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The Eden Spring Charity Ball was one of the biggest events of the school year.
Eden Academy’s enormous ballroom glowed beneath towering crystal chandeliers while students from every hall filled the room in elegant formalwear. Soft orchestra music echoed near the marble staircase as laughter and conversation spread through the crowd. Everything looked impossibly refined.
Damian barely noticed any of it. Because Anya was performing tonight. And for some reason, she had refused to tell him anything about it all week.
“What song are you singing?” he had asked.
“Secret.”
“With who?”
“Also secret.”
“You’re being suspicious.”
“Maybe.”
Which told him absolutely nothing.
Now he sat beside Ewen and Emile while whispers spread through the ballroom around them.
“I heard Tertius-senpai is appearing during one of the performances.”
“No way.”
“If he sings, I’ll literally faint.”
Damian clicked his tongue irritably. Overdramatic idiots, he thought. Then the lights dimmed and the curtains slowly opened. Damian forgot how to breathe.
Anya stepped onto the stage beneath the golden spotlight with effortless elegance. She looked breathtaking. A dark velvet gown flowed softly around her while subtle gold embroidery shimmered beneath the chandelier light. Her pink hair framed her face beautifully, styled simply enough to still feel like her, yet refined enough to make half the room stare openly.
For a terrifying second, Damian forgot she was only sixteen. Because standing beneath those lights, she looked so untouchable. The ballroom noticeably quieted when she reached the microphone. Then another figure stepped beside her. Tertius.
The audience immediately erupted into excited whispers. Girls practically melted the second he smiled. Damian already disliked this.The music began softly and Tertius reached for Anya’s hand. Damian’s stomach tightened instantly.
“Dangerous love…” Tertius’ deep voice echoed smoothly through the ballroom.
“You’re no good for me, darling…” Several girls audibly sighed.
“Yeah, you turn me away…” Tertius lifted Anya’s hand slightly while singing, entirely too confident for Damian’s liking.
“Like I’m begging for a dollar…”
Then he stepped back smoothly, leaving Anya alone beneath the spotlight. And she began singing.
“Is it love…”
“When it’s so easily said goodbye?”
Damian froze completely. Oh. Oh no. Anya could sing. Not just well. Beautifully. Her voice carried effortlessly through the ballroom. The entire room fell silent almost immediately. Even the adults stopped talking.
Damian stared at her helplessly. How had he never known this? How had she hidden this from him for years?
“…when we’ve given up before we tried?”
His chest tightened painfully. Because suddenly the lyrics felt far too familiar. Years of almost-confessions. Almost-kisses. Almost crossing lines neither of them acknowledged aloud.
Everyone already treated them like a couple. Sometimes Damian forgot they technically weren’t.
“…when you stole my peace of mind?” Anya looked directly at him while singing the line. Damian’s pulse stumbled violently. The rest of the ballroom disappeared completely.
“And as much as I want you to stay…” Her voice softened beautifully.
“You’re a dangerous love…”
Something twisted painfully inside Damian’s chest. Because maybe she was tired of waiting for him.
“‘Cause if you’re gonna love me…”
“…and leave me hanging here…”
Damian looked down sharply while guilt hit him unexpectedly hard. He had done that. Stayed close enough to blur every line between friendship and love without ever being brave enough to say anything.
“Then I’d rather you…”
“Leave me lonely…”
Anya’s final lyric echoed softly through the ballroom. Tertius stepped smoothly beside her again as the outro instrumental returned.
“Dangerous love…” The audience immediately screamed once more. “You’re no good for me, darling…”
Tertius reached for Anya’s hand again with practiced ease. “Yeah, you turn me away…”
Damian’s jaw clenched painfully tight.
“Like I’m begging for a dollar…” Tertius lifted Anya’s hand and kissed her knuckles.The ballroom erupted. Girls screamed. People applauded louder. Someone behind Damian whispered, “OH MY GOD.”
Damian nearly died. Because Anya looked surprised for half a second before recovering gracefully. And because suddenly Damian realized something horrifying. He was jealous. Not normal jealous. The kind that made his chest ache painfully while his brain screamed that should be me.
