Troy took a moment to try and prepare Dalton for exactly what he would feel, but everyone described it differently and he was hoping Dalton would be one of those who went numb fast and just went with it. “I’ll do a bit and see how it goes.”
Dipping the tip of his gun into the black ink, Troy took a breath, splaying his palm over Dalton’s skin and stretching it, taking a moment for the fizz of them touching to die before placing the tip onto his skin, looking up for one last check and getting a smile back.
The first line was always the hardest one for anyone. Even if you’d had tons of ink done, you still needed to take a breath and relax after that first line. Troy made it a short one, and then checked Dalton. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” He breathed out and Troy continued, checking and pausing, wiping down the patch of skin and removing excess ink as he went.
Soon enough, they both settled into a rhythm, the hum of the gun and the small pauses when Troy would dip the needle into the ink gave them both breaks, and soon enough, forty minutes passed by with small talk and periods of comfortable silence which Troy presumed Dalton was using to compose himself before the needle began to pierce his skin again.
Troy wiped down Dalton’s shoulder again, looking over the thin lines of the Koi’s head before smiling at Dalton. “You okay to keep going?” He’d booked Dalton in for three hours, not knowing if he would stick it out, but Dalton finished sipping his water then nodded.
“It’s gone all hot and kinda numb, so go for it. It looks amazing.” He was beaming as Troy filled up his gun and started inking more of the curvy scales from the fish onto him. “You look so focused. It’s a cute look on you.”
Troy tried not to laugh, but one made it out and he paused for a second before starting up his work again. “Cute? Really? Not a word I have used on me often. In fact, never.” Troy laughed as he dipped the needle in the ink again.
“You have this little frown, and you stick your tongue out a bit when you're checking it over. That’s cute.”
Troy had to stop so he could laugh. “This will take longer if you keep chatting me up like this.”
“Is that what I'm doing?” Dalton met Troy’s eyes with a smile which was full of mischief plastered on his face and a twinkle in those eyes which didn’t often show.
“I like making you smile like that. It looks good on you.”
“It’s not happened in a while. Thank you.”
As Troy began inking again, they chatted about his dad, what he’d been like, all the good things they’d done together. It eventually came round to Troy’s family and he took the opportunity to evade the question by saying he needed coffee and a smoke. Dalton noticed he didn’t want to talk about it, and let the issue pass by, saying he needed a bathroom break and a coffee would be good.
Troy was in the kitchen, smoke still clinging to him as Dalton leaned against the wall, watching him stir in the sugar. “You want sugar in yours?”
“No thanks. Just a splash of milk.”
Troy didn’t get how people couldn’t have a ton of milk and sugar in coffee. He needed lots. Liam liked his black and no sugar, and Dalton wasn’t far off the same. It was another thing which made Troy consider the similarities in them both. Although different in many ways, they shared more than he wanted them to. Had he found another Liam?
The thought made him smile and hope he hadn't. There were things Troy loved and hated about Liam, the fact he disliked relationships being the main one he didn’t want Dalton to share. That jarred him again. He wanted to kick himself for thinking like that already. He had to slow down. He always moved too fast and Dalton wasn’t ready for more either.
“Here you go. How’s the arm holding up? Feeling sore yet?”
“Not really.” Dalton grinned as he looked over the ink work on him. “It’s so strange seeing that on there.”
“It looks good.” Troy moved closer, tracing the newly inked lines on Dalton’s shoulder, being careful to not place too much pressure on them, but happy there was no bleeding or raised scars. “You're handling it better than I thought. These hard muscles make it more painful.” He chuckled, remembering when he worked on Liam. He had two big block capitol pieces of writing on the underneath of each forearm. That was a sensitive place anyway, but Liam’s muscles made it feel even worse.
Troy realised silence filled the tiny kitchenette and he looked up, blue eyes on him, his breath halting in his chest. The world slipped into slow motion and he felt like he was watching them both from above.
