That night, they lay together in Kieran's bedroom—a space that somehow managed to be both luxurious and minimalist, with a bed large enough for four people.
Adrian was hyper-aware of every point where their bodies touched. Kieran had changed into simple sleep clothes, and Adrian wore one of Kieran's shirts that was comically oversized on him.
"Do you actually sleep?" Adrian asked, staring at the ceiling.
"Sometimes. It's more like meditation. But I can if I want to." Kieran turned to look at him. "Why? Am I making you uncomfortable?"
"No. The opposite, actually. I feel like I should be uncomfortable—you're a vampire, we just met, I literally watched you kill dozens of people tonight—but instead I feel..." Adrian struggled for the words. "Safe. Like this is where I'm supposed to be."
Kieran's hand found his in the darkness. "Soul recognition. Your subconscious remembers what your conscious mind doesn't."
"Is that why I want to..." Adrian trailed off, blushing.
"Want to what?"
"Nothing. Never mind."
Kieran propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at Adrian with those storm-gray eyes. "Tell me."
"It's stupid."
"Tell me anyway."
Adrian took a breath. "I want to touch you. Like, everywhere. I want to map every inch of your skin and learn what makes you sigh and figure out if vampires even feel pleasure the same way humans do. And I know that's crazy because we just met, but it doesn't feel like we just met, and—"
Kieran kissed him, cutting off his rambling.
It started soft, gentle, but quickly deepened into something hungry. Kieran's hand slid into Adrian's hair, angling his head for better access, and Adrian made a sound he'd be embarrassed about later.
"We don't have to—" Kieran started when they broke apart.
"I know. But I want to. Do you?"
Kieran's laugh was strained. "Adrian, I've wanted you for a thousand years. But I need you to be sure. This isn't just physical for me. It's never been just physical."
"It's not just physical for me either." Adrian pulled Kieran back down. "I'm sure. I want this. I want you."
What followed was slow and careful and overwhelming in the best way.
Kieran touched Adrian like he was precious, like he might disappear if not held gently enough. His hands were cold but careful, tracing patterns on Adrian's skin that made him shiver.
"You're so warm," Kieran murmured against Adrian's neck. "I'd forgotten what warmth felt like."
Adrian's response was incoherent because Kieran had found a spot just below his ear that apparently had a direct line to his brain's pleasure center.
They explored each other with reverent touches, learning the geography of new bodies that somehow felt familiar. Kieran mapped every freckle, every scar, every place that made Adrian gasp. Adrian traced the lines of Kieran's muscles, the sharp cut of his hipbones, the spaces where a heartbeat should be.
"Your heart's racing," Kieran said, pressing his palm flat against Adrian's chest.
"Whose fault is that?"
"Mine, I hope."
Adrian pulled him into another kiss, deeper this time, more demanding. "Definitely yours."
They didn't go further than heavy petting and grinding that left them both breathless (well, Adrian breathless; Kieran didn't technically need to breathe, but he was doing it anyway). But it was enough. It was perfect.
After, they lay tangled together, Adrian's head on Kieran's chest, listening to the absence of a heartbeat.
"Does it bother you?" Kieran asked quietly. "That I'm dead?"
"You're not dead. You're just... differently alive." Adrian pressed a kiss over where Kieran's heart should be beating. "Besides, this doesn't feel dead. This feels more alive than anything I've ever experienced."
Kieran's arms tightened around him. "I love you. I've loved you across lifetimes, and I'll love you in whatever comes next."
Adrian should have been scared by the intensity of that declaration. Instead, he felt something settle in his chest, like a piece of himself he hadn't known was missing had finally clicked into place.
"I think I love you too," he whispered. "I don't know if it's Adrian loving Kieran, or Elias's soul remembering, or both. But it's real."
"That's all I need."
They fell asleep like that—one breathing, one still, both finally at peace.