Elias sat at the edge of the fountain behind the east wing of the academy, staring at the rippling water like it held all the answers he couldn't voice. His robes were wrinkled, his tie undone, and his usually perfect composure frayed at the edges.
Rael appeared without warning, the way he always did—like gravity bending around him.
"You look like you lost a duel," Rael said casually, sitting beside him.
"I feel like I lost a war," Elias muttered, not looking up.
Rael's expression softened. "Bad day?"
"Bad everything."
Silence stretched between them, but this time it wasn't comforting. It scraped.
"I've been thinking…" Elias started, then stopped. He looked over, eyes tired. "Do you ever feel like you're standing in the middle of your life, and none of it actually belongs to you?"
Rael didn't answer at first. Then, "Yes. Every day."
They didn't speak again for a while.
Then Rael said, "Come with me."
Elias raised an eyebrow. "Where?"
Rael stood and held out his hand. "Somewhere the weight doesn't follow."
Elias hesitated—but only for a moment—before slipping his hand into Rael's. They didn't teleport. They didn't vanish. They just walked, side by side, through the darkened halls, unnoticed.
Rael brought him to a hidden courtyard tangled in vines and moonlight. It smelled like magic, old and wild. Elias stepped into it like stepping into a dream.
"Why bring me here?" he asked.
Rael's voice was quiet, serious. "Because this is where I go when I don't want to be a demon."
Elias blinked. "But you are a demon."
"And you're a human with magic so ancient it's starting to fight you from the inside. But we're more than what we were born into."
Something tightened in Elias's chest. "Then what are we?"
Rael looked at him, really looked. "Maybe… something dangerous. Or maybe just two broken pieces that fit."
Elias swallowed hard.
Their kiss wasn't urgent this time. It wasn't frantic or hungry. It was slow—painfully slow—and filled with the kind of fear that came when you knew you were starting to need someone too much.
When they pulled apart, Elias whispered, "If you're going to break me…"
Rael brushed his thumb against Elias's lips. "Then I'll do it gently."
And for a brief second, under the starlight, Elias let himself believe it.