Chapter Text
“Okay,” Sebastian says, swallowing hard. He feels around on the bed next to him, finding the lube before he turns to face Stefano.
Stefano is lying on his back with his head on the pillow, looking as though he’s done this a thousand times. He probably has done this a thousand times. Sebastian tries his best to banish that thought, because this time isn’t going to be anything like any of the other ones. Stefano is here because he wants to be with Sebastian, wants Sebastian to touch him, wants Sebastian inside his body, and Sebastian has to remember that, because otherwise there is no way he’s going to be able to do this.
His indecision must show on his face, because Stefano turns to him with a very kind smile and reaches out his hand. “Everything is alright,” he says as Sebastian takes it. “I am always a little on edge when I do this without the drugs, but it will pass.”
Sebastian hesitates, because the drugs are a factor he hadn’t remembered until now. Stefano has said before that the drugs are what allowed him to relax enough to perform his ‘duties’ while he was working for Slade, but the last time they did this- the time in the motel- Stefano was sober. Of course, Stefano was also injured and probably in a lot of pain anyway, so Sebastian puts that out of his mind.
He gives Stefano’s hand a little squeeze. “What can I do to help you relax?” he asks.
“You’ve done so much already,” Stefano replies, but Sebastian is still waiting for an answer. “Just touch me,” Stefano says. “Talk to me.”
“Alright,” Sebastian says. He sets the lube down beside them on the sheets and moves to lie next to Stefano, bringing a hand to his hip. He rubs his thumb in slow circles before his hand starts to move up and down Stefano’s body. He is at a bit of a loss for words, so he asks, “What do you want to talk about?”
“That is not important,” Stefano replies with a sigh, letting his eyelid drift shut. “Just the sound of your voice… knowing I am with you… knowing…” His words trail off, but it’s not hard to guess what he is thinking. Undoubtedly part of what is important to Stefano is knowing that he’s not with Riker or Slade or one of the hundreds of men who used his body for their own pleasure.
“Of course you’re with me,” Sebastian murmurs as his hand continues to rub up and down Stefano’s chest and belly. “I’ve got you, and we’re only going to do the things that feel good to you.” His hand slips down farther to rub Stefano’s thighs, which part obligingly for him. “You deserve comfort and pleasure, and I’m going to make sure you get it.” His hand slides back up the inside of Stefano’s thigh, brushing against his cock, which twitches under his fingers.
Stefano reaches down to cup his cock and balls in his hands and lift them up out of the way so that Sebastian can stroke him even farther back. His fingers graze over Stefano’s opening, and Stefano makes a soft sound, almost a whimper, and draws his legs up, exposing himself even more to Sebastian. Unfortunately, Sebastian can’t actually see what he’s doing from this angle, and this seems like a good time to be able to see.
“Is it alright if I move to where I can see what I’m doing?” he asks. He might have been afraid to look at this part of Stefano’s body after seeing some of the things Riker did to him. The images of sexual assault victims come unbidden to his mind, and he cringes to think of how Stefano might have been torn and bruised and hurt. But he’s come through all of it, and he’s had plenty of time to heal, and surely it must be okay to look now.
“Yes,” Stefano replies. “You can be wherever you like as long as you do not stop touching me.”
“Don’t worry,” Sebastian says with a smile. “I’m not going to stop touching you.”
He sits up and moves in between Stefano’s legs, lifting him effortlessly and maneuvering him halfway into his lap. It gives him a great view of Stefano’s body, but it looks like it may be a little hard on Stefano’s back. “Is this comfortable for you?” he asks, doubtful that anyone would be comfortable in this position.
“Just a moment,” Stefano says. He reaches over and grabs another pillow, then tucks it under the small of his back, so that he’s fully supported by the pillow and by Sebastian. “There, much better,” he says.
He gathers up his cock and balls again, holding them so that Sebastian has an unobstructed view of the rest of him, and Sebastian runs his hands up and down the inside of Stefano’s thighs, which are splayed open around him. He brings his thumb to Stefano’s opening, making small circles on the skin there, which is soft and pink and, as far as Sebastian can tell, undamaged.
