Page 85 of Heart of Night and Fire

“No,” he said, shoulders shaking. “You are lovely—truly, but as you might have just noticed, you aren’t really my type.”

Zarya folded her arms and sat back. “Well, that’s for the best because moody and brooding isn’t really my type, either.”

Yasen laughed out loud at that, and Zarya brightened at the sound, happy to see he was sometimes able to let go of the tight hold he kept on himself.

Also leaning back, he crossed an ankle over his knee and took a long drink.

“Thank you for offering to kill him, though,” Zarya said eventually, nudging his arm with her elbow. “What with him being like a brother and all. I’m honored.”

“Don’t think this means I like you,” he said, a grin splitting his handsome face.

She raised a hand as if she were taking a solemn oath. “I would never.”

Their eyes met, and Zarya laughed as something warm shifted inside her.

“Does this mean we get to ogle handsome men together?” She tapped her chin with one finger. “I’ve discovered ogling handsome men is actually a specialty of mine.”

“You name the time and place, Swamp Girl.”

“We’re back to Swamp Girl again?”

He winked. “Don’t pretend you don’t like it.”

She thought about it for a moment. “The weird thing is, I kind of do.”

He snorted. “Yeah, you’re just as strange as I thought.”

She gave him a playful shove. “Stop that. I just mean… I’ve never had anyone give me a nickname before because—”

She broke off, suddenly embarrassed.

“What?” he asked.

“Because I’ve never had a friend before.”

She winced inwardly, realizing how clingy and pathetic that sounded. She waited for him to remind her they weren’t really friends, but his expression softened.

“Well then. I’m honored to be your first,” he said, and she could have exploded with happiness. Tears burned her eyes, and she smiled.

“Oh gods, you aren’t going to cry now, are you?” he asked, and she shook her head, wiping the corner of her eye with the heel of her hand.

“No, of course not.” She blinked rapidly, very obviously on the verge of crying.

He shook his head in annoyance, but she was sure that something had just changed between them. She sensed a lot of the emotions he wore were only for show. He clung to them so tightly, and Zarya wondered what had made him retreat into himself, erecting this shield of armor.

Her mouth stretched into a wide yawn that she covered with the back of her hand.

“Come on,” Yasen said, standing up and holding out his hand. “You should get some sleep. You’re still recovering.”

Zarya looped her arm through his, and they returned to the house. Before going their separate ways, Zarya wrapped her arms around Yasen for a hug. He held himself stiffly for a moment. She thought he might back away, but then he softened and squeezed her tight.

“Night, Zee,” he said.

“Night, Yasen.”

Dead on her feet now, Zarya wobbled back towards her room through the quiet hallways.

A whisper floated out of the dark. “He loves you.”