"It's just a small bite on the neck," Fenris said at long last.
Axel went quiet after that, his expression turning thoughtful. For a brief, tense moment, Fenris found himself wondering if he had said the wrong thing.
The silence stretched just enough to make doubt creep in. What if Axel changed his mind? What if the reality of it felt heavier than the argument they had just survived?
"What are the side effects?" Axel finally asked.
"It doesn't have side effects," Fenris replied. "It's just… after I mark you, it will mean we'll be bound together in a way we can't really stay apart. You'll be able to feel almost everything I feel, and maybe I'll regain some of my strength, so I won't be falling apart every time you're not around."
He didn't try to soften the weight of that. There was no point pretending it was casual. A mark wasn't decoration.
