It was reminiscent of one of those awkward, teenage first dates, punctuated with desire, curiosity, intent. Rossi wasn't used to moving quite this slowly, delicately, but he was also fully cognizant of when he needed to, and he needed to right now. This wasn't some blithe fling, there was depth of emotion, love, and that necessitated nurturing and care. It didn't mean he'd always move this slow, though.

He looked down at Reid's hand, stroking his thumb across the knuckles.

More than anything, Reid needed to believe how important this was to him, and he would communicate that as best as he could. He squeezed his hand, then raised it to his lips to kiss the knuckles. Awkward teenager Reid might be, but in contrast, Rossi was a libertine.