{Whispers of peace part I}
The world had stopped bleeding, if only for a little while.
Kai woke up to the smell of lavender and cinnamon drifting through the open windows of their new home. Morning sunlight pooled on the wooden floors like honey, and the only sound was Adrian humming something soft in the kitchen. No clashing swords. No snarling monsters in the night. Just peace.
He blinked slowly, adjusting to the light and the foreign sensation of waking up without pain, without fear. The ache in his chest the one that had lived there for so long was quieter now. Not gone, but quiet enough to breathe.
Adrian padded into the bedroom, barefoot, wearing a loose shirt that hung off his shoulder. "You're awake," he said, smile curling with lazy warmth. "I made tea. Thought we could watch the sky burn itself awake."
Kai let out a sleepy hum. "You're poetic in the mornings now?"
Adrian grinned, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead. "Only when you're in my bed."
They sat on the front porch, wrapped in a thick blanket, sipping tea and letting the silence say the rest. Their new home sat in the cradle of a quiet forest. Wildflowers danced along the edge of the clearing, and birds not crows or bats or anything ominous for once sang like they didn't know the world had once been a battlefield.
"Do you think this is real?" Kai asked, his voice barely above the whisper of wind through leaves.
Adrian didn't answer immediately. He traced his finger along the edge of Kai's mug, then shifted to look him in the eyes. "It's as real as you. As real as this." He guided Kai's hand to his heart, let him feel it beat. "We earned this."
Kai nodded, tears prickling but not falling. He didn't want to cry. Not here. Not in this quiet pocket of the world they'd carved out with bloody hands and stubborn hope.
Later that day, they unpacked the last of the boxes. Kai found old photos Adrian had kept hidden snapshots of them, stolen from moments when they hadn't even known they were being watched. A blurry picture of Kai laughing. One of them sleeping on the couch together.
"You creep," Kai whispered, smiling.
Adrian smirked. "My creep."
That night, they lay tangled in bedsheets that smelled of lavender and sweat, trading whispered promises beneath the stars. Not grand declarations. Just little truths. Kai liked Adrian's scarred hands. Adrian loved the way Kai's voice sounded when he mumbled half asleep.
No danger. No blood. Just skin on skin, breath on breath, and the slow healing of two men who never thought they'd make it out alive.
And somewhere, in the middle of the night, as Adrian pulled Kai closer and kissed his temple, he whispered, "We're safe. I promise."
For once, Kai believed him.