Cassiel's breath caught in his throat. He had spent years hiding, shifting between forms, slipping through the shadows of this palace.
He believed that true love was a fleeting thing for men like him. Something stolen in secret, something that could never truly belong to him.
Yet, here was a prince, his prince swearing to carve out a future where their love did not need to hide in the darkness.
Cassiel's fingers slid into Angelus' hair, pulling him down into a kiss that was slow, deep, and filled with everything he could not yet say. A silent promise of his own.
Angelus groaned against his lips, pressing him deeper into the bed of melting ice, his hands roaming over Cassiel's bare skin, memorizing every inch as if he were mapping the kingdom he would one day change.
When they finally parted, both breathless, Angelus rested his forehead against Cassiel's once more, his fingers still tangled in his hair.
