Aida was drifting off to sleep when she heard a light tapping on her window. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she squinted at the dark shape obscuring the moon’s light, gasping as she scrambled out of bed.

Not a dream, Aida thought in disbelief as Ezra gestured for her to retreat from her window. She watched in bemusement as Ezra slowly manipulated the glass from its frame, somehow creating a sliding mechanism that allowed the glass to separate itself from her room’s walls. A light breeze blew through her room, disturbing the papers on her desk.

“What are you doing?” Aida whispered as she collected the stray sheets under a textbook. “You should be in bed! What if you get caught?”

“I won’t,” Ezra murmured back. He stood on a narrow metal platform that certainly hadn’t been there before, supporting himself with a hand on the wall. “It’s a full moon tonight, and I…I wanted to moongaze with you.”

Aida gaped at him, torn by the responsibility to follow curfew rules and the desire to take Ezra’s outstretched hand. A million ways in which they would get in trouble streamed through her mind - someone’s going to report us, we’re going to fall, we’re not going to get a good night’s rest for tomorrow’s classes…

“Please hurry,” Ezra whispered. “The roof is clear, but this position is precarious.”

Biting her lip, she scrambled onto her desk and took Ezra’s hand, squeezing next to him on his platform. He guided her to the silvery ladder on the side, where he had descended from. She could see Sue’s form, sprawled haphazardly across her bed without a blanket through the window right next to them, and she clung to the side as she tried to avoid sticking out too much. Knowing my luck, she’s going to turn around and catch us.

At his urging, she quickly climbed the twenty feet to the rooftop where she hauled herself over the parapet, followed shortly after by Ezra.

“I’m sorry for not alerting you sooner,” Ezra said without preamble as he pulled the metal up in a silvery stream and packed it into a block. “I didn’t decide to follow through with this until right before bed.” He exhaled, glancing all across the empty rooftop. “…I couldn’t sleep.”

“An act of spontaneity and rule breaking?” Aida asked, amusement finally overtaking her shock now that they weren’t dangling off the side of the wall. “What’s gotten into you?”

“It’s a full moon,” Ezra repeated, slightly defensively. “And…you came, so…”

“Ah.” The moon really was very bright tonight; nearly as bright and large as during the Old Moon Festival. She felt her cheeks heat at the reminder of what had happened a month ago. “…I see.”

“I don’t have snacks, but I brought some tea,” Ezra mumbled, pulling a metal thermos from a bag stowed at his feet. He handed her a double-walled metal mug, carefully pouring the steaming beverage into it before pouring one for himself. “Please, drink.”

Blowing at the steam, Aida took in the smell of barley tea before sipping at it. It was comforting and warmed her core, relaxing her. “You know, I’ve never broken curfew before.”

“I have not either.”

They stood in silence, looking out over the brightly lit school grounds. The forest and lake were tranquil, and Aida could see the landscape beyond the professors’ defensive perimeters were also peaceful. There were no clouds in the sky, and the brisk night air was fresh and sweet. With how still and quiet the night was, it felt like Aida and Ezra were the only two people in the world.

Aida was hyper aware of Ezra next to her. She was in her sleeveless nightgown, and a tingle ran down her spine as the sleeve of Ezra’s shirt brushed against her skin. He seemed to realize how close they were standing as well, as he held himself very rigidly. He looked down at her, his hair, eyes, and skin glowing under the moon’s white light. “May I…offer you a jacket?”

Aida’s heart thudded in her throat, the significance of his words rendering her unable to speak. Nodding jerkily, she swallowed as Ezra reached down into his bag, pulling out the same silver-embroidered jacket he wore during Old Moon Festival.

Shaking out the wrinkles, he hesitated, looking deep into Aida’s eyes. Uncertain. Questioning. Requesting. She felt heat crawl up her neck.

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She turned around wordlessly, offering her back to him, her fingers clutching nervously at the collar of her nightgown.

Slowly, delicately, reverently, Ezra slipped the garment over her shoulders, the heavy fabric a welcome reprieve from the suddenly chilly night air. She felt Ezra’s warm breath caress the back of her bare neck.

