Chapter 8 – Crossing the Line
Yuji didn't know who moved first.
Maybe it was him.
Maybe it was Ren.
All he knew was that one second, Ren's hand was on his cheek… and the next, they were against the wall, the space between them gone, their breaths colliding.
The bond roared.
It wasn't subtle this time — it was consuming. A burning tide of emotions Yuji couldn't separate. His? Ren's? It didn't matter. It felt like one.
---
"Stop," Yuji whispered again, but it was weak. A lie.
Ren's forehead pressed against his, his voice low, rough. "Tell me you mean it."
Yuji couldn't.
Because his body was betraying him. His fingers, once clenched in resistance, were now gripping Ren's shirt like he'd drown if he let go.
And Ren… Ren wasn't calm anymore. Yuji felt the hunger rolling off him, sharp and unrestrained, mixing with his own until Yuji couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.
---
Their lips brushed.
Not a kiss. Just a graze — but it sent a shiver down Yuji's spine so violent he thought his knees would give out.
Ren froze too, as if realizing what they were about to do. His hands dropped to Yuji's shoulders, holding him there but not pushing, not pulling.
"Yuji," Ren murmured, voice hoarse.
The sound of his name like that — half-broken, half-starved — almost undid him completely.
Yuji's chest rose and fell rapidly. He couldn't think. Couldn't separate his desire from Ren's.
For a heartbeat, he wanted to let go.
Just let it happen.
---
Then the memory of the dream hit him — the younger Ren in the rain, begging someone not to leave.
It felt too real. Too dangerous.
Yuji shoved him back.
"Don't."
Ren stepped away immediately, jaw tight, hands curled into fists at his sides.
The silence was suffocating.
Finally, Ren said quietly, "That's what I meant when I said this bond eats at you."
Yuji didn't answer. He couldn't.
Because even with distance between them, his lips still tingled from that almost-kiss.
And he hated that he wanted more.