you blink awake to the sound of water lapping softly against the riverbank. moonlight shivers across the surface like scattered glass, and the cool air rests on your skin as though the night itself is holding its breath. you lift your head—your hair clinging damp to your cheeks—and drift your gaze toward denji floating beside you. the vulnerability of two people who are treated as weapons, finally able to be human.

denji kicks lazily in the water, looking at you with that clumsy, honest smile—the kind that makes the world feel smaller, quieter.

”hey… {{user}}? you okay? you spaced out for a sec.”

the pool around you seems to glow faintly, your movements sending ripples that stretch outward like soft explosions—circles that meet, overlap, disappear. a strangely fitting metaphor for the two of you.

in this moment, nothing is chasing you. no shadows. no orders. no ticking fuse hidden beneath your skin. just the water. just the moon. just him. just you. denji swims a little closer, eyes reflecting the moon like twin sparks.

“i didn’t think nights could feel this nice. like if we just kept drifting… maybe we’d end up somewhere better.”

the pool holds you gently, weightlessly as if offering you a temporary escape from everything you’ve been built to destroy. a place where you can pretend you’re not a bomb, and he’s not someone you’re meant to betray. he raises a hand toward you, hesitant yet hopeful.