1. The richest 1% of Americans own 35% of the nation's wealth, while the bottom 80% owns only 11%. See the disparity? Fact: many multimillionaires currently pay a lower tax rate than the average US taxpayer. The rich avoid paying taxes by growing wealth through investments (to make their wages appear lower), selling their assets at strategic times, using business income loopholes (i.e. taxing business income under individual income tax rate rather than the corporate rate), using dynasty trusts (i.e. Trump's 2017 tax bill more than doubled the amount of assets that are exempt from the estate tax), and through tax havens (aka offshore bank accounts). The richest 1% is responsible for 70% of all unpaid taxes in the US. Trump is one of those people, having paid only $750 in taxes in 2016 and 2017. A household that earns between only $20,000 and $25,000 a year paid more than him ($1,131 in taxes). If you live in the US and are 18 and older, vote. Him. Out. (Condensed from soyouwanttotalkabout on Instagram.)

Bonjour vous-autres! Quoi ça dit? Moi, ça peut faire. I survived another hurricane, lol. Didn't get much rain where I am, although part of our fence blew over. Other than that, no real damage done. Which means I'm able to deliver this update on time! Yay! This chapter has one of my favorite scenes in the entire fic, tbh, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much I did writing it. :)

xXxXxXx

Because of the time difference between Xadia and Katolis, Rayla had informed him earlier that Runaan and Ethari would be available around eight, which was only five in Xadia. She suggested that they just have a small date night to pass the time until then, which Callum had immediately agreed to. They'd both been busy all week, to the point where they'd seen each other only in class or in passing. Rayla had even been forced to cancel their weekly homework session because of football practice, extended an extra hour despite it being the team's bye week. According to Rayla, Coach Zhou was still pissed that their bye week had been scheduled for after the big game with Neolandia despite that he'd specifically requested it be before, and somehow that had translated into longer practices?

Callum didn't really understand.

But he did understand that, well, he'd missed his girlfriend, and he was therefore more than willing to spare time that evening to be with her for a few extra hours before he was officially introduced to Runaan and Ethari.

Also, he was obsessively anxious about their upcoming meeting, which meant he did not at all mind the idea of being distracted by his amazing girlfriend for even just a few hours.

No, not that kind of distraction. She had mentioned some sort of surprise, though.

Rayla showed up at his dorm exactly at six, a plastic grocery bag hanging from each arm. "Stress baking," she explained as she stepped inside. He locked the door behind her. "And also clean clothes to change into for when I inevitably get flour all over what I'm wearing."

"'Stress baking'?" Callum repeated, following her into the kitchen where she placed the two bags on the counter and began emptying out the one full of ingredients. "I didn't know you baked."

Rayla gave him a sideways glance as she pulled out a container of flour. "Like I said - only when I'm stressed. And only simple foods. Such as…" She placed a bag of chocolate chips on the counter. "Cookies!" She gave him a crooked, amused smile. "I'm grossly incompetent at pretty much anything else."

"Understood." He helped her finish unpacking the grocery bag full of ingredients for what was now obviously going to be chocolate chip cookies. He exhaled slowly. "So… Do you think the meeting with Runaan and Ethari is going to go… badly?"

Speaking for himself, Callum was extremely terrified. Besides his general anxiety around authority figures, he was also afraid that Runaan and Ethari wouldn't think he was worthy of Rayla. Which he supposed he technically wasn't, as humans did not need a partner to function or to live a happy and fulfilling life, but still. They'd chosen each other. She'd chosen him. And hopefully Runaan and Ethari would see that, and it wouldn't matter to them that she was from Xadia and he was from Katolis.

Ugh. Was that just wishful thinking?

Rayla chewed her bottom lip. "I don't know," she admitted after a pause. "Runaan is more… traditional than Ethari, so he might give you a harder time."

Callum winced at the prospect. "Well, there's something to look forward to."

"Ethari will probably rein him in," Rayla hastily added, balling up the now-empty grocery bag and placing it on a side counter. "So I wouldn't worry about it too much."

He would worry regardless, but he appreciated her attempt at reassuring him. "Why don't you tell me a little about them?" he suggested after a pause, pulling out bowls, measuring cups, and assorted mixing utensils from cabinets. "That way I kind of have an idea of what they're like before they're formally introduced to me."

