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The letter didn't leave Hyme's hand all night.
He had been quiet since reading it, sitting in his bed, knees tucked under his chin, tail wrapped around himself protectively.
San stepped into the room, a towel draped over his neck, hair damp from a late-night shower. He paused at the doorway.
"…Still thinking about it?" he asked.
Hyme didn't answer right away. Then, with a small voice, "He always liked writing letters. Ever since I was little."
San frowned, walking in slowly. "So you know who it is?"
Hyme nodded. "Lys. My mother's side. She left him behind to marry my father—a human. Lys never forgave her. He said I'm a stain on both lineages."
San sat down beside him. The silence stretched thick between them.
"He's wrong," San finally said, voice low and steady. "You're not a stain. You're the strongest person I've ever met."
Hyme turned to him. His eyes shimmered under the moonlight. "You think I'm strong… even when I act like a spoiled brat?"
San chuckled. "Especially then. You claw your way through every problem, literally."
Hyme managed a small laugh before it faded into something softer. "Do you really think… you can protect me?"
San leaned closer, brushing a stray hair away from Hyme's face. "I won't let anyone lay a finger on you."
Their eyes locked.
Something shifted.
For weeks, they'd been dancing on a thread—touches that lingered too long, stares that meant more than annoyance.
Now the silence between them buzzed with tension.
"San…" Hyme whispered, voice barely audible. "Just stay tonight."
San hesitated, but the moment was fragile—he didn't want to break it.
He climbed into bed beside Hyme, not saying a word.
At first, they just lay side by side.
Then Hyme turned, his fingers brushing over San's chest, tentative and unsure. "Your heartbeat," he murmured. "It's fast."
San caught his wrist, holding it gently. "So is yours."
Hyme leaned in, brushing his nose against San's cheek. "Can I…?"
San didn't answer.
He tilted his head, lips meeting Hyme's in a slow, deliberate kiss.
It wasn't rushed. It was cautious, exploratory.
Their mouths moved in rhythm, deepening as Hyme climbed on top, straddling San's lap, pressing their bodies together.
San's hands found Hyme's waist, thumbs grazing bare skin under his sleep shirt. Hyme gasped softly, his ears twitching, tail curling between San's legs.
"You smell good," Hyme whispered against his throat. "Like sweat and something warm. Like home."
San groaned, tugging Hyme closer. "You're impossible."
"I'm yours," Hyme breathed, kissing down his jaw. "If you want me."
San rolled them over gently, pinning Hyme beneath him. "That's dangerous to say to a broke man who lives for protein shakes."
Hyme laughed, breathless.
The heat between them built slowly—touches becoming bolder, kisses turning desperate. Clothes shifted, breath caught, and the room filled with whispered moans and tangled limbs under the sheets.
Their night wasn't about lust.
It was about comfort, reassurance… and finally letting down the walls.
---
The morning sun spilled in through the curtains, bathing the room in gold.
Hyme lay curled against San's chest, a small smile playing on his lips.
San brushed his fingers through his fluffy hair and whispered, "Still feel like a stain?"
Hyme's ears flicked. "No… not anymore."
Outside their bedroom window, far in the shadows, golden eyes watched through a scope.
The letter had only been the beginning.
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