by Rhys Ford
Then Miki sat back, glad that his Gaelic wasn’t as good as his Cantonese, and returned Kane’s shit-eating grin with a smirk.
“Well done, Sinjun,” Damien whispered into his ear, his words nearly lost under Brigid’s tearful congratulations and the torrent of apologies from Forest and Connor. “It seems like you finally learned how to be a baby brother.”
“What do you mean finally?” he asked, leaning his head back to stare up at Damien’s handsome face. “I’ve been your baby brother for years.”
Two Months Later…
MORNINGS WERE hard. About an hour before, Kane had heard Miki get up to use the bathroom, a trail of aromatic mint following his lover back into their bed. Forty minutes later, Dude scratched at Kane’s foot, demanding to be let outside. He lay flat on his back, wondering if Miki would respond to the terrier’s demands, but all he heard coming out of the mound of pillows was a muffled snort.
“Okay, how about if you go out and I brush my teeth too,” Kane mumbled, edging the excited dog out of the way with his foot. “Just let me get out of bed, boyo.”
The back door now opened to a fenced-in lawn of sorts with his new woodworking shop tucked in between the warehouses’ outer walls. It was cold, unsurprising for the first week of October, but the shiver running down Kane’s spine had nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the day.
He finished washing his face, then opened the back door, clicking his tongue at the dog to get Dude’s attention. Following the terrier in, Kane scooped out half a cup of dry kibble into Dude’s dish and left the dog to his breakfast. It seemed strangely quiet with Damien and Sionn not sleeping upstairs, even though the thick interior walls were fairly soundproofed and he’d never heard them before. The new windows cut into the kitchen’s outer wall gave him a good view of the warehouse next door, but none of the lights were on.
“Jesus, what was I thinking? It’s not even seven o’clock in the morning yet,” Kane reminded himself after checking the time. “Neither one of those slackers are going to be awake until it’s well into the double digits. Seems like going back to bed isn’t a bad idea. Wouldn’t you say, dog?”
Dude didn’t give Kane a bit of notice, instead focusing his attention on reaching the bottom of his dish. Chuckling to himself, Kane headed to the bedroom, where he was surprised to find Miki awake and propped up against the nest of pillows filling the upper right corner of their bed.
Tradition dictated a couple didn’t see each other the morning of their wedding, but Miki wasn’t one for tradition and Kane wasn’t willing to spend one morning without waking up next to his mercurial lover. Standing on the threshold of their bedroom, Kane was struck dumb by the beauty of the man willing to spend the rest of his life at Kane’s side.
The Miki lying in bed was so very different from the man who’d opened his front door and stood toe-to-toe with Kane to defend a thieving dog.
They’d half argued a bit the night before, a good-natured teasing about Miki getting a haircut and Kane letting his hair grow out. Their dinner had been carne asada tacos, beef chow fun dry style, and eggrolls, the result of Kane losing a round of jan-ken-po and Miki’s voracious appetite being in charge of the menu.
Taking in Miki’s pretty face with his kissable mouth and enormous hazel eyes, a disheveled wealth of caramel-shot strands curving around his face and brushing his shoulders, Kane was glad he’d lost the haircut argument. He liked the look of Miki’s shoulders and arms, a healthier blend of muscle and sinew than the first time they’d met. Kane also had an overwhelming fondness for Miki’s chest and tight stomach, the wink of gold from the ring Miki threaded through his belly button occasionally.
There were scars, and Kane knew every single one of them. With Miki’s life as it was, there were marks and keloids left from careless handling and tragic circumstances. There was a tangle of knotted skin across Miki’s knee, a troublesome spot he nursed from time to time, and more than a few thin crisscross lines on his back. Plastic surgery could soften the scars or even eliminate some of them, a proposal Kane had pitched more than a few times before. He’d argued for erasing those symbols of cruelty, if only to release Miki from those memories, but Miki didn’t see the marks like Kane did. And in the end, Miki’s opinion was the only one that mattered.
Miki wore them as badges of the war he’d fought and the ground he’d gained, something Kane not only understood but celebrated. Still, there was one mark Miki refused to carry: Wong’s hateful symbol.
