Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Come over."

Aki's thumb danced across his phone screen as he hastily typed the text to you and hit send. He then slipped his phone into his back pocket, proceeding to take a long drag out of his cigarette. There was no need for him to care about your reply. He knew as soon as you saw his message, you'd be on your way. 

Aki let the smoke fill his lungs, relishing the nicotine before exhaling. He stood on the balcony of his apartment, staring at the sky full of stars and the illuminated city below. He had already changed out of his work uniform, opting to wear a simple but comfy black shirt and sweats. The night air was rather cold with a light breeze brushing across his bare arms. 

Despite how late it was getting, the city below seemed rather busy. It was a Friday night, after all. With the weekend approaching, all everyone wanted to do, all Aki wanted to do, was relax and try to forget about the stress of work. You'd also be coming home from a long day of work today, so he was sure that relaxing was all you wanted to do, too. 

Today was a particularly nasty day in terms of stress for Aki. He's definitely no stranger to it these days, that's for sure. He kind of accepted that he was going to hate his fucking life for the foreseeable future as long as he was a devil hunter. Today though, today was something else. When Aki got home, he wasn't sure if he wanted to break something or start breaking down crying. He somehow managed to calm himself and do neither, instead choosing to text you, his best friend. 

You and Aki had an interesting friendship, if you could even call it that. To put it simply, you both were rather lonely people who had a fair share of day-to-day stress to deal with. When you first met, the two of you bonded immediately over that fact. You both enjoyed having someone to rant to about all the bullshit that came with your jobs. Aki was always an excellent listener and you were someone that he found easy to get along with. 

Granted, for how much you both got along, your walks of life couldn't be any more different. The bullshit your job threw at you was just the regular kind of bullshit: bosses being dicks, co-workers not showing up, customers getting pissy. But Aki's bullshit? You couldn't even begin to comprehend the lifestyle of a devil hunter. It certainly didn't help that Aki was rather secretive about the specifics of his job. You knew devils were dangerous, but you didn't know the full extent of how dangerous they could be. Aki would never divulge you fully in how he fought them or what abilities they had. You wondered if it was because he wanted to protect you from that information or if he just wasn't comfortable sharing. 

One thing you did know about was making contracts with devils and the toll it takes on one's body. Aki was frequently covered in bandages and scars, and when you got curious one night and asked why, he was honest with you about the reason. Your heart dropped into your stomach when he told you about his contract with the fox devil and how he gives up his own flesh and blood in order to make use of its power. 

Immediately, the thought popped into your head that it must be a cruel joke, but that thought was pushed away as quickly as it came. Aki never lied to you about anything. Sometimes he was fuzzy with the details, sure, but nothing he said was ever a downright lie. So whatever your friend told you, you believed it without question. 

Your friend. Friends. Was that really what the two of you were? 

Aki mulled over this thought as he took another puff from his cigarette, gazing at the stars twinkling overhead. If someone, his roommates perhaps, were to ask what you meant to him, he'd say you were friends. In reality, "friends" didn't even begin to describe what the two of you have. Maybe "friends" meet up with each other every week to rant about their stressful as all hell lives, but "friends" certainly don't fuck each other senseless until they've both forgotten what was making them stressed in the first place. 

And if someone were to ask you what Aki meant to you, you'd probably say the same thing. He's just a friend. A friend who you are unbelievably attracted to. A friend who you think is the most handsome man in the entire world. A friend who knows how to please you and knows your body more than anyone else. 

Yup. Just friends. 

At first, maybe that's all you were to Aki. You were just a friend he enjoyed talking to and hanging out with. Then your relationship escalated, and you became just an outlet to relieve his stress. Just someone to give him a little bit of intimacy in his lonely life as a devil hunter. That's honestly all it should have been between the two of you. Two hopelessly lonely friends who could stand to have sex with each other every now and then. Aki could live with that. He really wanted to keep things simple. His life was lonely for a reason; it was dangerous, hectic, and could end at any moment. That's why all you could be to him was a fleeting hookup. 

But that's not all it was. That's not all it is. That's not all you were. 

Aki has shown you parts of him he's never shown to anyone else. He's felt a certain closeness with you that he's never felt before, and it's not just the sex. It was never just the sex that made him fond of you. 

Aki still remembers how you held him in your arms when he told you about his family. He described losing them all to the gun devil, the despair of losing everything he cared about in a single instant. You weren't sure what to say at first, so you just held him and listened. You held him tightly, as if you'd never let go, but gently, as if you were handling something especially delicate. Aki never showed his tears to anyone before, but that night, he cried into your shoulder until he couldn't cry anymore. 

And the strangest thing happened then, the strangest thing that Aki still can't put his finger on. You cried too. You told him how sorry you were for him, how much he didn't deserve that, how you couldn't even imagine how much pain he was in, and you said it all with tears streaming down your face. It was Aki's pain, it wasn't yours, so why were you crying? 

Perhaps it was because Aki had finally met someone who understood him. Until now, Aki never got along well with people who weren't devil hunters. He always felt like they just didn't get it. They could never truly sympathize with what he was going through. When you showed up in his life, you became the exception. 

Despite not being a devil hunter yourself and knowing nothing of the profession besides what Aki's bothered to tell you, you seem to understand his life. Not only that, but you understand him. You care for him. You listen to him. You allow him to show you the weakest parts of himself. You accept him for who he is and the life that he leads. But why? Why are you so kind to him? What did he do to deserve it? 

