Xu Chen let the curtain fall back into place.
The city lights disappeared behind the thick fabric, and the room returned to its controlled, enclosed stillness.
For a second, he stood there, facing the glass, his reflection faintly visible against the darkened surface.
Then he turned.
Aum was still near the center of the room, exactly where he had been a moment ago, as if the shift from outside to inside hadn't required any adjustment from him at all.
Xu Chen walked past him, loosening his sleeves this time, the movement casual but deliberate something to do with his hands.
"Alright," he said, glancing around. "We should probably… settle in."
Aum looked at him.
He waited.
Xu Chen nodded once to himself.
"Right. That means figuring out who sleeps where."
Aum's gaze shifted briefly toward the bed.
Then back to Xu Chen.
"There is sufficient space for both."
Xu Chen stopped mid-step.
"…We're not starting this again."
Aum's expression remained unchanged.
"You initiated the discussion," he said.
Xu Chen stared at him.
"…I regret that decision already."
Aum didn't respond.
Xu Chen exhaled through his nose, a faint smile threatening to appear despite himself.
"Okay," he said, pointing toward the bed. "Yes. Technically, it fits two people. That is not the issue."
Aum waited.
Xu Chen ran a hand through his hair again, slower this time.
"It's about… boundaries."
Aum considered that word.
"Define."
Xu Chen blinked.
"…I'm not defining boundaries for you."
"Then I cannot apply them," Aum replied calmly.
Xu Chen looked at him for a long second.
"…You're doing this on purpose now."
"I am trying to understand your parameters."
Xu Chen let out a quiet laugh.
"Of course you are."
A pause.
Then, finally,
"I'll take the couch."
Aum glanced toward it again.
"That reduces rest quality."
"I'll survive," Xu Chen said.
"That is not the same as optimal functioning."
Xu Chen turned toward him fully this time.
"…Do you ever just let things be?"
Aum met his gaze.
"Yes."
A pause.
"…When?"
"When efficiency is not required."
Xu Chen stared at him.
"…And this is efficient?"
Aum paused.
"…No."
Xu Chen blinked.
Then huffed a short breath that turned into a small laugh.
"Great. We're making progress."
He shook his head slightly and grabbed his clothes from the chair.
"I'm changing."
He walked toward the bathroom, then paused again halfway.
"You sure you don't need anything?"
Aum looked at him.
"No."
Xu Chen nodded once.
"Of course."
The bathroom door closed behind him.
Aum remained still for a moment.
Then he moved.
He walked slowly around the room instead, his attention shifting across smaller details this time—the texture of the couch fabric, the alignment of objects on the desk, the faint hum of the air-conditioning unit.
The system was active.
Temperature controlled.
Yet the air felt… heavier.
He paused.
His awareness shifted inward.
There was no environmental cause significant enough to explain the change.
Which meant......
The variable was internal.
Aum stood still for a moment longer.
Then turned his gaze toward the closed bathroom door.
Inside, Xu Chen stood under the running water, one hand braced lightly against the tiled wall.
"…This is normal," he said quietly.
The words sounded less convincing out loud.
He tilted his head back slightly, letting the water run over his face.
Normal.
Long day.
New environment.
Shared space.
That was it.
Nothing else.
Because the alternative......
Xu Chen shut the thought down immediately.
No.
Absolutely not.
He turned the water off with more force than necessary and reached for the towel.
This wasn't complicated.
He was tired.
That explained everything.
He changed quickly, pulling on a loose t-shirt and comfortable pants, then stood for a second in front of the mirror.
"…You're fine," he muttered.
He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince.
When Xu Chen stepped out, the room felt quieter.
Aum was near the desk now, his hand resting lightly against the edge, his posture relaxed in a way that hadn't been there earlier.
Xu Chen slowed slightly.
Something about that—
He stopped the thought before it formed fully.
"You can use the bathroom," he said instead.
Aum turned.
He nodded once and walked past Xu Chen.
This time, the distance between them narrowed more than before.
Not by accident.
Just… alignment of movement.
For a brief moment, their shoulders nearly touched.
Xu Chen felt it.
He stilled for half a second.
Aum didn't react.
He entered the bathroom.
The door closed.
Xu Chen remained where he was.
Then exhaled slowly.
"…Okay."
He walked toward the couch, sitting down heavily this time, leaning back and stretching his legs out.
This was fine.
Comfortable enough.
He adjusted the cushion behind him.
Still fine.
He picked up his phone, unlocking it again out of habit.
Messages.
Notifications.
Nothing urgent.
He scrolled without reading.
Then stopped.
Locked the screen.
Dropped the phone beside him.
Why was he......
Xu Chen leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling.
Because this wasn't just about space.
That was the problem.
He shifted slightly.
The couch felt smaller now.
Not physically.
Just… noticeable.
The sound of water started again.
Xu Chen closed his eyes briefly.
He shouldn't be paying attention to that.
And yet........
He was.
"…Unbelievable," he muttered under his breath.
The bathroom door opened.
Xu Chen sat up slightly.
Aum stepped out.
His hair was damp, falling more loosely now, the darker strands framing his face in a way that softened the sharpness of his features. The clothes Xu Chen had bought earlier fit him cleanly—simple lines, but structured enough to follow the natural definition of his frame.
Xu Chen looked at him.
Then immediately looked somewhere else.
"…Good fit," he said.
Aum glanced down briefly.
"Yes."
A pause settled between them.
Xu Chen stood up abruptly.
"Actually.....
forget the couch."
Aum looked at him.
Xu Chen gestured toward the bed.
"We'll share it."
The words came out faster than he expected.
Aum didn't question it.
"That is more efficient," he said.
Xu Chen let out a short breath.
"Yeah. Don't get used to it."
Aum nodded.
"I will not."
That somehow made it worse.
They moved toward the bed.
Xu Chen took one side, pulling the blanket back slightly before sitting down.
Aum took the other.
There was enough space.
More than enough.
Yet........
Xu Chen became aware of it immediately.
He noticed the space between them as soon as he lay down. It felt deliberate.
He lay back, staring at the ceiling again.
"Lights," he said.
Aum reached over and switched them off.
Darkness settled into the room.
Only faint city light filtered through the edges of the curtains now.
Xu Chen shifted slightly, adjusting his position.
He could feel it.
Just the presence.
Close enough not to ignore.
"…Go to sleep," he muttered.
Aum didn't respond.
He was already aware that sleep would not come immediately.
His attention shifted to the steady rhythm beside him.
Xu Chen's breathing.
Slightly uneven at first.
Then slower.
Xu Chen closed his eyes.
This was fine.
Completely fine.
He just needed to sleep.
That was it.
Nothing else.
Because thinking......
Was clearly not helping.
The room remained quiet.
But not empty.
And this time........
neither of them could pretend it was just space anymore.