The Weight of Morning

(Akane’s PoV)

—

That night, I remained completely glued to Shin’s side. 

My arms were locked around him, my left hand resting flat against the steady, rhythmic beat of his chest, while my head was buried deep within the warm hollow of his shoulder.

Looking back through the shadows of the room, a quiet wave of gratitude washed over my ribs. 

I felt a profound thankfulness toward whatever God made our ways intertwine. 

For some reason, I felt like I wouldn't even change a single fragment of my bitter past anymore; because with every scar and every cold storm I had survived, I had finally taken my very first, real step toward true happiness, and Shin was the living proof of that.

When morning finally arrived, there was no harsh electronic alarm to cut through the quiet. 

The sunlight filtered softly through the window curtains, painting long, warm angles of amber across the sheets, but both of us simply remained drifting in a serene, unhurried peace until nearly ten o'clock.

But as my consciousness slowly returned and I gently blinked my eyes open, Shin was still cradled deeply in the arms of Morpheus.

His sleeping features looked even more beautiful than usual in the morning light.

The hard lines of his face were softened by rest, with his breathing slow and entirely undisturbed. 

I reached out a hand, my fingertips softly tracing the sharp, warm line of his jawbone, just to verify he was real. 

I needed to ensure this wasn't another cruel trick constructed by my own mind.

Even now, sitting in the quiet of his bedroom, I couldn't explain how I had managed to fall for this boy to such a desperate extent. 

He had dismantled every single layer of my defensive armor without even trying, turning me into the most insecure and fragile girl of the planet.

But as I watched the steady rise of his chest, I realized the logic didn't matter. The absolute depth of my love for him was the only unyielding certainty I possessed in this world.

‘You have no idea of much I love you, Shin... And how much I have always loved you...’ I whispered into the quiet air.

But the words cleared my throat a fraction too loudly, the gravelly rasp of my voice vibrating through the stillness of the sheets.

Beneath my palm, I felt Shin’s muscles shift as his body executed a slow, lazy stretch.

His lashes fluttered softly, and his eyes cracked open with a heavy, unhurried drowsiness. 

The first thing he did was turn his torso completely toward my face, with a loose strand of dark hair falling over his forehead as his gaze locked onto mine. 

Then, a small, incredibly warm smile broke across his lips.

He reached out, his hand gently cupping the side of my face, his thumb tracing the curve of my cheek with a touch that felt like pure silk against my skin.

"Ah... good morning to you too, Akane..." he murmured, his voice dropping into a low, sleep-roughened register that was incredibly heavy, exhausted, and... sexy?

Then, a sudden, violent shiver of heat rushed straight down my spine, turning my blood to liquid fire in a fraction of a second. 

My skin tingled under his touch, and a desperate, primal urge inside my chest began to scream at me to reclaim his body right in that moment.

‘Don't look at me with those eyes, please...’ I thought, my heart slamming against my ribs.

"Tch—don't get full of yours—" I tried to speak, forcing my classic, dry mask into place.

But Shin didn't allow me to finish the sentence. 

He leaned forward in a single, fluid blur of motion and sealed my lips with a sudden, heavy kiss.

My eyes remained wide open for a stunned second, completely surpriesed by the lack of warning. 

Shin immediately tightened his hold, his mouth deepening the pressure as his tongue gently, masterfully sought mine, taste-testing the heat of my mouth. 

And before I could even process the rhythm, his right hand slid down my waist, his long fingers catching the curve of my bottom and hauling my frame hard against his lap.

‘God...’ I thought, my eyelids finally fluttering shut as my hands instinctively flew up his chest, locking tightly behind his neck to return his passion.

‘It is completely impossible to resist you...’

His palm squeezed my flesh through the fabric, his mouth driving deeper into the kiss, and the sensation of his touch in the early morning was something so intense, so raw, it left my mind spinning in the dark. 

But right as the heat threatened to completely override my common sense, the final boundary of my logic managed to spark a warning. 

