Lili stood in her room for a moment, unmoving. Her hands hung loose by her sides, her body finally relaxing in the quiet until softer click behind her. She turned toward Notori. He didn’t say anything at first. He simply reached behind and turned the lock with a quiet snick, sealing them inside the room. His eyes were locked on her and then slowly he stepped forward. Lili’s breath hitched when she saw the look on his face.
He stopped in front of her. “I thought I lost you tonight,” he said quietly. “And the truth is that I don’t ever want to feel that again.”
Lili blinked.
“You can be reckless. You can be brave. Hell, you can fight a shadow and a mafia heir in the middle of the night, but I need you to understand something.” He reached out then, hesitated for a moment, and finally placed a hand on her arm. “I care about you more than I probably should. More than you think. When I realized you were gone—Lili, I—” His voice cracked softly. “I burned.”
Her eyes shimmered with understanding. She opened her mouth. Closed it again. Finally she managed to whisper: “I didn’t leave to hurt you.”
“I know,” he said, gently. “That’s why I’d still follow you again no matter what.”
Something inside her cracked at that. Her shoulders trembled slightly. “You shouldn’t,” she whispered in a thinned voice. “You shouldn’t care that much.”
Notori froze. At first, he looked like he hadn’t heard her right. Then his eyes widened just a fraction. “What do you mean I shouldn’t? Lili, what the hell do you think happened between us before? You think that was just some kind of hookup to me?”
She didn’t answer, didn’t either meet his gaze.
“Is that what you thought?” he asked again.
Lili’s lips parted, but no words came. She blinked, once. Hard.
“I’m in love with you, Lili,” he said finally. “And I didn’t mean to be. But I am. And you running into death like it’s a damn game doesn’t make me love you less.”
Lili finally looked up. Her eyes were full of the kind of sorrow that only lives in people who never thought they were worth loving in the first place.
Notori’s breath hitched. Slowly he touched her cheek.
Lili’s eyes fluttered closed, lashes trembling. A tear escaped and slid down her cheek.
“I’m staying,” he whispered. “Whether you want to cry, curse, scream, or just sleep, I’m staying.”
For a moment, she didn’t move. Then slowly Lili raised her hands and began tugging at her shirt.
Notori blinked. “Lili—”
She barely looked up. “I’m just—”
He groaned, reached forward, and without another word, dragged her toward the bed. She landed against his chest with a soft oof. He wrapped his arms tightly around her.
“No,” he muttered against her hair. “Not like that.”
Lili blinked up at him confused. “You always sleep in your clothes?” she snapped, brows furrowing. “Because I stink. I’ve got blood, probably ashes somewhere in my bra. This isn’t a moment of noble affection.”
Notori laughed, but didn’t let go. “You think I care?”
Lili huffed, wriggled half-heartedly in his grip. “I need a damn shower.”
“You’ll get your damn shower,” he said, eyes closing briefly as he pressed his forehead to hers. “But not before I remind you what it’s like to be held without expectation.”
That shut her up. Lili’s breath stilled. Then, slowly, she relaxed into his arms. Her cheek pressed to his shoulder, one hand resting lightly against his ribs.
“You’re a pain,” she mumbled.
“You’re worse,” he said, smirking into her hair.
And still, neither of them moved.
***
A loud knock shattered the stillness of the room, jolting both Lili and Notori from their sleep.
Lili groaned into the pillow, voice groggy and muffled. “What?”
“I can’t find Notori, Lili!” came Mike’s voice from the hallway, tense and tight with worry. “I swear, if he pulled the same stupid shit you did last night, I’m going to—”
“I’m here, Mike,” Notori called out, voice gravelly from sleep, but clear.
Silence fell on the other side of the door for a beat.
Then: “Oh.” Mike cleared his throat. “Well. That’s… good.”
Lili’s eyes popped open in the dim light. Her whole face flared red.
Notori, still half-draped around her, smirked without shame. “That’s going to get around the base in about five minutes.”
She shoved him. “You could’ve stayed silent, you idiot.”
“You answered first,” he said with a shrug, eyes glinting mischievously. “And besides, your growl gave us away before I said a word.”
She rolled onto her back and groaned at the ceiling, covering her face with both hands. “I’m going to murder Mike.”
“Technically,” Notori yawned, stretching his arms behind his head, “he thought he was saving me from some reckless mission of vengeance. That’s kind of sweet.”
Lili peeked through her fingers, glaring. “I hope you know you’re unbearable in the morning.”
