“Can we do other things later?” Ever asked, sliding his hand up under Arsen’s shirt to splay his hands over his flat tummy.
Arsen hesitated before asking, “Like what?”
Ever chewed on his bottom lip, willing himself to be brave. Noah said he held the upper hand. That Arsen wanted to give him what he wanted. “Like, can you put your hands on me? And…your mouth? Not up here but…lower.”
Arsen sucked in a breath, his belly dipping beneath Ever’s fingers. “You can’t just say things like that.”
Something withered inside Ever. He tried to move away. “Sorry.”
Arsen held tight. “No. Don’t run away. You can say whatever you want. I just meant it turns me on when you say stuff like that and I’m trying so hard to be the good guy.”
Ever looked up at him. “You are a good guy. You’re the best guy,” he promised. “You saved me. You’re just like the paladin in your game.”
Arsen scoffed. “I’m no knight.”
Ever shrugged as best he could while curled into Arsen. “Well, I’m not a princess, but you still saved me. That makes you better than a knight.”
“How so?” he asked, amused.
Ever was serious. Arsen was so much better than any fictional character from a video game. “Knights take oaths, swear allegiance, do things out of obligation. You could have left me in that closet to die, but you didn’t. You could have dropped me at a police station, but you didn’t. You could have just left me on a street corner…but you didn’t. Because you’re a good person. The best person.Thatmakes you better than any knight.”
When Arsen didn’t say anything, Ever looked up once more to find him looking down at him with a sort of shocked expression. “Did I say something wrong again?”
Arsen squeezed him against his side until Ever thought he might crush him. “No. No, you didn’t. I was just thinking about my life if I hadn’t opened that door and it scared me a little. We barely know each other but the thought of my life without you in it scares me.”
Ever’s heart did a cartwheel in his chest. “Me too.”
They fell silent after that, but Arsen kept dropping kisses on the top of Ever’s head, his fingers drawing lazy patterns on his back through his t-shirt.
Just as Ever was starting to drift off, Arsen said, “Let’s get cleaned up and go sleep in my bed.”
Ever was loath to stand up, but he nodded. “Okay.”
Arsen crawled over him to stand then grabbed his hand, pulling him to his feet and leading him out the door. They were almost to the bathroom when a thought crashed down on Ever like an anvil. “Arsen?”
“Yeah?”
Ever’s heart clenched. “What happens if they never figure out who I really am?”
Arsen didn’t hesitate. “Then we create a new identity for you. You can be whatever you want to be.”
“I just want to be yours,” Ever blurted, immediately blushing.
Arsen tugged Ever in front of him, his arm wrapping around him from behind like a steel band, lifting him off his feet and carrying him like he weighed nothing. Ever’s knees came up to his chest as he tried to wiggle free with a laugh but Arsen wasn’t budging.
“I swear you’re trying to kill me,” Arsen said, hauling him into the bathroom like a sack of potatoes and depositing him on the edge of the sink.
They were supposed to be cleaning up, but as soon as Ever’s butt hit the cold counter, he wrapped his arms and legs around Arsen once more in a full-body hug. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Arsen asked, his confusion obvious.
“For not being a bad guy.”
Arsen hugged him back but said, “I’m a murderer.”
Ever didn’t care. “Nobody’s perfect.”
When Arsen stepped back, he reached for the hem of Ever’s t-shirt.
