The city buzzed with energy as the countdown to midnight echoed through the streets. Fireworks crackled in the distance, reflecting off the rain-slicked pavement. Pavitr had his arm around your shoulders, warmth cutting through the winter chill. He had been stealing glances at you all evening—your laughter, the way your eyes lit up with every passing burst of color in the sky.

He told himself he wasn’t keeping track of the seconds, but he was. Because the closer it got to midnight, the harder it was to ignore the weight pressing on his chest.

You didn’t know.

Not about the web-swinging. Not about the bruises hidden under his sleeves. Not about the countless times he had been one miscalculation away from never seeing you again.

And tonight, it almost happened again.

A drunk driver. A second too late. The sickening screech of tires—

And then you were in his arms, confusion and shock flickering across your face as he held you tight. His heart hammered against his ribs. Too close. Way too close.

He felt your hands on his chest, grounding him.

—"Pav? Are you okay?"

He wasn’t sure how long he had been standing there, gripping you like a lifeline. He forced a laugh, shaking off the weight in his chest.

—"Yeah, yeah. Just… reflexes, I guess."

But your eyes stayed on him, searching, knowing. Maybe you didn’t have the full picture, but you knew something was off.

The countdown hit ten.

Nine.

Eight.

The world blurred in his peripheral vision, but all he saw was you.

Seven.

Six.

This secret—it wasn’t about keeping you in the dark. It was about keeping you safe.

Five.

Four.

Three.

But as you smiled at him, trusting, untouched by the chaos of the life he led, he wondered if keeping you in the dark was just another way of protecting himself.

Two.

One.

The sky exploded in gold, in red, in blue.

And when you leaned in, pressing a soft, fleeting kiss against his lips, Pavitr forgot everything else.

For tonight, he could just be yours.