The performance ended moments later. Students immediately crowded around Tertius excitedly afterward. Anya quietly slipped backstage instead. Damian followed before he could stop himself. The hallway behind the ballroom was dimmer and quieter, distant orchestra music echoing softly through the walls.
Anya stood near one of the mirrors, removing one of her bracelets when she noticed him approaching. Her expression softened instantly.
“Sy-on Boy.”
Even after all that, she still looked at him like that. Like he was the person she’d been searching for all evening. Damian stared at her for a second. Then quietly
“You never told me you could sing like that.”
Anya blinked. “…You liked it?”
Before she could react further, Damian suddenly stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Anya immediately relaxing against him on instinct, her arms slipping naturally around his waist like she’d done a thousand times before.
Because they had. They were always touching somehow. Hugging while laughing. Leaning against each other during study sessions. Falling asleep shoulder-to-shoulder during long car rides. This was normal. Except that Damian was holding her differently tonight.
“You sounded incredible,” he muttered quietly against her hair. Anya’s cheeks warmed immediately. “…Really?” “Yes, really.”
Her fingers curled slightly against the back of his jacket. For a moment neither moved. Then Anya laughed quietly against his shoulder.
“You looked really scary during Tertius’ part.”
“That idiot was enjoying himself way too much.”
“He thought the audience would like dramatic ending.”
“They did.”
“Tertius seemed very proud of himself.”
“He should be arrested.”
Anya giggled softly. Damian smiled despite himself. Then the smile faded. Because now that he was holding her like this, he couldn’t pretend anymore. Not after feeling like his chest physically hurt every time she looked at him during those lyrics.
His arms tightened around her slightly. “…Anya.”
“Hm?”
Damian swallowed hard. Then admitted quietly
“When he kissed your hand…” His voice came out rougher than intended. “…I realized I was sitting there wishing it was me.”
Anya went still in his arms. Damian closed his eyes briefly. “I kept thinking about how unfair this is,” he whispered weakly. “Because you already act like you’re mine half the time.”
Anya’s heartbeat noticeably sped up against him. “You hold my hand whenever you want, hug me whenever you want, look for me first in every room…”
His chest hurt now. Because this was terrifying. Because once he said this, nothing would ever go back to normal. Damian buried his face briefly against her hair before finally whispering
“And somewhere along the last 10 years…I fell completely in love with you.”
Silence. Then Anya tightened her arms around him instantly. Hard enough that Damian almost lost his breath. “…Good,” she whispered shakily. Damian blinked.
Anya pulled back just enough to look up at him, cheeks pink, eyes warm and emotional all at once. “Because I’ve been in love with you too for a really long time.”
Damian genuinely forgot how to speak. Anya laughed softly at his expression before immediately hiding her face back against his shoulder again. “You took forever,” she mumbled.
Damian let out a weak laugh. “I know.” Then his arms wrapped around her even tighter automatically.
The problem with dating your best friend, Damian realized very quickly, was that absolutely nobody believed they had only started dating today. Which became obvious approximately three minutes after returning to the ballroom.
Damian and Anya walked back side by side quietly, fingers brushing occasionally as if both of them were still getting used to the fact they actually could do that now.
Neither had spoken much after kissing. Mostly because every time Damian looked at her, his brain stopped functioning again.
They entered the ballroom and immediately froze. Because Becky was staring at them from across the room with the expression of someone witnessing divine revelation.
“Oh.”
Damian felt fear. Becky slowly stood from her chair. “Oh my god.”
“No,” Damian said immediately.
“OH. MY. GOD.”
Before either of them could react, Becky sprinted across the ballroom at terrifying speed.
“YOU FINALLY DID IT?!”
Half the nearby students turned to look instantly. Damian wanted death. “Keep your voice down!”
Becky ignored him completely and grabbed Anya dramatically by both shoulders.
“YOU CONFESSED?!”
“WAS THERE CRYING?!”
“WAS THERE PASSIONATE YEARNING?!”
“DID YOU KISS?!”
Anya’s face turned bright red instantly. Damian nearly combusted. “BLACKBELL.”
“Oh my god, you DID kiss!”
“BECKY!”
