Elias stayed.
That should not have felt significant.
Logically, remaining in the same room with Dominic required no extraordinary action. It was a simple continuation of present circumstances.
And yet
It felt harder than shutting down an entire system.
Because staying meant resisting instinct.
Not the instinct to leave physically.
The instinct to retreat emotionally.
To pull everything inward before it became dangerous.
Dominic seemed to understand that without needing it explained.
He sat beside Elias on the raised platform near the console, close enough that their shoulders brushed occasionally whenever either of them moved.
Neither spoke for a while.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable anymore.
It had become something else between them.
Familiar.
Safe.
That realization alone unsettled Elias more than he expected.
"You're doing it again," Dominic said softly.
Elias glanced at him.
"Clarify."
Dominic smiled faintly.
"You disappear into your head when things get quiet."
"That is an oversimplification."
"It's also true."
Elias didn't deny it.
Dominic leaned back slightly on his hands, studying the ceiling lights above them.
"What are you thinking about now?"
Elias hesitated.
That hesitation made Dominic look at him immediately.
"Okay," Dominic murmured. "So it's something serious."
Elias looked forward again.
"Yes."
Dominic waited.
Patient.
Not pushing.
Just… waiting for him to decide.
That alone made it easier to speak.
"I do not understand how you remain this calm," Elias admitted quietly.
Dominic blinked.
"That's what's bothering you?"
"Yes."
Dominic let out a soft laugh.
"I'm not calm."
"You appear calm."
"That's because I'm trying not to overwhelm you."
Elias turned toward him slightly.
"You are moderating your behavior."
"Obviously."
Dominic smiled faintly.
"You look like you'd short-circuit if I pushed too hard."
"That is biologically impossible."
Dominic laughed.
"There you are."
But the amusement faded gently from his expression after a moment.
"I'm serious though," he said quietly.
"I know this is a lot for you."
Elias frowned slightly.
"That assessment seems exaggerated."
Dominic stared at him.
"Elias."
A pause.
"You spent years avoiding emotional attachment."
Elias opened his mouth
Then stopped.
Because…
That was accurate.
Dominic's voice softened.
"And now suddenly you're in something real with someone you can't predict."
Elias exhaled slowly.
"That is precisely the issue."
Dominic looked at him carefully.
"You hate uncertainty."
"Yes."
"You hate not knowing what happens next."
"Yes."
"You hate feeling out of control."
Elias hesitated.
Then
"Yes."
The word came out quieter each time.
Dominic nodded slowly.
"Okay."
A small silence settled between them.
Then Dominic asked softly
"So what scares you the most?"
Elias immediately looked away.
And Dominic noticed.
"Oh," he murmured.
"That bad?"
Elias didn't answer.
Because he already knew the answer.
Dominic shifted slightly closer.
"You can tell me."
Elias's jaw tightened slightly.
"That is not advisable."
Dominic's expression softened immediately.
"Why?"
Elias stayed silent for another few seconds.
Long enough that Dominic almost thought he wouldn't answer.
Then finally
"Because naming it makes it real."
The honesty in his voice made Dominic go still.
Completely still.
"What is it?" he asked quietly.
Elias swallowed once before answering.
"That eventually…" he began slowly, "you will realize I do not know how to do this correctly."
Dominic stared at him.
"…What?"
Elias kept his eyes forward.
"This."
A small gesture between them.
"Relationships. Emotional dependency. Vulnerability."
His voice lowered further.
"I do not know what I am doing."
Dominic looked genuinely stunned.
"You think I haven't noticed that already?"
Elias blinked.
That response was not expected.
Dominic shook his head softly, almost laughing in disbelief.
"Elias, you literally analyze your own feelings like they're security threats."
"That is because they behave similarly."
Dominic laughed despite himself.
"Oh my God."
But then his expression softened again.
"You really think I expect you to be perfect at this?"
Elias frowned slightly.
"Competency is generally preferred."
Dominic moved closer until their knees touched.
"You know what I prefer?"
Elias looked at him cautiously.
"What?"
"You trying."
The words hit harder than Elias expected.
Dominic continued quietly
"You stay."
A pause.
"You come back even when your instincts tell you not to."
Another pause.
"And when you care about something, you care hard."
Elias's breath slowed slightly.
"That is not always beneficial."
"Maybe not."
Dominic smiled faintly.
"But it's real."
Silence.
Then Dominic added softly
"I don't need you to do this perfectly."
Elias looked at him.
"What do you need?"
Dominic held his gaze steadily.
"You."
That
That broke something open quietly inside him.
Not painfully.
Not violently.
Just enough to let something warmer through.
Elias looked down briefly, then back at him.
"That response lacks specificity."
Dominic laughed softly.
"Yeah, but you understood it anyway."
Elias didn't argue.
Because he had.
Dominic reached for his hand slowly this time, giving him every opportunity to pull away.
Elias didn't.
Their fingers intertwined naturally now.
Like this had stopped being unfamiliar hours ago.
"You know what your actual problem is?" Dominic murmured.
Elias raised an eyebrow.
"You assume love only counts if it's flawless."
The word settled heavily between them.
Love.
Neither of them had said it before.
Elias felt it immediately.
The shift.
Dominic seemed to realize it too.
But he didn't take it back.
Didn't look away.
He just stayed there.
Waiting.
Elias's pulse quickened slightly.
"You used a new term," he said quietly.
Dominic smiled faintly.
"Yeah."
Elias looked at him carefully.
"That was intentional."
"Yes."
Silence.
Heavy.
Real.
Then Dominic asked softly
"Does that scare you?"
Elias should have said yes.
Instead, after a long pause, he answered honestly
"No."
Because somehow