Elias should have felt relief.
That was the expected outcome.
The system was stable. The breach had been stopped. The vulnerabilities at least the visible ones were under control.
And Dominic was still here.
Still choosing him.
Still close enough that Elias could feel the quiet, steady rhythm of his presence without even looking.
Everything that mattered
Was still intact.
So why did it feel like something was about to fall apart?
"You're thinking too far ahead again."
Dominic's voice cut through the silence, calm but certain.
Elias didn't turn immediately.
"Yes."
Dominic stepped closer behind him.
"You always do that when things start to matter too much."
Elias's fingers rested lightly against the console, unmoving.
"That is not an emotional response."
Dominic came to stand beside him.
"No," he said quietly.
"It's a defensive one."
Elias finally looked at him.
Dominic held his gaze.
Not challenging.
Not accusing.
Just… seeing.
Elias exhaled slowly.
"I am evaluating potential outcomes."
Dominic nodded.
"Of what?"
Elias hesitated.
That hesitation
It was enough.
Dominic's expression softened slightly.
"Of us?"
Elias didn't answer immediately.
Because that
That was exactly what he was doing.
"Yes," he said finally.
Dominic didn't react with surprise.
He had expected it.
"You're trying to figure out how this ends," Dominic said.
Elias frowned slightly.
"That is a necessary projection."
Dominic shook his head.
"No."
A step closer.
"That's fear."
Elias's jaw tightened.
"That is not accurate."
Dominic's voice softened.
"It is."
Elias looked at him carefully.
"You are making an emotional interpretation."
"And you're avoiding one."
Silence.
That
That was harder to argue with.
Elias exhaled quietly.
"Negative outcomes must be considered."
Dominic nodded.
"Sure."
A pause.
"But you're not just considering them."
Elias tilted his head slightly.
"Clarify."
"You're bracing for them."
Elias didn't respond.
Because that
That was true.
Dominic stepped closer again, his hand resting lightly against Elias's arm.
"You're already preparing for it to go wrong."
Elias's voice was lower now.
"That is a rational precaution."
Dominic shook his head.
"It's not just that."
A pause.
"You're protecting yourself."
Elias met his gaze.
"That is logical."
Dominic's expression shifted.
"Not if it means you ruin it before it even happens."
That
That hit.
Harder than anything else.
Elias didn't respond immediately.
Because for the first time
He didn't have a clear counterargument.
Dominic watched him carefully.
"You think this is the part where it breaks," he said quietly.
Elias frowned slightly.
"That is not confirmed."
"But you're expecting it."
Elias hesitated.
Then
"Yes."
The word came out quieter than he intended.
But it was honest.
Dominic exhaled slowly.
"Okay."
He didn't argue.
Didn't dismiss it.
He just
Accepted that it was there.
Then he stepped closer.
Closing the space again.
Not forcefully.
Not urgently.
Just… deliberately.
"You want to know what could actually break this?" Dominic asked.
Elias looked at him.
"What?"
Dominic held his gaze.
"You deciding it's already broken."
Elias went still.
Because that
That was not a possibility he had calculated.
Dominic continued softly
"You pulling away before anything even happens."
Elias's voice was quieter now.
"That is not my intention."
"I know."
Dominic's hand tightened slightly at his arm.
"But you don't always do things intentionally."
Silence.
Elias didn't deny it.
Because he couldn't.
Dominic stepped even closer.
"You didn't see me coming," he said.
Elias nodded.
"No."
"And now you're trying to figure out how to lose me."
Elias's breath caught slightly.
"That is not"
Dominic cut him off gently.
"It is."
Elias stopped.
Because
Again
Dominic wasn't wrong.
"I do not want to lose you," Elias said quietly.
Dominic's expression softened.
"I know."
A pause.
"But you're still preparing for it."
Elias didn't respond.
Because that was the part he didn't know how to stop.
Dominic's voice dropped slightly.
"You don't have to do that."
Elias frowned.
"That is not a viable strategy."
Dominic shook his head.
"It is if you trust me."
Elias looked at him.
"I do trust you."
Dominic held his gaze.
"Then act like it."
The words settled between them.
Simple.
But heavy.
Elias felt something shift again.
Not in the system.
Not in his thoughts.
In something deeper.
Something less structured.
Something harder to control.
Dominic stepped closer, their foreheads nearly touching again.
"You don't need to know how this ends," he said softly.
Elias's breath slowed.
"That is… difficult."
"I know."
A pause.
"But you don't have to figure it out right now."
Elias studied him.
"Then what should I do?"
Dominic smiled faintly.
"Stay."
Elias hesitated.
Because that
That sounded too simple.
Too uncertain.
Too unstructured.
Dominic's hand moved slightly, steady against him.
"You've been doing it all night," he added.
Elias exhaled slowly.
"Yes."
Dominic nodded.
"Then keep doing it."
A quiet silence followed.
Then
Elias made a choice.
Not calculated.
Not optimized.
Not analyzed.
He stepped closer.
Closing the distance fully.
And this time
It wasn't about tension.
Or control.
Or uncertainty.
It was about something else.
Something simpler.
Something harder.
Something real.
"I will stay," Elias said quietly.
Dominic smiled.
"Good."
And when Elias kissed him again
It wasn't about avoiding the future.
It wasn't about controlling the outcome.
It was about choosing the present.
Even if he didn't know how it would end.
And for the first time
That didn't feel like a weakness.
It felt like something worth holding onto.