Melody's POV
Before the storm, the warehouse was quieter now. The others had gone, some to scout, others to prepare. Only one person remained behind, lingering at the edge of the shadows like he always did.
Marvis.
He hadn't said much after the meeting. Just watched me. The way he always did when something deep and silent was shifting between us.
I felt his presence before I even turned.
"Can't sleep?" I asked, without looking up.
"Can't leave you," he replied, just as quiet.
I smiled faintly and turned from the table, arms crossed as I leaned against it. "You don't have to act like I'm fragile, you know."
"I know you're not," he said, stepping closer. "That's the problem."
I raised an eyebrow. "Problem?"
He stopped in front of me close, but not too close. His gaze held something raw, something careful. "You're walking into fire, Melody. And you're not even flinching."
"Would you prefer I run away instead?"
He didn't answer that. He didn't need to.
His silence said enough.
"I don't want you to disappear again," he murmured.
My heart clenched.
It wasn't like him to say things like that not directly, not so exposed. But this wasn't the first time I'd walked out without warning. It wasn't the first time I'd left without saying goodbye. The last time… I'd broken something in both of us.
"I'm not running," I said gently. "Not anymore."
He stepped closer. "Then why does it feel like you're already gone?"
I looked at him really looked at him.
His eyes were tired. Tired from fighting battles no one else could see. Tired from always being strong, always protecting, always calculating.
"Because I'm scared," I admitted quietly. "Not of the boss. Not of the fight. I'm scared of losing this."
He furrowed his brows slightly. "This?"
"You," I whispered.
That single word cracked something between us. Not loudly. Just enough.
Enough to shift the air.
He didn't speak. He just moved slow and certain until we were barely inches apart.
"You've changed," he murmured.
I gave a small, sad smile. "So have you."
His eyes softened. "You're still the same girl who walked into my office with fire in her voice and chaos in her eyes."
"And you're still the same guy who scared the breath out of me with just one look."
His lips tilted slightly. "I scared you?"
I shrugged. "Not anymore."
We stood there in the quiet, in the hum of night and waiting and closeness. The warehouse lights cast shadows across his face, sharp and beautiful.
"Do you remember what you said to me?" I asked suddenly. "The day I found you standing in front of my apartment with my school bill paid?"
He nodded once. "I said you didn't have to carry everything alone."
"Yeah," I breathed. "That's the first time I thought… maybe I didn't."
He reached out and took my hand, slowly, gently. His thumb brushed over my knuckles.
"You don't," he said. "Not anymore."
I swallowed hard, emotion rising up like a wave I didn't ask for. I looked down, then back up and found him already watching me.
And without thinking, without calculating or planning or second-guessing...
I leaned in. So did he.
The kiss was soft. Like an agreement. Like two storms finally choosing to rest.
It wasn't rushed or burning. It wasn't desperate.
It was the kind of kiss that said:
Even if the world ends tomorrow, this moment was real.
When we pulled away, our foreheads touched.
His voice was barely a whisper. "You sure you want to do this?"
"I've never been more sure of anything."
His hand brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "Then I'll be there. Every step. Every shot. Every breath."
I smiled. "I know."
We stood in silence again, the quiet kind that doesn't need filling.
Eventually, I pulled back, brushing my fingers across his chest like I needed to remember the feel of him. "We're going to win, Marvis."
He nodded. "Yes. Because you're leading."
I laughed softly. "Not leading. Just... choosing not to lose."
He grinned. And it wasn't the cold, guarded Marvis grin.
It was real. And it was mine.