“You’ve got shit taste.”But Antonio smiled when he said it.Declan heard it in his voice.“Think we’ve hit ‘get wasted together’ on the fucked up scale?”
“Oh, aye.More than.Only took us a week.”He tucked in closer, as close as he could, and felt Antonio relax in kind.“As a warning, I’m a cuddly drunk.And, it may shock you, prone to getting a wee bit assertive if I'm with a bloke I fancy.”
“Yeah.Shocked.Hooked up with a revolutionary murderpunk sluagh because I wanted someone I could push around.”Rough words, said with the sharp edge of a smile that was more than worth the mussed hair.As was the kiss, where his smile had been, one work callused finger stroking along the bone of his wing.
“I’ll need to bring my most limpid gaze next time.”Declan pressed an idle kiss to the hollow of Antonio’s lovely throat, smiling when Antonio lifted his chin to grant further access.
“You already know what I like.”No laughter, now.Rough sounding, the way he’d spoken the night before.A tug, just barely, on his wing.“Said it, didn’t I?All of you.”
The sweet warmth in that trustached.Throat bared for teeth made for destruction.
“So you did.”Declan breathed Antonio in, the summer-touched leather and old metal of him.Let his eyes close.Took in what he could, how he could.“I’m glad of it.”He squeezed Antonio around the waist, gentle as the hand on his wing.“Outside of all of me, I’ve something for you.In addition to, rather.Anything is in addition to.”
“Long as it’s not more lube flowers.”
“Nothing quite so exciting.”
Declan hesitated, but only for a beat.Then he held his formerly empty hand for Antonio to see.Bracelets, thick metal things modeled from those Antonio had worn during their first meeting.
He’d asked Colm to do the work, and after some initial grousing, his brother had done a wonderful job.He’d hammered each out to dull the shine, giving them the appearance of iron.A braided chain of the same material looped around them, with a leather cord threaded through as the third braided section.Whatever Colm had made them from, they sat heavy, hooked over Declan’s fingers.
A catch of breath, and a ring of stunned stillness along their souls.But not distrust or suspicion, thank all the glittering stars of the voids.
“My bracelet didn’t quite match your style,” he said, sounding nervous, as he never did.“So I… Colm, he works with metals.Not magic.And while they aren’t iron, they– The chain is there in case you prefer something to worry in hand.”
Wonder.Disbelievingwonder, twined with emotions Declan couldn’t name.The kind that tightened his throat, even by proxy.
“Jesus.”The warmth of Antonio’s touch left his back, fingers brushing Declan’s as he took the bracelets in hand.“Shit, man.I–”
“I intended to do this yesterday, but we became distracted before I–”
A drag at his wing, thatthrilland heat mingling with the cool bite of metal at his chin.Antonio tipping his chin up from hiding.
Declan caught a glimpse of Antonio’s flushed cheeks and dark eyes before faded red lips covered ink black, careless and urgent.Thatsomethingagain from the bond made physical, heated in a way that dashed away Declan’s twisted worrying over how Antonio might react.
Want, an unintended and utterly welcome consequence.He hadn’t meant them as a lover’s token.But he wouldn’t object to Antonio accepting them as such.
Declan nipped into the eager, seeking kisses, chasing the flick of tongue, the taunting almost-taste that settled in him like a sunbeam through cloud cover.Strength under his touch, mortal muscles, and a man who didn’t mind pushy.Something bright andgoodto make sense of a morning that hadn’t.
“Hopefully this is your way of saying you approve,” Declan murmured, rasp gone ragged andhorriblypleased with himself.“Otherwise you’ll be subjected to my best attempt at a pout.It’s horrid.I make sure of it.”
Antonio pushed off the door.Or, rather, he tried to do so, only to twist his hand in Declan’s shirt and clutch at his wing with the other when the sluagh held him fast, dark eyes gone darker.
“See,” and,ah, his voice was unsteady, sun-warmed leather sliding through the rush ofmore, “now I’m tempted to say no.Hate to miss out on something you’ve worked so hard on.”
Gratifying, to know he truly didn’t mind Declan getting pushy.How he shook under the touch, minutely.Not prey, waiting to see if Declan would do something to flinch at.Looking for more, even as Declan kissed him again, drank sounds from his lips with the faintest hint of a smile on his own.
“I’ve worked much harder on things you may miss out on with a no,” he said by way of reassurance, half a laugh on his lips.“But I am glad you like them.”
“Let me put ‘em on, and we’ll go see this library fae.”Another kiss, as Antonio was a generous, wonderful man.
“He’s a beithir.A dragon.”And Declan kissed back because, of course, he did.
“Library dragon.”Antonio amended.“We’ll decide about where to go, after.Still not sure you’re not safer here.”
Declan reluctantly loosened his hold.They did have places to be.
“Mother and Idotend to scare away the door-to-door salespeople.I’m quite intimidating.”
