Hotel balcony, just before dawn

The city was still sleeping. Even the traffic sounded like it had hit the snooze button. Pale lavender hues tinged the skyline as the sun began to rise, casting a soft gold light over rooftops and quiet intersections.

Thane leaned on the hotel balcony railing, elbows resting on the cool concrete, a can of diet Mountain Dew cracked open beside him. The chaos of the previous night still echoed faintly in his ears—the lights, the roar of the crowd, the crash afterward—but now, it felt like he was watching it all from a distance.

The sliding door opened behind him with a quiet whoosh.

Gabriel padded out barepaw, still in his band T-shirt, fur sticking up on one side like he’d been battling the pillow and lost. He looked groggy but grounded. No trace of the whirlwind from before. Just him, raw and real.

He didn’t say anything at first. Just stepped up beside Thane and leaned in with a quiet sigh, both clawed hands wrapped around a cup of coffee like it was the only thing tethering him to the world.

After a few beats of silence, he murmured, “So… that happened.”

Thane chuckled softly. “Yeah. Sure did.”

“Still vibrating a little.”

“You’re not. But your tail twitched like four times.”

Gabriel gave a tired laugh, sipping his coffee. “I just wanted to impress them, you know? Like… we’re the new guys. And I didn’t want them thinking we were just the gimmick with claws.”

Thane turned to him, resting a forearm on the railing. “You don’t need to impress anyone, my wolf. You already are impressive. You’ve got talent, heart, and a terrifying relationship with caffeine. That’s more than enough.”

Gabriel gave him a side-eye and a crooked grin. “Terrifying?”

“Truly. Like, OSHA should be notified.”

They stood there for a while, watching the sun come up in companionable quiet. The air was crisp, the city slowly waking below. Somewhere in a room across the way, a curtain twitched, and a dog barked once, as if to confirm that yes, the day had officially begun.

Gabriel shifted closer, shoulder brushing Thane’s. “Thanks for being there last night.”

“Always.”

“You really mean that?”

Thane gave a small nod, eyes fixed on the horizon. “Even if you dive off the deep end, I’ll be the one swimming after you. With a rope. And a fire extinguisher. And probably Mark yelling in the background.”

Gabriel chuckled again. “I’m really lucky, you know.”

Thane finally turned toward him and met his eyes. “We both are.”

They stayed there as the sun rose higher, casting long, golden rays across the world—and just for a moment, it felt like everything was exactly where it needed to be.