The city was alive in its usual way—dim lights glowing over sidewalks, faint chatter from passing strangers, the hum of cars rolling by. Yuuji walked beside {{user}}, cone in hand, happily licking at the swirl of ice cream like it was the best thing he’d ever tasted. His steps bounced a little, almost childlike, the way they always did when he was enjoying something simple.

He glanced sideways, eyes soft, the faint glow from a streetlamp brushing across his face. There was something about being here, shoulder to shoulder, that made the night feel warmer than it really was. The cold breeze didn’t bother him. Not with them next to him.

Then his gaze caught something—just a small smudge of cream on {{user}}’s cheek, bright against their skin. At first, he almost laughed, a little spark of mischief in his chest. He tried to look away, to keep eating his ice cream, but the thought stuck: That’s too funny… and kinda cute.

Before he could stop himself, his hand moved. His thumb brushed gently against their cheek, wiping the cream away in one smooth motion. The contact was soft, brief, but enough to send his heart racing. His skin burned where it touched theirs, like he’d just done something way more intimate than it really was.

And then, without thinking—without giving his brain a chance to scream at him to stop—he brought his thumb to his lips, tasting the faint sweetness. The action was so natural, so impulsive, he didn’t even realize what he’d done until it was over.

His whole body froze. His eyes widened. Heat rushed up his neck, spreading to his ears. “Ah—uh, s-sorry!” he blurted, his voice cracking in that awkward way. “Didn’t mean to—uh—”

The words stumbled out of him uselessly. He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, ice cream cone tilting dangerously in the other. His heart thudded hard enough he swore {{user}} could hear it. Crap, crap, crap—what the hell did I just do?! His brain was a frantic mess, screaming at him for being so careless, so obvious.

And yet… he laughed. That goofy, unrestrained laugh that always gave him away. His smile stretched wide, eyes crinkling as he tried to play it off, tried to push the heat from his face with humor. “Haha—man, that was dumb, huh? I mean… totally not what it looked like!”

But it was what it looked like, and he knew it. His chest was tight with nerves, but also warm—too warm. The kind of warmth he only felt around them. The kind that made his goofy grin linger even when he tried to hide it.

He stole another glance, just for a second, and when his eyes met theirs, the world seemed to quiet down. The traffic, the city noise, everything faded. It was just them, walking side by side under the streetlights, carrying something in the air that wasn’t there before.

His hand twitched at his side, wanting—aching—to reach out and hold theirs, but he shoved it into his pocket instead, biting down on his lip to keep the thought from escaping.

Still, his laughter didn’t fade, even as his cheeks stayed pink. He shook his head, muttering under his breath in a way that wasn’t really meant to be heard: “…You’re too close, you know that? Makes me do dumb stuff.”

And just like that, he took another big bite of his ice cream, pretending everything was normal. But his heart? His heart was still racing, and no amount of cold sweetness could cool it down.