9. Strengthening Bonds

9

Strengthening Bonds

Merin

" I … I don't really like to talk about it much," he said, his voice low and rough with emotion. "My early years, I mean. It's not exactly a happy story."

Roman reached out, taking Merin's hand in his own and giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, love. But if you do want to share… I'm here. I'm always here."

Merin swallowed hard, feeling a sudden, overwhelming rush of gratitude and affection for the man beside him. Roman always seemed to know just what to say, just how to make him feel safe and understood in a world that had so often been cold and unforgiving.

"I was in foster care," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Jumped from home to home, never staying in one place for very long. I don't… I don't know who my real parents were, or why they gave me up. I guess they just… didn't want me."

He felt Roman's hand tighten around his own, a fierce, protective anger radiating off the half-fae in waves. "Then they're fucking idiots," Roman growled, his voice low and intense. "Anyone who could give you up, who could let you go… they don't deserve to be called parents. They don't deserve to have you in their lives."

Merin felt a lump forming in his throat, a sudden, overwhelming rush of emotion that threatened to spill over into tears. He blinked them back, taking a shaky breath and trying to steady himself.

"I… I had a rough time, in foster care," he continued, his voice rough and halting. "Never really felt like I belonged anywhere, like I had a real home. Until…" He paused, a wistful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Until I met this old couple, when I was a teenager. They took me in, treated me like I was their own flesh and blood. And when they… when they passed away, they left me their house. Out in the woods of Scotland, with nothing but the trees and the stars for company."

Roman smiled, a soft, understanding thing that made Merin's heart ache with love and longing. "That sounds perfect for you, love. A place to call your own, to feel safe and at peace with the world."

Merin nodded, feeling a sudden, fierce rush of gratitude for the couple who had given him so much, who had shown him what it meant to be loved and cherished and accepted, no matter what.

"It was… it is. I still go back there sometimes, when things get too crazy or overwhelming. Just to… to remember what it feels like, to have a place to call home."

Roman was quiet for a moment, his thumb rubbing gentle circles over the back of Merin's hand. "Do you ever… do you ever wonder about them? Your birth parents, I mean? Ever think about trying to find them, to get some answers or closure?"

Merin shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "No. No, I don't… I don't want to know. I mean, I used to, when I was younger. Used to dream about them coming to find me, telling me it was all a big mistake and they loved me and wanted me back." He swallowed hard, his voice breaking slightly on the last word. "But I know better now. Know that if they didn't want me then, they sure as hell don't want me now. And I don't need them. Don't need their love or their approval or their fucking excuses."

He looked up at Roman, his green eyes blazing with a fierce, defiant light. "I have a family now. A real family, with people who love me and accept me and would never, ever let me go. And that's enough. That's more than enough."

Roman leaned in, pressing a soft, gentle kiss to Merin's forehead. "You're right, love. You have a family, a pack that would do anything for you. And I'm so fucking grateful to be a part of that, to be here with you, in this moment."

Merin smiled, a soft, tender thing that made Roman's heart skip a beat in his chest. "Me too," he murmured, his eyes shining with love and gratitude. "Me too."

They finished their meal in comfortable silence, savoring the delicious food and the warm, intimate atmosphere of the restaurant. And when the last bite was eaten and the last drop of wine was drained from their glasses, Roman stood up, holding out his hand to Merin with a soft, inviting smile.

"Come on," he said, his voice low and filled with promise. "Let's go for a walk on the beach, just the two of us."

Merin grinned, taking Roman's hand and letting the Roman pull him to his feet. They made their way out of the restaurant, stopping to thank Peter and James for the incredible meal and the even more incredible evening.

And then they were off, hand in hand and heart to heart as they walked along the moonlit shore, the sound of the waves crashing against the sand and the stars twinkling overhead.

They talked and laughed and basked in the simple, perfect joy of being together, of having found each other in a world that could be so cruel and unforgiving. And as they walked, Merin felt a sense of peace, of rightness, settling over him like a warm, comforting blanket.

