Sunny blinked, feeling his back press against the cool surface of the counter.
Nephis had stepped closer... and closer.
And the intensity in her gaze sent an unfamiliar shiver down his spine.
"…Are you alright?" he asked, cautiously.
Nephis' eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Then, to his surprise, her lips parted, and she spoke with a rare, flustered frustration.
"You…" She took a slow breath. "You can't just tempt me. With your bare body… and your teasing words… and your beautiful face."
Sunny's eyes widened.
'Beautiful face?!'
Before he could process what was happening, Nephis suddenly leaned in.
Her hands lightly pressed against his chest, and for a brief moment, he felt her warmth, her breath brushing against his lips.
But before he could react, before he could even kiss her back-
She vanished.
A gust of wind, a blur of silver hair, and Nephis was suddenly at the doorway, smirking.
"Payback," she said simply, her voice laced with satisfaction. Then, without another word, she turned on her heel and disappeared into his room, shutting the door behind her.
For a few seconds, Sunny just stood there, completely still.
Then, realization dawned.
His expression darkened.
His fists clenched.
"…Oh, you better be prepared for tonight," he called out, his voice sharp with irritation and something else - anticipation.
From behind the door, he heard Nephis chuckle.
"Bring it on."
Sunny let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples.
Nephis was going to drive him insane.
Still, he washed up quickly, then made his way to his room, where she was still lounging on the bed, looking infuriatingly smug.
"I'm gonna take a shower," he muttered, grabbing a fresh towel.
Nephis glanced up at him, her silver eyes gleaming with mischief. "Leave the door open."
Sunny paused, raising an eyebrow. "...Why?"
She smirked. "So I can watch."
For a second, he thought she was joking. But then he saw the way she tilted her head slightly, her expression daring him.
Sunny blinked. Then, to her surprise, he just shrugged.
"Sure. Not like I care."
And with that, he turned and walked into the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar.
Nephis stiffened, blinking.
Wait.
She had expected him to fluster, maybe throw a snarky comment back. But this...
This was not what she was prepared for.
She swallowed, her gaze flickering toward the open door.
Then, she quickly turned away, pulling the blanket up to her chin, refusing to look.
—
Sunny was laughing to himself the entire time.
By the time he finished, stepping out of the shower with only a towel wrapped around his waist, he already knew the truth-
Nephis hadn't looked once.
Amused, he ran a hand through his damp hair, shaking off some of the water before stepping back into the bedroom.
"Well?" he teased, stretching slightly. "Enjoy the show?"
Nephis finally glanced at him-
And immediately regretted it.
Sunny stood there, dripping with water, his abs glistening under the dim light, his muscles defined. His damp hair clung slightly to his forehead, adding an almost careless charm to his already unfairly attractive face.
Nephis' brain shut down.
...Oh. Oh no.
She had already thought he looked too good before - but this was something else.
Her heart pounded, her thoughts spiraling into absolute chaos.
'What the hell. What the hell. What the hell.'
Meanwhile, Sunny smirked, watching the faint pink dusting her cheeks.
"So," he said, stepping a bit closer, voice low with amusement. "Do I look that good?"
Nephis quickly turned away, aggressively avoiding his gaze.
"...Shut up."
Sunny just laughed.
----------
He grabbed some fresh clothes and properly dried himself off, shaking out his damp hair. He pulled on a loose, comfortable shirt and some soft sleep pants before heading back to his room.
Nephis was still lying there, her silver eyes flickering toward him as he approached.
Then, without warning-
The mattress dipped violently as Sunny landed beside her with a dramatic flop, sighing in satisfaction.
Nephis blinked, slightly taken aback.
"...What was that?"
Sunny turned his head to look at her, smirking. "Just felt like it."
Nephis gave him a long, scrutinizing look. "You're acting strange."
He only chuckled, rolling onto his side to face her. She did the same, and before long, they were lying under the covers, turned toward each other.
For a moment, there was just silence.
Then, softly, Sunny murmured,
"I love you."
Nephis' lips curved into a small smile.
"I love you more."
Sunny narrowed his eyes.
"No, you don't. I love you way more."
Nephis tilted her head slightly, amused.
"Impossible. I love you far more than you love me."
Sunny scoffed.
"I'd die for you."
...
"I'd kill for you."
...
"I'd die and come back to life just to love you more."
...
"I'd burn the whole world down to make sure you're safe."
Sunny opened his mouth to counter-
But then, Nephis leaned in, cutting him off with a kiss.
His hands instinctively moved to hold her closer.
The playful battle of words was forgotten as their lips moved together, slow at first, but quickly deepening into something more.
Nephis' fingers curled around his shirt, pulling him impossibly closer. Sunny responded by tangling a hand in her silver hair, tilting her head just right to kiss her even deeper.
And just like that, words no longer mattered.
-------------------
The night passed what it felt like a second.
Whispered words were passed on, and faint moans were heard by the others.
By the time exhaustion finally claimed them, which had lasted for a couple of hours, the house suffered the consequences of their constant passino - objects shifted, things knocked over.
Morning arrived with soft golden light filtering through the curtains.
Sunny stirred first, blinking sleepily as he felt the warmth of Nephis still wrapped around him. She lay nestled against his chest, her silver hair spilling over his shoulder, breathing steadily in peaceful slumber.
He allowed himself a moment to just admire her. She looked so… serene. Untouchable, yet entirely his in this moment. A rare sight.
Then a loud chime from the telecommunicator shattered the peace.
Sunny groaned, reaching for it lazily. He blinked at the notification before stifling a chuckle.
[Complaint from Neighbors: Please refrain from doing construction in the middle of the night. The noise was extremely disruptive.]
Sunny stared at the message, then at the absolute chaos in the living room. By using his shadow to check out the surroundings, he found out many things.
The projector had fallen and smashed into bits, the fridge move spots a bit and the contents inside were unordered and utensils had fallen into the floor.
A slow smirk formed on his lips.
Nephis stirred beside him, her eyes fluttering open. She stretched slightly, then frowned at his expression.
"What?"
Sunny turned to her, amused.
"We apparently kept the whole neighborhood up last night."
Nephis blinked. Then, to his surprise, she actually blushed. Just a little.
"…Oops."
Sunny laughed, pulling her closer.
"Oops, she says."
He kissed her forehead, shaking his head.
"You better be ready to face the consequences."
Nephis raised an eyebrow, a challenge in her stormy gaze.
"Oh? And what consequences would that be?"
Sunny grinned. "Well, for starters… breakfast."
Nephis tilted her head, suspicious.
"That doesn't sound like a punishment."
Sunny smirked. "I never said it was."