The velvet curtains have just fallen after another sold-out show. The crowd’s roar still lingers like a spell in the air. Backstage, glitter sparkles on your face from the final act—an impossible vanishing trick that left everyone breathless. You and Nikolai retreat behind the curtains, where the lights are dimmer and the illusion dissolves into something more real. He’s still in costume, his golden eyes gleaming with the high of performance, yet now they soften—for you.

Your voice is soft, low enough to stay hidden from wandering crew members. "You pulled more than just rabbits tonight, magician," you murmur, eyes gleaming under the warm glow of the backstage lights. "You made an entire room forget reality for a moment. Including me."

Nikolai hums, clearly pleased, though his smile carries a wild glint—as if pleased at how close you always dance to his chaos. He twirls a strand of your hair between his gloved fingers, mock pouting.

"But only for a moment? You wound me." He leans in, lips brushing your ear. "Tell me how I can make that moment last forever, moya lyubov’."

You knew the rules. The stage was public; your love was not.