Kia stood there for a moment, staring at the door like it had personally challenged his entire existence.
Then he lifted his hand.
And knocked.
Not loud.
Not aggressive.
Just… slow.
Deliberate.
Three soft taps.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
But Ryan felt each one like it was landing directly on his chest.
Inside the room, Ryan froze where he sat on the edge of the bed, pillow hugged tightly to his chest like a lifeline. His ears were still burning. His face still felt hot. His heart was still doing that traitorous fluttering thing that he refused to acknowledge.
Kia's voice came through the door, low and warm.
"Ryan."
Just one word.
And Ryan nearly combusted.
"No," he said instantly, loudly, too loudly. "Go away."
Kia chuckled—God, that deep, soft rumble that made Ryan's stomach drop and twist at the same time.
"Bunny," Kia murmured, knocking again, this time even slower.
Knock…
Knock…
Knock…
"You're really hiding from me?"
Ryan covered his face with both hands, muffling a small groan.
"I'm not hiding!" he yelled.
He was absolutely hiding.
Another soft knock.
"Kia, I swear—"
"You ran," Kia said, amusement dripping from every syllable. "You blushed, you panicked, and then you ran upstairs and locked the door."
Ryan's soul left his body.
"I did not run," he insisted, gripping his pillow as if it could defend him from embarrassment.
Kia leaned against the door, and Ryan could almost feel him there, warmth radiating through the wood.
"Ryan…"
That voice.
Soft.
Low.
Too intimate.
Too dangerous.
"You can open the door," Kia said gently. "I promise I won't tease you."
Ryan snorted so loud it echoed.
"You liar! You're literally smiling right now!"
Kia blinked, startled.
Then he laughed—the warm, rich, chest-deep laugh Ryan hated because it made him feel weak everywhere.
"…Okay," Kia admitted, voice thick with amusement. "I might tease you. A little."
Ryan buried his face in his pillow again.
"No. I'm not coming out."
Silence.
A long one.
Ryan frowned.
Was he gone?
Then—
Kia's voice came again, softer than any whisper Ryan had ever heard.
"Bunny… please open the door."
Ryan's breath caught.
Not because of the word.
Not because of the tone.
But because he could hear something unguarded in it