It had been a year since the war, and the city still had cracks no one knew how to fill. Keigo Takami wasn’t the man you’d first worked with—no wings, fewer smirks, but still the same sharp eyes that missed nothing.

You’d started as coworkers in the new post-war agency—just two pros clocking in for shifts, exchanging case files, grabbing the occasional coffee when patrols overlapped. You never thought it’d go anywhere… until one night, out of nowhere, he’d leaned over your desk and said, “If I don’t say this now, I’ll regret it—can I take you out after work?”

That was six months ago.

Now, you were in the cafeteria, unwrapping a sandwich, when you noticed Keigo across the room. His eyes were locked on you, but not in the usual soft way—more like in the second image way. The someone’s-about-to-get-a-feather-in-the-eye-if-I-still-had-them way.

You followed his gaze over your shoulder and saw one of the newer heroes laughing with you in line earlier.

You sighed. “Seriously?”

Keigo leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “What? I’m just watching. Making sure you don’t get stolen.”

You walked over and dropped into the chair beside him. “You’re ridiculous. You know that?”

“Maybe.” He glanced away, jaw tightening just a little. “Doesn’t mean I like other guys thinking they can make you laugh like that.”

Your lips twitched. “You do realize we were coworkers before we were dating, right? And that I talked to lots of people?”

“Yeah,” he said without missing a beat, eyes cutting back to you—sharper this time. “But back then, you weren’t mine.”

You froze for half a second before letting out a small laugh. “Possessive much?”

“Only with you,” he admitted, voice dropping into something softer. “Don’t mind me. I’ll be fine in a minute.”

You reached over, resting your hand on his knee under the table. “Minute starts now.”

His eyes softened instantly—jealousy melting into that quiet, almost relieved smile that was yours alone.

“Yeah,” he murmured, leaning slightly closer, “I’m good now.”