The hush of the nursery lingered after they parted. Yu stayed still with his fingers resting on the edge of the doorknob. The kiss had left a warmth on his lips that somehow felt heavier than any kiss should. He told himself it was a mistake, something born of a moment too raw and complicated to mean anything. But beneath the layers of guilt, an ache stirred—a small, stubborn part of him that had wanted to be seen, to be chosen, for himself.
Yet all he could think about was his situation.
'What am I doing? I have enough chains as it is… I can't add this to them.'
He glanced once over his shoulder at Callen, but the words wouldn't come.
Callen stood frozen where Yu had left him, hands loosely clenched at his sides. The softness of that kiss still burned in his memory. It hadn't been the triumphant kind of kiss he imagined in his daydreams; it was more fragile, like reaching out to touch something that might vanish if he pushed too hard.
