I can’t move. Because if I do, I’ll lose something I didn’t know I still had — until him.

The silence stretched.

“I meant what I said,” Kyle murmured after a moment.  “I’m still here.”

Pierce finally broke the silence.

“How long?” he asked quietly.
“How long are you going to stay?”

His voice wavered despite his effort to keep it steady.

“How long will you put up with the secrets I’ll never be able to tell you?”

“How long will you accept what I do without it bothering you?”

Pierce heard movement behind him but didn’t turn.
He stayed where he was, waiting for Kyle’s answer.

It didn’t come.

“Kyle, let’s be realistic,” Pierce said, exhaling slowly.
“Our lives are too different. I’ll never be able to reach your world—and I don’t want you to lower yourself to reach mine.”

A pause.

“I don’t think that’s a decision you get to make on your own,” Kyle replied.
“I think there’s a lot we still need to talk about—and this—” he gestured between them, his hands moving slightly in the space they shared, “—this isn’t the best way to do it.”

He hesitated, then softened.

“Sit with me,” he said quietly. “Please.”

What is it about you, that makes me rethink everything this much?

“What is it about you,” Pierce asked quietly, “that makes me rethink everything this much?”

He felt Kyle’s hand close around his, and his body tensed instinctively.

“I know your limits,” Kyle said. “And I respect them. Okay—maybe not right now,” he added with a faint smile, “but generally, I do.”

Pierce breathed in slowly.

“I know about your job. I’ve seen you do it,” Kyle continued. “And I don’t mind—as long as the real touch is only ever meant for me.”

Pierce started to turn, his body easing, tension slowly draining from his shoulders.

“About the secrets,” Kyle went on, more serious now, “you’re right. I don’t like them. But I’d rather know they exist—and that they’re there to protect you or whatever—than have them exist without me knowing at all and finding out later.”

Pierce finally turned fully toward him—and realized Kyle was closer than he had thought.

“And about our worlds,” Kyle said softly, “maybe you’re wrong about that too. But we won’t know unless we talk.”
He paused.
“And give it time.”

I must be insane to even consider giving this a chance.
I have to be—insane to willingly accept getting hurt.

Pierce couldn’t take it anymore.

He closed what little distance remained between them, tightening his grip on the hand still holding his. With his other hand, he cupped Kyle’s chin, lifting his face just enough—and pressed their lips together.

Kyle didn’t hesitate for even a second. He kissed him back, the intensity building naturally, instinctively. 

Their lips moved in sync, breaths mingling, the desire between them no longer something either of them could deny.