They slowed to a jog, both breathless and laughing, the sound of their feet hitting the pavement the only noise around them. The adrenaline from the race still coursed through their veins, making every movement feel sharper, like they were on the edge of something. But as they neared the end of the street, the rush began to wear off, and reality started to sink in. The city around them was still quiet, darkened by the late hour, almost like it was waiting for them to stop running.
Alex stopped first, bending over slightly, hands on his knees, catching his breath. His chest heaved with the effort, but his grin never wavered. "I swear to God, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to beat me."
Damian, still trying to steady his breath, shot him a cocky smile. "What can I say? I'm faster when I'm pissed off."
Alex raised an eyebrow, standing up and brushing off his jeans with exaggerated care. "Oh, so it's personal now, huh?"
Damian shrugged, though his heart was still racing. "You started it, not me."
Alex laughed, his voice echoing through the quiet street, but then the laughter softened, his grin turning into something more thoughtful. He dropped his hands to his sides and looked at Damian, eyes lingering a little too long. "Well, you almost had me. Maybe next time, huh?"
Damian's chest tightened, but he pushed the feeling away, trying to focus on the moment. But Alex's gaze was different this time, a little more intense than usual. The air between them, once light and full of sarcastic jokes, now felt thick. There was something unsaid hanging there, like the both of them were waiting for the other to take a step, to move in some direction. But neither of them did.
Damian cleared his throat, shoving his hands back in his jacket pockets. "So, uh... what now?"
Alex exhaled slowly, the grin fading as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I don't know. You tell me."
They both stood there, side by side, the streetlights flickering above them like the world was pausing. The tension between them was palpable, and despite the coolness of the night, it felt warm in a way that made Damian feel restless. It was a kind of silence that wasn't comfortable, that made everything feel too quiet.
Alex kicked at the ground, looking down, and then, as if he had just decided to say something, he turned to Damian. "You ever think about… getting out of here?"
Damian blinked, his chest tightening for reasons he couldn't quite explain. "What do you mean?"
"You know," Alex said, his voice lowering slightly, his eyes distant, "just... leaving it all behind. The shit with our families, college, all of it. Just... disappearing for a while. Seeing what it's like to be someone else."
The question caught Damian off guard. His gaze flicked to Alex, studying his face. It was almost like Alex was trying to escape more than just the night. Like he was looking for something to hold onto. The idea of running—of really running—of cutting everything off for a while, felt too close to Damian's reality. He wasn't sure how to answer.
But Alex wasn't waiting for an answer, his voice a little rougher now, his eyes scanning the empty street ahead. "I don't know, man. Sometimes it feels like everything's just... a mess. Like none of it even matters."
Damian shifted his weight uncomfortably, his thoughts swirling. His dad, the anger, the shit at home—it never really stopped chasing him. But saying that to Alex felt like it would break something. So he didn't. Instead, he just let the silence stretch between them, trying not to let the weight of it crush him.
"You ever think about that?" Alex repeated, quieter this time, like he was asking for something more than just a passing comment.
Damian finally broke the silence, letting out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Tell me about it."
For a moment, neither of them spoke, and the only sounds were the distant hum of the city and their breaths, a little too loud in the quiet. The night suddenly felt heavier, like they were standing at a crossroads neither of them was ready to face.
Alex rubbed the back of his neck and looked over at Damian, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "I mean, I guess it's not like we have a lot of options here. Same shit, different day."
Damian felt that. He knew it better than he wanted to admit. "Yeah. It's just... tiring, you know?"
Alex nodded, the usual cocky grin nowhere to be found. His expression was soft now, like he wasn't sure how to handle the moment any better than Damian was.
Damian wasn't sure how to handle it either, but he forced his voice to stay steady. "Anyway," he said, pushing himself off the side of the street, "we should probably head back before someone calls the cops on us for whatever the hell we're doing."
Alex let out a breath, half a laugh slipping through his lips. "Yeah, you're probably right."
But his eyes, those damn eyes, didn't leave Damian's face. And in that moment, Damian wasn't sure if the space between them was comfortable or unbearable.
They started walking back toward campus, the path ahead of them dim and quiet, but the tension between them remained, the unspoken words hanging in the air like a challenge. Neither of them broke it, though, the silence carrying them forward, heavier than the night itself.