#codysenshi20

“I love you.”

Felix blinked. Then Hubert’s words caught up to him and he stared in disbelief.

“You...what?”

Hubert averted his gaze, seemingly unable to look Felix in the face - but the blush readily spreading across his face as well as years of knowing Hubert told Felix that Hubert was being genuine in his statement. Which was the terrifying shocking thing. 

Because that meant Hubert truly loved him. Him. Of all people.

How?

Somewhat unwillingly, Felix felt his mind drift back to how they got to this point. He’d been having a bad mental health day, he remembered that much - and he remembered that he only managed to get to Hubert’s house because he remembered that Hubert made him promise to either call or visit if he was having a bad day. 

He almost didn’t. But he had remembered what Hubert had admitted to him-

(”I’d...feel better being able to help take care of you. And I’d rather you not be alone. That’s all.”) 

-and he ended up making the call anyway. Hubert had driven to come pick him up, and helped him get comfortable at his own house. He even helped Felix bathe and get into more comfortable clothes when Felix couldn’t pull together enough energy to do either of those things on his own. 

And now they were back in the present. When they’d just been lying together in bed quietly taking in each other’s company when Hubert blurted out that damning I love you.

Even as his mind recounted how they got to this point, already muddled by his thoughts up until then, Felix couldn’t stop staring at Hubert. As though it’d somehow click if he continued to stare. 

Hubert kept avoiding his gaze.

“Why?”

Finally, that got Hubert to return Felix’s stare, even if it was more likely than not just out of confusion. 

“Why what?”

“Why do you love me?”

As soon as the words left Felix’s mouth, he wished that he kept them to himself. It was a stupid question to ask...but he couldn’t help but wonder what the answer was. 

After all, Hubert was Hubert. He was rather handsome in Felix’s opinion, caring if he believed you deserved it and stern if you didn’t. He was, no matter what Hubert might’ve thought of himself, a good person.

Felix...wasn’t, really. He could barely manage to get out of bed more days than not, his health was in absolute shambles, and he was prickly even to the people he did care about. He was nowhere close to what he believed Hubert was worthy of.

Hubert deserved far better than him. So how could Hubert have fallen in love with him?

Hubert himself had been quiet as Felix’s thoughts wandered again, a contemplative look on his face. Just as Felix was about to tell him to forget it, Hubert spoke. 

“Truthfully, I cannot pinpoint the exact moment I feel for you,” he began, already surprising Felix, “but I do know I’ve done so since our Academy days. That has no changed, no matter how these past few years have changed the both of us. You are still you, and I love you for that.”

Felix stared wide-eyed, even as Hubert grew embarrassed as the blush returned full force on his face. 

“You...You loved me for me? Even after-”

“Your mental and physical health have no affect on if I loved you or not - I’d do so until the day I died, if I’m to be honest. You’ve made your home in my heart, and I would never want you to leave.”

Felix knew he was being honest. He knew, even as Hubert himself appeared more and more embarrassed by how much he was revealing. Felix knew that even now, if he stated that he didn’t return Hubert’s feelings, Hubert would’ve respected it, and would not bring it up again. 

So, Felix did the only thing that made sense in the moment.

He grabbed Hubert by the front of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss.

(Much later, when Felix was sleeping peacefully besides him, Hubert let out a sigh of relief. It certainly could’ve gone much worse, but thankfully it didn’t, and Felix returned his feelings. And even if he was glad for that...