?? ??? ????

ayato had never ran so fast in his life. his legs burned from the sprint, his lungs ached, but he didn't stop—not until he reached his house. he nearly slammed into the door, fumbling with his keys before finally pushing it open and staggering inside. he barely caught himself as he spun around, throwing the door shut behind him with a loud bang. his chest rose and fell rapidly, sweat clinging to his skin, but there was no time to catch his breath.

he needed to get rid of everything.

his hands moved quickly, almost frantically, stripping off his hoodie first, then his shirt. they were both thrown into the dirty clothes hamper without a second thought. next went his pants, his socks, his mask—every single piece of evidence he had on him. but he didn't just leave them sitting on top. no, he crouched down, digging his hands through the pile of old laundry, mixing them in deep, ensuring that if anyone ever looked, it would just seem like a normal mess of clothes.

his gloves—those were the only things he couldn't risk keeping around. he grabbed them off the counter where he had tossed them in his rush and, without hesitation, threw them into the trash. they were thin, disposable, nothing that would raise any alarms. still, ayato made sure to push them further into the garbage, burying them beneath old wrappers and scraps from his previous meals. only then did he allow himself to stop. his body was still tense, the adrenaline still pumping through his veins. he ran a hand through his hair, breathing heavily, before reaching for his phone.

it had been off the entire time—he couldn't risk it buzzing in the middle of what he was doing. as soon as the screen lit up, a notification popped up. a voicemail. unknown number.

ayato's pulse quickened, though not from exertion this time. there was only one person this could be. his thumb hovered over the play button for just a second before he pressed it. "hi, a-ayato..." immediately, he could tell. she was crying. the sound of her voice, weak and unsteady, sent a strange shiver down his spine. she was scared. terrified, even. exactly what he expected. exactly what he needed. "i-it's y/n...i-i don't know if you're awake, but please...please, call me back if you can? something...something really b-bad happened...and i was hoping if i could stay at your place..."

the voicemail ended.

ayato slowly pulled the phone away from his ear, his expression unreadable.

he should've been more careful, he thought. she had noticed him. she was panicked. but... this was perfect. she was coming to him. she was the one seeking his help. his lips twitched into a faint smirk before he quickly wiped it away. he had to act right. he closed his eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply, trying to slow the wild beating of his heart. he needed to sound tired, groggy, like he had just woken up. after a few more breaths, he let out a slow sigh, rolling his shoulders to loosen up.

then, he pressed the call button.

the phone rang once...twice...each second dragging out painfully slow. his fingers tapped against the counter absentmindedly as he waited, standing in the dim glow of the kitchen light, his bare chest rising and falling with each steady breath. his heart pounded in anticipation. finally, the call connected, and as soon as it did, ayato barely had time to breathe before y/n's voice broke through the silence. "ayato! thank god—" she exhaled, the relief in her tone making his chest tighten in the most satisfying way. she sniffled, and he could hear how hard she was trying to hold herself together. "did you..." she hesitated, her voice small, unsure. "did you listen to my voicemail?"