Rayla's eyes lit up. "Oh, that's brilliant!" She took her phone out of her back pocket, opening Google photos to show him a picture of herself with two tall, white-haired men. "That's Runaan, and that's Ethari," she said, pointing to each man respectively. "They've been married since forever, and they were my parents closest friends." The excitement in her voice made Callum smile. "Because my parents were away so much for business when I was little, I basically lived with them."

She placed her phone on the counter, tying her hair up with the ponytail holder around her wrist before washing her hands, Callum following suit. Er, the washing hands part. There wasn't much he could do with his hair.

"So they're like your second family," Callum mused, offering her a small smile. "All the more reason I need to make a good impression, then."

Rayla rolled her eyes. "It's not you I'm worried about, believe me." She switched the oven on to preheat it to the appropriate temperature. "The xenophobia in Katolis isn't exactly unreciprocated, you know? Tensions abound on both sides."

She wasn't wrong. "Well, what are some things Runaan and Ethari are interested in?" Callum asked after a moment of thought. "Maybe I have a hobby or two in common with them. And even if I don't, at least there will be something to fall back on if the conversation stalls or gets weirdly tense." He tore a sheet of parchment paper and began lining the baking pan with it, not trusting himself to measure and mix ingredients. With his luck, he'd probably end up putting in too much salt or forgetting the sugar. Cooking had always been simpler than baking to him, for some reason.

"Mm, good idea." Rayla measured out several cups of flour before pouring them into a mixing bowl. "Well, Runaan loves archery." She chuckled. "I feel like I've told you this before, but he tried to get me into archery when I was little, right?

He nodded.

"But since I'm rubbish with a bow and arrow, it was a doomed attempt from the start." Rayla smiled, shaking her head. "To give him credit, though, he didn't give up until I almost broke a metal flower Ethari made him and nearly shot my dad in the leg. By that point, my mom pretty much forced him to teach me something else."

Callum couldn't help but snort at the rather amusing mental image her story invoked. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure you've told me that before, but I don't mind hearing it again." He chuckled. "You definitely sound like you were a wild child."

Rayla snickered as she poured another white ingredient - baking powder, he was pretty sure? - into the bowl of flour. "You have no idea. Because I was an only child, I was constantly bouncing off the walls. Ethari liked to say that even with four adults in my life, it was still impossible to tire me out." She grinned at him. "I bet you were a super calm child, though. People probably gushed over how mature you were."

Callum chuckled, passing his girlfriend the baking soda when she gestured to it. "Only if they didn't know me well. My mom was always worried about how shy I was. And then when my dad passed away, it got worse, you know?"

Rayla paused in her mixing, giving him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Callum. I didn't mean to bring up a heavy subject."

Callum waved his hand dismissively. "No worries. And I'm the one who technically brought it up, not you." He didn't remember much about his 'biological' dad, though Harrow kept a scrapbook for him full of pictures of the man. God, Harrow really was his dad as much as his mother's first husband had been. Callum suspected he'd never know how to fully express his gratitude. "Besides, when Ezran was born, my mom said my attitude changed completely because I wanted to be around him so much."

"Aw, that's adorable," Rayla cooed. "I can totally picture you trying to help a baby Ezran learn how to crawl and walk."

He couldn't stop himself from smiling at the thought. "Next time we go to my dad's house, remind me to show you pictures of me and Ez when we were little. You'd get a kick out of them." He winked at her. "But no princess pictures of me yet. You still haven't won the national championship." Then he shook his head. "Anyways. There was a point to this conversation." He passed her the container of salt and a tablespoon. "So. What's Ethari interested in?"

"Don't laugh," Rayla said, pouring the salt into her mixing bowl, "but he's a blacksmith."

Callum opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish, not so much amused as he was utterly unprepared for her statement. "Oh," was all he managed to say in response.

Rayla chuckled. "I did tell you they were kind of old-fashioned." She slid the now-mixed dry ingredients aside, grabbing another bowl and the sugar. "Can you put the butter in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it?"

Callum did as instructed. "Honestly, being a blacksmith sounds pretty cool," he admitted as the microwave whirred behind him. "I guess some people might argue it's a bit on the unusual side, but that doesn't cancel out the coolness factor." The microwave beeped, and he took the butter out, sliding it across the counter to Rayla. She dumped it into the bowl with sugar and began mixing the two ingredients.

