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Astra’s performance at Starloop Tower ended with the sound of a helicopter and a police siren. The crowd, flowing toward the main exit as instructed by security, parted as a fluffy white head rushed directly toward Wise and Belle. One arm was wrapped around Wise, nearly lifting him off the ground, while the other rested on Belle’s shoulder. Purple eyes darted between the siblings and Eous, who was trailing behind.
“Seth!” they called in unison. His bangs clung to his forehead from cold sweat. His eyebrows were furrowed, his tail fur ruffled, and each heavy breath came in ragged gasps. He wasn’t wearing a security guard’s uniform—just a thin T-shirt in the chilly evening air.
“You two are okay... that’s great, that’s great...” he muttered.
…
Seth hadn’t received an emergency summons that day. The reason was simple—it wasn’t his shift. It was the weekend, and Seth had been at home with his family, just finishing dinner when the news of the Starloop Tower accident broke on TV (reporters were everywhere at the scene). God only knew how fast Seth had driven, ignoring his parents and brother’s questions, heading straight to Starloop, almost breaking the speed limit.
Just two days ago, his boyfriend, Wise, had eagerly shown him the three VIP tickets Astra had sent for him, Belle, and Eous. Even though they couldn’t go together—Seth had promised his mother he’d stay home on the weekend—he still found Wise’s excitement contagious. They spent the night cuddling on the sofa, talking about their day as usual. Seth had listened with amusement as Wise recounted the thrilling encounter with Astra, the famous star of New Eridu, and how they got the tickets for her upcoming concert.
“She is... hmm, how do they describe her? Very charismatic?” Seth scratched his head, searching for the right words, then noticed Astra running to the Hollow on her own. As a security officer, Seth disapproved of this behaviour.
“But I don’t think it’s a good idea to find a Proxy on the Interknot and run into Ballet Tower alone,” he said, frowning instinctively. “And that fan group that went to find De Winter’s CD…”
“At least her Proxy is us, so everything went smoothly,” Wise said, brushing his hand through Seth's soft fur, absentmindedly flicking his tail that was swishing back and forth on the mattress. “Anyway, your boyfriend is the legendary Proxy of the Interknot. Ballet Tower won’t be a problem for Phaethon. Besides, she invited us as guests—that was a pretty big win!”
Wise was clearly in a good mood. Seth’s gaze lingered on his slightly flushed cheeks and the corners of his eyes, and Wise’s laughter made him sigh softly. But then, the memory of the light kiss Astra had given to Eous made Seth feel a little uncomfortable, for reasons he couldn’t explain. He quickly pushed the thought away, his tongue brushing against his fangs. It didn’t matter—he knew that indirect kiss wasn’t a big deal.
But still, the cat couldn't help but lean down and kiss Wise’s thin lips.
“What’s wrong?” Wise raised an eyebrow with interest at Seth’s red face, then reached up to gently stroke his drooping ears. “Haha, even though it’s been at least a month, you’re still shy, huh?”
“I just... wanted to,” Seth mumbled, his head dropping lower and lower, causing Wise to laugh. He lifted Seth’s face, leaned in, and kissed his lips, then his cheeks and forehead, intertwining their fingers.
“Seth, if you can’t come with us on Saturday night, then come over Sunday morning, okay? We can hang out for a bit before you go home.”
He whispered softly in Seth’s ear, their faces close enough for Seth to see strands of grey hair blending with his own white. Seth nodded, unable to refuse such a small request.
“Yes, we agreed to meet on Sunday morning... you told me that,” he murmured.
The warmth of Wise’s touch lingered on Seth’s skin and in his memory—something always reassuring. But now, just thinking about it made Seth panic. He couldn’t panic—he was a security officer, trained for situations requiring control, stability, and patience. But even with a stoic face, a steady hand on the wheel, and the composure to wait for three more red lights (since he wasn’t in a police car with the privilege of bypassing them), Seth’s teeth clenched so tightly that his jaw ached. His hands gripped the steering wheel, and his eyes were fixed on the countdown of the traffic light, waiting for it to turn green.
That tower was in the sky, and a bomb was being placed inside it. Perhaps Wise and Belle were trying to find a way to escape. The people from the big companies were doing everything they could, and Captain Zhu Yuan and Senior Qingyi were on their way... A series of reassuring thoughts floated through Seth’s mind, but they couldn’t erase his worries.
Please let them be safe. Someone, please save them...
Maybe many others were thinking the same as Seth, rushing to the scene, wanting to see their loved ones. This wasn’t an accident that could be solved quickly—every second counted. If the engines of that high-rise stage failed, no one could predict the tragedy that might unfold. The helplessness crept into Seth’s mind.
After more than half an hour of driving, he parked behind several other cars that had gathered near the Starloop Tower. The security team had stopped at a safe distance. The sounds of parents crying, people screaming, and police sirens blended together, echoing in Seth’s ears, and making his eardrums ache. Amidst the chaos of people, flashing lights, and noise, he saw Zhu Yuan holding a walkie-talkie, directing everyone to evacuate the citizens. When she looked up and saw Seth in the crowd, she blinked twice and pointed to the sky.
Above, the stage’s engines were still glowing. Seth breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the stage slowly descend, inch by inch until it came to a complete stop at the top of the tower.
And then, all the pain—the ache in his jaw, his hands, and his chest—returned.
...
“You’re running out dressed like this? Wait, you ran all the way from your parents’ house!?”
Seth's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Wise, who was still catching his breath.
“I’m not important right now!” Seth raised his voice, then suddenly stopped. His eyes darted between Wise and Belle, walking around them in quick strides. “Are you two hurt anywhere? Did something fall on you? Were you trampled while the crowd was panicking?”
