On the upper railing, Luna's hands were white-knuckled around the bars. Her lilac eyes glowed faintly, but it was her chest that betrayed her. Her life reactor—usually a gentle, steady pink—was now burning violently, flooding her body with light as if it couldn't contain the emotions raging inside.
He's terrifying… and yet… why does my heart feel like this? Why does it feel… like he's mine?
Her legs moved before her mind caught up. She raced down the iron steps, each clang echoing against the steel walls, until she reached the edge of the pit.
Valerian still stood there, framed by smoke and shattered android parts, utterly calm. His storm-blue pupils glowed faintly, unreadable, his body language as composed as if nothing had happened.
"Valerian…" she whispered, her voice trembling with relief and awe.
He turned his head just slightly, enough for his eyes to meet hers. For a fleeting second, her reactor flared brighter than ever, casting the dim pit in hues of warm pink.
Her heart thundered. She pressed her palm over her chest as if she could force it to calm down. Please… don't notice. Don't see how much I—
"…You're trembling." His voice cut through her spiral, cold as always, but edged with something heavier.
Luna startled, then laughed nervously, hiding her burning cheeks with a smile.
"I-I'm not trembling! I just… wanted to check if you're okay."
Valerian's gaze lingered on her for a second longer before shifting away, back to the shadows where the Boss had escaped. His reactor flickered that same strange mix of green and red, colors that Luna couldn't decipher but felt in her bones.
The smoke still lingered from Valerian's devastating strike when Luna's body suddenly jolted. Her glowing lilac pupils flickered, dimming as her breath came in ragged gasps.
Her knees buckled. The faint hum of the oxygen-conversion chip at the back of her neck stuttered, sputtering against the hostile mechanical air. Tiny sparks of static danced over the device's seams.
She collapsed to the cold steel floor, clutching at her throat. Her words tore out between gasps:
"Ahh… I… can't—breathe…"
Valerian's storm-blue eyes snapped to her instantly. His composure held, but beneath that storm, something cracked open in his chest. He crouched by her side, one hand bracing her trembling shoulder. His voice was calm, but edged with something urgent:
"Luna. Did you drink the Memorium liquid last night at 21:00, as Nikhil instructed?"
Her lips trembled, sweat sliding down her flushed cheeks.
"N… No… I forgot…"
For the first time since they'd entered Mechatopia, Valerian's face betrayed something sharp—concern.
She forgot? How could she… No—blame won't help her now.
His hand pressed against her back, steadying her. His mind raced. He checked his belt, his compartments, every pocket of his biomechanical layering. He found it—his spare Memorium tube.
But when he pulled it out, his chest tightened. The glass was fractured, crushed from the earlier impact when an Mk-II had slammed him into the pillar. Only a few shimmering drops of blue liquid clung inside, glowing faintly like dying stars.
"Damn it…" he whispered under his breath.
Luna's body convulsed lightly, her reactor pulsing violently pink. Her breath rasped; her lips trembled as if each inhale was fire. I'm… going to die here, like this? Not even for the mission… but because I forgot? Her heart screamed one truth she couldn't voice: I don't want to die without telling him…
Valerian's stormy eyes hardened. His training screamed calculations,Options,None viable. Memorium insufficient. Chip will reboot if it stabilizes for thirty minutes. I can buy her time.
His jaw clenched. His instincts resisted—it was intimate, irrational. Yet the alternative was unthinkable.
He leaned closer, hand cupping the back of her neck, his voice low but resolute
"Through me. Oxygen transfer. You'll live."
Luna's wide eyes locked with his as her reactor flared violently, pink light spilling against his armor. Her mind spiraled, He… he'll do this? Heat flushed across her entire body, flustering her beyond words. But she could only nod faintly, tears pricking her lashes.
Valerian didn't hesitate further. His lips pressed firmly to hers, a seal.
For the next five eternal minutes, air surged between them, mechanical filters in his suit compressing and funneling oxygen-rich breath into her. Their heads tilted instinctively, perfectly synchronized. His gloved hand steadied her trembling cheek while her fists curled weakly against his chest.
Inside her, warmth bloomed. This isn't acting… not a mission… this feels real. If I could stay like this… forever… Her reactor pulsed so bright it cast pink reflections on the shattered steel floor.
And then—she saw it. Just for a heartbeat. Valerian's own reactor—normally muddied green-and-red—flared pure green.
Her breath hitched, not from suffocation, but from the shock of it. He—?! No… no, it must be a mistake. It has to be.
When at last he pulled back, oxygen stabilizing her chip, Luna collapsed against him. Her cheeks burned crimson, her breaths now steady, her body trembling not from lack of air, but from something deeper.
Valerian stood, scanning the battlefield. His stormy gaze fell on the half-broken Memorium vial. He picked it up, rotating it carefully. Only a few milliliters glowed faintly at the bottom.
"It will sustain you for two hours. Drink it. Slowly." His tone was firm, cold again, though the cracks in his mask hadn't fully sealed.
Luna, still kneeling, took the vial in trembling hands. Her lips brushed the rim, and the luminous blue liquid slid down her throat like molten starlight. Instantly, her chest eased, her reactor calming.
When she lowered the vial, she saw Valerian's hand extended toward her. For a moment, she just stared. This hand… always cold, always distant… but right now, it saved me. Why does my heart ache so much…?
She placed her hand in his, and he pulled her up in one swift motion.
But before she could stop herself, her arms wrapped around him tightly. Her cheek pressed against his storm-blue chestplate.
"Luna—" His voice froze mid-word.
Though layers of biomechanical suits separated them, both felt the warmth, the trembling. For once, Valerian's composure cracked. His stormy eyes flickered, uncertain, as his reactor pulsed an uneven green.
Luna's lips quivered against his armor. Don't let go yet. Just… let me stay like this. Even if it's only acting for you. For me… it's real.
The Synthwave of the city outside had faded, replaced by the hum of broken wires and sparks. But in that ruined pit, there was only their heartbeats—hers violent, his steady, both syncing for a fleeting, dangerous moment.