Chapter Ten:
Last Night All I Thought About Was You
Nicodemus
Odysseus and I stood like statues for a minute before he suggested we grab a coffee and decide where to go from there. I was grateful for his recommendation, and followed like a lost kid as he zig zagged through the pop up stores and back to the main food court. He offered to get our order while I found a table, even though he was already turning green as he got in line, but I appreciated the sweet gesture. I found a private spot beside some plants that no one had claimed, and slid into one side of the two person booth with a sigh. While waiting, I pulled my phone out and texted my parents to inform them I was alive, laughing to myself when they both automatically responded with fake enthusiasm, though I knew they were probably watching my every move. I shook my head as Odysseus joined me, setting down two iced coffees. “Raspberry mocha; I promise you’ll love it.”
“Good choice,” I complimented, taking a swig before blinking, “Wow, that is good.”
He chuckled and shrugged to himself, taking his own sip before sighing and folding his hands on the table, “So, do you really like the haircut, or are you being nice for Sebastian?”
“No, I do actually like it; I just have to get used to having shorter hair again.” I answered as I shook my locks out playfully.
“He was right about it faming your face well; no point in hiding eyes like that,” he said casually, though he cleared his throat immediately after with a look of shame, “I, uh, I’m glad you came today. Everyone’s been wanting to spend some time with you.”
“Likewise; you and I haven’t had much chance to get to hangout after all,” I bit my lip, then took a quiet breath, “Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”
He looked up from his cup, “Oh, sure, I don’t mind.”
I tapped my fingers on the table before finally speaking, “Everyone’s told me how quiet you are, yet you’ve been talking to me nonstop since we met. I’m so glad you feel comfortable enough to do so, but I was curious as to why you are usually quiet, and what makes me different?”
He gave me a tilted smirk, and stirred the ice cubes in his cup to distract himself slightly, “Well, I usually don’t speak at all, admittedly. I… had a bad experience when I was a kid, and it messed me up for a long time. I only started to open up the slightest bit when I started high school and met the other God’s children. I was homeschooled as well for a bit, but Dad really wanted me to try and make friends. Sebastian did the same to me that he’s doing to you, and I eventually cracked. Even still, I usually only say a few words here or there…” He trailed off finally.
“You just said a bit more than a few words,” I teased to make him chuckle.
“As you pointed out, you’re an exception to the rule,” he joked back before growing much more serious, “To answer your second question… promise not to laugh at me?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Funny you say that,” he began, which made my stomach do a summersault, “For some reason, I feel like I’ve met you somewhere before, like we’ve been friends our whole lives. Words just, pour out of me when I’m with you. I actually want to talk because I want to get to know you. You seem so familiar that it’s comforting, and though I know we’ve never met, I can’t shake the feeling that we somehow might have connected in another way…”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, “Like, in a dream you have twice a year; once on your birthday, once on mine?”
He looked up to me in horror, his jaw slacked slightly, “What did you just say…?” He breathed as if he were sitting opposite a ghost.
I folded my leg over the other, holding onto my ankle to steady myself, “Ever since I could remember, I’ve had the same dream twice a year. One was always on my birthday, and one always in the spring, which I can only assume is yours. In it, a boy would be sitting under a cherry blossom tree, sketching in a notebook. He had gold eyes, dark hair, and glasses, and when we looked up to each other, the world began to shatter. He would reach out and try to grab my hand, but I always fell just before he could save me. Oddly, I had the dream the night before my parents agreed to let me come to Valyce… and then I met you.” I explained before sighing with a simple shrug.
His eyes were gleaming under the fluorescent light, and looked like they were on the verge of spilling thousands of tears. He swallowed softly to try and calm his trembling lips, “Same happened to me, except I had to watch you fall into the hole year after year, and feel the guilt of never being able to save you. I knew you were special…” His words were breathless. “I spent years searching for the person in my dream, but not a single person matched their description until now. I had the dream the same night you did, and when I found out we were getting a new student, I could only put two and two together…?”
I took a long drink, “So, what do you think it means…?” I mumbled behind my straw.
He had to turn away from me briefly to collect his thoughts. He finally stood and slid into the bench beside me, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was around us, which they thankfully weren’t, “In the Elemental world, everyone has an element-based connection with another person, one that cannot be explained beyond a single theory. Both sides are known to suffer odd ailments, ranging from weakened powers to physical attributes, such as unstable immune systems, blindness, the inability to speak…?” He offered, raising an eyebrow.
