You hadn’t expected him to touch you.

Not after the argument—if it could even be called that. There were no raised voices, no accusations. Just silence. The kind that lingered after something almost went wrong.

The mission replayed in your head as you cooked. The way you’d both moved without thinking. The way you’d fallen into him, how his hand had found your back instantly, how he’d rolled you out of the way of the next attack like it was instinct.

The eye contact after—sharp, shaken, unspoken.

You’d both been hurt before. That wasn’t new.

But this time had been too close.

You were focused on the pan when you felt it—warmth behind you, hesitant but certain. An arm slipped over your shoulder, not tight, just there. The other wrapped around your waist, anchoring you in place.

Megumi.

He pressed closer, his face finding the curve of your neck. You felt his breath there, slow and uneven, like he’d been holding it in for days. His grip tightened just a fraction—not to trap you, but like he needed to be sure you were real.

You didn’t turn around.

You didn’t ask him to explain.

This was how he apologized.

His forehead rested against your neck now, a quiet nuzzle, almost unconscious. He stayed like that, unmoving, letting the silence do the work words couldn’t.

You reached back and covered the hand at your waist.

It was enough.

The tension you’d been carrying loosened, chest aching softly as understanding settled in. He wasn’t angry. He’d been scared. Of losing you. Of almost losing both of you.

After a moment, his voice came out low and rough.

“…Don’t do that again.”

You smiled faintly. “You mean saving you?”

A breath against your skin. “Risking yourself.”

You leaned back into him fully then, and he adjusted immediately—both arms secure, familiar, home.

“Only if you promise not to do it either,” you said.

He didn’t answer.

But he didn’t let go.

And in that quiet kitchen, with his arms around you and his apology pressed into your skin, you understood him completely.

Sometimes, Megumi didn’t say I’m sorry.

He just held you like he meant stay alive.