Kai Langford - September 2120
The shadows around my boots shift with me, uneasy, as I watch Noah and Finn's car disappear down the road. I try to focus on the horizon, but my mind is still racing... too much has happened today, and my fingers itch for another cigarette, anything to quiet the noise.
I brush my hand against the packet in my pocket and then Ethan's hand covers mine.
He's being gentle. His thumb traces across my knuckles before our fingers lace together, warm and certain. The urge to smoke fades almost instantly, like it never belonged to me in the first place.
"Well" Ethan murmurs, tired but still soft, "today's been quite eventful, hasn't it?" He sighs and lets his head drop, the exhaustion catching up with him as well.
"Yeah…" It's all I manage. My eyes stay fixed on the road Noah took, the phantom of worry still tugging at me. I squeeze Ethan's hand instead to help steady and ground me. He leans closer, rests his head on my shoulder.
I let him. And I focus on breathing, on staying here, on not slipping back into old habits. Ethan's weight against me is enough.
Ethan shifts so he's facing me more, eyes soft. "You know… if I'd spent years thinking you were dead, I'd probably cry, scream, and then kiss you senseless. In that order."
I shake my head, but my chest warms. "You do that last one often enough."
He smiles that bright, easy smile that always finds a way past my guard. "Only because you make it very tempting."
I let out a slow breath. The road is empty now, but the heaviness in me isn't as sharp. "He looked like he didn't know whether to believe it."
"Of course he didn't," Ethan says gently. "You're a miracle. A confusing, brooding miracle."
I glance at him. "Brooding?"
"Devastatingly brooding," he corrects with mock seriousness. "Truly unfair."
The corner of my mouth lifts. I don't say it, but I lean a little closer. I always do, without thinking like my body knows it's safe near him.
"He seemed happy" Ethan continues. "But also scared... and relieved. And… honestly, kind of proud."
My throat tightens. "You saw that?"
"I felt it," he says. "and-" he pauses, then softens "I saw enough to know he wants his brother back in his life."
Silence stretches for a moment. The wind is cool, but Ethan's hand is warm in mine. I tighten my grip, not because I'm afraid, but because I want the connection. I want him.
"I wouldn't have made it through today without you," I admit quietly.
Ethan's eyes flicker, surprised and pleased. "You would have. But I'm glad you didn't have to."
I look at him fully then. The tired lines around his eyes, the stubborn warmth in everything he does, the way he always reaches for me first. Something inside me settles.
"I'm glad too," I say and it comes out softer than I intend. "You make things… lighter."
He grins, smug, almost playful. "That's my official job title. 'Professional Kai Carer.'"
I groan. "That sounds ridiculous."
"Ridiculously accurate," he replies. His thumb brushes over my knuckles again, slow, almost teasing. "Besides… I like seeing you relax. It means I'm doing something right."
I feel heat creep up my neck. I'm not good with attention, especially this kind but I don't pull away.
He nudges me. "Now, come on. Let's go inside before I start freezing to death." He tugs my hand I follow him back to the school.
As I follow Ethan down the hall, my mind won't slow. Noah wanting to be involved with us taking down GeneX, keeps looping through my head. I know he's right. With his mind, our chances are better.
But the fear crawls in anyway.
What if something goes wrong?
What if I can't keep them safe?
Images flash, plans collapsing, people bleeding, shadows not moving fast enough. The thought of Noah caught in the middle of it makes my chest tighten.
If someone gets hurt and I can't stop it… I don't know how I'd live with that.
The corridor is dim when we step inside. Ethan doesn't let go of my hand as we walk down the hall, he just keeps leading me to our bedroom.
The door clicks shut behind us and the noise of the day fades with it.
Ethan turns to me, searching my face. "You're still thinking," he murmurs.
"I can't help but worry," I admit. "But it's quieter now."
"Good." He smiles a little. "Let's make it quieter still."
He steps closer, it's slow,like he's giving me every chance to pull away, but I don't. I rest my hands at his waist and his warmth sinks into me like heat through cold metal.
"You did great today" he whispers. "I'm proud of you."
The words hit deeper than I expect. I swallow, then lean down, letting my forehead rest against his. For a moment, we just breathe together.
He tilts his chin, brushing his nose against mine. "Can I…?"
