unexpectedly confession.

The late afternoon sun filtered through the leaves, casting a warm glow over the park. The air was thick with the scent of earth and grass, and the sound of children playing in the distance blended with the gentle rustle of the trees. It was the perfect kind of day for a walk, and it was the perfect kind of day for Damien and Leo to spend time together.

They had been friends for as long as either of them could remember. Their friendship was built on shared interests, inside jokes, and hours spent talking about everything and nothing at all. But recently, something had shifted. It wasn’t something either of them had said directly, but it was there the quiet understanding that maybe their connection had deepened into something more.

Damien glanced at Leo, who was walking beside him, his hands shoved deep into his hoodie pockets. Leo’s hair, a bit messy from the wind, framed his face in a way that Elliot couldn’t help but notice. He’d always admired Leo, but in recent weeks, his feelings had grown into something else something he didn’t know how to explain, or how to confront.

Leo caught him looking and smiled, a small, knowing smile that made Damien’s heart race in a way he didn’t quite understand.

“What?” Leo asked, his voice light and teasing.

“Nothing,” Damien said quickly, looking away. His mind scrambled for something to say, but the truth was, there was everything and nothing to say all at once.

Leo raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. “Are you sure? You’ve been weird lately.”

Damien's face flushed. He knew he had been acting strange more distracted, more nervous around Leo but he couldn’t find the courage to say what was really on his mind. How could he? What if Leo didn’t feel the same? What if he ruined everything?

They reached a bench by the water, and Leo sat down first, pulling his knees up to his chest. Damien followed suit, sitting beside him but keeping a bit of distance. They were quiet for a moment, the only sound between them the soft lapping of the water against the shore.

Finally, Leo broke the silence. “You know, I’ve been thinking a lot lately. About us.”

Damien’s heart skipped a beat. “About us?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Leo nodded, looking out at the water. “Yeah. I think I know what’s been going on. You’ve been distant. But… I think it’s because I feel it too. Whatever this is.”

Damien’s chest tightened. He wanted to say something, to ask if Leo felt what he did, but the words caught in his throat.

Leo turned to look at him then, his gaze steady and warm. “I think I’m falling for you, Damien.”

The confession hung in the air, and for a moment, time seemed to slow. Elliot’s mind was a whirlwind—he had hoped for this, dreamed of it, but hearing it out loud was something else entirely.

“I… I feel the same,” Damien admitted, his voice shaky. “I think I’ve felt that way for a while, but I didn’t know how to say it. I didn’t know if you… if you felt the same.”

Leo smiled, a mixture of relief and happiness. “I do. I really do.”

Damien’s heart surged, and without thinking, he reached for Leo’s hand. The contact was simple, but it sent a rush of warmth through him, as though everything had suddenly clicked into place.

Leo didn’t pull away. Instead, he squeezed Damien’s hand gently, his fingers intertwining with his. It felt natural, like they had always been meant to be this way, and yet, it was also new uncharted territory that neither of them had ever navigated before.

“I’m glad,” Damien whispered, his voice barely audible, as though speaking too loudly might break the fragile moment. “I was scared… scared it would change everything. But now, it feels like the most natural thing in the world.”

Leo leaned in, his forehead resting against Elliot’s. “It’s not going to change anything. It’s just us… together. That’s all that matters.”

The quiet between them deepened, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was the kind of silence that felt full, like they didn’t need to say anything more. Their connection, now laid bare, was enough.

As the sun began to set, casting the sky in shades of pink and orange, they sat side by side, hands still intertwined. The world around them seemed to fade into the background, and all that mattered was the feeling of being close to someone who truly understood them someone who shared the same quiet love.

They didn’t need words to express everything they were feeling. It was in the way their hands fit together, in the way their hearts seemed to beat in sync. And for the first time in a long while, Damien felt truly at peace.

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