Jayce met him when the sun was too high and the heat was eating at his bones. Jayce met him in the summer heat when the breeze was quiet. The boy was all long limbs and soft smiles; a quiet storm in the middle of nowhere. He had guarded eyes as if he had been holding his breath his entire life. And Jayce was life itself, bottled in one human with a smile too wide and words too nice. It began with an offered ride. Windows down, music blasting, their hands touching in the space between the seats as if they knew each other their entire lives. They shared laughs and empty promises at night, lying on top of Jayce's truck while the stars shone bright. But it was summer, and nothing lasts long in the dying heat. Jayce thought that was it. One simple goodbye, and the boy was gone before they could mean something more. Jayce thought that was it until he saw him wandering the Academy. Maybe the parting that left him aching didn't have to be the end?