Stefano sighs and moves one of his hands to rest next to his head on the pillow, the other still covering himself. Sebastian reaches for the lube, because even if Stefano is fully healed, this is a sensitive area, and one where Riker has caused a lot of pain, and Sebastian doesn’t want to even take the chance of bringing any of that to Stefano’s mind.
Once his fingers are slicked and ready, he brings them back to Stefano’s opening, still making lazy circles around the outside with no intention of penetrating at this point. Now that he actually gets a good look, he can’t imagine this place accommodating something the size of his cock, much less some of the things he has seen Riker force into Stefano. He shivers at the memory, keeping his touch soft and gentle and undemanding. He is focused on his task, entirely absorbed until he hears Stefano let out a little huff. When he glances up at him, Stefano looks like he is either rather frustrated or holding back laughter, or possibly both.
“You are so considerate, Sebastian,” Stefano tells him. “But I am afraid I will die of anticipation if you make me wait any longer.”
“What should I-?” Sebastian begins, but Stefano continues.
“Just use a little more pressure with one of your fingers,” Stefano explains. Sebastian opens his mouth to protest, but Stefano cuts him off. “You will not hurt me,” he says, and the conviction in his voice tells Sebastian that he really believes it.
Sebastian swallows hard and nods, adding a little more lube to his fingers for good measure before he lets one of them press a little harder against Stefano’s opening, making smaller, more focused circles until the tip of it slips inside Stefano’s body. He can feel Stefano all around him, his muscles squeezing his finger, but the movement is slick and easy, and the sigh Stefano emits as his eye drifts closed sounds more like relief than pain.
Sebastian’s other hand wraps around Stefano’s hip to hold him steady as he presses forward a little more with his finger, letting Stefano’s body guide him, draw him in farther, the lube making everything nice and slippery, until his finger is fully sheathed. He probes carefully, rubbing Stefano on the inside with the same tenderness he uses anytime he touches him, and Stefano sighs again and pushes his hips down onto Sebastian’s hand.
“Am I doing this right?” Sebastian asks, realizing as soon as he says it that it’s kind of a stupid question.
“Yes,” Stefano breathes. His eye is closed, and his voice is taking on a dreamy quality. “Slade’s men might only spend a few seconds doing this to make sure that the lubricant was applied properly, or they might use a few more fingers so that a larger object would be less likely to cause injury.”
Sebastian doesn’t want to think about Slade’s men or the perfunctory nature of any preparation they gave Stefano, and he certainly doesn’t want to think about Stefano being penetrated by any larger objects. “But does it feel good?” he asks, giving Stefano’s hip a little squeeze with his other hand as his finger maps out the inside of Stefano’s body.
“It always feels a little strange at first,” Stefano says, “but it will feel better soon. I simply need time to adjust.”
“Of course,” Sebastian murmurs, releasing Stefano’s hip and moving his hand so that he can rub his lower belly. With his other hand, he slowly draws his finger out before pressing back in again.
“So thoughtful,” Stefano murmurs, opening his eye and looking at Sebastian with a slight smile. “I know I said not to be too rough, but you do not need to be quite as careful as that. I will not break.”
“I know you won’t,” Sebastian says, keeping his movements slow and gentle. “But I’d rather be careful, at least for now. Is there somewhere in particular that I should be focusing on?”
“Yes,” Stefano replies, as Sebastian’s finger slips almost all the way out of him. “Go in a just a couple of inches,” he instructs, and Sebastian slides his finger in again, stopping after just a few inches.
Stefano brings his own hand to the base of his cock, pressing down on his belly just above it. “Now push up toward my hand,” he tells Sebastian.
Sebastian does, and he can feel something against his finger, but more importantly, Stefano is drawing his breath in quickly, voice suddenly tight as he gasps out, “That’s it, Sebastian! Right there.” Sebastian smiles and gives him a pat on the thigh and begins to direct his attentions to that spot.
