Slowly, slowly, Akechi's voice starts to sound less like the groan of a corpse and more like the quiet tones of the living person. The Akechi, the important one, the only one who's really real. The idea of separating from him makes Ren want to puke. If he's not in sight, how can Ren be sure he's not lying dead in a ditch somewhere?

But he doesn't say so, nor does he remove their hands to see if Akechi's face has stopped looking like it did. "Akechi," he whispers against the warmth of Akechi's neck. "Ace. I can't do this anymore."