The city blurred past in streaks of gold and wet glass, every raindrop on the window catching the light like a warning. The car's interior was quiet in that insulated, expensive way that swallowed every sound except the low hum of the engine. The sort of quiet that wasn't peace, just the calm before something decided to go wrong.
Elias sat beside Victor in the back seat, trying to look composed and failing spectacularly. He'd dressed properly, pressed shirt, dark slacks, and a jacket he didn't remember agreeing to wear, but the collar itched and the fabric felt too heavy. Even the air in the car seemed too thick, laced with Victor's scent, smoke, static, and that faint undertone that always reminded Elias of iris petals after rain. It clung to him, soft and sharp at once, wrapping around the edges of his nerves until he could barely tell what was his heartbeat and what was Victor's.
