Nyx wasn't surprised to find Angel in her kitchen when she returned. They made it through supper cheerfully enough for Kismet's sake, but now they were alone, it was difficult to ignore the tension.

Looking at Angel now, Nyx remembered him the way she knew him to be. He smiled like he heard a terrible joke and was dying to tell her. A mischievous glimmer softened his sharp blue eyes.

In school, other girls teased each other for having a crush on him. How could she blame them? That would be like wanting someone to stop admiring the moon or the stars. They didn't belong to her any more than he did. That was simply the exuberance of him.

The double-edged blade of joy and longing dashed through Nyx. She wished for him to be only hers.

How does it make sense to tame the wild thing about him that I admire? It's like trying to swallow the sun.

Nyx passed Angel a wet dish to dry. Kismet had offered to help, but Nyx sent her off to rest after working so hard on dinner. So she had gone for a bath, leaving Nyx alone with Angel for the first time since their argument.

She pulled the plug on the sink as he finished putting the last plate in the cupboard. The heavy clouds had broken, pouring sheets of rain that rattled the windows in their panes.

"Don't worry, I won't send you out in that," she said, tossing the towel across the tap.

"A merciful Queen," he teased. "Where should I sleep? The armchair?"

"In my bed obviously," Nyx glowered, refusing to take the bait.

"So I'm forgiven?"

"Yes, but I haven't changed my mind."

"Me neither."

"So now what?" she asked.

"A truce," he suggested. "These last few days have been... a lot."

"Are you saying you want a break then?" Her voice cracked and she steeled herself for his answer.

"No," he said quickly. "I'm saying I don't want to fight with you anymore. I can't do it on top of everything else. Please, I miss you. Can we call it a draw?"

That was the closest thing to 'I need you' she'd ever heard him say. Nyx nibbled her lip, her chest tightening, catching her breath under her ribs. "I can, but under some conditions."

"Name your demands," he said, a playful glint in his eyes, but the lines of his face were drawn in thought.

"I'm not competing for you Angel," she said. "Not with other women, not with alcohol or any of your other reckless whims. I'm telling you this now, and I'm telling you only once, if you break the terms of this truce then it's over."

"You drive a hard bargain."

Again, he tried to laugh it off but she stared him down.

"I'm only asking you to be faithful, to calm down, to try and not die in front of me again."

"Is that all?" he asked drily. Angel fiddled with tucking the dish rag into the gap in the drawer. His fingers tense and quick in their movements.

"If you can't do it, then just say so and we'll call it quits now instead of wasting anymore of each other's time." Nyx clenched her jaw to trap the tears in her throat.

Angel turned his diamond eyes on her. "It's that easy for you?"

"You haven't made any of this easy."

"I'm sorry loving me has to be so hard," he snapped.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Nyx touched his arm so he would look at her again. "Loving you has always been the easy part, it's getting you to accept it that's difficult."

"How can I?" He asked, his eyes pleading. "I can't promise you anything. I'll only wreck it."

"I'll risk it," she said. Her heart pounded as if a butterfly perched on her fingertip. One wrong move...

"Won't it hurt more this way?" Angel asked.

"I trust you."

"After everything?"

"I'm giving you a chance," she said. "You can't pretend like the other night didn't bother you, that it didn't even matter. If you didn't have that power you'd be -"

"Of course it bothers me," he said, interrupting her. "Just a split second impulse, what a way to go, and nothing to show for it."

Nyx embraced him, feeling the warmth of his body pressed to hers. She tightened her grip. He tensed, then snaked his arms around her, his lips in her hair.

"Fine. I concede," he sighed. "I'll agree to your terms."

Nyx thought this moment would be victorious. After all these years of on again - off again dating, there was clarity and commitment. Finally, she had him pinned, but it didn't seem fair.

