That afternoon, at Randall’s Island Park.

  Up in the stands, Luther watched the soccer match below with great attention, even though he didn’t understand much beyond the fact that the score was in Lincoln’s favor.

  "A young divine being competing against a bunch of mortal kids, are you serious?” Acher rolled his eyes. “What’s even the point of watching this?"

  Aaron dashed around the green field at a speed that was hard to follow, passing the ball and kicking with such smooth precision that the kids from Shaw could only stand there wide-eyed, stunned into stillness.

  Every time he scored, he would turn toward Luther, waving with a bright smile that made the entire section of Lincoln’s supporters erupt in cheers and shouts.

  Three-zero, then four-zero, and finally, the match ended with an overwhelming seven-zero victory, an unprecedented win for Lincoln High over their long-time rivals from Shaw.

  As the final whistle blew, the entire Lincoln team rushed in to throw their arms around Aaron in celebration, and up in the stands, students and teachers from Lincoln High exploded into loud, joyous noise.

  "Don’t take it so hard, Louis, it’s just a loss. I’m sure next time you’ll lose again," Mr. Bryce joked to Louis Ramos, the physics teacher from Shaw.

  That earned him a glare and a huffy departure from the man. Bryce laughed even louder, already deciding he would make the upcoming chemistry test a little easier as a small reward for the star of this match.

  Aaron ran up into the stands toward Luther, his face glowing in the warm light of late afternoon.

  "So? How was I? Pretty awesome, right?" he asked.

  "So cool." Luther nodded.

  "To be honest, I was holding back a lot.” Aaron chuckled. “The physical strength of an official knight is just too much. It’s like playing against toddlers. I even had to stop myself from making the score gap too big because I didn’t want to make them cry. If I went all out, I could’ve made it fifty-zero."

  At first, he had planned to score just three goals, but he changed his mind after the Shaw players made a few snide remarks about him waving at Luther.

  Next time they talk shit, I’ll make it ten-zero just for them.

  Luther looked at the boy standing before him, shining like the light itself, and he suddenly understood why the cheers were so loud.

  Later that day, when the two of them were back at the Ravenswood house, Luther noticed a truck already parked not far away.

  Aaron walked over to speak with the driver, then began carrying things out of the truck and into the house.

  "What is. All this?" Luther asked.

  "Just wait and you’ll see," Aaron said with a wink.

  He busied himself removing the old TV in the living room, pulling a brand-new one out of its box, and setting it up with the truck driver's help.

  "This is my old smart TV. It was left in the storage, so I thought I’d put it here. After we finish studying, we can watch lots of stuff."

  Luther:

  "…"

  On top of that, Aaron started unpacking several other gadgets.

  "This is an Xbox, that one over there’s a PS6, and here’s a Switch. I’ll show you how to play them," Aaron explained.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  "Study first," Luther said.

  “Okayyy, but I need a quick shower, I’m all sweaty. I brought some clean clothes. You got a fresh towel I can borrow?”

  "Yes. In the bathroom. Small cabinet."

  After they had studied and eaten dinner, Aaron volunteered:

  "Let me do the dishes. I saw Aunt Hanna do it a few times; it looks easy enough."

  It did not go as smooth as he expected. After the second plate broke in his hands, Luther kicked him out of the kitchen and sent him to the living room to sit with Acher.

  “Oh, right.” Aaron pulled a new phone out of his bag and handed it to the raven. "Here you are. Let me show you how to use it …"

  And that was how Acher began his journey into a YouTube addiction.

  When Luther finished washing the dishes, he came into the living room and sat down next to them. Aaron switched on the TV, opened Netflix, and played the documentary series Our Planet.

  "Let’s watch this tonight. It’s amazing, and the nature scenes are super cool," he said.

  The truth was, he had never seen it before himself. And just as he guessed, Luther was drawn in within seconds and watched without so much as blinking.

  Aaron glanced at Luther’s thick hoodie and asked:

  "Why are you always cold? You should get checked. I can call Dr. Josh and make an appointment. He’s my family doctor."

