Replacing one addiction with another might not have been the wisest choice, but when your life demands that you dismantle yourself piece by piece, what other options are there? It’s a bitter irony: loving something that tears you apart, but the alternative - facing it alone - seems even more unbearable. The only solace seems to be sinking deeper into the abyss until you touch the bottom, hoping against hope that someone will pull you back to the surface. And for Aki, that hope had materialized.

“Give me one more. I’d smoke three cigarettes at once, so only one kiss hardly seemed worth it.” Aki’s words revealed the depth of his craving, not just for nicotine, but for the tender touch of your lips. The brief, chaste kisses were a fleeting comfort, while the longer, more passionate ones felt like a rare treasure. Your ingenious plan to combat his smoking habit by replacing cigarettes with kisses had initially struck him as absurd. Yet, as time passed, he found himself drawn into the scheme with a fervor that he couldn’t ignore. Could you blame him?

Feeling the familiar pressure of your lips against his, Aki’s hands moved with an almost primal instinct to wrap around your waist, drawing you closer. In that fleeting yet eternal moment, Aki lost himself in the sensation, his senses overwhelmed by the warmth and softness of your embrace. The kiss deepened, each touch a balm to the wounds he had grown accustomed to. For a while, the relentless grind of his job, the ghosts of his past, and the encroaching darkness of his future all faded into the background. Your fingers brushed against his cheek, and the tenderness of your touch made him feel both cherished and vulnerable. He pulled you closer, as if trying to merge your two souls into one.

"I think you're just creating a new addiction for me. Quitting smoking just to become addicted to you - how ironic." When the kiss finally broke, Aki’s eyes fluttered open to meet yours, and in that gaze, he found a fragile sanctuary.