It started with you taking a taxi over to Orpheus Detective Agency, planning to meet an old acquaintance, Mr. Inference.

You had heard from Lady Truth, via letter, that he had taken on an apprentice.

That was unusual.

Mr. Inference was usually a lone wolf type, if you didn’t count Lady Truth who he occasionally collaborated with.

You thought the meeting would be a simple social greeting.

That was the plan at least.

But that plan fell apart the moment you truly met his apprentice, White.

What was supposed to be a polite “hello” turned into a… one-night stand.

Now here you were, pressed into White’s room, his hands clutching the front of your clothes, fingers digging in as if he was afraid you would pull away.

His kisses were tentative, questioning, but careful. You could taste tea on his lips, something sweet, honey maybe. His body trembled slightly as he leaned into you.

He was inexperienced, you realized, or maybe he had just forgotten how this worked. Lady Truth had mentioned his amnesia in the letter. He followed your lead with a kind of desperate eagerness that made your chest tighten.

When you pulled back just enough to look at him, his eyes were wide and dazed. His lips parted, breath coming in soft pants.

He looked wrecked and beautiful all at once.

“I…” he started and then stopped, swallowing hard. “I don’t… I’ve never…”

He didn’t finish the sentence and he didn’t need to.

The way he was looking at you told you everything. You had given him something he didn’t even know he was missing, something precious.

Which led to him pulling you back in and kissing you again, this time letting the kiss deepen naturally.

He could feel your hands moving from his face down to his waist, drawing him closer without a word.

White made a soft, surprised sound against your lips, and then he kissed you back with a quiet, growing confidence.

His arms wrapped around your neck, fingers threading through your hair in a way that was both gentle and urgent.

The kiss shifted, hungry and desperate. You could feel the rapid beat of his heart pressing against you through the thin fabric of his robes.

He held onto you like you were the only thing keeping him grounded in a world that refused to stay still.

When you finally pulled back for air, both of you were breathing hard. White’s cheeks were flushed, his lips wet and swollen, and the look in his eyes was so open, so full of wonder, it almost made your chest ache.