This was where he belonged. Where he had always belonged, by Roman's side, in Roman's arms, in Roman's heart.

And then, in a moment of pure, unbridled passion, Merin stopped, turning to face Roman with a fierce, blazing light in his eyes. He reached up, cupping the Roman's face in his hands and pulling him down into a searing, soul-deep kiss that stole the breath from their lungs and the thoughts from their minds.

When they finally broke apart, gasping and trembling and clinging to each other like they were the only things keeping them tethered to the earth, Merin looked up at Roman with a soft, wondering smile.

"Was that… was that alright?" he asked, his voice rough and breathless with desire.

Roman grinned, a wicked, heated thing that made Merin's blood sing and his body ache with need. "Alright? Fuck, Merin. That was more than alright. That was everything."

Merin felt a rush of heat, of want, surging through his veins like wildfire. He leaned in, pressing his forehead against Roman's and breathing in the scent of him, the taste of him on his tongue.

"Take me home," he whispered, his voice low and rough with need. "Take me to bed, Roman. I want… I want you. All of you, in every way possible."

Roman groaned, a low, desperate sound that made Merin's knees go weak and his heart race with anticipation. "God, yes. Yes, Merin. Let's get out of here. Let's go home."

They said their goodbyes to Peter and James, exchanging hugs and well wishes and promises to come back soon. And then they were off, hand in hand and heart to heart as they made their way back to Roman's car, the promise of the night ahead shining bright and beckoning in their eyes.

The drive to Merin's house was a blur of heated glances and lingering touches, of whispered promises and barely restrained desire. By the time they pulled up to the house, Merin was practically vibrating with need, his body aching and his mind spinning with the thought of finally, finally having Roman in his bed, in his arms, in his heart.

They stumbled through the door, lips locked and hands roaming as they shed their clothes in a trail of fabric and buttons leading to the bedroom. And when they finally fell onto the bed, skin to skin and heart to heart… Merin knew, with a bone-deep certainty, that he had found his forever. His home, his love, his reason for living and breathing and fighting and loving with every ounce of strength and courage he possessed.

Merin clung to Roman like a drowning man to a life raft, his fingers digging into the firm muscles of Roman's back as he poured every ounce of longing into the slide of their tongues and the press of their bodies.

"Fuck, Merin," Roman growled against his lips, his voice low and rough with desire. "I want you so fucking badly. Want to taste every inch of you, want to make you scream my name until the whole fucking world knows you're mine."

Merin whimpered, arching up into Roman's touch like a man possessed. "Then do it," he panted, his green eyes blazing with need. "Take me, Roman. Claim me, make me yours in every way possible. I'm yours, body and soul."

Roman's eyes flashed with a primal, possessive hunger that made Merin's blood sing and his body ache with want. With a low, feral growl, the half-fae surged forward, capturing Merin's lips in a brutal, bruising kiss that left them both gasping and trembling with the force of their desire.

Then they were moving, hands and mouths exploring every inch of exposed skin as they rocked and writhed against each other in a dance as old as time itself. Roman's fingers trailed down Merin's spine, leaving a blazing path of sensation that made him shiver and moan. Roman's mouth latched onto Merin's neck, sucking and biting, marking him as his own. Merin's nails raked down Roman's back, leaving red trails that only seemed to spur the half-fae on.

Roman's hands roamed over Merin's body, touching, caressing, claiming every inch of skin. His mouth followed suit, worshipping Merin's chest, his nipples, his stomach, with a reverence that made Merin's head spin. When Roman's hand finally wrapped around Merin's cock, stroking him with a firm, sure touch, Merin couldn't hold back the cry of pleasure that tore from his throat.

"God, Roman," he gasped, his hips bucking up into Roman's hand. "Please, I need you. Need you inside me."

Roman's eyes darkened with lust at Merin's words. "You want my cock, baby? Want me to fill you up, make you mine?"

