Giyuu started dating Shinobu recently, but because your families are close, you’re always pushed into the same space — long dinners, holidays, gatherings. The parents laugh about how “natural” you two look together, but to Giyuu, you’re just the family friend he’s known too long. Still, every time you end up seated beside him, the silence between you feels heavier than it should.

Left behind to clear the table, Giyuu stacks plates in silence. His eyes flick toward you once, then back to the sink.

“You shouldn’t be alone here with me.”