Touch arrived before either of them noticed it changing.
It wasn't dramatic. It didn't announce itself. It simply began to appear more often—Elian's hand resting at the small of Juni's back when they stood close in the kitchen, Juni's fingers catching briefly at Elian's sleeve when he laughed.
None of it felt planned.
In public, they remained careful—not distant, but composed. They walked side by side, shoulders occasionally brushing, hands close but not entwined. Nothing that asked for attention. Nothing that invited commentary.
In private, the restraint loosened.
One evening, Juni sat on the couch with his sketchbook balanced on his knees, frustration etched into the way he pressed the pencil too hard against the page. Elian knelt on the floor beside him, reading quietly. Without looking up, Elian reached out and stilled Juni's hand.
"You're overworking it," he said.
Juni exhaled, tension draining as Elian's thumb brushed lightly across his knuckles. The contact lingered—unremarkable, grounding.
Juni leaned forward, resting his head against Elian's shoulder. Elian adjusted instinctively, arm coming around him, hand warm and steady at his waist.
They stayed like that for a long moment.
No rush. No escalation.
Touch had become a language they didn't have to translate.
Later, when Juni stood at the sink washing a mug, Elian came up behind him, close enough that Juni could feel his warmth. Elian rested his chin briefly against Juni's shoulder, just for a second.
Juni didn't turn around.
He didn't need to.
These moments existed without witness. Not hidden—but unperformed. They didn't belong to anyone else's understanding.
When Juni left that night to return to student housing, Elian walked him to the door. Juni paused, then reached out, fingers brushing Elian's wrist in a familiar goodbye.
"Tomorrow," Juni said.
Elian nodded. "Tomorrow."
As the door closed, Juni felt the quiet hum of connection remain—not aching, not demanding. Just present.
He realized, walking back through the city, that touch no longer startled him.
It steadied him.