"Yes," Merin whimpered, his body trembling with need. "Please, Roman. I need it. I need you."

With a growl, Roman flipped Merin onto his stomach, his hands gripping Merin's hips hard enough to leave bruises. Merin arched his back, offering himself up to Roman, desperate for the connection, for the claiming. Roman's fingers teased Merin's entrance, slick and gentle, but when he finally pushed inside, it was with a slow, deliberate thrust that left Merin gasping.

Roman filled him completely, stretching him, owning him. The sensation was almost too much, and Merin's fingers clutched at the sheets as he moaned, his body writhing with the intensity of it. Roman began to move, each thrust driving deeper, harder, hitting that spot inside Merin that made him see stars.

"Fuck, you feel so good," Roman groaned, his hands gripping Merin's hips tightly as he pounded into him. "So tight, so perfect. You're mine, Merin. Mine."

"Yes," Merin cried out, his body shuddering with every thrust. "I'm yours, Roman. Yours. Only yours."

Roman's pace quickened, his thrusts becoming more erratic, more desperate. Merin's own pleasure was building, coiling tight in his belly, ready to explode. Roman's hand slipped around to grip Merin's cock again, stroking him in time with his thrusts, and that was all it took to push Merin over the edge.

He came with a shout, his body convulsing with the force of his orgasm. Roman followed moments later, his own release tearing from his throat in a guttural groan as he filled Merin with his cum. They collapsed together, their bodies trembling and spent, but Roman's arms wrapped around Merin, holding him close, keeping him safe.

"I need you," Merin whispered, his voice raw and broken with emotion. "I need you so fucking much, Roman."

Roman pulled back slightly, just enough to look into Merin's eyes. His dark eyes were filled with a fierce, unshakable desire. "I need you too, Merin. With every beat of my heart, every breath in my lungs."

And then he was moving again, his hands and mouth worshipping Merin's body with a reverence and a hunger that left the seer gasping and trembling and begging for more. They fucked again, slower this time, but no less intense. Their bodies moved in perfect sync, chasing the pleasure and the passion and the sheer, unbridled ecstasy of being so completely, irrevocably joined.

When they finally reached the peak again, when they shattered in each other's arms with cries of rapture, Merin felt a sense of peace, of rightness, settling over him like a warm, comforting blanket. This was where he belonged, where he had always been meant to be. In the arms of the man who wanted him, who cherished him, who would move heaven and earth to keep him safe and whole.

As they lay there afterwards, their bodies tangled together and their hearts beating in perfect sync, Merin couldn't help but marvel at the twists and turns of fate that had brought them to this moment. To think that he, a lonely, broken boy from the foster system, could have found such a deep, unshakable connection with a man as incredible as Roman… it was like something out of a fairy tale, a dream come true in every sense of the word.

"What are you thinking about?" Roman murmured, pressing a soft, tender kiss to Merin's temple.

Merin smiled, nuzzling deeper into the half-fae's embrace. "Just… just how fucking lucky I am, to have you in my life. To have found this kind of connection with someone as amazing as you."

Roman chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that Merin felt all the way down to his toes. "I think you've got that backwards, sweetheart. I'm the lucky one, to have you by my side, in my arms, in my heart. You're a fucking miracle, Merin. A once-in-a-lifetime kind of connection that I'll never, ever let go of."

Merin felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, a lump forming in his throat at the raw, honest emotion in Roman's voice. "Promise?" he whispered, hating how small and vulnerable he sounded but needing the reassurance all the same.

Roman pulled back, cupping Merin's face in his hands and staring deep into his eyes with a fierce, unwavering intensity. "I promise, Merin. I swear on everything I hold dear, on every beat of my heart and every breath in my lungs. I will want you, will cherish you, will fight for you and stand by your side, no matter what the future holds. Always and forever, until the very end of time itself."

Merin surged forward, capturing Roman's lips in a soft, sweet kiss that held all the gratitude and sheer, unbridled joy he couldn't quite put into words.