"Ethari actually made my switchblades," she said proudly. "Which, in my opinion, is why they're so balanced and have lasted so long."

Callum whistled. "Wow. That's amazing." He glanced at the baking instructions he'd pulled up on his phone before adding two teaspoons of vanilla into the bowl his girlfriend was mixing.

"Runaan and Ethari are perfect for each other," Rayla continued as she got two eggs out of the fridge, offering one to her boyfriend. They cracked them over the bowl in unison, which they couldn't help but grin at. "Ethari likes making different weapons, while Runaan sort of tests them out for him. He makes sure they're balanced and functional and whatnot before they're sold."

"Even more amazing." Callum waited for her to finish mixing the 'wet' ingredients before sliding the bowl of dry ones towards her. She proceeded to combine the two. He added the chocolate chips a minute or so later, accepting the whisk from his girlfriend and mixing them in himself. "My dad says that he and my mom would spar in their free time before and after they got together. And that my mom usually beat him."

Rayla snickered as she took some chocolate chips out of the bag and ate them. "I feel like we could achieve a similar dynamic, if we so desired."

Callum snorted, though he didn't stop mixing the cookie dough. "Because you have a million hours of experience and I have less than five minutes?" If he even had that much.

Rayla burst out laughing. "Okay, so it'd be a bit of an unfair fight," she teased, moving closer to his left side rather than his right to avoid getting hit with his elbow. "But it'd be a pretty funny fight, at least."

"If you're fighting anyone for practice, it's gonna be Soren, not me," Callum declared, swiping some of the dough out of the bowl and smearing it across her cheek. "His wrestling versus your martial arts. The ultimate showdown."

Rayla rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she wiped the dough off of her face with a paper towel before moving to the sink to wash her hands. Callum soon followed suit. "That would be an interesting matchup," she mused. "Remind me to ask Soren about it." She paused. "After football season ends."

Callum laughed. "Will do." They returned back to the bowl of cookie dough, Rayla showing him the correct size to roll it into before placing each down on the baking tray. "Speaking of football season," he continued, "isn't there a lot of talk about KSU being championship-bound this year?" He was fairly out of the loop with all things sports-related, but he made an effort to keep up with football news for Rayla. But even if that hadn't been something he did, he was still very aware simply from being on campus that KSU was having its best year in arguably over a decade.

"Yep," Rayla affirmed, placing another ball of dough onto the baking pan. "They're calling us the 'Team of Destiny' and ridiculous stuff like that, since supposedly we have a mixture of new and old talent on the team, aka me and Soren, being utilized to its fullest extent. Or something similarly obnoxious." A small, nervous smile crept onto her lips. "It's gratifying but also a little scary, because there's so much pressure on all of us to succeed."

"Do you think you'll make it to the championship?" he found himself asking. Talk was great, sure, but the only opinion he really cared about was… well, Rayla's.

And for tonight, also Runaan and Ethari's.

Rayla pursed her lips. "Well, I don't want to jinx us," she pointed out. "So I'd say… based on the skill sets our team has and the talents of our coaching staff, there is no reason that we aren't capable of making it to the championship."

Callum nodded. Her words seemed like a fair enough assessment. "I know there's also been a lot of attention put on you and Soren, specifically, because you two work so well together on the field."

Rayla grimaced, pausing her shaping of the dough in her hands. "Yeah. Right now the latest craze is that we're both doing a ton of steroids. It's annoying as hell."

"Tabloids will make up anything if it means a dramatic headline, I guess. Besides." He placed his final ball of cookie dough on the pan, the bowl now emptied, before lightly poking his girlfriend's bicep. "We all know you're ridiculously strong already, no performance-enhancing drugs required."

Rayla laughed - a sound he loved to hear - and placed her own final piece of cookie dough onto the baking tray. "I know you're just saying that to flatter me, but…" She winked at him as she slid the baking tray into the oven, casually flexing her free arm as she set a timer on her phone for nine minutes. "Do it more."

That would not be a problem.

As they began cleaning up the kitchen, Callum realized - much to his disappointment - that they'd made virtually no mess. "Aw," he said, pouting. "We didn't get to have a cliché food fight moment while we were baking. Like in a cheesy romcom." Which he knew existed because of Harrow, who loved a good bad romantic comedy.

