Eli's POV
Riven stood in the center of his bedroom, rain-soaked, still breathing heavily like he'd run all the way from another world.
Eli grabbed a towel, hands moving before his mind could catch up. He draped it around Riven's shoulders, their eyes finally locking.
Neither of them said anything.
Not at first.
There were no perfect words. Just the quiet hum of the aircon and the sound of two hearts trying not to collapse.
"You're here," Eli whispered.
"I couldn't stay there anymore," Riven replied, voice raw. "Not after what I said."
Eli nodded and held out his hand. "Then stay here."
---
Riven's fingers were cold, but when they curled around Eli's, it felt like coming home.
They didn't rush into each other's arms. There was no dramatic kiss.
Instead, they sat on the bed—side by side—like two people who had been through a war they hadn't asked to fight.
Eli broke the silence.
"What did they say?"
Riven stared ahead, eyes hollow but dry. "Everything I expected. That I was selfish. That I was broken. That I was wasting my future."
Eli turned to him. "And what did you say?"
Riven looked at him then, the ghost of a smirk playing on his lips.
"That if loving you meant losing them… then I would still choose you."
Eli felt the tears threaten to fall. But he blinked them away.
Instead, he reached for Riven's hand again and held it tightly.
"They don't define you, Riven. You do."
---
Later That Night
They changed into dry clothes.
Eli lent Riven an old hoodie—black, oversized, with paint stains near the sleeves. It looked so different on Riven. Softer.
They lay down in silence, neither sure if sleep would come.
Riven stared at the ceiling. "I'm scared."
Eli turned on his side, facing him. "Of what?"
"Of losing you. Of messing this up. Of not knowing how to be good at this."
Eli reached over, fingers brushing against Riven's cheek.
"You don't have to be good at this. Just be honest. Just be here."
Riven finally turned to face him.
And in that moment, everything slowed.
The city outside disappeared. So did the rumors. The parents. The brothers. The fear.
All that existed was the space between them.
"I want to stay," Riven whispered.
Eli nodded.
"Then stay."
---
They didn't kiss.
They didn't need to.
Instead, they fell asleep facing each other.
Fingers still intertwined.
Hearts still healing.
And when morning came—soft, golden, and quiet—it found them just like that:
Together.
Not broken.
Not hidden.
Just real.
---
Meanwhile — Outside Their Bubble
The whispers grew louder in school halls.
Screenshots circulated. Rumors spun. Names were spat like venom.
But behind every cruel whisper, there was also something else growing.
Curiosity. Sympathy. Even silent admiration.
Not everyone saw love as weakness.
Not everyone chose hate.
And as Eli and Riven slept—safe for one night—the world began to shift.
Slowly.
But surely.
---