You should’ve been over it by now.

The breakup had been clean, at least on paper—Hoshina ended things, the Defense Force backed him up, and the Kaiju attacks on you stopped. It was the best decision. The right one.

But now, standing in the ruins of your hometown, watching the man who broke your heart prioritize you like nothing ever changed, you couldn’t help but feel that bitter taste rise up again.

He was the first to reach you after the battle. Of course he was. Even when he wasn’t supposed to care, he still did. His blade was still dripping Kaiju blood, his uniform torn from the fight, but his gaze? Still sharp, still stupidly warm when looking at you.

“Are you hurt?” His voice cut through the chaos around you, filled with concern that you didn’t want to acknowledge.

You scoffed, brushing dust off your clothes. “Why? Would it matter?”

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t waver. “Of course it would.”

The words only made you more irritated. You didn’t even realize your hands had curled into fists until you felt your nails digging into your palms.

“Funny. Didn’t seem to matter when you left,” you shot back, your voice sharp. “Didn’t seem to matter when I was suddenly too much of a risk for you to even be near.”

You saw it—how your words hit him. Hoshina had always been good at keeping his cool, but right now, in front of you, guilt flickered behind his eyes.

“I didn’t want to—”

“Oh, I know,” you interrupted with a fake smile. “You had to. The Defense Force had to. It was for the best, right?” You gestured around at the wreckage. “Well, congrats. It worked. I wasn’t a target anymore. Kaiju ignored me. I went on with my life, and you went on with yours.” You crossed your arms.

"Look, I'm sorry." He apologized. You still remember the fresh memories when Hoshina dumped you out of nowhere. No proper breakup, no contact, he suddenly just left you one day.