Arthur hesitated. “Is that—how do you feel about that?”
“I’m so glad,” Rory said, throat tight. “I’m so glad you’re gonna be okay. You asshole, you should’ve told me, I could’velostyou.”
He pulled, and Arthur let himself be moved, tugged all the way down to the bed next to Rory. Rory put his arms around Arthur’s neck and hugged him tight. “And I get why you didn’t know how to tell me,” he said hoarsely. “But I would’ve kept the link in you forever. I would’ve been happy to. You know that, right? You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I was never gonna leave.”
“But I didn’t want to force you to stay.” Arthur sounded so uncertain, his hands coming up like they wanted to hug Rory, and then dropping like he wouldn’t let himself. “I didn’t want to be your burden—”
Rory pulled back to look Arthur in the eyes. “Baby,” he said, dropping his voice lower and imitating Arthur’s accent, reaching for Arthur’s words from New York that he was gonna carry in his heart forever, “do I look like a man who feels burdened?”
Arthur broke into the first hint of a smile he’d had all night. He closed his eyes, shaking his head softly. “You are such a shit.”
“How do I look?” Rory said pointedly.
Arthur opened his eyes, so blue, even in the dim light. “Happy,” he whispered.
Rory kissed him, their lips moving together, his heart swelling with so much happiness that his eyes stung hot. “You gave me some of your aura,” he said against Arthur’s lips.
“I’m sorry,” Arthur whispered. “I’m mundane as a rock and you’ve got me in your beautiful magic—”
“Are you kidding me?” Rory pulled back again. “Ace, you’re saving me right back.”
“But I’ve changed you—”
“That’s what lovedoes,” said Rory. “The best kind of love makes us stronger by ourselves too. Meeting you changed my life. It changed me. And I like me better now.”
Arthur stilled. “Love.” He hesitantly reached for Rory’s face, then quickly dropped his hand to his lap before he made contact.
Rory put his hand over Arthur’s heart. “You don’t have to be a fortress,bello. Your aura needed help and my magic was there, right? The rest of me’s right here too.”
Arthur bit his lip again. “I don’t want the Puppeteer to have control over my life, even in death,” he said, quiet and tight. “But I keep seeing that moment you hit the railing. The look on your face—”
“That wasn’t you,” said Rory.
“It was my hands,” Arthur whispered. “My arms. My body.”
“But not your choice.” Rory carefully stroked the back of Arthur’s head. “That magic’s gone, okay? You’re in control. We don’t have to doanything, you got that? Only what you want to do.”
“I want to touch you.” Arthur’s fists were balled on his lap. “I just don’t think I deserve to anymore.”
Rory leaned forward and kissed him again. “I got an idea,” he told Arthur. “A great one.”
Arthur swallowed. He watched as Rory kicked off his sneakers and scooted up the bed, lying down with his head on the pillow. “What’s this great idea?” Arthur finally asked, wrapping his arms around himself.
“Maybe you need to remember what it’s like to be in control of your body.” Rory stretched against the pillows. “So I’m gonna just lay here and let you have that control. And if you happen to decide you want to remember that when you’re in control, you only use your body to make me feel good, well...” He shrugged. “I’ll let you go right ahead and do that.”
Arthur’s lips twitched in another almost smile. “You know, it sounds as if your great idea is you just lie there while I service you.”
“I’m a giver,” Rory said, and that got a bigger smile from Arthur. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked seriously into Arthur’s eyes. “But really, I only want what you’re comfortable giving.”
“What about you?” Arthur said, with deep emotion. “I want what makes you happy, and I wouldn’t blame you if you cringed from my touch for the rest of our lives.”
“Yeah, we got some healing to do,” said Rory. “But there’s no rush, right? We got as long as we both need, long as it takes. I’m not going anywhere.”
He licked his lips, butterflies in his stomach, and said, “I’m not going anywhere ever.”
“I’m not going anywhere ever either,” Arthur whispered. “And I hope you believe me when I say that, but it’s okay if you doubt, because I will keep proving it true.”
Rory swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat. “Yeah, well,” he said, a little gruffly, “I guess I kinda believe you’re gonna stick around if your subconscious was willing to give me some of your aura.”
