Page 104 of Under Construction

Chris is so handsome. So kind. Always there for Dennis in ways no one else has been. Lately he's become Dennis’s whole world, even though Dennis doesn't dare hope for the same.

At the noodle shop, Chris had heard every word Dennis’s mother had said. He must have—she wasn't exactly subtle. Even if he thought it was just a joke, he never mentioned it, never acknowledged it.

Maybe he didn't want to. Maybe the idea of something real with Dennis wasn't part of his plan. After all, if Chris wanted more, wouldn't he have said something by now?

Dennis would know.

But standing here, wanting to be whatever Chris needs, Dennis realizes it doesn’t matter where Chris’s emotions lie. What matters is the strength of his own—unwavering, undeniable, and impossible to ignore.

Dennis cups Chris's face between his palms, thumbs stroking his ears as he tilts Chris's head. His eyebrows draw tight as he considers what this is.

He's heard people describe falling in love like getting hit by lightning—sudden, violent, earth-shattering. Or like drowning—desperate gasps and flailing limbs until you surrender. Some say it's careful construction, like their pavilion—each piece deliberately placed, tested, secured.

But with Chris, it just... is.

Like watching the first bamboo beam of each new expansion rise against the sky. Like having Chris's coffee order memorized without trying. Like waking to Chris's texts on mornings he sneaks out early, letting Dennis sleep an extra hour. A thousand ordinary moments that somehow mean everything.

His thumb traces under Chris's eye, along his cheekbone. His other palm stays against Chris's neck, following each bite of his jaw, each swallow.

Is this love?

Not some earth-shattering revelation, but as natural as Chris’s hand reaching for his waist whenever they're close enough to touch.

The kiss starts gentle—lips brushing, soft pulls, tongues greeting each other like old friends. Affectionate. Heartwarming. Nothing like their usual fire.

Chris kisses Dennis deeper, hands coming up to frame his face. When Dennis’s eyes flutter open, he finds Chris's squeezed shut, eyebrows pinched tight like he's fighting something inside himself, and Dennis aches to smooth away that pain.

Chris needs someone. If he can just let that someone be Dennis—if he can just let Dennis be there for him—that would be enough. Chris doesn't have to love him back. Dennis has enough love for them both.

"I want—" Dennis breaks the kiss, his breath mingling with Chris's as their eyes meet.

Chris stares at him like he’s being drawn into Dennis’s gaze, like there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. It gives Dennis the courage to say:

"I want you tonight, Chris," he whispers, voice steady but low.

Chris’s fingers tighten at his waist, pulling him closer.

"All of you."

"Are you sure?" Chris's voice comes out rough.

Dennis brushes a wayward curl from Chris's forehead, smiling. "Try and stop me."

Their mouths meet again as they stumble toward the couch, the nearest soft surface.

The familiar electricity sparks between them, but tonight it's wrapped in something softer. Different.

Chris guides Dennis down onto the couch, never breaking their kiss. Dennis props himself on one elbow, keeping his other hand against Chris's face—needing that contact, that warmth beneath his palm.

Chris braces one knee beside Dennis’s thigh, his other foot planted on the floor. He pulls back just to look, fingers drifting from Dennis’s cheek down to his collarbone. The pajama top slides off one shoulder as Chris tugs it down to press a reverent kiss to the hollow there.

"Let me make you feel special, princess. Tonight you're all mine."

The words send Dennis’s pulse racing. His cheeks flush pink, eyes going wide before darting away as realization hits—Chris wants to take care of him, worship him in ways that Dennis has been avoiding.

"I just want to give you everything. Please?"

Dennis swallows hard. He starts chewing on his bottom lip. He turns his face aside, hand sliding to the back of Chris's neck where his fingers knead small circles, trying to self-soothe.

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