"Mr Greenwood."

Aris stared at the window, his heart somewhere around his naval. Unable to hear as professor Lythium again called his name.

"Mr Greenwood!"

He felt a soft nudge on his elbow and saw Nia, looking at him with wide eyes. She gestured at Lythium as Aris slowly turned to him.

"I was asking you, to please brief the markings of an ancient dragon of the Infinity House?"

Aris struggled to bring his mind back to the present. "I..I don't know."

Lythium sighed, disappointment edges into his face as he shook his head. "I really need you to start paying attention in class Mr Greenwood. I have heard illustrious comments about you, even from to Supremes. And yet recently, your performance in class has been slipping severely."

Aris sighed and decided to remain quiet. He felt too exhausted to reply to him. He was mentally tired of everything. His brain and heart both were fixated on Ezekiel's constant absence from the academy.

He felt the familiar knot of raging anger and envy when he wondered if he could be with his unnamed girlfriend. He was angry that even after their conversation that night, he still seemed as distant as he had before. Maybe it was a façade. Just a way to fool Aris into thinking otherwise.

The weight of the letter in his pocket, containing his father's words weighed him down even more.

His father had given him the last warning. Leave Asteria and come to Fuegos. He will not be providing any monetary support.

That day at mess during lunch, Ezekiel was still not present and his appetite died. He decided to excuse himself from the afternoon class as Nia and Aahan exchanged worried glances. Before he could got up, Aahan grabbed his arm and forced him to sit. "Aris...I wanted to tell you something.

Aris sat down, his eyes gazing worriedly between his friends. "What?"

Nia bit her lip and glanced nervously at Aahan as he continued. "I..talked to Clearwater. And..told him I had slipped and lost my full scholarship."

Aris gazed at him, unsure of where he was going with this.

"So..." Aahan took a deep breath. "He will be sending the Academy fees to me. And..since I still have the scholarship, I want you to have the money and continue studying here."

The floor slipped for underneath Aris.

He stared at him, his stomach clenching, his heart filling with warmth. He couldn't believe Aahan had done this for him. He knew how important his rule of never taking money from his step father was to him. But he had broken it. For his sake. He didn't feel he deserved it. He didn't feel like he was worth it.

"I...I don't know what to say Aahan," he said, his heart felt fit to burst. "I...Thank you. But...I don't want to have t o do that. I'll talk to him. I'll...convince him somehow."

Aahan gazed at him. "Okay. It's your choice if you want to but..in case you can't-" he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, when he opened them, his eyes were swimming with concern. "We have a backup."

"We don't want to lose you Aris," Nia said. "You don't deserve this and...we want you to stay with us. Till we fix it all."

Aris felt his throat closing up. He stood up and hugged them across the table, his body suddenly warm. "I don't know what I did to deserve you guys."

"Be obnoxiously clingy since day one," Aahan replied.

Aris laughed and got to his feet. "Thank you guys. Really."

Both of them smiled and nodded at him as walked away and towards the dorm.

He knew what they were doing was for him, but he didn't want them to have to do it. There was no way would give in.

His heart was yearning to see Zeke and he automatically found himself pressing eleven on the elevator as he reached into the hallway. He made his way to Zeke's room and knocked. Wondering if he was in.

Zeke's voice called from inside. "Who is it?"

Aris had a strange sense of déjà vu. His voice alone told him something was off. "Me."

There was a click a moment later and the door opened to reveal a haggard, shirtless Zeke. He struggled to not let his eyes wander lower.

Aris felt heat rising in his cheeks. For a wild moment, he wondered if Zeke had crossed the line and brought his secret lover to the dorm itself. However, the thought was quickly dispelled when he stepped aside and gesture for Aris to enter.

Aris went and sat on the bed, trying look at anywhere except Zeke's shirtless body.

"How are you holding up?" Zeke asked, his voice low.

Aris scoffed. "Why do you want to know?"