It still was strange to see the brilliantly colored Thai-influenced cat curled up over Miki’s arm and around his shoulder, but it’d been good to see the light in Miki’s eyes shift when Ivo from 415 Ink packed in the final shading, then washed away the gritty ink debris, revealing the elaborately embellished cover-up on Miki’s skin. They’d been determined to do it in one shot, something Kane wasn’t too keen on, but Miki insisted that if it could be done, he would sit for it. They’d taken an hour’s break, but by the time Kane got off shift and to the tattoo shop, Ivo was finishing up the inking.
And Miki’s life was changed once again.
He grumbled about how much it smarted for a few days, but Kane knew he was happy.
And he intended for Miki to be even happier later on that day.
“Hello, Mister Micah Liam Morgan St. John,” Kane said from his spot by the door. “Do you want some coffee? I can make you some.”
“I would rather you come over here and make me forget that we have to go to a party tonight, Lieutenant Kane Aodh Sinjun Morgan.” Miki wrinkled his nose. “It’s weird we have new names but you kept the one that sounds like a bunch of Es and took what D calls me. It’s weird you have a new rank. Okay, it’s all just fucking weird. No, I don’t want coffee. I want you to come back to bed and maybe we can pretend we don’t have anywhere else to go today.”
“My mother would gut both of us.” Kane walked across the bedroom floor, his toes chilled from the cold wooden planks, and he was grateful for the warm blankets and an even warmer Miki when he climbed on top of the mattress. “Didn’t I leave off somewhere last night? Maybe it was here.”
He found Miki’s belly button ring with his mouth, looping his tongue into the hoop. Miki’s fingers dug into his hair and tugged, trying to loosen Kane’s grip, but he had no intention of letting Miki go. Instead, he let his hands wander, stroking at the powder-soft skin on the inside of Miki’s thighs, then reveling in the tickle of down on Miki’s balls.
Miki’s hardening cock was enough of a welcome for Kane to continue his exploration.
“Do you like that, a ghra?” Kane kissed up Miki’s stomach, his fingers wrapping around the base of Miki’s cock as his mouth teased a hard brown nipple into a peak. “Because we have a few hours and I’m aching to see what I can do to you this fine, blustery morning.”
Miki’s eyes were dark with desire, and he licked the corner of his mouth in a quick dab. Capturing Kane’s mouth in a savage kiss, Miki took every bit of Kane’s self-control, stealing it cleanly away before Kane could offer up even the smallest of protests.
He broke off their connection only to sink his teeth into Kane’s lower lip, then whispered, “Take your time. We’ve got the rest of our lives.”
MIKI DIDN’T need a ring to know he belonged to Kane.
He didn’t need the piece of paper they’d picked up yesterday or the words a priest would speak over them later that afternoon.
All he needed was to have Kane’s arms around him, to feel Kane pushing into him, and Miki’s heart knew it’d found its home.
His soul sang when Kane was near, sometimes a low murmur of chords and the occasional bits of laughter adding a hint of brass to the melody, but he lived for the symphonies they created between them when they fell into bed and played.
There were times Miki truly believed the greatest thing Kane had ever given him was teaching him how to play. Right up until the moment when Kane stripped naked, baring his glorious, powerful body, and spread himself over
Miki to remind him he could hold the stars in his hand if he tried hard enough.
For Kane had hung stars in Miki’s darkness, lighting them up every time they kissed, tangled their bodies together, or more importantly, when Kane reminded Miki he was loved.
He licked at Kane’s shoulder as his cop spread oil into the dip of his body, biting at Kane’s sun-bronzed skin when his thumb pad pressed against Miki’s entrance. Kane hissed when Miki worried at the spot, retaliating by sliding a couple of his fingers around the tight, muscled ring, then pushing in. Even as prepared as he was for Kane’s intrusion, Miki gasped, letting go of the flesh he’d trapped between his teeth, then growling playfully when Kane’s mocking laughter echoed in his ear.
