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Aled gets his first tattoo pretty soon after he meets Frances, and his mother never finds out about it. The only person who does know is Dan, because Aled just hasn’t mentioned it to Frances. It’s above his right hip, and Dan sees it one night when they’re having sex.
They’d used to do it a lot more often, but since Carys and the abuse from his mother, Aled had been rather distant. It wasn’t for lack of want, that’s for sure. It was out of a small sort of fear and insecurity.
“You have a tattoo,” Dan says. He’s between Aled’s legs, looking down at where they’re connected. “When’d you get that?”
“Hm,” Aled says. He gets pretty hazy during sex, always has. “Oh, uh, a few days ago.”
“It’s a radio,” Dan says, and he smiles. He kisses Aled.
“Yeah, mhm,” Aled says. They’re both tired, lost in the bliss of this intimacy with each other.
Dan brushes his thumb over the tattoo when he comes, and he holds that hip as they fall asleep just a few minutes later. He doesn’t miss the way Aled shivers when he touches the ink- from when they were getting down and dirty to the gentle cuddles afterward, he seems to preen at the attention. Dan wants nothing more than to give that to him, to make him feel utterly happy and safe.
“Thanks, Dan,” Aled murmurs from where he’s curled into Dan’s side, arm slung over his body.
“You don’t have to thank me,” he responds, kisses Aled’s forehead. They fall into a peaceful sleep, wrapped up in and around each other.
-
They’ve been together long enough to know what makes each other happy. For instance, Aled knows that Dan likes to be read to and held when he’s had a bad day; Dan knows that Aled likes to dance when there’s nothing else to do. There are many other things they know about each other.
One of those things, which has not changed since that night all those years ago, is that Aled likes to have his tattoos touched. It never has to be sexual, but it often is. Sometimes when Dan blows him, he’ll caress that hip tattoo or the cityscapes on Aled’s arms. When they’re sitting on the couch cuddling, watching a film, he’ll rub the little planet on his finger or kiss the astronaut behind his ear. That last one is something he doesn’t do often.
Kiss the tattoos, that is. He has a hunch that Aled wishes he would, though, and he thinks he might make good on that wish. He really wants to, at least.
Aled is out for podcast-related things- interviews and whatnot- with Frances. She usually comes over after these things for dinner, so Dan makes more than usual (bibimbap, per her request, with his mom’s famously delicious kimchi). He won’t be able to ravish Aled as soon as he arrives home, of course, because of their guest. But that’s okay, he can still touch the tattoos on Aled’s arms and the select few on his neck. He can kiss that one behind his ear and whisper how much he wants to kiss the rest of them.
He tugs out his phone, opens to WhatsApp and selects his conversation with Aled.
-
Aled <3
Dan: Frances still coming over for dinner?
Aled <3: yeah, why?
Dan: Nothing. She can’t stay for too long, though.
Aled <3: oh, why not
Dan: I want to try something.
Aled <3: do tell
Dan: No, it’s a secret. Gotta surprise you, baby
Aled <3: cmon Dan, please
Dae-Sung
please
tell me
Dan: Nope.
Aled <3: …
it better be fucking amazing, Daniel
Dan: ; )
-
Daniel doesn’t really try to be a good texter, so the rare use of an emoticon is intentional. He knows that Aled is now aware of the importance of this because Dan actually put in the effort to make it clear that he wants something and will make sure that it ends up happening, preferably as soon as possible.
About an hour after that text conversation, after Dan had that strangely monumental idea, the sound of footsteps down the hallway jolts Dan from his position on the couch, watching a documentary about microbiology that he wasn’t really paying attention to. He’ll need to rewatch it with Aled.
The lock clicks open and then the door follows, revealing Aled in all his gorgeous glory. Dan almost drools at the sight, green-grey hair and blonde roots, a purple t-shirt with the word RADIO pasted across it, green striped pants. His tattoos are on perfect display, and Dan just wants to kiss and kiss and kiss them. Those thoughts, desires, float away as soon as Frances steps into view. She smiles, waves.
“Frances almost cursed out an interviewer,” Aled said, smiling.
Dan stands up from the couch, gives Aled a chaste kiss that Frances fake-gags at, and then hugs her. She was over just the other day, but it’s nice to see her nonetheless. “She did? What for?”
“They always think we’re a couple. Usually, they can at least move past it once we’ve shut that down, even if they don’t believe it, but this one was just so insistent. Honestly, I wish I’d had this courage back in school. I’d have loved to yell at a few of our teachers,” Frances says, wrapping her arms around Dan’s shoulders and squeezing him tight.