“Why would that be?” I asked.
“They need to meet the person who they have this odd connection with. When this exchange happens, both parties will be cured of their ailments; so the rumor goes, that is. The ailments aren’t always physical or serious, but it’s more common than not.”
“So you mean, like, soulmates?” I pressed in shock.
“Precisely,” he replied seriously, “The exact term is Particeps Potestatis, or, Power Partners. Valyce holds a ceremony senior year to confirm who each Elemental’s Particeps Potestatis is, but usually it’s pretty obvious once the two meet.”
My heart thumped wildly in my chest, “So, are you trying to say...?”
He cast his blinding eyes up to me as a smile tugged at his cheeks, “That there’s a likely chance that may be the case between us?”
“Um... Yeah...?” I whispered awkwardly.
“Do you have any other explanation?” He asked, leaning in a little bit more.
“I...? No...?” I whispered, my breathing quickening because of how close he was.
“How else would I know how to cure your blindness, or how would you be able to see me, and only me? How would you be able to make words pour out of me when I haven’t spoken in twelve years? I mean, you’re a Death Elemental and I'm a Life Elemental? It kind of makes sense?”
“You haven’t spoken in twelve years?!” I bawled, but he ignored me with a loving smirk.
“Would it bother you if this were the case? If we were really meant to… be together?” He whispered to continue on the subject.
I peeked up into his eyes, which burned with nothing but anticipation for my answer, and made my heart sputter wildly, “Um... N-No...?” I croaked.
“Mind proving that statement?” He breathed, sliding a hand down my arm to hold mine.
I didn’t pull away, so he slowly leaned in and closed the space between us, placing his lips against mine gently. I closed my eyes and leaned into the kiss, both of us not entirely aware of what we were doing, but positive we were close. I laced my fingers with his, holding his hand tightly as he slowly pulled back, which made our lips pluck softly. My lips tingled like live wires when we pulled apart and sent shivers down my spine, but in a good way. Kissing him felt so right, so perfect, that nothing else made sense to me. As he had said, I honestly felt like I had known him my whole life, and that kiss was just a normal, everyday action. The butterflies that filled me after the gesture were almost overwhelming, but I was so drunk from happiness that I simply couldn’t find the time to try and calm them down.
Odysseus was fire red, and his eyes were glossy as if he were going to cry. I touched my own burning cheek as he brought his free hand up to smooth over my face. “I dunno if you like guys. Probably should have asked that first, huh?” He whispered, which made us giggle softly before he pressed his forehead to mine and closed his eyes slowly, “I waited seventeen years to meet the person in my dream, and I cannot describe how happy I am that you’re actually real…” He breathed as a set of tears finally broke free and began rolling down his cheeks.
I brushed the back of my hand over them, smiling behind my own, “I know, I feel the same. This is such… I’m simply overwhelmed.”
“Same,” he answered meekly.
“I know one thing...” I offered, moving to sit between his outstretched legs. He leaned back on both of his arms and peered up at me, “The first thing I saw in this world, was the thing I declared the most beautiful. Do you know what that was?”
“What was it?” He asked in awe.
“You…” I sang, making him gasp a little as the tears ran down faster.
I brought our lips together again, sliding my arms in between his so that I could lean onto him. He wound his around me, causing him to fall backwards on the bench and us to laugh at the movement. We simply gazed at one another for a few brief moments, mesmerized by one another’s eyes, until Sebastian’s voice rang through the air. “Nicodemus...!? Odysseus...!? You guys here!?”
“Leave it to Sebastian to ruin the moment,” Odysseus snapped before he leaned up and kissed me once more, “Just one more, for the road.”
“Gods know when we’ll be left alone like this again.” I giggled as he stood, holding his hand out to me sweetly. I took his without hesitation, and when our hands touched, I could feel the same sensation of intense energy between our palms from the day he fixed my eyes. He raised our interlocked hands, giving me a look that meant he felt the same feeling. “I suppose this means your hypothesis may be correct?” I offered.
“I have a Particeps Potestatis...” He whispered to himself in awe.
“That means you and I can’t be apart,” I teased, “So you should stick around more often.”
“As long as you’re here, I won’t go anywhere,” he replied in a loving tone.
