In the Beat of a Wing {boyxboy}

Chapter Twenty-One

~Saturday 2nd March 2013~

"Mal, are you coming or not?" Malcolm looked up from his paperwork on his desk when he heard Eden whining in the doorway to his home office.

"Always when you're around," Malcolm flashed a sly smirk, his eyes wandering over the boy's bare chest, getting distracted as usual.

"Hilarious," Eden countered sarcastically, "are you gonna come shower with me now?" Eden stepped further into the room but not close enough to be within Malcolm's reach.

"I'm a little busy, bunny," Malcolm knew Eden wouldn't be pleased, saw the desire fade in the boy's eyes, "how about I draw you a bath to make up for it? And I'll get started on breakfast in a few minutes, OK?" Eden nodded, although Malcolm was well aware that the boy was clearly craving some attention. They weren't able to be together like a normal couple, Eden couldn't be seen at the office too often, had to come over to Malcolm's house late into the night and leave strategically. Malcolm tried to make up for it when they were able to be alone together but it was difficult.

Malcolm rose from his desk, towering over his lover, pressing a long kiss to his lips. The boy relaxed in Malcolm's grip, almost melting entirely as the man lifted him, with Eden locking his legs around his hips. Malcolm smiled warmly when Eden's lips latched onto a patch of flesh just below his ear, sucking and nibbling on it to leave a dark mark.

Malcolm loved when Eden marked him, and loved marking the boy himself. He liked the look of the little bruises that littered the skin, reminders of their time together, ghosts of the moments of intimacy they shared. Malcolm sat Eden next to the sink, trying to move away but stopped by the boy's legs holding him in place.

"What is it, bunny?" Malcolm wore a concerned frown at the sheepish expression Eden wore, hoping his alteration to the boy's plans hadn't affected his mood too deeply.

"Um, well..." Eden trailed off, removing a silver ring from his back pocket and slipping it onto the middle finger of Malcolm's left hand, "you wanted me to wear the necklace so you always knew it was me, I thought it should go both ways," Malcolm smiled, twisting the blue-silver band around his finger, the cold melting heating slowly, almost as though it was melding to his skin.

"Bunny, you didn't have to, osmium's so expensive. I could have paid for it," Eden shrugged his left shoulder, his fingers trailing over the own blue-silver chain hanging around his neck.

"It wouldn't have been a gift then, I had some money saved up anyway," Malcolm smiled, peppering a few more soft kisses to the boy's lips, noting how his demeanour seemed to have shifted in the past few minutes. Malcolm didn't mention anything whilst he ran the bath, adding oils and even a few rose petals that he kept for special occasions.

"I'll finish the work later," Eden's face lit up when Malcolm pulled off his t-shirt, so that was what had dampened his mood. Malcolm knew that as much as he feared rejection himself, Eden was just the same, and he craved affection more than maybe any other boy would. Malcolm believed that to be due to their odd relationship, the feeling of the two of them being imprisoned in the shadows, that Eden yearned for something more. Did it make him feel selfish for holding the boy back? Of course. Did he think that breaking up with Eden would help in any way? Not at all.

"What do you want for breakfast, bunny?" Malcolm asked when the two settled in the bath, with Eden's back to his chest and their hands laced together.

"Mmm..." Eden rested his head back on Malcolm's shoulder, shifting a little so he was further submerged in the water, "I don't know, I'm not very hungry," Malcolm knew Eden had a small appetite, and had no concerns with that, they simply didn't eat the same amount. Eden didn't skip meals or have a poor diet, so Malcolm never pestered him about it, it would only stress the boy out.