--***
The impact of the hug struck Ezra like a jolt of electricity. Kael's grip was firm and grounding, his breath warm and unsteady against Ezra's neck. For a brief moment, the memory of the chaos from hours earlier faded away, leaving just a sense of humanity.
Ezra allowed himself to relax, his heartbeat calming against the steady presence of Kael's chest. It wasn't until Kael's hand moved up his back, palm resting between his shoulder blades, that Ezra realized how much he had been trembling.
"You're safe," Kael whispered, his voice rough yet tender.
"So are you," Ezra replied softly.
It could have ended there—a momentary escape, a deep breath before the world pulled them back into its demands. But instead, the atmosphere shifted. Kael held on tighter, his thumb grazing the back of Ezra's neck as if asking a question he already knew the answer to.
Ezra leaned in slightly, their faces nearly touching, the brush of his lashes against Kael's cheek. The lingering scent of smoke mixed with the faint trace of Kael's cologne and the residual thrill of adrenaline.
Kael's gaze flicked down from Ezra's eyes to his lips and back.
"You have no idea what you do to me, you drive me crazy" Kael murmured.
Ezra's heart raced. "Then show me how much I make you crazy."
Before he could even catch his breath, Kael's restraint shattered. He cupped Ezra's face in his hands and kissed him fiercely, as if he had been waiting for this moment forever. Ezra responded without a second thought, gripping Kael's shirt and pulling him closer.
In their intensity, Kael pushed Ezra to his desk slowly, ready to give life to the long-buried desires he'd kept hidden beneath his responsibilities. Ezra gasped when Kael's teeth brushed his lower lip, a sound so vulnerable and raw that it almost broke him.
Kael was the first to pull away, panting, foreheads touching. "You have no idea how close I am to bending you over this desk."
he murmured low and dangerously.
The air thickens,Ezra's heart races. For a heartbeat,Kael would have gone through with it,his hand gripping the edge of the table behind Ezra,but he stops,jaw clenched.Instead,he breaths him in,their foreheads touching,the moment suspended between restraint and chaos.
"Not here"Kael's voice low as he whispered "
Ezra nodded, breathless but understanding, feeling the slight tremor in Kael's hand still resting against his jaw.
They stayed there for a while in silence, two men surrounded by flickering lights and the soft buzz of recovering systems, trying to grasp the feeling of peace in the chaos of the past.
Finally, Kael's voice softened. "Go home, Ezra. Rest. You've done enough for today."
Ezra opened his mouth to argue, but Kael silenced him with a look that was less commanding and more pleading. He hesitated but eventually nodded.
"Alright," Ezra said quietly. "But you need to rest too. You look—"
"Like hell?" Kael interjected with a wry grin.
"Like someone who hasn't figured out how to stop saving everyone else."
That brought a genuine laugh from Kael, low and rough. The sound stirred something deep in Ezra, touching a part of him he couldn't quite name.
---
**Later That Night**
Luka drove Kael home, the slick roads of New Avalon shimmering under the city lights, neon reflections dancing on the windshield. Kael remained largely silent, his tie loosened, sleeves rolled up, head resting against the seat as raindrops traced unpredictable paths down the glass.
When they reached the driveway, Luka nodded quietly before driving off, leaving Kael standing in the rain, soaking in the rhythm of the city around him.
Inside the apartment, the stillness was palpable. Kael set his jacket aside and moved straight to the decanter on the counter, pouring himself a couple of fingers of scotch. The burn of the alcohol steadied him, but it couldn't erase the memories—Ezra's voice, the warmth of his lips, the way he asked to be shown.
He set the glass down with more force than intended, the ice clinking sharply.
Across the city, Ezra sat on the edge of his bed, wide awake, his laptop casting a dim blue light in the darkness.