POV: AstraeaLocation: Upstairs Window – Ren's House – Evening
The wind pushed against the curtains softly as I stood by the window in Ren's room, watching him walk Airi home again.
They were holding hands.
She leaned on his shoulder like she always did—so tenderly, like he was some fragile, breakable thing she had to protect with warmth and softness.
She kissed his cheek at her door, smiled up at him like he was her entire world.
And he… let her.
He played it perfectly. Like a porcelain doll come to life. Gentle. Sweet. Thoughtful.
She didn't know what that quietness cost. What he had buried to keep wearing that mask.
But I did.
I could feel it even now—beneath the floorboards, behind the walls of this peaceful house. His silence. His weight. His distance.
And still...
Still, my chest tightened.
Because even if I knew it was just a role, a mask he wore, it didn't stop the image from biting into me. Her lips on his cheek. Her bright little smile.
The kind I used to have… once.
Before I knew what he really was.
Later, he sat quietly at the table, eating dinner with our "parents" and me. He was dressed in a soft hoodie and plain jeans—completely human. So beautifully, terrifyingly normal.
He barely touched his rice.
I watched him from across the table, resting my chin on my palm.
He didn't look up when the message arrived. But I saw the subtle vibration on the phone.
And the name lighting up the screen.
Airi.
He opened it silently. I watched his eyes shift.
A small message:
"Can you sneak over tonight? I miss you. I want to hold you… and maybe more. ❤️"
Simple.
Sweet.
Too sweet.
I pressed my nails into my palm beneath the table.
He looked up and caught me staring. For a moment, our eyes met.
I smiled like I hadn't seen a thing.
"Something wrong?" I asked softly.
He shook his head. "Just Airi."
I tilted my head, still smiling. "She really loves you, doesn't she?"
He didn't answer.
And that silence stung me more than I expected.
After dinner, I followed him quietly into the hallway. Not because I wanted to stop him.
Not because I could.
But because I still wanted to be near him.
I leaned against the wall outside his door.
"You're leaving tonight, aren't you?"
He turned slightly, but didn't answer.
I took a step closer, voice gentle. "You're going to her. To let her hold you. Kiss you. Tell you all those sweet little things you never believe."
He didn't deny it.
My throat tightened.
"She doesn't even know your real name," I whispered.
He looked at me then.
His eyes weren't cold.
Just distant.
Too far away to reach.
"You're right," he said quietly. "But neither do you."
That hurt.
But it was the truth.
And the truth, when it came to him, was always a blade you asked to be cut with.
He walked past me and into his room, leaving only the soft sound of the door clicking shut behind him.
Location: Airi's House – Midnight
The world was quiet.
Moonlight spilled gently over the rooftops as I stepped silently out the door, shoes in hand, leaving only a sliver of shadow behind me. I didn't have to check—Astraea wasn't asleep. She was pretending to be. I could feel the weight of her silence behind the wall.
I didn't pause.
Because Airi was waiting.
She always waited.
The streets were cool beneath my feet. Streetlights buzzed faintly overhead, and in the distance, a dog barked once and then fell quiet again.
Airi's house was just across the street. The curtains of her room were drawn. But one small, flickering light remained.
I didn't knock.
I never had to.
Her door creaked open just as I reached it.
She stood there barefoot in a soft nightgown, hair loose over her shoulders, eyes wide like she hadn't dared to blink until she saw me.
"Ren," she whispered, grabbing my hand and pulling me inside.
The house was dim. Silent.
Her parents were away.
She didn't say anything more.
She led me up the stairs with slow, almost trembling steps, as if afraid the dream would vanish if she moved too quickly.
Her room smelled like her—lavender, warmth, and something faintly like sugar.
She closed the door softly behind us.
Then turned to face me.
"I missed you," she said.
"I know."
She reached for me.
And I let her.
We didn't speak for a while.
Her hands found the hem of my shirt and slid it up. Her lips brushed my collarbone, trailing kisses slowly across my skin like she was learning me all over again.
"I thought about you all day," she whispered. "Your voice. Your scent. Your hands…"
Her voice caught as my fingers brushed her waist, pulling her closer.
"You don't talk much," she said, letting out a quiet laugh that trembled. "But I always feel you. Even when you're quiet… I can feel you wanting me."
I didn't answer.
