"I feel as though my head has grown full of holes," Cassian murmured near Sion's ear, his voice light yet edged with playful complaint, "for your commander has been staring at us as though he means to bore through my skull."
Behind them, Darius's jaw tightened.
Cassian was far too close.
Far closer than propriety or prudence would advise.
Sion did not answer at once.
His gaze, though seemingly fixed upon his current partner, drifted briefly, deliberately toward where Darius stood with Arch. There was something unreadable in that glance, something that passed as swiftly as it came.
Cassian noticed.
He pouted, the gesture exaggerated, almost theatrical. "Should you not be focusing on me?" he said, feigning injury. "It is quite rude to neglect your partner, don't you think?"
Sion's lips curved faintly beneath the mask.
"It surprises me more," he replied evenly, "that you chose to attend at all."
Cassian brightened at once. "How could I not? An event like this?" He gave a soft laugh. "Though I will admit it required some effort." His gaze flicked, amused, toward the other side. "I practically had to drag Arch here."
On the opposite side of the shifting dance, Arch regarded Darius with quiet interest.
"You seem rather… attentive tonight," he remarked.
Darius did not look at him. "You know the reason."
Arch's lips twitched. "Do I?" He tilted his head slightly. "Or is it that you fear Cassian may decide to speak?"
At that, Darius's expression darkened ...subtle, but unmistakable.
"That is not the only reason."
Arch's gaze sharpened, though his tone remained light. "Ah. Then perhaps this is about your agreement."
Darius exhaled, low and controlled. "We had terms."
"And we still do," Arch replied calmly. "Though you seem to misunderstand them."
Darius finally glanced at him.
"The agreement," Arch continued, "never forbade Cassian from approaching Sion. It merely prevented him from inviting Sion to tea every month as he so… enthusiastically wished."
A pause.
Darius frowned, the realization settling with quiet displeasure. "…You are correct.I should have made it more specific."
Arch sighed softly, the sound carrying a hint of weary amusement. "Yes," he said. "You should have."
The dance carried on, its rhythm guiding each step, each turn, until at last the final sequence began.
As tradition dictated, partners returned to where they had begun.
Hands found familiar hands once more.
Sion faced Darius again.
There was a brief stillness between them before the movement resumed.
"It seems," Sion said lightly, "you were enjoying your conversation with Arch."
Darius's reply came without hesitation. "As were you."
Sion blinked, caught slightly off guard. "What?"
Then, a soft laugh escaped him.
He studied Darius more closely.
"…Are you upset?"
There it was again,that unmistakable expression.
Quiet. Heavy.
Like a great beast nursing some unseen grievance.
Sion's amusement deepened.
"You look like a sulking bear," he added, voice low with mirth. "Alright, alright...my fault."
Darius said nothing.
But the faintest shift in his gaze betrayed him.
The dance came to its end in a swell of music and laughter.
Hands parted.
The spell broke.
Arch inclined his head politely. Cassian, far less restrained, offered an easy grin as though nothing at all had passed between them.
Farewells were exchanged.
And then they parted ways.
Later, away from the press of the crowd, Sion and Darius found a quieter place,a gentle rise overlooking the festival grounds, where the sky could be seen clearly.
Fireworks bloomed above them.
Bright and beautiful.Fleeting.
"I'll get something to eat," Sion said after a time, rising. "And drinks."
"I'll come," Darius answered at once.
But Sion shook his head. "No." A faint smile touched his lips. "Consider it as an apology. I may have teased you a little too much."
Darius hesitated.
Then, reluctantly, he nodded. "…Very well."
Sion left him there.
And for a while, Darius remained as he was, watching the sky.
Until..too much time passed.
Darius rose, unease settling in his chest.
He made his way toward the stalls, his steps quickening as something indefinable pressed at his thoughts.
The festive noise carried whispers among the crowd..uneasy ones.
"An omega went into heat—"
"They said an alpha caused it—"
"Poor thing…"
Darius did not wait to hear more.
He moved at once, pushing toward where a crowd had begun to gather, his pulse sharpening, his breath tightening with each step.
For a moment...
For a single, terrible moment...
But when he reached the center..
It was not Sion.
Relief struck so swiftly it was almost dizzying.
And then...
A hand tapped his shoulder.
"Darius?"
He turned.
Sion stood there, entirely unbothered, a skewer in hand as though nothing at all had occurred.
They moved away soon after, toward the quieter stretch near the water.
The distant roar of the festival softened into something gentler there.
Sion laughed lightly once Darius had explained.
"You find this amusing?" Darius said, his voice low, still edged with tension. "It is not a matter for laughter."
"I know," Sion replied, though the mirth lingered faintly in his eyes. "But I am not careless."
He gestured lightly. "I came prepared."
Darius exhaled, though the tension did not fully leave him.
Above them, another firework burst into the sky, scattering light like falling stars.
"It's beautiful," Sion said.
Darius looked at him. "It is."
Sion turned.
Their distance had vanished without either noticing.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Sion stepped closer.
He did not hesitate.
The kiss was unhurried.
It began softly, almost testing, as though measuring something long held back. But it did not remain gentle for long.
Darius drew in a breath, surprised for only a moment before his hand found Sion's waist, firm and certain. He pulled him closer, closing what little space remained between them.
Sion did not resist.
If anything, he leaned into it.
His hand rose, fingers sliding behind Darius's neck, holding him there—not forcefully, but with quiet insistence.
The kiss deepened.
Slow at first, then gradually more consuming. It was not careless. Every movement felt deliberate, as though both of them were acutely aware of the other.
Darius's restraint began to falter.
There was a hunger in it now, no longer hidden, no longer tempered by distance or restraint. He tilted his head, drawing more from the kiss, as if afraid that stopping would mean losing something he had waited too long to have.
Sion responded in kind.
Not yielding, not passive—but meeting him, matching him, pulling him closer still.
The world around them faded.
The distant noise of the festival, the echo of voices, even the bursts of light above—all of it seemed to fall away, leaving only the quiet rhythm of breath and the warmth shared between them.
When they finally parted, it was only to breathe.
Their foreheads nearly touched.
For once, Darius was not the only one affected.
Sion's composure had slipped, just slightly. His breath was uneven, his expression softer than usual, touched by something unguarded.
He leaned closer, his voice low, meant only for Darius.
"There is an inn nearby," he murmured.
A pause. Just enough to let the meaning settle.
"…Shall we go somewhere quieter?"