Flix cocked his head. “Do we need to?”
No, not really. When he really thought about it, their foundation hadn’t been made from all those crappy moments. They’d started with the kind look in Flix’s eye that first time they’d met. All the times he’d treated Ani to food because he could tell he was starving or needed to get away from Russ for a bit. All those hours he’d spent helping him with his homework. They weren’t that far apart in age, and yet Flix had acted more like a big brother to Ani than Russ ever had, and from that, something else had formed.
“I love you,” Ani confessed. “I think I always have. And…You love me too, don’t you?”
Flix leaned in and kissed him, softly at first, before his tongue became more persistent. It wasn’t long before he had Ani sitting on the sink with his legs wrapped around his waist, but almost as quickly as things escalated, it was ending.
“Yes, I love you,” Flix pulled back and said, pressing his lips to the rise of Ani’s cheek. “Which is why we aren’t doing this right now. Bath.” He pulled him down and urged him toward thetub. “You’re still too high-strung at the moment. There will be time for sex later.”
“But—”
“Ani,” Flix kissed him again, just a quick peck, his mouth there and gone in a flash. “We’ll have all the time in the world to do whatever we want with each other, I promise.”
He hesitated, wanting to argue further, but knew when he wasn’t going to be able to get through to Flix. With a heave of frustration, he started to pull his clothes off, not caring about where they fell as he dropped them and turned to step into the steaming tub. He hated to admit it, but the second he slid into the water, a groan slipped past his lips.
Flix chuckled knowingly and perched the edge, watching as Ani lowered himself all the way. “What about classes tomorrow? Would you like to skip?”
He scrunched his brow. After fighting so hard to be allowed back, it didn’t feel fair that he’d have to give it up again, yet… “I’d like to,” he admitted, “but I’m really worried I won’t make my deadline. School is important to me, Flix.”
Flix nodded and reached across for the body wash on the built-in shelf on the wall. “I’ll have one of the spare rooms converted into an art studio for you tomorrow. Will it bother you if people are coming and going to get that done? If so, I can schedule it another day. Or you and I can go out—”
“I’d rather stay in,” Ani cut him off. He was mentally drained. “I feel safe here.”
“Ironic,” he teased. “After begging so prettily to be let out.”
He splashed some of the water at him. “Shut up.”
“All right, so we’ll stay in, and I’ll have them convert the room furthest from ours.” Flix paused. “Or, maybe that’s too far…”
“I’m not going to do anything stupid,” Ani grumbled. “Seriously, can we please move past that? It was a dumb mistake—” At the glare he received, he wisely backtracked. “Okay, not a mistake, but it was dumb. I know.”
“You don’t have to keep telling me that,” Flix said. “I trust you.” He squirted some body wash directly onto his hand and then started to lather it over Ani’s shoulders, trailing his hand down the center of his chest until he met water before smoothing it back up again. “I was only thinking about how my office is closer to the bedroom and how, if you’re that far away, I’ll have to relocate.”
“Really?” Ani settled back against the edge of the tub, the warm water and the gentle strokes of Flix’s hand causing some of the tension to seep right out of him. He hadn’t realized how right Flix had been about his mood.
He nodded.
Ani stopped Flix’s hand when it started across his neck. “Say it again.”
“Say what?”
“Don’t be cute.”
“Impossible,” Flix stated.
“Pretty sure that’s my line. Come on, I want to hear you say it again.”
Flix planted a palm on the other side of the tub and bent over him until their mouths were close enough to touch. “I love you, Aneski. My Onus. My everything.”
He grinned before he could help it, only slightly embarrassed by how absolutely giddy he felt. “Pinch me.”
Faster than he could blink, Flix’s hand shot out and he twisted Ani’s nipple.
“Ow!”
“You told me to do it.” He stuck his tongue out at Ani and then straightened, squeezing more body wash onto his palm.
“So, what? You’re going to do everything I ask from now on?” Ani rubbed at his tender flesh, pausing when Flix shrugged.
