The festival air still lingered on their skin as Sam and Mahiru walked back to her house, their fingers loosely intertwined. The evening had been perfect—laughter, quiet confessions, and a fireworks-lit promise to always stay together. But as they reached the familiar doorstep, a heavy realization hit Sam like a truck.
"Wait… am I seriously sleeping under the same roof as you again?"
Mahiru turned to him with an innocent blink. "Of course. Where else would you go? The train station?"
Sam groaned, running a hand down his face. "Your dad is going to murder me in my sleep."
Mahiru giggled, stepping inside and kicking off her sandals. "He won't. As long as you behave."
"Yeah, because that sounds reassuring," Sam muttered, following her in.
Mahiru smirked, turning back to him. "Besides… you should be more worried about me sneaking into your room."
Sam choked on his own breath. "W-WHAT?!"
Mahiru grinned, giving him a teasing wave before disappearing toward her room.
"Goodnight, Sam~"
Sam stood there, still recovering.
"This girl is dangerous," he muttered under his breath.
Sam lay in the guest room, staring at the ceiling.
No matter how much he tossed and turned, sleep refused to come. His mind kept replaying the night—the way Mahiru looked at him under the fireworks, the warmth of her hand in his, the quiet happiness in her eyes.
"Ugh… sleeping is impossible," he groaned, flipping onto his side.
Then—
Creak.
Sam's eyes shot open.
The door cracked open slightly. A shadowy figure peeked in.
"…Mahiru?" he whispered.
Silence.
Then—
"Boo!"
Sam let out a very unmanly yelp as something lunged at him.
Mahiru flicked on the light, bursting into laughter.
"Pfft—y-you should've seen your face!" she wheezed, clutching her stomach.
Sam clutched his chest, his heart nearly giving out. "What the hell, Mahiru?! You nearly killed me!"
Mahiru wiped a tear from her eye. "I just wanted to check if you were asleep, but your reaction was way better than I expected."
Sam groaned. "I can't believe I'm in love with a menace."
Mahiru smirked. "Too late now. You're stuck with me."
Sam finally noticed what she was wearing—a soft, oversized T-shirt that reached her mid-thighs and a pair of loose pajama shorts. Her long hair was a bit messy from sleep, and the way she was grinning at him made his heart do an uncomfortable flip.
"Also, what's with the outfit?" Sam muttered, looking away.
Mahiru raised an eyebrow. "It's my sleepwear. Got a problem with it?"
"N-No," Sam stammered. "Just… unexpected."
Mahiru gave him a knowing smirk but didn't push further. Instead, she plopped down beside him on the bed, pulling her knees up.
"Alright, since you're awake, let's talk."
Sam sighed. "About what?"
Mahiru hesitated, playing with the hem of her T-shirt. "About us."
Sam's gaze softened. "…What about us?"
Mahiru took a deep breath. "Do you ever think about the future? Where we'll be years from now?"
Sam exhaled, staring at the ceiling for a moment. "Yeah… I do."
"And?"
A small smile tugged at Sam's lips. "I see us together."
Mahiru's eyes widened slightly, her cheeks flushing a soft pink. "That's… a nice answer."
Sam chuckled, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Because it's the truth."
Mahiru's lips curled into a warm smile as she leaned against his shoulder.
"Then I hope the future comes soon."
Sam pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.
"Me too."
Just as they sank into a peaceful silence—
Footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Both of them froze.
Then—
"What was that noise?" a deep voice grumbled.
Sam's soul left his body.
Mahiru's eyes widened in sheer panic.
Her dad.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no—" Sam whispered, frantically looking for an escape.
Mahiru reacted instantly. Without a word, she shoved Sam back onto the bed and darted for the nearest hiding spot—behind the curtain.
The door swung open.
Mahiru's father, dressed in his pajamas, stepped in with a stern expression. Behind him, Mahiru's mother yawned, looking half-asleep but mildly amused.
"Sam?" her father narrowed his eyes. "Why did you scream?"
Sam, still in survival mode, stammered. "U-Uh… I… had a nightmare!"
Her father raised an eyebrow. "A nightmare?"
"Y-Yeah! A r-really scary one!" Sam forced a nervous laugh. "A big shadowy figure lunged at me—totally not a person, just my imagination, haha—"
Mahiru's mother barely concealed her chuckle, but her father remained unconvinced.
"Hmph. You're not sneaking around, are you?"
"NO!" Sam practically shouted.
Her father stared at him for an uncomfortably long time before sighing. "Fine. But keep it down. People are trying to sleep."
As he turned to leave, Mahiru's mother glanced around the room—her gaze settling on the curtain.
Where Mahiru's bare feet were very visibly sticking out.
Mahiru's mother let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head slightly.
Then she turned to Sam and gave him a knowing smile.
Sam barely held back a groan.
As her father stepped out, Mahiru's mother whispered, "Good night, Sam."
And with that, the door closed.
Silence.
Then—
Mahiru peeked out from behind the curtain. "Did we survive?"
Sam flopped onto the bed, exhausted. "Barely."
Then he froze.
"Wait… your mom totally saw you."
Mahiru blinked. "Wait, what?!"
Sam gulped. "And… she smiled."
Mahiru turned bright red.
"Oh my god, we're doomed."
Sam nodded solemnly. "Yup. But hey—at least it wasn't your dad."
Mahiru groaned, covering her face. "Mom's never gonna let me live this down… She's gonna tease me forever!"
Sam chuckled, pulling her into a hug. "Well, if we're going down… we're going down together."
Mahiru buried her face in his chest. "I hate you."
Sam smirked. "No, you don't."
Mahiru sighed. "Unfortunately, you're right."
They lay there in quiet laughter, the night filled with warmth, mischief, and the silent understanding that—no matter what—they had each other.
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