Sunrise spilled into the room like liquid gold, sliding across the sheets… across Elior's face… warming him awake.
Elior blinked slowly.
Something warm… heavy… was wrapped around him.
He lowered his gaze—
And froze.
Kael was still asleep on his chest.
Not beside him.Not near him.
On. His. Chest.Arms secure around Elior's waist, breathing soft and steady, like he belonged there.
Elior's breath caught.
Kael hadn't moved.Not even an inch.
All night.
Elior's lips quivered with a tiny, helpless smile.
"…He really held me like I'd disappear."
He lifted one hand… and gently brushed away the strands of hair touching Kael's eyelashes.
Kael's breath warmed Elior's chest in slow, soft waves.Elior's breath touched Kael's forehead, and Kael unconsciously leaned into it like a cat seeking warmth.
Elior's heart… melted a little.
He whispered, barely audible,"…You look so peaceful."
That whisper was enough.
Kael's eyelashes fluttered…His fingers tightened faintly around Elior…Then—
He opened his eyes.
Groggy.Soft.Vulnerable.
But then he saw Elior.
Warm. Alive. Close.
And something inside him broke open.
Because in every dream, Elior was dying.Bleeding.Leaving.
But here, Elior was breathing against him.
And Kael truly believed—
"This must be a dream."
So he acted like he always did in those dreams.
He leaned in.
Slow.Tender.Like he was afraid the dream would vanish if he hesitated.
His lips were inches from Elior's when—
"Kael—?!"Elior jerked and pushed him back, face burning red.
Kael froze mid-lean, blinking like a statue that suddenly gained shame.
Then panic flooded his face.
"W–Wait! Elior—I didn't—It's—I wasn't— It's not—!"
Elior scrambled off the bed, flustered beyond repair.
He reached the door—
…and it didn't open.
He turned the knob.
Nothing.
Again.Nothing.
A long, slow realization dawned on his face.
It was locked.
From inside.
By Kael.
Elior turned around.
Very slowly.
He stared at Kael with the expression of:
"…So you planned to keep me here?"
Kael froze like someone caught stealing diamonds.
Wide eyes.Guilty silence.Soul leaving body.
"I–I–I can explain!" Kael blurted, rushing forward."I just—last night—locked it because—because—uh—security! Yes! Security! And—and—"
He tried opening the lock with trembling fingers.
Click.
Door opened.
Elior didn't say a single word.
But the look he gave Kael—
You scheming, calculating, night-kidnapping man.
Kael wilted instantly.
Elior fled the room like fire chased him.
Kael stand there, stunned.
Then he let out a long, heavy sigh and covered his face with his hand.
"Great… Kael," he muttered to himself, "perfect way to start the morning."
But then…
The memory of last night returned.The warmth.The embrace.Elior's hand on his head…Elior's breath on his forehead…
Kael's lips pulled into a small, helpless smile.
"…But he stayed," he whispered.
And that alone filled him with a happiness he couldn't hide.
He moved, washed his face, and went to change.
He burst into the bathroom, splashing water on his face so hard it nearly counted as self-baptism.
"Locked door?!Almost-kiss?!Cuddling all night?
Why is he like this?!"
He took a deep breath.
Calm.
He opened his eyes.
…He had no clothes.
Death would be easier than asking Kael.
He was still panicking when—
Knock. Knock.
"Elior?"Kael's voice was soft… cautious…almost begging forgiveness.
"I… brought clothes for you."
Elior opened the door a crack, grabbed the clothes like a thief, and slammed it shut instantly.
Outside, Kael stood stiffly.
Face slightly pink.Hand frozen mid-air.Expression saying:
"…Why am I the embarrassed one?!"
He coughed, flustered.
"…Ahem."
"..."
Elior came downstairs wearing the fresh clothes Kael left for him—simple, clean, and somehow making him look even softer in the morning light. Kael stood near the table, trying to act normal.
"Breakfast," Kael said, voice gentle, almost cautious.
Elior didn't meet his eyes. He sat, ate quickly—too quickly—and never once lifted his head toward Kael.Kael, watching him from the corner of his eye, felt a familiar stab of regret. He barely ate at all, each bite tasting like guilt.
After the painfully quiet meal, Kael walked him to the carriage.
"Get in," Kael said softly.
Elior hesitated at the step—just a heartbeat—but enough for Kael to notice.Still, Elior entered. Kael followed and closed the door behind them. The space instantly felt too close, too warm, too filled with the memory of that morning.
Kael opened his mouth first.
"About… earlier." His voice tripped on the words. "I didn't mean—I thought it was a dream."
Elior's eyes snapped to him at that. Sharp. Unforgiving."A dream," he repeated flatly. "So you dream of… kissing me like that?"
