They stayed tangled together, the room dim, the night pressing gently against the windows.
The city outside hummed low and distant, like it was careful not to intrude.
Ethan shifted, adjusting until he was half sprawled across Gabriel's lap, knees tucked in, cheek resting against his shoulder.
Gabriel let him, one hand settling at the small of Ethan's back, thumb moving in slow, absent strokes.
"You're thinking again," Gabriel murmured.
Ethan hummed. "Dangerous habit."
"Mm. Comes with consequences."
"Such as?"
"Restlessness. Overthinking. Dramatic sighing."
Ethan snorted softly. "You've studied me."
"Closely."
That earned him a quiet laugh. Ethan tilted his head, studying Gabriel's face in the low light—the faint crease between his brows, the focus that never fully left his eyes, even now.
"You know," Ethan said, "when I first met you, I thought you were terrifying."
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Terrifying?"