It feels strange that Dan had ever hated her. She’s practically his sister now. But the past doesn’t matter now, does it? Not unless they want it to, and they don’t. They’re happy as they are; friends.
“Tough luck,” he says. He pulls away from her, lays a hand on Aled’s shoulder. They exchange a glance, Dan’s mysterious and Aled’s questioning. “I’m guessing Aled here stopped you from making a scene.”
“He’s always been mild-tempered. Well. Mostly,” she says.
“Shut up, Frances, we don’t talk about that,” Aled says. They laugh and follow Dan into the kitchen where the bibimbap is waiting.
“Fuck it smells so good,” she says, practically moaning.
“I try,” Dan murmurs, sitting down and grabbing his chopsticks.
“I’m gonna eat the shit out of this,” she says.
Dan snorts, says, “That’s oddly sexual for the dinner table-”
“Shut up,” she says, rolls her eyes before indulging herself in the food.
They eat in a comfortable quiet, someone cracking a joke here or there. It isn’t awkward or uncomfortable. It hasn’t been for years, because they are a family now. They belong to each other in ways that “blood” simply cannot define.
“Thanks for the food,” Frances says after hugging both Dan and Aled goodbye. “I’ll see you guys soon, yeah?”
“Come over whenever,” Aled says, “and text us when you get home.”
“I will,” she says, smiling, and sweeps herself out the door.
A comfortable silence settles over the flat, and Aled turns to Dan, steps toward him gingerly. His face is flushed, and he has a slight smile on his face. He looks curious… excited. The flat is dim, with just enough warm light to allow them to see each other.
Dan can’t get himself to look away. Aled is so beautiful, illuminated in the soft golden light that emphasizes the roundness of his cheeks, the green of his eyes, the plumpness of his lips even as they stretch into a mischievous grin.
“You seemed excited for me to get home,” he says, stepping closer to Dan.
“I was.”
Aled steps even closer, says, “Oh? And why might that be?”
“Let me show you, baby,” Dan says, lifting his hand to cup Aled’s cheek. He strokes the skin gently, and when Aled nods, he draws it closer so that their lips can interlock.
It starts off chaste, but then Aled is licking desperately at Dan’s bottom lip, practically begging to be let in to lick and lick and lick. Dan pulls away, but their lips are still close enough to touch.
“Can I lift you up?” he asks.
“Yes.”
He slides his hands down Aled’s body, to his hips where he thumbs at the shirt and slips a hand beneath it, brushing a touch to that tattoo before pushing further to lightly circle Aled’s nipples. He draws the touch away the moment he draws a gasp from his boyfriend, down to the backs of his thighs to lift him up.
Aled isn’t particularly light but not too heavy. Dan loves that he can lift him up, and is glad that he has to actually try if he wants to. It reminds him that being in love with someone is active, and that it matters.
He kisses Aled again, and this time their mouths open and their tongues meet.
They stumble to their bedroom, stripping off clothes as they go. Aled presses Dan up against the wall when he’s set down on the floor, and Dan presses back until they fall over onto the bed, the one that they share, Dan straddles Aled just at the knees, kisses his neck as he works off the last piece of clothing between them. When their skin meets, it is warm and soft and home.
Aled lets out a breathy moan, says, “Please.”
“I’m gonna kiss you,” Dan says, gasping.
“You already have.”
“No,” Dan murmurs, biting a hickey into Aled’s collarbone. “I’m going to kiss you everywhere. I’m going to lay my lips on your tattoos, Aled. Gonna kiss them the way I know you want me to, yeah?”
“Dan…” Aled sighs, gives in to the pleasure.
“Say yes, baby. Please say yes.”
Dan is ready to beg. He wants Aled to feel loved and happy. He wants him to know just how beautiful he is. How much Dan cares.
“Yes, Dan, yes. Kiss me.”
And he does. He lays the first kiss behind Aled’s ear, on top of the tiny tattoo, and then trails his lips down the flowers and leafs patterned on his neck. The beginnings of the cityscape on his arms. The tattoos on his fingers, his knuckles, between his ribs. There aren’t any on his legs yet, but that first one on his hip is still there. Dan kisses it, too. He licks it, draws his tongue down.
Aled never fails to moan when Dan gets between his legs, uses his mouth to make him come undone. That night, they don’t fuck, they make love. Aled wraps his legs around Dan’s hips, and they kiss and when it’s over, they hold each other.
When Dan is just about to doze off where he rests on Aled’s chest, stroking his shoulder gently, slowly, until he almost stops, Aled speaks.
“We should get matching tattoos, yeah?”
They agree on something simple. A shovel and pale, like they used to play with as children. On the ankle. Aled kisses him and they fall into the blissful embrace of slumber.