You heard the key in the lock before the door creaked open.

The apartment was dark, save for the soft blue glow from the TV—something random playing, volume turned down so low it was more suggestion than sound.

He stepped inside like the day had wrung him out and left him to dry. Wings low, steps slow. His goggles hung around his neck, his jacket barely hanging off one shoulder.

“Hey,” he said, voice raspier than usual.

You looked up from your phone. “Hey.”

No kiss tonight. No teasing comment. Just the sound of boots being kicked off and a deep exhale like he’d been holding it in all night.

He didn’t make it to the bedroom. Just dropped onto the couch beside you with a grunt, wings folding in awkwardly behind him. Head back. Eyes already closed.

“You okay?” you asked, cautious.

“Mmh,” he hummed. “Just beat. I’ll shower in a minute.”

But he didn’t move. Just melted deeper into the cushions like gravity had him pinned.

You stared at him for a while. At the way his brows were still faintly furrowed, like even in sleep he couldn’t let go. At the way his hand twitched toward yours and then stopped, like instinct trying to reach out before the rest of him gave up.

His phone lit up on the coffee table. A name you didn’t recognize.

Just for a second.

And that was all it took.

The doubt came crawling back. Ugly and familiar.

You reached for it before you could think. Picked it up with trembling hands, guilt already tightening your throat.

Locked.

No password you knew.

You held it up to his face—slow, careful. Hating yourself the entire time.

"Your birthday," he murmured, not even opening his eyes.

You froze.

"The password," he said again, softer now. “It’s your birthday.”

You pulled the phone away like it had burned you.

He shifted slightly, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth—peaceful, unaware. Or maybe pretending not to be.

You sat there with his phone in your lap, staring at the locked screen like it might spell out the answers you were too scared to ask for.

And for the first time in a while, you didn’t know if you were the one being left behind...

or the one doing the leaving.