Elias didn't sleep.
Not because he couldn't.
But because he didn't want to.
It was unfamiliar this refusal to shut down, to reset, to regain control. Normally, after something… destabilizing, he would isolate, recalibrate, rebuild his internal structure.
But this time
He stayed.
Dominic was still there.
Sitting on the edge of the console platform, one leg bent, the other stretched out slightly, like he had no intention of leaving anytime soon.
Like this place this moment belonged to both of them now.
Elias stood a few steps away, watching him.
Observing.
Not analyzing.
Just… watching.
Dominic glanced up eventually, catching him.
"You've been staring at me for exactly three minutes."
Elias didn't deny it.
"That is within acceptable parameters."
Dominic smirked.
"For what?"
Elias tilted his head slightly.
"For understanding something unfamiliar."
Dominic's expression softened a little.
"And what exactly are you trying to understand?"
Elias answered without hesitation.
"You."
Dominic let out a quiet breath.
That answer landed deeper than Elias probably intended.
"You've had years to do that," Dominic said.
Elias shook his head.
"Inaccurate."
Dominic frowned slightly.
"How?"
Elias stepped closer this time.
Not cautiously.
Not reluctantly.
Just… intentionally.
"I have had years to observe you," he said.
A pause.
"But not to… experience you."
Dominic went still.
Completely still.
Elias noticed.
"Your physiological response has changed," he added.
Dominic let out a short laugh under his breath.
"Yeah, that tends to happen when you say things like that."
Elias studied him.
"That was not intended to provoke a reaction."
"I know."
Dominic stood up slowly now, closing the remaining distance between them.
"That's what makes it worse."
Elias frowned slightly.
"Worse?"
"For me," Dominic clarified.
Elias considered that.
Then asked
"Why?"
Dominic stepped closer until there was barely space between them again.
"Because you mean it."
Elias didn't respond immediately.
Because that was true.
And he didn't know how to frame that truth into something less… impactful.
Dominic exhaled slowly.
"You've changed."
Elias tilted his head.
"Define change."
Dominic smiled faintly.
"You don't hide behind distance anymore."
Elias thought about that.
Then nodded once.
"That is correct."
Dominic's gaze held his.
"Why?"
Elias hesitated.
Not because he didn't know the answer.
But because this answer… mattered.
And saying it would make something permanent.
He exhaled quietly.
"Because maintaining distance is no longer preferable."
Dominic's voice dropped.
"That's still you being careful."
Elias looked at him.
Then, slower this time
"Because I want you close."
The words settled between them.
Unfiltered.
Unstructured.
Real.
Dominic's breath caught slightly.
There it was again.
That thing Elias was doing now
Saying exactly what he meant without trying to dilute it.
Dominic shook his head faintly.
"You're going to ruin me like this."
Elias frowned.
"That is not my intention."
Dominic laughed softly.
"I know."
A pause.
"But you might anyway."
Elias didn't respond.
Because he didn't understand that outcome.
Not fully.
But he didn't dismiss it either.
Dominic stepped even closer now if that was even possible and his hand found Elias's again.
Not testing.
Not hesitant.
Just… taking it.
Elias looked down briefly at their hands.
Then back at Dominic.
"You initiated contact."
Dominic raised an eyebrow.
"You're really pointing that out right now?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Elias answered simply.
"Because I am not stopping you."
Dominic smiled slowly.
"That's becoming a pattern."
Elias nodded once.
"Yes."
Dominic's thumb moved lightly against his hand.
"You know what that means, right?"
Elias tilted his head.
"Clarify."
Dominic stepped closer, their hands still linked between them.
"It means you're choosing this."
Elias paused.
That word again.
Choosing.
Not reacting.
Not calculating.
Choosing.
He looked at their hands again.
At the way Dominic held him like it was natural.
Like it had always been this way.
Then he looked back at him.
"Yes," Elias said quietly.
"I am."
Dominic didn't smile immediately.
Didn't tease.
He just looked at him.
And something deeper settled behind his expression.
"Say it again," he said.
Elias didn't hesitate this time.
"I am choosing this."
Dominic exhaled slowly.
"Okay."
His voice was softer now.
Grounded.
Real.
"Okay."
He pulled Elias slightly closer not forcefully, just enough to close the space completely.
And when he kissed him again
It wasn't about tension anymore.
It wasn't about discovery.
It was about decision.
Elias responded immediately.
No delay.
No thought.
Just instinct.
Just want.
Just… him.
When they broke apart, neither of them stepped away.
Dominic rested his forehead lightly against Elias's.
"You don't get to take that back later," he murmured.
Elias answered just as quietly.
"I don't intend to."
Dominic smiled faintly.
"Good."
A pause.
Then
"Because I'm not letting you."
Elias didn't argue.
Didn't analyze.
Didn't step back.
For once
He simply stayed.
And that, more than anything else so far
Was the first choice he made…
Without trying to understand it first.