Kael froze.Elior folded his arms, expression unreadable but his ears were definitely pink.
Kael tried again. "No—I mean yes—no, not—listen, I—Elior, I thought it was one of… those dreams."
"Those?" Elior raised an eyebrow. "So you often dream of kissing me now?"
Kael wanted to curl into the corner of the carriage and disappear.His voice came out strangled. "It's not—it's not what you think. My dreams are usually… bad. You're always—hurt, bleeding, dying. I thought seeing you alive and beside me meant it was finally a good dream and—"
Elior blinked, his irritation faltering.
But Kael kept talking, and made it worse.
"So when you were just… lying there, warm and safe, I thought maybe this time I could—"
"Kiss me," Elior finished, deadpan.
Kael shut his mouth immediately.
Silence.Deep.Intense.Embarrassing.
Elior leaned back, eyes narrowed. "So you dream of kissing me while I'm dying?"The worst possible interpretation.
Kael actually choked. "NO!! I mean—Elior, please. That is not—gods, why am I even explaining this?"
Elior turned to the window, hiding the faint trembling of his shoulders—anger, embarrassment, or something else completely.
Kael stared helplessly at him.
He had never wanted to rewind time more.
"..."
The carriage stopped.
Before the wheels even settled, Elior pushed the door open and stepped out—fast, almost running.Kael followed slowly, guilt weighing down each step like chains.
Inside the academy, Elior rushed straight to the classroom and slid into his usual seat—the last desk, by the window. He placed his books neatly, eyes fixed forward.
Kael walked in a moment later and sat beside him, as he always did.
Elior didn't look at him.Not once.Not even a flicker.
Aevrin entered and sat near them in the same row. He glanced between them—Kael stiff, Elior silent.
"Good morning, Elior. Good morning, Kael," Aevrin greeted lightly.
Elior smiled at Aevrin, soft and polite… but gave Kael nothing.
Kael's eyes darkened with a storm he couldn't hide.Aevrin blinked. Did they fight?But he didn't dare ask.
Class began. Elior focused intensely, taking notes with sharp precision.Kael didn't hear a single word. His eyes stayed on Elior—quietly begging for even one glance.
He received none.
At lunch in the café, Elior sat with the crowd but stayed silent, still refusing to acknowledge Kael's presence. Even when Kael sat directly across from him, Elior kept his gaze locked on his plate.
Evening arrived. The sky dimmed.
Elior packed his books quickly. Kael waited right behind him.
Just then Aevrin approached.
"Elior, I can walk you back to the dorm," he offered.
Elior shook his head immediately. "No need."
Aevrin hesitated—Elior always followed Kael home… but today he didn't even glance at him.
Aevrin sighed and left, confused.
Elior also walked away.Kael followed instantly.
After a few steps Elior stopped, his voice low and tight.
"Don't follow me."
Kael ignored it.Elior's fists clenched. "Kael. I said don't—"
Kael suddenly grabbed his wrist—not harsh, but firm—and pulled him into a narrow, quiet passage between the buildings where no students passed. The world went silent.
Kael gently pressed Elior against the wall, caging him in—not to trap him, but to stop him from running away again.
Elior turned his face aside, refusing eye contact.
Kael leaned closer, his voice trembling."Look at me. Please."
Elior didn't.
Kael's heart cracked.He placed a hand beside Elior's head, his other hand lightly on Elior's shoulder, grounding him.
"Elior," he whispered, voice breaking. "I'm sorry."
Elior's lashes trembled.But he stayed silent.
Kael lowered his head, guilt spilling like water.
"It was a misunderstanding. I swear—I thought it was a dream. In my dreams you're always hurt, always bleeding, always slipping away from me. And when I woke up and you were there… alive, breathing, warm next to me…"
Kael swallowed hard.
"I thought… maybe the dream finally gave me a moment where you weren't dying. I reacted without thinking. I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
His voice softened to a desperate whisper.
"Please forgive me."
Elior's jaw tightened—but now his eyes slowly lifted to meet Kael's at last.
His expression unreadable.
"..."
Elior stared at Kael, still pinned gently to the wall, still trying to understand this strange explanation about dreams and bruises and blood.He didn't fully understand—how could he?Kael's past life nightmares, the constant dying version of him… none of it made sense yet.
But Kael…Kael's face—his trembling voice, the raw plea in his eyes—that he understood.
Kael swallowed, stepping a little closer, voice cracking again.
"Elior… please," he whispered. "I never apologized to anyone in my entire life. Not once. But with you—"His fingers curled slightly, not touching Elior, just shaking near him."You're the only one I'm begging. The only one I want to explain myself to. The only one I… don't want to lose."
