Elion exhaled softly.
Maybe this wasn't so bad.
As they approached the dorm buildings, the last sliver of sun dipped lower, turning the academy grounds a dusky violet.
The lamps lining the walkway flickered to life, one by one.
Aria stepped a bit closer.
"Elion," she said quietly, almost hesitantly.
He turned toward her.
"…Today was crazy," she said. "But I'm glad you came to sit with me."
Elion blinked.
He considered his response for a moment.
"…Me too," he finally said.
They walked the last stretch in comfortable silence, the warm glow fading into evening blue, the air cooling gently around them as they neared the dorm entrances, together.
Aria led the way down the quiet hall, stopping at a door marked with a small silver plaque. She took a breath, barely noticeable, then pushed it open.
Elion stepped inside.
And froze.
Pink.
So. Much. Pink!
Pink curtains.
Pink walls.
Pink carpet.
Pink bedsheets, covered in pink teddy bears.
Pink cherry blossom decals blooming across the window and even the bathroom door.
Even the lamp had a frilly pink shade.
His soul curled into itself.
Internally, Elion screamed:
WHAT THE—?! Why is EVERYTHING pink!? Is this a room or a strawberry milk massacre!?
Outwardly, however…
He managed a stiff, painfully polite smile.
Aria, meanwhile, stood by the door with a full-blown blush coloring her cheeks, fiddling with her fingers.
"W-Welcome to my humble abode…" she mumbled, eyes darting away as if bracing for impact.
Elion swallowed.
"Uh… nice room you have here. Pink, huh…"
Aria's face went from warm to crimson.
She waved both hands quickly.
"I-It's not like that! I just, pink is my color, okay?! It's not—I didn't—It's not supposed to look this childish!"
Elion bit the inside of his cheek, fighting the urge to laugh.
"It's nice," he said gently, smiling at her flustered panic. "It suits you."
Aria froze mid-flail.
"…R-Really?"
"Really. It's… very you."
Her ears turned pink, too.
Elion glanced again at the overwhelming pink explosion surrounding him and forced his expression to remain steady.
This girl.
She looked like an elegant, composed noble lady on the outside, and lived like a child who lost a war against a cotton candy monster.
He couldn't help it.
He liked it.
And he liked her even more for it.
Elion took a slow step forward.
Aria blinked up at him, her blush still clinging to her cheeks, hands fidgeting nervously at her sides.
She looked so small in her overwhelmingly pink room, soft, flustered, unsure.
Another step.
Her breath hitched.
She tilted her head up just slightly, eyes widening as he stopped right in front of her.
The soft light filtering through the pink curtains cast warm hues across her face, making her look almost unreal.
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.
Then Elion leaned in, just enough for her to see the intention in his eyes.
Aria's lips parted in a tiny, surprised breath.
And without another moment passing...
Their lips met.
Soft.
Warm.
Her hands fluttered uselessly for a second before settling lightly on his chest.
Her eyes closed, lashes trembling, and she melted into the kiss like she'd been waiting for it far longer than she'd ever admit.
Elion's heart thudded once, hard.
The world narrowed to her scent, faintly floral.
The gentle pressure of her lips.
The quiet, shaky exhale she let out against him.
When they finally parted, Aria blinked up at him in a daze, cheeks aflame, breathing lightly.
"Elion…" she whispered, voice barely above a breath.
He smiled softly.
And in that tiny, pink-saturated room, the air felt warm enough to melt.
Aria's fingers curled in the front of his shirt as she pulled him back down, kissing him again, this time with more certainty, more heat, and more breathless urgency than the first.
As they moved, her heel bumped the edge of the soft pink carpet, and she let out a small startled gasp as her balance gave way.
She fell backward onto the bed, the teddy bears bouncing around her like fluffy witnesses, yet her lips never fully left his.
Elion caught himself with one hand on the mattress beside her head, the other braced near her waist, stopping his weight from falling onto her.
Their lips broke just enough for her warm breath to slip between them.
Aria looked up at him, wide-eyed, her blush blooming so fiercely he could feel the heat radiating from her face.
Her chest rose and fell quickly, both from surprise and something else.
"Elion…" she whispered, voice catching slightly.
He hovered over her, breath warm, eyes locked onto hers.
Just there, close enough that she could feel the light brush of it on her skin.
"You okay?" he asked softly.
Her fingers tightened around his sleeve, pulling him just a little closer.
"I… I am," she breathed out, shy but certain. "Just… surprised."
Elion smiled, the kind that reached his eyes.
"I know."
The room was quiet except for their breaths and the faint rustling of the curtains in the evening breeze.
Aria relaxed beneath him, a tiny smile forming.
"Your timing is terrible…" she whispered, flustered, "but… I don't mind."
"Hehe..." Elion's soft laugh warmed the air between them.
He shifted slightly, still keeping a respectful distance.
"Elion…" She said his name again, softer this time. Almost a whisper of confession.
He swallowed.
"Yeah?"
For a moment, she didn't answer; she just reached her free hand up, fingertips brushing against his jaw.
Carefully.
As though afraid he might vanish if she touched him too roughly.
"You know," Aria whispered, her voice trembling with a little laugh, "you look even taller now."
Elion's eyes widened, only slightly. "Noticed that, huh?"
"Mm." She nodded, her nose brushing his.