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Thirty-Seven

The sheets were wrecked. Piper didn’t know how they’d managed to completely unmake the bed, but they had. Half the bedding was on the floor and his legs were on bare mattress. The room stank of sex and Piper was already envisioning the knowing look that the woman who did the washing was going to give him when he brought her the mangled sheets. There was a dark stain from the oil they’d used and he was going to have to tip the washerwoman generously to get that out again.

It had been entirely worth it. The feeling of Galen moving inside him, that long red hair falling down over them both…no, he had absolutely no regrets about the sheets.

“You look smug,” said Galen, idly running his fingers through Piper’s hair.

“Smug.” Piper considered this. “Smug is probably a good word for it.”

“I hope it was worth the wait.”

“Fishing for compliments?” asked Piper, arching one eyebrow.

Galen chuckled. “No need. You made more than enough noise to let me know how I was doing.”

“Oh god.” Piper put his hands over his face. “Did I?” He’d tried to keep quiet out of respect for the neighbors and the thinness of the walls, but Galen’s hands on his body had been almost too much to bear. The paladin had been careful and tender enough to drive him half-mad with frustration, and then just when Piper was ready to pin the man to the bed and do the work himself, Galen had murmured, “Now?” and Piper had said something—“Yes,” probably, or maybe just, “For the love of god, fuck me.”

That first hard thrust had been shocking and incredible and then something more than incredible and then the world had practically dissolved and when he could think again, his throat had been raw from shouting.

Galen propped himself up on one elbow and watched Piper’s face intently.

“What are you doing?” he asked, embarrassed. Galen had white eyelashes mixed with the dark red ones. Somehow he’d never noticed that before. Probably because you close your eyes when you kiss.

“You’re blushing again,” said Galen.

“I am not,” said Piper, despite the fact that he could feel his ears getting hot.

“Dare I ask what you are thinking about?”

“You, obviously.” This was true, but did not lessen the blush at all.

“What fascinating thoughts you must be having.”

Piper dropped his head against the paladin’s shoulder and muttered something. Galen chuckled and lay back, wrapping an arm around him. Piper closed his eyes, feeling pleasantly exhausted.

“I dreamed about doing this,” Galen said. “Every day.”

“If we do this every day, neither of us is going to be able to walk.”

Galen chuckled. “Not quite that. Well, all right, a great deal of that. But mostly I dreamed about being with you.”

A cool wash of relief went through him. He means it. He’s serious. He’s not going to get that look in his eyes and leap up and flee. Piper settled himself a little more securely against Galen’s chest. He could hear the even beating of the other man’s heart under his ear.

“I never thought about anyone else like that,” Galen said musingly. “Sex, yes, but not just…being around them. I would hear something interesting and I’d want to talk to you about it. I wondered where you were, and what you were doing. I believe I’m in love with you.”

He delivered that last line in the same calm tones as the rest, and for a moment, Piper thought he’d misheard. “I’m sorry,” he said, turning the words around in his head and failing utterly to find something that sounded similar. “Did you just say that you were…?”

“In love with you. Desperately. Terribly.” He still sounded light and amused, but Piper felt his heart beating faster and knew what a risk he was taking.

He’s the paladin. Of course he’s the one who takes the risks.

For a moment, Piper thought of pulling back. Galen had hurt him once already. Walking away now would be agony, but it would heal. Much more time in the paladin’s arms and that would change. He wouldn’t be able to push those feelings aside any longer. If Galen drove him away again, that wound would scar instead.

Galen’s fingers stroked through his hair again, and Piper threw the dice. “Oh good,” Piper said. “Because I am quite hopelessly in love with you as well.”

It did not quite ease the tension in Galen’s body. Long auburn hair fell over his face as he sat up, and he pushed it out of the way. “I’m terrible at this,” said Galen. “I don’t know how to be in love any more. Hell, looking back, I don’t know if I was ever any good at it. I’m going to screw up and hurt you and the thought of doing that kills me. All I can do is hope that I don’t fail you completely.”

“That’s how it works,” said Piper gently. “You hurt each other and you apologize and you learn better.”