Kael didn't even realize how long he'd been staring at the page.
The words were blurring. Not gone. Just… far. Like his brain had quietly tapped out and forgot to tell the rest of him.
There was something there. A thought. Right on the edge. He could almost grab it—
and then it was gone. Again. Like smoke.
"…Kael?"
Elior's voice. Soft. Close. Closer than the words he'd been fighting with.
Kael blinked. The lights felt too bright all of a sudden. He turned his head a little. Elior was already looking at him, brows pulled together in that way he does when he's worried and trying not to show it.
"What are you thinking?"
A pause. It dragged. Kael could hear himself breathing.
"I-Is something bothering you?" Elior's voice went quieter. Careful.
Kael just looked at him. For too long. Not searching for anything. Not reacting. Just looking.
Then it came out flat. "It's nothing."
No hesitation. No weight. Like saying it would make it true.
Elior didn't push. Not right away. His eyes stayed on Kael's face another second, like he was trying to read something that wasn't there.
But Kael was already gone. Back to the page. Which still meant nothing.
—
The classroom door creaked open. The professor stepped in, footsteps echoing, and dropped a stack of papers on the desk. The low chatter died down fast.
"As for today's assessment," he said, "it will be postponed."
Murmurs started, then stopped.
His eyes went to Aevrin. "Aevrin is still in recovery. Since your group requires all three members, you will perform and submit your assessment once he has fully regained his strength."
A few quiet exhales. Nods.
"Until then, regular lessons will continue."
Just like that, it was over. Normal settled back in like dust.
—
Time moved. Lessons started again. Ink scratching paper. Chalk on the board. Voices rising and falling until it was all just background noise.
Kael wrote when he had to. Answered when called on. Listened when required. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Beside him, Elior was quiet. Every so often Kael felt his eyes — quick glances — then gone. Like he was waiting for something Kael wasn't going to give.
—
Lunch was the same. Small talk at other tables. Laughter. Everyone doing normal-student things.
Kael sat with them. Ate. Talked when someone talked to him. But once, just for a second, his fingers brushed his palm. Right where that thread sat. That stupid thread.
He froze. A tiny tremor went through him before he could stop it. Then he picked up his chopsticks like nothing happened. Even though he could still feel it. Still humming under his skin.
—
Afternoon classes dragged into evening. The light got soft, gold on the windows. Shadows stretched long across the floor.
One by one, people left. Voices disappeared down the hall. Footsteps faded.
Until it was just three of them.
Kael at his desk. Elior beside him. Aevrin a row over. Nobody talking. The air wasn't heavy. Wasn't light either. Just… waiting.
For something. For someone to break it.
No one did. So the silence stayed.
Aevrin moved first. Slow. No rush. He stopped next to Elior.
"Well," he said, light, easy, "since the assignment is postponed… let's practice."
"No." Elior didn't even think about it. Immediate. Sharp.
Aevrin blinked. Actually looked surprised. Elior's eyes didn't move.
"You're still in recovery. How can we practice like this? It's risky. I won't agree."
Aevrin smiled. Not big. Just enough to be trouble. "I'm not that bad. I can handle practice."
Elior shook his head. "No."
That was it. End of discussion.
Aevrin watched him for a second. His surprise shifted into something else. Something pleased. Like he liked that answer.
He chuckled, low. "Alright. Then how about this…" He tilted his head. "We try tomorrow evening. If I'm fine, we continue. If not, we stop."
Beat. "That won't be a problem… right?"
Elior hesitated. "…But—"
"Okay."
Kael cut in. Didn't mean to make it sound that sharp. Did anyway.
Both of them looked at him.
"Let's practice tomorrow evening. At the academy," Kael said. Even. "It'll save time. And reduce unnecessary concern."
The words were practical. The feeling under them wasn't.
Silence again. Elior didn't say anything else. Aevrin looked at Kael a second longer than needed, then his mouth curved. He knew something. Or thought he did.
"Alright."
—
Chairs scraped. Quiet came back.
Then Aevrin moved. Not away. Toward Kael. Too close. Way inside his space. He leaned in until his voice was right at Kael's ear, low so only Kael would hear.
"…Are you feeling jealous?"
Kael went still. All of him. His breath caught in his throat before he could stop it. His ear went hot instantly — he knew it did — and he hated that Aevrin would see it.
Aevrin sounded amused. Like this was fun for him. "In the future… there will be more situations like this."
Pause.
"What will you do then?"
A quiet chuckle. "I like your expressions."
His breath hit Kael's skin. Kael wanted to move. Didn't.
"And I like the way you lose your cool."
Silence. Thick.
Then Aevrin leaned in that last inch. No space. None. His lips were right there. Kael could feel the warmth of the word before he heard it — slow, deliberate, like Aevrin was tasting it.
"…Kael."