They spent the evening riffling through Nyx's CD collection with Kismet. They were still packed up in a shoe box next to the drums. The three of them sat on the floor in the near-empty spare room, picking through them and taking turns putting songs on the little stereo. Kismet was enthralled, already familiar with most artists Nyx showed her, but was excited to find new ones too. Nyx and Angel reminisced over albums and songs they used to listen to together and hadn't heard in a while.

Later that night, they crawled into bed together. The bedroom was small enough that her bed and dresser took up the majority of the space. The walls were blank and she was living out of the unpacked boxes in the corner. Angel eyeballed the clutter.

"You want my help with that tomorrow?" he asked.

"Sure," she said and snuggled up, clicking out the light. There was a comfortable silence as they attempted to settle into sleep, but the events of the day buzzed in her head. "Can I ask you something?"

He pretended to be snoring and she lightly elbowed him.

"Seriously."

"Ok, yeah, sure. What's up?"

"Does Julian have a problem with any particular type of powers?"

"Ah, no, I don't think so? Why?"

Nyx paraphrased the conversation they had when she went to get Kismet's papers, including the lie she told. "It just really struck me as odd, and when I went to see Watcher Liz, she didn't care at all. I don't think the question was even on the papers."

"Hmm," he said. "I really don't know what the hell that's about." Angel rolled away to face the wall. "But Julian is super weird, so what did we expect."

Nyx stayed propped against the headboard and nudged his shoulder. He groaned in discontent and turned around.

"What if he talks to Daisy and finds out I lied?"

"He probably won't even remember the conversation you had in the first place."

Nyx lowered her voice to a whisper. "What if he sends Kismet away? What will happen to her?"

Angel opened his eyes and finally sat up. He pushed his dark hair out of his face. "Despite what my father believes, he's not the only one who gets a say about what happens on this island. Hopefully the rest of them have some sense. They're all sober at least, so that's a bonus. Plus, didn't you say Watcher Liz seemed to like her? She gets to veto anyway."

Nyx nibbled her lip, her stomach twisting with uncertainty.

"Still, I think we should take her to meet the others. If they all like her, no one can say no."

"Hmm, I guess. If she wants to, why not?" Angel flopped down again, closing his eyes and yanked the blankets under his chin.

Nyx wasn't done and shook his shoulder. "I asked Watcher Liz about Ivy."

He opened a single eye. "And?"

"She said Ivy didn't lose her mortal body until she killed the headmaster, then absorbed all those people in the war. So I don't think you have anything to worry about. It doesn't seem to be part of the natural progression of the ability in of itself."

"Good." Angel sighed with relief. "Kismet offered to teach me what she learns from Daisy. Then I'll be able to control it. Then I'm gonna fight Carl. I heard the pot is forty-thousand now."

"Please don't."

"I can't die this time. If I can control it, I can just heal up later. I won't zap him or anything, I swear."

Nyx groaned in exasperation, running her fingers through her pink hair. "Please be careful. You're still mortal as far as we know. Plus, It's already suspicious you survived the first time after Timmy went around telling everyone you died."

"So long as I don't absorb anyone, everything will be fine." He meant it as a joke, but she wasn't laughing.

"Did you hear me at all?" she snapped. "I mean it Angel. If you get caught, it could end very badly. No more foolishness."

"What, I'm not supposed to fight at all? Ever?" He propped himself up on his elbow.

"I wish you wouldn't," she grumbled.

"It's not like I can get seriously hurt now, so what's the problem?"

"You're playing with fire," she growled. "Sooner or later, someone will notice something is up."

"This sucks," he complained. "Maybe there's a chance Ivy wouldn't care?"

That is a possibility, but what are the odds?

"Would you want to risk it?"

"I just don't know if I can hide it forever," Angel said.

I can't argue, but he was right. Even if he doesn't fight or do anything reckless for the rest of his life, there's bound to be something that slips.

The room suddenly became even smaller. She pressed in closer, wrapping her arms around him, squeezing tighter. Still, she could not escape the feeling he was slipping through her fingers.