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As Wylan's breathing began to return to normal, he rested his head on Jesper's chest. "Remember me now?" he teased.

"I always remembered you. Just … not your name. Or your face."

Wylan lifted his head, frowning in the darkness. "Then what did you remember?"

Jesper chuckled low in his throat. He rolled them over, capturing one of Wylan's hands in his, lacing their fingers together, and bent down to kiss him, slowly and thoroughly. When he drew back, he murmured, "I remembered that." He took Wylan's hand and brought it to his chest, and Wylan could feel him shiver as his fingers trailed across his skin. "And that."

"So you're saying if I had just kissed you when I saw you again, you'd have known who I was?" Wylan whispered.

"We'll never know, will we?" Jesper tried to laugh but caught his breath in a moan instead.

Wylan clucked his tongue, rolling them over again so he could kiss his way down Jesper's throat. "All that lost time …"

"I suppose we could … ah … make up for it now …"

"Way ahead of you."

Those were their last coherent words for some time. This time, when the fire had swept through them, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Jesper woke in the dimness of the workshop, reaching out an arm for Wylan. And kept reaching, finding nothing but empty covers. He sat up, his heart pounding. Had he done something wrong, said something wrong? Was Wylan punishing him for not remembering him? Being left in the morning twice in a row, by the same person, was a new experience for Jesper, but not the kind he liked.

He was unutterably relieved when Wylan, fully clothed, poked his head around the edge of the bed, smiling. "Oh, good, you're awake. Not a morning person, are you?"

"Not so much," Jesper admitted, leaning back into the pillows.

"Tea?"

"Yes, please."

"Hungry?"

Jesper smiled that slow smile that seemed destined to continue making Wylan go weak in the knees. "Yes, please."

"I meant breakfast."

"That, too." Jesper reached out a hand. "Come here."

Laughing, Wylan climbed onto the bed and let himself be kissed, and then rolled over and pressed into the mattress.

When Jesper would have pushed for more, Wylan stopped him. "I have experiments to check on."

"Tired of me so soon?"

Wylan ducked his head, hiding his smile, and climbed out of the bed, returning in a few moments with a hot cup of tea and some cookies.

Jesper sat up, sipping tea, listening to Wylan move around the workshop. "I suppose I should go check in with Kaz. I'm sure he has another plan by now."

"He sent a message, said he'd be here later."

"Did he know where I was?" Jesper asked, not sure why it felt wrong that Kaz might know, just that it did. Kaz would not approve; he was sure of that much.

"No. He said if I saw you, to pass the message along."

"Oh."

By the time Kaz arrived, followed by Nina but not Inej, and in a foul mood because of it, Jesper was up and dressed and wandering about the workshop fiddling with bottles and vials. "So how does it feel to be the new king of the Barrel?" he asked.

"Hardly king. Not yet. Even with a signed confession, Pekka could still wiggle out of the charges against him. And there is work to be done making sure his various holdings are accounted for and his men understand the changes that have been made …"

Kaz droned on, but Jesper had lost the thread of what he was saying, his gaze caught by Wylan's delicate hands. The memory of those hands on his body was so strong, so exciting, that for a moment Jesper was stopped short, all the breath gone out of him, unable to think of anything else.

Tonight, he thought in anticipation. But then it occurred to him that they hadn't spoken about tonight. Or tomorrow. Or … anything, really. What if Wylan didn't want a tonight? Or a tomorrow? Or even a today? He looked so serious, so focused, manipulating his chemicals.

No. That had been mutual, last night. Wylan had admitted to having wanted to stay that first night, leaving only because he had judged that was what Jesper would do.

Since Kaz was still talking, laying out all kinds of work for them, and appeared not to be paying attention to him, Jesper walked behind Wylan, pausing just long enough to lean over and whisper into his ear, "Come to my room tonight?"

Wylan was in the middle of pouring a very volatile powder. With the suddenness of Jesper's breath across his skin, Jesper's rich voice in his ear, he shivered. Apparently Jesper wasn't aware of just how powerful an effect he had. His hand shook, a few grains of powder threatening to escape the pour. Wylan got himself under control just in time, but that had been a close one. He could have blown up the table if any had spilled, or the entire workshop if he had dropped the vial.

Nevertheless, he nodded, because what was he going to do, tell Jesper Fahey no? Hardly. Not when the only thing he'd thought about since he woke up was going to bed with him again tonight. Only chemistry and the focus it required had been able to get his mind off the anticipation.

To his relief, Jesper moved off and appeared to be paying attention to Kaz, although those dark eyes wandered to Wylan's face and hands enough to seriously jeopardize his concentration, and make him wonder how many of Kaz's orders Jesper had actually heard.

He arrived at Jesper's new room in the Dregs Club just before sundown. Jesper had him up against the door, kissing him hard, almost before it had closed. He was in only pants and shirt, and even as his mouth devoured Wylan's he was working the buttons on his vest.

The lights were out already, only the faint glow of the streetlights from the window illuminating the room. Wylan was touched. Jesper Fahey was a surprisingly considerate and observant lover.

They tumbled to the bed. Last night had been a surprise, and they had come together in laughing delight, and later in a slow hunger. Tonight, with hours of anticipation behind them, was about desperate need, the fire burning through them hot and fast.

They lay together panting afterward, Jesper's face pressed into the curve of Wylan's neck and shoulder. "I've been thinking about that all day," he said breathlessly.

"You're lucky we got here. You nearly blew us all up this morning in the workshop."

Jesper lifted his head, blinking at Wylan in the dimness. "How? When?"

"When you whispered in my ear. I nearly dropped the vial I was holding, and that would have been … bad." Wylan was glad it was dark, so Jesper couldn't see him blushing as he admitted his lover's effect on him.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Then Jesper's voice dropped, low and throaty. "Wait, just my voice? Really. Well, isn't that interesting." He was practically purring in Wylan's ear now, the sound reviving all the desire that had felt so sated just moments ago. "I might have to remember that."

"I've—I've made a terrible error, haven't I?" It was hard to regret it too much, with Jesper's mouth at his ear and Jesper's hands starting to wander.

"I suppose that all depends on what you … want." He drew the last word out, breathing it into Wylan's ear, matching it with the movement of his hands, and Wylan moaned desperately.

Jesper chuckled in triumph.

This time, it was slow and intense, letting each other's desire rise and fall again and again, and they fell asleep still entwined, bonelessly satisfied.