Kael flinched. Hard. Like he'd been shocked.
His hand shot out before he thought and shoved Aevrin back. Too hard. Didn't care.
"If you have something to say," Kael's voice came out rough, tight, "maintain some distance."
Aevrin just smiled. That damn smile. "Why? Are you getting butterflies… just from hearing your name in my voice?"
Soft laugh.
Kael's jaw clenched. He could feel the muscle jump. His hand came up and hit Aevrin's shoulder — controlled, but not gentle. A warning.
Then he turned, grabbed Elior's hand — didn't ask, didn't think — and walked.
Elior blinked. "…Kael—"
His voice was startled, caught between surprise and the sudden grip.
Kael didn't let go. His hold was firm. Unyielding. He walked like he had somewhere to be and nothing was going to stop him.
At the doorway, he stopped. Didn't turn around.
"In the future, you said?" Pause. "There won't be any such chances." His voice dropped. "And what's mine… is mine."
Stillness.
"There won't be any eyes that get to claim it."
Silence.
Then his hand lifted a little. Final. "Loss will follow you," he said quietly, "if you stand against me."
Breath. Then he walked out.
—
The corridor was quiet. Elior walked beside him, hand still caught, still burning from how hard Kael had held on.
"…Kael," he tried again, softer this time.
Kael didn't answer. Didn't slow down. His grip was tight. Like he didn't even know he was doing it.
Then something changed. Kael's steps stuttered. Just a little. Like he woke up.
Slowly, his grip eased. He didn't let go. Just… softer. Gentler. Like he'd only just realized he was still holding on.
The library was quiet. Too quiet. Just pages turning and footsteps far away.
Kael walked in, signed the register without stopping, and led Elior to a table. Pulled out a chair.
"…Sit."
Elior blinked. Still off-balance, but he sat. Kael sat next to him. Only then did he let go of Elior's hand. The cold hit immediately. Where Kael had been was suddenly empty.
Silence settled. Heavy. Buzzing with everything they weren't saying.
Then—
"I…" Kael's voice was lower. Thinner. "I'm sorry."
Elior looked at him, surprised. His heart did something stupid. "It's… it's nothing," he said fast. Then, softer— "…but don't grab me that hard next time. It kinda hurt."
Kael went still. His eyes dropped to Elior's hand. Stared at it. Then, slowly, he reached out again. Careful this time. Different from before.
He took Elior's hand. His fingers traced over the spot he'd hurt — light, barely there. Then, without thinking, he lifted it and blew on it. A soft breath. Warm.
Like he could undo it. Or mark it with something else.
Elior flinched. His face went red. He could feel his skin prickling where Kael was looking. "It's… it's not hurting now," he said quick, pulling his hand back a little. His voice was thin. "Ah— you said we have to get a book, right? Let's go find it." Trying to break whatever that was.
Kael didn't answer right away. Then—
"…Okay." His voice was rough. Lower than before.
—
They walked between the shelves. Smelled like old paper and quiet. And now, faintly, like Kael.
"Combat Power Theory" was labeled on one section. Kael's focus sharpened. His fingers ran along the spines, pulling one out, flipping through, putting it back. Again. And again.
Elior watched. But mostly he was aware of Kael. The way he moved. The heat of him standing close.
Kael stopped. One book caught him. Darker than the rest. Deep blue, with thin silver lines across it like veins. In the middle, a symbol — a circle split into three.
Balance. Flow. Control.
The title: Triarch Resonance: The Structure of Combat Power Flow
Kael opened it. His eyes moved fast. The text wasn't easy, but it wasn't chaos. It talked about combat power as a system. Three parts:
Activation. Conversion. Control.
Power wasn't supposed to surge blindly. Activation lit it. Conversion shaped it. Control held it. If one took over, the flow broke. If one was missing, everything collapsed.
Diagrams. Lines of energy through the body. Points where it gathered. Points where it could break. Notes in the margins about resonance — how two people could stabilize or amplify each other. Not by force. By alignment.
Kael's fingers tightened on the page. Something about it felt… known. Not learned. Remembered. His eyes slowed. It made sense too fast. Like his brain was slipping into it.
"…Kael?" Elior's voice pulled him out. "Did you find something?"
Kael blinked. The words in the book stopped making sense for a second. He closed it a little, fingers tight on the cover.
"…Yeah." His voice came out rougher than he meant. "It's good."
Elior nodded, glancing toward the aisle. "Oh… okay. Then let's go."
Kael didn't answer. Just nodded once and stepped away from the shelf. But he didn't let go of the book. His thumb kept pressing into the cover, like he needed something to hold.
Elior turned, already starting to walk. "We should—"
Kael moved.
His hand caught Elior's waist. No warning. No lead-up. Just there. Hot through his shirt. Solid. Claiming.
Elior sucked in a breath. Froze mid-step.