Aida blanched, her hands flying up to her hair. She had tossed it up into a sloppy bun, in preparation for her sleep-mode. I must look so messy!

“What are you doing?”

“I just - my hair - didn’t look good,” Aida mumbled, quickly tugging the ribbon and releasing her locks. Her hair tumbled free, and Aida quickly combed her fingers through the length, trying to make herself presentable while cursing herself for making things weird - yet too late to take back her spastic behavior.

“But you looked beautiful,” Ezra said, bewildered. A blush crept up his neck as well. “You still look - beautiful,” he amended.

Aida felt the heat on her neck creep up to her cheeks. “Thank you,” she whispered, unable to meet his gaze. She pulled his jacket tighter over her shoulders, giving up on trying to rectify her behavior. He gave you his jacket, and all you can think about is how you look.

That’s right - he gave her his jacket. Even though it was a month from the official romantic event, and technically unwitnessed by others…it felt so much more significant.

She didn’t get a jacket in front of everyone else, but the fact that it only happened between the two of them in a secluded location with no fanfare…it felt more important. More serious. More genuine. It wasn’t a mere declaration, like the way Levi treated it: where he dropped the jacket on her shoulders to warn the other boys off. This was intimate. Deliberate. A wholehearted display of giving his heart.

Aida ducked her head, leaning her forehead against Ezra’s chest, unable to keep the tears from her eyes. Get it together, girl! Don’t cry when you’re supposed to be happy.

“What’s wrong?” Ezra murmured, his arms rigid and floating. He finally folded his arms over her shoulders, nestling her deeper against him. “Did I say something wrong?” he asked helplessly.

“No,” Aida laughed. “I mean, maybe. It’s just…’beautiful’ is such a heavy word.” Almost as heavy as the ‘L’ word. “It wouldn’t have been so awkward if you just said I looked good.”

“But beautiful is the truth.”

“Stop it.” Aida burrowed her face deeper into his chest. “You’re embarrassing me.”

“All right, I’m sorry.”

They remained in that position for a long moment, taking in each other’s warmth.

Aida listened to Ezra’s heartbeat, soaked in his mana flow. He was nervous, though also…calm. At peace. Happy? He was nervous, but his body wasn’t tense, as if he was primed for action. She wound her arms around his torso, pressing herself tighter against him, basking in his now-familiar mana.

He’s mine. The thought floated up through the fog of serenity, making Aida’s heart fill with a multitude of familiar and unfamiliar emotions. Disbelief was an easy one to identify; even now, after what felt like eternity in his embrace, a significant part of her was still waiting for her to wake up from this dream. To wake up alone in a cramped, lumpy bed.

Fear and resignation were also familiar emotions. The part of her lurking quietly in the background, rapidly running through all the ways this scenario could go wrong, was patiently waiting. I won’t be surprised.

It was only when Ezra shifted his grip on her, tucking her head underneath his chin so that the entirety of her body felt like she was wrapped in a safe cocoon, did she break out of the destructive spiral she had given herself to. His hand gently stroked her hair, pulling her back from the depths of her mind; back to the present.

Aida consoled herself with the thought that if something did go wrong, at least she would have Ezra at her side. Things will very likely go wrong later, but at least we can have this right now. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to feel safe. Loved. A shiver ran through her body, and Ezra tightened his arms around her, soothing the chill.

It was peaceful up on that roof with just the two of them. Aida hadn’t fully appreciated how little privacy they had until now, or how rushed their alone time in Ezra’s room before curfew was. In a way, she felt like she had more freedom to express herself now, without so many curious eyes or exploratory mana bubbles pressing on her.

Her heart pounding, she lifted her head from Ezra’s chest, peeking up at him. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked down at her.

Entranced by his silver eyes, Aida felt like she had difficulty breathing. Ezra’s fingers gently brushed her cheek, lifting away errant strands of hair the night wind had decided to throw about; his touch made her shiver, and his hand cupped her cheek.

This is happening, she thought dimly as she lifted her chin.

A brief pause, an infinitesimal amount of space hovering between them, so close yet so far…