“I love you both too,” Tian quipped dryly, his voice cutting through the fragile intimacy like a blade.

The world could end right here and it would be worth it. He whispered softly in her ear, his voice trembling but sure. “I love you,” he said, steady now, the words like a key turning. For a heartbeat, he was saved. For a heartbeat, he was whole. Tian’s shadow filled the threshold. “I love you both too,” Tian quipped dryly, his voice cutting through the fragile intimacy like a blade.