#uppermoon six

The Entertainment District never felt quiet, but tonight felt different.

It felt too tense.

You shivered.

He was late.

A dangerous thought, considering who you were about to meet.

“What's with that face?” 

The voice came from above. Lazy, rasping, and edged with something darker beneath the surface.

You didn't flinch, but the moment you heard his voice, your pulse jumped.

Slowly, you tilted your head up.

He was perched on top of the slanted roof, with his sickly green hair falling into his eyes.

His grin was stretched too wide. His sharp teeth were visible, and the sight made you shiver.

No matter the situation, there was always something softer hiding in the way his gaze locked onto you.

“Gyutaro,” you said, exhaling the breath you hadn't realized you were holding.

He dropped down beside you with unnatural silence, crouching low before straightening.

Up close, he smelled faintly of blood and damp wood, unsettling, but familiar.

Too familiar.

“You've been standing there awhile,” he muttered, his eyes narrowed. “Waiting?”

“I said I would.” You replied simply.

His lip curled. “Tch. Humans lie all the time.”

“Good thing I'm not like most humans then.”

That earned you a quiet huff.

Almost a laugh, but not quite made it there.

For a moment neither of you spoke. 

The rain softened to a mist, drifting between you like a fragile curtain.

Then his gaze suddenly shifted.

Sharp and sudden.

“Who was he?”

You blinked. “What?”

“Don’t play dumb.” His voice dropped, rougher now.

“Earlier. The man who was talking to you near the street corner.”

Your stomach tightened. So he had been watching.

“He was asking for directions.” you said carefully.

Gyutaro took a step closer.

Then another.

Slowly, deliberately, until you were suddenly backed against the wooden wall that was behind you.

His presence pressed in.

It was cold and suffocating, yet it was not entirely unwelcome.

“You smiled at him.”

It wasn’t a question.

“I was being polite, and also I smile at everyone.”

“Polite,” he repeated. He said it as though the word disgusted him.

“You don’t need to be polite to trash like that.”

“He wasn’t trash. He was just-”

“-just looking at you.” Gyutaro snapped, his voice beginning to sharpen. “Like he had the right to.”

The air between the two of you shifted, heavy with something.

You held his gaze. “And?”

“And I didn’t like it.”

His confession came out raw, almost too quick. Like he hadn’t meant to say it so plainly.

Silence followed.

His face followed yours. 

Looking for a reaction of some sort. Fear, maybe even rejection.

Instead you sighed softly.

“Gyutaro…” 

“Don’t,” he cut in, stepping even closer. His hand slammed against the wall beside your head, trapping you fully now.

“Don’t say my name like that when you are just smiling at someone else.”

You looked at him in surprise. “Like what?”

“... like I matter.”

That caught you completely off guard

For all his cruelty, all his sharp edges and venomous words, there it was.

A crack.

Small, but undeniable.

You looked at him. You really looked at him. 

There was tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers dug into the wood hard enough for it to splinter. The flicker of something uncertain buried deep within his sickly eyes.

“You do matter.” you said quietly.

His expression twisted immediately. “Liar.”

“I’m not lying.”

“Then why were you smiling at him?” he demanded, his frustration breaking through clearly.

“Why do you look at other people like that when-”

He stopped himself.

You leaned forward slightly, closing what little distance remained between the two of you.

“When what?”

His jaw tightened visibly. For a moment it looked like he might retreat.

Go back into that defensive, bitter mask that he wore so well.

But much to your surprise, he didn’t.

“When you should be looking at me like that,” he finished, his voice low and strained.

The words hung there, heavier than anything he’d said before.

You could feel his breath against your skin now.

Uneven, and shallow, waiting for your response.

Always waiting, even when he pretended not to.

“... is that what this is about?” you asked gently.

His eyes flashed.

“Don’t make it sound small.”

“I’m not,” you said. “I just didn’t realize that you cared so much.”

“I don’t.” he snapped instantly.

You raised an eyebrow.

He clicked his tongue, looking away for a split second before forcing his gaze back to you.

“I just… hate seeing people act like they can have things they don’t deserve.”

“And I’m one of those things?”

“...Yeah.”

The bluntness might have been insulting if not for the way his voice was wavering at the edges.

You let out a small breath. “You know you don’t own me, right?”

The temperature dropped.

“I know,” he said, but it sounded wrong, too tight, too forced. “Doesn’t mean I like it.”

His hand shifted, moving dangerously close to yours.

