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“We can’t keep doing this Tadashi.”
Kei’s words were biting and cruel, and he knew Tadashi didn’t deserve them, but Kei did. He needed to end this. It was the only way to protect themselves. It was the only way to protect Tadashi. Kei tried to ignore how Tadashi’s face contorted, how he looked almost physically hurt, his mouth drawn into a tight line. All Kei wanted to do was kiss that expression away, to make this better somehow. But he knew it was a mistake.
Kei had thought that being in his own home would make this easier, but the words wouldn’t come. He thought he’d be comfortable sitting across from Tadashi in his familiar, shitty chairs, yet he couldn’t even bring himself to look away from the floor. One more look at Tadashi could break him, and that wasn’t a chance he was willing to take.
“I can’t keep risking your safety for my own selfish reasons. It doesn’t hurt me in the slightest if we get caught, but you lose everything. You can’t fall. You can’t go to hell. I can’t do that to you, I don’t understand why you can’t just let all of this go.”
“Because I love you, Kei.” Tadashi’s words came out thick with emotion, his eyes full of tears, but his gaze was resolute, “If you can say you don’t feel the same. If you can say you don’t love me, then I’ll leave.”
Kei pushed himself to speak, forced himself to not just crawl into Tadashi’s arms, croaking out, “You know I can’t Tadashi. Why do you have to make this so damn difficult?”
“I know you didn’t deserve to fall,” Tadashi said simply as if it was a simple fact, not an accusation that would send the system they’ve known for eons into jeopardy.
“You’re an asshole,” Tadashi continued, ignoring Kei’s eyes, which were now swimming with tears of their own, “You’re stubborn as a mule, a total prick and you can be incredibly difficult.”
Kei choked out a laugh, “Gee, thanks Tadashi.”
“You’re also too hard on yourself. You’re kind, albeit in a totally roundabout way. You’re simply not cruel enough to fall, especially not the way they said you did. Betrayal? You’re loyal to a fault. Traitor simply isn’t a word in your vocabulary. I couldn’t fall in love with someone like that.”
Kei couldn’t fathom the words he was hearing. He knew what Tadashi was saying and knew it all fundamentally made sense, but the idea of someone believing him? Believing in him? That was simply too much to handle.
He rose from his chair, rushing towards Tadashi’s. He felt his human disguise fall, his true self emerging, horns, gray skin and all. He couldn’t care less, the comfort of Tadashi’s arms was simply too good to pass up. How could he be so stupid? How could he convince himself that he could live without this?
Tadashi immediately took Kei’s weeping form into his arms, stroking his hair and whispering reassuring words into his ears.
“We can get through this,” Tadashi murmured. Kei looked up to see that Tadashi’s disguise had fallen as well, but rather than becoming a fearsome, horrific creature, he just looked… lighter. His freckles seemed to almost shimmer, and the faintest of halos lit his face in a soft glow.
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Kei breathed.
“You should invest in a mirror then.” Tadashi’s smile left no doubt that he was telling the truth, once again sending Kei into a torrent of tears.
Time seemed to slow to a stop as if there was nothing else but the two of them locked together in an awkward embrace, neither even dreaming of letting go.