He can’t focus on this one area the whole time. He can tell that from Stefano’s breathing, the way his muscles jerk and twitch, and the way he grimaces when Sebastian spends too much time directly stimulating that place. But he returns to it often, because when he does Stefano moans and whimpers and presses his hips up against Sebastian’s hand.
Stefano is too overcome to give much guidance at the moment, so Sebastian tries a few different techniques, comparing the results of each. He is feeling bolder now, and everything is slick with lube, and Stefano seems so much more relaxed, so much more confident than he has been. His cock is hard against his belly, and Sebastian is brave enough to increase the speed and pressure of his strokes.
When he thrusts his finger in and out, Stefano’s breathing gets faster, and he pulls his legs up even more, exposing himself so completely to Sebastian, and when Sebastian slows down to rub firmly at that place inside of him, Stefano digs his heels into the mattress and pushes himself against Sebastian’s hand, and the noises he makes are gasps and groans and muffled words that Sebastian can’t quite make out.
Sebastian pauses to add more lube, because surely too much lube is better than not enough, and it must be a good decision because Stefano watches him do it with a look of bemused affection on his face. When he eases his finger back in, everything is nice and slick, and there are quite a few lovely, wet, slightly embarrassing slippery sounds that make both of them laugh a little.
He is only a few strokes in when Stefano’s hand starts to slide up and down his own cock, and it sends a white hot jolt of arousal racing through Sebastian to see Stefano’s cock pressing into his hand, to feel Stefano’s body all around his finger, to know that Stefano is as excited as he is. “I need more,” Stefano gasps the next time he pushes in.
“Alright,” Sebastian replies. “If you don’t think it’ll be too much stretching.”
Stefano shakes his head, hand still tight around his cock. “A little stretching feels nice,” he murmurs, “and I want to be stretched around your cock.”
Sebastian’s head swims with lust at that, and on the next thrust, he presses back in with two fingers, dragging them purposefully across that magic spot, so that Stefano arches his back and moans, pressing down onto Sebastian’s hand.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful like this,” Sebastian blurts out, because Stefano is beautiful, face flushed and head thrown back against the pillow, not just letting Sebastian pleasure him but taking an active role in his own pleasure. He works his fingers in and out, pausing every so often to grind them against that place that makes Stefano whine so perfectly. He’s using more pressure, thrusting his fingers into Stefano with confidence, and Stefano’s hand is moving faster on his cock, and everything is perfect until Stefano says, “Stop.”
Sebastian freezes, looking into Stefano’s face for any sign of pain or fear, but there is none. Stefano is still flushed and panting, pupil dilated and hair askew, and he takes a few more deep breaths before he says, “I am ready Sebastian.”
Sebastian draws his fingers out slowly, bringing his hands to Stefano’s thighs to rub up and down them. “And you want this?” he asks, because even looking at Stefano in the state he is in now, he has to hear it from him.
“Yes,” Stefano says without hesitation. “I have not often had the opportunity to feel desire, to want someone, before they were forced upon me, but I wanted you the first time, and I want you now.”
Sebastian nods, trying not to dwell on the life Stefano is talking about, a life in which he was an object to be used and abused by more powerful men, because the Stefano before him is relaxed and by all appearances, very aroused, and asking Sebastian to make love to him. “Like this?” Sebastian asks, gesturing to their bodies, unsure of what position is best for what they are attempting.
“Yes,” Stefano replies. Then, with a mischievous look in his eye, he adds, “Surely I do not have to tell you what to do next.”
Sebastian laughs. “No,” he says, because even he can figure this part out. “But you’ll tell me if anything’s uncomfortable, right?”
“Yes,” Stefano replies, one hand tugging at his cock again, which Sebastian takes as a clear indication that he should get on with it.
He leans over to the bedside table, opening the drawer to retrieve a condom, and then settles back in between Stefano’s legs. He has been so focused on pleasuring Stefano, or more accurately, on not hurting Stefano, that his own erection has flagged, but it only takes a few strokes to fix that when Stefano is laid out so beautifully before him, still touching himself and eyeing Sebastian’s cock hungrily.