Rayla gave him an amused look as she scrubbed the mixing bowl clean in the sink before handing it to him to dry. "You're more than welcome to start a food fight with me, but I assure you that I will win and I will make you responsible for wiping everything down after the fact."

Fair enough.

"You know what, I think I'm good," he said with a sheepish grin, drying the bowl before placing it aside to be returned to its cabinet later. "There's a reason romcoms are known to set unrealistic expectations for relationships."

Rayla snickered. "Yeah. They never show the cleanup that happens afterward, do they?" She handed him a set of measuring cups that she'd finished rinsing out. "If you want a cheesy romcom moment that badly, though, you could always feed me a cookie or something."

Callum could feel his face turning red at the thought. "Uh…"

Rayla's snickering turned into full-on laughter. "God, you're so cute," she wheezed, wiping tears from her eyes with the crook of her elbow, as her hands were covered in soap suds. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

He didn't know what he'd do without her, either, and he told her as much, though he knew he was still blushing up to the tips of his ears. After that, a peaceful silence fell, the only sounds being the running water as Rayla continued to clean the dishes and the towel rubbing against them as he dried each one off.

Callum was tempted to broach the subject of the exchange program to her, but decided that then… it wasn't the right time. For one, the application period wouldn't officially open for another week or so. Mainly, however, he still wasn't certain of his own thoughts on the matter, and he didn't want to place that kind of stress on his girlfriend while she was probably freaking out internally about their upcoming video call with Runaan and Ethari. She had enough on her plate already.

"So," Rayla said, breaking the silence as she cleaned the last dish and switched off the water, "do you have any plans for the week off?"

Callum blinked and temporarily stopped drying the bowl in his hands. "Oh, wow." He shook his head, face reddening in embarrassment. "I may have forgotten that this week was fall break." He'd been preoccupied with thoughts of schoolwork - he'd had a major physics exam that covered three units - and of course the meeting with Runaan and Ethari. Plus, finals were now only about a month away.

Huh. They really did have an entire week off, didn't they?

"Not really, I guess," he finally said with a shrug, drying the last of the dishes before moving to begin putting them all away. "There's the art showcase on Friday, but I think that's it, to be honest."

Rayla's jaw dropped, and she spun a full 90 degrees to her right to face him. "The art showcase is next week and you didn't tell me?!" She grabbed a sharpie out of a cup from the back of the countertop and scribbled a note on her wrist. "I have to file that as a conflict with Coach Zhou! Soren will, too!"

Callum flushed. "You don't need to go. It's just going to be a bunch of art students standing next to their works hung on the wall after a speech or two from guest speakers. And possibly refreshments."

Rayla gave him a dubious look. "Callum. You have come to every home game so far. If you don't think I'm going to the showcase, then you obviously don't know me at all."

Callum could feel his expression softening, and on instinct he pulled his girlfriend into a tight hug. "I love you so much."

He was fairly certain he could feel Rayla's heart skip a beat in her chest before she returned the hug. "You're such a sap," she said, amused, though he knew she was smiling even without seeing her face. "I love you, too."

Callum was pretty sure this moment called for a kiss, but before he could put this plan into action, the timer on Rayla's phone went off, ringing loudly to inform them that the cookies were done. Never before had he been so disappointed at the prospect of eating freshly-baked goods.

Rayla smirked at him as she pulled out of the hug, as if she knew exactly what he'd been thinking. "Later, sad prince," she said, tapping his nose before moving to take the cookies out the oven. "Anyways," she continued after placing the pan on the stove to cool, "is the art showcase a formal thing? Because if it is, Claudia's going to have to take me shopping, because I don't think I packed anything nice enough when I left Xadia."

Callum frowned, turning the oven off but leaving it a crack open to air out and cool. "I think it's a semi-formal event, but don't hold me to that." He shrugged. "I'll forward you the email with all the information whenever they get around to sending it to me."

She chuckled. "Much appreciated. Thank you."

They let the cookies cool for a few minutes before each taking one, and wow - they were seriously good. He made a mental note to save the link to that recipe on his phone for the future. Ezran would love them.

"So, we still have about two and a half hours before our… meeting," Rayla said as she finished off her cookie, checking the time on her phone. "What do you say we order some takeout and rent a movie?"

Callum grinned at her. "Sounds perfect to me."

