Kathlyn sat stiffly, her back pressed against the headboard of Kai's narrow bed, arms folded across her chest. Her legs were folded carefully no, strategically one knee up, the other tucked under her, trying desperately not to fidget.
Because sprawled across her lap, utterly relaxed and dead to the world, was Kai.
Kai, who had somehow slept through the entire walk back to his room.
Kai, who had mumbled something like "yeah, yeah, hero's nap…" before immediately flopping face-down onto the bed.
Kai, who, halfway through, had apparently decided her lap was a better pillow.
Kathlyn was trying very, very hard not to combust.
Her fingers hovered awkwardly near his dark, messy hair. She could feel the slow, steady rise and fall of his breath against her legs. His cheek was smushed slightly against the fabric of her skirt, and every so often, a tiny, content little noise would slip from his throat a hum, a sigh, a faint half-snore.
She pressed her hands flat to her knees, determined not to do something stupid like like touch his hair, or smooth it back, or run her fingers through it.
Nope. She was better than that.
…And yet.
He looked so peaceful like this.
So different from the smirking, loud, endlessly teasing Kai she was used to.
She swallowed hard, her cheeks pink.
"Stupid," she muttered under her breath. "Why do you make things so complicated…"
Then
The door creaked open.
Kathlyn snapped her head up, eyes wide.
Standing there, blinking once, was Professor Mallet.
For a moment, he said nothing just took in the scene: Kai, fast asleep across her lap; Kathlyn, pink-faced and frozen like a deer in headlights.
"…Ah," Mallet murmured, voice perfectly calm. "So this is the situation."
Kathlyn's mouth opened.
Then closed.
Then opened again.
"I—it's not!" she squeaked.
Mallet raised one brow slightly, a faint trace of amusement in his eyes. "It's fine," he said smoothly "Rest is important after intense Prism trials."
Don't take too long though
Kathlyn wanted the floor to open and swallow her whole.
Kai, blissfully unaware, snuffled faintly and nuzzled closer into her lap.l
Mallet gave the tiniest of polite nods. "Carry on," he said simply, turning to leave.
The door clicked softly shut.
Kathlyn let out a strangled, high-pitched noise, burying her face in her hands.
"I can't believe that just happened…"
Kai stirred slightly, his voice low and sleepy.
"Mm? Wha' happened?"
Kathlyn slapped a hand lightly to his head. "Nothing! Go back to sleep, you idiot!"
Kai made a muffled, content little noise. "…'kay…"
Kathlyn groaned softly, tugging at her own bangs.
"Why me…"
But her hand traitorous, treacherous drifted slowly down, brushing his hair back just a little, fingers lingering against the soft strands.
Kai's breathing evened out again, his weight warm and solid across her legs.
"…Just for a little longer," Kathlyn whispered, voice barely audible.
Outside, the moonlight spilled quietly through the window, silvering the edge of the bed, the floor, the quiet room
And Kathlyn stayed exactly where she was, watching over him.
As soon as they stepped back into the Prism, the world reshaped around them.
It wasn't violent.
It wasn't even loud
It was like slipping under the surface of a deep lake the sound dulled, the light softened, the air pulling ever so slightly against their skin.
Kai let out a slow breath, grounding himself.
This space the strange river, the trembling weight in the air, the strange river he knew this now.
He'd crossed it once already.
But Kathlyn…
He turned his head.
She stood further back, staring hard at the black stretch before them.
Her shoulders were squared, her fists clenched at her sides, the faintest shimmer of heat dancing off her skin.
Kai remembered that tension.
The feeling of the river's pull not on the body, but on the mind.
The weight of old memories, raw emotions, the sense of being peeled back layer by layer until nothing safe was left.
He was about to step forward, to offer his hand, when
A flicker of light.
Tiny and gentle
He blinked as a swirl of fairies rose from the flowers, their delicate wings shimmering like pale glass, their small laughter carrying faintly on the air.
Kathlyn flinched slightly, startled.
"What?" she started, but then they were around her.
Dozens of them, circling her feet, weaving delicate trails of gold and silver through the air, tugging gently at her sleeves, brushing her hair.
"Kai," she hissed sharply, eyes wide, "what are they—"
He barely had time to shrug before they lifted her.
Not high just enough.
Her feet left the ground, her weight rising smoothly, as if the very air had cradled her upward.
Kai's mouth parted slightly, surprise flickering across his face.
Kathlyn's face turned red in an instant.
"Wait — wait! I can cross this myself!" she protested, hands reaching for the ground.
The fairies only chimed softly, their small lights dancing merrily.
Kai crossed his arms, watching with a crooked grin.
"They, uh, seem to disagree."
Kathlyn shot him a glare mid-air, her cheeks burning.
"Don't you dare laugh!
"I'm not laughing."
(He was definitely trying not to smile.)
She groaned softly, covering her face with both hands as the fairies gently carried her over the black river their tiny forms shimmering like a constellation, casting rippling reflections on the void below.
Kai watched silently as they set her down on the far bank, just beside him.
Kathlyn landed lightly, wobbling only slightly, and immediately fixed her sleeves, her fists trembling faintly with embarrassment.
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Not a Word.
Kai held up both hands, biting back a grin.
"Cross my heart."
She huffed, shoulders rising and falling with a deep breath
Around them, the fairies danced one last slow circle, their delicate laughter fading into something softer, like a distant echo. One by one, they dipped low, then darted away into the deeper folds of the Prism's strange landscape their lights vanishing like stars blinking out.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Kai exhaled, his playful grin softening into something steadier.
"We've got the checkpoint now," he murmured, voice lower, more thoughtful. "It'll let us leave and return. But from here on…"
Kathlyn nodded once, her jaw set, eyes sharp.
"No turning back."
Kai tilted his head slightly, studying her.
The fire in her gaze was back.
Not the embarrassed flush from a moment ago.
Not the lingering exhaustion from before.
Just
"…Alright, partner," he said quietly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Let's move."
Side by side, they stepped away from the river's edge the path ahead dark, unfamiliar, and probably very dangerous
But at least Kai could chill with his waifu