It takes no small amount of effort to tear his eyes away from Stefano, who makes quite an enticing picture, but Sebastian manages to get the condom open and put it on. He is reaching over Stefano’s hip for the lube when one of Stefano’s hands catches his, and he realizes with some surprise that his own hand is shaking.
“Sebastian,” Stefano says, voice as smooth and warm as honey. “There is no reason to be nervous. Everything is going to be fine.” Stefano gives his hand a squeeze, and Sebastian can’t even explain why he is nervous in the first place, but the longer he holds Stefano’s hand, the less he feels nervous and the more he feels excited, and by the time Stefano releases him and he reaches for the lube again, his hand is steady.
He liberally coats his own cock first, stifling a groan as the sight of Stefano and the firm pressure of his own hand threaten to overwhelm him. Then he reaches for Stefano’s cock, and Stefano obligingly moves his hand so that Sebastian can slick him up again as well. Stefano’s eye closes as Sebastian rubs him up and down, and the sound he makes is almost a purr. Sebastian is perfectly willing to keep doing this, and he does until Stefano interrupts.
“Alright, Sebastian.” There is a note of warning in his voice, and Sebastian knows he is testing Stefano’s patience a bit, but he gives him one more long, slow stroke before he gets a little more lube on his fingers and brings them back to Stefano’s opening, making absolutely sure that Stefano is fully prepared. Stefano allows it without comment, and Sebastian moves on so that he doesn’t press his luck any farther when Stefano has made his wishes so clear.
He leans forward a little, thought it doesn’t take much since Stefano is practically in his lap already, and takes his cock in hand, bringing the tip to Stefano’s opening to rub lightly against it. Stefano sighs and Sebastian places his other hand on Stefano’s hip as he continues to rub his cock up and down. It slides easily through the lube, but there is some part of Sebastian that is still afraid that this is going to be too much for Stefano. He’s seen him take much larger objects of course, but always under duress, and he doesn’t want this to be like any of those times.
“Come here, Sebastian,” Stefano purrs, beckoning him with one finger. “I want to be one with you. I want to feel you inside me.”
Sebastian groans out loud at that, has to master his own excitement and lust to avoid coming on the spot, because Stefano’s voice is rich and seductive and doing things to his body. He takes a deep breath and starts to press forward. Even though the lube makes everything nice and slick, there is resistance at first, but Stefano is smiling up at him with a half-lidded eye and an expression that is so perfectly serene that Sebastian knows everything is alright.
He adjusts his angle and pushes a little more, and then the head of his cock is slipping into Stefano’s body. Stefano’s hand is tightening on the pillow next to his head, his chest rising and falling faster, and his body is gripping Sebastian’s cock so tightly that Sebastian is gasping for breath, squeezing Stefano’s hip and closing his eyes. He pauses there, both because he needs a moment to collect himself, and because he doesn’t want to go too fast for Stefano, but Stefano’s voice is already in his ear.
“Just like that,” he murmurs. “Keep going.” Sebastian almost laughs at the idea that Stefano is still polite enough to keep coaching him through all of this when Stefano appears to be so thoroughly overwhelmed himself, but instead he focuses on his body and Stefano’s and moves his hips forward, pressing farther into Stefano in one slick, easy movement. There is more heat and more pressure, but Stefano’s body is drawing him in, and everything about it feels comfortable and natural.
Sebastian eases in slowly until his body is flush to Stefano’s, then leans forward to brace one arm on the bed and bring his other hand Stefano’s face, gently brushing back his hair so that his thumb can trail across his cheek. “Everything okay?” he asks.
“Much better than that,” Stefano says, still sounding a little breathless. He wraps his arms around Sebastian’s back, tugging him down toward his face. “Kiss me.”
Sebastian is more than happy to oblige, and when his lips touch Stefano’s it sends a thrill of excitement from his mouth to the place where their bodies are joined. He rocks his hips, sending more shockwaves of pleasure running through him, and Stefano moans into his mouth and holds him tighter. He doesn’t want to break the kiss or Stefano’s embrace, so he keeps his movements subtle, just pulling back a little and then pressing closer, until Stefano makes a noise that is almost a sob.
