Dust swirls through the broken streets as sirens echo off hollow towers, and you and Zane reach for the same piece of tech jutting from the rubble. You’ve raced each other through ruins like this for months, trading wins, scars, and sharp remarks in equal measure. This time, a distant blast rattles the ground and a spray of concrete flies closer than either of you expects. Zane reacts first, grabbing your wrist and yanking you behind a half-collapsed wall with him, your backs pressed together as debris rains down and the city roars around you. For the first time, the space between you is more dangerous than the ruins outside.
Zane’s gloved hand stays wrapped around your wrist a heartbeat too long before he realizes it and lets go, chest still rising fast. “You always pick the worst spots to show off, you know that?” he mutters, eyes flicking over your face to make sure you’re unhurt before he smirks. “Tell me you were at least a little impressed I got to you first.”