He listens to you when you rant about your work and your family. He comes over and spends time with you when you tell him you're lonely and really need someone. He cooks dinner for you sometimes. He's a pretty standard friend, so why do you treat him like he's much more than that? 

The truth is that you're terribly in love with him and always have been, but that's a conclusion Aki would never reach on his own. 

All Aki knew was that this whole situation was way too complicated, which was exactly what he was trying to avoid. And unless Aki decided what the fuck he was going to do about it, and soon, it was about to get a whole hell of a lot more complicated. 

A sharp knock at the door startled Aki from his thoughts. 

"It's open," He shouted from the balcony, his gaze still fixated on the stars. He heard the front door click open from behind him and then click back closed. 

"Roommates gone tonight?" 

The instant your presence joined him on the balcony, Aki can feel weight starting to leave his shoulders. You stand next to him, arms resting over the railing. You scan his face, and when you notice his eyes watching the sky, your eyes start to trail up there as well. 

"Uh-huh." Aki answers simply, taking the last drag his cigarette will allow, careful to exhale the smoke away from you. He stamps out the cigarette on an ashtray behind him. "You want to go inside? It's cold." 

"Mmmm... nah." You shake your head, "I want to keep looking at the stars for a bit." 

Aki lets out the faintest chuckle, turning to you. He can't help but admire your face, illuminated by the moon and the faint lights of the city. 

Without even looking at him, you utter, "How are you feeling?" 

Ah, there it is. You always ask Aki how he's feeling every time you see him. He was just waiting for when you were gonna say it. 

Aki merely shrugs, "I'm tired, but what else is new?" 

"Hah, same here." Feeling his gaze on you, you pry your eyes away from the stars to look at him. He's changed out of his work uniform and into a casual outfit but his hair is still up in its signature topknot. Your eyes dart to his ears. Last time you saw him, he had on a pair of red stud earrings, but this time, he has on a pair of small black hoops. After taking a second to appreciate them, you look to his face. 

Now that your eyes have met, you can't seem to contain the smile that starts creeping across your face. "New earrings?" 

"Oh," Aki brings a hand up to his ear, feeling the earring between his thumb and finger, as if he was trying to see if it was still there. "You noticed?" 

That was a dumb question, Aki knew it was as it left his lips. Of course you would notice. You always noticed things like that. The first thing he was thinking of when he put those new earrings in was how he knew you would notice and he knew you would comment on them. Perhaps that's why he decided to put them on in the first place. 

You nod, "I like them, they're handsome." 

"Good. I'm glad." 

Wait, what is he saying? What does he care if you like them or not? And did you just say they were handsome? Aki isn't given time to think on this before you've interrupted his thoughts with another question: 

"How was work today?" 

A knot tightens in Aki's chest. You already knew that work was shit if Aki had called you over today. Aki knew that you knew that. But today was a whole nother level of shit, one that Aki simply didn't have the energy to get into right now. He wanted to tell you, he really did. He had to tell you eventually. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure where to start right now. So he decided to just take the easy way out, for now. He sighed deeply. 

"It was... not that good, I guess." Before you have time to think, he deflects the question right back, "How about you? Was work busy?" 

"Ugh, it was crazy busy," you reply, not being able to hide the annoyance in your voice once your work is brought up. "Boss was being an asshole, the usual. He was breathing down my neck the whole day and then had the balls to yell at me when I took a break for a second. Like he does any work around there. I'm the one who does everything while he sits around counting his money." 

"I wish he'd just lay off you. He's a dick," Aki muses, starting to feel pissed just hearing about it. He chuckled, "You want me to go beat him up?" 

"Yes."

Aki laughs again, amused at how quickly you responded. You exhale dramatically before continuing, "Yes, but also no. As much as I would love it if you did, I'm not trying to lose my job." 

Aki can feel an irritated expression quickly forming on his face. 

"I'd be the one doing it, not you, so you wouldn't lose anything. Besides, I don't think that'd be such a bad thing. They treat you like shit over there for how hard you work, I don't like it." 

"I know, I know. But if it was that easy to get a new job I'd have done it already." 

You leave it at that and shift your gaze to the city below. Aki does the same, not being able to come up with anything to say in response. Maybe you thought he was only joking, but he was being completely serious. He honestly would love nothing more than to beat the shit out of that loser. Yeah, you were right though, you needed your job and he didn't want to be the reason you lost it. 

"Hey, Aki, You okay? You seem like you've got a lot on your mind." 

Ah, of course that's something you'd notice, too. You always read him like an open book. 

"I'm-" Aki swallows, knowing there's no sense in hiding anything from you. "I'm really stressed out, honestly. Work took a lot out of me. I'll tell you about it later just... Right now I want to forget about it." 

"Hmmm..." Although you weren't completely satisfied with that answer, you decided it would do for now. 

"Alright, you can tell me later, and I'll help you forget about it. Sound like a deal?" 

"Deal." 

You rise from your spot on the railing, motioning for Aki to follow you into his apartment. He closes and locks the balcony door behind you once you're both inside. Making your way to the couch, Aki takes a seat first, and you confidently take a seat second on his lap. You straddle him, hands lightly gripping his shoulders as you shuffle, trying to find a comfortable position. 