She gasped dramatically, clutching her chest. “I’ve waited YEARS for this moment.”
“It’s been like two years,” Anya mumbled.
“Wrong,” Becky said immediately. “I’ve been waiting for this since we were six.”
Damian stared at her in horror. “…That’s insane.”
“No, what’s insane is that it took you THIS LONG.”
The yelling attracted more people. Specifically Ewen and Emile. And somehow, also George Glooman, who had apparently appeared out of nowhere purely to witness chaos.
The second Ewen noticed Damian and Anya standing suspiciously close together while Becky vibrated with excitement, he froze.
Then slowly
“…No way.”
Emile gasped loudly. “NO WAY.”
George blinked once.
“…Wait. You mean they weren’t together already?”
Silence.
Anya blinked. “…No?”
George looked genuinely disturbed. “But everyone thought you were.”
Damian frowned slightly. “What do you mean everyone?”
George looked at him like the answer was obvious. “Literally last month I overheard two guys talking in the locker room.”
Anya blinked curiously. “Huh?”
“One of them said he was thinking about confessing to Forger.”
Damian immediately looked interested.
“And then,” George continued dramatically, “the other guy looked at him and went: ‘Rather not. She belongs to Desmond.’”
Silence. Then Damian smiled. That horribly self-satisfied little grin he got whenever he heard something he liked but pretended not to care about.
Anya immediately noticed. “…You liked hearing that.”
“I did not.”
“You’re literally smiling.”
“I’m not smiling.”
“You absolutely are,” Ewen said immediately.
Emile pointed accusingly. “That’s his proud face.”
“I don’t have a proud face.”
“You do when it’s about Forger,” George informed him casually.
Anya looked delighted now. “Ohhh my god, you really like that people think I belong to you.”
Damian’s ears turned pink instantly. “Tch. It’s not that.”
“Then why are you smiling like an evil little king?”
“I AM NOT.”
He absolutely was. And that made Anya laugh even harder. The sound immediately softened his expression again without him realizing. Which everyone noticed instantly.
Ewen physically recoiled. “Oh, that’s disgusting.”
“He looks at her completely differently now,” Emile whispered dramatically.
“I hate all of you.”
Anya giggled before unconsciously moving closer against Damian’s side. Damian automatically adjusted so she fit there perfectly. Like she’d always belonged beside him.
Ewen stared at them for a second. Then looked genuinely offended. “Hold on. HOLD ON.”
Damian already disliked that tone.
“You mean to tell me…” Ewen pointed between them accusingly, “…you weren’t secretly dating this entire time?”
“No,” Damian muttered.
Ewen looked personally betrayed. “YOU HELD HANDS.”
“Friends can hold hands,” Anya argued weakly.
“YOU FALL ASLEEP ON EACH OTHER.”
“We get tired!”
“You literally shared a scarf during winter.”
“It was cold!”
“You fed her cake at the winter gala,” George added.
“She dropped her fork!”
“You wiped whipped cream off her face,” Ewen continued.
“That was normal.”
“IT WAS NOT NORMAL.”
Emile suddenly looked deeply emotional. “…Love really is real.”
“Stop talking,” Damian muttered.
But it got worse because Becky suddenly gasped dramatically again. “WAIT.” Everyone turned toward her. Becky slowly pointed at Damian. “You got jealous over Tertius.”
Damian stiffened instantly. Anya immediately looked delighted. “Ohhh, he really did.”
“I did NOT.”
“You looked ready to commit murder,” Becky informed him cheerfully.
“Especially during the hand-kissing part,” Emile added solemnly.
George nodded seriously. “Desmond looked one inconvenience away from homicide.”
“That bastard knew exactly what he was doing,” Damian muttered darkly.
Anya giggled softly beside him. Damian immediately looked at her. And accidentally softened instantly.
Ewen stared at him in horror. “…Oh my god.”
“What.”
“You just looked at her like a dying Victorian man seeing sunlight for the first time.”
“I HATE YOU.”
Becky clutched Anya dramatically. “He’s soooo in love with you.”
“I am leaving.”
