"It already is," Dax said mildly.
Chris turned at the sound of his voice and stopped.
Dax was closer now. Much closer than Chris had expected, the sheer scale of him was impossible to ignore when there was no crowd to dilute it. At this distance, the height difference stopped being abstract and became unavoidable: Dax's shoulders were broad enough to block light, his presence filling the corridor in a way that made Chris suddenly aware of how little room there actually was.
Killian's footsteps were already fading, Mia's laughter dissolving into echoes, until the wing fell quiet around them.
Dax shut the door behind them with one hand.
Chris swallowed and tilted his head up without meaning to. "Dax, I…"
Dax stepped forward.
Chris moved back on instinct, spine brushing the wall almost immediately, the difference in their reach and stride turning retreat into something pointless. Dax didn't crowd him yet, but he was standing close, looking down at him.