I beamed back at him, “Let’s go, before they think we’re up to something.”
“We kind of are?” He joked before hesitantly letting go of my hand to turn and call for Sebastian, both of us disappointed that we couldn’t continue this beautiful moment any longer. I felt the same, but somehow, I was confident that Odysseus and I had a long road ahead of us, and plenty of time to explore our new found connection.
╪
Monday morning, I dressed in the outfit Sebastian had picked out and stared at myself in the mirror. He had chosen a pair of black ripped skinny jeans, combat boots, and a black and white striped turtleneck. Over that, I was instructed to wear an oversized grey t-shirt, and match the outfit with a pair of long black cross earrings. I had to laugh about two things; one, he really was trying to turn me into some kind of emo kid, and two, I actually really loved the outfit. I styled my hair the way the stylist showed me and tied the laces of my new boots tightly before turning to smile at my image. [Don’t you look so handsome!] Alice laughed as she appeared on the bed.
“Think so? It’s definitely a lot different, but the kid does have impeccable style!” I cheered.
Jackson cackled from my desk chair.
“Which is?” I scoffed while fixing the collar of the turtleneck.
{Someone may be coming back to school today?} May sang.
“Someone... Odysseus?” I bawled in shock.
(Lysander might have granted him clearance, so long as he has someone to attend class with and make sure he feels well enough?) Claude said as he opened my bedroom door, (Which means you better get your butt to class so you can sit next to him and guarantee that position!)
“I can’t believe it!” I screamed, racing the steps excitedly.
“Morning hon-... Nick!?” Mom tried as I bolted full speed out of the door, which made Dad laugh behind his coffee mug. “So much for breakfast!?” She called, shaking her head as I ran down the road towards the academy.
╪
Classrooms had begun filling to the brink as I threw open Blaine’s door, panting wildly from running. He had his legs up on his desk and was drinking coffee from a thermos, as laid back as can be. His dark hair was gelled back, his beard recently manicured, and his tank top loose against his skin, the usual trademark of Blaine Levasseur. “Morning,” he casually offered.
“Where is the boy…?” I hissed, which made him spit coffee before laughing.
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“He’s in the bathroom, currently, you weirdo.”
“Where does the child sit?” I growled.
“Next to you, of course,” he chortled, “By the way, nice outfit…?”
I walked to my desk and slammed my bag down, completely ignoring Blaine due to excitement and making him scoff in betrayal at me, just as the door opened and a visibly shaking Odysseus skittered into the room. “No more public bathrooms... No more public bathrooms...!” He sobbed to his father as he squeezed sanitizer into his hands and rapidly rubbed it into his skin.
Blaine rolled his eyes heavily, “What is it with you Life Elementals? Stop being such a germaphobe,” he joked, though Odysseus was now rolling his sleeve up to continue dousing himself in sanitizer.
Odysseus let out little whimpers of pure discomfort, “They’re disgusting, absolutely disgusting! How does pee get on the ceiling!”
Blaine gagged playfully, “Eww, that is gross; pass me some too, please?”
“ODYSSEUS!?” I screamed bloody murder, running full speed across the room to slam into him violently. He yelped in surprise as I smashed my face into his, rubbing our cheeks together violently as Blaine howled hysterical laughter. “I’m so happy you’re back!” I screeched in his face.
“Good morning to you too!” He giggled as he hugged me back warmly.
“Looks like Sebastian is rubbing off on him after all,” Blaine chuckled before wagging his eyebrows, “Lysander said he needs a sidekick today, Nick; think you know someone who can help our ill little boy around campus?” He slyly offered.
“Major Nicodemus Xavier Crawford, at your service cadet!” I cried, saluting Odysseus to make him giggle, “What’s your schedule look like?” I asked as we moved to our seats. Blaine rolled his eyes happily and stood to prepare the whiteboard for today’s first problem, looking back to chuckle at us once more with a small, cheerful sigh.
╪
Odysseus and I breezed through Math and Physics before heading to English, which would end with study hall before lunch. Dad gave his lesson on King Lear relatively quickly, even dismissing class early, which gave Odysseus the break he was desperately waiting for. He admittedly was tired from trying to readjust to his busy schedule, and as the other students stood to leave, he laid his head on the desk and closed his eyes with a sigh. “I forgot how much I hate school…” he mumbled into the desktop.
