A late-night video call between six long-distance friends, now adjusting to college life.
Kenji Suguru and Will Ethan are roommates, calling from the same dorm room.
The rest—Ren Sakamoto, Yuuji Aikawa, Ian Moore, and Rio Wilson—are scattered in different cities, calling in solo from their dorms.
The tone is warm, slightly bittersweet, full of teasing, low-key flirtation, quiet affection, and the aching comfort of old friendships holding strong.
---
The video call connected with a ping, followed by a rush of sleepy hellos and camera angles in disarray.
Top left: Ren Sakamoto, swaddled in his signature oversized hoodie, lying on his side under a blanket with one hand holding his phone aloft. His dorm room was dim, quiet, the desk behind him cluttered with sketchbooks and empty ramen bowls.
Top middle: Yuuji Aikawa, camera half-tipped, showing his chin, part of his collarbone, and a lot of bedhead. His bare shoulder peeked out from under a throw blanket, and he looked criminally relaxed for someone calling at 1:14 a.m.
Top right: Ian Moore, upright, neat, with papers and sticky notes plastered all over the wall behind him. His glasses reflected the screen. He had a pen behind his ear and an unopened energy drink within reach.
Bottom left: Rio Wilson, sprawled across his bed in a loose shirt and checkered pajama bottoms, chewing on a straw and sketching with one hand as the call began. His room was softly lit with a lava lamp and chaos.
Bottom middle: Kenji Suguru and Will Ethan, side by side in the same frame, calling from their shared dorm. Kenji leaned against the wall with crossed arms and a mild scowl. Will sat backward in a chair, chin on the top rail, grinning at the camera like it owed him rent.
"Look at all your tired faces," Will said cheerfully. "We're beautiful."
"You're delirious," Ian muttered, pushing his glasses up. "What time is it for everyone?"
"Almost 2 here," Yuuji said, smirking into the camera. "You should all thank me. I canceled a very promising dream to be here."
Kenji deadpanned, "About what? You and your mirror again?"
Yuuji winked.
Rio snorted. "Okay, someone mute him before I commit a felony."
Ren gave a quiet smile, the kind that came from deep in his chest. "I missed this."
The chaos quieted. Just a little.
Will hummed. "Yeah, me too. You'd think being with Kenji would be enough, but he's allergic to pillow talk."
"I am not," Kenji said, offended. "You just talk too much after midnight."
"It's when I'm my most romantic."
"Exactly my point."
Rio giggled behind his straw.
Ian sighed. "College is exhausting. I'm losing track of days."
"Mine is boring," Ren admitted. "Too quiet. I miss the noise."
"I miss dragging you out for milk tea," Yuuji said, his voice suddenly soft. "And the way you'd pretend to be annoyed but never said no."
Ren blushed, curling deeper under his blanket. "I was never annoyed."
Will clapped his hands. "Okay, this is getting sappy. Let's all rate how emotionally destroyed we are right now, scale of 1 to 'listening to sad playlists alone.'"
"Eleven," Rio answered immediately.
"Seventeen," Yuuji murmured.
"Three," Kenji said.
"Liar," Will added. "He cried when we watched the final episode of that anime."
"That had nothing to do with you people."
Ian took a sip from his mug. "I'm a solid 7. I started writing Ren's name in my chem notes by accident."
Rio laughed. "I drew all of us the other day, still in our uniforms, sitting by the lockers. It made me cry."
Ren nodded quietly. "I've been sketching Yuuji's smile from memory. I think I'm forgetting it."
"You're not," Yuuji whispered. "It's always for you."
For a moment, it was only the hum of soft background noise. The glow of screens, the weight of distance.
Then Ian leaned forward. "Do you ever feel like we peaked back there? Like... everything made sense in that hallway, on that rooftop."
Will spoke gently. "No. I think we're still writing the good parts. Just... long-distance now."
Kenji murmured, "I do miss the stupid stuff. The crammed lunches. Yuuji kicking my chair. Rio falling asleep during project meetings."
"I wasn't asleep. I was visualizing ideas with my eyes closed."
Ian snorted. "Sure."
Yuuji turned his head, speaking softly again. "Ren, how's your sketchbook?"
"Full," Ren whispered. "Of all of you. Of the lake. The sunset that day you kissed me."
"Which one?"
"All of them," Ren said.
---
Later that night…
One by one, the group began to fade.
Ian signed off first, muttering something about an early quiz. Rio followed, waving sleepily. Will and Kenji stuck around a bit longer—Kenji reading while Will scrolled on his phone with his feet in Kenji's lap.
Finally, only Ren and Yuuji remained.
The screen split into two familiar faces—one glowing softly from a laptop, the other barely lit by a flickering dorm lamp.
"Still there?" Yuuji asked, voice low.
Ren nodded. "Didn't want to hang up."
"Me neither."
They sat in silence for a long moment. Then:
"I miss you," Yuuji said.
"I miss us," Ren replied.
"We're still us," Yuuji whispered. "Even from miles away."
Ren smiled. "I can't wait to be next to you again."
"Three more weeks," Yuuji murmured.
Ren's eyes softened. "I've already saved my first kiss for you when we meet again."
Yuuji leaned forward like he could bridge the gap through the screen. "Make it your second. The first was mine the moment you said yes."