Anne
Finley stumbled their way up to the roof, a warm coat wrapped around their frigid frame, their little brass pocket watch digging into their side, boots neatly laced up (in part to help stabilize their ankle. It'd been growing stiff in the cold again). They fidgeted, and stopped fidgeting, with their septum ring, one of the ones Ares got him for Christmas - a little silver one with tiny rhinestones. It was undoubtedly his favourite of the little collection. Their blue hair was capped under a dark red beanie, letting blue bangs poke out around their forehead and ears somewhat cartoonishly. 

They took a seat on the roof, letting the cold night air billow over them, a blanket resting over his shoulders as he looked out at the familiar landscape, trees, the glowing lights of Isakstad just beyond. In the time they'd been here, it'd almost become like home, in a way - if home pried itself off the Canadian coastline and the sun baked French city he was born in. He had no real memories of Lille. Only the warmth of the sun.

And, really, such a comforting feeling had driven Fin along throughout their life - seeking out people and places that reminded them of that very intrinsic sense of warmth. Ares, he reflected, was a lot like that (though, credit must surely be also allotted to their dearest friends, for they provided a similar blend of the same). 

They leaned back and looked up at the stars, letting the static roll off their fingers and into the air, letting out a somewhat content sigh. Sure, Ares had been a bit strange lately - but he was Ares. He was always doing some half baked harebrained tomfuckery that made Fin want to put his head into his hands and leave it there for a week.

They pulled open their phone, and scrolled back through their dms with him, finding a particular one that made him smile, and went to the chat he had with Serg, Owen, and Moru (poor Moru). 



Ares had asked to meet up with them, and, well - they didn't mind, you know, it was all good - but damn. It was cold up here. 

He sat back, and waited on the boy he'd been waiting for for almost a year.
Oliver
_ _ _ _ The wind greeted Ares with familiar stings against his cheeks and scarred knuckles. With a bulky black coat pulled over his shoulders, layered on top of a hoodie, the night wasn't nearly as invasive as others found it. The sky was clear, crisp with winter, and hanging above the world in a vast and endless void. Pinhole stars splattered across the sky like white paint across ink. The wind brushed up Ares' hair, swirling it around his face in a chaotic mess. 

 As he threw himself over one ledge after the other, making steady progress in his ascent up towards the designated spot the two had marked out. Once close enough, he hesitated. This was it. One last wall to scale, and Finley would be there waiting for him under the moonlight. Ares stood still, quiet with the rustling tree leaves; his heart in his throat. Was he really going to do this? Were all those months of effort and undeniable joy going to fall out of his hands like black ash? 

 The words Danica told him echoed in his brain. *Go for it.*

 One quick swallow of his pride, and up the boy went. He lifted himself effortlessly over the wall, and jumped onto the raised ground on the other side. There was the one he had been looking for. Finley, perched on the rooftop, waiting with the stars. The sight of them made both Ares and the universe itself hold their breath. They looked wonderful, as always. Winter blue hair, framed around his face in delicate strands. A side profile that stared out at the horizon with the same beauty of a greek statue, carved from stone. Finley was *Art*— he was something to be cherished. More than cherished. For a second, Ares just stood. Admiring them in their entirety. 

 "Didn't keep you waiting long, did I?" Finally breaking the silence, a deep voice echoed out against the quiet song of early morning birds. It was softer, though. A tone very few had heard. 
_ _

_ _ _ _ Shoving his hands in his pockets, Ares walked over to the other and sat directly beside them. He let his feet dangle off the edge, leaning his forearms down on his knees. Ares couldn't take his eyes off Finley. All the boy could hope was that they didn't notice the red in his cheeks beneath the darkened sky. *Did they know why he asked them to meet him up here? Surely not, it wasn't completely out of the ordinary?* Ares felt his brow tighten. *Chill out, Ares, chill out.*
Anne
"Of course not," Fin said. A smile pulled on their very words, watching Ares as he approached. Their heart always seemed to climb into their throat whenever he came around - it had been like that for months. Every time he came around, Fin held onto it.