And although they mock-debated about what to order and what to watch, they were both completely content with getting pizza and renting Iron Man. Not to mention the cuddling that was an inevitable aspect of sitting on the couch together. That said, since Iron Man was such an iconic movie, neither of them took their eyes off the screen for longer than a few seconds at a time. Which meant any kissing was again postponed for a later moment.

The movie ended with about ten minutes to spare, and Callum cleared away their plates and cups while Rayla hastily set up her laptop before darting into the bathroom to change into, quote, "something more presentable than my dingy sweatpants and tank top." She did reassure him that his outfit was completely fine, at least.

About two minutes before eight, Rayla returned, now dressed in jeggings and a violet blouse. She'd also put on her silver crescent moon earrings.

"You look great," Callum said as she sat down on the couch next to him, relieved that his voice didn't crack.

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you, my prince." She tapped the mousepad on her laptop to turn the screen back on, giving it a moment to properly wake up before tapping 'call'. "Ready?" she asked, taking his hand and squeezing it.

He managed a weak chuckle. "Ready as I'll ever be."

The loading symbol appeared on the screen, and Callum's grip tightened on Rayla's hand. She didn't comment on it. Seconds later, the symbol disappeared, replaced by a remarkably high-quality video of two white-haired men that Callum recognized as Runaan and Ethari sitting on a dark blue couch.

"Hi, Runaan! Hi, Ethari!" Rayla said with a wave, sounding more confident than he knew she was. He also knew that he himself probably could not pull off such confidence, real or otherwise, though he'd still try. "I'd like you both to meet Callum."

He waved and gave them as genuine a smile as he could muster. "Hi. It's nice to meet you guys."

"He's the one I've been telling you about," Rayla continued, the tension in her shoulders gradually lessening as she began to relax into the flow of the conversation. "He was my first friend at KSU, and we've been together about…" She tilted her head, evidently going over how much time had passed in her mind.

"A little over three months," Callum supplied, and Rayla smiled at him.

"Yep. Three months." She took a deep breath. "So… I just wanted you guys to meet. And talk, I guess. Get to know each other." She looked expectantly at her… Guardians? Uncles? Parents? Callum wasn't really sure how to classify them.

"Rayla has told us a little bit about you," the one Callum recognized as Ethari finally said. "But it'd be nice to hear information from yourself. What are you studying at KSU?"

"I'm a physics major," Callum replied, almost surprised at how level his voice sounded to his ears. It helped that Rayla was still holding his hand. "Although because I'm just a freshman, my stepdad keeps reminding me that I might change my major and that he'll be supportive of whatever I do." He smiled. "Harrow means well, but I feel pretty confident that physics is what I want to study."

Ethari chuckled. "I understand. Rayla knew from her junior year of high school that she wanted to be an English major."

Rayla shrugged. "What can I say? I know myself."

There was a brief pause, and Callum hesitated before continuing. "Um… I'm also minoring in art. Although I've recently been thinking about upping it to a dual degree."

Rayla's eyes widened, and she beamed at him. "I didn't know that! That's awesome, Callum."

He flushed. "It's not guaranteed or anything. I'm still talking it over with my advisor." Having two majors with such different requirements wouldn't be easy, though he was leaning towards the feeling that it'd be worth it.

"Interesting combination," Runaan said, speaking for the first time in the call. "Don't you think that could be… difficult to manage?"

Callum wasn't sure if the question was well-intentioned or condescending. Based on the way Rayla's shoulders stiffened, he had a feeling it was the latter. But he was determined to keep his cool. "That's what my advisor is warning me about," he answered honestly. "But he also thinks that if it's something I'm truly passionate about, then it's a path worth considering."

Runaan said nothing in response, and he sat so still that Callum briefly wondered if the video had frozen.

Ethari ended up breaking the silence, placing his hand on his husband's knee. "So. Rayla. How is football going? We've watched most of your games on TV, but the season is coming to a close soon, isn't it?"

Rayla hesitated, but then appeared to relax, as if she'd pushed Runaan's… stiff attitude to the back of her mind. "Yes," she said with a smile and a nod. "We have four regular season games left. If we win all of those, we're basically guaranteed the number one seat in the playoffs, which I think are played after New Year's. If we win our playoff game, we'll play in the championship around the end of January."

Ethari nodded. "In other words, there's a lot coming up?"

