Chapter 2: In the Heat of Haze

Noah didn’t mean to fall asleep, but the fever hit hard. It crept into his spine like ice, settled behind his eyes, turned his limbs heavy. He curled beneath the thick blanket Aurelio had brought, shivering.

Aurelio came in with another cup of tea, but the moment he saw Noah’s face—too pale, lips slightly parted, brow damp—he put the cup down and knelt beside him.

“Noah?”

“Mm,” Noah breathed, eyes fluttering. “Too hot...”

“You’re burning up,” Aurelio muttered, palm to his forehead. “Jesus.”

Noah blinked slowly. His eyes were glazed, hazy.

“You’re not real,” he mumbled.

“What?”

“You look like a story.”

Aurelio chuckled under his breath, brushing hair off Noah’s forehead. “You’re delirious.”

“I’m serious,” Noah whispered. “You have those eyes. Like... if I told you a secret, you’d bury it in your heart forever.”

“Try me.”

Noah was quiet. Then, voice soft, fragile:

“I’m scared.”

“Of?”

“Of falling. Of needing someone.”

Aurelio’s fingers paused against his skin. “And you think I’m safe?”

“I think,” Noah whispered, “you feel like warmth. And I’m cold.”

He shifted, trying to sit up, but winced. Aurelio gently helped him upright.

Their faces were close now. Noah’s breath ghosted over Aurelio’s lips.

“I shouldn’t be here,” Noah whispered.

“You’re safe here.”

“I shouldn’t feel like this.”

“Like what?”

“I feel... like I want to forget the world. Right here. Right now.”

The silence between them was thick, humming. The storm outside screamed louder. The thunder rolled through the church.

Aurelio didn’t move away.

He leaned in—close, but not enough.

“Noah,” he murmured.

“Mm?”

“Tell me to stop.”

Noah didn’t. Instead, he leaned in, forehead against Aurelio’s.

“I don’t want you to.”

Their mouths found each other slowly. A shy press of lips, hesitant, trembling with guilt and want. The blanket fell off Noah’s shoulders as Aurelio gently pulled him closer.

The fever made Noah pliant, every touch like fire. Aurelio’s hands held his jaw, thumbs brushing over heated cheeks.

“You're shaking,” Aurelio whispered against his mouth.

“Don’t stop,” Noah begged, voice cracked.

Aurelio paused, forehead to Noah’s, breath shaking. “Are you sure?”

“I don’t want to remember tomorrow. I want this. Just this.”

Their clothes came off slow. Not rushed, but reverent. As though each inch of skin uncovered was holy. Aurelio kissed along Noah’s jaw, down the curve of his neck, listening to every quiet gasp, every small noise Noah made.

Noah arched into him, soft whimpers spilling from his lips. His fevered body responded to every press, every glide of warmth.

Their bodies moved in rhythm—slow, tender, unsure but aching. Heat and sweat clung to them. Noah’s fingers dug into Aurelio’s shoulders. He cried out softly when Aurelio entered him, eyes fluttering open with pain and awe.

Aurelio stilled. “Noah—”

“It’s okay,” he breathed. “I want it to be you.”

They moved like waves, like something sacred. Whispers filled the room. Noah held on like he was afraid Aurelio might vanish. And when it ended, it ended with Noah crumbling into his chest, breathless and shivering.

Aurelio held him through the trembles, the soreness.

Neither spoke.

The storm outside slowly faded.

Inside, something irreversible had begun.

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