The silence after the shutdown should have felt like relief.
Instead, it felt wrong.
Too complete.
The screens had gone dark. The low mechanical hum that had surrounded Elias for years was gone, leaving behind an unfamiliar stillness.
Dominic noticed it immediately.
"You hate this," he said quietly.
Elias looked at him.
"I do not hate it."
Dominic raised an eyebrow.
"You've looked at those screens more than me in the last ten minutes."
"That is inaccurate."
"Barely."
Elias exhaled softly.
The truth was, the silence made him uneasy.
The system had been there for so long that its absence felt like losing a sense he hadn't realized he depended on.
But Dominic was still here.
Close enough that Elias could feel the warmth of him.
Close enough that when Dominic's hand brushed his wrist, Elias noticed instantly.
"You're thinking too much again," Dominic murmured.
"That is not avoidable."
"Maybe not."
Dominic stepped in front of him fully now, blocking his view of the dark monitors.
"Then think about something else."
Elias frowned slightly.
"Such as?"
"Me."
The answer came too quickly.
Too easily.
And somehow, that made it worse.
Elias looked at him.
Dominic was closer now than he had been a second ago.
Or maybe Elias had stopped noticing where the distance disappeared.
"You're doing that again," Dominic said softly.
"What?"
"That thing where you look at me like you're trying to solve something."
Elias hesitated.
"I am."
Dominic smiled faintly.
"And what have you figured out?"
Elias's gaze dropped briefly to Dominic's mouth, then back to his eyes.
"That proximity to you has become… preferable."
Dominic let out a quiet laugh.
"That is the least romantic thing anyone has ever said to me."
"I am aware."
"And yet," Dominic said, stepping even closer, "I still know exactly what you mean."
His hand moved to Elias's jaw.
Slowly.
Giving him time to pull away.
He didn't.
Dominic's thumb brushed lightly across his cheek.
"You really trust me now, don't you?"
Elias answered before he could think about it.
"Yes."
Dominic stilled.
The honesty in his voice was immediate. Uncomplicated.
Real.
"You said that way too easily," Dominic murmured.
"I meant it."
"I know."
For a second, neither of them moved.
Then Dominic kissed him.
Slowly at first.
Gentle.
But different.
There was something heavier beneath it now.
The weight of everything they had finally stopped pretending.
Elias kissed him back immediately.
No hesitation.
No pause.
His hand found Dominic's shirt, fingers tightening slightly against the fabric.
Dominic made a quiet sound against his mouth.
"You do that every time," he murmured.
Elias frowned slightly.
"Do what?"
"Hold onto me."
Elias looked down briefly.
His hand was gripping Dominic's shirt again.
He didn't let go.
"That appears to be accurate."
Dominic laughed softly.
Then kissed him again.
This time deeper.
Longer.
His other hand slid to Elias's waist, pulling him closer until there was almost no space left between them.
Elias could feel everything now.
Dominic's warmth.
His breathing.
The way his body shifted closer like he had wanted this for much longer than tonight.
Maybe he had.
Maybe they both had.
When Dominic finally pulled back, his forehead rested against Elias's.
"You have no idea what you do to me," he said quietly.
Elias's pulse jumped.
"That statement lacks specificity."
Dominic laughed softly under his breath.
"Of course it does."
Then he looked at him.
Really looked at him.
And something in his expression changed.
The teasing faded.
"Elias…"
"Yes?"
"If we keep doing this…"
He stopped.
Elias frowned slightly.
"Continue."
Dominic's hand tightened gently at his waist.
"If we keep doing this, I'm not going to want to stop."
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Warmer.
Elias looked at him carefully.
"Do you want to stop?"
Dominic stared at him for a second.
Then shook his head.
"No."
"Neither do I."
The answer came too fast.
Too honest.
Dominic's breath caught slightly.
"You keep saying things like that."
"You asked."
Dominic smiled faintly.
"Yeah."
A pause.
"And you keep answering."
Elias didn't know why that mattered so much to him.
Only that it did.
Dominic leaned in again, slower this time.
His lips brushed Elias's once, then again.
More careful now.
More deliberate.
Like he was trying to memorize him.
Elias let him.
His hand slid from Dominic's shirt to the back of his neck.
And the second he touched him there
Dominic went still.
Then exhaled sharply.
"Okay," he murmured.
"That's unfair."
Elias blinked.
"What is?"
"That."
Dominic looked at him with something dangerously close to frustration.
"You cannot touch me like that and then look confused about it."
Elias tilted his head slightly.
"It produced a noticeable response."
Dominic laughed despite himself.
"You think?"
Elias's fingers stayed where they were.
Because he liked the reaction.
That realization hit him immediately.
Hard.
"You did that on purpose," Dominic said quietly.
Elias paused.
Then
"Yes."
Dominic stared at him.
"You are becoming a problem."
"That is possible."
Dominic kissed him again before he could say anything else.
Harder this time.
More desperate.
Like something in him had snapped the second Elias admitted that.
Elias responded immediately, his other hand moving to Dominic's side.
Closer.
Closer.
Until Dominic's back hit the edge of the console behind him.
Neither of them noticed.
Or cared.
The kiss broke only because Dominic suddenly stilled.
Elias frowned slightly.
"What?"
Dominic looked past him.
Toward the dark screens.
One of them had turned back on.
By itself.
A single line of text glowed faintly in the darkness.
HE KNOWS YOU SHUT IT DOWN.
The room went cold.