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𝐲𝐨𝐮
it had been a few days since the commission put my project on hold, leaving me to contend with the echo of my thoughts and the quiet dread that had taken up residence in my chest. touya had come and gone in those days, and we'd shared some time together—nights where the world seemed to pause, where the suit i'd made for him felt like a silent promise of something more. but then he was gone again, disappearing like smoke, and hawks was called away on yet another mission.
when he finally returned, the silence between us seemed to stretch wider than the distance he had just traveled, a quiet, pressing weight that filled every room we were in. there had been attempts to talk about it weeks ago, to scrape off the tension that clung to us like a second skin, but whatever we'd managed to smooth over back then was far from resolved. now, deeper emotions seemed to simmer below the surface—unspoken words and truths neither of us were brave enough to confront.
eventually, i found myself standing outside hawks' door one evening, uncertain why i'd come at all. maybe it was because i hadn't seen him properly in days. maybe it was because, in the midst of this tangled mess, i needed to understand what was still real between us. between our friendship. there were too many questions—questions about my feelings for touya, and the sudden confusing pull i felt towards hawks.
hawks opened the door with a look that was half-surprise, half-resignation. without a word, he let me in, closing the door softly behind me as if we were tiptoeing around a fragile truth that could shatter at the slightest sound.
we sat across from each other in the quiet of his living room, the air heavy between us, the same tension lingering like the first drop of rain before a storm. it was hawks who finally spoke, his voice low, a rough edge there that hadn't been present before.
"the commission sent word earlier today," he said, his gaze not meeting mine directly. "they've assigned you to help me... with preparations for the war. outfitting my equipment, any tech i'll need. they think you could be useful."
his tone made it sound like more of an order than a suggestion. i nodded, feeling the weight of it sink in. "of course," i replied, my voice quiet. "i was noticed days ago. i'll do whatever's needed."
there was a brief silence, and then hawks' eyes flickered back to mine, a new hardness there. "and speaking of what's needed... you've been spending a lot of time with him."
"who is him, hawks?" i asked, my tone slightly nervous. has he found out?
"don't act stupid, please," hawks said clearly pissed. "you know who i'm talking about. i saw you both, not so long ago. and to think i was out here trying to protect you from him, yet here we are..."
shit. i knew it.
the words jolted through me, as sharp as a blade. i kept my face neutral, though my heart raced in my chest. "i'm handling things," i said softly, as if speaking any louder might make the truth slip through my control.
