"Why? You're warm, Kiddo."
Yuki's ears went red. "I'm not— warm yourself somewhere else!" he hissed, shoving lightly at Shin's chest but making no real effort to move away. His scrolling slowed, and Shin caught the way his thighs shifted against the couch cushion.
Ai, meanwhile, let out a soft laugh from the other side, clearly listening. "You're so mean to him, Onii-chan," she said without looking up from her phone. Her voice was airy, lazy — like this was the most natural thing in the world.
Shin's left hand slid lower over Ai's stomach, fingertips brushing the waistband of her shorts. She tilted her head a little in silent permission, her dark hair spilling over his lap.
"You're not stopping me either," he murmured, his thumb making a slow circle against her skin.
"Mmm… why would I?" she replied simply, turning a little so she could peek up at him with those half-lidded eyes.
From the kitchen, Aiko's voice called out, "Hey! I can hear you guys from here!"
Rika added, "It's not like that ever stopped them before." There was a clatter of bowls, followed by Aiko's short laugh.
Shin chuckled, squeezing Yuki's hip again just to watch him flinch. "They're jealous," he said under his breath.
"I heard that, Taa-kun!" Aiko's voice rang out, feigning outrage.
Shin's smirk deepened, but his eyes drifted back to Yuki. The boy was biting his lip now, scrolling aimlessly, pretending the heat on his cheeks was just the room's temperature. Shin's hand moved from his hip to rest firmly on his upper thigh, thumb brushing the inside slowly, deliberately.
Yuki froze. "You—" He turned his face away sharply. "Idiot…"
Shin leaned closer again, his lips brushing the edge of Yuki's ear. "You're cute when you get like this."
Yuki's grip on his phone tightened, his breathing uneven. "Shut up."
Ai shifted in Shin's lap, curling slightly so his hand on her stomach could dip lower. She sighed softly, clearly not caring that the TV had faded into nothing but noise. Her phone slid onto the couch cushion beside her as she reached up to touch his arm.
From the kitchen came the sound of a spoon dropping, followed by Rika's muttered, "I'm not cleaning that."
Aiko laughed, but her voice had that teasing edge. "Haa-Kun, if you keep going, we're not going to get any snacks."
"Then hurry up," Shin called back, grinning.
His right hand gave Yuki's thigh one more slow squeeze before drifting back to his waist, pulling him a little closer against his side. Yuki muttered something under his breath, but the way his head rested more firmly against Shin's chest gave him away.
Ai closed her eyes in his lap, her lips curving faintly. "This is nice," she murmured.
Shin glanced down at her, then at Yuki. Both of them were in their own ways melting into him — one openly, the other trying to hide it — and for a moment, even with graduation days away, it felt like nothing could change.
From the kitchen, Rika's voice came softer, almost to herself: "It won't be like this forever…"
Aiko paused mid-laugh, glancing at her, then back toward the living room. "Maybe. But we've still got now."
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"Kiddo," Shin murmured, his voice low enough that only Yuki could hear.
Yuki's eyes stayed glued to his phone. "What."
Shin leaned in, his breath brushing Yuki's ear. "You're tense." His fingers pressed lightly against Yuki's ribs, earning a subtle flinch. "You like it?"
Yuki's ears went red immediately. "D-Don't say weird things—"
"Not weird if it's true."
Yuki snapped his phone shut in mock annoyance, but he didn't pull away. In fact, Shin took the opportunity to slide his hand from Yuki's ribs down to his hip, thumb brushing in slow, lazy arcs.
Ai giggled softly, Tilting her head, she peered up at Shin with those dark eyes, lips parted just enough to make his pulse jump. "You're teasing him again," she said softly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Shin's hand in her hair moved gently, curling strands around his fingers. "You're not complaining."
"Why would I?" she replied with that unshakable calm, leaning into his touch. Her lashes lowered when he let his thumb brush over her cheekbone, lingering just long enough to make her smile turn faintly shy.