Aki sighs deeply once he feels your weight settled on him. His hands find your waist, creeping up your shirt to hold the bare skin, ice cold palms making you shiver. Now that you've gotten closer, you can smell the faint residue of his cigarette smoke on him. It's a smell you're now quite used to. Actually, it's a rather comforting smell because it reminds you of him. 

"I..." Aki trails off, getting distracted when you stare down at him through your eyelashes. In this moment, there's so much he wants to say to you, but he can't possibly think of where to start. He's not sure if he should say something sweet, something sexy, or say one of the million things he has on his mind. He decides he's just going to say the most honest thing he can think of: 

"I missed you so fucking much." 

And God, now that he has you in his lap and in his arms, Aki realized how much that statement was true. It had been an awfully long week without you and every day you occupied Aki's thoughts. At work, he found himself getting distracted even when he was supposed to be focusing up to take down a dangerous devil. And at home, with nothing left to busy him, his mind could only be filled with you. 

One of your hands trails up to caress his jaw and you lean in, lips ghosting against his. Before you can form any words, he's closed the distance, connecting the two of you. Your eyes flutter shut. 

The feeling of Aki's soft lips pressed against yours is enough to send tingles of electricity up your spine and make your heart start to pound. The kiss is gentle at first, but Aki wastes no time deepening it, tongue brushing against your bottom lip. Once your mouth parts obediently, his tongue locks with yours. Aki pulls you further into his lap by your waist and you rut hard against his crotch. 

Aki was so goddamn needy. He knew he was needy for you when he spent every night without you fucking his fist, imagining you on top of him. And now he knew he definitely was way too needy when he already felt like finishing just from you grinding against him. 

The kiss quickly turns into a desperate mess with Aki practically sucking on your tongue like he can't get enough of you. All the while, you continuously roll your hips, grinding against his hardness beneath you. His fingertips travel up your shirt, up your bare back, tracing the curve of your spine. You reach up, pulling his hair out of the topknot, his hair tie slipping onto your wrist. With his hair free you run your fingers through his black locks, earning a sigh against your mouth from him. 

Aki pulls apart from you, breathing heavily from your exchange. He leans forward to whisper directly into your ear, breath hot against your skin, "Let me show you just how much I missed you." 

His voice is sultry and deep, dripping with lust, making it clear exactly what he means by that statement. You freeze as he begins to trail kisses down your jaw, then down your neck where he bites roughly. The only thing occupying your mind is the conclusion that he's sure to leave marks on your neck with how hard he's biting and sucking, so you hardly notice when he unclasps your bra. 

Aki grabs the hem of your shirt and you instinctively lift your arms. He pulls it over your head, your bra going along with it, tossing both articles of clothing to the floor. Your bra disappearing along with your shirt caught you off guard, but you fight the urge to cover yourself up with your arms when you see how Aki is staring at you. His eyes are locked onto your body, his hands slowly trailing up your sides. He's staring with what can only be described as complete adoration while taking in shaky breaths. 

Aki looks up to your face, taking note of the blush that coats your cheeks before making eye contact. 

"You're so beautiful." 

It takes absolutely everything in your power to keep your eyes locked on his and not turn away from embarrassment. 

Aki is the first to look elsewhere, feeling a tinge of regret at what he just said. Was that too direct? He's called you cute before, pretty, even, but he's never said something so direct before. Hopefully it wasn't too much for you. 

Fuck, what had gotten into him? 

Aki shook the thoughts from his head. Focus, just focus. 

His hands came up to toy with your breasts, cupping gently before squeezing, fingers pinching your nipples. You gripped his biceps in an attempt to stifle your noises, his muscles surprisingly firm. The effort was proven to be rather fruitless when you were unable to hold back a few quiet whines. 

Aki's hands were calloused from clutching weapons and years of arduous work as a devil hunter, but you couldn't care less about that. His touch against your skin felt heavenly, so firm and determined, yet tender. Your breasts fit into his hands just right. You could swear they were made for each other, and Aki felt the exact same way. Aki could swear you were made for him. He could touch you and admire you for hours, that's for sure, but right now he was getting a little impatient. 

You were suddenly pushed onto your back against the couch with Aki sitting over you. His hair fell over his face and he reached up briefly to brush it out of the way before leaning down so he could talk in your ear again. 

"You know," Aki took in a sharp breath before continuing, hand finding the waistband of your pants, pulling them down, "I've been dreaming of this all day. It was impossible to focus at work." 

"Dreaming of what?" You inquire, definitely not needing him to tell you for you to know, but just wanting to hear his sweet voice to say the words. 

With your pants out of the way, left discarded among the rest of your clothes on the floor, Aki turns his attention towards snaking his hand down your underwear. 

"Dreaming of..." His hand travels further and further, agonizingly slow. "Dreaming of fucking you until the only thing you can say is my name." 

Two fingers pressed against your clit and you thought you might just come undone on that alone. Your hips thrusted up, desperately wanting more, and as if Aki could read your mind, he gave you more. He pulled your underwear down to your thighs before his fingers ran down your cunt, briefly teasing you, but once they arrived to where they needed to be, he wasted no time pressing both his middle and ring finger into you knuckle deep. 