Ares sat down beside him, and he nudged him gently with an elbow, myrrh and mirth sparkling up their eyes. Ares was, and always had, *Horrifically* Nice to look at - an even set to the jaw, hair all a mess, the little devilish smile that that seemed to adorn his (somewhat harebrained) behaviours. His little mannerisms - the way he kicked his feet off the ledge, the way he shuffled his hands in his pockets - they were all familiar to Fin at this point, mixed together with a loud, joyful laugh, a sparkling eye. The way he went through his life, Fin supposed, was what originally drew them to Ares. He went through it all like a bright burst of colour.

A firecracker of a boy, really - they'd always heard that about him. But, goodness, why was he only seen for the destruction, and not the beauty with which he shone?

"I'm glad you're here," He said, shrugging a little off one shoulder. And weren't they? They couldn't imagine a life without him, and had finally told him as much. The evenings of kindness and closeness were among the greatest milestones of Fin's life. It brought the kind of security they hadn't had in a long, long time - for so long, the place Finley felt safest was at the setting end of a burning fire. He knew, though, that there was always a set of arms he could curl up in, and sleep. 

And, despite the hammering of their heart in their throat, they had, somewhat, accepted that that might be all. 

The little interactions between them, though - Fin had these. They had these, and they'd always have these, no matter what, even as the little voice in the back of their head shook and stammered that he'd be left behind again, that, surely, Ares would find someone else, and run off. 

*This is worth trying for*

They believed that, and always would believe it.

He looked up at the stars, again, if just to refrain from staring directly at Ares's face (as he did, that night Ares passed out in their arms from exhaustion) (as he did, that night they went to the dance together, and sat side by side, and talked about nothing and everything at once).

"You doin' okay?"
Oliver
_ _ _ _ Ares laughed, a short sweet sort of sound that bled nicely into his next words. "Yeah, I'm okay." He looked over at them, the same sharp eyes as the day they met, yet softer now. "Are you? You always complain about how cold it is up here at night." He laughed once more, and moved closer to them. Leaning into their shoulder, Ares was joking like he always did. He never seemed to grow tired of lighthearted teases about Finley's poor heat regulation. 

 The first time the two had been up here flashed into Ares' mind. The way they had laughed, and told stories of their lives before this institution. They were the same people, yet different. So much had changed. Feelings came flooding through Ares' chest. A tidal wave of emotions battering against the walls of his ribs like an untamed sea, it all made his heart beat into his throat and ring in his ears. 

 The boy sitting beside Finley, at his core, wasn't much different. He held the same fire in his eyes, the same confident posture and cackling laughter. Yet, that small sliver Finley had seen all those months ago was now Ares in his entirety. Ares was a storyteller, a loyal boy that would do anything for those he cared about. These were things that had only peaked through in pieces, small hints of what Ares was underneath the abrasive and aggressive mocking laughter he held so close for the first few months at Newtons Cradle. 
_ _

_ _ _ _ Finley was different too, the two had grown with each other and something about that made Ares smile. Finley used to hate Ares' guts, ramble on and on about how annoying the boy was. How much of a pain he was directly in their ass. They would bicker and tease, insult each other with the *Nicest* Of nicknames, never a dull moment between the two of them. Now, the sparks that ignited between them were of a different kind. Ares never would've guess that at this time he would be sitting next to them, his heart in his hands, ready to make perhaps the most impulsive decision of his life. 

 This didn't bother Ares however. When did he ever truly think things through? He knew one thing for sure and that this is what he wanted. 

 Silence for a second, Ares didn't know what to say. His teeth sunk into the skin on the inside of his mouth, the boy didn't know how to lead up to what he had planned. Finley was ethereal as always, staring deep into the stars decorating the horizon. He couldn't even begin to appreciate them and all they had done. The boy's face flushed with heat, and he quickly turned to look away. 

 For all his confidence, Ares had no clue how to act around Finley.
Anne
"I'm freezing," Fin replied, (that was all to explain the red in his face, surely - no other reasons), and leaned, likewise, into Ares's shoulder on their own merit - he was, as they'd learned, incredibly warm and kind. The same fire that pushed people away in droves kept Finley warm, a gentle hand clasping theirs and soothing away the worry that furrowed out from the knots in their mind. Understanding had arisen from months of banter and bickering - disclosure of sone, but not all, truths they held between them.

