"...Huh?"
Ollie blinked, completely lost, while Kyle kept his eyes on the path ahead.
"It’s very presumptuous of ," he admitted calmly. "And probably not romantic at all. But right now, I want to show you the present version of Kyle Nox."
Ollie’s hands, which had been reaching for the tablets placed on his lap, stopped midair.
He looked at him.
Really looked at him.
"...What?"
"You’re not the only one who wants a deeper connection."
Gasp!
"But I already have a feeling about what will happen once we cross that bridge."
"You do?"
Kyle nodded.
With the kind of bond they already had, it wouldn’t be a simple step forward. More than simply progressing the nature of their relationship, it would likely call forth the very worries his little star had about spiritual bonds and everything that ca with them.
And while there were many things he was pretty sure he was fine going through, this wasn’t one of those things. Kyle didn’t want that kind of anxiety for his partner or for their relationship.
"Don’t get wrong," he continued. "I want to cross that bridge with you. But precisely because I can tell what would happen, I’m duty-bound to make sure that you’re also making an inford choice."
This was the least the youngest Nox could do to instill reassurance.
Ollie stared at him, clearly taken aback.
"So tonight," Kyle said, finally turning to face him fully, "I’m here to make my case."
He could have waited for a more opportune ti.
Maybe for sothing more romantic.
A better setting.
Or sothing he would consider perfect.
But with his little star, Kyle had already learned sothing important.
There was no better ti than now.
So inside the quiet hovercraft, lit only by the dashboard and the passing glow of the city, he continued.
"Hello. I’m Kyle Nox. The youngest child of Minister Kordell Nox and Marquise Evelyn Nox. Aside from Killian Nox, I also share a brotherhood with Xavier and Jax."
Those already big and bright eyes widened even more.
"I weigh around seventy-five kilograms on my own, and slightly more when carrying my boyfriend. My height is one hundred ninety point five centiters. Recently, I’ve started liking the color yellow."
He didn’t stop.
"My hobby is finding ways to squeeze breaks into my schedule, and my specialty is staying sane while holding part of the Empire together. I may not sleep through natural disasters, but so far, I’ve been known to move fast enough to keep you safe."
"!"
Ollie’s mouth opened like a fish out of water.
Closed.
Opened again.
"And right now," Kyle added, inclining his head toward the tablets placed on his boyfriend’s lap, "you’re holding my current portfolio. It includes my net worth, asset specifications, certifications, and awards."
He watched him closely.
Ollie took a deep breath, which he probably didn’t intend to take.
Then another.
"Wha—what is all this for?! You’re making a case?!"
What kind of case needed all of this?!
"Yes," the sincere adjutant answered simply. "Instead of making a decision based on possibilities, or worse, unrealized potential, I want you to consider the present, too."
Thump.
Ollie stared at his Kyle like he was seeing him for the first ti.
Thump.
anwhile, the sa man he had seen almost every day since their fateful eting tilted his head slightly, a small, hopeful smile forming as the night light fell across his face, so soft and unfairly beautiful that it stole the breath from anyone who looked.
And Oliver Mylor had been looking so intently that he thought he was hallucinating when he heard the next words coming from those lips.
Thump. Thump.
"I was hoping that, as the man I am today, you might find it in your heart to say yes to marrying ."
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"!!!"
"!!!!!!"
Poof!
__
Dead on arrival.
That was what had beco of Oliver Astrea Mylor, who had just heard the most endearing words since "I like you" and "you could have my dessert."
He was so startled that they could only be thankful for automatic driving, as the recently propositioned blonde needed soone to help him breathe.
Inside the cabin, Ollie was dramatically hyperventilating, his skin blushing from head to toe. Kyle was there imdiately, patting his back and holding his intensely reddened face as the hovercraft smoothly parked in the basent of a towering building.
Honestly, they could’ve traveled to another planet and Ollie wouldn’t have noticed.
At that point, he was just... goo.
A soft, helpless kind of goo that couldn’t even process why the way Kyle looked at him made him feel like he was sothing far more than that.
"Y-you!" Ollie stamred, pointing weakly at him in accusation.
He didn’t even know what he was accusing him of.
But as he repeated the word, Kyle only moved closer.
And closer.
Ollie felt the heat rising all over again, even though they had kissed countless tis before.
His brain was completely fried.
The earlier mont replayed in his head like a broken film, looping over and over again.
He braced himself.
For a kiss.
But instead—
Kyle rested his forehead against his.
The contact was warm.
Steady.
It pulled Ollie’s scattered thoughts back together just enough for him to breathe again.
"You don’t have to answer right away," Kyle murmured quietly. "That’s not why we’re here."
"...?"
"I brought you here because I want to show you what life could be like with ."
Ollie blinked.
Confused.
Haven’t they already been living together, in a way?
So how could he not know?
Out of everything he could have said, only one word ca out.
"...Why?"
Why go this far?
Why talk about marriage now, when earlier he had only been asking about deepening their relationship?
And more than that—
Why was Kyle putting in so much effort for sothing that felt like it should already have an answer?
But maybe that wasn’t the right question to ask.
Because the answer left him unable to even stand properly.
"Why?" Kyle repeated, softer this ti.
"Because if we deepen this any further than it already is..."
He paused.
"...we would wake up married."
"..."
"Ollie."
It was a rare mont when Kyle addressed him like that, and the blonde nad Ollie couldn’t help but stiffen in surprise.
"I don’t have the ability to take you in parts or to nibble you in bits."
"If I get to have you... and if you choose to share yourself with ..."
His gaze didn’t waver.
"Then I have to be honest and tell you now that I’d take it all. I’ll take everything."
Ollie’s breath hitched.
"So before we take that step," Kyle said, "I need to ask you honestly."
"Are you okay with as I am now?"
"Yes, I’ll strive to grow into a better person that you could be proud of."
"...But until it happens, all of that is speculation that I can’t possibly use to interest you."
The space between them felt smaller.
Tighter.
"Unfortunately," Kyle went on, his tone dipping just slightly, "my desire to deepen things with you had been stoked earlier—"
"..."
"And the demon I’ve managed to suppress for who knows how long..."
He exhaled quietly.
"...isn’t entirely sure about being able to survive three more years."
"!!!"
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