Kai Langford - October 2120
"Hold the gun a little higher" I tell him, watching the way his grip shifts. "And keep both hands on it."
Ethan glances back at me over his shoulder, a familiar crooked smile already forming on his lips.
"But it looks cooler with one hand."
I fold my arms, unimpressed. "Yeah, and if you want to risk snapping your wrist the first time it kicks back, I'd strongly advise against it."
He lets out a quiet laugh, but he adjusts his stance anyway, bringing his second hand up to steady the gun. For all his teasing, he listens to everything I say.
His footing is still slightly off, though, so I step forward and nudge his foot back with my own, widening his stance just a little to give him better balance.
Before I can step away again, he turns his head, that same teasing smirk returning.
"Oh," he says lightly, "I mean, I'd rather continue this in the bedroom… but if you insist, I don't mind doing it here."
He even winks.
Heat rushes straight to my face. I narrow my eyes at him, though I can't quite hide the small smile tugging at my mouth.
"Why don't you focus on the gun instead?"
"As you say, birthday boy." he winks.
I sigh under my breath, but something about the way he immediately turns back to the target sends a quiet flutter through my chest.
I tried to keep it from him. The fact that today is my birthday. Yet somehow, despite everything, he still found out.
Ethan had practically begged me to go into town with him. He'd gone on about getting food, walking around, doing something "normal." I refused, of course. I've never liked celebrating my birthday. Not when I was younger, and certainly not now.
Growing up, the day was never really mine anyway. It was always shared with Noah.
That part never bothered me. Noah never did anything wrong. If anything, he tried too hard to make it fair. The problem was everyone else.
Father would make a show of it every year. Noah would receive gift after gift, expensive things laid out in front of him like some kind of display. I would usually get one thing, if that. Something small, something that clearly hadn't required much thought.
Noah always noticed.
He would try to hand some of his presents to me when no one was looking, quietly insisting that we should share them. I never took them. I couldn't. They were his, not mine, and taking them always made the whole thing feel worse somehow.
After I was taken to the facility, birthdays stopped existing altogether.
Most years I didn't even realise the date had come around until I happened to notice a calendar hanging somewhere on a wall. By then the day would already be half over. Sometimes completely gone.
Eventually I stopped caring about it entirely.
So no, I really don't like celebrating my birthday.
But Ethan looked genuinely disappointed when I told him I didn't want to do anything. The expression on his face had been almost painful to look at, like I'd taken something away from him instead.
In the end I gave him a compromise and I told him I'd train him properly with a gun.
He complained about that too, of course. Said it was a terrible birthday activity and that I had no sense of fun. But eventually he gave in.
And now we're here...
Ethan plants his feet more firmly this time before raising the gun toward the target. One eye closes as he lines up the shot, and I watch his shoulders rise slightly as he takes a steady breath.
The shot cracks through the quiet a moment later.
Bang.
The bullet strikes the target, not quite near the centre but close enough to surprise me.
"See that!" he shouts, spinning toward me with a burst of excitement.
He nearly jumps in place.
Instinct kicks in before thought has time to catch up, and I reach out to guide the barrel of the gun away from me as he turns.
"Watch where you're pointing that" I warn calmly.
"Oh, sorry." He stops bouncing, though the grin on his face refuses to fade. "But I can't believe I actually hit it."
His excitement is impossible to ignore. Before I can stop myself, my hand lifts to ruffle his blond curls, which only makes him look even more pleased with himself.
He's ridiculously cute when he's like this. Almost like an overexcited puppy.
"Yeah," I say, allowing myself a small smile. "You did well for your first shot."
That only seems to encourage him more. His smile widens before he turns back to the target and settles into position again.
This time he adjusts his stance faster, shifting the gun slightly as he lines up the shot.
The second shot rings out.
When I glance at the target, the bullet has landed even closer to the centre.
I narrow my eyes slightly.
"Are you sure you've never fired a gun before?"
"No, I swear!" he replies quickly. "I can't believe I actually hit it twice."
I glance between him and the target again. The shots are close enough to show promise, but not close enough for my liking if he ever has to use a weapon to defend himself.
The thought lingers for a moment before an idea forms.
"Try again," I say. "But this time… use your vision."
Ethan hesitates slightly, considering the suggestion.
"But in a real fight I might not be able to pull the trigger in time if I focus too much on watching the future."
There's a flicker of worry in his eyes, subtle but impossible for me to miss. I reach for his free hand without really thinking about it, brushing my thumb lightly across his knuckles.
"I understand that." I tell him quietly. "We're only using it for training right now. If it helps improve your aim faster, it'll make things easier later."
He studies my face for a moment before nodding slowly.
"And once your aim improves," I continue, "we can work on training you to use both together without the risk."
A small smile appears on his lips, but instead of lifting the gun again he places it carefully on the table beside him.
Before I can ask what he's doing, his hand catches the front of my shirt and pulls me down toward him.
The sudden movement surprises me, but I don't resist.
His lips meet mine a moment later, warm and confident, and it doesn't take long before the kiss deepens. My hand slides instinctively to the back of his head while his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me closer.
For a moment the rest of the world fades into the background.
The quiet shed.
The distant wind moving across the field.
Everything except Ethan.
I'm vaguely aware of my shadows shifting along the floor, creeping slowly toward the door as if they've already decided it would be a good idea to lock it.
But before that thought can go much further, Ethan pulls back slightly.
"God," he murmurs, his cheeks flushed red, "it's so hot when you're like this."
