Sunlight spilled through the classroom windows, casting Elior's silver hair in sharp, glowing streaks. At the far end, he moved with careful focus, practicing a spell under Ardin's gentle guidance. Every motion was precise, deliberate, innocent, unaware of the two sets of eyes tracking him.
Kael leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, his black eyes dark with unspoken intensity. Even after the dual practice and the praise, he couldn't shake the sharp, pricking sting that tightened his chest. Seeing Elior focused on someone else—someone who wasn't him—was unbearable.
Beside him, Aevrin's posture was flawless, composed, serene. Yet beneath that veneer, a storm brewed. Every flick of Elior's wrist, every bend of his fingers, every soft acknowledgment of Ardin's instructions struck at him. Possessiveness. Desire. Jealousy. All coiled together into a quiet, suffocating heat.
Elior looked up at Ardin, attentive, his lips pressing into a thin line of concentration. Kael's jaw flexed almost violently.
"He… lets him touch him," Kael murmured, voice low, as if tasting the words could keep them from poisoning him.
Aevrin's golden eyes flicked to Kael, sharp, measured, and then back to Elior. "He listens to him too easily," he said softly, each word deliberate. "Easily distracted. Too… compliant."
Kael's arms tightened across his chest. "I don't… I can't stand seeing him with anyone else," he admitted, voice husky, a dark undertone vibrating in it.
Aevrin's lips curved in a faint, cold smile. "And you think I am different? He should answer to no one but me. His attention… his care… should be mine alone."
The classroom seemed to shrink, the quiet hum of residual mana almost drowned out by the tension thickening the air. Neither moved, yet every slight shift—Kael's foot tapping against the floor, Aevrin's hand flexing faintly with controlled energy—was loaded with intent.
Ardin stepped back, offering Elior space. "I have work to do. Continue practicing," he said with a polite nod.
Kael's black gaze followed him as he left, teeth clenched tightly. Aevrin's eyes never left Elior, golden fire barely restrained behind the calm mask he wore so well.
When Ardin finally disappeared, leaving only sunlight and dust motes drifting lazily in the air, Kael turned to Aevrin, the air between them sharp and electric.
"You think… you can just stand there and watch?" Kael's voice was low, deliberate, dangerous.
Aevrin's gaze met his, equally cold and controlled. "I don't watch. I observe. There's a difference," he replied smoothly, but the edge in his tone was unmistakable. "But do not presume he belongs to you alone."
Kael's dark eyes narrowed, a shadow of something almost predatory lurking in them. "I make no presumption. I claim. He is mine to protect. To guide. To keep safe. Not… for you to parade your care."
Aevrin's hand flexed subtly, faint tendrils of golden mana swirling around his fingertips as he spoke, controlled yet threatening. "And I suppose you think I'm less deserving? Less capable of… claiming his attention? He should feel only the care I choose to give. Only the strength I allow him to rely on."
Kael's lips pressed into a thin line, every movement a simmering warning. "Try to impress him with your perfection, and I will surpass you. Every single time."
Aevrin's smile widened, thin, elegant, almost poisonous. "And I will outshine you quietly, effortlessly. Let him see the difference. Let him choose… and let him choose me."
They stood in the silent classroom, the tension between them palpable, a living, coiling thing. Not a word about Elior was needed—his presence lingered like a tether of obsession, a claim neither would relinquish.
The sunlight streamed over Elior's silver hair, illuminating him, but to Kael and Aevrin, he was less a student and more a prize, a spark that ignited every shadowed corner of their possessive, simmering rivalry.
And in that quiet room, the storm brewed. Silent, potent, and intoxicating, the kind of jealousy that could consume worlds. Elior, blissfully unaware, continued practicing, utterly innocent of the fire he had stirred.
"..."
After that, Kael and Aevrin approached Elior, smiling at him...
Elior leaned back slightly, still smiling in disbelief. "You two… are amazing together. I… I feel ashamed of my strength compared to yours. Truly… you did great today."
Kael's gaze softened slightly, while Aevrin's polite smile held quiet pride. Both instinctively moved closer.
"You're fine, Elior," Kael said, low and controlled. "You did well too. Don't put yourself down."
"I'm okay," Elior replied quickly, cheeks warming. "I'm just happy… that both of you have such great compatibility."
Evening fell. Elior and Kael stood by the academy gate, the sky fading into amber.
"Let's go," Kael said, his hand gesturing toward the dormitory path. "I'll send you to the elite dorm."
"I can walk… really," Elior replied, brushing off the concern.
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly, voice firm but low. "You were exhausted today. If something happened along the way… what should I do?"
Elior flushed, a shy, awkward smile spreading across his face. "I'm fine… nothing will happen to me. Why do you always say things like that?"
