Chapter 298: Did I... interrupt something?

Even Alias didn’t realize what he had done until he looked up and saw the surprise in Theo’s eyes.

"Ah," he flinched and moved back, "Sorry," but he acted way too fast and lost his balance, his back heading for the floor, but Theo went down with him, using his arm to save Alias’s head.

"What’s got you all jittery this morning, Alias?" Theo asked, directly above Alias, blocking the light falling on Alias’s face.

Alias didn’t know. He just... did it. Now, his heart was racing as well. His face was dusted pink, and he turned his head away.

But Theo grabbed his chin and brought his face back so he could look him in the eye.

"Hey, moon boy, is there something you want to say to me?" He asked, not sounding upset but rather... curious.

Theo wanted to know if Alias was also having those complicated feelings as he was. He wanted to know if he wasn’t the only one who had to contain his racing and pounding heart while looking into the other’s eyes.

Alias had always been a strange one. His pale face got pink easily. When he was happy, embarrassed, or sad, he always turned pink, so there was no way to read him.

What was he feeling right now?

Just as the moment was getting heated, Maya woke up.

"Is it morning already?" She asked, her voice gravely from sleep, and then she saw both of them in that position.

She blinked twice and then wondered if she should go back to sleep.

"Did I... interrupt something?"

Theo didn’t pull away immediately. He lingered for a heartbeat, his thumb still firm yet tender against Alias’s chin, his blue eyes searching the silver depths of Alias’s gaze for an answer since Alias’s lips wouldn’t tell.

Alias, pinned beneath Theo’s solid, protective weight, felt the heat of his own skin rising to meet Theo’s touch.

"Theo? Mister Alias?" Maya’s voice was clearer now, tinged with a growing, playful realization.

Theo finally exhaled, a ragged sound that vibrated against Alias’s collarbone. He pushed himself up, but not before squeezing Alias’s shoulder as if to reassure himself that the Moon-boy was still there—and still real.

"You’re finally awake, brat," Theo grumbled, though his voice lacked any real bite.

He stood up, offering a hand to Alias to pull him from the sand. His face was still a shade darker than usual, the bronze of his skin unable to hide the flush of the moment.

"We were just... checking the alignment of the stars. Like Alias said."

Maya climbed out of the cart, dusting off her skirt with a knowing smirk that made her look far older than her seventeen years.

"Checking the stars? While lying in the sand? Must be some very interesting stars."

Alias stood up, brushing the grit from his faded blue tunic, his movements a little too stiff, his silver hair a shimmering mess.

"They... they are very important for navigation," he managed to say, though his voice was a pitch higher than usual.

He couldn’t look at Theo, not yet. His chin still felt the lingering warmth of Theo’s grip, and his heart was performing that frantic, irregular rhythm again.

"Right," Maya said, her eyes twinkling as she looked at the two of them. "Well, the stars are gone now. And the air smells like... wet grass? Is that possible?"

Alias turned toward the horizon, grateful for the distraction. The guilt of being late faded as he felt the humid pull of the oasis.

"It is." He whispered. "Follow me."

They urged the pack animals forward, climbing the final, massive dune that stood like a silent sentinel against the brightening sky.

Alias reached the crest first, his silhouette framed by the rising sun, his hair catching the light until he looked like he was carved from the moon itself.

Theo watched from behind, captivated and mesmerized, but not for too long as he stepped up beside him, and the breath left his lungs in a sharp, broken gasp.

Below them, tucked into a natural bowl of sandstone, was the miracle Alias had told them existed.

A wide pool of sapphire water sat perfectly still, reflecting the violet and gold of the dawn. Around it, a lush, vibrant carpet of green grass spread out, dotted with small, white flowers that shouldn’t have been able to bloom in the waste.

The palms swayed in a breeze that carried actual moisture, a scent of life so thick it made Theo’s eyes sting.

"Alias..." Theo breathed. He dropped the leads of the animals, his hands trembling.

Maya didn’t say a word. She simply laughed in excitement and ran. She slid down the side of the dune, her laughter ringing out across the quiet basin—a sound of pure joy that made Alias’s chest ache with a sudden, overwhelming pressure.

Theo stayed at the edge of the ridge, his jaw tight as he stared at the paradise. The hardness that had defined his face for ten years—the wary, defensive set of his shoulders—seemed to fracture.

He looked at the water, then at the man standing beside him.

"Alias..." he breathed, his voice thick. "It’s really here, just like you said. You did it. You really found it."

He didn’t see the flicker of violet lightning in the far-off heavens. He didn’t see Norx gritting his teeth, clutching the celestial railing as he gazed down from the heavens. No one did. All Theo saw was the silver-haired man who had promised him a better life and actually delivered it.

He turned to Alias, and without thinking, he swept him into a crushing hug, lifting him slightly off the ground.

"You actually did it," he laughed into Alias’s neck, the sound hearty and full of a hope that had finally found its home.

Alias, slightly taken aback at first, hugged him back, his heart racing with a comfort that no heaven could ever replicate.

This was the world he wanted. This was the only creation that mattered.

The embrace lasted longer than a simple thank-you ever could. Theo held him with a strength that suggested he was trying to ground Alias, to keep this ethereal being from floating away back into the clouds or the stars he had followed to get here.

When Theo finally set him down, he didn’t pull away completely. His hands stayed on Alias’s shoulders, his thumbs tracing the line of his collarbone through the blue tunic.

Theo’s eyes were searching, scanning every inch of Alias’s face with an intensity that made Alias’s breath hitch.

"I don’t know how you found this place," Theo whispered, his voice still thick with emotion. "But I’m never letting you go again. You hear me, Moon-boy? Whatever happens, we’re staying together."

Alias looked up at him, his silver eyes reflecting the sapphire glow of the water below. "I hear you, Theo. I am not going anywhere."