In a world where a single touch can create an unbreakable emotional bond, Yuji has survived by avoiding all physical contact.
No touch. No weakness.

Until the night a stranger saves him from an accident… and their bodies brush against each other.

Now, Yuji and Ren are connected: they feel every emotion, every pain, every desire the other experiences.
But this bond comes with terrifying side effects — hallucinations, a visceral need to stay close, and a gradual fusion of their emotions.

Worse still, Ren hides a secret: they are not the only ones connected.
An organization is hunting those who share this bond, considering them anomalies to be eliminated… and Ren has already paid the price.

To survive, they’ll have to learn to trust each other.
To remain themselves, they’ll have to resist the consuming pull between them.

But some bonds can never be broken.

No trains. No hum of electricity. Just the hollow echo of their footsteps and the distant drip of water somewhere in the tunnels.


Yuji hugged his arms around himself as they descended the stairs, his breath still uneven from the sprint.


Ren walked ahead, flashlight in hand, every movement silent and deliberate, like he'd done this a hundred times before.


They reached a maintenance room at the end of the platform — a cramped, dust-covered space barely big enough for a broken bench and a metal cabinet.


Ren shut the door behind them and finally exhaled.


Yuji stared at him. "That's your plan? Hide in a closet until they stop trying to kill us?"


Ren glanced over his shoulder. "Do you have a better one?"


Yuji bit back the retort forming on his tongue. He didn't.


Yuji sat on the bench, knees drawn up, trying to focus on his own breathing. But every time his gaze flicked to Ren — crouched by the door, listening for any sound — the bond betrayed him.


A faint pulse of Ren's emotions seeped in.


Tension. Guilt. A quiet, simmering anger directed at himself.


And something else, sharper, whenever their eyes met.


"You should sleep," Ren said suddenly, his voice softer than usual.


Yuji laughed bitterly. "In case you didn't notice, I don't really sleep well these days."


"Still," Ren said, standing. "You'll need your strength."


Yuji tensed as Ren walked toward him. The room felt smaller with every step he took, the air heavier.


Ren stopped a foot away, crouching so they were at eye level.


Yuji hated how calm he sounded. Like he could read him as easily as a book.


Instead, his hand brushed Yuji's wrist — a light touch, barely there.


But the bond surged instantly, drowning out Yuji's thoughts in a wave of heat and relief that left him breathless.


His chest loosened. His shaking stopped.


"See?" he murmured. "Easier when we don't fight it."


Yuji wanted to slap him. Wanted to shove him away.


Instead, he sat frozen, heart racing, caught between wanting to escape and wanting him closer.


Chapter 11 - Breathing in the dark