The storm outside eased to a drizzle but inside Dorian's apartment, the air was charged. Zariah leaned into his touch, the world beyond windows forgotten. His hands framed her face as If memorizing ever angle, every line, every scare the past weeks had craved into her.
Their lips met again, slower now, as if both of them feared the moment would slip away.
"Dorian"... She whispered, breathless but he silenced her with a kiss that spoke what words couldn't, that he wanted her safe, that he wanted her whole, that he wanted her.
He led her backward toward the bedroom. The city lights casting gold and silver shadows across the polished floor. The door clicked shut behind them, sealing then inside this fragile bubble of heat and need.
Clothes fell away in pieces, her jacket, her shirt, the armor they both wore every day. His mouth traced a path long her collarbone, tasting the salt of her skin. Her hands threaded through his hair, pulling him closer, anchoring herself in the only certainly left tonight.
When he lifted her unto the bed, the softness of the sheets felt like the first comfort she'd known in days. He moved over her slowly, reverently, as if she might break beneath him and she felt like she might but not from fear. From the overwhelming relief of not being alone in this anymore.
They made love with a quiet intensely, like two souls trying to find refuge in each other, the storm outside nothing compared to the one inside their heart. Every kiss, every touch, was a promise neither dered speak loud: that no matter what come next, this night would be theirs.
Hours later, Zariah lay against Dorian's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. Dawn crept through blinds, pale and uncertain.
"We can't stay her long." Dorian murmured, brushing her hair from her face. "Whoever's after you, after us, they won't stop."
"I know." She sighed, feeling the weight of the truth settle over them again. "But for now... just a little longer."
He held her tighter, as if by sheer will he could keep the world at bay.
And for a little while, he did.