Grass-Stained Sleeves || Zeal Ginjoka + Kaelix Debonair

The afternoon sun sat comfortably above campus, warm but not overbearing, casting long stretches of light across the grass where students gathered in scattered clusters. Finals season loomed close enough to feel heavy, but far enough away that moments like this still felt possible. A pause before the storm.

Kaelix and Zeal had been waiting on him. Their boyfriend who promised to be there after his class ended, especially since it was his idea to spend a bit of time together before they all had to take the last chunk of their finals.

Kaelix was sprawled out dramatically on the grass, coat shrugged off and tossed beside him, white hair bright against the green. He dug through his bag with exaggerated movements, charms and chains softly clinking as he pulled out a textbook and flipped it open with a sigh.

"Did he forget?" Kaelix asked, squinting at the page like the numbers had personally offended him.

Zeal sat beside him, far more composed, legs crossed and posture relaxed. His fedora shaded his eyes just enough as he glanced up from where he’d been idly watching people pass by. One gloved hand rested against the grass, the other tapping lazily against his knee.

"He'll be here. Probably got held back a bit or behind a crowd of people." Zeal said, voice easy, certain.

As if summoned by confidence alone, footsteps approached from the path nearby. Zeal’s gaze shifted first, followed by Kaelix’s immediate perk-up.

There he was.

Kaelix’s face lit up instantly, snapping his book shut and waving with far too much enthusiasm for someone who claimed to be calm about finals. Zeal smiled too, softer, eyes lingering as you drew closer.

You dropped your bag beside them and settled into the grass, letting out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding. The tension from class slowly melted away with the warmth of the sun and the familiar presence of both of them.

"See?" Zeal murmured, amused. "Told you."

Kaelix scooted closer without asking, leaning back until his shoulders bumped your leg. At first, it was casual—comfortable. Then gradually, inevitably, his energy began to dim. The nonstop yapping slowed to soft commentary about professors, campus drama, and how unfair math was as a concept. His voice faded, words blending together as his head tipped sideways… and landed in your lap.

You barely had time to react before he was settled there, eyes closed, breathing even. Grass clung faintly to the back of his shirt where it brushed the ground, staining the fabric just a bit. He didn’t seem to care. If anything, he looked content.

Zeal noticed immediately.

He shifted closer to you, coat brushing against your side. With an easy familiarity, he reached out and took your arm, gloved fingers tracing slow, absent shapes along your skin—circles, lines, the occasional star. His touch was light, grounding. Deliberate.

“He does this,” Zeal murmured quietly, a teasing fondness in his tone. “Runs out of energy the moment he feels safe.”

Kaelix shifted slightly, murmuring something unintelligible, cheek pressing more firmly against your thigh. You instinctively adjusted, resting a hand near his hair, careful not to wake him.

Zeal’s fingers continued their lazy patterns, his gaze flicking between you and Kaelix before settling on you fully. His downturned eyes softened, expression warm and unguarded.

The campus noise faded into the background—laughter, footsteps, distant conversations—until it was just the three of you, sunlight filtering through leaves, grass beneath your palms, and the quiet comfort of being exactly where you were meant to be.

For now, there was nowhere else to be.