"So wet," Aki muttered, fingers curling inside of you, dragging a loud moan from your lips. He was so damn good to you. His long, slender fingers worked you from experience, knowing exactly what they were doing to hit all the right places. They reached deep inside you, making you melt when they pressed against your sweet spot. The countless whimpers Aki drew from you made his heart pound hard in his chest and his dick throb even harder. He craved more of your voice like he's never craved anything before in his life. 

"Fuck, tell me who you belong to." 

"You." The words were choked out between moans as Aki relentlessly pumped and curled his fingers, his thumb starting to rub rough circles on your clit. Your hands, desperate to grip onto something, grasped his forearm. 

"What's my name?" 

"Aki!" 

"Say it again." 

You obliged, his name falling deliciously from your lips as you repeated it over and over again like a mantra. You said it breathlessly through each and every moan. At that point, Aki knew for sure he was hopelessly, utterly doomed. He was addicted to you beyond saving. Addicted to the way you rolled your hips into his fingers, addicted to the way your walls tightened around them, and especially addicted to the way you said his name. 

"Please, Aki, please don't stop," You begged, feeling your high come closer. Aki was originally intending to tease you, see your disappointed pout when he took his fingers out too soon, but when you begged so sweetly like that? There was absolutely no resisting you. So Aki complied, keeping up the pace, determined to make you cum on his fingers. 

And in no time at all, you did just that. The feeling of his long fingers so deep inside you combined with his calloused thumb rubbing deep circles into your clit, it was too much to handle. Your fingernails dug red half-moons into Aki's arm as you gripped a little too tightly. And if you somehow hadn't been sent over the edge just yet, Aki's low voice whispering directly into your ear definitely threw you over. 

"Good girl." 

You moaned until your voice felt like it was aching. You felt pure ecstacy, and all the while, Aki's fingers did not stop moving until you were completely finished. You were panting, heart feeling like it was going to burst right out of your chest when you finally opened your eyes, but to your dismay, all you could see was stars. 

"I think," You swallowed, barely able to get the words out as you tried to catch your breath, "I think... I missed you too." 

Aki pulled back from where his head had been buried in the nape of your neck, and when your vision finally returned, you were greeted by him smirking down at you. Aki slowly pulled his fingers out of you, enjoying the wet sound they made as he did so. He then brought his fingers to his mouth and made sure you were watching as he sucked them clean. 

"I can tell," he said with a soft laugh when he was finished. 

Once he had given you a bit to recollect yourself, Aki pulled your underwear fully off your thighs and tossed them onto the floor with the rest of your clothes. He reached under you, lifting your back. You took the hint, wrapping your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck. He lifted you with surprising strength, carrying you to the bedroom. 

When you reached it, Aki kicked the door closed with one foot, tossing you gently on the bed. He swiftly undressed, arms crossed to pull his shirt over his head. Afterwards, he pulled down his sweatpants, and then his boxers. You admired him as he stripped. His entire body was covered in scars and bruises from fighting and making contracts with devils. You knew he was self-conscious about it, but you thought he was extremely handsome, scars and bruises included. And despite how much you tried not to stare because you didn't want him to out you for staring, your eyes couldn't help but travel down to fixate on his erection. You felt yourself getting turned on again and you already knew he was going to make you cum a second time. No, of course he was, he was Aki, after all. You didn't have any doubts from the start. 

"You're staring," Aki said with amusement, his voice cutting through the air like a knife. He caught on a little too quickly, but it's not like he minded that you were, anyway. He kind of liked the attention. 

Aki climbed onto the bed, and now it was his turn to admire you. He pushed loose strands of hair out of your face, flashing you a soft smile. His eyes trailed down to your neck, where he'd left hickeys and love bites, then down to your collarbones, your chest, your stomach, your thighs. He even noticed his hair tie that you still had on your wrist. He felt himself really wanting to call you beautiful again, but instead, he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours in order to shut himself up. He kissed you hurriedly, hands on your thighs, massaging them and pushing them open. 

"I'm going to make you cum again," He ascertained when he pulled away from you, speaking against your lips. Although, this was something you already knew to be true. 

"Don't cum until I say so," He continued. Now that part, that would be where the difficulty lies. 

Aki held your hips, lining himself up with your entrance. You shivered when you felt the head of his cock brush against your cunt. When you gave him no response, his grip tightened on your skin. 

"Is that understood?" 

You clenched your jaw, "Yes, Aki." 

Saying his name seemed to please him, a light smirk falling on his face. His grip loosened ever so slightly and he finally gave you what you were waiting for, slowly starting to push himself inside you. You gasped, eyes fluttering closed so you could focus on the feeling. His cock stretched you oh so perfectly. 

Aki's breath was ragged as he tried to hold back gasps of his own, but the way your cunt sucked him in and squeezed around him made that nearly impossible. He wanted to say something, he wanted to say how good it felt, how long he had been waiting for this, how much he missed you, how perfect you were, but his throat was completely dry and the words failed to form. All he could do was bite his lip and stare at the intoxicating way his dick pressed inside you. 

Despite that, he didn't fail to notice your hands. They had fallen weakly beside your head and were tightened as you struggled to grip onto nothing. Aki brought his hands up, pushing your grip open gently, interlacing his fingers with yours. You were grateful to have something to hold onto now, grasping his hands tight. 