“I see the way they look at you,” he continued, quieter now. “Like you’re something clean. Something good.”

His lips curled bitterly.

“They don’t know anything.”

“And you do?”

“Yeah.”

The answer came without hesitation.

You tilted your head. “Then what am I, according to you?”

His gaze softened, just barely.

“...Mine.”

The word wasn’t loud.

But it was heavy.

Possessive, yes, but not completely.

There was hesitation in it, uncertainty, like he wasn’t sure he had the right to say it.

Like he was waiting for you to deny it.

You should have corrected him.

Should have set boundaries, pushed him back harder.

Instead, your heart did something inconvenient.

“Gyutaro…” you murmured, your voice softer now.

He stiffened slightly.

“If I smile at someone,” you said, “it doesn’t mean anything.”

His eyes narrowed again. “It means they get to see something they shouldn’t.”

Carefully, you reached out.

His body tensed immediately.

But he didn’t pull away.

Your fingers brushed against his wrist, light and cautious.

His skin was cold, but not lifeless. Not entirely.

“I’m here aren’t I?” you said.

His eyes dropped to where you touched him.

“...Yeah.”

“I chose to wait for you.”

“...You did.”

“I’m talking to you right now.”

“...Yeah.”

You gave his wrist a small squeeze.

“Then maybe you don’t need to worry so much.”

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then suddenly he moved.

His free hand came up, gripping your chin.

Not harsh, but firm enough to tilt your face upward.

“Don’t tell me not to worry,” he muttered. “You don’t get it.”

“Then explain it to me.”

His grip tightened slightly. Not enough to hurt, but enough to make your breath hitch.

“You’re…” He hesitated, searching for words. “You’re the only thing that doesn’t make me feel like garbage.”

Your expression softened.

“And you think I’m just gonna let that be taken away?” he added, voice dropping into something darker.

“I’m not being taken away,” you said.

“You don’t know that.”

“Gyutaro-”

“What if someone stronger comes along?” he pressed. Frustration creeping back in slowly. “Someone better. Someone who actually deserves you.”

You frowned. “That’s not how it works.”

“It is for me.”

There it was again.

That crack.

You reached up, this time placing your hand over his.

He froze.

“Listen to me,” you said quietly. “No one else gets to decide what I do. Not them… and not even you.”

His jaw clenched.

“But,” you continued, softening your tone, “if it makes you feel better… I don’t want anyone else.”

That did it.

His grip loosened, just slightly.

“You don’t?”

“No.”

His eyes searched yours again. More intensely this time.

“Say it again.”

You huffed a small laugh. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Say it.”

“I don’t want anyone else,” you repeated.

Silence.

Then…

“Good.”

The word came out almost like a sigh.

His hand dropped from your chin, but he didn’t step away.

When your hand slipped into his, he didn’t let go.

Thanks for reading <3

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Although Gyutaro couldn't make out their conversation, one of the girls seemed surprisingly upbeat for a Monday morning.

Curiosity piqued, he decided to take a closer look. It turned out that both girls attended his school, but he wasn't sure if they were in the same grade as him.

Gyutaro was an introverted guy who rarely interacted with his fellow students, so he didn't recognize most of them on campus. The exceptions were his closest friends, his little sister, and a few teachers.

However, there was a time when he was more outgoing and sociable.

In his younger years, Gyutaro had been engaging and receptive. Everyone in his old neighborhood adored him. But after they moved and his environment changed, along with the people around him, he himself changed as well.

"I can't believe how my heart was pounding while waiting for my turn," you exclaimed animatedly to your friend, f/n, as you recalled the adventures of the previous night.

"But did you manage to get tickets?" f/n asked eagerly.

You grinned widely and did a little dance in your seat as you proudly displayed the concert tickets you had scored the night before.

"Heck yeah!"

Unbeknownst to you, a pair of red eyes were fixed on you as you continued your joyful dance.

Something that had long been dormant in Gyutaro suddenly came to life again.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he observed you silently, racking his brain to think of the upcoming artists who would be touring in your hometown.

"Yikes."

Gyutaro immediately clamped his palm over his lips after unintentionally blurting out his thoughts.

At that moment, you turned around, searching for the person who had spoken, and your eyes met Gyutaro's.

Gyutaro quickly averted his gaze and pretended to be unaffected, as if he hadn't just made an awkward noise out of nowhere.