I cupped my face in the palm of my hand, “You’ve been doing pretty good so far. My Dad has been letting us do whatever for study hall, so maybe you can catch a few Z’s?”
“Or…” He opened his eyes to see that the room was momentarily empty, then walked his fingers across his desk slyly. He made them hop over the edge onto mine, where he walked them over to my hand before lacing ours together, “I can enjoy your company for a few moments…?” He flirtatiously sang.
I blushed wildly, “How could I deny a dying man his last wish?”
“Har har…” He snickered, rolling his eyes as I slid over to lay my chin on the desk beside him. His eyes widened slightly at how close we were, “You know, I probably would have killed you if you didn’t come back today. If I had to wait one more day I’d go crazy.” I said to him.
“And why would that be?” He taunted back.
I delicately pecked his lips, smirking when he flushed pink, “I might like you a little bit, but not too much,” I teased with a subtle wink.
He brought a finger under my chin to guide me closer, “If you think I’m going to let you get away with just that, you’re crazy…” He whispered against my lips before leaning into a full kiss. I felt slightly drunk from the gesture, and had the door knob not begun turning, we would have kept going until time stood still.
Dad was whistling to himself as he came back from grabbing a coffee, reading over some notes, and looked up just after Odysseus and I had pulled apart and dropped hands, staring down at our notebooks casually. Dad looked to see if anyone was coming in early, then smiled and leaned against his desk, “How are you guys doing today? Ready to finish up academics?”
“Anything to get out of Zephyrine’s experiments…” I growled, cringing as Dad laughed.
“She is a bit gruesome. I had a chance to look over your Elemental schedule, Nick, and I think you’ll enjoy your professors. You know one or two of them already, and the others are highly qualified to continue where we left off.” He explained as he held up the schedule. I wondered how he got it before me, but then again, his brother did run the academy.
I raced over to snatch it out of his hands with a glare, then returned to my seat so I could began scanning my class list. “Who do I know?” I asked.
“Well, Magnus to start…”
“Magnus is my teacher?!” I sang, springing up wildly.
He chuckled and shook his head, “Yes, unfortunately so. You two better behave yourselves and take this seriously, or I’ll have both your heads.”
“Who’s Magnus?” Odysseus asked wearily, half asleep against my shoulder. He had been reading my schedule as well, but eventually gave up and just let himself relax against my side.
“He’s one of my Dad’s second in command. He helped a lot with teaching me how to help spirits cross over and such.” I explained. Odysseus nodded as he followed along.
“While you two are here…” Dad began as Blaine came into the classroom, coming to ruffle Odysseus’s hair sweetly, “The Gods have to head back to our Realms for the night, and though you’re old enough to be left alone, we would like you to stay with someone while we’re gone.”
“Sure, whatever makes you guys comfortable,” I said cheerfully.
“Odysseus, the Montgomery’s, and your cousins are going to camp out at your house, Nick. We figured it’d be safer if you all were together, since this is your first time alone in the Elemental Realm.” Blaine suggested.
“Is that really a good idea?” I scoffed, which made them laugh.
Dad shrugged lightly, “Well, we can’t treat you like kids forever; it should be fun!”
(Plus, we’ll be here for when everything inevitably hits the fan.) Claude said, appearing to my left. I punched his arm before he dissipated with an evil cackle.
“He is such a fun killer…” I sniffed, though Odysseus giggled at my tone.
Dad rolled his eyes, “We’ll be home tomorrow night, but for the time being, there’s plenty of food in the house and things for you guys to do around campus. You haven’t gotten a chance to explore town yet, so this is a great opportunity!”
I perked up at his offer, “Are you giving me permission to get in trouble?”
“As if; I can track every move you make like a bloodhound.” He barked back instantly.
“Dad!” I screamed as he and Blaine cackled like villains.
Abruptly, Dad’s phone rang, making him sigh and duck into the hall. Blaine saw the caller I.D and grimaced, then turned to me with a huge yet fake smile. He began asking about the book he saw stuffed in between my folders, his tone overly exaggerated. I suspiciously answered him, but while I talked, I did my best to listen in to the conversation beyond the door. “Yes, I told him... What do you mean...? Galaxy, this is a serious matter...! I understand that, but if you think for five seconds I’m going to let that slide... Well, than I suggest you mind your business… I don’t care what you thin-... I am not having this conversation. There is no question about it...!” Dad’s voice rose higher and higher until he realized other students could hear him, so he ducked into a nearby teachers’ lounge. The door slammed so violently behind him that it made Odysseus and I jump.
