Chapter 40: Mine.

Cian blurted out, "Fuck!"

With the hangover, the whiskey still in his blood, and the feel of skin under his palm, he was almost unbearably worked up. He wanted to press closer, take hold, and grind against him, to hold the person in his arms tight, kiss him, and do more... He clung to Eoin’s earlobe, nibbling and grinding it with his teeth, tormenting that small piece of soft flesh until it was red and swollen. After Eoin hissed in pain, he gently held it in his mouth and licked it to soothe it.

The wet, soft feel of lips and tongue came from his earlobe, and the earring through the flesh was surprisingly hot, as if his whole ear were on fire. Cian stubbornly kept hold of it and even took the earring into his mouth, playing with it for a while, before asking softly, "Eoin, do you think I’m a saint?"

Only a saint could keep his cool in a situation like this.

The hot breath behind his ear sent shivers down Eoin’s spine. His body wanted to run, but his will kept him rooted. He even held on to Cian’s arm, met his eyes, and asked, "Why do you want to be a saint?"

As he spoke, he lifted his leg and put it around Cian’s waist. "Come here."

Cian could no longer be a saint.

...

This playful tussle lasted until almost noon.

They kissed and held each other until they were completely spent. Eoin struggled to move his fingers and reached out from under the duvet. "We didn’t make lunch."

The fridge was stocked with turnips and pork ribs. They had planned to make soup today, but soup takes at least three hours. If they really made it, they would be eating in the afternoon.

Cian pushed him back down. "Why cook? Let’s just eat out."

The embrace was warm, and they stayed like that for a while, just holding each other. Suddenly Eoin wrapped his arms around Cian and pressed tightly against him.

He looked straight into Cian’s eyes. "Mine."

From an uncertain contract, to five years of silence, to now being covered in love bites, he could finally say that this was his.

Cian rubbed the back of his head, then pinched his back and sighed. "All right, yours."

He had already decided to stay for him, so of course he was his.

The person in his arms softened and finally calmed down, but snuggled even closer.

After a while they washed up, got dressed, and went out.

Eoin was supposed to go to work. In the early days of the company he should have been busy, but neither of them mentioned it, and they quietly pretended it didn’t exist.

Rathmore Court was in the old part of the city, with many shopping areas nearby. They got in the car, and Eoin planned to go to the nearest one. But Cian searched on his phone for a moment, found something, and said, "Let’s go here."

Eoin was confused but didn’t argue and let Cian drive onto the main road.

This Micra was over ten years old, a car Dr. Keane had given up on. The parts were worn, and the ride was a bit rough. Every time they turned or hit a speed bump, Cian sneaked a glance at Eoin. Eoin pretended not to notice at first, but after it happened too many times, he looked back. Only then did Cian cough and ask, "Are you feeling okay?"

Eoin pressed his stomach. Even though some time had passed, the strange feeling still lingered. "...It’s a bit strange, but I’m okay."

Cian: "Let’s use your car next time."

Driving the Micra had only been a stopgap. Cian had thought he wouldn’t be staying long, so it didn’t matter what he drove. Now that he planned to stay, there was no need to keep using the old car.

Eoin said, "All right. I’ll give you the keys later."

They wandered around the shopping centre, and Cian picked a light, quiet café restaurant. He ordered some small plates and porridge for Eoin. When it was time to pay, Eoin naturally reached for his card, but Cian took it away and held out his own phone to pay. Facing Eoin’s confused look, he said, "It’s not your turn to pay now. There’s something I want you to get later."

Only then did Eoin say, "All right."

Cian took him straight to the top floor. They turned into a standalone studio for a jewellery brand.

Eoin had been quiet and uninterested in his surroundings, but he froze when he saw the brand logo and instinctively touched his earlobe. He still kept the box the ear cuff had come in, and it had this logo on it.

Holding Cian’s hand, a wild thought raced through his mind. What is this?

Cian turned to look at him, amused. "Didn’t you say this morning that I belong to you? Don’t you want to pick out a matching piece of jewellery for me?"

He pulled Eoin into the shop, handed him a thick custom catalogue, and took one for himself. "Take a look. What do you want me to wear? Necklaces, bracelets, anklets, rings... Oh, rings are not allowed."

Eoin stopped mid flip, looked up at him, and frowned slightly. "Why not a ring?"

Of all jewellery, a ring means the most when it comes to belonging.

Cian was choosing styles and said, without looking up, "We’ll need wedding rings, and those come in pairs. One on its own won’t work."

Eoin was speechless, and his ears turned red. He glanced around guiltily. The staff, well trained, looked away and pretended not to hear.

Seeing his silence, Cian thought he was unhappy and flipped noisily through the catalogue to the less common styles at the back. "Hmm, you don’t like these? Okay, what do you like?"

He leaned closer to Eoin and waved the staff away, spreading the catalogue out in front of him. "Armbands are possible, and I can accept anklets too, but those two aren’t very practical for everyday wear. Hmm, if you want to see it, belly button piercings aren’t off the table..."

Eoin couldn’t stop picturing it, then suddenly grabbed Cian’s hand, his fingertips trembling. "That’s enough! Stop it!"

Cian glanced at him sideways and studied him at leisure. His eyes narrowed like a fox’s as he pretended to be surprised. "Don’t want to see? Really?"

"..."

Eoin’s ears burned red, and he fidgeted. He pushed Cian aside and shoved the catalogue toward the staff, saying in a rush, "A bracelet. Just give me a bracelet!"

As if he were afraid Cian would spot something strange if he took too long.

Cian shrugged and deliberately stirred things up by whispering in his ear, "A bracelet’s kind of boring..."

Eoin felt as if he might burst into flames.

He quickly filled out the order and picked a style. Normally the designer would invite them for a one on one video consultation, but Eoin had no idea about jewellery. He touched the "C" on his earlobe and simply said, "I’d like it based on the initials of my name."

"Your initials, let me see... ’E,’ right?"

Eoin nodded. "Yes."

His earlobe carried Cian’s name, and Cian’s wrist would carry his.

Cian had been sitting back at his ease, listening to Eoin settle the details, when the System, which hadn’t appeared for a long time, suddenly popped up with an exaggerated tone.

"Wow, Host, your partner’s initial is ’E.’"

Cian: "You only found out today... wait."

He caught another meaning in the System’s loaded words.

System: "And your partner picked a forest theme. If I remember right, the brand’s forest series is famous for its intricate twisted thorns and vines. Wow, E, thorns and vines. Isn’t that some kind of coincidence with the original text?"

He looked disgusted and refused to engage. "Enough. Stop talking, you perverted System."

They chose the style and paid the deposit. The designer would make a first draft, then revise it and finalise it before they could collect it.