Verin's chest still feels heavy with loss, his mind too full with thoughts of what he should have done. Above all of it is the sharp, urgent desire to remind himself that he is still alive with the one person who he would stay alive for. The raw lines Essek leaves behind on his chest make him shiver, as does the way his brother seems torn between giving himself over to his own desires and hiding from them. It's that urgency that Verin knows is there that excites him more. How restless Essek can be, how demanding, when he is finally given what he wants.

He would argue that Essek is even more demanding when he has what he wants.

His fingers tighten in Essek's hair and Verin kisses him again as he gives another firm thrust of his hips, dragging his heavy, full cock against the place where Essek's hip meets his thigh. Light, he has missed everything about Essek, including the places where his body is softer than Verin's.

"In every way you'll let me," he whispers as his lips brush across Essek's cheek to his ear. He can feel the familiar jewelry beneath his lips, but he is far more interested in the bare spaces he finds. His brother is always so covered; no one sees him the way Verin does.

"Let me feel you beneath me first," he says, still soft and for Essek alone. Verin lifts his head so that he can see Essek's face. He can't imagine Essek agreeing to something he doesn't want - even for him - but he wants to be sure all the same.