Zeke stared at him, clenched his jaw before he said. "You're right I don't. Why don't you just fuck off from here then Aris? I have other issues then tending to your whiny ass."

Aris glared at him, affronted. He could see the newer marks on Zeke's body and anger flared his insides like venom.

"Where the fuck have you been?" He asked as he stood to his feet and glared at him.

Zeke stared back at him before raking a hand through his hair. "None of your business."

"None of my business?" Aris said as his gaze landed on the rumpled tshirt lying in the corner, which looked like it had soaked through with blood. His heart seized in worry. "There's fucking blood on your tshirt."

"I was training. There was an accident," Zeke said as he picked up the tshirt and threw it so it flew straight in through the open bathroom door.

"You're going to fail if you keep skipping classes like this," Aris said.

"I'll managed," Zeke said as he pulled a hoodie from his cupboard and pulled it over himself as Aris felt a tiny twinge of disappointment. "Don't you worry about me."

"How's your training?" Aris asked shortly.

"Okay," Zeke replied dismissively.

"Were you able to learn anything?"

"A little."

"Is your control better?"

"Yes." Zeke clenched his jaw as he answered, the tendon in his neck flexing as Aris realized that he had lied.

He grit his teeth as anger surged through him. "My dad is revoking financial help. I'll be dropping out of Asteria. Returning to Fuegos."

Aahan had eliminated that possibility completely, but Zeke didn't need to know that.

Finally, Zeke looked at him. It gave Aris a savage sense of pleasure when he saw the concern beneath the amethyst.

"What?" he sighed as he walked closer to him. His eyes shimmering in an otherworldly way. "He's actually going to do that?"

Aris nodded. "You heard him. You've met him. You know what he's going to do."

"And..you're just going to let him?" Zeke said, shaking his head in disbelief. "He can't..you're a Nuvue. And a brilliant one."

Aris shrugged. "All my father cares about is making me a brilliant businessman or-" he laughed humourlessly. "Atleast one as good as him."

"So...you'll be going?"

Aris' heart lurched with hope when he saw the genuine grief and worry in Zeke's eyes. However the marks on his body were telling him that he was overthinking. He knew it was unfair of him to be feeling like he was. But he felt helpless.

"Yes. Perhaps after the Zenithium next week."

"That festival in Terramour," Zeke said, almost to himself as Aris nodded in response.

"Wow." Zeke said, closing his eyes as if in pain. When he looked at Aris, the sorrow in them made guilt tear at him.

Zeke walked over to him and sat on the bed, his shoulder slumped as he raked his hand through his hair again. "Just as well," He glanced at Aris. "Maybe I should join you in Fuegos too. You know...after the Znicit."

Aris stared at him. "What do you mean?"

Zeke sighed and lay on the bed, his eyes gazing unseeing towards the ceiling. "I don't think I will be training anymore. I attacked Helios. Turns out..." he sighed again, biting his lip, as if deliberating whether to tell Aris or not. "I am a bloodletter."

Aris sat beside him, his heart thundering. "Helios?"

Zeke propped himself on his elbow as he spoke. "Turns out he didn't die in the Dark War. Just lost his strength. And, since Azure is a water Nuvue, Helios wanted to train me personally. But ive been-" he sighed again, biting his lip harder before he continued. "I think they're...visions. While I was training there was a really strong one. I felt like I was there. And then..I don't know...something happened and the next thing I know, Helios was bleeding."

He lay back down, gazing upward, defeated.

Aris gaped at him wordlessly, trying to absorb his words. He hated how spiritless Zeke looked. All his anger evaporated. "So..visions and bloodletting, are not rumours?"

Zeke shook his head. "I...what if...I'm a necromancer as well?"

Aris stared at him, his heart racing. Whether it was fear or simply being near Zeke, he wasn't sure. "Did Azure say it? Did he say you'll be having a Znicit?"