Because silence had always been my second skin.
She didn't seem to mind. Or maybe she loved me because of that.
Her nightgown slipped off her shoulders.
The soft light caught her skin, warm and bare and fragile.
"You're mine, right?" she whispered, eyes glistening. "Even if you don't say it. Even if you never promise it with words…"
Her lips found mine—hungry now, but trembling.
I kissed her back gently.
She sighed.
"I'll make you say it one day," she murmured. "Even if it takes forever. I'll make you love me out loud."
She pulled me down to the bed, fingers tangled in my hair.
What followed wasn't rushed.
It was slow. Deep. A prayer in the form of touch. Airi clung to me like I was her gravity—her anchor in a world where nothing else mattered.
I pushed her gently onto her back, my body covering hers. Her legs parted naturally, inviting me in. I could feel the heat radiating from her, the slickness of her desire coating her thighs. I trailed kisses down her neck, her collarbone, her breasts, savoring every inch of her skin. She moaned softly, her fingers digging into my back as I moved lower, my tongue circling her nipples, teasing them to hard peaks. The room filled with the soft, wet sounds of our bodies pressing together, the slicking noises of her arousal growing louder with each passing moment.
I moved lower still, my tongue tracing a path down her stomach, her hips, until I reached the apex of her thighs. She gasped as I parted her folds, my tongue finding her clit. I licked and sucked, my fingers sliding inside her, feeling her tighten around me. The slicking sounds of her wetness filled the air, a symphony of our desire. She bucked against me, her hands gripping my hair, urging me on. I could feel her building, her body tensing, and then she cried out, her orgasm washing over her in waves. I didn't stop, my tongue and fingers continuing their relentless assault, drawing out her pleasure until she was boneless and spent beneath me.
I moved back up her body, my cock hard and ready. She reached for me, her hands guiding me to her entrance. I slid into her slowly, inch by inch, feeling her stretch around me. The slicking sounds of our joining filled the room, a primal rhythm that matched the beating of our hearts. I started to move, slow and deep, each thrust drawing a moan from her lips. She wrapped her legs around me, pulling me deeper, urging me faster. I obliged, my hips moving in a steady rhythm, the sound of our bodies slapping together echoing through the room. I could feel her building again, her body tightening around me. I reached between us, my fingers finding her clit, rubbing it in time with my thrusts. She cried out, her body convulsing as another orgasm ripped through her. I felt her tighten around me, her muscles milking me, and I couldn't hold back any longer. I came with a groan, my body shuddering as I filled her, the slicking sounds of our release mixing with our ragged breaths.
But I wasn't done. I rolled us over, so she was on top. She straddled me, her hands on my chest, her hips moving in a slow, sensual rhythm. I could feel every inch of her, the heat of her, the wetness. She leaned down, her lips finding mine, her tongue exploring my mouth. I reached up, my hands cupping her breasts, my thumbs circling her nipples. She moaned into my mouth, her hips moving faster, her body taking what it needed. I could feel another orgasm building, her body tightening around me. I flipped us over again, so I was on top, my hips moving in a fierce rhythm, the sound of our bodies slapping together filling the room. She cried out, her body convulsing as she came, and I followed soon after, my body shuddering as I filled her again.
I pulled out of her, my cock still hard. She looked up at me, her eyes glazed with desire, her lips swollen from our kisses. I moved up her body, straddling her chest. She knew what I wanted, her hands reaching for me, guiding me to her mouth. I slid into her, feeling the wet heat of her tongue, the suction of her lips. She took me deep, her head bobbing, her hands gripping my hips. I could feel the pleasure building, the slicking sounds of her mouth filling the room. I came with a groan, my body shuddering as I filled her mouth. She swallowed, her tongue licking me clean, her eyes never leaving mine.
I collapsed beside her, my body spent, my heart pounding. She curled into me, her head on my chest, her fingers tracing idle circles against my skin. The room was filled with the scent of our lovemaking, the sound of our ragged breaths, the slicking sounds of our bodies cooling.
"Promise me something," she whispered.
"…What?"
"If I ever get annoying… or jealous… or too much, promise you won't leave me."
"I won't."
"Because I love you so much, Ren," she said, burying her face into my neck. "Sometimes it hurts. That's how much."
I didn't reply.
But I held her tighter.
And for her… that was enough.
For now.