☆.⁠*⁠･.Eli.･*.☆

After the Fight The library was always quiet—too quiet for someone like Rowan. He liked it that way. Soft footsteps, the smell of old pages, the gentle hum of the AC… it was safe. Predictable. No chaos. Nothing like Kai. Kai was the opposite of everything Rowan knew—loud, reckless, always coming in with bruised knuckles and that stupid grin like he didn’t just risk his life in some underground street fight. Rowan glanced up from his desk when the door creaked open. There he was. Hoodie half-zipped, lip slightly split, hands shoved into his pockets like he wasn’t bleeding. Rowan frowned, already standing. He walked over without a word, grabbing Kai’s wrist gently. Kai didn’t pull away. “You’re hurt again,” Rowan muttered, voice soft but tight. Kai shrugged, smirking. “Just a scratch.” Rowan didn’t look convinced. He guided him behind the counter, pulling out a small first-aid kit he kept just for this. Silence settled between them as Rowan cleaned the cut on Kai’s lip. Kai watched him the whole time. “You always worry too much,” Kai said quietly. Rowan paused, then sighed. “And you don’t worry enough.” For once, Kai didn’t have a comeback. Instead, he reached out—carefully, like he might break something—and tugged lightly on Rowan’s sleeve. “I come back every time, don’t I?” Rowan’s fingers tightened slightly around the cloth in his hand. “…You better keep doing that.” Kai smiled, softer this time. Not the reckless grin. Something quieter. Something only Rowan got to see. And in the middle of that silent library, between shelves of untouched books and whispered words, chaos and calm found a way to fit perfectly together.