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the nights had grown colder, and their conflicts flared without any warnings – never intentional, never what either of them wanted. yet, it was a cycle neither could break, bound by a pride too heavy to set aside.the moon cast a soft yellow hue across the sky, its glow stretching over the horizon, painting the night in its quiet glow. cold air wrapped around them as they sat near the cliff, each lost in their own thoughts. the silence wasn’t uncomfortable, yet a subtle tension lingered – an unspoken remnant of their last fight, still too fresh to forget.as the wind whispered through the trees, neither of them spoke, yet the weight of unspoken words sat heavy between them. the distant chatters from the village behind them filled the silence, a steady reminder of time passing around the two, and things left unsolved.lorien shifted slightly, his silicone confined fingers curling into the cold earth as if grounding himself. a breath, slow and hesitant, cut through the night.“i can’t keep doing this.”the words hung in the air, a fragile and uncertain tone about it. a response didn’t come immediately – just a glance, brief yet searching, before his eyes drifted back to the horizon where the moonlight faded into the dark forest below them.it was not anger keeping them both quiet this time. it was something heavier. something neither of them knew how to name.
the waves if cold air hit them once again, the steady rhythm filling the space where words failed. the silence stretched, fragile yet unbroken, until finally, a quiet sigh slipped into the night.“i know.”lorien’s response was barely above a whisper, but it carried weight – an acknowledgement, a quiet surrender. his hand tightened into a fist against the cold ground, the other resting idly between them, close but not quite touching.the moon’s glow stretched across the horizon, casting shadows over tired faces and distant eyes. the last fight still lingered between them, not in shouting or anger, but in the exhaustion that came after both had said so much yet not enough.“but then, why do we keep doing this stellar?” the question was soft, almost hesitant, as if saying it out loud might shatter whatever fragile peace had settled.a pause. then a slow inhale, sharp and measured.“because neither of us knows how to stop – especially me.”and maybe that was the real tragedy of it all – not the fights, not the tension, but the fact that the terror and anxiety is what both – especially stellar - were afraid of.the silence stretched between them once more, but this time, it felt different – softer. instead of pushing this away like each time they have this talk, stellar finally exhaled, tilting his head just slightly to steal a glance at lorien.“you know,” the words came out quiet, hesitant, like stepping onto thin ice, “for someone who annoys me endlessly, you sure know how to linger. even when you’re not around, my mind still can’t help but trip over you, over and over again.”a quiet breeze passed between them, cool against their skin, but it did nothing to settle the warmth creeping into the silence. the indirect confession hung in the air, daring the other to acknowledge it.for a moment, there was no reply, just a glance, searching, as if trying to decide whether to push away or pull closer. then, finally, a soft hum, a quiet chuckle, something almost better yet laced with something else, something neither of them wanted to name.“you make it sound like a curse.”“maybe it is.” the words were barely a whisper, eyes flickering towards the horizon as if the moon might offer an escape. “or maybe i just don’t know what to do with it.”the response came slower this time, gentler.“you could start by not fighting it so much.” lorien mocked.silence. stellar shifted in posture, fingers curling slightly against his side, resisting the instinct to reach out.“easier said than done.”they both knew that. they always had. because this – whatever this was – was not just something they both could ignore. it had woven itself into every argument, every glance, every step closer and every step away. and no matter how much they tried to fight it, to bury it beneath sharp words and quiet nights, it always found its way back.just like they did.the wind whispered through the trees, carrying the warm scent of freshly baked bread from the nearby village, but neither of them moved. the tension between them had changed – no longer the sharp-edged kind that led to raised voices and bitter silence, but something heavier, something that had always been there beneath it all.they sat in it, not quite ready to break the moment, as if speaking too soon might shatter whatever fragile understanding was settling between them.finally, a quiet voice cut through the stillness.“do you ever wonder why we always end up here?”a pause. stellar shifted slightly, locking eyes with lorien who was already watching him.“here in this spot?” stellar’s words were careful, a deflection, but they both knew what was really being asked.