Elior's chest tightened.
Kael's voice dropped even lower, nearly breaking.
"Please try to understand me. Please accept my sincerity. I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I just—"He let out a breath that trembled like his heart."I just wanted you to stay. That's all."
Silence hung heavy between them.
Elior finally lifted his eyes fully, meeting Kael's gaze.Kael froze.
Elior exhaled softly.
"…Fine," he whispered. "I'll forgive you."
Kael's entire body stilled—like a storm suddenly went quiet.
The moment their eyes locked, something strange sparked in Kael.
His pupils, normally black…softened into a faint pinkish-violet glow—subtle, delicate, like a barely blossoming flower of emotion he couldn't hide.
Elior blinked, surprised.Kael quickly lowered his gaze, embarrassed—because he knew what that color meant.
His eyes only turned that shade when his heart reacted… when affection slipped through the cracks.
He tried to hide it, but the soft pink lingered.
Elior's voice gentled, almost hesitant.
"…Your eyes," he murmured.
Kael turned away quickly. "It's nothing."
But Elior didn't push.He simply sighed.
"Just don't act like that again," he said quietly. "And… don't trap me inside rooms."
Kael's ears burned. "I–I won't."
Elior stepped away from the wall, brushing the dust off his sleeves.
Kael stood still, hands limp at his sides, looking like a scolded yet relieved wolf.
Elior finally walked ahead.
Kael followed—this time at a respectful distance, like a knight who received mercy.
"..."
At the dorm gates, Elior paused and turned back.
"…Goodnight, Kael."
His voice was quiet, but not cold anymore.
Kael's shoulders relaxed, and he replied gently,"Goodnight, Elior."
He didn't move.
Not even after Elior walked toward the entrance.
He stood there, still as a statue, watching, waiting—as if making sure Elior reached safety was his final task of the day.
Only when Elior disappeared behind the door did Kael finally breathe out.
The guards escorted him, and he stepped into the carriage silently.The ride back was quiet—filled with his own racing thoughts.
Kael went straight to his room, ignoring the servants' greetings.He wasn't in the mood for anything except… the echo of Elior.
He freshened up quickly, changed into something loose,and finally collapsed onto the bed.
A long, shaky sigh escaped him.
"…I survived a storm," he whispered into the empty room.
Because that's what it felt like—being misunderstood, terrified of losing him,then forgiven so gently.
Kael turned his head…
And froze.
The pillow Elior had slept on was still there—soft, a little indented, faintly smelling like him.
Without thinking, Kael reached for it,pulled it against his chest,and held it tightly—his arms wrapping around the memory of where Elior's warmth had been.
He buried his face into the pillow.
A faint, clean, gentle scent still lingered.Elior's scent.
Kael inhaled slowly, eyes closing.
"…warm…" he whispered.
The ghost of Elior's heartbeat still lived in Kael's memory,and hugging the pillow felt like he was holding that moment just a little longer.
For the first time since waking up from his nightmare-filled dreams…Kael fell asleep with a soft, fragile smile.
Holding the pillowas if it was the warmth he didn't want to lose again.
"..."
Elior entered his dorm room, closing the door behind him with a small sigh.The silence of the room wrapped around him instantly—calmer, safer, steadier than the whirlwind of the day.
He freshened up, washed his face, and changed into something light.When he finally lay down on the bed, the events of the whole day crowded his mind one by one.
The morning warmth…Kael's sleeping face on his chest…that sudden almost-kiss…the carriage misunderstanding…Kael's desperate apology…
Elior pulled the blanket up to his chin, staring at the ceiling.
"Why did his eyes… turn that color?" he whispered to himself.
Normally, Kael's eyes were deep black—quiet, unreadable.But today, when he had apologized…when he had looked at Elior with honesty—his eyes had turned soft pinkish-purple.
Elior didn't understand what it meant.But he remembered the hesitation in Kael's voice,the tremble in his apology,the sincerity in the way he begged forgiveness.
And the warmth of Kael's arms around him last night…a warmth Elior still couldn't forget.
"Why… was he like that…?"His voice faded into the quiet room.
The thoughts kept circling, overlapping—Kael's breath on his chest,the tight hold,the dream explanation,the strange gentleness hidden under all of Kael's arrogance.
Elior pressed his palm softly against his forehead.
"Complicated man…" he muttered before his eyes grew heavy.
Slowly—while still wondering about Kael's eyes,Kael's hesitation,Kael's strange sincerity—Elior drifted into sleep,
his thoughts dissolving into dreams.
—by Aurea;"Some distances are created by fear, some by misunderstanding…but the smallest touch of sincerity is enough to bring two hearts back toward each other."