*Runze's POV*
Sleep never comes.
The room is silent, wrapped in darkness, yet I know Bael is still awake.
I can hear it in the tiny shifts of the mattress behind me, the uneven rhythm of his breathing. Every now and then, the blanket rustles softly before falling still again.
He's trying not to disturb me.
I keep my eyes fixed on the wall ahead. If I turn around… I don't know what I'll do.
Minutes stretch into what feels like hours.
Then—
"…Runze."
His voice is barely louder than a whisper.
My heart stumbles.
I close my eyes for a second before slowly rolling onto my back, then onto my other side until I'm finally facing him.
Bael is already looking at me. He must have been staring at my back this entire time.
"…You're still awake," he says quietly.
I nod. "…So are you."
Neither of us speaks again. We simply look at each other.
His eyes are red, swollen from holding everything in. The guilt is still there, the fear, the regret.
But beneath all of it… the longing.