Rayla laughed. "I mean, I don't want to get ahead of myself. We have to finish the regular season strong before any of that can happen."

Ethari glanced at Runaan, who made no move to acknowledge his husband. Callum was starting to get the feeling that Runaan did not like him. He just wasn't sure if it was because he was from Katolis or if the man… didn't appreciate his vibes. Or something.

Ugh. Callum was not a people person.

Ethari sighed so quietly it was nearly imperceptible before he turned back to face the camera. "Well, Rayla, Runaan and I have a surprise for you," he said with a small smile, excitement glittering in his brown eyes. "He wanted to wait a few weeks to tell you, but I don't see a better time than now."

Rayla raised an eyebrow, though Callum didn't miss the eager smile tugging at the corners of her lips. It was adorable. "Really? What are you two plotting?"

Ethari's grin widened. "We have absolute faith that you will lead your team to the championship, so Runaan and I bought tickets to fly in and watch the game in person!"

Rayla gasped. "No way. Really?! You're serious?!" She glanced at Callum, as if she couldn't believe what they'd said was true.

Callum laughed at the disbelief written on her features. "I think they are."

Rayla turned back to her computer, where Ethari was staring at her with an amused smile. Runaan's expression still appeared flat, but Callum was pretty sure he could see a glimmer of happiness in the man's eyes.

"This is - oh my God, I'm so excited! This is the best surprise ever!" She beamed at them. "I can't wait. And I promise I won't disappoint you. KSU will make it to the championship, and we will win. I guarantee it."

Callum had no doubt that Rayla would follow through.

"Callum," Runaan said after a pause, slowly crossing his arms over his chest. "I've been wondering… What was it that made you become friends with Rayla? And how that relationship… transformed into one of a romantic nature."

Callum could feel his face growing red at the sudden change of topic, and he glanced at Rayla, whose cheeks were also dusted with a rosy pink.

"Runaan, do you really need to ask that?" she muttered, glaring at the man. "Seriously."

"I am merely curious, Rayla," was Runaan's calm response. "Callum? Care to shed light on your story, as it were?"

Callum opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish, feeling entirely at a loss for words. His gut told him there was a wrong way to answer this question - he just wasn't sure what that or the right way was. And he did not want to end up on Runaan's bad side. At least, no more than he already was. He didn't even need Runaan to like him. Just to… to tolerate him.

Also, he didn't want to become a source of tension between Rayla and Runaan. That would be… well, 'awful' was an understatement, but it was the only word his mind could come up with. Not to mention it wouldn't be fair for Rayla to feel like she had to choose between them.

"I met her at a sort of… schoolwide meeting," he finally said. "When she first arrived. My dad - er, Professor Harrow - introduced her to the school and explained the exchange program and stuff. Afterwards, me and my friend Claudia went up to talk to her because we knew most of the other kids here would be, uh… less than friendly to her, so we thought -"

"So you chose to approach her out of pity?" Runaan interrupted, an eyebrow raised. "An odd basis to form a friendship, much less a friendship that grew to be something more."

Callum was certain his face had turned crimson to the tips of his ears, though he couldn't be sure if it was a result of anger or embarrassment. Possibly both.

"Runaan," Rayla snapped, her grip on Callum's hand tightening, "that is so unnecessary. Please don't make me cut this call short. Callum has been nothing but polite to you, and I'd appreciate it if you could at least return that same courtesy."

"It was merely an observation," was Runaan's cool reply. "Surely you don't expect me to lower my standards simply because he's from Katolis, do you?" His expression shifted to something closer to a sneer. "Though perhaps for that exact reason, I have no choice."

"Aargh!" Rayla pinched the bridge of her nose. "I - we - no. We don't have to put up with this. We don't." She gestured between herself and Callum. "Callum is my boyfriend. He's my best friend. He loves me, and I love him. He - He makes me happy."

Her voice cracked. It was so raw and painful that Callum snapped out of his stupor, having initially been paralyzed by Runaan's acidic tone.

"Isn't that enough?" Rayla asked quietly, her voice edged with sorrow.

Silence fell, the tension so thick that Callum felt like he was suffocating. The conversation had spiraled downhill exactly the way he'd feared, and he didn't have a clue how to guide it back on track. Much less did he know how to comfort Rayla, which pained him most of all.

Runaan stood and walked out of the video frame.

