"Like the match to the wick, I ignite when we touch."

― Kamand Kojouri

Kougami had forgotten how persistent Akane could be in the face of adversity. Her hands were as strong as his resolve, digging into his skin hard enough to bruise, siphoning his strength. The weight of her determination had made its way into his bones. He succumbed to her entirely, relinquishing the darkest part of his heart in an attempt to lighten the load. Her eyes softened when she saw what lived in that sad space, piercing his soul as gently as a flame engulfed in darkness, exposing everything that he had hidden within himself. She refused to look away. She stared into his darkness and he stared back, willing her to walk away, breaching the silence that stretched between them, stealing what she refused to show.

His plea echoed in her ears like a cry for help, filling the air with words he hadn't wanted to say out loud. The look in her eyes spoke volumes. He felt her hands above his heart, folding in at the middle like a piece of paper, keeping his darkness at bay with just one touch. He stared at her in disbelief, wishing that he could have her fingers to himself, pressed against his mouth, entwined between his own, and balanced on his chest in moments of respite, when the world had grown as quiet as a breath of air. She lingered longer than he thought she would, counting the seconds that passed between them under her breath, cradling his heart between her fingers as though it were an open flame. For the first time in a long time, he felt warm. His cheeks burned and his heart responded in turn, thumping wildly against her hands like a caged bird, fighting for freedom.

He had denied himself the pleasure of being close to her. Akane burned brighter than anything he had ever seen in his life, emanating positivity in the same way that a flame consumed oxygen. If she breached the space that stretched between them, he knew that he'd burn as easily as a piece of kindling, dragging her down the same dark hole that he had dived into. It was easier feigning ignorance than submitting to his own insecurities, pretending that she didn't affect him as much as he affected her. He wanted to believe that she was untouchable, embodying the aspirations of a world that didn't exist. He had placed her on a pedestal of his own making, keeping her as far from his darkness as possible, far enough to watch her light up every inch of space within his eyesight, and far enough to live off of false pretences and repressed emotions without being fearful of their consequences.

Kougami had been dead inside for a long, long time.

He felt her hands on his face, exploring the lines etched into his skin as though they were her own. She traced the bridge of his nose, lingering where it had been broken and hesitating when her fingers brushed against his mouth. She met his eyes once more, asking for permission in the only way that she knew how.

When she kissed him, brushing her mouth against his own in an act more sincere than their shared silence, he could feel his breath hitch in his chest. Her fingers found the folds of his jacket, drawing him close enough to taste her breath, to feel her heat, and to hear his name slip through her lips like a hymn, a song that only he was meant to hear. Her warmth filled him like a cup on the cusp of overflowing, seeping slowly into his heart until he thought that it would burst, pressing against his ribcage in an attempt to become one with her own. He yearned for her more than anything he had ever yearned for in his life, but she was more than he deserved. He folded his hands into the curve of her spine, drawing her against his body as gently as he could manage in his current state of mind, kissing her soundly and thoroughly before pulling away to look into her dark eyes. The taste of her mouth was strong on his tongue, cloying his thoughts until he could barely speak. She knew what he wanted to ask and he didn't have to say a word.

She kissed him again, threading her fingers through his hair, pulling him as close to her as she dared.

He didn't burn.

A/N: For Gimli.