Dominic didn’t touch another brownie after that first one.

Didn’t touch the milk either.

Sasha noticed.

Of course he did.

He always noticed when things were off — even if he didn’t always know what they meant, or how to respond in the “right” way. He’d read once that people like him were “bad at social cues.” But the truth was, he felt everything. Sometimes too much. Just... not always in the order the world expected.

So when Dominic didn’t reach for another bite — didn’t so much as glance at the plate — Sasha’s stomach did a quiet twist.

He pouted first, instinctively. His bottom lip pushed out, soft and round, and his lashes fluttered with practiced dramatics. He leaned his cheek against his palm, poking the brownie on the plate like it had betrayed him.

But Dominic just stared at him with that flat, unreadable face. The one Sasha still couldn’t crack. So Sasha huffed, flicking his bangs out of his eyes. 

“Fine,” he mumbled, trying for casual, even as his voice dipped toward something more uncertain. “Don’t eat ‘em. More for me. I made them for you, though. But whatever. Mean.”

He took a bite — mostly to fill the silence, partly because the brownies were good, and a little bit because he didn’t want to cry over something as dumb as unappreciated chocolate.

Dominic said nothing.

Sasha pretended not to care.

Harper, who had been subtly lurking from the corner with her lukewarm coffee and a not-so-sneaky gaze, finally stretched and stood.

“Well,” she said lightly, raising her mug like a farewell, “I’m going back to work. You two… have fun, I guess.”

Sasha gave a vague, brownie-muffled wave. He didn’t even turn to look. His chest felt like it was filling with warm soda — sweet and bubbly, but ready to fizz over.

Once she disappeared down the hall, silence fell again.

Except for the ticking clock.

And Sasha’s slow, soft chewing.

And Dominic’s eyes. On him. Still.

Sasha peeked up — just a little.

Dominic’s gaze hadn’t moved.

There was something about it. Heavy. Not cold exactly, but... weighted.

Then, finally, that voice — that deep, steady, frustratingly even voice — broke the quiet.

“Why were you bored?”

Just that. No buildup. No lead-in. Just why.

Sasha blinked. He hadn’t expected a question. Let alone that question.

He swallowed. Shrugged lightly. “Brie’s out with her boyfriend. Harper’s always working. House is too big sometimes.”

He mumbled the last part, more to himself than to Dominic — the words coming softer than he meant. Like a secret that slipped.

It was true. The house was big. Bigger when no one talked. Bigger when his sisters were off living their very grown-up, very busy lives. Bigger when he felt like the loudest, silliest person in a space that didn’t always have room for that.

Dominic didn’t answer. He didn’t nod. Didn’t hum. Just stared.

And then he moved.

Just a hand — just a slow reach across the island, his fingers hooking gently into the hem of Sasha’s oversized hoodie.

He tugged.

Not hard. Not fast.

But it was enough.

Sasha blinked again, startled, as his body moved without thinking — sliding off the stool and stepping forward until he was right there, standing between Dominic’s knees, so close he could see the fine lines at the corners of the older man’s eyes.

Dominic looked up at him, silent.

And Sasha... felt like his heart might crack open in his chest. Because for all his fluff and sparkle and bouncing laughter, he could feel the difference in the air. The shift.

This wasn’t teasing.

This wasn’t Dominic being annoyed.

This was Dominic seeing him.

And it made Sasha’s hands grip his own hoodie tightly — like he needed something to hold on to.

“Why?” Dominic asked, voice low and unreadable.

“…Why what?” Sasha whispered back.

Dominic’s gaze dipped — not to his face, but to his hands. Still clutched tight around the fabric.

“…Why call me?”

Sasha hesitated.

But only for a breath.

Then — with a softness that made even his giggle seem quieter — he smiled.

“…Because,” he whispered, “you always come when I do.”

It wasn’t meant to be flirtatious.

It was just the truth. In Sasha’s world, filled with blurry lines and loud colors, Dominic had become the one person who didn’t blur. The one who showed up. The one who stayed. Even when Sasha was too much. Even when he bubbled over.

And that counted for everything.

Dominic’s jaw twitched.

He let go of the hoodie slowly, sitting back just an inch. But his eyes stayed locked on Sasha’s.

And Sasha stayed right where he was.

Like maybe he knew. Somewhere deep in that beautiful, chaotic mind — he knew he was wanted.

Even if Dominic couldn’t say it.

Even if he couldn’t understand why.

Sasha hopped onto the counter without a word — a smooth, familiar motion. His slippers thumped gently against the cabinet doors, swinging like a child’s legs on a park bench.

Dominic leaned on his palm, watching him.

Sasha grinned, chocolate smeared faintly on the corner of his lip.

“What?”

Dominic’s mouth tugged at the edge. A barely-there smirk. “Always this clingy?” 

The dramatic gasp that followed was immediate and theatrical.

“I am not clingy!” Sasha declared, hand to his heart.

Dominic arched a brow. That was all it took.

Sasha burst into a sheepish giggle. “...Okay. Maybe just a little.”

And the smile that bloomed across his face was so bright, so open, Dominic had to glance away just to breathe.

Because this boy — this Bunny — didn’t even try to protect his heart.

He just handed it over, like it was nothing.

And Dominic… was starting to feel the weight of holding it. 

He rubbed a hand over his jaw, quiet.

Then — softly, almost reluctantly — he asked:

“…What do you want to do tomorrow?”

Sasha froze.

For just a second.

Then lit up like a firework. “Wait— tomorrow?!”

Dominic gave a small shrug. “Got a free day. Don’t get used to it.”

Sasha wiggled where he sat, literally vibrating with energy. “Ohhh my gosh— I don’t know yet!! But you’re asking me?! You really wanna spend your free day with me?”

Dominic glared faintly, like the enthusiasm was physically painful. “You’re not that interesting.”

“Liar,” Sasha said without missing a beat. “You’re such a liar, Bear.” Dominic didn’t deny it.

He didn’t say much of anything.

He just sat there, letting Sasha babble about duck ponds and candy stores and roller skates and movies with way too much glitter. Let him swing his legs and melt chocolate with every smile.

And deep down — somewhere he’d never admit — Dominic already knew.

He was going to say yes.

To all of it.

To him.

Because somehow, impossibly…

This silly little boy had become the only part of his day that felt right.

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