He pulls back quickly then, propping himself up on his arms enough that he can see Stefano’s face, can see his eye shining with unshed tears, and he is opening his mouth to ask what’s wrong and whether they should stop when Stefano speaks.
“This…” he chokes out, and Sebastian brings a hand to his face, cradling Stefano’s cheek in his palm. Stefano turns his face into Sebastian’s hand as he continues. “This is what I have been missing… what Riker told me I could never have.” He turns his head again to look up at Sebastian. “He was so wrong…” Stefano smiles through his tears.
“He was wrong about everything,” Sebastian says, leaning down to capture Stefano’s lips again. It starts out soft and gentle and sweet, and Sebastian puts all of his feelings for Stefano in it, his care, his concern, his desire, his love, and then Stefano’s hands are everywhere, all up and down his body, and Stefano is kissing him back with an intensity that is almost bruising.
“Take me, Sebastian,” he gasps when their lips finally part. “I want to be yours and yours alone.”
Sebastian is slightly taken aback by the way he phrases it, because he doesn’t want to own Stefano- he doesn’t want anyone to own Stefano ever again- but in a way, Stefano is right. Stefano is his to hold and to love and to please, and Sebastian isn’t going to deny him that after everything they’ve been through to get to this point.
He presses his lips to Stefano’s ear. “You’re mine,” he growls. “You’re mine for as long as you want to be.” He kisses and bites his way down Stefano’s neck until Stefano is practically squirming under him, hands clutching at his hips. Then he props himself up on his arms again, taking in Stefano’s wild eye and wilder hair before he pulls out a little and thrusts back in, the warm, pleasurable friction tearing a moan from his throat.
“Yes,” Stefano breathes. “Please…” The way he says it, the desperate look on his face, touches something in Sebastian, reminds him that Stefano may have very different expectations for this act than he does.
“It’s alright,” he tells Stefano. “I’m going to make sure you’re taken care of.” He’s not going to be one of those nameless, faceless men who have taken their pleasure from Stefano and given him nothing in return.
He brings his hands to Stefano’s hips and pulls back for another long slow thrust. Stefano’s hands are clutching at the sheets, and Stefano’s eye is locked with his and he doesn’t even need Stefano to say anything to know that Stefano is asking for more.
When he pulls back the next time he slips almost all the way out, and when he thrusts back in Stefano moans and twists the sheets in his hands. The smooth slide of his cock inside Stefano, the way Stefano’s body grips him, feels amazing, and he thrusts a few more times just to enjoy the way they fit together, the way he can be so completely in tune with another person.
He really does want to make sure this is good for Stefano though, so on the next thrust of his hips he starts to experiment with the angle and depth, which earns him a patient smile from Stefano, until suddenly that smile is replaced by a gasp as Stefano presses his head back into the pillow and arches up against Sebastian.
Now that Sebastian has some idea what he is aiming for, he makes a point of hitting that spot, rubbing up against it until Stefano is moaning and clenching down around him before he returns to the deep, hard thrusts that make Stefano’s breath catch in his throat and his hands fist in the sheets.
He is so focused on Stefano that he doesn’t realize how close to the edge he is getting himself, and he has to take a moment to consciously slow down, to get himself back under control before he starts to move again.
Stefano, who is no doubt very skilled at reading his partners, says, “There is no need to stop on my account. I want to see you come. I want to feel you come.”
“And I want to see you come again,” Sebastian says with a smile, pausing in his thrusts. “Can I…?” He gestures to Stefano’s cock, which is lying heavy on his belly, still hard and flushed a deep pink even though it’s been untouched for a few minutes.
“Yes,” Stefano replies, though he isn’t meeting Sebastian’s eye now.
Sebastian reaches for his cock, trailing his fingers up and down it with a feather-light touch, so that it twitches under his hand. “What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Nothing is wrong,” Stefano says, finally looking up at him. “I am simply not used to being paid so much… attention.”