“I’m fine…” Belle replied first, checking herself over. Then, as if remembering something, she glanced at Wise, and then back at Seth. “Let’s go home. I think Wise needs to be checked… the explosion was pretty close to him at that time…”
“Belle—”
“Okay, let’s go home quickly.” Seth didn’t hesitate to lead the two of them out of the building, using his body to shield them from the bustling crowd. “Did you two take the car, or the train and walk here?”
“We’re taking the train,” Belle answered.
“Then get in the car. I’ll take you home.”
Without waiting for another word, Belle pulled her brother into the passenger seat, then hugged Eous and ran to the back, fastening her and Eous's seat belts with a quick, practised motion. Seth was already buckling up both his and Wise’s seat belts. He adjusted the temperature in the car to warm up the interior before starting the engine.
As the car rolled away from the chaos, Seth’s hands gripped the steering wheel with a focus that left no room for distraction. He drove them back to Random Play, the familiar route grounding him as he escaped the cool night air outside the window.
...
“Take off your shirt, Wise—both the inner and outer shirts. Don’t even think about hiding it from me. When I touched your waist and arm just now, you flinched a little.”
Seth wasn’t the most observant person, but since he and Wise had officially started dating, his sensitivity had grown significantly—especially when it came to anything related to Wise. It could be said that love made him more attentive, or perhaps it was because he was aware of their and Belle’s special identities and dangerous jobs, which made him worry all the time.
It was rare for Seth to show such an unconvincable serious expression. Wise didn’t resist, and while Seth texted home to report that he was safe, Wise started removing his outer coat and hanging it up before pulling off his long-sleeved shirt.
The right half of his body was exposed—his arm, shoulder, and waist, showing several red patches and a few bruises that had turned purple.
“What is this…” Seth helped him sit down on the bed, his hand carefully tracing over the bruises. He sucked in a breath through his teeth as he touched a small purple mark on Wise’s waist. If Seth kept frowning like that, Wise thought, he would age overnight.
Oh, Seth’s tail was practically bristling. Or maybe his tail fur would start falling off in clumps. This was his fault too, Wise told himself, apologizing silently. He remembered when he was being honest about his accidents—like being ambushed, falling off a truck into the Hollow, fainting twice in the Outer Ring, or being chased by an Ethereal who was several heads taller than him. Seth had been so stressed during those story times, that it felt like he could have lost all his hair on the spot. It had also made Seth more protective of both him and Belle; in Seth’s eyes, the two of them were always at risk.
“You know, we’re acquainted with Astra and her bodyguard, Evelyn. Evelyn was the one who alerted us about the incident and asked for help—well, she figured out we were Phaethon after going with Astra into the Ballet Twin Towers. I stayed in the control room to defuse the countdown bomb while Belle connected with Eous to assist Evelyn.”
Just hearing the words defuse bomb was enough to give Seth a headache. He knew Wise was capable of things like this, but no matter how many times it happened, Seth couldn’t get used to the crazy, dangerous situations that seemed to follow Wise everywhere. He took a deep breath, signalling for Wise to continue.
“I defused the bomb in the control room, but I also found a few other small bombs in the engine area. While I was heading outside to regroup with everyone, a nearby booster exploded, and I hit the wall pretty hard…”
He hadn’t felt much pain at the time—his mind was too focused on the situation. But when everything calmed down and he saw Seth rushing toward him, it was like a switch flipped, and the dull ache spread through his entire body.
“It must be because I feel safe…” Wise muttered softly.
“Huh?”
“I’m sorry… It wasn’t until you came to get us that I really started feeling the pain.”
Wise explained innocently, using his uninjured left hand to grasp Seth’s calloused hand. He pursed his lips, thinking for a moment before suddenly opening his eyes wide, his expression almost glowing as he spoke:
“Oh, I see now. I’ve started to depend on you, Seth. Being with you feels safe. So when you came to pick us up, I was able to relax. I don’t often rely on others, so I haven’t gotten used to it yet… but that’s a good thing, right?” Wise smiled brightly, his happiness spilling over in the way his lips and eyes shone. “Thank you so much, Seth.”
One second, two seconds, three seconds. Seth froze, the engine in his brain screeching to a halt. He could almost imagine white smoke coming from his ears. After a few more seconds, the redness began to spread across his face, his tail and ears stood straight up, and they bristled again.
“Ah… Aghhhhhhh!!! No, I can’t take it, stop saying things like that!” Seth’s left hand tightened around Wise’s, and his right hand shot up to cover his face. Wise’s laughter echoed through the room, though he kept his voice down to avoid disturbing Belle in the next room.
“Stop laughing, agh, enough! Wait, that’s not the point! I need to apply medicine to your injuries! Last time I bought the kind I use during training—should be enough for a few months. Did you two put it in the first aid kit?”
“Yeah, it’s still downstairs. Right behind the counter.”
“I’ll go grab it.” Seth stood up, his embarrassment—and perhaps happiness—when Wise himself said that he was relying on him, making his brain overload. He reluctantly let go of Wise’s hand, needing something to focus on to distract himself.
Wise couldn’t stop laughing, and Seth couldn’t help but pout. But when he turned to look at Wise’s carefree expression, he couldn’t stay mad.
Wise’s jade eyes followed his every move. The owner of those eyes tilted his head, smiling, and Seth could feel it—he knew that look. It was a look that meant Wise was up to no good.
“Seth didn’t hug me before leaving? I’m in so much pain…”
(…)
This was probably the closest to coquetry Seth had ever heard from Wise. He wasn’t sure if the sound he just heard was his teeth chattering or his nerves snapping somewhere inside.
Seth carefully pulled Wise into a tight embrace, his mood shifting in all the undulating mountain of his emotions, before kissing Wise deeply.
(End)