✯What We Could've Been✯

Time: 11:45 PMPlace: Shinchan's new studio, Tokyo - the rain quietly tapping against the glass walls, city lights shimmering like broken memories.

Kazama stood at the doorway, hands shoved deep in his coat pockets, his eyes cold but trembling underneath. Shinchan was sitting on the couch, exhausted from the day's shoot, his phone still on the table - screen lit with 27 unread messages.

"Talk to me," Kazama said, voice rough, a mix of command and plea. "Like the old days."

Shinchan didn't respond, just stared at the script in his lap, trying not to let the tears gather again.

Kazama walked closer, the distance between them thick with everything left unsaid."I'm serious, Shin. I want to tell you about my day again. Every boring meeting. Every stupid business deal. I want you to tell me about your scripts, your dreams, your stress - I want that again."

He stopped, trying to read Shinchan's face."Just give me a chance. I've already confessed... you know how I feel. I get jealous easily, I can't stand seeing you with anyone else. I-"

Shinchan cut him off, voice shaking."And what if I don't want that anymore, Kazama? What if all of that - the talks, the laughs, the nights - they're just memories for me now?"

Kazama froze.Shinchan looked up, tears finally falling. "You weren't there when I needed you. And now you show up when I've already learned to live without you. That's not love anymore... that's timing."

The silence hit harder than any argument ever could.

Kazama looked away, blinking fast, his lips parting to say something - but no words came.He finally took a step back, voice breaking as he whispered,"Fine. I give up, Shinchan. I'll move on. I wish you... a happy life."

He turned around before Shinchan could say anything - because he knew if he stayed one second longer, he'd never be able to leave.

As the door shut behind him, Shinchan's sobs filled the empty studio - raw, helpless, painful.And in his car, parked under the pouring rain, Kazama broke down completely, forehead pressed against the steering wheel, crying like a man who'd just lost everything he didn't know how to keep.

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The Next Morning - Kazama's Company, Tokyo

Shinchan's body felt heavy as he walked toward the towering glass building.He hadn't wanted to come.Every step felt like walking toward a wound he had no intention of reopening.

But there was one reason he had to go: Kazama's phone.It had been left behind in the heat of the previous night's confrontation - the one thing linking them, the last tangible reminder of what they had once shared.

Inside, the secretary met him at the entrance, giving him a soft, knowing look."Director Nohara... thank you for coming. Kazama-sama... he's not well. The rain yesterday... he caught a high fever. He hasn't even opened his eyes this morning."

Shinchan froze.Pain stabbed his chest so sharp he thought he might collapse.But pride and fear took over. He swallowed it down, forcing his expression to remain calm."Where is he?" he asked quietly.

The secretary's gaze softened."You should see him. Please... it's time."

Shinchan hesitated. Every instinct told him to turn away.He knew that seeing Kazama like this would hurt him, and maybe even break the fragile wall Kazama had around his heart.But still... he walked forward.

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Kazama's Office - Mid-Morning

The room smelled faintly of medicine and citrus from the humidifier.Kazama lay on the couch, pale and flushed, a blanket pulled tightly around him. His hair was damp from sweat, his breathing shallow but steady.

Shinchan's hand shook slightly as he stepped closer, holding the phone out like it weighed more than gold."I... I came to return this," he said softly, voice breaking under the weight of everything unsaid.

Kazama blinked, weak but aware, a faint smile tugging at his lips despite his fever."You... you came," he whispered.

Shinchan swallowed hard, emotions crashing over him."Yeah... I had to."

The secretary stepped back, giving them privacy but watching like a quiet cupid, knowing this moment might be the first step toward something neither of them had dared admit in years.

Kazama's hand trembled slightly as he reached for the phone."Thank... thank you," he murmured, voice barely audible. "You... didn't have to come."

Shinchan knelt beside him, holding the phone but also unwilling to step back."I did," he said simply. "Because... because I still care, Kazama. Maybe more than I should."

Kazama closed his eyes briefly, a small shiver running through him, fever and emotion mixing together."You... always know how to hurt me, don't you?" he whispered, a faint, tired smile appearing.

Shinchan's heart ached as he watched him."Maybe... but maybe I'm only hurting because I... care," he said, voice breaking.

For a long moment, the room was silent except for the faint hum of the humidifier.Two hearts, battered by years of distance, misunderstanding, and pride, sat on the edge of breaking - slowly, painfully inching closer again.

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End of Chapter 18

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