“Nick…? Yoohoo… Nick!” I blinked, turning to Blaine, who was frowning at me.
“What is he talking about?” I whispered in horror.
Blaine looked to see Odysseus staring at him with the same reaction, but Blaine simply shrugged, “Gods know with those two. They fight like cats and dogs. Don’t worry about them for now; you guys want to grab some lunch at the café? I feel like something other than frozen pizza today.” He coaxed, and though he smiled, I could see nothing but worry radiating in his eyes.
╪
That evening, everyone’s parents bid a farewell before disappearing through portals to their Realms. They all looked very happy and carefree, and even though I wanted to coax the truth from my father, I knew better than to interfere with anything pertaining to their God work. My cousins, friends, and I all waved like dorks, but cackled maniacally as the portals shut. It was weird seeing everyone outside of their Valyce uniforms. Griffin wore shorts and a tank top, with the brown hair he, our fathers, and I shared tucked under a backwards baseball cap. Praxis wore a hat over her beach blonde locks as well, as well as jeans and a purple crop-top that matched her lavender eyes. Soren had just trimmed his shockingly red hair so that the sides and back were short and the top long, and accompanied his hair cut with a long sleeve and his own shorts. Sebastian was still wearing his orange skinny jeans and tie-dyed cardigan, and had a set of oval blue sunglasses in his shirt pocket. Each person was so vastly different in style, but it was intriguing to learn more about my friends by the moment. Griffin clapped his hands before his mouth curled into a devilish smile, his glowing yellow eyes full of evil intent. “Well, comrades, we officially are alone!”
“Jackson...!” I whined, which made him laugh.
{Actually...!} May chimed as she appeared, {The lovely couple were called by Magnus for a meeting. So, you guys are free until about midnight!}
“Yes!” We screamed, high fiving as the two Shadows laughed.
“What should we do first?” Praxis cried.
“I opt we do some light reading,” Odysseus said, making us turn to him in shock. He snorted a huge giggle, “Are you kidding!? Let’s go party!”
We dumped all of the guys things at my house before I fed the dogs and locked the place up, racing down the steps to catch up with them. Everyone commented on the weird concoction Dad had me set out for the dog’s dinner, but I had never questioned it and wasn’t about to. They were all bickering back and forth about what we should investigate first, but as soon as Soren saw me, he yelled for everyone to shut up. “Hey, you greedy hogs, we haven’t even asked the new kid yet! Nick, what do you want to do?”
I shrugged casually, “Well, I'm starving, so food sounds like a good idea.”
“I second that! Tallyho, men!” Sebastian cried, marching down the street. We raced through the schoolyard before breaking into town, which made me gasp in awe. Dozens of stores lined the main streets, with Elementals cheerfully going in and out with shopping bags. Kids accompanied their parents, who held smiles as they lead their families through errands. “Valyce is known for being the biggest dimension, and having the best-established towns. What kind of food does everyone want?” Sebastian asked, turning to walk backwards down the strip. The group yelled a combination of assorted foods, so Sebastian took it upon himself to pick for us, “Pizza it is,” he laughed, “this pizza joint has the best pizza in the universe, Nick!”
“Universe, eh?” I mocked as I held the door for everyone, and followed them across the restaurant to a table they seemed pretty comfortable taking over.
“I recommend the fried eggplant pizza,” Praxis said.
“Well, eggplant it is then. What else do you guys want?” I asked as I eyed the menu.
“Mushroom and Onion!” Griffin, Sebastian, and Soren cried.
“Broccoli?” Odysseus tried.
“EWW!” The guys screamed.
“You’ll eat eggplant, but not broccoli?” I laughed, “I’ll eat broccoli with you; it’s one of my favorites too.” I said to Odysseus, which made him giggle with a small blush.
After we had enough pizza to last us a life time, we made our way to an ice-cream shop. Soren got a five-scoop sundae, which he surprisingly downed with no issue, while the rest of us normal people got two scoops and a couple of toppings. Sebastian complained about Soren’s empty pit of an intestine, but laughed in spite of himself. We ended up sitting on the pier of the school’s most famous lake with our legs in the water. Griffin sighed softly to himself, munching his last bit of cone before turning to the five of us, “Today’s been great.”