But right as the heat threatened to completely override my common sense, the final boundary of my logic managed to spark a warning.

With an immense, breathless effort, I managed to break the connection.

I pushed against his bare chest, separating our mouths, a thin, silver thread of saliva stretching and breaking between our swollen lips in the light. 

My breath was already coming in ragged, shallow gasps. 

I slowly rubbed my legs together beneath the duvet, with my hips shifting instinctively against his thighs, fully aware that his lower part was already entirely, fiercely excited beneath the sheets.

Shin stared down at my face with a confused, slightly disappointed look, his eyes searching mine for the disruption. 

Then, his hand slid up from my hip, resting against my back to keep my body anchored near his chest.

"Is… everything alright, Akane?" he asked, his voice rough and low.

"Y-Yeah..." I panted, trying to steady the wild frantic rhythm of my pulse as I looked up at him. "I... I just needed to ask you a remarkably stupid question first before we start this beautiful morning session. I wanted to take advantage of these final seconds of mental clarity before I forget how to speak."

Then, Shin let out a soft, relieved chuckle, the deep vibration warming my chest as his fingers lightly brushed the dark fringe away from my eyes.

"And… what exactly do you want to ask me?" 

"W-Well..." I stammered slightly, my cheeks flushing a deep crimson as his proximity continued to test my limits. "What exactly are our programs for today? You told me that you already had plans for the weekend... and I was curious. I'll die of pure boredom if we just sit inside this apartment for the entire weekend."

Shin paused, a look of mild embarrassment crossing his handsome features as he reached up to scratch the back of his head.

"A-Ah... right..." he muttered quietly. "The truth is... my only plan was to stay completely alone with you. But I didn't think about a particular place or where to go. I just knew with absolute certainty that I didn't want anyone else with us." He said, scratching the back of his head.

My heart skipped a beat.

"You are an absolute idiot," I sighed, though a genuine, soft smile broke over my lips.

Then,  I shifted my hips slightly over his, feeling the hard heat of his body pressing against mine. "In that case, I have a valid proposal for the afternoon."

"Mh? What are you proposing, boss?" he asked, his eyes lighting up with a sudden, curious focus.

A slow, mischievous smirk curled the edges of my lips, my eyes flashing with a sudden, playful dominance.

"What do you say we get you an earring? I am entirely certain that you would look remarkably more handsome with one," I murmured. 

Then, I pulled my right hand free, my index finger slowly, deliberately tracing a long, light line down the center of his bare chest, moving past his stomach until it hovered just above his special friend.

I caught the sound of a microscopic, imperceptible groan clearing his throat that was absolute music to my ears.

"A-An earring, you say...?" Shin whispered, his gaze dropping to the movement of my finger before he looked back into my eyes, his palm tightening around my waist. "Honestly... I've actually always wanted to have one. But... someone in my past was completely, thoroughly against the idea. She used to scream that her future husband would never dare to wear an earring under any circumstances. It's slightly ironic, isn't it?"

He let out a short, quiet laugh, but a faint trace of old bitterness remained visible beneath the syllable.

I went entirely still for a second, with sudden, profound wonder freezing my thoughts. 

I stared at his calm features, completely surprised by the texture of his tone. 

He was speaking of Kurone with absolute, flat indifference. 

There wasn't a single drop of residual pain, longing, or defensive anger left in his mouth; his voice carried the exact same casual frequency he used when talking about Daiki Sakurai. 

It seemed like the past had been completely stripped of its power.

I narrowed my eyes into a tight, satisfied focus. 

‘Of course that little strawberry-and-vanilla angel would never allow him to have a shred of edge,’ I thought, a dark triumph flaring behind my ribs.

"Oh! In that case, the scenario is absolutely perfect," I declared, my voice rising with a rare, bright cheerfulness. "I am going to guide you to one of the incredibly few human beings in this city I actually consider a real friend. My personal piercer and tattoo artist, Hoshiko Tsukishiro!"

