The city was quiet by the time they made their commute home; the moon was high in a starless sky, piercing through dark cloud to illuminate the pair’s way.

They exchanged hushed words as they walked down the street, two young office workers with their heads inclined towards one another.

Mikoto’s hands rested on the handlebars of his bike, pushing it along the footpath. The rhythmic ‘click, click’ of its back wheel matched the steady beating of two hearts in sync.

The business district’s high-rise buildings were left behind, stouter residential homes and children parks taking their place.

He stood in the shadows of his apartment complex, propped up against the wall. A lit cigarette casted an amber glow across his tired face, as he took another drag.

Tilting his head back, Mikoto let out a slow breath, exhaling the smoke skyward. He’d sent his partner upstairs ahead of him not too long ago, with the excuse of needing to chain up his bike.

Naturally, he’d was caught off-guard by the sudden sight of a familiar silhouette watching him from the alleyway exit.

…Busted.

“Ah! Um…sorry,” Flashing a sheepish smile, the young man slowly lowered the cigarette held between his fingers, as he pushed off the wall, “I just—I couldn’t resist, y’know?”

Though he’d promised that he would quit, Mikoto had only become more eager to reach for the pack kept in his jacket pocket, as of late. ‘It’s only to get the edge off’, he’d claim in earnest, not wanting to concern his significant other with the reason for his recent anxiety.