The scent of lavender from Angel’s sheets surrounded them. The sky outside his window shifted slowly into dawn, paling and swallowing up the stars. Nyx cuddled into the crook of his arm, her head on his bare chest. Her eyes were closed, but he could hear the quick beat of her heart, the rapid, shallow breaths and smell the tang of anxiety in her sweat. The warmth of her body was in layers. There was her usual, familiar body heat at her core like the center of the earth, but a sort of invisible gossamer film drifted off her in a thin cocoon. Enraptured, Angel stroked her arm, trailing his fingers through the tactile hum of her life-force.

I’ve held you a thousand times, mesmerised your face down to every freckle, and now everything’s changed. Can we ever go back to the way things were?

“Can’t sleep?” she asked, peeking open an eye.

“Not for lack of trying,” he said.

She reached up, smoothing the hair from his face. “Are you scared?”

“No.” He turned, draping his arm over her as he nestled his face in the crook of her neck.

We can pretend like tonight never happened.”

“You died in my arms Angel, how can you expect me to move past that?”

His chest tightened, choking on the memory of her terrified eyes piercing into him as he emerged from the dreamscape into the backseat of Alistair’s car.

How could I do that to you? What’s the matter with me? What am I now, can I even die?

“I’m asking you to.” Angel shifted away from her and sat up against the pillows. His molars ground into each other, zinging pain into his temples. “Frankly, it’s none of your business.”

Nyx sat up, glaring at him. “Your business is my business.”

“Please, can we drop it?”

"No,” she said. “We don't know much about Ivy's powers -"

"I know what Ivy can do," he snapped. "Everyone knows what she's capable of. That's not what I want. I want to go back to how things were."

"I don't think that's possible," Nyx said gently. "I'm sorry. I think we need to learn more about it, that's all. It strikes me as odd these powers would sit dormant for so long. Why would your body repress it? Where did they even come from?"

It’s like the whole world is a beating heart and I can feel all of it. How did I miss this all my life?

Something unsettling slithered into his guts and made a nest, twisting and turning like a hibernaculum.

"Bodies do weird shit all the time,” he grumbled. “Especially mutant bodies. It doesn't mean there's anything sketchy going on."

"You're not the least bit curious?"

"Not at all."

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She looked at him with skepticism, but didn’t press it.

"Maybe there's a way to control it?" he suggested, and tried to brighten. "Maybe I could use them to actually win some fights? Even if I only used them to heal, I'd have an advantage."

"I don't think you should do anymore fighting," she said. "Revealing your new powers isn't a good idea. At least not right now. Ivy might hear about it."

"Why on earth would she give a shit?" he exclaimed.

"She may find someone having her abilities to be a threat."

"Ivy is going to find me threatening? I'm flattered, but seriously, that's ridiculous."

"If you can flip your powers like she can, you could suck anyone's life-force out, including hers."

Angel's eyes widened. "Yeah, but I wouldn't."

"It doesn't matter that you wouldn't do it. It matters that you could. Plus, she'd lose a lot of her leverage, especially in international politics if you were to decide to heal the leaders and elite she's been negotiating with. She might want to get rid of you before she no longer has that option, or best case scenario, she'll strongly insist you go to The Academy."

Angel bristled as it finally dawned on him that he would not get much of a say in either situation.

"Fine then," he sighed. "We won't say anything to anyone." Angel fixed his eyes ahead, looking toward the window. His jaw twitched. "Do you think the others would hate me?”

"What do you mean?"

"Your mom and dad, Daisy and Aiden. Julian. They might be scared of me after seeing what Ivy did in the war."

"That's not fair," Nyx argued. "You're not Ivy, and you're not going to suck out anyone's life by accident or on purpose."

He laid down, pulling the covers up. Nyx scooched down and cuddled up close, and they faced each other. Her grip tightened and he relaxed into her embrace.

What mess I’ve drug you into.

"Do you hate me?" he asked.

"Not in a million years," she said, and smoothed her hand across his cheek and hair.

"Good." He closed his eyes with a soft sigh. "I don't think I could bear it if you did."

“I’m worried about you,” she confessed. ”No matter what happens, I couldn’t stand to lose you.”

“I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me. Even if Ivy comes, I’ll -”

Her eyes hardened. “Don’t fight her. Please. We both saw her that day, you don’t stand a chance even with your new powers. If she takes you to The Academy, maybe she’ll help you -”

“I’d be her prisoner,” he said. “You said so yourself, I pose a threat to her, real or perceived. You think she’ll let me just go about my business?”

Nyx stiffened, her grip around his waist tightened. “We’ll figure this out.”

“We could always run away together.” He was only half teasing. There was something fantastical, almost romantic about it. There’d be no more Julian breathing down his neck, no more having to prove himself, but there’d be no more Alistair or Cassie either. No more beach, or jam sessions in the shed.

If it comes down to it, I’d lose everything anyway. At least then I’d have her. I’ll have to run. I’ll never work with Ivy.

“Sure,” she laughed. “What would we do out there?”

“Rob banks?”

Nyx rolled her eyes, but grinned despite herself. “We’d live fast and die young I suppose.”

“I always planned to leave a beautiful corpse,” he teased, but the words left a sour taste in his mouth the moment they left.

Their laughter staled, tension settling again into the sliver of space between them. The inevitability of their predicament raked its claws up his spine. Even death itself was no longer a certainty, but Ivy loomed on the horizon as sure as the tide.

Nyx stiffened. Barely constrained tears made her quiver. She pressed her face to his chest, struggling to manage her breathing. Angel’s lips fell in her hair. He rubbed her back, savouring the softness of her skin. Every moment ticked into eternity.