Fin waited for a moment, before they added, "Not enough to leave, though."

Their voice was soft, somewhat lacking the usual spark to their tone that presented itself to newer acquantinces and strangers. He rubbed his hands together, little static sparks jumping off a thumb into the air. It was an unfortunate side effect of their powers - a bit of a common one, really, but one that did not generate the heat meant to keep their poor hands warm, as cold and boney as they seemed to be.

They finally directed their gaze over to Ares, and, there, another little burst of feeling in their chest - the same ones that had bubbled over a year ago, when it hit them all at once that their feelings regarding the explosive boy were not entirely annoyance, and then to camraderie, and then, to something else, a dip into a sweet, giddy feeling, like getting off a rollar coaster and the spinning of the head afterwards. With the horrific things they'd experienced, it had cemented one thing - Fin didn't want to lose Ares. They couldn't even imagine it - though, a couple of times, they believed they might have come close. 

*Please, don't do that to me again.*

Ares, they'd long acknowledged, naturally appeared handsome - he had high, bold features, bright eyes, a set jaw, a fire to his words that had once crawled under Fin's skin and they now found endearing. They folded their freezing hands in their lap, the smile once again returning (it always seemed to, with him).

"I like being up here with you," They said. They glanced away, just long enough to look at the stars - and then back at his face, practically openly staring at this point. He cleared his throat, pink burning into his cheeks quickly with realisation. 

"It's kind of like our spot," They said, quickly, shuffling off the butterflies turning over in his guts.
Oliver
_ _ _ _ Ares smiled, "Of course you are." His words held little snickers of laughter, small sounds that lightened his tone in a way no one had heard. 

 The cold never bothered Ares. He naturally ran hot, some thought due to his powers, but really he just didn't feel cold in the way many did. Sliding his arms out of his jacket, he threw it over Finley's shoulders. As always, the bulky coat engulfed them with one swoop, and rested over them like a hug. Ares always loved seeing Finley in his jacket, for reasons he could never really place. 

 "There, now you *Definitely* Cant leave." The lighthearted laugh in his voice never really left. Finley had a habit of keeping his mood light, something about them was contagiously happy. 

 "I like being up here with you too." Ares decided he was done looking away. Finley was the best thing on earth. The stars didn't begin to compare, the moon not nearly as bright. Why would he look anywhere but into their eyes. "Yeah, it is our spot. Thats a cute thought." He nudged them. 

 Ares' eyes fell down to Finley's hands, which they had been rubbing together in an attempt to regain warmth. The boy chuckled lightly at this, and took this as an opportunity to try something. Focusing his energy, Ares let his palms pool with heat. The same heat that would charge up before an explosion. However, this time, Ares held his hands in the charging state, making them warm to the touch. 

 With this, Ares reached over and gestured for their hands. Once they raised them, he placed their fingers between his own. The heat of his palms made the cold of the night seem like a distant memory. 

 "Better?" A smile. The softest smile Ares had felt himself give in a while. The two were close now, leaning into one another while Ares held the others hands between his palms. His heart nearly stopped, his breath caught in his throat at the realization. Yet, he didn't move.
Anne
Fin's face burned into a bright red, thanking Ares for warming up their hands, before the words died on his tongue. Their faces were barely a few inches apart, the coat snugly tucked over their shoulders adding onto the warmth. Fin's eyes widened, but, their smile remained - the butterflies all staring up at them at once, they squeezed Ares's hands in their own.

"Yeah," They said - their voice had dropped in volume, a little bubble created between them - a space where both of them could rest, where they could put down the guard that had kept them both safe for so long in their own respective lives. They fought battles in their own unique, tragic ways, but here, here they could exist, without the eyes (and ears) of everything else. Finley always took these moments into their heart and held them there. What would they do without him?

Many, many long months of connection had lead them here. Fin was grateful for all of it.

And, though they didn't know what to say, they looked at his face, and how close they were, and couldn't help it - they smiled, and tentatively freed a hand to reach up, and push back some of his messy hair from his eyes. Their voice was soft, gentle. Everything about this was.