I answer before he finishes with a small nod. He smiles against my mouth when he kisses me.
It starts gentle. Ethan always kisses like he's memorising something, it feels patient, warm, unhurried. I melt into it, one hand sliding up his back, holding him closer without thinking. His fingers curl in the front of my shirt, tugging me down slightly as if he's afraid I'll drift away.
I kiss him back, deeper this time wanting more and more of him. I pour everything I can't say into it, gratitude, relief, the aching love sitting in my chest.
He makes a soft sound, half laugh, half breath and presses closer, lips moving with mine in a rhythm that feels familiar and endlessly new. When we break apart, we're both breathing a little harder, foreheads still touching.
"You always do that," he murmurs, smiling. "like you want to eat me alive"
His eyes soften as he rests his hands against my chest, feeling my heartbeat. "It feels a lot more steady now"
He leans up and kisses me again, slower this time, like he wants the moment to last. I let my hands frame his face, thumbs brushing his cheekbones, careful and reverent. He closes his eyes at the touch.
We stay like that, kissing, pausing, breathing, wrapped in quiet and warmth and the certainty of being here, together.
His warmth spreads through me, and my mind goes blank. I lift him without thinking, and Ethan wraps his legs around my waist like it's instinct. The kiss deepens with every step I take toward the bed.
When I feel the edge against my legs, I lower him gently onto it and straighten, pulling my shirt over my head.
He lies there, breathless, eyes glazed and fixed on me. As soon as the shirt hits the floor, he reaches out, grabs me, and pulls me back down.
Our kisses grow hungrier. I slide my hand beneath his shirt and press my mouth to his neck. He lets out a quiet moan.
"Mm… Kai," he whispers, and heat burns through my chest. I breathe him in and keep kissing him, slower but deeper.
His fingers work at my belt while I tug his shirt upward. There are too many layers between us, too much distance. I want to feel him. All of him.
When I pull his shirt off, his blond hair falls messily across his forehead. For a second, I just look at him, trying to memorise everything. He's beautiful and he's… mine.
He reaches up and touches my face, gentle. I lean into his hand, then turn and kiss his palm.
"Kai," he says again, it feels so soft and careful.
"Mm?" I murmur, still kissing his hand, not wanting the moment to break.
"I love you."
He smiles up at me. It's not his usual playful smile but instead it's warm and sincere. It hits straight through me and I freeze, staring down at him.
He loves me?
The thought is almost impossible. I spent so long believing I didn't deserve that, especially from someone like Ethan. Someone who is so... good.
Doubt flickers through me, but then I see the worry starting to form on his face.
Before he can pull away, I gather him into my arms and hold him tight, burying my face against his neck.
His hands hesitate, then he wraps them around me, stroking through my hair.
"Kai?" he whispers.
My heart is racing. I try to slow it, but it won't settle.
"I love you," I murmur into his shoulder, barely louder than a breath, like I'm testing the words.
"What?" Ethan pats my back lightly. "Say that again, I didn't hear you."
I pull back, meet his eyes, and let the words come without fear this time.
"I love you too."
Shock spreads across his face before it sudden lights up and that real smile, the one that feels like sunrise, make my heart beat to hard. Before I can think, I lean in and close the distance again, kissing him hard, holding him close, letting the warmth between us carry everything else away.
"Say it again," I whisper, like I still can't trust it, like I need to hear it one more time just to believe it's real.
I keep kissing along his neck, unwilling to stop even for a heartbeat. He laughs softly under my lips, and I press a kiss to his chest.
"I love you, Kai," he says with such warmth and certainty, like it's the easiest truth in the world.
The hunger inside me tightens, and I nip lightly at his chest, not hard, just enough to feel him shiver beneath me. He gasps, surprised, but I don't pull away. I trail slow kisses upward, his collarbone, his jaw, the curve of his cheek before I stop and meet his eyes.
Those bright green eyes hold nothing but trust.
"I love you, Ethan," I say.
His smile softens, and he lifts a hand to the back of my neck, drawing me down into another kiss. This one isn't rushed or desperate. It's warm, lingering, full, like we're promising something without needing words.
We stay like that, wrapped together, the world finally quiet. My shadows rest, calm against the floor, and for the first time in a long while, I don't feel like I have to hold everything up alone.
I just hold him and let the night fade around us.