She watched him from behind as he silently got himself into state. His body gave away the moment he slid into it psychologically to anyone watching, although no one but her was.

Others were along the periphery of the hall he suddenly seemed pinned in, yet they all but disappeared as he took a jagged breath in and held it. The atmosphere seemed to crackle along his shoulder line as he roughly twisted down into himself, refusing to release the oxygen until it was time.

But instead of the stillness one would expect to witness a strong man cajoling himself into before taking an insane leap forward(or back), the flesh pulled across his back pulsed so intensely that every muscular crevice and curve of his beautiful form was noticeable through the thick, moisture wicking fabric of his performance T-shirt.

His anticipation turned the uniform Tee he’d donned in solidarity with where he had to be into little more than tissue, lightly draped gauze across the sinewy, perfect back of a God carved from marble that somehow moved.

“Time,” his guardian angel leaned in and whispered chaotically, lips so close to his left ear that both of them felt it. Defiantly, he took another toke of air in, breathless for at least one more beat longer than anything decreed outside of him. She softly gasped at the audacity.

Lightheaded, he shifted, looking through the incessant noise around him until he found her, having his back as always. He locked his eyes onto hers, winked, smiled like a crazy person and exhaled so slowly that he damned near passed out.

Mid- swoon, he spun back around towards his target , growled “NOW it’s Time,” and slammed through the doors.

The crush of students waiting for his instruction erupted.

Her hand absently slid up to her supra-natural neck as she stretched it.