"Of course," Rayla said, her voice and body stiff. "What else should I have expected from him?"

Ethari had started to reach after his husband, but at Rayla's words he turned back to the camera. "He just worries about you, Rayla," he said, eyes filled with sympathy. "You know how hard it was for him to let you participate in this program in the first place, since it meant you'd be away - alone - an entire year. He's afraid of you feeling forced to grow up without him there to support you. And sometimes his worry is expressed in… not the best of ways." His gaze shifted to Callum, and Callum found himself flinching beneath it, causing Ethari to sigh. "I'm sorry. To both of you. Runaan will come around, I promise. Just - Just give him time."

"Yeah," Rayla agreed bitterly. "Sure. He can have as much time as he needs. Whatever."

Callum could only squeeze her hand, moving to sit closer to her.

Ethari looked like he wanted to say more, but something in him seemed to decide against it. "We love you, Rayla. Talk to you soon."

"Bye," Rayla said miserably, and the video disconnected.

Callum had never felt more helpless. He let go of her hand to slowly close her computer before turning back to place his hand on her shoulder. "Hey…" he said slowly, though he winced when she pulled away. "You… alright?"

She stood up from the couch, crossing to the other side of the room. Her back was to him, but he could see the way her arms were wrapped around herself. "I can't believe him," she finally said, her voice laced with venom. "Of all the selfish, bigoted, completely jackass things to say -"

Before Callum realized what was happening, Rayla threw a violent punch into the wooden doorframe that led out of the room, and he found himself praying that the deafening crack he heard next was not the sound of bones breaking.

"Rayla!" he exclaimed, his heart leaping into his throat when he saw blood on her knuckles. He ran in front of her, grabbing her wrists and holding them tightly even as she tried to pull away. "You can be angry. You can be frustrated. Shout and scream and - and whatever you need to do, but please." His voice cracked, and he pulled her hands to his chest. "Don't hurt yourself."

Rayla stared at him for a moment. Then the cloud of rage in her eyes faded, almost immediately replaced by grief. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed, and they slowly sank down to the floor together, Rayla burying her face in Callum's shoulder as he clutched her to himself as tightly as he could.

"You don't need to apologize for anything," he whispered, fighting back tears of his own.

"No. You shouldn't have had to see any of that," she said into his shoulder, her voice muffled. "And - And you shouldn't have to see me like this."

He frowned. "What?"

He could feel her move closer to him. "A mess," she admitted. Her voice was less tearful, if still quiet. "Getting unfairly… stupidly upset." A half-laugh, half-sob escaped her lips. "And I might have cracked your doorframe. I know I got blood on it."

Callum gently pulled away to look her in the eyes, keeping one hand on her waist and moving the other to cup her face. "I don't give two shits about the door," he said seriously, relieved to note that his words achieved the desired result - her laughter. He used his thumb to brush away tears from beneath her eye. "And I don't care if you're a mess. We're all a mess sometimes. Plus, you had every reason to be upset about what happened." He winced. "And… I'm sorry that I didn't do anything but sit there."

Rayla placed a hand on top of his that held her face. "You have nothing to apologize for," she said, echoing his own words from earlier. "I should have given you more warning about how Runaan might act, or at least told him more about you and how we got together -"

"No," he cut her off. "I still should have spoken up. It was wrong of me to - to sit in shock while you bore the burden of the tension." And his silence had in no way helped him make a good first impression, he was sure.

Rayla took a deep, shuddering breath, closing her eyes as she leaned into his hand that still cupped her face. "I love you," she whispered.

A strangled mix of laughter and crying escaped Callum's lips, and he pulled his girlfriend into another hug. "I love you, too," he breathed into her hair, holding her as close as possible, almost afraid she'd disappear if he didn't.

Maybe… Maybe applying to the exchange program in Xadia wasn't such a good idea after all.

xXxXxXx

CALL ME A PROPHET but I wrote this chapter back in like,, June. And Callum says to Rayla in this final scene, "We're all a mess sometimes." Which is pretty much an EXACT quote from Callum to Rayla in Through the Moon, a graphic novel released only this month (which you should all read if you haven't already; I absolutely loved it and it made me even more excited for season 4). If that's not an indication that I connect to Callum on an innate spiritual level, idk what is. So yeah, call me a prophet because I totally predicted that line, lmao. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Au revoir, plus tard, see you next week!