“Last chance you’re ever going to get to live in sin, Miki love,” Kane reminded him, returning Miki’s bite with a nip at his earlobe. “Because after today, you’ll be stuck with me for all eternity.”
The morning light stretched through the slender windows set high on the outer wall, catching at the few silvery strands in Kane’s thick black hair. It played over the planes of his shoulders, gilding the spots Miki loved to lave with the flat of his tongue, sometimes to Kane’s faux-disgusted delight. Running his hands through the beams, Miki played with the shape of the shadows he could cast over Kane’s arms, letting his fingers dip and dive into the lines of Kane’s muscles. His cop’s weight pressed him into the mattress, and Miki shifted, resting his legs on Kane’s hips and thighs. Kane’s cock head was already damp, leaving a trail of wet anticipation on Miki’s skin.
He shivered, unable to hold back the want gripping him. An eternity wasn’t going to be long enough, he was sure of that, but if that’s all the universe would give him, he’d take it.
Just as he intended to take Kane.
“Can’t wait,” Miki murmured, arching up to bite Kane’s chin. “Now would be a damned good time to start, K.”
They shared a laugh the moment Kane dropped the lube on Miki’s belly, trying to toss it onto the nightstand; then Miki lost track of his heartbeat when Kane’s cock pushed against Miki’s slickened entrance. It was always hard to remember to breathe, and it wasn’t until his lungs ached from being held in, did Miki finally hitch in air nearly in time with his racing pulse.
He was always afraid of breathing when Kane pushed into him, not wanting to feel anything other than his body being filled and his flesh tightening around Kane’s heft, the slight burn of his muscles giving in to Kane’s gentle thrust. There was a glory to the slide of Kane’s body on his, how their stomachs touched for a brief instant, followed by the press of Kane’s hips against his.
Kane’s cock went deep, hitting every single one of Miki’s needs and raking its length over the core of his pleasure. Something drove Kane on, and Miki could only hold tight when Kane’s hands slid under his ass and squeezed, lifting him from the bed so Kane could seat himself fully into Miki’s heat.
The storm broke in Kane’s gaze, and Miki fell into its fury, working hard to meet Kane’s thrusts. The beat of their bodies meeting echoed in the vastness of their bedroom, and the shadows curled away from the brightening day, driven back by the encroaching light. It didn’t take long before their bodies were beaded with sweat from the effort of chasing their climax. Then Kane slowed down, roiling his hips and catching Miki off guard.
“Fucking killing me here, K,” Miki ground out. His stomach clenched, his balls aching for release, but the slow, steady pace Kane fell into carved the rising edge of his climax. Another long glide and Kane’s cock head teased at his nerves, a tickle of sensations running down Miki’s thighs and back up to grab at his dick. “Damn—”
“I love you, a ghra. And I cannot wait to make you mine.” Kane panted over him, resting his hands on either side of Miki’s shoulders. They were cocooned in the musk of their joining, a sweet earthiness Miki eagerly pulled into his lungs right before Kane lowered his mouth on Miki’s, angling for a kiss.
Miki took as much as he gave, surrendering to Kane only long enough to pull him in, then licked and bit at Kane’s mouth, teasing his lips open so he could have more. Their lovemaking continued at its slow pace, their arms moving in languid strokes over their torsos until Miki raked his nails down Kane’s back, and he grinned into Kane’s shoulder when he felt Kane’s asscheeks clench.
“Already yours, right?” He was leaving a trail of tiny purpling marks down Kane’s neck, dappling his cop’s tanned throat, but Miki had gone past the point of caring. With Kane stretching him wide-open, the heat of his length piercing Miki’s core, he wanted to leave something of himself behind on the man who’d taken him apart and then put him back together. “We’re just doing this for the cake, remember?”
He got the laugh he wanted, then the soaring race to the peak Miki ached for. Kane’s cock drove into him, each thrust slamming Miki deeper into the pillows at the head of the bed. He reached for his own dick when the first arcs of lightning curled up his spine, but Kane’s hand was already there, wrapping around the base in a tight grip. Squeezing down on Kane’s shaft, Miki pushed up to seal his lover’s mouth in a fierce kiss, then let the storm Kane brewed between them hit—
And rode it with the fury Kane unleashed from inside of him, pulling his cop along for the ride.
