"I love you" *whispered in sleep*

The quietest truths echo the loudest.

---

Kole was used to the nights being loud.

For years, sleep came late-if at all. He was used to the hum of playlists meant to silence his mind. He was used to city noise leaking through cracked windows. He was used to someone else's breathing being proof that he hadn't been left again.

But tonight was quiet.

Too quiet.

The kind that made your thoughts louder than they needed to be.

---

Jackson had fallen asleep early.

Curled on his side, hoodie half-pulled over his head, the crease between his brows finally softening. The way he slept now reminded Kole of when they first started sharing a bed-not for sex, not for anything except closeness. Those blurry, post-tour nights when neither of them knew how to say stay, so they just did.

Kole hadn't meant to stay awake this long.

But insomnia had always been a loyal companion.

He lay on his back, arms crossed over his chest, eyes tracing the cracks in the ceiling like a map to somewhere better.

---

He thought about the interview again.

About the way Jackson looked at him afterward. Grateful. But also afraid. Like letting someone defend him made him feel exposed.

Jackson had said thank you.

But he hadn't said I love you.

Not yet.

Not like that.

Not out loud.

Not in daylight.

---

It was past 2 a.m. when Kole finally shifted to his side, watching Jackson's profile in the low lamplight.

The rise and fall of his breathing. The way his lips twitched when he dreamed. The softness that replaced all his hard-won control when no one was watching.

And that's when Kole heard it.

Barely more than a breath. A slur between wakefulness and sleep.

But clear.

"I love you."

Kole froze.

Not even blinking.

Jackson didn't move. His eyes stayed closed. No shift in posture. No awareness.

He was still asleep.

But the words hung there-weightless and heavy at once.

"I love you."

Kole let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

He didn't say anything.

Didn't touch him.

Didn't move.

He just lay there, heart thundering.

---

It wasn't the first time he'd heard it.

Jackson had said it before-but always with qualifiers. In jokes. In tense silences. In moments that almost counted.

But this-this was different.

This wasn't for cameras. Or for damage control.

This wasn't safe love.

It was truth.

Raw. Unguarded. Subconscious.

Kole bit the inside of his cheek.

He wanted to wake him.

He wanted to say it back.

But something in him-some stubborn, scarred part-said not yet. Because he needed to know Jackson could say it awake. With intention. With eyes open.

Because Kole had been here before-wrapped in someone's arms, drunk on half-truths, only to wake up alone.

---

The night stretched on.

Kole eventually rolled back onto his side, facing the wall, the shape of the words echoing in his mind like a song he didn't dare sing.

He didn't cry.

He didn't smile either.

He just stared at the darkness and let his heart thud like a warning.

Don't fall harder than he can catch you.

But it was already too late.

---

Morning came with the soft clink of mugs in the kitchen.

Jackson, half-awake and barefoot, humming something under his breath. Something slow. Familiar.

Kole watched from the bed, eyes squinting against the pale sun filtering in.

"Coffee?" Jackson asked, like nothing had happened.

Kole nodded. "Yeah."

He almost said something.

He almost said: You talk in your sleep, you know.

He almost said: I heard you.

He almost said: I love you too.

But instead, he just said, "Thanks," and took the mug with steady hands.

Jackson kissed the top of his head and sat beside him.

They drank in silence.

And Kole never said a word.

But his heart-oh, his heart-was screaming.