“No, you’re not,” Anya said immediately. Damian stopped walking before he even realized he had. The entire group went silent. Then Becky slowly turned toward Ewen, Emile, and George with tears in her eyes. “He listens to her.”
“HE DOES,” Emile whispered emotionally.
“This school is insufferable.” But despite the complaining, his hand never left Anya’s.
The ballroom had grown quieter by the end of the evening. Some guests had already begun leaving while others lingered near the orchestra, conversations softer now beneath the warm chandelier light.
Damian and Anya were still swaying slowly together near the edge of the dance floor while pretending they weren’t completely wrapped up in each other. Anya’s head rested lightly against his shoulder. Damian’s arm remained securely around her waist.
Neither of them seemed interested in moving anytime soon.At some point the teasing from Becky and the others had faded into the background completely. Now it was just warm music and Anya in his arms.
Damian still couldn’t fully believe this was real. Every once in a while, Anya quietly hummed pieces of Leave Me Lonely under her breath absentmindedly. Each time she did, Damian’s chest tightened all over again.
“…You’re doing emotional face again,” Anya mumbled sleepily against his shoulder.
“I don’t have emotional face.”
“You do.”
“Tch.”
Anya giggled softly. Damian was beginning to suspect this girl had permanently destroyed his ability to function normally.
“…Hey, Sy-on Boy?”
“What.”
“I’m happy.”
The simple honesty of it nearly killed him. Damian looked down at her for a second. At the soft flush still lingering on her cheeks. At the way she fit against him so naturally. At the way her hand rested over his heart without even thinking about it. He understood why he’d been terrified for so long. Because losing this would’ve ruined him. His hold around her tightened slightly. “…Yeah,” he admitted quietly. “Me too.”Anya smiled against his shoulder.
Flash.
Both of them froze. Slowly, Damian turned his head. Becky stood several feet away holding a camera with the expression of someone who had just captured historical evidence.
“…Blackbell.”
Another flash.
“BEAUTIFUL,” Becky cried emotionally.
“BLACKBELL.”
Becky clutched the camera dramatically against her chest. “These are going into the wedding album.”
Damian stopped functioning. “…The WHAT.”
“The wedding album,” Becky repeated confidently.
“We are SIXTEEN.”
“Love has no age.”
“That’s NOT how that works!”
Anya was laughing too hard to help now, hiding her face against Damian’s shoulder while he slowly died internally.
Another flash.
“STOP TAKING PICTURES.”
“Never.”
Ewen suddenly appeared beside Becky. “Oh, I want to see that one later.”
“EWEN.”
George looked over Becky’s shoulder at the photos and sighed dramatically. “…Yeah, they definitely look like people who are gonna get married someday.”
“I hate this school.”
Emile looked emotional already. “Their children will be beautiful.”
“EMILE?!” Damian sounded genuinely horrified.
Anya was fully clinging to him now trying not to laugh. Which unfortunately only made Damian instinctively pull her closer. Which everyone immediately noticed.
Becky gasped dramatically. “OH MY GOD HE DID IT AGAIN.”
“Did what?!” Damian snapped.
“That thing where he acts annoyed while literally holding her like she’s the most precious person alive.”
Anya looked up at him softly then. And Damian suddenly realized something horrifying. He didn’t actually mind everyone knowing anymore.
Nearby, a few younger Eden students walked past the dance floor whispering quietly to each other. “…See? I told you they were together.”
“Nah,” the other whispered back. “I think they’ve probably been in love forever.”
Damian heard it. A few hours ago, he probably would’ve denied it immediately. Now he simply looked down at Anya. Then calmly pulled her a little closer against him. Anya blinked softly in surprise before smiling. And somewhere behind them, Becky audibly started crying again while taking more pictures.
Damian sighed. “…Blackbell.”
“These are for memories!”
“You’re insane.”
“Maybe,” Becky admitted happily. “But when I’m your maid of honor someday, you’ll thank me.”
Damian nearly choked.
Anya giggled softly into his shoulder again. And beneath the warm ballroom lights, surrounded by laughter and teasing and the people who knew them best.
Damian realized maybe everyone at Eden had been right all along. Anya Forger had belonged beside him long before either of them were brave enough to admit it.