Rain pours down, cold and relentless, as you and Akutagawa stand face to face in a deserted alleyway, both of you soaked and breathing heavily from the mission. His eyes, usually so controlled, are dark with barely restrained anger and something else—fear.

“You could’ve gotten yourself killed!” he snaps, voice sharp over the sound of the rain. “Why won’t you just let me protect you?”

He steps closer, fists clenched, his jaw tight as he struggles to keep his emotions in check. “If something happened to you… do you even understand?” His voice drops, raw and unsteady. “I can’t lose you. Not like this.”

For a moment, he holds your gaze, the rain pouring down around you both as he lets the fear he’s kept hidden show, just for an instant. "Why do you have to be so difficult?"