“And yet,” he grinned, “you let me stay.”
Her breath caught for a second. Then she threw a pillow at him. “Get dressed, Firecracker. You’re my scandal now.”
Some time later Notori and Lili stepped out of her room together.
Lili folded her arms. “Mike didn’t even say what he wanted from you.”
Notori glanced sideways at her, smirk tugging at his lips. “Would you have stayed if the roles were reversed?”
She looked at him then, chin tilted, eyes narrowing with mock seriousness. “Out of the bed now! You got five minutes. If you fail—two hundred pushups!” Her voice was a dead ringer for Mike’s.
Notori laughed, low and surprised, his hand rising to rub the back of his neck. “That was terrifyingly accurate. Are you sure you’re not part Mike?”
Lili cracked a smile. “Maybe in a past life.”
“You do like your discipline,” he teased. “You could’ve made a terrifying sergeant.”
She raised a brow. “I would’ve thrived as a terrifying sergeant.”
“Fair. But then you wouldn’t have had time to charm me with all your gloomy mystery and emotional unavailability.”
Lili rolled her eyes but didn’t hide the faint color blooming in her cheeks. “I am very available emotionally.”
“Sure,” Notori muttered, grinning. “Selective as a locked vault during an apocalypse.”
She nudged him with her shoulder, just enough to shift his stride for a second.
He bumped her back gently.
They continued walking the familiar hallway. This part of the base was quieter. There was a slight flicker in the overhead light near the end of the hall.
Mike’s door stood plain, unassuming. Just a wooden panel, slightly scuffed near the handle. A fading nameplate read “M. Havel. Field Operations.”
Notori reached it first and gave two short knocks.
The door creaked open a few minutes later. Mike stood behind it, sleeves pushed to his elbows, tablet in hand, eyebrows already halfway raised, but he hasn’t looked passed Notori to see Lili yet. “Took you long enough,” he muttered. “Get in.”
Notori entered first. Lili followed, her steps light, eyes scanning the room. Standard office desk, two chairs, a screen in the corner still displaying paused drone footage.
Mike didn’t even try to hide his surprise when his gaze flicked from Notori to the unexpected second shadow that entered behind him.
“Well,” he muttered, leaning against his desk, “didn’t expect to see you, Lili.”
She crossed her arms and gave a small shrug, but Mike’s gaze didn’t linger long. He glanced back at Notori, then returned to her with a faintly amused arch of his brow.
“But I suppose you’d appreciate knowing where I’m throwing Notori tonight,” he added, addressing Lili now with a smirk that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Lili narrowed hers.
Mike looked at Notori directly now. “You’re heading out to eliminate a Gifted who’s already stacked up at least ten bodies in the last three weeks.”
Notori’s jaw flexed. Lili’s expression darkened immediately.
“Send me with him,” she said without hesitation.
Mike’s reply was instant. “No.”
Her eyes flashed. “Why?”
“Because you’re too tangled in each other already,” he said sharply, then softened just slightly. “And sending both of you would be overkill for one target.”
Lili didn’t move.
Mike looked directly at her again, this time with something like challenge in his voice. “Besides… tonight will be your first time on base guard rotation.”
Lili’s nostrils flared.
“That’s a punishment,” she said flatly.
“No,” Mike said simply. “It’s called protocol. You’ve been off books too long, acting on your own terms. Time to fall in with the others and earn their trust back. This is step one.”
Notori opened his mouth, but Mike lifted a hand. “You get ready. You leave at 7pm. Debrief packet’s already uploaded.”
Then he looked at Lili again. “You—report to north quadrant barracks at 6pm. You’ll be paired with Adam.”
Lili gave one last glance at Notori. Then nodded. As she turned to leave, Mike’s voice followed her again: “Don’t take it personal, Lili. We don’t need you running off into the night again. You’re too valuable.”
She paused at the doorframe. And then slowly turned her head. “So what does that mean, Mike?” she asked. “I’m not allowed to breathe fresh air anymore unless there’s a guard dog on my leash?”
Mike met her stare head-on. “It means that if you vanish again without protocol,” Mike said, voice flat but not without weight, “next time you’ll be treated as a liability.”
Lili let out a sharp breath. Her eyes flicked sideways to Notori, who hadn’t moved, hadn’t spoken.
“Just what I needed,” Lili muttered. “From one prison to another.”
And with that, she turned on her heel. The door slammed shut behind her.
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