Adrik didn’t leave an inch of space between them. He deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding inside as Hans responded blindly. The heat was overwhelming. Hans’ fingers curled instinctively into the fabric of Adrik’s T-shirt, clutching at the solid muscle beneath.
When they finally pulled apart, breathless, Adrik rested his forehead against Hans’, eyes closed for a moment like he was steadying himself.
“Fuck,” Adrik murmured. “I’ve wanted to do that since the bar.”
Hans laughed softly, his voice a little shaky. “Yeah. Me too.”
Adrik opened his eyes, and the look he gave Hans was warm and intense enough to make his knees feel unsteady.
“Stay for a while,” Adrik said.
Hans didn’t hesitate. “I’m not going anywhere.”
They moved to the couch without really talking about it, like their bodies had already decided for them. The cottage was dim, lit only by a small lamp in the corner. It made everything feel closer, softer, like the world outside didn’t exist.
Adrik sat first, leaning back, legs slightly apart, looking at him with the same intense focus that had pulled him in from the start. Hans hesitated for half a second, old instincts telling him to be careful, to guard himself, but then Adrik lifted a hand and gently tugged him closer.
Hans sat beside him, their knees brushing. Even that small touch sent a warm rush through him.
“You okay?” Hans asked.
Adrik nodded, though there was something in his eyes—something raw, flickering just beneath the surface like a flame caught behind glass. Hans saw it in the way Adrik’s gaze lingered a second too long, in the way his breath hitched almost imperceptibly. It wasn’t fear exactly, but it lived close to it. A tightness. A bruise. A truth he wasn’t ready to name.
Hans felt it in the air between them too—warm and charged, carrying the faint scent of Adrik’s cologne—clean, sharp, with a hint of stale smoke from the porch. It clung to him, to the room, to the moment. And for a heartbeat, Hanswondered what it would take for Adrik to let that guard slip completely, to let whatever lived behind those blue eyes finally breathe.
Whatever it was, Hans knew he wasn’t meant to ask. Not yet. Maybe never.
But he felt it.
And he knew Adrik felt him noticing.
They sat like that for a moment, the silence comfortable, the air thick with unspoken things. He could feel the heat of Adrik’s body beside him, the steady rise and fall of his chest. He longed to repeat the kiss, but he held back, wishing for Adrik to lean in and begin the embrace.
Adrik broke the silence first. “You know… I rarely do this.”
Hans smiled softly. “Do what?”
“Let someone into my home or into my life.” Adrik’s voice was low, almost hesitant. “I’m not good at it.”
Hans shifted closer, their shoulders touching now. “You’re doing fine.”
Adrik huffed a quiet laugh. “You make it easy.”
Hans’ chest tightened in a good way. “You make it tempting.”
Adrik turned his head, their faces inches apart again. “Tempting, huh?”
Hans nodded, his voice barely above a whisper. “Very.”
Adrik reached up, fingers brushing Hans’ cheek, slow and deliberate. Hans leaned into the touch without thinking, his breath catching. The moment stretched, charged and delicate, like a held note.
Then Adrik kissed him again, deeper this time, and more certain. Hans melted into it, one hand sliding up to Adrik’s shoulder, feeling the solid muscle beneath the fabric. Adrik’sother hand settled at Hans’ waist, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them.
It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t frantic.
A warm, steady feeling washed over Hans, filling him with a sense of connection he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Real, immediate, undeniable.