Zeke shook his head. "No. But...I'm thinking. My powers are rally unpredictable. I don't even know when random shit happens. I can't.." he shuddered. "I can't control them. I don't want to end up hurting someone else."

He wrenched his eyes away from Aris and gazed at the ceiling, his eye dark.
"The Znicit...is really painful, " Aris said. "Plus, if you're the child in the prophecy, how can they rip your powers off?"

Zeke didn't say anything. "I have no fucking idea whats going to happen Aris. And to be honest with you, I scared myself today. I could have killed him," he gazed at Aris and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise up. "Like I killed Ezra."

His voice was soft when he spoke, as if he was afraid someone else would hear. He lay down beside him and gazed up at the ceiling, his mind reeling from the flood of information.

"So if they have the Znicit, you'll go through with it?" Aris asked softly, chancing a glance at Zeke. His heart skipped a beat when he saw his straight dark hair framing his forehead, his pale skin, his dark eyebrows, currently furrowed in worry, his sharp nose, his long eyelashes and his intoxicating eyes. His eyes travelled to his lips. Alluring. Inviting. Making him yearn. 

He could see the subtle rise and fall off his chest with each breath that he took. The closeness of his warmth was making it difficult for Aris to concentrate on the mountain of problems that seemed to have crashed onto them.

He could never get used to his inhuman beauty.

He felt like an electric jolt passed through him when Zeke turned to look at him. The poison amethyst. His fucking eyes. Eyes that Aris could gaze into till his last breath. He had to make a conscious effort to not let his eyes wander to his lips again. 

"I don't want to. But all this...I don't want to be so fatal to others."

Aris had to strain his ears to listen to his words. He could have sworn he saw his purple irises gaze at his lips once, but he decided he was simply seeing what he wanted to see. The incessant marks on his body gave the complete story of the truth.

Aris struggled to not think about Zeke's secret lover and focus on their predicament.

"Maybe it's not going to be so bad," Aris said, chuckling softly as he turned to his side. "You know at Fuegos. You won't have to worry about killing people and I wont have to worry about-"

Zeke smirked as Aris' heart lurched. "Marrying before you're eighteen."

Aris laughed. "Among others."

Zeke smiled at him, and this time, Aris was almost sure he saw his eyes flit to his lips before back to his eyes, his lips parted slightly as if a little breathless. Zeke wrenched his eyes away from him and focused on the ceiling, a slight flush on his face.

"Hey Zeke," Aris said after a while, glancing at him from the corner of his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"I wish you would...tell me stuff."

Zeke didn't say anything as Aris continued. "Do you still not trust me?"

"I didn't think telling you about my secret lover would make you happy," He glanced at Aris form the corner of his eyes and Aris tore his eyes away. "Would it?"

Aris took a deep breath. In all honestly, he would feel like someone had impaled him. And Zeke's words were pretty much a confirmation to the fact that he knew about Aris' feelings. He felt his cheeks heat up. He quickly tried to change the topic.

"You all should come to the Zenithium with me. I think it will prove a nice distraction."

Aris was aware of Zeke's intense gaze. He turned to look at him, his heart hammering as he wondered what was going on behind the intoxicating amethyst.

"It's hard for me to let people in Aris," Zeke said, his voice low and husky. "I'm trying to learn. Learning not to be...afraid."

Aris gazed at him. "And are you?"

Zeke closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He propped himself up on his elbow and gazed at him. His eyes flitted to his lips as he leaned ever so slightly and spoke in a whisper. "I'm just...trying to figure things out."

He leaned over, hovering on top of him. The chain around his neck dangling over him.

Aris gazed at the silver metal and spoke softly, his words barely above a whisper. "You changed the thread."

He touched the cold metal, gazing into his intoxicating eyes breathlessly. His heart fluttered in anticipation at his proximity. He let his eyes flit longingly to his lips. Yearning. Wondering how they would feel on his mouth. On his body.

Zeke whispered, his voice alluringly low. "Yeah.  A while back. Thought it looked sexier."