Sebastian takes his cock fully in hand. “Well, you’d better get used to it,” he says, a playful tone in his voice, “because I plan on paying you a lot of attention.”
Stefano chuckles until Sebastian’s hand starts to slide up and down his cock, and then the chuckle turns into more of a groan. Sebastian takes up his thrusts again, trying to keep his hand and his hips moving in unison, and soon Stefano is breathing hard and raising his legs to wrap them around Sebastian’s waist. It’s a simple gesture but one that conveys so much trust that Sebastian falters in his thrusts for a moment, almost overcome by the surge of warmth and affection and the desire to protect Stefano.
But Stefano needs something very different from him now, and Sebastian is determined to deliver on that, so he continues to stroke and thrust and watch Stefano’s face. He’s only seen Stefano come a few times before, so he isn’t entirely sure what he is looking for, but when Stefano closes his eye and throws his head back, he knows they have to be close to something.
He’s getting close again himself, and he focuses on that one special place inside Stefano, rubbing up against it until Stefano’s moans are turning into whines, until Stefano’s legs are tightening around him, and even then he doesn’t let up, pressing there over and over again as he strokes and squeezes Stefano’s cock, and in another moment, Stefano is arching up off the bed and gasping his name and coming into his hand again.
Stefano looks absolutely blissful as he comes, laid out so beautifully before Sebastian, and the sight of him, the way his body contracts hard around Sebastian’s cock, catches Sebastian by surprise, and his own climax hits him hard. He buries himself deep inside Stefano one more time as he comes, ears ringing and heart pounding and Stefano’s name on his lips. There is a surge of warmth, and the tension is pouring out of his body, and he slumps forward to rest his chest on Stefano’s and plant a kiss on his cheek.
They’re both sweaty and sticky, and not really in the most comfortable position, but Sebastian still doesn’t move for quite a few minutes. It feels too pleasant and safe to be so close to Stefano, to still be joined with Stefano, and he doesn’t want to spoil that feeling. Stefano’s arms are around him, and Stefano is rubbing his back, and there are some more slow, lazy kisses and whispered words of comfort before Sebastian manages to pry himself off of Stefano so that they can both get cleaned up a little bit.
Then Sebastian lies down on his back and Stefano settles into his arms, head pillowed on Sebastian’s chest, and they spend a few more blissful minutes lying like that until they agree that it’s time for bed. Stefano sits up and reaches over to turn off the light but pauses, looking back at Sebastian.
“What?” Sebastian asks playfully. “I’m not that good-looking.”
“You are,” Stefano replies, “but also, this is the first time in years that I wish I had a camera in my hands.”
Sebastian smiles. “I think that could be arranged,” he says. “Tomorrow,” he adds with a yawn.
Stefano smiles back and switches off the light. He drapes himself across Sebastian again, and Sebastian holds him close and presses another kiss to the top of his head before he drifts off to sleep.
Sebastian is vaguely aware of Stefano’s arms around him before the first crash of thunder jolts him awake. He barely has time to react before Stefano’s face is buried in his neck, and Stefano’s body is pressed so tightly to his that it’s as though Stefano is trying to burrow under him. Sebastian wraps his arms around him, hoping to convey some sense of security, but Stefano is shaking so hard that his teeth are chattering, even on this warm summer night.
“Stefano,” he murmurs, holding him closer if that’s even possible at this point. Then there is a great flash of lightning, and Stefano flinches as though he’s been struck. Sebastian counts the seconds under his breath, the way he used to do with Lily when the two of them would hide out in her blanket fort and wait for a thunderstorm to pass. Of course Lily was just alarmed by the loud noises and bright lights; Stefano has real trauma in his past.
The next clap of thunder comes when he gets to ‘five’, and he can feel Stefano’s heart racing, can hear his breathing accelerating. “It’s alright, Stefano,” he whispers, turning to press a kiss to Stefano’s hair. He feels helpless, powerless, because he can’t make the storm stop, and the storm isn’t really what Stefano is afraid of anyway. “I’ve got you,” he continues, even though he’s not sure he’s doing any good. “And I’m never going to let anything happen to you.”
