The theater lights dimmed completely, and the giant screen flickered to life. Dramatic music blasted through the speakers as the opening scene of the "action" movie began.
Chen adjusted the popcorn bucket on his lap.
Then—
He carefully lowered Yun Hu into the half-empty popcorn box.
The little demon didn't hesitate.
Seasoned popcorn? Acceptable.
He began munching enthusiastically, tiny crunching sounds barely audible under the explosions from the movie. His paws were buried deep inside the bucket, whiskers dusted lightly with seasoning.
Chen leaned closer and whispered, "Slow down… you're eating like a glutton."
Yun Hu ignored him completely.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
On the screen, a hero dramatically jumped off a building in slow motion.
Xu Jin and the two girls were fully focused.
Rina gasped quietly.
Ari leaned forward in excitement.
Xu Jin's eyes followed every movement carefully, completely invested.
Chen blinked at the screen.
Ten minutes later—
Another explosion.
Another car chase.
Another villain speech.
He tilted his head slightly.
"…Isn't this the same scene from earlier?" he murmured softly.
The plot felt predictable.
Hero misunderstood.
Secret revenge.
Last-minute betrayal.
Dramatic rain fight incoming—he could already feel it.
Chen shifted in his seat.
Meanwhile, Yun Hu had reached peak glutton mode.
His face was almost inside the popcorn bucket.
"Yun Hu…" Chen whispered, gently pulling him back a little. "You'll finish everything before the climax."
The cat meowed faintly in protest but continued chewing.
Chen sighed softly and started playing with Yun Hu's ears instead, scratching behind them absentmindedly.
The movie continued.
More shouting.
More fighting.
More dramatic slow motion.
Chen found himself more entertained by Yun Hu's reactions than the actual film. Whenever the speakers boomed too loudly, Yun Hu would flick his ears irritably. When the screen flashed bright lights, he'd peek up briefly before returning to his snack mission.
Beside him, Xu Jin was watching the movie seriously.
But—
Every few minutes—
His eyes drifted sideways.
Chen wasn't even looking at the screen.
He was gently brushing seasoning off Yun Hu's whiskers.
Or whispering something to him.
Or smiling softly at the cat's greedy behavior.
Xu Jin's gaze lingered slightly longer than necessary.
The glow from the screen reflected against Chen's face, softening his features. The pink sweater made him look even gentler in the dim light.
Xu Jin quickly looked back at the movie.
Focus.
This was the action climax.
On screen, the hero gave a long emotional monologue.
Xu Jin blinked.
"…Didn't he say the same thing earlier?" he thought.
Wait.
Now that he thought about it—
The plot was kind of repetitive.
His attention shifted again.
Chen was now carefully taking one popcorn piece and holding it near Yun Hu's mouth.
"Last one," Chen whispered.
Yun Hu crunched dramatically.
Chen smiled faintly.
Xu Jin's lips twitched.
Forget the movie.
This was more interesting.
Halfway through the movie, Yun Hu had completely conquered the popcorn.
Not a single seasoned piece remained.
Satisfied and round-bellied, he circled once inside Chen's lap, then curled into himself like a fluffy croissant and fell asleep instantly.
Mission accomplished.
Chen looked down.
"…Traitor," he whispered softly. "Now I have no one to play with."
On screen, another overly dramatic confrontation began. The hero was shouting. The villain was smirking. The background music was trying very hard to sound emotional.
Chen blinked slowly.
His eyelids felt heavy.
The dark theater.
The warm seat.
The steady noise.
And Yun Hu's soft purring vibration against him.
It was a dangerous combination.
He shifted slightly.
Tried to focus.
Failed.
Beside him, the personon his other side was minding their own business, fully invested in the movie.
Chen's head tilted just slightly.
Then again.
Ari noticed first.
She leaned toward Xu Jin and whispered urgently, "Do you want Brother Chen to rest on someone else's shoulder?"
Xu Jin blinked. "What?"
Ari subtly gestured. "Look. The person next to him. If he leans that way…"
The innocent bystander, completely unaware, continued watching the explosion scene.
Xu Jin felt a sudden, silent crisis bloom inside him.
Absolutely not.
Without making it obvious, he shifted slightly in his seat.
Carefully.
Subtly.
Then—
He gently angled himself just enough so that if Chen leaned—
It would be his shoulder.
A few seconds later—
Chen's head tipped.
Softly.
And came to rest against Xu Jin's shoulder.
Xu Jin froze.
On screen, something exploded dramatically.
In his chest, something exploded quietly.
Chen was warm.
Light.
His breathing even.
Yun Hu purred in his sleep.
Xu Jin didn't dare move.
Rina peeked at him from the other side and smirked knowingly.
Ari gave a tiny satisfied nod.
Crisis resolved.
But then—
A strange guilt crept in.
Chen hadn't liked the movie.
He had chosen the action one.
He had even dismissed Chen's earlier choice, calling it cliché.
Now Chen was asleep during the film he picked.
Xu Jin swallowed slightly.
"…I should've just chosen the animal movie," he thought.
Rina noticed his expression change.
She leaned closer and whispered, "Don't regret it now. There'll be more chances."
More chances.
The words settled gently in his mind.
He looked down slightly.
Chen's face looked peaceful, eyelashes faintly visible in the glow of the screen. The pink sweater made him look softer than usual.
Xu Jin's shoulder felt heavier—
But he didn't mind.
Not even a little.
The rest of the movie passed with Rina and Ari actually watching the plot, while Xu Jin barely processed anything on screen.
He was too aware of the warmth leaning against him.
And the tiny cat snoring softly between them.