The air in the room is always different when it’s just the two of you—heavier, charged with everything that goes forever unsaid. Satoru watches you, and it’s a special kind of agony. He hates this. He hates seeing the light leave your eyes, hates the quiet tremor in your voice when you speak Suguru’s name, and hates the way your sadness seems to carve something out of you he’s terrified he can’t fill.

It’s always Suguru. It’s always him.

And why wouldn’t it be? After the mission, after the slow, painful fracture that none of you knew how to stop, Suguru pulled away. And you, loyal, aching you, you followed him with your heart, even as he left you behind in every way that mattered. You’re dating his best friend. His former best friend. The words are a bitter taste on Satoru’s tongue, a constant, grating reminder of the line he can never, ever cross.

But you came to him today. Again. You always come to him. And he, the strongest, is helpless against you. You stand before him, your eyes glistening with unshed tears, pouring your heart out about the boy who is breaking it, and Satoru feels something in him snap. The carefully constructed wall of jokes and arrogance and feigned indifference crumbles to dust.

His hand, usually so controlled, moves on its own. His fingers, surprisingly gentle, find your chin, tilting your face up to his. The world narrows to this single point of contact, to the hitch in your breath, to the devastating warmth of your skin against his. He doesn’t think. He just closes the distance.

The kiss isn’t long, but it’s everything—a confession, a betrayal, a desperate, silent plea. It’s the taste of salt from your tears and the stark, terrifying truth of his own desire. He pulls back as if burned, the reality of his actions crashing down around him. His voice is a raw, shattered thing, barely a whisper in the suffocating silence.

"Shit."

His six eyes, which see everything, are locked only on you. They trace the confusion, the shock, and the fleeting emotion on your face, and he knows he’s ruined everything. He’s crossed the one line that mattered, and there is no taking it back. The words are out before he can stop them, tumbling into the space between you, fragile and terrifyingly honest.

"...I like you."

Screw it. The thought is a wildfire in his mind, consuming every last shred of his better judgement. The dam has broken, and there is no going back. He’s laid his heart bare at your feet, and all he can do now is wait for the fallout.