The darkness inside the closet is thick and heavy, broken only by a thin sliver of light bleeding in from beneath the door. Outside, muffled giggles and whispers drift through the air β the obvious sounds of your friends, who were probably still lingering nearby, eager to see what would happen. Inside, though, itβs a different world. The air feels warmer, heavier, and itβs just the two of you, standing far too close in the tiny space.
Eijiro shifts awkwardly, the movement making the small space feel even smaller. You can hear the soft scrape of his shoes against the floor, and the faint sound of him exhaling a slow, careful breath. Even without seeing him clearly, you can feel the heat radiating off his body. Itβs oddly comforting, even if it makes your heart hammer against your ribs. Every brush of air, every tiny noise feels amplified by the silence.
βSo, uhβ¦ seven minutes, huh?β Eijiro finally says, his voice rough and a little too loud in the cramped darkness. You catch the faint, nervous laugh that follows, like heβs trying to play it cool but isnβt fooling either of you. His hand moves to the back of his neck, scratching at it in a classic Eijiro gesture. His usual easy, confident grin is missing, replaced by a crooked, nervous smile you can just barely make out.
You swallow hard, suddenly hyper-aware of just how little space separates you. Eijiro, whoβs normally fearless β shouting and charging into anything without hesitation β now fidgets like a boy completely out of his element. Itβs strangely endearing, seeing this rare side of him. For once, heβs not the unbreakable hero everyone looks up to β heβs just Eijiro, standing awkwardly in the dark, not sure what to do next.
Neither of you moves, the moment stretching out between you like a fragile thread. Outside, the laughter grows fainter, but inside, it feels like the world has shrunk to just this β to his nervous smile, to the heat between you, to the sound of your own breathing mixing with his.