  "Awakening side effect. Not fully. Recovered yet. I’ll be fine," Luther replied.

  Aaron draped an arm over his shoulder and said:

  "Just lean on me. I’m warm. Sometimes I even get so hot I can’t sleep."

  Luther reached out to feel.

  So warm.

  He could feel the bone-deep chill that had lingered within him for days was temporarily driven away. He scooted closer, and the two of them nestled shoulder to shoulder on the sofa.

  The warmth of Aaron, the sound of birds chirping from Our Planet, the soft rustle of Acher pecking at chips on the table, and the faint streetlight streaming in through the window all blended together into a peaceful scene that made Luther’s eyelids grow heavier and heavier.

  And that was their first bromantic night.

  …

  The next morning, when Luther opened his eyes, he realized he was still leaning against Aaron’s shoulder.

  The two of them had fallen asleep on the couch together with a thin blanket draped over them. Acher was nowhere to be seen; Luther guessed he had flown back to his bed for the night.

  Aaron was still sound asleep, and the television was on the seventh episode of Our Planet.

  Luther thought for a moment before remembering that he must have dozed off while watching TV.

  But why is he still here?

  Aaron also woke up, stretching his arms and letting out a long yawn.

  “Morning, Luther, I haven’t slept this well in a while. Last night I didn’t feel hot at all, you’re just like a magical AC! Last night you looked so relaxed; I didn’t want to wake you up, so I asked my parents if I could stay over. Your cloak must have some sort of magic to it because they agreed without much questioning. Usually they’re not that easy, and it even got worse after the last birthday.”

  He glanced at the clock and added, “It’s only seven-thirty. Let’s sleep a little bit more, it’s Saturday after all.”

  He pulled Luther closer into his arms and shut his eyes again, then the two slept until a little past nine in the morning before getting up to freshen themselves.

  “What do you do on weekends?” Aaron asked, his mouth full of toothpaste foam.

  Luther thought for a moment and answered:

  “Eat. Sleep. Watch TV. Do some gardening. Eat. Study. Sleep.”

  Aaron blinked.

  So boring. I’ve got to take him out and show him how to have some real fun.

  “Whoa, you can garden too?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Can you show me later?” Aaron asked.

  “Sure.”

  “By the way, where’s Mr. Raven?”

  “I think. In the bedroom.”

  Sure enough, when they went to look, they found Acher lounging on his warm mattress. He was awake, eyes glued to his phone screen as he watched something on YouTube, occasionally letting out a sharp, amused cackle.

  Luther:

  “…”

  Acher gave Aaron a side glance.

  It was just the second day of staying at the house, and this kid had already found an excuse to spend the night. What a sly little brat.

  “What should we have for lunch? Let me order pizza so you don’t have to bother cooking,” Aaron suggested.

  “Waste. Money,” Luther replied.

  “It’s fine, I still have a bunch of Domino’s points I haven’t used.” Aaron shrugged.

  It was Acher’s first time eating the famous dish from Italy, and he was won over at the first bite.

  “This is delicious, Luther. Why haven’t you made this for me before?”

  “Don’t know. How to make.”

  “Hahaha, Mr. Raven, just tell me whenever you want some and I’ll order for you.” Aaron laughed.

  There were four different kinds on the table, but Acher’s favorite turned out to be the Hawaiian pizza. He even ate all the pineapple pieces first before touching the rest.

  “Let’s eat while playing games! Yesterday I forgot to show you,” Aaron said.

  He turned on the Switch, loaded up Mario Kart, and began teaching both of them how to play. The living room soon filled with loud cheers and shouts from Aaron and Acher as they raced.

  After a few rounds, Aaron glanced over and noticed Luther had dozed off again. He smiled and shifted closer, guiding Luther’s head to rest against his shoulder. Deciding a short nap wouldn’t hurt, he closed his eyes as well.

  Acher:

  “…”

  Fine. You two do whatever. I’m going back to watch YouTube.