They lay panting on the bed a few strokes later, sticky with come and sweat, but when Kane pushed himself to the side, Miki grumbled at the separation, then crawled on top of his cop once Kane lay on his back. Easily taking Miki’s weight, Kane wrapped his arms around Miki and kissed away a drop of sweat Miki could feel rolling down his temple.
Their world remained a dull roar of heavy breathing and rushing blood for a long stretch of minutes. Then Kane shifted Miki to the bed, so they could lay on their sides to face each other. Miki used the space between them to tweak Kane’s sensitive nipples, his left peak slightly dimpled by Miki’s sharp teeth. His cop tsked sharply, grabbing at Miki’s fingers to stop his lazy exploration.
“You’re stronger than you think, Mick,” Kane whispered, breaking the silence they’d nursed. “With all the hell you’ve been through, I couldn’t have done it. It would have broken me, but you….”
“See, here’s the thing about hell, you’ve got to just keep pushing through.” He pressed his fingers against Kane’s kiss-swollen mouth, tucking his thumb under his lower lip. “Because the moment you decide to stop, you aren’t going through hell anymore, you’re living in it. I had to keep going. I had you and Damien waiting for me on the other side. No way I was going to live my life without you.”
A bark from the other side of the bedroom door brought a smile to Kane’s lips and he murmured, “Don’t forget your dog.”
Miki snorted, rolling over onto his back so Kane could climb over him to open the bedroom door. “Yeah, that’s not my dog. He just lives here.”
Epilogue
Miki: Dearly Beloved? Why does it always start like that?
Damie: It’s tradition. People like tradition. It’s… a ritual of sorts. Like making tea and when someone adds milk beforehand, you know they’re one of Satan’s demons.
Miki: Traditions are stupid. You’re just saying things to say things. It should mean something, you know?
Damie: The words do mean something. It’s like when someone says a eulogy at a funeral. Those aren’t just words, but you, my brother, didn’t even give me a funeral.
Miki: I didn’t need to. Those are just for the living to say goodbye so they can move on. I wasn’t ever going to let you go, so why the fuck would I throw you a funeral?
—Taking a Break from Katamari Damacy
FINNEGAN’S WAS packed with Irish cops, the occasional redhead, and a handful of musicians. A sign on the front door proclaimed the pub was closed for a private event, but Miki could have sworn its doors were busier opening and closing more than if it was St. Paddy’s Day. It seemed anyone he’d ever met in his entire life had come in to celebrate his marriage to the cop he’d fallen in love with, and it was all he could do
not to fling himself into the Bay to get away.
Mostly because he couldn’t find an open window big enough to crawl out of, and he didn’t want to see the disappointment on Kane’s face when he failed to take the stage.
The weight of the simple gold band Kane had slid onto his finger anchored him into the here and now, a much-welcome reminder his cop loved him and wanted to share their joined lives with the rest of the world. But Miki’s nerves got the best of him, and he’d given Kane a brief kiss, then whispered he’d be back. Everything was pressing in on Miki, and he needed some time to think and some quiet to do it in.
The pub’s staff lounge seemed like a good place to start, but Damien, Rafe, and Forest had taken it over to double as a greenroom to fret over the set and to make last-minute changes to things they’d talked to death weeks before. One look at Miki’s face and Damien pointed him to the pub’s office, promising to stand guard at the front door so Miki could begin breathing again.
“Don’t be nervous,” his brother said, patting him on the back. “It’s just another gig. Pretend you’re playing to one single person. That’ll help.”
“I am playing to a single person. Kane,” he snarled. “That’s not fucking helping.”
“Well, I’d say imagine him naked, but the last thing we want tonight is for the two of you to tear each other’s clothes off and begin humping onstage.” Damien snickered. “Okay, maybe we do. I’ll put a tip jar out and that’ll probably pay off our tab before the two of you even get started.”
“Dick,” Miki muttered. “Lucky it’s my wedding day or I’d punch you.”