"Fuck," Aki swore under his breath, finally shoving his cock in all the way to the hilt. The way your tight walls squeezed around him filled him with complete euphoria. He twitched inside of you, not wanting to move. He could definitely sit here and enjoy this feeling forever, but of course, that wouldn't be fair to you. You wanted him to move, no, needed him to move, desperate to feel the friction. Aki knew this when your hips thrusted up against his, trying to make you feel something. Unfortunately for you, Aki wasn't going to give in so easily this time. He just really, really needed to hear you beg for it first. 

"Please." Your hands squeezed his even tighter. 

"Please what?" 

"Please, Aki," His name fell from your lips so desperately, and fuck, he really loved that. 

"Tell me what you want." 

He was so difficult sometimes, he really was, but you'd be lying if you said you weren't a sucker for the way he teased you. 

"Please, Aki," You repeated, your voice shaking now, "I want, I need you to fuck me. I need you to make me cum, so bad." 

You were sure your face was turning bright red from the embarrassment of the dirty words you just uttered. You heard Aki sigh deeply and his hands tore away from yours to hold your hips again. He would really love to tease you more, to relish in this moment even more, but he wasn't that mean. If there was something you truly wanted, no, needed, he wouldn't deny you. 

"Good girl." 

Aki finally started moving, pulling out slowly, mumbling something into your ear along the lines of, "Oh my God, fuck, you feel so fucking good," but he was stammering and his words were slurring so you weren't entirely sure what he said. 

You weren't given much time to think when his hips snapped forward and he thrusted back into you. And again, and again. He shoved himself so deep inside, stretching you out and sending waves upon waves of pleasure through you each time. His fingers felt amazing, but his cock was on a whole new level. The best part was that he knew your body and he knew how to hit your sweet spots every single time. 

Every time he pushed back in, he savored the feeling, not being able to contain his moans and gasps anymore. He felt completely lightheaded, as if he was high on you. On second thought, he definitely was. Your body was simply meant for his, and he was meant for you. Aki was convinced there was no one else in this world more perfect than you. He felt like he was in heaven, and in this cruel world filled with devils, you were his angel. 

He started to thrust a little bit faster, and when your eyes fell open and you stared at him through your pretty eyelashes, gaze filled with lust, he felt as if he was truly done for. His hair was a mess, strands sticking to his forehead from his sweat, and he ran a hand through it as he spoke, "Angel, fuck, I-" 

Wait, did he just call you angel? 

Aki really didn't mean to do that, but the whine you let out when he did told him you at least didn't hate it. In fact, the way you threw your head back and tightened around him, eyes screwing shut, told him just the opposite. 

Aki didn't let up, continuing to pound you, admiring your facial expressions. You were already feeling close, like a bubble about to burst, but you remembered what Aki had asked of you before you began. 

Don't cum until I say so. 

You knew it would be difficult from the start, but now you were sure the request was going to be the death of you. You felt like you were going to fall apart already and you had no idea when Aki was going to give you a bit of mercy. 

"Keep going," Aki encouraged, as if he just read your mind. His words were sweet but his voice was incredibly rough against your ear, his throat worn out from moaning and breathing so hard, "You can do it. You're doing so good, angel."

You still felt like you were going to explode at any moment, but Aki's praises kept you holding it in for now. 

"You're so fucking good to me," His praises didn't stop coming and he didn't stop fucking you, either, his dick thrusting back in with each sentence he finished, "You're so perfect. You're the only one for me. You know that right?" 

You whimpered, hands flying to his shoulders, feeling the heat beneath them. Even though you knew he wasn't expecting an answer to his question, you really wanted to give him one, or at least say something, but that was impossible. You were completely overwhelmed between the perfect feeling of him inside you and the way your heart fluttered at his abundant flattery. Aki was always one to praise you, but not like this, not this much. What you really wanted to do was ask what the hell had gotten into him, but once again, words completely failed you. 

Aki brought a hand up to your chin, grasping it between his thumb and index finger, tilting your head ever so slightly towards him. 

"Look at me," He commanded. But you didn't comply, you couldn't comply. He continued to thrust relentlessly into you and your eyes remained screwed shut, too overstimulated to open them. 

"I said," Aki pulled himself completely out of you and you screamed at the abrupt sensation. Suddenly you felt so, so much closer to the edge and the lack of his cock was making your legs shake and your cunt pulse around nothing. 

"Look at me." 

His voice was much firmer than before when he repeated his command. Your eyes hesitantly opened and you met his gaze. He was breathing hard, just as hard as you, in fact. His face was completely flushed and his eyes were dark, clouded with lust. It seemed as if he was struggling with this just as much as you were. The hand that was holding your chin suddenly became wrapped around your throat. Aki took a deep breath in to calm himself before speaking again. 

"When I tell you to do something, you do it." 

You just about came right then and there when he said that, but you held back. How the hell did you even hold back? 

"Now," Aki's grip tightened slightly on your throat, your breathing becoming restricted. Your head began to feel light, as if you were floating in the clouds. You found it hard to focus on his voice as he continued, "Are you going to be good now and listen to me so you can cum?" 

"Yes." You stammered, your voice coming out so lightly you weren't even sure if he would hear it. 

"Yes, who?" 

So difficult and so stubborn until the very end. You should have expected him to say that. 

"Yes, Aki." 

Aki pushed back into you with no warning and the two of you moaned in tandem. "Good, then eyes on me," He spoke between gasps, his shaky voice sending electricity through your entire body. 