There is another flash of lightning, and Sebastian runs his hand up and down Stefano’s back as he counts again. This time he only gets to ‘four’, and on the next crash of thunder, Stefano jerks in his arms and tries to roll them both over so that Sebastian is on top. Sebastian follows, resting some of his weight on one forearm to avoid putting too much strain on Stefano’s body. Instinctively, he pulls the sheet up over their heads. It’s a little silly, because unlike Lily, Stefano has to know that a sheet isn’t going to protect them, but it seems like the right thing to do anyway.
Stefano’s arms are still around him, urging him down onto Stefano’s chest, and he complies, though still not putting his full weight on Stefano. He can’t see Stefano’s face, partly because of the darkness and partly because it is hidden against his neck, but he can still feel Stefano shaking.
“Easy,” Sebastian soothes as Stefano tries again to meld their bodies together. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t,” Stefano says. His voice is muffled since his mouth is pressed against Sebastian’s skin.
It’s heartening to hear Stefano speak, because Sebastian had thought he was too terrified to communicate at all. “What can I do?” Sebastian asks.
“Just hold me,” Stefano murmurs, going rigid as an even louder thunder clap echoes through the house.
Sebastian turns to kiss Stefano on the cheek before he works his arms under Stefano, which is as much as he can do to hold him without changing their positions. The way Stefano’s arms are locked around his waist tells him that he’s not going to make any headway trying to get off of Stefano.
“You’re alright,” he says. “I’m here, and I love you, and you’re safe with me.”
There is another crash of thunder, and the storm must be passing right over them. Stefano whimpers and presses harder against him, and Sebastian swears under his breath because Stefano doesn’t need this right now. Stefano doesn’t deserve this, and why won’t the weather just cooperate and leave them in peace?
He might be imagining it, but it seems like the next time the thunder sounds is spaced out a bit more, and he hopes that the storm is moving away, that maybe Stefano will be able to calm down now. Stefano does seem to have loosened his hold a little, though Sebastian can still feel his heart racing where their chests are pressed together.
“It’s okay,” Sebastian soothes. “I think it’s almost over.”
Stefano nods, and Sebastian waits, holding his breath for the next roll of thunder, and when it comes, it is quieter, more distant, and they have to wait even longer for the next one. Stefano’s breathing is slowing down and finally so is his heartrate.
When it becomes apparent that the worst is over, Sebastian shifts off of Stefano to lie beside him, though they are still wrapped in each other’s arms. The thunder is distant now, and the sound of the rain outside is soothing, and Sebastian pushes the sheet back down so that he can look into Stefano’s face.
There is still worry there to be sure, but not the blind panic that must have been there earlier. Stefano gives him a weak smile, and Sebastian leans in to place a gentle kiss on his forehead, then his cheek, and then his lips.
“I am sorry,” Stefano murmurs, his gaze dropping to avoid Sebastian’s eyes. “I am sure that I seem quite foolish-”
“No, not at all,” Sebastian interrupts, gathering Stefano up in his arms again. His words come out in a rush, because he doesn’t even want to give Stefano a chance to belittle himself. “I can’t blame you for any of that. You’ve been through so much, and I’m sure that brings up a lot of feelings, and you never have to worry about expressing those feelings with me.”
There is a pause before Stefano speaks again, and this time his tone is a little more playful. “Speaking of feelings, do you mean what you said a moment ago?”
Sebastian has to think for a moment before he realizes what he blurted out when he was trying to comfort Stefano. “About loving you? Of course,” he says with conviction.
Stefano doesn’t respond, just leans over to kiss him. His cheek is wet with tears, and after Sebastian has kissed all of them away, they lie in each other’s arms and listen to the rain. Tomorrow, they will get a camera back into Stefano’s hands and meet up with Joseph and Banks and make their first steps toward taking down Mobius for good, but tonight, they have each other, and that’s more than enough for Sebastian. The storm is fading away, and even if there is a much bigger one on the horizon, he can face it with Stefano by his side.