I grinned down at his face, my mind unrolling the image of her studio. 

To be fair, Hoshiko was a stunningly beautiful girl, with her skin covered in intricate cyber-style ink, and her body decorated with a dozen silver piercings, featuring a sharp dark fringe and a lean, athletic physique that was remarkably similar to my own. 

Under any other configuration of the universe, I would never permit a boy like Shin to step within a mile of her territory; guys with his quiet, intense warmth were her absolute favorite prey.

But… I trusted her, and it was significantly better to leave his skin in her professional hands than with some random stranger in a commercial shop.

"Hoshiko... Tsukishiro?" Shin murmured, his eyebrows knitting together in mild confusion. "I have the distinct impression that I've already heard her name…"

"It's highly probable. She is remarkably well-known in this city," I replied.

Then, I leaned my weight down, my fingertips drawing lazy, maddening patterns around the soft skin of his lower stomach, deliberately avoiding his desperate friend just below the line.

"Mmmh... W-well... alright. I accept the proposal," Shin panted slightly, his breathing turning shallow under the physical tease. "We can go to her studio right after we finish lun—"

But before the word finishes could completely clear his teeth, I interrupted him entirely.

I threw my body forward, tackling his chest with absolute momentum, feeling the massive, hardened heat of his lower frame frictioning hard against my thigh. 

In the span of a single microsecond, I was completely, aggressively positioned on top of him, with my bare hands pinning his shoulders flat against the mattress to lock his movement.

Then, I smiled down at his face with a dark, triumphant dominance.

"Perfect," I whispered against his lips.

And then, I sealed his mouth with a long, devastatingly intense kiss, completely reclaiming the supremacy of the room. 

My palms slid up to lock around his jaw, holding his face steady beneath mine, while his fingers flew across my bare waist, tracing the dark ink of the snake tattooed along my flank all the way to the center of my chest.

This time, I was the one dictating the speed, driving the dance forward with a fierce, possessive authority that came straight from my soul. 

Our tongues moved together in a flawless, synchronized friction, but beneath the raw, physical heat of the morning, I could feel that the air was entirely filled with an immense, unvarnished love. 

The kiss filled my entire soul with an inexplicable, beautiful happiness that quieted every single lingering fear in my brain.

In that moment, under my hands, Shin was entirely mine, and I belonged completely to him, body and soul.

Then, after a few minutes of pure, uninterrupted heat, I reluctantly broke the seal, pulling my face back a few inches while my breath came in ragged, uneven exhalations.

Beneath my thighs, I could feel his massive friend contracting sharply, pressing hard against my skin with a desperate, frantic urgency.

"Someone over here is very eager... aren't they, Ishikawa?" I teased, a wicked, low purr vibrating in my throat as I deliberately shifted my hips across his weight.

Shin nodded his head instantly against the pillow, his eyes wide and completely filled with an intense, burning desire. "I don't think you need my answer for that..." he whispered, his face flushing with a deep, beautiful embarrassment as his gaze practically begged for mercy. "Please, Akane..."

‘Ah... damn it... Shin...’ I thought, my heart melting entirely into the dark pool of his devotion. I was completely, hopelessly in love with that specific, defenseless expression on his face.

"If you don't behave like a good boy and explicitly tell me exactly what your heart desires," I murmured, my hips executing a slow, torturous slide against his frame, "I could very easily lift my body off this bed and walk straight into the kitchen right now, leaving you like this..."

Shin’s reply came in an instant.

"...I want you, Akane," he gasped out, his fingers digging hard into my waist, his voice breaking with an absolute, unvarnished sincerity. "I want you more than anyhing else in this entire universe—"

And in that exact microsecond, the final wire inside my head completely snapped, and the  remaining control vanished into the heat of the bedroom.

"What a good boy..." I whispered against his throat, completely losing myself in his shadow…

“I'm going to take very good care of you, my obedient and beautiful good ghost boy…” I said, before beginning our beautiful connection…