A cool green projected from the screen onto Haruki Kazuya’s features, tinting his pale skin, and dark eyes and hair green. He continued to stare at the screen, his eyes dancing at the images that popped from it, looking life-like, as if they were right in front of him. His mouth twitched into a smile when one of the objects bumped into another. He held back a chuckle in fear he might awaken his sleeping lover on the floor. I bet it’s awful sleeping in your school uniform, he mused as he raked his eyes over the slack and button up clad form, silently remarking that the tie was missing.

He heard a quiet hiss and turned around to the only shelf in the room. A green snake, his snake, was slithering up and down the supports and around the many plants that covered the flat surfaces. The snake looked at him and stuck its tongue out.

“Verde,” he called softly, extending his hand forward. The snake hesitantly leaned towards it, flicked its tongue forward to taste the hand, determined it was safe, and coiled itself around his palm and fingers. The smooth and cool scales of the creature felt good against his fingers, and he heated his hands a bit so his snake would be comfortable.

Haruki turned back to the television and leaned back onto the chair he was in while the snake explored his arm. Not soon after, the form on the floor stirred awake. He watched the eyes crack open; watched the mouth stretch in a silent yawn; watched the figure roll to stare at the ceiling. There was a pause, silence hanging heavy in the thick air of the cold room. 

“What time is it, Kazuya-kun?” a voice drunk from sleep finally asked. Haruki felt a tinge of anger rise, but he pushed it down when he looked down at the slowly blinking eyes and slightly agape mouth of his childhood love. He wanted to lovingly remind him, but he had a personality he had to keep up.

“I thought I told you to call me Haruki,” he scoffed before adding, “It’s about one in the morning, or so.”

There was the whispering of fabric as the figure turned to face him. He could see the eyes blinking regularly now, somewhat awake. He could still see the shapes dancing around before the screen, but his attention was now on the only living person in the room. There was another whisper, “So, I guess they haven’t-”

Blinking blue and red lights and the siren of a police cruiser stopped him. The room went completely quiet and still as they listened to the cops slam the car doors shut and climb the stairs with purpose. Haruki’s body shuddered in want, the want to destroy.

Haruki was watching the door and said, “Speak of the devil,” he turned to his relaxed lover before adding, “and he shall appear.”

The uniform clad boy sat up quickly, fully awake as he stuttered, “H-Haruki, wh-what are we going to do? If they find us, we’re both dead!” Worry marred his face, and he was panting slightly from fear and exertion. Haruki felt awful that his stupid choices were the reasons his lover was scared, the reason they had to run away from their childhood town. Haruki was having the time of his life, but he’d never taken the other boy’s into consideration. “We, we have to get out of here right now.”

The snake had long since slithered away, so Haruki used both his free hands to hold the other’s face reassuringly. “Sora, don’t worry about it. This place we have is perfectly safe,” he smiled before continuing, “Plus, you have me, and I’ll keep us both safe.”

Haruki smiled slyly as his hands glowed green, and Sora’s features that were once twisted in worry relaxed. Haruki had powers, powers that were transferred from his father that were transferred from his father, so on and so forth. He’d been taught how to control them, how to channel them, how to help other people, since he was young. The powers always worked better when a living creature was in the room, so the more the better. They also worked well with those Haruki was close to, meaning they worked exceptionally well with Sora.

Sora sighed and encompassed Haruki’s hands with his own. “I hate it when you use your powers to calm me.” He pouted and diverted his gaze from Haruki’s, who chuckled and kissed Sora’s forehead. Sora was such a lovely person, and it tore him apart when he felt negative emotions. He wrapped his arms around Sora’s fragile frame and pulled him close. Every moment he spent with Sora he loved him more and more.

“It’s better than a slap though.” Around that time, the police were right next to their apartment, banging on the door of the empty apartment neighbouring theirs. Haruki could feel the power flow through his veins. He was more than ready.

Haruki could feel Sora go rigid under him and he smiled. He turned his head and could see the cops through the wall as they checked the apartment off their list. They were heavily dressed, armor over armor over armor. He wondered how they could walk so comfortably. The men seemed to be rushing, but he was prepared when they walked to their door and just as one cop was raising his fist to pound upon it, Haruki stopped him. All the cops froze as he instructed them to move on, to check this apartment off the list and they did.

Haruki could feel his powers surge, and he was lost for a moment. He could see the blood flowing through the cop’s veins, could see their heart beating, brain thinking, neurons shooting. With just a single thought he could crush them, end their lives; with just a single flick of his wrist he could make their bones break; with a simple touch he could stop the beating of their hearts; with-

“Haruki! Stop it, Haruki, we’re fine!” a voice pulled him from his thoughts. He blinked once, twice, thrice, before focusing his eyes on the short figure before him. “They’re gone, Haruki, it’s okay, we’re gonna be okay.”

Haruki now realized the position he and Sora were in: his hand was on the doorknob and Sora was between him and the door, hands on his face, holding tight. He wondered how long it’d taken Sora to pull him out, pull him from his inhumane thoughts. Tears flowed from Haruki’s eyes and he leaned forward onto Sora’s shoulder and let himself cry. It was Sora now, someone who controlled the elements, who would comfort him, the one who could comfort humans.

“Oh, thank Christ, I thought I’d never get you out of it that time, Haruki. I thought for sure that you were gone.” Sora sniffled and hugged Haruki close. They both slid down onto the floor. Haruki sobbed onto Sora’s shirt and they sat there until the sun had risen, and Sora had stayed there the whole time, silent and comforting as he ran his fingers through Haruki’s hair and allowed him to let it all out.