His gaze never left yours as he worked back up to his previous pace. With every thrust, you felt as if you were going to collapse. Aki's iron grip on your throat and the floaty feeling in your head filled your senses. Focusing on your task of looking him in the eyes was the only thing keeping you from falling apart at the seams. You knew from the way his dick was throbbing inside you that he was getting close and he had to be holding it back, because of course he was. That asshole. 

Your hands pulled away from his shoulders, your strength gone leaving you unable to grip them any longer. You trailed your fingertips down Aki's back, feeling his pronounced scars. All the while, you kept eye contact with him. His request seemed so difficult at first, but now, his facial expression of complete pleasure made it impossible for you to tear your eyes away from him. 

Aki's hips began to stutter and his breath became increasingly ragged. He finally broke eye contact with you, his head falling into the nape of your neck, and he whispered your name into your ear weakly. It sounded so endearing and filled with adoration as it fell from his lips. 

"Aki..." The way you said his name in return sent him over the edge. 

"Cum for me." 

You didn't need him to tell you twice. 

As you came undone, your nails dug into his back so hard you were sure you'd leave him another set of scars. His grip loosened around your throat and your back arched, your entire body tensing up. You weren't sure if you were moaning or screaming or saying his name, but whatever combination of words came out of your mouth, it was sure loud enough to leave your throat sore. He fucked into you with reckless abandon as you rode your high, your cunt tightening around him. 

If he made you see stars the last time you came, now you were surely seeing the whole fucking galaxy. 

Aki thrust once more deep inside you before you felt his cock twitch and his cum fill you. He moaned your name as he finished, hand flying to your hair so he could run his fingers through and grip roughly against your scalp. He didn't move until he was sure he let out every last drop inside you, and hell, even then he didn't move, wanting to enjoy the feeling of being inside you for as long as you would allow him. 

Eventually, after many agonizingly long seconds, he pulled out of you, although he made sure to do it as slowly as possible. 

"F-Fuck," Aki stammered, his voice cracking. He swallowed, "Good girl. My good girl. My baby." 

My baby? Ugh, add that to the ever growing list of things he probably shouldn't have said. 

As soon as Aki was fully pulled out, he fell on top of you, his strength disappearing in an instant. His body pressed against yours. You felt his warmth, the heave of his chest, the pounding of his heart. He smelled of sweat, sex, and the slightest aroma of cigarettes. His hand didn't grip your hair anymore but it remained tangled in it. You felt his hot breath against your ear. 

"I love you." 

He whispered it so softly, any softer, and he would have just been mouthing it. Maybe that's what he intended to do but it didn't end up working out. 

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Did he really just say that? No, he just mouthed it. He didn't say it, right? No, you definitely heard it, he definitely said it. Oh my God, why the fuck did he just say that? What the hell is wrong with him? 

"I'm sorry," Aki pushed himself off of you in a hurry, panic quickly setting in. His hand came out of your hair and he used it to massage his temple, attempting to calm himself down a little. "Why did I just... I'm sorry. Look, I'm not thinking straight, pretend I never-" 

"I love you too." 

"You don't..." Aki sighed. He stopped massaging his temple so he could cover his eyes with his hand. "You don't have to humor me." 

You let out an awkward giggle and shook your head, "I'm not. I've been waiting for you to say that, I've been wanting to say it but..." 

You trail off. There were so many reasons why you never told him your feelings that you couldn't pick just one. You weren't sure if he felt the same, or how he felt about you at all, really. Were you just a hookup to him or something more? Were you just his friend? You and Aki were extremely intimate when you were together, but that's just the thing. You were hardly together. 

Aki was always busy. If he texted you, you always answered immediately, but if you texted him, most of the time you wouldn't get a reply until hours or sometimes even days later. "I'm sorry, I got caught up with work again," was his token excuse, but doubt about that couldn't help but seep into your head. Maybe he wasn't as busy and desperate to see you as he made it out to be. Maybe you were just someone to call when no-one else was available. Maybe there was someone else who Aki loved. 

No, that wasn't true. Aki never lied to you, you don't think he would lie about this. Besides, whenever you did see Aki after a while, he really did look like he was working from dusk 'til dawn. Absolutely covered in bandages and bruises, huge dark circles under his eyes, tired expression on his face that made it unable to hide how exhausted he was, and all he could talk about was how hunting down the gun devil pieces was such a pain in the ass. 

Aki knew you better than anyone else, and you knew him in the same way, yet recently Aki seemed to hold you at an arms length. When you and Aki first met, you hung out all the time. Dinner dates, watching movies, going shopping, hanging with his roommates, but now, it was never like that. You can't remember the last time the two of you did anything normal together. Hell, you can't remember the last time you even saw his roommates because every time you've been invited over recently, they've never been home. The only time you two saw each other these days was like this, booty calls to each other's houses just to fuck and forget about everything. At one point in time, Aki was there at your beck and call, just as you were for him, but that was forever ago. 

Whatever, none of this mattered, anyways. Even if he did love you, there's no chance he would want a relationship with you. He was too busy with his work, completely consumed with his effort to hunt down the gun devil. So this was all you were, and that's why- 

"Really? Have you really been wanting to say it?" 