Kael's lips curved in a teasing smirk. "What… are you thinking bad thoughts again?"
Elior blinked, flustered, voice rising slightly. "No! Why should I? You always say things that don't make sense!"
Kael leaned just slightly closer, dark eyes gleaming with amusement and something unspoken. "Hm… really?"
Elior could only look away, cheeks burning, the tension of concern and unspoken attraction hanging thickly between them.
"..."
Kael clicked his tongue softly, eyes lowering to Elior's face."Even so… you do have bad thoughts," he murmured, voice dropping like velvet-wrapped danger. "But today your body was exhausted. You need to regain some energy first."His gaze sharpened, teasing, sinful."We'll do that… some other time."
Elior's eyes widened, face burning. "Y–you… don't talk rubbish! I didn't think any—"
Kael leaned closer, just enough that Elior's breath hitched."Mm. Then why are you blushing?"
"I— I'm not!" Elior snapped, looking away.
Kael chuckled, low and satisfied, then softened."Let's go. You're still weak. I'm actually worried about your health, Elior."
That tone—gentle, warm—caught Elior off guard. His cheeks warmed again, this time from something softer."…Okay," he whispered.
They walked side by side through the dim path leading toward the elite dormitory, the cool evening breeze brushing past them.
Suddenly—A shout.A scuffle.Two men fighting aggressively in the alley nearby.
Before either could react, one of the fighters swung a weapon——and it slipped from his hand, flying dangerously toward Elior.
Elior froze.But Kael didn't.
He moved like a shadow—fast, sharp—CLANG.His fingers closed around the weapon mid-air, inches before it would've hit Elior.
The men stopped instantly, faces pale."S–sorry! We're so sorry—!"
Kael's head turned toward them slowly.No anger—pure, lethal fury simmered beneath his calm surface.
He took one step toward them—
"Kael!" Elior grabbed his arm.His touch halted Kael more effectively than any spell.
Kael breathed out, forcing the rage down.Then he turned to Elior, voice trembling with leftover adrenaline.
"Are you hurt?"His hands hovered, almost shaking."Elior, look at me—are you injured? That thing was too close—did it scratch you? Your arm? Your neck? Show me."
"I'm fine," Elior said gently. "Really. Nothing happened."
Kael didn't believe it.
He dragged Elior—firmly but carefully—into a quiet, empty side path where no one was around.Before Elior could ask, Kael pinned him gently against the wall, one arm braced beside his head, the other checking him.
His fingers skimmed Elior's wrist.Then his forearm.His shoulder.His neck.Each touch careful, desperate, intimate in a way that made Elior's breath stutter.
"No wounds…" Kael murmured, voice low, relieved.
Elior smiled, soft and warm."See? I told you."
Kael finally looked up—And that was the moment the wind swept between them, carrying Elior's scent, brushing Kael's dark hair across Elior's cheek.
Their eyes met.
Elior's face turned pink—soft, helpless.Kael's gaze deepened—hungry, dark, satisfied, like he had just claimed something precious.
Kael leaned in, slowly, unbearably slow—Elior didn't move away.Didn't protest.Didn't even breathe.
Kael's hand slid to Elior's waist, pulling him just slightly closer.
Their breaths mingled.
Their foreheads almost touched.
Their lips—Only one centimeter apart.
Elior's eyelashes trembled.Kael's eyes dropped to his lips, dark with desire.
Neither spoke.Neither blinked.Time froze.
The air thickened between them—hot, electric, intoxicating.
Not a kiss.Not yet.
But the weight of the almost—the heat, the desire, the closeness—was more intense than any kiss could ever be.
A moment balanced on a trembling edge,one breath away from breaking.
"..."
The laughter of children rang out from the courtyard—sudden, sharp, breaking the fragile silence between them.
Elior startled first, stepping back as if waking from a spell. Kael blinked, the warmth of Elior's breath still ghosting against his lips, the almost-kiss hanging between them like a trembling thread.
"W–we should… go," Elior murmured, cheeks burning pink.
"Mm," Kael answered, voice low, eyes fixed on him a moment too long.
They walked the rest of the way in silence—awkward, careful, both pretending nothing had happened, but neither able to fully breathe.
At the dorm steps, Elior stopped.
"Thanks for… today," he said quickly, not meeting Kael's eyes. "Good night."
Before Kael could say anything, Elior turned and hurried inside, head down, ears red all the way to their tips.
Kael stood there, watching the door close.
Only when the private carriage rolled up behind him did he finally look away.
The mansion was quiet when he arrived. Too quiet.
Kael bathed mechanically, water warm against skin that still tingled from every place Elior had touched—accidentally, shyly, unknowingly.
