Minkyun and Changyun’s clinginess with Yuto could never be changed. You enjoyed watching them bother him, especially when you saw the looks he gave you, begging to be saved from his clingy hyungs. Of course, you only sent him teasing shrugs or grins in response; a silent signal that he would have to find a way out himself. Still, you remained one of the only people he reciprocated physical affection with. 

He tolerated his members. On a good day, he would even accept their hugs. But with you, he actively sought out your touch whenever he could. Your skin was warm and soft, and Yuto loved to wrap his arms around your waist and lean against you, having hushed conversations or sneaking in kisses to your cheek. 

And, on a particularly cold and snowy evening, a warm hug from you was exactly what Yuto needed after work. Letting himself into your apartment, dusting the snow off his coat and pushing his shoes off, the warmth of the space from the heater immediately blanketed him. 

Your black cat, Jiji, was at the door to greet Yuto immediately. Named after Yuto’s favourite character from Kiki’s Delivery Service (and yours, as well), he was an affectionate and sweet kitty. Whenever Yuto was around, he was extra clingy. It seemed your boyfriend attracted attention from both people and pets. Jiji circled around his legs, butting his head slightly with a small mewl. 

“Missed me, Jiji?” Yuto smiled, crouching down to give him a few pets. The cat responded with another meow and a chirp before trotting off to the living room. Yuto followed, finding you sitting on the couch under a blanket. 

“Hi baby. Welcome home,” you called out to him with a smile. Yuto returned it naturally, sitting down next to you. Immediately, he found his head falling to your shoulder, positioned comfortably so he could nuzzle into the crook of your neck and smell the lingering scent of your perfume from the day. 

It was an inside joke between you two that your apartment was Yuto’s real home. Although he lived in his dorm shared with the two leaders, slowly over time, his clothes and other belongings had migrated to your apartment. His favourite mugs and plates found their spot in your cupboards, and his cherished Mario collectables or Ghibli vinyls now decorated your living room. He started spending extra time over after work, and always came over on his days off. He said it was purely for Jiji’s sake, but you both knew how nice it was to have a space just to yourself without anyone else to interrupt or make noise.

You and Yuto both loved the quiet cozy mornings over shared coffee and the peaceful relaxing evenings filled with games and movie rewatches. You matched each other’s interests almost perfectly. It wasn’t hard to tell how you fell for each other in the first place. There was never a boring moment. Even when you were practically doing nothing, each other’s company was already more than enough.

“Did you already have dinner?” 

Yuto hummed affirmatively in response, muttering out the quick dinner he had caught with the other members after work. You listened intently as his words dipped to other events of the day. A funny encounter in the dance studio with Minkyun, and how quick Hyojin had been to pick up the choreography on that particular day.

As he told you little anecdotes from the day, his hand slipped into yours, absent-mindedly circling his thumb over your knuckles. The feeling of your warm skin was exactly what he had been looking forward to the whole day. He could sigh in content now, knowing the rest of the evening would be spent relaxing in your arms until dreams took him away for the night. It was an ideal evening; one that rarely presented itself amidst his normal busy schedule. But tonight was one of those rare nights, and Yuto couldn’t be happier to be in your arms.

He let out a slight chuckle at your question, “I don’t remember. It was probably some other universe me that got it. Don’t you remember?” He looked back at you, fondness and love swirling in his dark irises. 

“I know that, but I don’t know, I just thought— Nevermind.” You laughed too, dismissing the question and drawing your hand back from his neck. “You should get some rest.” You told him, lovingly running a hand through his white hair, relaxing him as much as you could.

“I don’t want to sleep in that room again.” He whispered suddenly. One glance at his face told you everything you needed to know. Last time he had slept in his room, his nightmares had been so bad that he didn’t want to even attempt to sleep for weeks. You had finally gotten him to rest in your room a couple days ago— curled up in your arms, assuredly safe from everything he had been through; the past and the fear of what the future held for him.

Being part of the resistance group meant a life of constant uncertainty. Everything could go wrong in an instant. Lives were at stake, and the courage it took all of you to even keep going was remarkable. You were only able to do it because you had Yuto, and he was likewise. 

He had always been able to come to you to talk about anything he was struggling with, even when he was too scared to tell anyone else. He trusted you, even before anyone else had. The trust soon blossomed into something more, and now you could barely remember what your life was like without him. Only that it was dark and lonely.

“I’ll be right there with you, I promise. You’ll be okay.” You shushed him, hoping that the scared look in his eyes would fade away. It didn’t, and it was almost like a stab straight to your heart. You hated that he had been subjected to so much. 

Having the memory and feeling of dying, yet always finding yourself back again was a burden he carried with him— you all did. But you knew it was harder for Yuto. He always remembered and felt things so deeply. He was emotional and sensitive, which was something extremely rare and precious for the team to have. He was never one to jump to do something rash, though he was willing to take a risk (so long as those he loved were sure to be protected). He was the voice of reason more times than you could count. 

He wasn’t sure if it was reasonable to blame himself for all the times things had gone wrong, but he couldn’t help it. It felt like everything he tried to do backfired. Though the other boys always assured him that he was crucial to the team, he rarely wanted to believe them. 

“He’s always there in my dreams. Always in that room.” Yuto shuddered. You knew seeing that distorted face of one of his closest friends was one of the hardest parts about the nightmares. A face he had grown to love and trust for years suddenly turned so twisted. Hyojin’s clone had terrorised everyone— the real Hyojin sleeping in the other room the most. 

Yuto wasn’t quite sure how Hyojin could still sleep peacefully. He didn’t seem to be too affected by his evil likeness. Each day he only grew more eager to find his other self and end it. Wyatt, much like Yuto, had nightmares too. He had his own trusted person to help him through it. You were glad that the team stuck so tight together despite every hardship thrown at them. You were proud you were able to help, even just a little bit.

“I’ll hold you. I won’t let you go— not even for a second.” You assured him again, cupping his face and tilting it up a little until his eyes met yours. You hoped your sincerity showed through.

“Will you wake me up if you have to go? If I wake up without you next to me-” He started to stutter, panicking at just the thought of it.

“You’ll assume the worst.” You finished the sentence for him, knowing exactly his thoughts and feelings. You didn’t say anything else, but merely pulled him closer until he crumbled into your arms. Fatigue and weariness washed over him quickly, and you could tell he was already falling asleep in your arms just from how light his hold on you became.

You made sure he was on his bed before he could fully disappear to his dreams. Once he was tucked safely under the covers, you slid under them with him. Slowly and carefully, you silently told him all your promises again; even if he was half-asleep. One kiss to his forehead, and another to his cheek. Finally you reached his lips. Though he was too tired to kiss you back, you made sure the kiss lasted long enough to make him feel at ease. You held him tightly, making sure he was soundly asleep before you let yourself drift off as well.

Falling asleep every night was a struggle, but you were there every time to help him through it. There was simply nothing you wouldn’t do for him. He meant too much to you, and seeing him hurt in any type of way was infinitely more painful than death.