Aki's voice tore you away from your thoughts. His hand had left his face and he was looking right at you now. His expression was soft and earnest, his cheeks slightly rosy. 

You rolled your eyes, "Yeah, you idiot." 

"Oh, shut up," Aki laughed, punching your shoulder playfully with so little force that it probably wouldn't even hurt an ant. He was grinning now, a much more obvious blush painting his cheeks. His happy expression helped settle the worries festering in your mind, but it didn't change the fact that there was something you really wanted to ask him. 

"Do you love me?" 

"Huh?" 

"I mean, were you serious about that? It's just kind of hard to believe." 

Aki thought about the implications of what you said for a moment. At first he was confused. Aki never lied to you, you both knew that fact to be true. He would never say something he didn't mean. The more Aki thought about it, however, the more he realized why you would have some doubts. 

For one, he confessed his feelings in what was quite literally the worst possible time and place. And for second, his actions these past few months haven't exactly been screaming, "I love you." Aki was suddenly aware of how little time the two of you had spent together. He saw you once a week if he was lucky, and when he did see you, it was usually straight to the point. 

All at once, the pieces in Aki's brain clicked into place and he was kicking himself. You probably believed he saw you as nothing more than a hookup, and who could blame you? But that wasn't true, right? 

Because Aki loved you, right? 

Truth is, Aki didn't have a clue what being in love meant. Nobody ever told him they loved him. His parents must have, but it was such a long, long time ago that he hardly even remembers it. He's always been so preoccupied with his work as a devil hunter that he never had any time for relationships, not like he was all that interested in them before, anyways. 

What Aki did know was that he cared about you more than anyone else, he wanted to protect you, and he wanted to make you happy. What he did know is that you practically lived in his mind. Whenever he was apart from you, all he did was think about when he would get the chance to see you again. What he did know is that he wanted to grow closer to you, he wanted to spend more time with you, and he wanted you to be his, no-one else's. You had shown him love, you were the one who helped him come to understand it, and now he knew that he was in love with you. 

"Aki?" 

Aki felt a wave of dread wash over him when he met your gaze again. Shit, he had taken too long to reply, now things were getting weird. Now any reply that he did give you wouldn't seem genuine because he had taken too long. 

A part of Aki wanted to tell you everything was just a joke. A part of him desperately wanted to deny his feelings. He wanted things to be simple. He wanted you to be just a hookup. Just an outlet to relieve his stress. 

But Aki was really, really tired. He was sick and tired of the longing and the complication. He was tired of denying his feelings. 

Suddenly, Aki's emotions got the better of him and he was speaking before he had a chance to think about it. 

"Yes, yes of course I'm serious. I love you," Aki hesitated, if only for a moment. Now that he was saying it with his chest, the words caught in this throat at the end. He swallowed and willed himself to continue. He was already in too deep, he couldn't stop now. 

"I'm sorry, I know I don't show it to you as much as I should, I know, but I do. You mean everything to me, that's why I'm going to fix it, I promise. I'm going to fix it, I'm going to make you happy, I'm going to..." 

Aki looked away, brows furrowing as he lost his train of thought. How did he ever expect himself to do that? No, he knew the answer, he knew it immediately. There was one way that he could do it. It wouldn't fully fix everything, but it would be the only way he could start. 

"I'm quitting devil hunting." 

"What? But you-" 

"I don't give a shit about the gun devil anymore." Aki's expression grew serious and he clasped your hands, "I don't give a shit about any devils. I'm tired of them consuming my life. So I'm done. I'll quit tomorrow. There's more important things for me to worry about now." 

You needn't ask what important things he was talking about because his sincere expression of admiration, his eyes locked on yours gave it all away. He stared at you like he was completely enthralled, like you were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. 

You really weren't sure who leaned in first, but before you knew it, Aki's head was dipping and you had propped yourself up on your elbows to get closer to him. His lips pressed against yours and he held the back of your head, pushing you closer, deepening the kiss. 

He kissed you tenderly and leisurely, as if he was savoring every moment and had all the time in the world to enjoy it. His hand threaded through your hair, sending tingles up your spine. It felt like an eternity before the two of you separated, and when you did, it was agonizingly slow. He pulled apart just enough to speak against your lips, "I'm so glad I met you." 

Aki chuckled, closing his eyes, his forehead pressing against yours. "And I could really use a cigarette right now." 

"Pfft, then go get one. Dumbass." You rolled your eyes, flopping back onto the bed. 

"Let me at least help you get cleaned up first." 

You totally forgot about that and now you were feeling a little embarrassed. Aki asked you if you wanted water or for him to make you something to eat to which you answered yes to the first question and no, thank you to the second. He left the room, holding up his hands as if to say wait here before he left, and when he returned it was with a glass of water in one hand and a towel in the other. He set the glass of water on the side table beside the bed, afterwards handing you the towel. First he made sure you didn't need anything else, then he dug around in his dresser to find clean clothes. 

Wiping yourself off helped a little bit, but you still really needed a shower. You could do it a little later, right now you were keen on relaxing. You were interrupted by a face full of cotton when Aki threw a shirt at you. "Oh, sorry," but clearly he wasn't all that sorry because he kept throwing clothes at you. 

You changed into the clothes Aki gave you: a clean shirt, sweatpants, and briefs. You were grateful for him giving you some clean clothes, but now literally all you could smell was him. 

