"Well, that's just unacceptable." He stretches up and gives Cedric a kiss on the side of his mouth. Personally, he wouldn't be a huge fan of a tongue piercing on Cedric either; there's something about Cedric's wholesome boy-next-door look that would run at odds to piercings or tattoos or whatever.

There's always the haunting sensation that this is temporary. It's faded the longer they've been together, but the undercurrent of fear is still there. Howard thinks - hopes - that a few years longer and it'll be gone. Bumps like this make it temporarily worse, though. The way he's squeezing Ced's hand is more like a cling than anything.

"I don't know. I could use some comfort-snuggling. Since I didn't get to snuggle you much as a cat."