Aiven barely slept.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the girl's face pressed against the café window, her mouth forming words he couldn't hear but somehow understood anyway. He woke before dawn on Draven's couch, chest tight, throat dry, the world still wrapped in darkness.
Draven was already awake.
He sat at the small table, scrolling on his phone with a frown, shoulders tense. When he noticed Aiven stir, he looked up immediately.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
Aiven nodded, though it wasn't entirely true. "Didn't mean to wake you."
"You didn't." Draven set his phone down. "I don't sleep much."
Aiven pushed himself upright, hugging a cushion to his chest. The apartment was quiet, safe in a way that felt unfamiliar now. He swallowed.
"Thank you," he said softly. "For last night. For everything."
Draven shrugged, but his voice softened. "That's what best friends are for."
Best friends.
The words settled between them, grounding, steady. Aiven exhaled slowly, relieved by them.
His phone buzzed on the table between them.
Raze.
Aiven hesitated before picking it up.
Raze:
I didn't sleep either. Are you okay this morning?
Aiven stared at the message longer than necessary. Draven noticed and leaned back, giving him space without being asked.
Aiven:
I'm safe. Still shaken. But safe.
The reply came almost immediately.
Raze:
I wish I could be there right now.
Aiven's chest tightened. He typed, erased, then typed again.
Aiven:
I know. You have your comeback. Please don't get in trouble because of me.
There was a pause this time.
Raze:
You're not trouble. You're important to me.
Aiven's fingers trembled slightly as he locked his phone and pressed it to his chest. He didn't say anything out loud, but Draven could tell.
"Raze again," Draven said.
Aiven nodded. "He feels guilty."
"He shouldn't," Draven replied. "This isn't his fault. Or yours."
Aiven looked down. "Sometimes it feels like it is."
Draven didn't argue. He just said, "We'll deal with it. Together."
The words stayed with Aiven even after they left the apartment.
---
The café was closed that day.
Miss Liora had insisted after hearing what happened. She had held Aiven's hands tightly, eyes full of worry, and told him to rest, to breathe, to take care of himself first.
So Aiven found himself wandering the city instead, hood pulled up, mask low, trying to disappear into the crowd. Draven stayed close, pretending not to hover while doing exactly that.
They stopped at a quiet convenience store. As Aiven paid, he noticed his hands were still shaking.
"Hey," Draven murmured once they stepped outside. "You don't have to be strong all the time."
Aiven laughed weakly. "Feels like I don't have a choice."
Draven glanced at him, then looked away. "You always do that. Carry things alone."
Aiven blinked. "I'm not alone. I have you."
Draven met his gaze then, something complicated flickering in his eyes. "Yeah. You do."
They walked in silence for a while.
Across town, in the ECLYPSE dorm, tension filled the air just as thickly.
Raze paced the living room, phone clutched tightly in his hand. Kaze watched him from the couch, chewing on a snack.
"You're going to wear a hole in the floor," Kaze said. "Sit down."
Raze didn't listen.
Zenith stood near the window, arms crossed, expression unreadable. "Velric already knows," he said calmly. "Not everything. But enough."
Raze stopped pacing. "What do you mean 'enough'?"
"He knows Aiven stayed with Draven," Zenith replied. "And that fans were involved again."
Raze's jaw tightened. "Then he'll use it."
"Yes," Zenith agreed. "Eventually."
Raze ran a hand through his hair. "I just want to protect him."
Zenith glanced at him. "Then be careful. Velric won't attack you directly. He'll squeeze you until you break."
The room fell quiet.
Nova shifted nervously. "Hyung… are you okay?"
Raze forced a smile. "I will be."
But inside, he was anything but calm.
---
That evening, Aiven stood on Draven's balcony, watching the city lights flicker on one by one. The world felt far away up here.
Draven joined him, leaning against the railing beside him.
"You know," Draven said slowly, "Zenith called earlier."
Aiven stiffened. "Is something wrong?"
"No," Draven replied. "He just… checked in. Asked if you were okay."
Aiven nodded. "That's nice of him."
Draven scoffed lightly. "Don't get used to it. He doesn't do 'nice' for free."
Aiven smiled faintly. "You don't like him."
Draven hesitated a fraction too long. "He's… complicated."
Aiven tilted his head, studying him. "You seem tense whenever he's around."
Draven looked out over the city, jaw tight. "He sees too much."
Aiven didn't push. He knew better now than to force answers before they were ready.
His phone buzzed again.
Raze.
Raze:
Can I see you tomorrow? Even just for a little while.
Aiven's heart jumped. He bit his lip.
Aiven:
If it's safe.
The reply took longer this time.
Raze:
I'll make sure it is.
Aiven closed his eyes, hope and fear twisting together inside him.
Draven watched him carefully. "You trust him."
"Yes," Aiven said without hesitation.
Draven nodded once. "Good."
They stood there quietly as the night deepened, each lost in their own thoughts.
Across the city, Velric sat behind his desk, phone glowing softly in the dark.
He smiled.
Everything was unfolding exactly as planned.
And none of them knew yet how close they were to the breaking point.