"You've got hair in your eyes, *Mon cher.*"
Oliver
_ _ _ _ Ares quickly pressed one of his hands to his forehead and swept his messy bangs out of his face with a swiftness that spoke a little to embarrassment. He smiled, a dorky smile of sorts, and gave a little scoff of laughter. 

 "I haven't cut my hair in a while." He responded before pausing, and thinking about the name Finley had called him. Suddenly, an explosion in Ares' chest. A sudden warmth of recognition and then a flustered swarm of butterflies. Ares wasn't completely out of the know, and the instant understanding made his breath stop in his chest. After a few blinks, and a small sigh of relief, he looked at Finley with a teasing look. 

 "Is that so, *Mi cariño*?" He laughed at the name. Yet didn't let go of Finley's hands. 

 Maybe Finley would know what that meant. Maybe they wouldn't, either way, something about being able to call them that made Ares feel a sense of pride. He had such a wonderful person sitting directly across from him, and to be able to be this close to him was a blessing in of itself. 

 His plan flashed in his brain, the words Danica had said echoed loudly in his mind. His cheeks were red at this rate, but with the night and his darker complexion he hoped it wasn't as noticeable as the pink of Finley's face. Which, Ares absolutely had noticed.
Anne
The pink only worsened, truthfully – they hadn't realized Ares learned what they meant, and, even, had one of his own on the tip of his tongue. Finley had no idea what he meant, but the connotation was most assuredly there, and the hand that pushed back Ares's hair went to cover their mouth, the pink only growing more distinct, circumventing to their ears. 

"You-... Oh. You caught onto that one, then?" They asked, a little tilt of embarrassment tugging on their tone, lightening only at the notice, at once, that Ares *Also* Was, in fact, blushing. 

"What does that mean?" They asked, teensy tiny laugh in their voice. Not out of malice or anything negative, no, just a sweet, easy banter, accompanied by the way Fin brushed his thumb over the back of Ares's hand.



"I, um, I like it. It sounds nice."
Oliver
_ _ _ _ Ares hadn't been expecting them to *Ask what it meant.* He opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a few stutters followed by a flustered laugh. Ares hid his eyes for a second in embarrassment. He then let his hand fall down to cover his mouth while he considered what he was going to say. This was the *First time in his entire life,* That he had been so undeniably in love. 

 "It means... *Uhm,*" He paused, "Darling— *My darling* In Spanish." Ares felt the need to specify he had said *'mi cariño,'* And not just *'cariño.'* 

 "I thought that would be a good response to being called 'my dear,' in French." He gave a laughing sort of tease. 

 These two were idiots, in the best way possible. They sat, their shoulders pressed against each other under the deep night sky. Their hands interlocked as they embarrassed the other with stupidly cute pet names. Who would've guessed any of this would happen? How could Ares have prepared to fall in love with him? Ares had always been told he would get a *'nice girl,'* Eventually, yet now that thought made him shiver with disgust. Maybe it always had. 

 Ares was more comfortable holding the hands of Finley. Their fingers fit so nicely in his own and there wasn't anyone else he would rather be with at this moment. 

 He felt his heartbeat quicken, being with him like this. It was all so... Nice. So simple. Ares never wanted this to go away.
Anne
"Oh!" Fins face melted into a dorky smile, looking away in something like flustered warmth. They looked back up at him and gave his hand another nervous squeeze. 

"It's a good response," He said, nodding, the same little laugh in their voice. "I like it." 

They liked all of this. Fin had gone through an exceptionally shitty guy to get to Ares, but, they'd do it all again, if this was where they'd end up. All of it was worth it, if it meant getting here - *Ares* Was worth doing it all again. 

"I like, um. I like a lot of things about this, actually," They admitted, a little stammer on their words. They barely could glance up at Ares again, the pink turning into red. It was the closest they'd ever come to admitting their crush out loud - it was, naturally, nerve wrecking.
Oliver
_ _ _ _ The night continued to march onwards. The sky moved above the two in tandem with the wind that rustled nearby trees. Ares stared at Finley, his dark eyes meeting the familiar electric blue. The same eyes he had looked at so many times, the same eyes that had seen both smiles and tears. Ares sighed.

 "I like this too." He responded after a moment, his voice was soft.

