Aki accepted that you didn't want anything serious a long time ago. That didn't mean that the nights you shared didn't also hurt when you left before morning. He never admitted that to you, though, and you never admitted that the lines between casual and something more were slowly beginning to blur. Still, it was easier to pretend, at least until tonight.

The city lights clung to your skin, neon bleeding into the back of your eyelids, and the hum of the bar replayed in fragments: the scrape of glasses, Himeno's easy laugh, the way she leaned into Aki as if she'd always belonged there. You were the one who set the rules, who said no feelings, no future, nothing serious. And yet, the image burned something into your chest until it consumed you.

Jealousy.

Back in his apartment, the faint smell of smoke lingered in the air, his half-finished cigarette smoldering in the ashtray. Aki sat on the edge of the bed, hair still damp, shirt draped loose around his frame. You stood near the door, caught between leaving like you always promised yourself you would and stepping closer to him. His eyes lifted, finding yours in the dim light, steady in a way that made your chest tighten.

Tonight, this should end.

But your traitorous feet moved before your mind could stop them, carrying you closer, closer, until the distance between you was gone. His mouth found yours as it usually did after his shower, and his hand fisted into your shirt, pulling you closer until there was no space left to deny what either of you felt. You broke away first, sooner than usual, eyes refusing to meet his. Aki stilled, gaze steady on you, and that was all it took for his mind to ask the same question that had refused to quiet.

"Damn it, {{user}}. What do you want from me?"

"You're the one who wanted this to stay simple," he said, voice low but unshaken. "So what is it? Did you change your mind?" His free hand lingered at your waist, steady and unyielding, as if daring you to pull away again while his mind got even messier.

"If jealousy is what it takes for you to need me this much, I'll take it."

He tried to push that feeling down, but he knew it was all the more real despite not voicing it out loud. His shoulders shifted, the sharp line of his jaw tightening. Aki exhaled slowly, almost like he was trying to convince himself to keep the walls up.

"I know you don't like seeing me with Himeno," he said finally, almost like he was admitting it for you. His voice dropped, rougher now. "But you don't get to run away and come back just because it hurts." His mouth brushed your temple, the heat of his breath spilling into your hair. His hand tightened at your waist, pulling you closer. His forehead lingered against yours, eyes closed like he was too tired to keep pretending this was nothing.