"You never mentioned that."
Dean's mouth curved, but it lost some of its brightness around the edges. "No."
"Why?"
The question came cleanly. No accusation in it. Just direct interest, which somehow made it harder to answer.
Dean looked away first, fingers still resting at the collar. "It's… not something I or my family talks about. Like you don't talk about your abilities and Nero and Sebastian about theirs."
"Fair." Arion said, tilting his head, one of his hands rising and catching Dean's fingers from the collar. He brought them to his mouth and kissed them. "But promise me one thing."
"If you talk about the marriage again in less than two months, I swear…"
"No," Arion chuckled. "Despite my lacunes, I'm not impatient, but I want to see you fighting when… you are less compromised."
He looked down at his still-recovering mate, and that alone took some of the easy brightness out of Dean's face.