Aris nodded. It was hard to breath when he could smell his seductive, musky scent. "It does look sexy," he whispered.

Before Aris could wrap his brain around anything else, Zeke leaned towards him, his eyelids fluttering close, and kissed him.

It felt like his entire body was on fire.

His lips tasted like fantasy.

Aris had never kissed anyone in his life. It took him a while to respond to Zeke's insistent lips.
He curled his finger into the amethyst ring around his neck, pulling him close as their kiss deepened.

He framed Zeke's face with his hands, feeling his shapely jaw, his soft hair, his mouth opening as his tongue waded into his mouth. The feeling of his soft, warm, eager mouth against his own seemed to warm his entire body. He could feel a strange, unfamiliar tingling at the very tip of his toes, a fiery desire forming in his stomach as he kissed him back desperately. His heart thudded frantically in his chest. Wanting. Yearning. Lusting. Their tongues entangled, blazing Aris' core. Catatonic flames dancing in the pit of his stomach, threatening to burn him to ashes. 

He gripped the neck of his hoodie, pulling his body against him. He felt fire coursing through his veins at the feel of Zeke's warm body on him. Their mouths opened into each other, their hot breaths morphing into one. Desire made his head dizzy. He was craving more. An insatiable need.

Zeke's legs entangled with his, fitting with his body till he could feel every inch of him. He felt intoxicated. Zeke moved slightly and Aris gasped. He could feel his rock hard arousal against his, sending electric shocks through his body till he was sure his heart would explode. His stomach knotting in agonizing desire. Instinctively, Aris' legs wrapped more securely around his. He hissed softly, their bodies connecting intimately.

"Shit," Zeke whispered hoarsely, his lips trailing to his jaw. Aris arched his head back, drunk on the feel of Zeke's lips. His fingers knotted in his soft hair, pulling gently. Aris wanted more of him. All of him. Zeke's mouth moved lower to his neck, sucking softly, deliciously as ravenous hunger flared in his core. His lips trailed along his skin, his face, back to his lips. Sending jolts of electricity at each contact. A strange warmth spread to the tip of his toes, curling them slightly with intense passion.

The kiss broke too soon, even though Aris was sure he could kiss him for ages and still want more.

Aris gasped breathlessly, his stomach falling when he gazed into his sweltering eyes. All his senses alight. Zeke leaned back, gazing at him. Aris hadn't noticed when dusk had fallen, the soft light of the moon reflected off Zeke's enigmatic irises.

Zeke took deep breath. "Just...promise me something. When..if...I push you away-" it seemed like Zeke was struggling with something on the inside. Aris' lips were still tingling from the feel of his. "Promise me you won't...leave."

Anything. Aris would give him any fucking thing he asked for.

Zeke gazed at him intensely. Aris could feel every inch of his body, his warmth. Could inhale the seductive scent that made his brain unhinge. His heart fluttered in his chest, desperate to get out. He was conflicted. He didn't understand Ezekiel Hunt. He didn't understand the things he did. He could see the Zeke seemed to be fighting some internal battle. He was scared for the unsure future. Or maybe of himself. He was vulnerable.

Aris wasn't sure where it would go. Zeke still had someone else, and from what Aris could tell, even if it ripped his heart; he knew Zeke was in love with someone else as well. But he wanted to be with him, give him whatever he needed.

Aris smiled softly at him, the corner of his mouth twisting into a smirk as he looked into the alluring amethyst, his dark hair tumbling on his forehead and realization crashed into him with the force of an avalanche, making him struggle to breathe.

That he could rip him to pieces.

That he could set his heart aflame.
  
His body ablaze.
  
With a single look.
  
A single touch.

Realization that he could annihilate his soul. And still, his heart would beat for Ezekiel.

Realization that he was desperately in love with the star so out of his reach. 

He nodded slightly, knowing it to be true in his heart as he whispered. "I promise, Sunshine."