𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 ⟢ 𝘁. 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗶/𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶

𝟓𝟔: 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫

(fluff coming your way!)
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𝐲𝐨𝐮
midnight

the low hum of the car engine felt distant, almost unreal, as i slowly opened my eyes. my head rested against the cool glass of the window, grounding me in its chill, though it did little to dull the ache pulsing behind my eyes. outside, the streetlights bled into fleeting patterns that danced across the car's interior, flickering like fragments of a broken memory—just out of reach.

keigo sat behind the wheel, his usual hero jacket conspicuously absent. the dim glow of the dashboard painted his features in soft shadows, but the tension in his jaw and the tightness of his grip on the steering wheel were unmistakable. i could hear the leather from his gloves, his face unreadable. the silence in the car wasn't just silence—it was weight, thick and suffocating, filled with words that neither of us seemed willing to say.

when he noticed i was awake, his shoulders tensed, just for a moment, before he glanced at me. "hey, you're awake," he murmured, his voice softer than usual but edged with something sharp—something i couldn't name.

i tried to sit up straighter, though my limbs felt heavy, like they didn't belong to me. "what... happened?" i rasped, my throat dry, the words tasting foreign on my tongue.

keigo's eyes flicked back to the road. his jaw tightened before he finally spoke. "you had a serious panic attack," he said, each word careful, deliberate, as if he were afraid they might shatter me.

a panic attack. my mind clawed at the void, searching for context, for meaning, but all i found was emptiness. "why?" i whispered, the question trembling on my lips.

he shook his head, his voice taking on a quiet finality. "don't worry about it right now. we're almost home."

his tone made something tighten in my chest, and i leaned back into the seat, the weight of his words pressing me further into the silence.

the car rolled to a stop in front of my apartment building. keigo turned off the engine but didn't move to get out. his hands lingered on the wheel, gripping it as if it were the only thing anchoring him to this moment. the air between us felt heavy, almost brittle.

then he turned to me. "i'm coming in with you."

there was no room for argument in his tone. even if there had been, i wouldn't have argued, i wanted him here. the tension hanging between us was too raw, too fragile.

inside, my apartment felt unfamiliar, like stepping into a place that belonged to someone else. keigo removed his gloves and hero gear, and followed me in silence, his presence solid and steady, even as the unease between us lingered.

"you should change into something comfortable," he said, his voice softer now, though the tension beneath it hadn't fully dissolved.

i nodded, heading to my room. my hands trembled as i pulled a pair of pajamas from the dresser, the fabric feeling strange against my fingertips. in the bathroom, i closed the door behind me and finally faced my reflection.