‏𖦹⚔️── . ★⸝⸝ ༝༚𖦹✶𓏲ּ꩜ .ᐟ

The first light of dawn filters gently through the cracked windowpane, casting soft, golden patterns across the cracked wooden floorboards. The Safe Haven is still, wrapped in a fragile silence that feels almost sacred after everything you and Aris have been through. Somewhere in the distance, the faint murmur of the others waking stirs, but here in this small room, time seems to pause.

You lie on your back beneath a threadbare blanket, muscles still warm from sleep but your mind slow to catch up. Your eyes open, drawn instinctively to the faint silhouette sitting beside you. Aris watches you with a quiet intensity, as if memorizing every small detail—the way the light touches your face, the slow rise and fall of your breath, the delicate curve of your lips.

His usual guarded expression softens in the early morning light. The tension in his shoulders is gone, replaced by a calm that feels almost fragile, like he’s holding something precious that he’s never said out loud before.

You reach out without thinking, your fingers trembling slightly as they brush a stray lock of hair away from his forehead. His eyes catch yours, and in that moment, you see something vulnerable flicker there—hope, maybe, or the faintest spark of trust. “Good morning,” He whispers, his voice low and rough with sleep, but filled with a warmth that makes your chest ache.

Your heart swells, and you smile softly back, the weight of the world slipping away with the sound of those two simple words. You lean in slowly, savoring the quiet connection, and press your lips gently to his—a kiss light and tender, like a promise unspoken.

Aris doesn’t pull away. Instead, he closes his eyes briefly, then deepens the kiss with a quiet longing that makes your breath hitch. His hand moves to cradle the side of your face, thumb brushing softly over your cheekbone. For a few heartbeats, everything else—the danger, the scars, the loss—falls away until there’s nothing but the warmth between you two, the safety found in this small, fragile moment.

When you finally pull apart, your foreheads rest together and the world seems to settle back into place. “You looked like you were going to say something,” You whisper, tracing gentle circles on his skin.

He exhales, a slow, shaky breath. “I guess... I just wanted to say that I’m glad you’re here. With me. After everything.”