Li Shen smiled faintly against his chest. "No, it's me who should thank you… for listening. And, you know… I'm okay. Because you're here. Because you're really looking at me. That makes it easier somehow."
Ah.
That was it.
He realized he had never once truly doubted Somnus's feelings.
Deep down, he knew Somnus loved him.
He knew it from the way Somnus spoke to him, from his touch, from the way he looked at him. Somnus had shown him his feelings again and again, in every way possible.
…I want to be like that too. I want Somnus to feel that same certainty about me. No… I have to make sure he does.
It didn't matter anymore who he used to be, whether he's Reg Regalia or just the man he was now.
What mattered was that he could face Somnus as himself.
While resting against the person who had become his safest and warmest place, Li Shen let out a slow breath.
