The second event was smaller.
A reception tied to a collaborative academic initiative—less formal, more conversational. Juni hadn't planned to attend. Elian hadn't insisted. They arrived together anyway.
At first, it went smoothly.
Juni stood beside Elian, listening as people spoke around them. He smiled when addressed, answered politely, withdrew when the conversation drifted away from him. It was manageable—until it wasn't.
Elian noticed the change slowly.
The way Juni stopped scanning the room. The way his posture folded inward, shoulders tightening as the noise thickened. When someone laughed too loudly nearby, Juni flinched almost imperceptibly.
Elian finished the sentence he was in the middle of and excused himself mid-conversation.
"You okay?" he asked quietly, leaning in.
Juni nodded automatically. "Yeah. Just tired."
Elian studied him for a moment longer, then made a decision without announcing it.
"We'll head out," he said. "I've got an early morning."
The person he was speaking to blinked in surprise. "Already?"
Elian smiled politely. "Yes."
No explanation. No apology.
They walked toward the exit together. A few heads turned—not curious, exactly, but aware. Elian didn't slow. He didn't rush either.
Outside, the air felt cleaner.
Juni stopped just beyond the doors. "You didn't have to leave," he said.
"I wanted to," Elian replied.
"That meeting mattered," Juni added.
"So do you."
Juni looked at him then—really looked. Not searching for reassurance. Recognizing a choice.
"You didn't make a thing of it," Juni said softly.
Elian shrugged. "I didn't need to."
They walked a few steps farther, away from the building's glow.
"I don't want to be the reason you miss things," Juni said.
Elian stopped again, turning fully toward him. "You're not," he said firmly. "I decide what I attend. I decide what matters."
Juni's breath hitched slightly before he steadied himself. "Thank you."
Elian reached for his hand—not hidden, not displayed. Just held.
In that moment, Juni understood something important: being chosen didn't always look dramatic.
Sometimes it looked like leaving early.
And sometimes, that was enough to make the world feel survivable again.