Today was the first day in a week or so that Eliza and Nyx hadn't slept in the same bed. Nyx was on a class trip to an art museum in Washington and had left that morning. The trip was going to be 4 days long because they were going to explore more than one museum, and Eliza had a ticket to a concert at a place called the Pheonix. He was excited but also extremely anxious. He never liked large crowds, but he always liked concerts. When it came time to start getting ready, she put on some heavy eyeliner, deep red lipstick, black jeans, an oversized hoodie, boots, and a steampunk corset. She parted her hair to the side and changed out her nose stud for a ring. When she was fully ready, she hopped in her car and left. It took 20 minutes to get to the concert venue and she spent the entire time hyping herself up and telling herself that it would be ok. Eliza showed his ticket to the ticket person and walked inside, immediately getting overwhelmed by the lights and sounds, but continued walking. He took a spot leaning against the wall near the back and waited for the show to start when he felt his pocket buzz, Nyx was calling her. She smiled and went to the bathroom to take the call, hoping it would be quieter there and it was. "Hey Nyx, what's up?" Eliza was in a stall, so Nyx said, "Nothing much," and asked where Eliza was. "I'm in the bathroom at a concert. It was too loud to answer your call out there, so I came in here." to which Nyx replied, "Oh! Then I'll call you back later. If you're at a concert you should've told me I have bad timing. By babe, talk to you later." They hung up and Eliza smiled again. Nyx had never called him babe before so he was pretty happy. She put her phone in her pocket again and went back out. The band was just getting on stage so he returned to his spot which was a perfect distance from the stage and waited for the music to start. But the space around her got more and more crowded and she started to panic a bit. She thought about going outside but didn't want to miss the music, so she stayed where she was. Suddenly someone bumped into him, and he felt his breath get caught in his throat and the panic start to rise. He started to try to run out of the venue to get some fresh air, not caring who he bumped into. His breaths were shallow and his eyes were wide. Eliza could feel his hands shaking and the urge to cry so she continued to run. It felt like an eternity before he finally reached the door and got outside. She ran down the street to a park with a field and laid down in it, waiting for the panic and fear to subside, that's when he got the wonderful idea of calling Nyx. She dialed their number and held the phone above their flushed face. Nyx picked up within seconds and started to say hi but realized something was wrong. "Are you ok Eliza? What happened?" Eliza tried to reply but it was hard with their current breathing. "I- um...C-concert. Loud and crowded..Panicking." Nyx looked worried. "Hey, calm down, everything's going to be ok. You're gonna be fine, ok? I'm here with you, just look at me and let's talk about something else to distract you. Want to hear about Washington?" Eliza nodded and Nyx started speaking again. "Well, it's really pretty up here. We went to a museum today and then we visited the Lincoln Memorial. Now I'm back at the hotel and I was about to shower. What about you? What did you do today?" Eliza was beginning to calm down a bit. "Um..I did some homework and watched a movie. It was one of the Chucky movies. Then I showered and started getting ready for the concert." Nyx asked to see his outfit, so he got up and balanced the phone on a bench. Nyx applauded and jokingly cat called her as she did a little spin to show off the whole thing. They laughed together and Eliza began to get calmer and calmer until she had forgotten the feeling of panic. He loved having someone who was there for him. He loved Nyx. Eliza smiled softly and said his thanks and his goodbyes then hung up. She was excited to see where this relationship would go.
Timeskip forward 3 days
Today was the day that Nyx got home, and Eliza was waiting for them at the airport. He was sitting on a bench, scrolling through TikTok, when he heard someone call out his name. He looked up and saw Nyx hurrying towards him. Eliza stood up and ran over to them, embracing them in a tight hug and an occasional kiss on the cheek. When they pulled apart, they both smiled and leaned in for a kiss. "It feels like it's been forever." Said Eliza. Nyx agreed and they took each other's hands and started walking to Eliza's car. On the drive home they listened to Penelope Scott and Nyx talking about how amazing the trip was. They talked about all the sights and the history and the people and especially the food, and how they discovered that they loved katsudon. Eliza listened quietly, smiling as they enjoyed the company of their amazing significant other. When Nyx was done speaking, Eliza took a turn. "Hey Nyx? I think I really really like you." At that comment, Nyx smiled back at Eliza and they shared a quick kiss before continuing to drive in silence.