I’m about to open the vent when Ezra suddenly runs back into the room to check on me. I have to resist rolling my eyes with a groan as I turn to face him, mildly irritated he interrupted me yet again.

“I’ll stay here. Yellow and pink are probably already at O2, so, you, go to admin,” I order him, and he nods before sprinting out of the room toward the lower engine. I shake my head, and I can’t help but laugh at his stupidity.

He’s so blinded. I pity him.

I pop open the metal grate laying over the opening to the ventilation tunnels and climb inside. I vent to medbay and leave the vent open for a quick escape later. From there, I head through the cafeteria and vent into the hall by O2, but as I remove the grate from above me, the alarms and lights stop. Fuck.

I’m too late. If I try to walk back to security, I’ll get there after Ezra, and then he’ll question where I went. I told him I’d stay there, so if he finds out I lied, I’ll seem undeniably sus. If I vent back, he might catch me, but honestly, the latter is my only chance. It’s the only option where I might be able to get back before him, but that’s only if I can do it quickly enough.

I just honestly didn’t expect the problem to be solved so quickly. When I told Ezra that pink and yellow were probably already there, I didn’t mean it. I just wanted to send Ezra away, and since most people think about going to O2 first, I thought it would be perfect. Ezra would be in admin, and either pink or yellow would go to O2. The other would go to admin after seeing the first in O2, leaving me alone to kill whoever was left in the oxygen room. Simple psychology, but the others must have been in navigation, just right across the hall. No way they could have repaired the crisis so quickly otherwise.

I just can’t have Ezra finding out because that means I have to lose him. I also don’t know if losing him means I’ll have to kill him or if it means I have to be the one to die. Neither sounds like a great outcome, honestly, but the truth is I don’t know if I would be able to kill him. I love him, but I don’t want to die either. That’s why I need to beat him to security.

I crawl back through the vents as quickly as possible, and as soon as I get the opening to the cafeteria open, I’m sprinting. I take a turn back into medbay and jump into the vent I left open, closing it behind me. I wriggle through the confined area as fast as I’m physically capable of, but I fear that it won’t be enough.

My heavy breaths are amplified against the tight aluminum walls, and the limited air around me becomes more humid with every strained exhale. My heart beats like a drum in my chest, and I swear I can actually hear it echo around me. I think I might make it. I’m so close to making it.

I throw the vent cover off and claw my way out desperately. For a moment, I think I’ve done it, but then, I look up and see two bright red boots standing in the middle of the room. I drag my gaze up in horror until I meet Ezra’s stare, and I see what I fear most. His eyes swirl with a mix of many emotions. Terror, shock, and betrayal are the most recognizable though. He’s just frozen in place with his mouth hung open like a deer in the headlights, trying to process what he just witnessed.

I pull my legs out of the vent slowly, careful not to make any sudden moves that would scare him away. I hold one hand out cautiously as I take a step forward. “Ezra,” I start in a soft whisper, but that only seems to knock him out of his trance-like state.

His eyes widen, and he breaks into a sprint down the hall. I don't even have time to catch my breath before I’m going after him, heading toward the upper engine. Our running steps are thunderous down the hall, and the souls of his shoes make a sharp squeaking sound when he tries to rip around the corner suddenly. Luckily for me, physics says an object in motion tries to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction, so his feet can’t turn his body fast enough. He falls onto his hands and knees, and his palms slap against the linoleum with cringe-worthy plat-s. I don’t have to see them to know they are probably bright red and stinging, but he pries himself from the floor anyway and starts running again, the adrenaline overpowering any injuries he sustained.

His fall gives me enough time to catch up though. I grit my teeth and force myself to run faster, powering through the burning fire in my legs. My lungs feel as if they’re collapsing in on themselves, but I can’t give up now. I reach my hand out, trying to grab onto his jumpsuit as we tear into the cafeteria. I can feel my body involuntarily starting to give up.

This is it. I’m through, I think as we come within feet of the glowing red emergency button, but then it happens. My finger catches a loop on his clothing, and I pull back sharply. The force is just enough to jerk Ezra away from the alarm. His fingertips just barely brush the edge of the table before he falls to the floor onto his ass. He tries to get up again, but I catch him around the waist and yank him away once more, not letting go this time. I pull his back against my chest and effectively restrain him. Then, we both go still, and nothing can be heard but our strenuous panting.

I nuzzle my face into his neck and inhale, desperate to recover from the struggle and get oxygen in my lungs. “Ezra,” I gasp. “I know what it looks like but...”

I let my voice trail off, and I squeeze Ezra closer to me, breathing hard against him still. I feel his fingers brush lightly over my arms, which makes me tense up. I turn my head and put my ear to his back, listening closely as his breaths start to even out along with mine.

“Ezra,” I try again in a soothing tone.

“You’re acting sus,” he finally admits.

The fear seeps from his voice in obvious waves. He’s afraid of me, but he’s trying to deny it. If he believed I was the imposter, he would still be fighting me, but he’s not because he doesn’t want to believe that it’s true. How wonderful is that? I have a chance.

I let my arms relax, and I reposition myself so that the hold seems more comforting than controlling. I feel him relax against my body ever so slightly as well.

Giving someone control over a situation can go a long way. Now, he’s more trusting and open to what I have to say, so I continue with my lie, “I was checking the vents for yellow. I didn’t actually go in them.”

“Sus,” he restates, but he still doesn’t pull away from me.

I move my chin to rest on his shoulder, and I nudge behind his ear with my nose then take in a slow breath, reveling in his intoxicating smell. “Don’t you trust me?” I murmur into his hair.

Ezra stays silent, but I feel his fingers fidget nervously over my arm. He wants to trust me, but he’s still hesitant. He can’t deny what he saw, but he doesn’t want to believe it. So, it’s time for a little reassurance.

I tighten my grasp so that my fingers dig into his waist and lean my forehead against his shoulder. “Ezra, please. You have to believe me,” I plead with him.

I hear him take in a shaky breath before speaking slowly, “You’re not the imposter?”

I shake my head. “No. It has to be yellow, but I don’t have proof. You would know if it was me. You would know.”

Ezra still doesn’t make a move, and I begin to think he still doesn’t believe me. Then, he pushes against my arms, so I unfold them from his waist. I take a sharp breath in, ready to attack him if necessary, but then he turns to face me.

He puts his arms around my neck and presses our bodies together. I wrap my arms back around the small of his back and look into his enchanting eyes, yet he won’t look at me. His face is shadowed by a look of doubt, but I know that won’t last long.

“I’m still me, Ezra. I’m Archer, not the imposter,” I promise him, and I watch as the uncertainty in his eyes begins to melt away, just as expected. I smile at him and press my lips to the side of his face gently. Then, I pull back and look at him again, and finally, Ezra meets my gaze. I take this as permission to kiss him directly, and triumph floods me when I feel his lips move against mine ever so delicately. I can’t help but smile again at my success, so I break our kiss apart and lean my forehead against his.

“Ezra, do you trust me?” I ask again, my lips brushing his. I just want to hear it. I want to hear him say he trusts me. I want to hear my victory told to me again and again. Let me hear it.

But to my disappointment, he only nods as a response, and that’s not good enough for me.

“Say it,” I coax him.

He bites his lip nervously, and despite the obviously untrusting look on his face, he answers me, “I trust you, Archer.”

I smile with content and kiss him once more, putting my hand through his silky hair and tugging him closer to me.

Oh, I’ve never been happier.