Later, lying on his large, cold bed, he lifted a hand over his face and exhaled.
Morning carriage ride…Elior's small lips brushing against his by accident…That soft gasp…And this evening—how close they were, how easily he could have closed the distance.
He pressed his fingers to his own lips.
"I should've kissed him…" he whispered into the dark.
Regret curled in his chest—sweet, aching, consuming.
And before he fell asleep, one final thought echoed through him:
Next time… I won't stop.
"..."
Elior closed the dorm room door behind him and leaned against it, pressing a hand to his chest.
His heart was still racing.
"W-why did I… get so close…?" he whispered to himself, face turning pink all over again.
He walked to his bed and sat down, but the moment he did, memories flooded him—too vivid, too warm.
The morning in the carriage…His lips accidentally brushing Kael's…Kael's breath catching—deep, low, dangerous.And tonight… that almost-kiss that made Elior forget how to breathe.
Elior covered his face with both hands.
"It was an accident… all of it… right?" he tried to convince himself, voice small.
But the heat spreading across his cheeks betrayed him.
He remembered how Kael's hand brushed his, how their fingers almost intertwined. He remembered Kael staring at him like he was the only thing in the world worth looking at.
And guilt twisted in his stomach.
"I shouldn't… I shouldn't get that close to him," he whispered. "It's not right… it's too much…"
But another voice inside him whispered something softer—
Then why didn't you move away? Why did you want to stay there a little longer?
Elior's face burned red.
"I'm so stupid," he muttered, burying himself under the blanket. "This is so embarrassing…"
He rolled onto his side, clutching his pillow, heart thudding uncontrollably as Kael's face kept appearing in his mind.
His eyes, his breath, his warmth.
Elior squeezed his eyes shut.
"I… I hope he doesn't think I'm weird…"
But deep down, beneath the guilt and the blush, a tiny, fluttering feeling refused to go away.
I liked it.
Elior hid his face deeper in the pillow, whispering into the fabric:
"…Oh no…"
"..."
Kael lay on his bed like someone struck by a spell far stronger than his body could handle.
His breath came in uneven pulls, chest rising too fast, his pulse slamming against his throat.The scene replayed in his mind, cruel and vivid:
Elior's lips.So close.So soft.So willing.
One more second—one more breath—and he would have tasted him.
Kael's fingers tightened in the sheets until the fabric nearly tore.
"That one moment…" he whispered, voice raw."And I let it slip."
It wasn't fair.It wasn't bearable.
Just thinking of Elior's flushed cheeks, the way his breath trembled when Kael leaned in—
The heat inside him surged, sharp and violent, making his body tense hard enough to arch slightly off the bed.His thighs tightened involuntarily; his breath broke in a gasp.
"Damn it—"
He wasn't touching himself.He hadn't even moved.
Yet his body reacted on its own, chasing the memory, the closeness, the warmth of Elior's mouth—
His vision blurred as a sudden wave crashed through him, blinding, overwhelming, tearing a sound from his throat he couldn't swallow back.
Everything inside him seized.
And then—
it hit him.
A fierce, uncontrollable rush that made his whole body tremble helplessly.
He sucked in a sharp breath as the intensity broke over him—heat flooding through his abdomen, a trembling shock spreading downward, his muscles locking before slowly releasing, leaving him shaking.
His breath stuttered.His hand fell limp.His mind went blank for a full, stunned moment.
Warmth lingered low on his skin—evidence of how far he had been pushed without touching, without meaning to, without control.
"…what… the hell…" he breathed, eyes wide.
Embarrassment and hunger battled in his expression.
His body had betrayed him completely.
All because of Elior.
He dragged a trembling hand over his face, ears burning.
"From just thinking of him…""What are you doing to me, Elior?"
Kael tried to shift but the sheets clung faintly to his lower stomach, making his breath hitch again with humiliation and a dark, aching desire.
His voice dropped to a furious whisper:
"I should've kissed you.""If that stupid noise hadn't interrupted—"
His jaw clenched, pupils dilating.
"That kiss would've been mine."
He thought of Elior's parted lips.The soft breath against his own.The trust.The warmth.
Another shiver crawled down Kael's spine.
He exhaled shakily, eyes darkening until they looked almost predatory.
"Next time… I won't hesitate.""I'll take that kiss.""And every reaction you give—"
His voice dropped lower, thick with possessive hunger:
"—will be mine."
He lay back, chest still trembling, knowing sleep wouldn't come.
Not with Elior's lips haunting him like this.Not with the burn in his body refusing to fade.
And in the silent, breathless dark, only one thing echoed in him:
"You won't escape me again."
—by Aurea;"Some distances are small, but the desire inside them is infinite."