I blink at him, confused. "Like what?"
He smiles brightly, looking completely serious.
"When you try to make me feel better."
The words catch somewhere in my chest.
All I did was teach him how to hold a gun. It's something I've trained people to do countless times before.
Yet the way he looks at me makes it seem like I've done something far more important.
Before I can overthink it, my hands move to his face and pull him back into another kiss. This one deepens faster than the first, our breathing growing heavier as his arms tighten around me.
When Ethan lightly bites my bottom lip, my hands slide down to the hem of his shirt, already starting to pull it upward.
Then laughter echoes from somewhere outside the shed and we both freeze.
A moment later we pull apart, still breathing hard as the sound continues.
It takes me a second to realise it's the kids playing out in the field. They know they're not allowed anywhere near the shed, especially since Noah and Finn dropped off the weapons and equipment and we turned the place into a small training range.
Ethan suddenly bursts into laughter and I can't help laughing with him.
The whole situation feels strangely familiar, like we're teenagers sneaking away behind the bike sheds at school.
"Should we go back to the bedroom?" Ethan asks, pulling me closer again. "maybe I will be extra good for you today since it's your birthday"
I lean down and kiss the top of his head before brushing another kiss across his cheek and then the side of his neck.
"Definitely."
He quickly locks the gun away before grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the shed with him.
We cross the field together, and every few steps he glances back at me with that same bright smile that always manages to catch me off guard.
I can feel my face warming again.
But just as we reach the school doors, the sound of a car pulling up breaks through the quiet.
Daniel and Ray's cars are already here. Which means there's only one other possibility if the alarms didn't go off.
"Guess Noah and Finn have come to visit," Ethan says.
He smiles, though I can still see the faint disappointment in his eyes.
And if I'm honest, I feel a little of it too.
If it were anyone else, I probably wouldn't hesitate to carry him straight upstairs. But it's been days since Noah visited, and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't missed my brother.
I squeeze Ethan's hand gently and he leans over and presses a soft kiss to my cheek.
As the car rolls to a stop in the gravel, both of them notice us almost immediately. Finn lifts a hand from the driver's seat and waves before cutting the engine.
Noah doesn't wait. The door opens and he steps out straight away, already walking toward us with his usual purposeful stride.
"I wasn't expecting you today" I say when he reaches us.
Noah stops in front of me and studies my face. "Well, it is our birthday"
Before I can say anything else, his eyes move slowly, deliberately, as though he's scanning through possibilities only he can see. From my shoulders to my hands, then back to my face again.
It makes the back of my neck tense.
Ethan notices too. I can feel him shift slightly beside me, his attention flicking between us.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
Noah doesn't reply. His gaze continues moving over me with that same distant concentration.
"Noah?" I try again.
Before he can continue whatever silent evaluation he's performing, Finn steps up behind him and grips the collar of his shirt, pulling him back slightly.
"Stop observing him like that" Finn says firmly.
The interruption seems to break Noah's focus. He blinks once, annoyance briefly crossing his expression.
"I wasn't observing," he replies flatly. "I was simply looking."
The explanation doesn't make it any less uncomfortable.
Finn seems to sense the tension and immediately steps forward, offering his hand with an easy smile.
"Just ignore him, Kai. Happy Birthday by the way."
I take his hand and shake it, grateful for the normal interaction. "Thanks"
Ethan steps forward slightly, his natural warmth smoothing over the moment. "How have things been?"
"Well," Finn says with a small laugh, "I've basically been on house arrest while Noah works."
Noah clicks his tongue in irritation.
"You're exaggerating because you're not allowed to come with me."
Finn turns away with an exaggerated pout, clearly unimpressed.
I look back at Noah.
"Have you been at the facility the whole time?" The question leaves my mouth before I can stop it. Just saying the word makes something tighten in my chest.
Cold corridors. Observation rooms. The echo of footsteps outside locked doors.
Memories I'd rather leave buried.
The thought of Noah walking through that place unsettles me more than I want to admit. I wished he would never even see it. Not even from the safe side of the glass.
"Yes," Noah replies without hesitation. "Father granted me the opportunity to gain higher security access."
My stomach drops. The way he says it sounds almost like pride, but I know our father. Nothing he offers is free.
"What did he want in return?" I ask quietly.
Noah tilts his head slightly, like the question is unnecessary.
"Nothing unreasonable."
That answer only makes the unease settle deeper in my chest.
Before I can press further, the school door behind us opens.
Thomas steps outside holding a cup of coffee, clearly in the middle of a break. When he spots Noah, his face brightens.
"Noah! I didn't realise you'd be here." He walks toward us and without thinking, I step back.
I know Thomas has helped the people here more times than I can count. I know he's done everything he can to make this place safe for them.
But sometimes when I look at him, I still see the observation room.
The glass.
The quiet way he watched while they tested what my body could survive. I haven't managed to forget that version of him yet.
Noah nods politely as Thomas approaches.
"Dr Thomas. I came to exchange information regarding my time at the facility."
At the mention of the facility, Thomas's gaze flickers briefly toward me and Ethan. Something uncomfortable passes across his face before he clears his throat.
"Ah," he says quietly. "So that's where you've been." He takes another sip of his coffee before gesturing toward the building.
"It might be best if we talk about that in Edmund's office."
Noah nods once.
As everyone begins moving toward the door, I glance at him again. He looks calm and composed. Like he's just returned from a normal research job.
But the facility isn't normal.
And the fact that he chose to go back there willingly makes something heavy settle in my chest.