The dim glow of the bedside lamp cast shifting shadows across the room.
Aqua lay on the edge of the bed, his back turned to Akane.
His fingers loosely gripped the sheets, tension radiating from his still frame. Behind him, Akane exhaled softly, her guard slipping.
The dim glow of the bedside lamp cast shifting shadows across the room, catching the pale expanse of Aqua's skin where the duvet had pooled at his waist. He lay on the very edge of the mattress, his back turned to Akane, the muscles of his shoulders corded with a tension that wouldn't break. Behind him, he heard the soft rustle of the sheets—a sound of fabric sliding over skin, unimpeded by the friction of clothes. Akane exhaled softly, the sound intimate and too close.
"This isn't the ending you really want, is it?" Akane murmured. Her voice felt like a physical touch against his neck.
Aqua's fingers tightened, his nails digging into the weave of the underside of the sheet. "It doesn't matter what I want. It's already over."
Akane pushed herself up, the mattress groaning under the shift of her weight.
The dim light didn't flatter her; it dissected her, casting the sharp, skeletal curve of her collarbone into harsh relief and tracking the raw, exposed map of her arched back.
She reached out, her fingertips not ghosting, but dragging—a slow, tactile scrape along the ridges of his spine. There was no fabric to soften the blow.
Every inch of his bare skin was a raw nerve, vibrating with a sickening sensitivity. The air in the room felt like ice water against his sweat-chilled skin, while her touch was a searing, intrusive heat that felt less like a caress and more like a brand.
He shivered, a violent, involuntary tremor that rattled through his ribs, but he remained pinned to the spot by the sheer weight of his own exhaustion. He felt skin, and heat, and the terrifyingly real pulse of a living person—all things that felt like a mockery after the cold, wet silence of the cliffside.
"Lying to yourself won't change anything," she said, shifting closer until the length of her body pressed against his side. The contact was absolute—an unrelenting warmth that forced him to acknowledge he was still alive, still physical, despite how much he wanted to vanish into the dark. "Or are you afraid that once it's over, you'll have nothing left?"
Aqua exhaled sharply, his gaze fixed on the floor. "I've got nothing to lose."
"If that's true… then let me be someone special for you."
He turned his head just enough to meet her gaze over the ridge of his shoulder. In the suffocating dimness, their shared nakedness wasn't a gesture of intimacy; it was a state of total exposure, a lack of armor that felt as dangerous as a knife to the throat.
There were no masks left to put on, no costumes to hide behind. Just the jarring, animal reality of two bodies occupying a space that felt increasingly crowded by the things he had done.
The air in the room was thick, heavy with the phantom scent of salt and the metallic tang of a memory he couldn't scrub off his skin.
"You're too good at this," he whispered.
His voice didn't sound like his own. It was a hollow rasp, the sound of someone who had spent too much time screaming underwater.
Akane didn't flinch. She leaned in, her fingers trailing down the bare skin of his arm with a clinical precision that made his stomach churn.
"Mhm, it's what I normally do," she breathed, her voice dropping to a jagged whisper that cut through the silence. "Just for tonight, forget everything for me. Give me the lie that you're actually here, Aqua. Not back there. Not in the water."
Aqua hesitated, his hand hovering over hers, his fingers looking skeletal and pale against the sheets. When he finally clasped her hand, his grip was desperate—not out of love, but out of the sheer, terrifying need for something solid to hold onto before the floor gave way.
He turned fully, the movement bringing their bare chests together.
The contact was a violent jolt of heat. He pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes to shut out the room, but the darkness behind his eyelids was worse. His breath was slow, heavy, and uneven, hitching in his chest like a failing engine.
He could feel her heart beating against his ribs—a frantic, living rhythm that felt like a direct insult to the silence he had left behind on that cliff.
"CUT!" The director's voice echoed through the studio.
The dream was over.
The dim glow vanished, replaced by the glare of bright studio lights.
A boom mic hovered above them. The murmuring of the crew filled the space where such a profound intimacy, no matter how artificial, had briefly lingered.