He had reacted far too strongly when he heard you mention another one of those overrated K-pop groups. He had a deep disdain for them, especially boy bands. Whenever his little sister blasted their music at full volume in her room, he could practically feel his ears bleeding. The thought of Ume raving about those dazzling, handsome boys annoyed him. Ironically, he would prefer her fangirling over her incessant wailing whenever he teased her favorite member.

Once, as a joke, he had even drawn a mustache on the poor guy's face in the poster hanging in Ume's room. She didn't talk to him for a week until Gyutaro gave her their latest album as a peace offering, and everything went back to normal. Lost in thought, a chuckle slipped through his lips as he reminisce the silly memory.

Meanwhile, you had turned your attention toward him, trying to identify the source of the soft chuckle you had heard. Gyutaro had a habit of reacting impulsively, making it seem as though he were an open book for anyone to read and decode.

Lost in his own world, he didn't notice your gaze for a few seconds. When he finally looked up and saw that someone was watching him, your eyes met again.

This time, Gyutaro decided to play along and maintained eye contact with you, as if engaging in a silent competition of who would look away first.

Since he was wearing a facemask, he felt less self-conscious about looking at someone or allowing others to look at him.

Despite disagreeing with your taste in music, Gyutaro couldn't deny that you were attractive. On any other day, he would never let someone as beautiful as you gaze at him.

After a few more seconds, one of you finally broke the silence.

You offered him a shy smile and mumbled a "hello," to which Gyutaro awkwardly nodded in response. His throat was dry, and he was afraid his voice might crack, so he chose a simple nod to acknowledge you.

Both of you were so engrossed in each other that you didn't notice your stop had arrived.

"Hey, let's go. We're going to be late," f/n reminded you, preparing to leave the bus.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Let's go."

You grabbed your backpack, and Gyutaro, still wearing a dreamy expression, did the same. The whole interaction had taken him by surprise, and he couldn't quite categorize it as a proper conversation.

"See you around," you said. Gyutaro turned to face you, his lips parting to say something, but no words came out.

"Sure," he eventually managed to say.

You gave him another smile, this time more assured, and glanced at him once more before walking away with f/n.

"Do you know him?" your friend inquired as you made your way across the school campus towards your first period.

"Yes, but I don't know his name yet," you replied, prompting a deadpan response from f/n, "What?"

"He's in my home economics class, and we live in the same neighborhood, but I've never had the opportunity to speak to him formally."

"Why not?"

"I'm not sure how to approach him, and I don't want to make a poor first impression."

"Are you crushing on him?" f/n raised an eyebrow, unable to hide her amusement.

Trying to play it cool, you couldn't help but smile, feeling the crimson creeping up your cheeks and ears, giving away your secret before you could even respond. But you beat f/n to it.

"I'm not sure if it's a crush yet. I don't know anything about him." You glanced around to make sure the boy of your fascination wasn't nearby, listening to your conversation.

You would die of embarrassment if he found out about your little secret.

"Well, you better make a move before someone else does. Start by asking for his name the next time you see him in home economics class, right?"

"Yeah," you nodded.

"Good luck! Who would have thought someone could overshadow your favorite K-pop idols?"

"I guess you could say he's quite promising," you chuckled.

"Now I'm curious about him too. Befriend him as soon as possible so I can assess him," f/n joked, earning another chuckle from you.

"Don't rush me. I need to build my confidence first. You know how I am when it comes to meeting new people."

"Nah, you'll be fine."

"Well, after home economics class, we'll meet up as usual, so I'll keep you updated if anything happens."

"Go get 'em, girl," f/n said, giving you a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

As you made your way to class, the two of you continued your conversation.

One of the perks of having a large school campus was that you could chat about various things while walking from one class to another. After discussing your adorable crush, you switched topics and excitedly talked about the concert you would be attending next month.

Meanwhile, Gyutaro had just finished wiping his nose after sneezing in his biology class. Seated by the window, he often got distracted by the view outside.

Trying to focus on his teacher's presentation, his thoughts kept wandering back to you.

Now that he was alone and free to think, he couldn't help but notice the clarity of your eyes and the lusciousness of your lips.

Covering his mouth with his palm, Gyutaro admired the expansive schoolyard view and reminisced about his interaction with you that morning.

"She's just like a golden retriever, overly enthusiastic and sometimes a drama queen," he whispered to himself, chuckling. "But a cute golden retriever nonetheless."

You were attending your history class in the classroom above him.

f/n leaned over to peek at and copy your notes, since she couldn't see what your teacher wrote on the glass board. When she was done, her gaze shifted to your face.

A small chuckle escaped her lips.