Life in their city apartment had settled into a routine of controlled chaos. Every day was an adventure in either embarrassing Milo with a display of unhinged strength or mortifying Elias with a well-placed compliment.
The latest disaster was the stupid kitchen faucet. It had started with an innocent drip, then escalated to a persistent, rhythmic thump-thump-thump that drove Milo to the brink of insanity.
"I can fix it!" Milo declared, armed with a wrench and a YouTube tutorial. Elias, perched on a barstool at the kitchen island, was sketching with one of Milo's charcoal pencils, his movements precise and silent. He glanced up, his dark grass-green eyes filled with a quiet, knowing apprehension. Elias had, Milo had learned, an almost preternatural ability to sense impending doom, especially when Milo was involved.
"This is a common human dilemma," Milo explained, trying to sound confident. "I just need to tighten this valve here. It's totally fine. You just... you know. Keep doing your nerd art."
Elias said nothing, but his wolf-like ears flattened slightly, a clear sign of his deep concern. He went back to his sketching, but Milo could feel his gaze on him.
Milo followed the instructions on his phone, muttering to himself. "Okay, lefty-loosey, righty-tighty. No, wait, that's not right. The video says… shit, what did he say?" He fumbled with the wrench, his hand slipping. With a sickeningly loud CRACK, he over-tightened the screw.
The faucet didn't just drip. It exploded.[1]
A torrent of pressurized water erupted from the base of the faucet, a geyser of icy water that shot up and hit the ceiling with the force of a firehose. Milo shrieked, dropping the wrench and scrambling back, his clothes instantly soaked. He was flailing, desperately trying to get his hand around the valve to shut off the water, but the sheer force was too much.
"Holy shit! Holy shit! It's a goddamn tidal wave! The apartment's gonna flood! The entire building is gonna flood! We're all gonna die!" Milo screamed, his voice high with panic.
Elias, without a word, was off his stool and across the room in a blur of motion. He didn't use a wrench. He didn't fumble with a valve. He simply reached down, his powerful fingers closing around the base of the pipe.
The geyser of water instantly ceased.
Milo, dripping wet and panting, stared. The faucet was silent. The water pressure, which had been moments away from turning his living room into a swimming pool, was now completely gone. Elias's hand, still wrapped around the pipe, was not turning it. He was simply… holding it. And the water flow had stopped. It was as if he had just turned off a switch in his mind.
Elias glanced at the water-soaked ceiling and the growing puddle on the floor. His gaze then fell on Milo, who was standing there, mouth agape, soaked to the bone.
Elias's cheeks, a moment ago completely pale, flushed a deep, embarrassed red. He released the pipe, and the faucet let out a pathetic little sputter before going silent for good. He was mortified. His eyes widened, and his wolf-ears flattened completely against his head in pure, unadulterated shame.
"I... I apologize," Elias mumbled, his deep voice filled with a profound embarrassment that was far more potent than his previous disdain. "I should have... offered assistance sooner."
"Sooner? Dude, you just... you just turned off the water flow with your bare hand! What the hell?!" Milo yelled, not with anger, but with sheer, baffled astonishment. He looked from the bone-dry faucet to Elias's blushing face. "That's not... that's not normal! That's not how plumbing works!"
Elias just looked away, his entire posture radiating a shame so profound it was almost comical. He was embarrassed not by his incredible power, but by his own failure to remain inconspicuous.
Milo, still dripping wet, slowly walked over to him. He was completely oblivious to the fact that Elias's heroic save was a display of deep, affectionate care. All he saw was his friend, who was now utterly mortified over a broken faucet.
He gently placed a hand on Elias's shoulder. "Hey. It's okay. Thank you. You saved my floors. You saved my apartment. You're a freaking superhero, dude. What the hell."
Elias flinched at the touch, a shock of surprise going through his entire body. But he didn't pull away. He simply stood there, stiffly, as Milo patted his arm. His dark grass-green eyes met Milo's, and in their depths, a silent, profound affection shone through, one that Elias didn't even realize he was radiating. All he knew was that Milo's touch was warm, and that he was, for some reason, very glad to be in his apartment.
[1] HAHAHAHA- this is my ABSOLUTE FAV PART!! >;<