 The boy opened his mouth like he was going to say something else. He was almost frozen, his hands didn't move. The expression on his face flickered between thoughts, he definitely wasn't subtle. God, waiting was agony. Why was he so nervous?

 "Man, fuck it!" Ares exclaimed in a lighthearted display of frustration, followed by a laugh. 

 He raised his hands from Finley's, and placed both of them on their cheeks. The warmth from his palms still present. Their cheeks were cold, but soft. Their jaw fit against his fingers like a puzzle reunited with a missing piece. Without a moment more of hesitation, Ares leaned forward and kissed their forehead. The height difference made this easy for him. To feel their skin against his lips; he had to refrain from kissing them twice, three times. A feeling of warmth blossomed in his chest, he felt everything click into place. This was right— this is what Ares wanted more than anything. The boy slowly pulled away, he was smiling.

 "I love you, Fin. I really, really, love you."
Anne
ERHHWYDYWHSHHWVWHEHSHDHSH

If you listened, very closely, you could hear Finley's entire heart exploding in their chest. They gasped, quietly, looking up at Ares through their bright blue hair. Their expression melted away the inital surprise, a joyful little laugh bubbling out of his mouth. His heart, it seemed, was pooling at his feet. They hardly even noticed it, but, emotion pricked at their eyes. 

Their pulse ran away in their throat. For all their time pining, Fin had never thought to consider the possibility of Ares liking them *Back*, if things worked out, any of it. Sure, they'd had inklings of it - but, what had stopped them, if not nerves, and the idea that it might not? Over time, they had tried to push down the feeling, but it hadn't ever worked - and, it seemed, didn't have to.

*I really, really, love you.*

How lucky had he gotten? A stroke of good will had come somewhere Fin's way, surely, to get this lucky. Vulnerability sat between them, undisturbed, like a tranquil pond in the forest. Fin had never trusted anyone this much in his life - wherever Victor was, may he rot.

"I love you, too," They said. Their voice wobbled with emotions, another little laugh coming out as he reached up and clasped Ares's face in their hands. "I have. I have for - God, how long? I don't even - I don't even know. I just, I couldn't tell you, I wanted to—"

They paused, only for a second, the feeling of warmth still lingering against their forehead where his lips had been.

"Can I kiss you?"
Oliver
_ _ _ _ Ares felt his nerves shake, adrenaline shot through his veins with every passing second. *He could not believe he just did that.* That he just *Said* That. Ares couldn't drop the smile permanent on his lips, his breath was shaken and a part of his mind wasn't entirely sure any of this was real. 

 His shoulders dropped as Finley started talking more and more about how he had always loved him, but couldn't tell him, among other things. Ares laughed, and kept his hands on Finley's cheeks. 

 "I can't believe it took me this long to notice, my god. Im so stupid sometimes." The boy spoke through a laugh. The euphoria that painted his mind was undeniable. The sky seemed brighter, a weight had been removed from his back. Ares couldn't recall a time where he was as happy as he was here. 

 With the next words Fin had said, Ares paused. The smile didn't drop, for Finley's reassurance, but Ares could not believe that Finley truly felt the same. Ares had been waiting for ages, always thinking something was wrong with him. He never liked girls, not a single part of him. As gorgeous as some people where, he couldn't love them like he was expected to. Yet here, with Finley, he could love like he wanted to. 

 For all his bitterness and anger at being sent to this facility, a part of him wouldn't have changed it for the world. Ares couldn't imagine his life without Finley in it. 

 "Yes—" He sighed, a sound of relief. "You can, as many times as you would like." Ares laughed softly.
Anne
Well, goodness, Fin thought. He couldn't say anything else to that, could they? 

They swallowed hard, to shake the nerves out (if such a thing was even possible, and finally, *Finally* Leaned in and kissed Ares, gently, if a bit tentative. Like some part of them still couldn't believe they were here, now. 

They'd never had anything like this. Every kiss they'd had before had been hurried, rushed, tucked away in the private life of a boy who didn't want him, and a clumsy, awkward one from a girl they didn't want. But this? This *Fit.* They fit, the two of them – and Fin couldn't be more grateful. 

*Oh, I love you. I do.*