That shiver is lovely. So is watching David’s gaze take him in, the gentleness of his fingers against Balthier’s hair. It’s sweet, when he’s shy. Balthier presses his hand over one of David’s, interlacing the fingers and loving the heat of David’s touch with nothing between their skin.

“That is a much better reaction than I’d even expected,” he says, grinning as he leans in to kiss David again. Leave him hungry to look again later. “I was wondering if hair removal was more customer here. But I only had the one very attractive data point.”

There were a lot of other words in there Balthier understood from context but certainly had not heard before.

He kisses David again, just enough to tease, full and demanding but over too quickly.

“And I do believe that’s the first time you’ve called me babe.”