The fifth kiss was slower.
Not urgent.
Not uncertain.
Just… natural.
Dominic kissed him like someone who had already decided he wasn't leaving again. Like someone who had finally stopped holding himself back.
Elias noticed the difference immediately.
Before tonight, every interaction between them had always balanced on a thin line teasing, tension, things neither of them quite said out loud.
Now that line had disappeared.
Dominic's hand was still resting against the side of Elias's neck, warm and steady. His thumb brushed lightly along Elias's skin as their lips moved together again, unhurried.
Elias felt his grip tighten slightly on Dominic's shirt again without realizing it.
Dominic noticed.
Of course he did.
When they finally broke apart, Dominic looked down briefly at Elias's hand.
"You're doing that again," he murmured.
Elias followed his gaze.
His fingers were gripping Dominic's shirt near his chest this time.
He released it slowly.
"That's an unconscious reaction."
Dominic smiled softly.
"You keep saying that like it makes it less meaningful."
Elias inhaled slowly.
"You're interpreting things again."
"I'm observing patterns."
"That's my field."
Dominic chuckled quietly.
"Apparently I'm better at it tonight."
Elias frowned slightly, though there was less resistance in his expression now.
Dominic leaned back against the desk beside them, studying him carefully.
"You know what just happened, right?"
Elias crossed his arms slightly.
"You kissed me."
Dominic raised an eyebrow.
"I kissed you?"
"Yes."
Dominic laughed.
"Elias."
"What?"
"You pulled me closer."
"That's debatable."
Dominic gestured toward him.
"You literally grabbed my shirt."
Elias opened his mouth to argue.
Then stopped.
Dominic smirked.
"Exactly."
Elias rubbed his temple again.
"This is getting ridiculous."
Dominic's voice softened.
"No."
He stepped closer again.
"This is getting honest."
Elias felt the now-familiar warmth settle in his chest again when Dominic closed the distance.
It was becoming dangerously comfortable.
Dominic noticed the shift.
"You're relaxing," he said quietly.
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm just adapting."
Dominic laughed softly.
"You sound like a machine learning model."
"That comparison is inaccurate."
Dominic tilted his head.
"Is it?"
Elias sighed.
"You're distracting me."
Dominic's smile widened slightly.
"That seems to be my specialty."
Another quiet moment passed between them.
Dominic's gaze softened as he studied Elias more carefully.
"You know something?"
"What?"
"I forgot how intense you are."
Elias raised an eyebrow.
"That's vague."
"No, it's very specific."
Dominic gestured toward him.
"You focus on things like the entire world disappears."
"That's how concentration works."
Dominic shook his head slightly.
"No."
His voice softened.
"You focus on people the same way."
Elias hesitated.
"That's not accurate."
Dominic smiled faintly.
"You're doing it right now."
Elias frowned.
"Doing what?"
Dominic leaned slightly closer again.
"You haven't looked away from me in almost two minutes."
Elias blinked.
He hadn't noticed that.
Dominic chuckled quietly.
"See?"
"That doesn't prove anything."
Dominic leaned forward until their foreheads touched again.
"It proves you're paying attention."
Elias felt his pulse pick up again.
Dominic's voice lowered.
"You've always looked at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you're trying to figure me out."
Elias answered honestly this time.
"I am."
Dominic smiled.
"You never finished."
Elias studied him for a moment.
"Neither did you."
Dominic's expression softened.
"Maybe that's why I came back."
The words lingered in the quiet lab.
Elias felt the weight of them settle slowly.
"You left without finishing the conversation," Elias said.
Dominic nodded slightly.
"Yeah."
"And now?"
Dominic stepped even closer.
Their bodies touched again, lightly but unmistakably.
"Now I'm continuing it."
Elias felt the warmth spread through his chest again.
"You're very persistent."
Dominic smiled faintly.
"You're worth being persistent about."
Elias looked at him carefully.
"You say things like that very casually."
Dominic shrugged.
"Just telling the truth."
Elias hesitated.
"You're unusually honest tonight."
Dominic chuckled quietly.
"That's because I stopped pretending."
Elias raised an eyebrow.
"Pretending what?"
Dominic's hand moved again, resting lightly against Elias's waist this time.
The new contact made Elias inhale sharply.
Dominic noticed immediately.
"Still sensitive to that," he murmured.
"That's irrelevant."
Dominic smiled.
"Very relevant."
His voice lowered slightly.
"You feel that every time I touch you."
Elias exhaled slowly.
"Yes."
Dominic blinked slightly.
That answer surprised him.
"You're getting very honest too."
Elias looked at him calmly.
"You said we should stop pretending."
Dominic's smile softened.
"Fair point."
The room felt quieter than ever now.
Outside the lab, the rest of the world continued moving.
But inside this room, time seemed to slow.
Dominic studied him carefully.
"You know what this feels like?"
"What?"
"Like we're finally catching up."
Elias frowned slightly.
"Catching up?"
"Yeah."
Dominic leaned closer again.
"On everything we didn't do before."
Elias's pulse quickened again.
"That's a broad statement."
Dominic's smile returned.
"Want to test it?"
Elias raised an eyebrow.
"How?"
Dominic didn't answer with words.
He simply kissed him again.
And this time, Elias didn't even pretend to hesitate.