The book went back on the shelf. Kael didn't even look. His other hand was already sliding up, fingers threading into the back of Elior's hair, and he pushed. Not shoving. Not rough. Just absolute. The kind of push you don't argue with.
Elior's back hit the shelf. Soft thud. The sound was quiet, but it went straight through his chest. His heart jumped so hard it hurt. "Kael—?!"
He jerked, eyes blowing wide. "You… what are you—"
The words cut off. Because Kael wasn't saying anything. He was just there. Looking at him. Eyes dark, fixed, stripped of that earlier calm. Now it was something else. Hungry. Testing. Daring Elior to do something about it.
Elior couldn't breathe right. "…!" It caught in his throat and stayed there.
They stared at each other. The air was thick. Like a test. Who'd look away first?
Elior lasted two seconds. Then his eyes dropped. His face was on fire. "…Kael, let's go," he said, too fast. "It'll get dark soon… the library will close… we should—"
Kael didn't move. Didn't let go. If anything, his grip got tighter. Just enough for Elior to feel it in his spine.
Elior felt it. Something off. Not wrong. But dangerous. He tried to push him. "…Kael—"
Nothing. Like pushing a wall. And the more he pushed, the closer Kael got. Until there was no space left. None.
Elior's breathing went uneven. He could smell Kael — clean, warm. "Ka–Kael, let me go… we found the book, we can just—"
He was babbling. He knew it. Anything to fill the air. Anything to break this.
"Ka–Kael, we can— we already found the book, so—"
Kael didn't react. Didn't blink. Didn't even seem to hear him. His eyes were still locked on Elior's mouth, like every shaky word was just more air to breathe in.
Elior's chest was going too fast. He couldn't tell if it was fear or something else. Probably both. God, probably both.
Then—
Voices down the aisle. Faint, but getting closer.
Elior's stomach dropped.
The heat in his face turned to ice in a second. Panic sliced straight through everything else. Someone was coming. Someone was actually coming.
Elior stiffened. "Kael—someone's coming," he whispered. Fast. "Let me go… they'll misunderstand—"
"Misunderstand?" Kael cut in. Low. Calm. The kind of calm that's dangerous. "What misunderstanding?" Pause. "And why would that matter to me?"
Elior froze. His heart was pounding so hard it hurt. "…You—" Nothing came out. He's doing this on purpose. He likes this. He likes me panicking. And god, part of me doesn't want him to stop.
"…Kael," he finally got out, voice shaking, "what do you want?"
Kael tilted his head. His eyes didn't leave Elior's.
Then a slow smile. Not nice. Not kind. Playful. Dangerous. Hot.
"What do I want…?" Pause. "…Okay."
"If you do what I ask, I'll let you go." His eyes sharpened. "Will you do it?"
Elior hesitated. "I'll… do it. But only if it's reasonable… not anything extreme."
Kael hummed. "Simple then."
"You just have to ask me properly… to let you go." Elior blinked. "…What?"
Kael leaned in. His breath brushed Elior's mouth. "For example…"
"'Kael… please let this cute kitten go.'" Pause. "…Say it like that."
Elior's face went red. All the way to his ears. "N-No! I'm not saying that!"
Kael didn't move. "Then I won't let go." Simple. Flat. Final. And Elior believed him.
Elior's heart jumped. The footsteps were closer now. Too close.
Then Kael spoke again. Softer. Closer. "Or…"
"There's another way." Pause. His voice dropped, low enough to go straight through Elior's chest. "Close the distance."
"That one centimeter… from that evening."
Elior's breath stopped. His heart slammed against his ribs. That memory. Unfinished. Now here — raw and begging.
"…Kael—"
"Choose."
The footsteps were right past the row now. Elior's hands were shaking. No time. No space. No way out.
"…Ka… Kael…" he stuttered, barely a sound, "Pl–please… let… this… c-cute kitten go…" It came out broken. Humiliating. Whispered.
Silence. Kael just looked at him. Like he won. Then a slow smile spread across his face. Real. Showed teeth.
And just like that, he stepped back. Let go.
Elior immediately covered his face. Both hands. Burning.
The footsteps passed. The voices faded. They never would have reached them. Kael knew. He always knew.
Elior froze. I worried for nothing. He knew. That made it worse. So much worse.
Kael picked up the book again. Calm. Like nothing happened. But the air was still buzzing.
That smug look stayed on his face. He turned to Elior. Pause. Then, easy and teasing, voice low—
"Okay… come on, cute kitten. Let's go home."
Elior froze, face still hidden. Burning. His whole body felt lit up and confused and pissed off.
And Kael was already walking ahead. Completely satisfied. Leaving Elior to deal with the aftermath.
—by Aurea;
"Love does not always ask to be held.
Sometimes… it claims without warning,
and waits to see if you will stay anyway."