[Milliways]: New York, New York

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus wasn't entirely sure the ring would work as a way for him to get to Steve's world, but he was going to give it a shot. If it didn't work, he'd explain it to Steve the next time they were both in the bar, and they could figure something else out.

His guitar slung across his back, Orpheus turns the ring on his finger and opens the door, pleased to find himself in Steve's apartment when he steps through.

Comments

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve closes his eyes and holds Orpheus tight, trembling a little as he listens.

[golden_lyre]

When he finishes, Orpheus buries his face in Steve's neck, arms wrapped tightly around him.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I love you too," Steve whispers and kisses his hair. "I love you so much."

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus just hums a response into Steve's neck.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve shifts again so he's not resting quite so heavily on top of Orpheus. He strokes Orpheus's back slowly.

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus shifts with him, curling against him. He nuzzles along Steve's jaw.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve almost asks him if he wants to go back to bed, but it's so lovely here, with the light started to get that afternoon gold and the couch just the right level of worn in, that he just goes on stroking Orpheus's back and sometimes his arm.

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus doesn't mind at all. He's perfectly comfortable right here, humming quietly.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve brushes Orpheus's hair back from his face and traces down his cheek.

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus closes his eyes, leaning into the touch.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve smiles and goes on caressing his face, over his cheekbone and the bridge of his nose, outlining his lips with the pad of his thumb.

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus kisses his thumb, smiling. "Lovely..."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"Yeah, honey?"

[golden_lyre]

"Have you...thought more about me living here?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

After a moment or two, Steve says quietly, "Yeah. I think about it a lot. I just don't know if I can keep you safe and that's always the thing that stops me. I mean, my identity is kind of a secret... but still, someone with the right know-how could still find me, and then find you... and then," he swallows and whispers, "then what would I do?"

[golden_lyre]

"Then you would find me," Orpheus says. "And you would bring me back. You can't lock me in a box to keep me safe, my love."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve looks at him for a long moment. "You keep telling me not to promise you that."

[golden_lyre]

"But you keep thinking it anyway."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve nods. "I do."

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus kisses him softly. "At any rate, you would try. You would try until you had no strength to try."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve nods again and looks away, his eyes filling.

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus brushes a thumb across his cheekbone. "And every day you are away from me here, I run the risk of losing you. Losing you and having no way of knowing where or how or what I can do to get you back."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"That's why I gave you that ring." He touches Orpheus's hand.

[golden_lyre]

"And if I come and go from here freely, how is that different than living here? Do you think people won't know? That they won't work it out just the same?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve wraps his arms and legs around Orpheus. "There. Locked up."