Page 80 of Oh, Sacred Dark
Tyler had to take a moment to process that. “That’s…even if that were true, which it isn’t, I’d still choose you.”
Roman shook his head slowly. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Maybe not to you. But it’s how I feel. It’s what I want. And it’s okay if you don’t want the same thing…but you can’t decide for me.”
Roman’s breath was harsh and watery. “But…really?”
Tyler smiled wobbly. “Yeah. Really.”
With a half-choked sob, Roman leant up to kiss him, slick with rain, desperate and open and consuming.
“Is that—” Tyler had to ask, “Do you want to go out? I mean, date? For real?”
“Yeah. Yes. Please.” Roman laughed wetly.
“Yeah? Okay. I’m gonna—we’re going on the best dates. You wanna go to the movies? And dinner? That’s a classic, right?” Tyler was almost thirty years old, and he’d never been so excited about a date before.
“Okay.” Roman grinned, tears welling in his eyes.
“We’ll get popcorn. It’ll be…it’ll be great.”
Roman nodded and buried his face against Tyler’s shoulder.
Tyler could barely believe it, the rain a shroud around them, protecting them from the rest of the world.
The downpour quieted eventually, and they ran to the car, almost faceplanting a number of times but too giddy and excited to go slow. The ride was short, and they fell into another kiss as soon as they made it to Tyler’s, lips almost too numb to feel much.
“Let’s shower,” Tyler suggested, and he hadn’t meant together, but Roman blushed and nodded, and Tyler just couldn’t let go.
It was like a dream, getting to undress Roman. Getting undressed in return, clothes sticky with water, peeling off skin slowly. It was quiet in the house, just the noise of them breathing, and then the water hitting tile as they turned the shower on.
Tyler had thought it a million times before but, moon above, was Roman beautiful. He had filled out since arriving at Meliora, skin no longer sallow, cheekbones round and no longer sunken. There was nervousness in Roman’s expression as they stepped into the tub together, but there was excitement, too.
There was trust.
In the intimacy of the heat and the steam, their hands explored each other. Tyler slicked back Roman’s curls from his face, palming the curve of his neck, his collarbones. Roman trailed his fingers across Tyler’s chest, through the hair there, up and around his biceps.
“You—” Roman started but cut himself off and kissed Tyler, tongues pressing together.
“Fuck,” Tyler muttered. He was getting hard, almost trembling with need, and he didn’t know how Roman would take that, but then they were pressed together and he felt how Roman was just as affected.
Roman moaned into Tyler’s mouth, shivering despite the warmth. Tyler slipped a hand between them.
“This okay?” Tyler asked, brushing Roman’s cock. Roman twitched, nodding vigorously, and Tyler wrapped his hand around him, slippery and hot.
“Oh,” Roman mumbled, his hand moving to mirror Tyler’s, jerking him off clumsily, so good that Tyler felt he was going to pass out.
They stood there, touching each other, breathing into each other’s mouths, world spinning endlessly. Tyler could barely breathe, felt as though he were going to burn up into ash, into dust.
“Tyler,” Roman moaned, and then he was coming over Tyler’s fingers, body shaking, slumping with the effort.
Tyler couldn’t hold on any longer, spilling between them with a groan, stumbling a little so Roman was against the tile wall, Tyler draped over him.
They caught their breath like that, Roman nuzzling into Tyler.
“Good?” Tyler asked.
“Yeah, Ty. So good.”
