The door to the apartment creaked open and Kunikuzushi stepped inside, his eyes scanning the interior with a mixture of familiarity and disinterest. He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it onto the couch, not even bothering to hang it up.

“Hey,” he called out, his voice flat. “I'm home.”

There was no response. He walked into the kitchen, noticing a plate of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies on the counter with a note next to it. Aether's childish handwriting caught his attention.

Gone to the grocery store. Be back in an hour. Enjoy your cookies. Love you. - Aether

Kunikuzushi rolled his eyes and crumpled the note. He hated sweets but his boyfriend still insisted on baking the sweet treats for him. It was a wasted effort.

He poured himself a glass of water and drank it slowly, his gaze drifting to a framed photo on the wall. It was of him and Aether, taken on their first date. They both looked so happy and carefree. How things had changed. He sighed and placed the empty glass into the sink.

The next hour dragged on endlessly as he browsed aimlessly through TV channels and checked his phone every few minutes, waiting for Aether to come back. When the door finally opened, he barely glanced up from the couch.