The rain started just after dusk.
Juni arrived soaked, hair damp, jacket heavy with water. Elian opened the door without comment, taking the jacket and hanging it carefully by the window.
"You didn't bring an umbrella," Elian said.
Juni shrugged, already tugging off his shoes. "Didn't think I'd stay."
Elian glanced at him—not questioning, not surprised. "You can."
They moved around each other easily, the small apartment adjusting to their presence. Elian set a kettle on the stove. Juni perched on the counter, swinging one leg, watching the rain streak the glass.
They talked about their days in fragments—nothing exhaustive, nothing avoided. Juni described a critique that lingered longer than he'd expected. Elian mentioned the seminar, glossing over the attention it had drawn.
Later, the rain softened. The apartment quieted.
Juni sat cross-legged on the couch, sketchbook balanced on his knee, while Elian read nearby. The space between them closed naturally, a shoulder leaning into warmth, a foot brushing against a calf.
When it grew late, neither said the word stay.
Juni set his sketchbook aside. Elian turned off the lamp.
They lay side by side, facing opposite directions at first, the familiar distance of people who knew how to give space. After a moment, Juni shifted closer, his back fitting against Elian's chest like muscle memory.
Elian's arm settled around him without hesitation.
They didn't kiss. They didn't talk. The closeness was enough.
Juni listened to Elian's breathing slow, steady. The day's noise faded into something manageable. This—this quiet, this shared warmth—felt like continuity rather than escalation.
Tomorrow would separate them again. Different campuses. Different expectations.
But tonight existed.
Juni slept deeper than he had in days.
In the early hours, Elian woke briefly, aware of the weight against him, the trust implied in unconscious closeness. He rested his chin lightly against Juni's shoulder and let himself stay there.
The morning would come soon enough.
For now, there was only this—chosen, calm, and quietly sustaining.