“here as in this… thing between us. the same fight in different words. the same tension that never really goes away.” he paused. “the same way we keep finding each other, no matter how much we try not to.”the silence returned, heavier this time. not uncomfortable, but thick with things still unsaid. during their conversation, the moon had already ventured up the sky, portraying her absolute beauty.“i don’t think we try that hard.”“you don’t?”“do you?” stellar said, deflecting the question.the question settled deep, striking somewhere between hesitation and inevitability. lorien stayed quiet for a while, breaking the eye contact he held with stellar. his fingers are tracing patterns in the dirt as he seems to look for an answer.“i don’t know,” came the eventual reply, too honest to be anything but true.because that was the problem, was is not? it was not that they wanted to fight. it was not that they wanted to hurt each other. it was that they did not know how not to – how to exist without all the push and pull, without the stubbornness, without the space that seemed to close and widen between them equally.and maybe just maybe, that was why neither if then ever walked away.the world around them felt distant, blurred, as if the only thing that existed was the quiet space between them – the space that had always been there, shifting, pulling, never quite closing but never quite breaking either.lorien repositioned himself, the movement careful and subtle. their knees brushed against each other, the warmth of it startling the cold air. neither pulled away.“you never answered.” stellar’s voice was softer this time.“neither did you.” a quiet chuckle followed, dry but not unkind.for once, it was not a challenge, not an attempt to push or test. it was something else – a way of asking without really asking. stellar sighed, tilting his head to look at the stars, as if they might offer an answer he didn’t had. “i don’t think i try that hard to fight it,” he admitted. “but i don’t know what to do with it either.”another pause. his fingers brushed ever so slightly against lorien’s wrist before retreating just as quickly. a heartbeat of hesitation. then lorien moved too, their shoulders pressed together now. they still weren’t looking at each other, pretending like nothing happened – not out of avoidance, more like understanding.“maybe we don’t have to do anything with it right now.” lorien whispered.“maybe not.”the wind has softened, carrying the distant hum of the village. slowly, without a word, stellar shifted again – just slightly, barely enough to notice. a quiet test, a hesitant move closer. lorien didn’t pull away, letting their shoulders press against each other more.then, an arm wrapped around lorien’s waist, stellar’s fingers brushing against his back, before settling them on lorien’s hips. neither of them spoke, but there was no need. lorien leaned in closer, resting his head on his chest. the way he breathes – the way his heart beat, comforted the machine.the hybrid’s hand moved, slow and tentative, tracing absentminded patterns into lorien’s side. the minutes slipped by, neither of them counting, neither of them caring. they saw no need to break the silence with words when their touch said more than they ever could.stellar fidgeted around – slightly tilting his head towards lorien, who was watching the stars. lips parted as if to say something, but nothing came.
the hybrid grumbled, his mind racing – thoughts drifting around endlessly. lorien felt the change, looking up ar stellar to make sure the other is okay. they both looked at each other, trying to make out what the other thinks – as stellar reached for lorien’s chin pulling him closer, he hesitated first.
after a short moment, stellar made his decision – their lips met.it wasn’t rushed, nor was it desperate – it was slow, lingering, the kind if kiss both had been waiting for without knowing. lorien’s hand reached for stellar’s shoulder, brushing against his chest, grounding himself. the space between them had vanished, the warmth of their bodies pressing together in a way that felt both inevitable and impossible. a hand moved – hesitantly tracing the outline of lorien’s side, firmly pulling him closer, as if the space they shared wasn’t enough.their eyes met, as lips parted, longing for more touch – the machine hitched as hands moved. the bigger one pressing his claws into the curves of the machine’s waist, the other hand sliding up to tug on his hair, pulling him impossibly closer to him.stellar’s touch made lorien shiver – like it’s burning his delicate silicon body, leaving marks. neither dared to break the space between them.a quiet groan escaped the hybrid’s mouth, as he licked lorien’s lips, looking at him hungrily, fingers tightened, gripping, anchoring, as if letting go would make the smaller machine vanish from his eyes – his life.by now their lips finally parted, stellar being the only one with uneven breaths as he lowers himself to the ground, pulling lorien with him.
they both lay there, lorien resting his mechanical body on the hybrid as they both silently exchanged glances.“still think we’re trying to fight this?”