"Hey… are you okay?" Selene's voice was soft, almost trembling, as her eyes lingered on me.
"Yeah, I am," I said quickly, trying to hide my face. My voice didn't sound convincing, not even to myself.
Selene tilted her head, studying me. Then, without hesitation, she reached out and cupped my face, her cold yet gentle fingers lifting my chin so I had no choice but to meet her gaze.
"You are terrible at lying, Kisaragi," she whispered, her eyes narrowing with a mixture of warmth and scolding. "Your whole face… it's all soaked in tears."
I froze, my throat tightening. Before I could pull away, she brushed her thumb along my cheek, wiping the tear stains softly, carefully, like she didn't want to hurt me. And then, without waiting for permission, she pulled me into her arms.
My body stiffened at first, but then her embrace tightened, steady and firm, like she wanted me to break.
"Is this comforting, huh?" Selene's voice was close to my ear, her breath grazing my hair.
That was it. The last fragile wall holding me together crumbled. My hands trembled as I buried my face against her shoulder, sobbing quietly. The sound of my tears filled the silence.
Selene just held me. She didn't speak too much, she didn't push. She only stroked my back gently and patted me in rhythm, like she was comforting a child.
"It's okay… everything is going to be okay. You can cry as much as you want, Kisaragi," she whispered slowly, her voice steady, carrying me through my storm.
I clutched at her robe, unable to stop the flow of tears. I wanted to believe her. I wanted to believe that maybe it was okay.
Minutes passed like that. My sobs slowly weakened, my breathing steadied, until finally, the storm inside me calmed. My face felt warm and swollen from crying, but in Selene's arms, I felt… lighter.
When I finally pulled back a little, Selene looked at me, her blue eyes shining like the surface of a frozen lake under the moon.
"You want to see something cool?" she asked suddenly, a small smile tugging at her lips.
I blinked. My voice was rough. "…What is cool?"
Selene stood, her movements elegant as always, and extended her hand toward me. I hesitated, staring at that hand for a second, before slowly placing mine in hers. She helped me to my feet and slipped my bathrobe over my shoulders carefully, like she didn't trust me to do it right myself.
Then she guided me out of the bathroom and into her bedroom. I was still wiping at my face when she suddenly snapped her fingers.
The sound was sharp, commanding.
And then—
The rooftop of her grand castle slowly creaked open, parting like the petals of a flower. A cold gust swept in as the sky revealed itself.
The stars.
The endless, glittering night sky spilled into the room, so close it felt like I could reach up and touch it. And in the center, bold and luminous, was the full moon.
My breath caught. "Wow… this is beautiful." My voice trembled without me realizing.
Selene's eyes softened as she stared up, her pale hair glowing silver under the moonlight. "This is my favorite view, Kisaragi. I get to watch it every night before I go to sleep."
I followed her gaze. She looked so at peace, so… different from the ruthless, icy queen people painted her to be.
"The moon is my home, my family," she whispered, her voice almost too delicate for the person she usually was. "When I look at the moon, I feel my family close to me."
She sat down on her bed slowly, still staring up at the glowing orb, and for a moment, I could almost see the loneliness hiding in her smile.
I swallowed, fiddling with my robe nervously, before blurting out, "I have so many questions, Selene… do you mind if I ask?"
"Yes, sure," she said with a faint smirk, "but in return, I get to ask you. A question for a question."
I frowned, hesitating. That sounded dangerous. "Really? A question for a question?"
Selene tilted her head, watching me, waiting.
I sighed. "Okay fine. Deal. But I get to ask first, okay?"
"Deal," she said, nodding firmly. Then she lay back on the bed casually and tapped the empty space beside her, over and over again, like she was insisting.
I blinked. "…You want me to lie down too?"
She nodded again without a word.
I groaned, covering my face with my hands, but I obeyed anyway, slowly lying down beside her. Too cold but in a good way. Our shoulders nearly touched.
"Now this is better," Selene said softly, folding her hands over her chest as she looked up at the open sky. "Okay then, Kisaragi. Your first question."
My heart pounded. But as I turned to ask, I froze. Selene's face was too close.
"Kisaragi?" she prompted.
"Huh?" I flinched, snapping my gaze back to the stars.
"Your question."
"I… I can't ask."
"Why? I thought you wanted to ask questions," she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I can't because you're too close," I blurted out, my face heating up. "I can feel your cold breath, and that makes me forget the questions I want to ask."
She chuckled lightly, her eyes glimmering with mischief. "But I like being this close. It's not like I'm going to do anything to you. And also…" she leaned closer, her lips curving, "…you were the one who kissed me first today."
My stomach flipped. I quickly turned back to the stars, flustered.
"I know," I admitted, voice small, "that is why we need something in between. To stop my mind from— I mean, we need no distractions so we can focus on asking the questions."
Selene tilted her head. "We? Well, this looks like a singular situation to me."
She leaned forward suddenly, her face inches from mine, her gaze locked on me like she was peering into my soul.
"Wow… I can hear your heart beating fast," she whispered.
I froze. My heart thudded even louder, like it wanted to prove her point.
Selene slowly shifted away, still watching me. "Is this okay?"
I shook my head quickly. "No. Still close."
She moved again, scooting farther. "How about this?"
"I… I could still feel you close to me," I admitted, gripping the sheets nervously.
Selene groaned in frustration. "Okay, right now we are both at the edge of both sides of the bed." She shifted all the way until she nearly slipped off. "Is this okay now, Kisaragi?"
I turned to glance at her. Even when she was far away, even when she was at the very edge, it still felt like she was close. She didn't need to be near me. Her presence was always too close.
Selene sat up suddenly, glaring. "What exactly do you really want, Kisaragi?! This is my bed! I'm already uncomfortable right now, but for you, I am ready to sleep in any corner of this bed. But don't expect me to sleep somewhere else!"
"Sorry," I mumbled quickly, my face burning. "But it still feels close. I did say… something in between."
Selene sighed, exasperated. She snapped her fingers, and with a swift dash of icy wind, Ice padded into the room, leaping gracefully onto the bed.
The white guy plopped down directly between us, curling up lazily.
"Are you now satisfied with this?" Selene asked, crossing her arms.
I nodded my head with a smile. At least now the thoughts were quieting down.
"Okay… now your questions," Selene said, her voice soft again, her eyes returning to the stars.