"Okay, I really need a cigarette now." Turning to Aki once he spoke, you noticed he had already put clothes on minus a shirt, which he had in his hands. Before he slipped it on you caught a glimpse of his back which was covered in red scratches. Oops. 

Aki wandered around his room before finding his discarded pants on the floor, snatching the cigarette box and lighter from them and slipping them into his pocket. He left the room with an, "I'll be back," waving to you. You waved back, and he noticed the hair tie still around your wrist. "You can keep that," He said before he departed, causing you to laugh when you noticed it too. 

You laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Your heart felt like it might explode. You knew how much devil hunting meant to Aki. It wasn't a job for him, it was what kept him going and gave meaning to his life, despite how dangerous it was. That's why you never once criticized him or suggested he should quit even though you really, really wanted him to. Instead, you cheered him on, telling him, "Be safe, you can do it." Your heart broke whenever you saw him stressed to high heaven and painted with bruises, but you knew why he put up with such a dangerous job. He wanted to get revenge on the gun devil for taking his family away from him. Devil hunting is what drove him mad but what kept him sane at the same time. The fact that he would quit for you, the fact that he would quit at all, it was enough to drive you to tears. 

You were thankful. Finally you'd get to spend more time with him, and finally he'd have a bit of weight taken off his shoulders. All you ever wanted for Aki was for him to be happy and for him to live a nice, long life. You let out a sigh of relief. Maybe you could stop worrying about him so much now. 

Aki made his way to the living room. Once he was alone, everything that happened hit him like a ton of bricks. He didn't mean for things to unfold the way they did, but he wasn't complaining. He was thrilled that he'd finally be able to spend more time with you. There was so much that he wanted to do. 

Aki unlocked the balcony door and slid it open. He stood there for a moment, thoughts clouded, the cool night breeze brushing against his skin. His eyes drifted to the corner of the room. His sword. He had left it propped up against the wall once he came home.

A sense of dread washed over Aki right then. Everything he had just forgotten about was suddenly brought to the forefront of his mind. He was reminded of everything you were helping him to avoid. Without a second thought, Aki grabbed the sword before going outside. The balcony door was closed behind him so there was no chance of you hearing him. 

Breeze rustling through his hair, Aki stepped further onto the balcony. He held the sword sheath in one hand and the handle in the other. 

With a deep, shaky breath, cool air filling his lungs, Aki pulled the sword out of the sheathe slightly. "Curse," he hesitated, swallowing when he felt a lump in his throat, "How much time do I have left?" 

"Two months." The reply was heard directly in Aki's brain, seeping into his thoughts and his entire being. 

Two months. That was it. 

Aki already knew what the answer was going to be, and yet his heart still sunk into his stomach. The only reason he checked again was because he was hoping for some kind of miracle, hoping that the universe would take pity on him and change his fate. Of course, that was impossible. He should have known. The same universe who took his family away and threw him into this shitty world would never take pity on him. 

Aki was so, so naive. He had recently picked up a tip regarding a devil in the area which was supposed to be harboring a gun devil fragment. He was told it would be relatively easy to defeat, but when he finally managed to track the fucker down today, that couldn't have been further from the truth. He was immediately overwhelmed. Whether it was the building stress or the thoughts of you distracting him, he wasn't thinking straight. Aki drew his sword without a second thought. Once he did that, he was able to cut down the devil with ease, but not without the cost of shaving some time off his lifespan. Aki checked immediately after finishing his mission and of course, just as he was now, two months was the answer he had been left with. 

And the worst part? The devil didn't even have the damn fragment. It was a complete waste of time. 

He felt like he was crumbling. The curse had never been wrong before. There was no changing the outcome, either. It was the truth and there was no way to prevent it. In two months he was going to die, in one way or another. 

The sword was put back into the sheath and tossed carelessly, hitting the ground with a loud clatter. Aki pulled a cigarette and lighter from his pocket. He held the cig between his teeth as he struck the lighter with one hand and protected the flame from the wind with the other. He noticed now that his hands were trembling. He hastily struck the lighter once, twice, three times before he succeeded and it came to life. 

Aki took a long, slow drag from the cigarette. Smoke filled his lungs, the euphoric taste of nicotine giving him a little bit of his sanity back. Just a little bit. 

His life was going to end soon, but in a way, it was just beginning. That's the way Aki tried to think of it, anyways. He had been hunting devils for as long as he could remember, and now he'd finally have a break. He already figured out what he was going to do with all his newfound free time. It was going to be spent by your side. Aki was going to grow closer to you and learn every detail about you he could manage to learn in such a short amount of time. He was going to memorize every curve on your body, the feeling of your lips, your voice, all of your little mannerisms. He'd memorize every little thing about you so that maybe, just maybe, he'd remember it even after death. 

And he was going to make you happy. He was going to do absolutely anything and everything to make your dreams come true. He'd quit smoking like he knew you wanted him to, even though you'd never admit it. He'd make you quit your job, too. His work paid him pretty well and with no need to spend money on himself, Aki had a generous savings. He would take care of everything so wouldn't need to work anymore. 

"At least I'm not going to die to a devil," A smirk formed on his lips around the cigarette. He spoke the words aloud as his way of showing spite to the universe. 

Aki was never going to let you out of his arms. Not ever again, not until he was dead. 

"At least I'm going to die happy."