In entertainment industry, no one cares about the truth.
As long as you sell the show and the audience buys it, that's all that matters.
Your feelings? They hardly matter, merely parts of the script. Props in a fabricated lie.
Aqua let go of Akane's hand, sitting up with his usual gloomy expression. She stretched her arms before flashing a playful smile. "Not bad. You almost had me."
Aqua didn't react immediately. He stayed silent, then murmured, "You too."
Akane blinked, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.
For a second, she wasn't sure if it was him acting still.
"So, how's Kana? Everything good?"
"She's fine. We just talked on the phone an hour ago."
"That's weird... she isn't jealous of me anymore." She pouted slightly.
"Maybe because she understands the professionalism that comes with being an actress, I suppose. Which means she no longer saw you as a threat."
"Yeah, you're right. Kana-chan has always been like that." She smiled faintly, perhaps reminiscing about whatever fantasy she once had of her former little idol.
"Wait... also, what do you mean by a threat?"
"Are you calling me a parasite now? Aqua, you meanie~!"
She gave Aqua a faint, playful nudge on his shoulder, pouting dramatically.
However, Aqua didn't budge, his usual gloom settling over him as he sat at the edge of the sofa.
"Come to think of it, I never once thought of surviving. I had no idea that kind of outcome was even possible. To me, it's a miracle."
Akane exhaled, leaning back against the sofa, searching his face. "You know, back then… I thought stopping you would have been the best outcome."
Aqua said nothing, his gaze flickering to her for a moment, then away.
"But now that it's done, you still don't look satisfied at all. Is there something still lingering on your mind?"
"No." Aqua replied.
"Liar." She sighed, disappointment in her tone also drawn on her face.
"Do you ever think about how things could've been?"
She asked once more, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers.
"No," He replied again.
She sighed once more, but this time, a faint, knowing smile formed on her lips.
"Yes—yes. You did it again, Mister Liar."
"I'm not lying."
"No, that's a lie. Don't speak as if we don't know each other inside out."
"When you said that... it sounded... suggestive."
Akane's breath hitched, a flicker of something close to panic in her eyes. However, expected from an actress, she quickly masked it, dismissing her anxiety.
"What's this? Another game to expose my feelings for you?"
"Eh, whatever." He gave a quick sharp glance at her face, then looked away again.
It's been a few months since the TV series 『 恋人な天使 』(Koibito na Tenshi, lit. "Lover Angel") first aired. The romantic comedy drama's audience skyrocketed, especially following the events of the first episode.
Akane played "Tenshi". While I, Aquamarine Hoshino, took on the role "Akuma", which was perfectly fitting for the show's narrative whereas it displays the contradictions between love, beliefs, and cultural difference displayed by both entities.
Oh, that scene? It was the closing stage of this show, a final episode where everything, after the mundane emotional rollercoaster, turns out to be a 'happy ever after' ending.
Yes, a sex scene.
This show aired a week after I survived the accident during Ruby's concert.
"Hm, what is this? Talking to yourself again, Aqua-kun?"
"Not your business, Akane. Don't mess around." My jaw tightened.
"I bet it must be some kind of edgy flashback monologues, hehehe~"
Akane's eyes held a playful glint, hinting something deeper lingered beneath.
"Don't grin like a fool. It's irritating to see." I scolded her, my voice sharp.
I shifted, looking away as Akane, with nothing on, covered herself with a blanket.
"You are not my boyfriend anymore. Maybe you should get used to it, Aqua-kun."
Akane's smile widened, with a calculated amusement in her eyes.
"That's true. But you know what, I'm still your friend."
"So what? You still can control and use me, is that what you're trying to say?"
"I'm already over with that one." Dry tone expressed in my lethargic voice.
"Hm. Of course." She wasn't convinced, even by this casual exchange.
Akane's gaze lingered on me, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes.
Now, forget about the distraction in front of me and back to the topic.
Because I have a genuine question here: What should I do next?