"I should go." Tetsu's voice came softly through the dark, but he made no move to get up. "It's almost time for –"

"You could stay," Hoji interrupted. He wanted to pull Tetsu closer, tighten his grip on the other man, but he'd made that mistake once already.

"They would notice," Tetsu reminded him. He shifted, moving away from Hoji. "I don't want…" He trailed off, but Hoji knew what he would have said. I don't want them to know. He wasn't referring to just their teammates; he didn't want anyone knowing about their relationship. It was a conversation they'd had before.

"Would that be so bad?" Hoji asked after a moment. "If they knew," he added. It was the first time since the beginning that he'd asked.

Tetsu stiffened. "You have your boundaries, Hoji-sempai. I have mine." He slid out from beneath the sheets, and Hoji could hear him pulling on his clothes. Silence fell a few seconds later.

"Tetsu?" He couldn't see well enough to know if Tetsu was still there or not, and Tetsu was more than capable of moving too quietly to hear. There was no answer at first, and Hoji resolutely turned his thoughts to the still-open case – a Vasa-seijin – of the day before. The voice seemingly coming out of nowhere startled him.

"I'm sorry." Tetsu leaned over and caught his chin, tilting his face upwards. "It's just that this is the way it has to be." He blocked any further protest Hoji might have made with a thorough kiss. "I have to be strong," he whispered so quietly that Hoji didn't think he had been meant to hear it.

Strong?

Hoji almost called him back to ask what he meant. He hesitated, remembering what Tetsu had said about boundaries. Tetsu never spoke or acted casually, and he had his reasons for everything he did. But before Hoji could say anything, Tetsu was gone.

end+