Then Shin turned back toward Yuki, his grin sharpening. "Your turn."
Yuki blinked. "Huh?"
Shin didn't answer. Instead, he reached up with his free hand, cupping Yuki's jaw and turning his face toward him. The motion was slow, deliberate — enough to make Yuki swallow, his blue eyes darting down and away.
"You always dodge," Shin said, voice dropping to something deeper. "Not this time."
Before Yuki could fire back some half-hearted insult, Shin closed the space between them, his lips brushing over Yuki's in a soft but undeniably possessive kiss.
Yuki froze, every muscle tensing — and then, slowly, he eased just enough to let Shin press deeper. Shin's thumb traced along his jawline, coaxing him closer, and when Yuki's breath hitched, Shin felt the faintest tremor run through him.
"Idiot," Yuki whispered when Shin finally pulled back, though his voice was softer than he probably intended.
Shin smirked. "You don't sound mad."
Yuki turned his face away sharply, but the pink staining his cheeks betrayed him.
Meanwhile, Ai had shifted again, curling more toward Shin's lap, her hand resting lightly on his thigh. "You're in a mood today," she murmured, her tone warm, teasing.
Shin didn't answer her right away. Instead, his hand slid from her waist, up along her ribs, pausing just beneath the swell of her chest. He felt her shiver under his palm. Ai didn't flinch — in fact, her lips curved slightly, and her gaze softened as if she'd been expecting it.
"You're not stopping me," he said.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
On his other side, Yuki shifted, his knee bumping against Shin's thigh. "You two are… seriously doing this now?" he muttered, eyes darting toward the kitchen where faint clinking of dishes signaled Aiko and Rika's presence.
Shin glanced at him sidelong. "You sound jealous."
"I'm not—!"
Shin didn't let him finish. His arm around Yuki pulled him in, close enough for their shoulders to brush, their knees pressing together. Then, with deliberate slowness, Shin's hand dropped from Yuki's back to rest at his hip — firm, claiming.
Ai, ever the instigator when she wanted to be, reached out and tangled her fingers lightly with Yuki's free hand, the smallest of smirks playing on her lips. "He's just shy," she teased.
Yuki tried to pull his hand back but Ai's grip was deceptively gentle yet insistent. "I'm not—" he started again, but his voice faltered when Shin leaned in and let his lips ghost along the edge of Yuki's jaw.
The contact was fleeting, but the heat it left behind was enough to make Yuki's breath hitch. Shin caught it, and the smirk on his face deepened.
His other hand, still resting just under Ai's chest, shifted upward at last, fingers spreading in a firm, slow squeeze. Ai's eyes fluttered shut, her breath coming out in a soft, pleased exhale. Her body leaned into his touch instinctively, and Shin's thumb traced lazy circles along the soft curve he now held.
"You're really…" Yuki's voice was tight, the words caught between disbelief and something else.
Shin turned his head toward him, eyes glinting. "Really what?"
"…Nothing," Yuki muttered, but his ears burned crimson.
Shin chuckled low, the sound vibrating through both of them. His thumb brushed over Ai again, earning a faint hum from her lips — one that sent a subtle shiver through Yuki despite himself.
The air in the room had shifted — the kind of shift where time seemed to slow and everything outside the circle of their bodies faded. The light from the TV cast lazy shadows across their faces, highlighting the way Ai's lips parted slightly under Shin's touch, the way Yuki's gaze kept flicking between them despite his best efforts not to look.
"You're both mine," Shin said softly, almost as if to himself. But the weight in his voice — warm, possessive, and unshakable — left no room for argument.
Ai smiled faintly, her head tipping toward his chest. "Always."
Yuki didn't answer out loud, but he didn't pull away either. And for Shin, that was all the answer he needed.
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END OF CHAPTER : 222 : IT'S BEEN 5 YEARS!
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