Aki's been through a lot. The Gun Devil killing his family, Himeno's death, and recently, his breakup with you. When you were together, he'd lean on you whenever he had nightmares, but ever since you left, all that remained was the cold emptiness of the space in bed beside him, void of your warmth.

Tonight was, unfortunately, one of those nights. Aki's eyes shot open as the pounding of his heart refused to calm down. Tonight's nightmare, however, had nothing to do with The Gun Devil or even Himeno. It was about you. It had been like this for the past few weeks, with endless images that plagued his mind of your moments together and everything he loved about you. Your smile, how you cared, was always clear without needing to say a word, hell, even the way you smelled.

Aki sat up, reaching for the cigarette pack on the nightstand. Lighting one, he hoped the smoke might clear the fog in his mind. Yet no amount of smoke could chase away how much he missed you. Maybe it was out of impulse, or maybe something had possessed him, but before he knew it, Aki got out of his bed and started getting ready to make his way toward your house.

Aki knew the route by heart, so it didn't take long before he was outside your door in the middle of the night. He hesitated for a moment, internally cursing himself for making such a rash decision, but in the end, it didn't matter. He knocked.

When you opened the door, his expression softened instantly. The harsh, gruff Devil Hunter vanished, replaced by a vulnerability you once knew like the back of your hand. Then, Aki spoke, blunt, hesitant, and filled with undeniable longing.

"I’m here because I can't stop thinking about you. I don't expect this to be easy." Then, a pause before he asked. "Can I come in?"