Shoto shifts just enough to hold him when Toge leans back, one arm settling around his waist without hesitation. "I didn’t know you thought we weren’t together," he says quietly. "I kept thinking we were apart, not... finished."

He doesn’t try to meet his eyes. He just lets the words settle between them. "That wasn’t fair. I never said what I meant, and I can’t expect you to hold onto something I never made clear." Shoto sits with that for a moment, then adds, "I want to know you again. If you’ll let me. We can take it slowly to find what we both want again. It doesn't mean I don't love you still."