[As soon as their hands join he tugs on the link, trying to pull Abel closer to him across the bed. Bridge some of the distance. He wants to wrap himself up in the tangle of their bodies and forget about the events of the evening, drift off into the comfort of sleep and face tomorrow later. The stir of his own emotions over the bond reveals the extent of that deep affection, guilt, and exhaustion.]

Not really your fault. This is new to me too.

[A relationship, a real one. He threads their fingers together and enjoys the warmth of skin contact.]

I won't ditch you again like that. Promise. If I do then you've got every right to be mad. It's my real birthday now, right? [A glance at the clock shows it's dawn of the correct date, October 27th.] Once we've slept, let's spend the day just here with each other. Don't even have to get out of a bed.