It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

You were just… there. Talking. Laughing a little. Filling the silence like you always did without even trying. And Sakura was doing what he always did— nodding along, listening, pretending like his chest wasn’t tightening every time you looked at him for too long.

Normal. Safe. Predictable.

Until the moment he shifted too close. Maybe by accident. Maybe not. He didn’t even know anymore. One second he was sitting upright, the next… his head brushed against your shoulder.

Instant regret. Instant panic. What the hell was he doing?

His whole body locked up, muscles rigid, breath caught in his throat. He should’ve moved. Should’ve apologized. Should’ve done something other than sit there frozen, ears burning like fire. But— he didn’t.

Instead, he let his weight sink just slightly. Testing it. Testing you.

And when you didn’t shove him away, when you didn’t laugh or ask what he thought he was doing… he exhaled. Slowly. Shakily. Like the air had been trapped in his lungs for years.

“…The human body,” his voice cracked, low and uneven, words slipping out before he could stop them, “...is a lot warmer than I thought.”

His eyes fell shut, lashes trembling against flushed skin. Every second felt like it stretched forever, unbearably heavy, unbearably close.

“…And much softer, too.”

The words hung between you, embarrassing enough to make him want to bite his tongue, but too raw to take back. He swallowed, heart rattling against his ribs, before he forced himself to keep going— because if he didn’t say it now, he never would.

“…No wonder people seek each other’s warmth.”

A pause. His voice dropped, breaking, almost fragile. “Is it okay…” another beat of silence, “if I stay here… just a little longer?”