Daniel thought it would be over after one time.
He had assumed Ethan would get whatever curiosity burned in him out of his system and move on, satisfied or overwhelmed. Either way, Daniel expected distance, maybe awkward silence.
But he was wrong.
Very wrong.
Because now Ethan looked at him like a starving tiger. And that cold, composed confidence Daniel usually wore like armor? It was beginning to crack.
Daniel lay back on the bed, breath still uneven, skin flushed and tangled in the sheets. He watched Ethan move around the room, calm on the surface… but there was a shift. A change in posture. In energy.
And then Ethan turned.
His gaze locked on Daniel — and they weren't soft. They weren't unsure.
They were focused. Intent.
Predatory.
Daniel's lips parted just slightly. "What's with the look?" he asked, trying to keep his tone steady.
Ethan walked slowly toward him. "I've been thinking."
"That's dangerous."
Ethan chuckled low, eyes glittering. "About this. About us."
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Regret it already?"
Ethan stopped just inches away, voice dropping. "Regret? Daniel, I haven't stopped thinking about it. It short-circuited my entire system. Like nothing I've ever felt before."
Daniel's usual composure faltered ; just for a second but Ethan noticed.
"And I don't want it to be a one-time thing," Ethan said. "I want you. Again. But this time… I'm taking the lead."
Daniel's breath hitched. "You think you're ready for that?"
"Let me show you." Ethan leaned in.
Before Daniel could even open his mouth to deliver a witty comeback, Ethan closed the distance between them, pressing a deep, sure kiss to his lips. The momentum shifted instantly — Daniel wasn't the one in control anymore. Instead, he found himself being gently but firmly backed toward the bed, his hands gripping Ethan's shoulders on pure instinct.
When they hit the sheets, Daniel ended up underneath, breath catching as Ethan settled above him, eyes dark with intent.
"Wait," Daniel muttered, surprise and a hint of disbelief cracking through his usual calm. "Hold up—"
Ethan's lips brushed along Daniel's jaw as he whispered, "You started this. Now it's my turn."
Daniel blinked, momentarily stunned. He'd thought hoped he could stay cold, keep his distance, maintain his dominance throughout.
But here he was, pinned, the roles reversed, his carefully constructed walls crumbling faster than he expected.
"Seriously?" Daniel tried, voice shaky but laced with teasing challenge. "You think you can take the lead? I'm still the one who's in control."
Ethan's grin was slow, wicked. "Control? You? You're the one lying beneath me, all flustered, trying not to melt. You're losing your cool, Daniel."
Daniel's heart thudded loud in his chest, and his usual composure faltered, even if he tried to mask it with a smirk. "You're getting cocky."
"Maybe." Ethan leaned down closer, voice a low growl. "But I like seeing this side of you all sharp edges dulling under my touch."
Daniel's breath hitched, caught between shock and something else; something electric and new. He thought he'd stay cold, untouchable.
Ethan was already proving him wrong.
Ethan's hands trailed down Daniel's sides, rougher and bolder than before. Daniel tried to keep control, but his eyes fluttered shut just a moment too long.
"Still playing cold?" Ethan murmured, voice low and teasing.
Daniel snapped his eyes open, trying to look unfazed. "You don't know what you're doing."
"I disagree." Ethan's lips brushed against Daniel's ear, warm and deliberate. "I've been with plenty of people. A lot of them. But none of it ever felt like this. You? You're something else."
Daniel swallowed hard, the heat rising in his cheeks. "You're just excited. That'll fade."
Ethan chuckled softly, pulling back just enough to look down at him. "Oh, Daniel… You really think this is just excitement? I've got hunger, patience, and maybe a little stubbornness. I'm not going anywhere."
Daniel's gaze flicked away for a moment, then back with a sharp smirk. "Stubborn? I'd say that's more your problem."
"Maybe," Ethan teased, tracing a slow finger along Daniel's jawline. "But it's a problem I like having."
Daniel's lips twitched despite himself. "Careful. Keep that up and I might start thinking you actually like me."
Ethan grinned, eyes sparkling with mischief. "I don't have to pretend. You're impossible to ignore."
Daniel's breath caught. "Impossible is my middle name."
"Good." Ethan's voice dipped lower, full of promise. "Because I'm just getting started."
Ethan's eyes darkened with amusement. "You really think I'd be looking at you like this if it was just excitement?"
Daniel said nothing.