Dalton moved those full lips to his, Troy taking in every detail about his face, his scent, the way he breathed, then they were touching him, moving against his own, and despite how much he felt he shouldn’t, Troy kissed him back, slow and tender, gradually pressing deeper but still keeping that softness.
Despite never opening their mouths, not delving into the other’s lips and searching out more, their bodies never connecting in any way other than their mouths, Troy felt floored by the way he reacted to Dalton. It wasn’t just physical, he was sure he’d have to cut his cock off for it not to jerk and rise in his jeans, but it was so much more.
“What was that?” Troy sighed, glancing at Dalton’s eyes and seeing exactly what he felt mirrored in them.
Dalton actually stepped back, shaking his head before running his hands over it. “I don’t know.” Taking a deep breath, he met Troy’s stunned gaze and smiled hesitantly. “I guess if we both feel it, that’s good, right?”
Troy closed his eyes, deliberately slowing his breathing down and counting to ten in his head. Was it a good thing? He didn’t know, but then neither did Dalton.
“Troy…” Dalton held his shoulder, a comforting shake bringing him round, and they stood chest to chest, both drowning in the other’s gaze as they stepped into another unexpected slow motion moment.
Before Troy could think of a smart reason to not do this, Dalton bent down, capturing his mouth in a firmer kiss, this one filled with more need, more confidence. Still slow and PG, Dalton took the breath from Troy’s lungs and the strength from his legs. Troy felt himself shake with the anticipation and nervousness. It was like he was on that pendulum again, swinging from one emotion to the next, one second wanting more, the next wanting to turn back time and change what was happening.
“Dalton,” Troy purred his name out between kisses, the sensual sound doing wonders on Dalton’s body, and they were captured up in a volcanic shift of fire, both of them reaching for the other, taking ownership, both moving as one until Troy felt his back hit the wall, Dalton’s body on his.
The guy felt like liquid—thick, warm honey pouring over every inch of Troy’s desperate body. He was everywhere. Troy could feel his body being filled by everything Dalton was offering and he took hold of it, cradling it in his arms and not wanting to let go.
This kiss was passionate, inflamed with lust and driven by a desperate, uncontrollable need, both of them on fire with the raging wave of heat flowing over them. Troy was unable to breathe, their breath shared, lips and tongues engulfing the other in a type of wild abandonment Troy had never experienced. It was the type of kiss you dreamed about, that you saw in films and wanted to experience but never found in real life.
In a moment of chaotic, overexcited passion, Troy began to unbutton Dalton’s jeans, working blind and just tugging them open, too desperate to touch what was coiled behind the fabric and hidden from view. Troy could feel the rigid length of Dalton’s cock pressing into his hand and it only made them both frantic for more.
Troy moaned when he felt Dalton rubbing the painful bulge over his own clothing. The zipper pressing into his cock was pulled down hurriedly, and before either could take a breath, they were holding each other’s burning erections.
Nothing about it was tender, it was wild abandonment, feverish and out of control. Troy came first, calling out as he spilled over Dalton’s fingers, only noticing Dalton rutting into his hands at the last moment, feeling his hot jets of cream cover his own hand. “Dalton!” Troy bit down on the tender flesh of Dalton's lip, arching into him as he spilled again.
The come down was a stark shock from the rampant actions of moments ago and Troy felt a little anxiety creep into him. He moved to separate, but found Dalton’s arms circling his waist, and they looked at each other for a short moment before Troy hid his face in Dalton’s neck, laughing at the wonderment and astonishment in Dalton’s eyes.
“Troy… Is it too late to ask you to join me for dinner?”
“Too late?” Troy laughed. “You mean time-wise, or the fact we just completed the end of the date before the actual date?”
Dalton rubbed his cheek against Troy’s and chuckled. “I guess both apply, but I was thinking about time. Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, I'm always hungry.” Troy shifted slightly, still embarrassed and unsure what to do, but Dalton seemed confident holding each other was the right way to go so Troy went with it.
“Do you like Thai?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I know the perfect place. Let’s, erm, clean up and get going.”