“It sure has. I can’t remember the last time we had this much fun. I just hope everything is ok with the Gods…” Praxis tried wearily.
Soren rubbed her back sadly, his eyes glossy with worry, “Hey, don’t worry about our parents; I'm sure they just have some kind of meeting or something.”
“I don’t think that’s the reason why they left,” I whispered, making everyone turn to me.
“What do you mean?” Sebastian croaked, while Odysseus stiffened.
“My Dad was on the phone with Galaxy today during study hall... They were arguing about something pretty serious…?” I paused to gnaw on my waffle cone, “All I know is Blaine didn’t want us to hear the conversation. I mean, my Dad sounded like he was totally against what he was saying, so I don’t know what’s going on.” I offered with my mouth slightly fully.
“That’s, crazy. My Dad would never let anyone get hurt intentionally? I mean, I know they fight often, but this time it seems kind of serious.” Soren said.
“Maybe they aren’t going to their Realms after all?” Odysseus tried.
“More importantly, why were they trying so hard to keep this from us?” Praxis whispered, which made us all shiver in worry.
╪
After we had wrapped up at the pier, we returned to my house and set up for the night. Sleeping bags and snoring teenagers filled the living room, and while they and the dogs slept peacefully, I stared up at the ceiling above me. Odysseus had won the coin toss to get the couch, and was lying above me with his arms folded on his chest. I thought he had been asleep for at least a few minutes, but he abruptly rolled his lips, which scared me half to death. He snorted a giggle and peeked down at me as I held my chest and wheezed. “Guess you’re up too; sorry I scared you.”
“You’re seriously going to give me a heart attack one day. Why are you up? You’re not homesick, are you?” I asked with a slight pout.
He shook his head, “I'm just thinking about some stuff; about how today went.”
“Did you have fun?” I cautiously asked.
“Of course I did, and that’s what I was thinking about. It’s been a long time since I’ve been out in public this much, let alone without my Dad, and I just couldn’t believe how much fun I had without him. It’s probably because I had you with me, though.” He said bluntly. My cheeks flushed a brilliant pink, and I pressed them into my pillow. He smirked and poked my forehead, “Wanna come up here with me and talk? If you’re tired we don’t have to?”
“Sure, I’d love to,” I carefully slid out from in between the coffee table and Soren, who was snoring like a whale, and pushed Bodhi aside to sit down. Odysseus scooched over enough that I was able to lay beside him, and once I did, we were barely inches apart. Up close, I saw he was wrapped up in an oversized grey sweatshirt, and his glasses were propped up behind his head on the side table. He smelled like popcorn and men’s body wash from the shower he had a couple hours ago, and whatever he used was incredibly appealing.
“Did you have fun today?” He whispered adorably, bringing his sleeve covered hands up to his mouth to muffle his voice. I nodded eagerly, and chuckled at his cheerful smile. We were quiet for a moment before Odysseus nestled into his pillow and began tracing the pattern of the stitching. “Nick? Can I tell you something?” I nodded sweetly; he took a deep breath before whispering, “I can’t stop thinking about you…” he turned away in shame the moment after he said this. “Sorry, that was too much…”
I reached over and stole his fingers from his sweatshirt sleeves, “I'm glad one of us finally admitted it,” I cooed. He turned to me slowly, his eyes bugging wide as I clutched his hand tighter. “You have my whole world turned upside down, admittedly. I’ve enjoyed watching you socialize tonight… enjoyed seeing you be yourself. You seemed very happy.”
“I'm happy we spent the night together, too… I'm scared that I'm not going to be able to do this with you again because of… my anxiety…” His voice weakened and slowly trailed off.
I took a slow breath before covering my face , “I really like you, Odysseus, and I want things to work for us… I don’t care how long it takes, or how much work. I don’t want to lose you, not again.” I whispered, knowing he knew I was referring to our dream.
His breathed caught slightly, and he smirked sadly before moving his finger along my jaw. When he reached my chin, he tilted my face out of my hands and leaned in to lightly press our lips together. I had to hold back a sniffle with all of my might; he delicately broke the gesture with a full smile. “I really like you too, Particeps Potestatis…” He teased. We shared a small giggle before he pressed his nose to mine, “I guess the world isn’t that scary… with you in it.”
“Likewise,” I replied, kissing him again.