Because now Ethan was fully on him; kissing, touching, pushing every boundary Daniel thought he had.
Daniel gritted his teeth, trying to focus. But Ethan's intensity, the heat of his body and the confidence in his grip, was different. Not just physical — emotional. Deep.
"Daniel," Ethan whispered, voice low and sincere, "you're beautiful, you know that?"
Daniel froze. Not because it wasn't true, but because no one had ever said it like that — like they meant it, like it was about everything beneath the surface.
"That's a cheap line," Daniel muttered, voice rough but trying to shrug it off.
Ethan smiled, cocky and unapologetic. "Maybe. But I mean it. And I'm pretty good at reading people. Especially ones who try really hard to act like they don't care."
Daniel's eyes narrowed, trying to keep that cool, detached mask in place. "I'm not 'acting.' You just don't know me well enough."
"Oh, I think I do." Ethan traced a finger slowly down Daniel's chest, fingers brushing against skin. "You're all fire and steel underneath that cold exterior. And trust me, fire's easier to fan than to snuff out."
Daniel shifted, biting back a retort, but Ethan wasn't done.
"Besides," Ethan continued, voice teasing now, "if I didn't find you irresistible, I wouldn't be doing this."
Daniel's jaw clenched, but a flicker of heat betrayed him. "You're very confident for someone who just lost control last time."
Ethan leaned down, lips brushing Daniel's ear. "Control is overrated. I'm here for the moments you can't fake."
Daniel let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "You're full of yourself."
Ethan grinned, clearly loving the reaction. "And you love it."
Daniel tried to glare, but his lips twitched into a reluctant smile.
Because somewhere in Ethan's arms, with that look in his eyes, Daniel realized something terrifying.
He was enjoying letting go.
Ethan saw the cracks in Daniel's usual armor. The vulnerability slipping through the carefully constructed mask.
With every slow, deliberate motion and breath, Ethan leaned in further, as if savoring the moment.
"You're not so cold now," Ethan whispered, voice dripping with amusement.
"Shut up," Daniel growled — but the edge was gone, replaced by something softer, something uncertain.
Ethan chuckled against his skin. "No, seriously. You're even hotter when you're flustered. Like you're trying to hold back a storm."
Daniel turned his head away, breath coming faster. "You're so full of yourself."
"Not full," Ethan smirked, eyes glinting with mischief. "Hungry. And you're the only thing on my menu."
Daniel's hand shot up — uncertain if he was pushing Ethan away or pulling him closer. His own body was betraying him.
Ethan caught the hesitation with a grin. "See? I'm already messing with your head."
Daniel tried to keep his face neutral, but his eyes flicked back to Ethan's. "Don't get cocky."
"Oh, I'm way past cocky," Ethan whispered, voice low and confident. "I'm downright dangerous when I want to be."
Daniel swallowed hard, heart thudding, caught somewhere between defiance and surrender.
Before Daniel could say a word, Ethan's voice dropped to a low, mischievous whisper right next to his ear.
"I'm going to put it in," he said, confident and teasing.
Then, without waiting, Ethan moved—slow, deliberate—and Daniel's breath hitched in a sudden, sharp moan, a soft, involuntary "ahhh" escaping his lips.
His eyes flew open, shock and something else swirling inside them.
Daniel's polished calm shattered in an instant.
Ethan's grin deepened, satisfied.
With every gentle touch and lingering glance, Ethan tore at the edges of that ice-cold façade.
"You think you're so composed," Ethan teased, fingers tracing slow patterns down Daniel's side. "But I see right through you."
Daniel's breath hitched, lips pressing into a tight line. "Don't be ridiculous."
Ethan chuckled softly. "Not ridiculous if it's true."
Slowly, the cold wall Daniel built around himself began to crack.
His defenses; practiced, polished, perfected — started to crumble, thread by thread.
Daniel caught himself shivering, though it wasn't from cold.
Ethan's hands were both demanding and careful, like he knew exactly how to push without breaking.
He shifted his hips slowly, each deliberate movement sending a shiver through Daniel's body.
"Relax," Ethan whispered, voice tender now. "I've got you."
Daniel's lips parted, caught between resistance and surrender.
With every subtle grind of Ethan's hips, Daniel trembled—small, involuntary shakes rippling through him.
He hated how much he wanted to believe those words.
The control he usually clung to was slipping.
And for the first time in a long time, Daniel let the cold melt away — just a little.