By four in the morning, the world was still mostly asleep.
The sky beyond the windows was an indistinct shade of blue-black, and the streets below lay almost entirely deserted. There were no crowds, no traffic, no indication that anything out of the ordinary was about to happen.
And yet, in a few hours, everything would change.
Blake stood before the portal, his hands resting against Myles's shoulders as he hugged him goodbye.
Neither of them seemed particularly inclined to let go.
"You'll all be careful, right?" Blake murmured.
Alexis gave a loud scoff. "You should be asking yourself that."
"I'm serious."
Blake pulled back just enough to look at Myles. His face was as composed as ever, but there was something in his eyes that made Blake's chest tighten.
He leaned forward for one last hug, holding on a little more tightly than he intended. Myles returned it without complaint, one hand resting against the back of Blake's head.
Then, finally, they separated.
