Two months later

Landon leaped off the couch as soon as the knock came, but neither cat as much as moved. They knew who it was.

“Did it come?” Bailey asked as soon as Landon let him into the apartment. Some neighbor kids down the road were playing with fireworks that were probably illegal and the muggy early July air followed Bailey in.

“Yup.” Landon gave him a fast kiss before Bailey dumped his bag on the floor by the couch. “Delivery guys just left.”

“Awesome. Do you need help with getting it set up?”

“Eager much?” Landon laughed as he led the way to the stairs. They’d both had to work late for a Friday, but he knew neither of them would be able to settle down and eat until he showed off the new arrival. “And nope. I got sheets on and everything.”

“Awesome. I liked the pattern you picked a lot.”

“We picked.” It was silly, getting sentimental over a trip to Target and the purchase of bed linens, but still mattress shopping together had felt momentous somehow. And when the delivery guys had set up his new king-size bed, he hadn’t felt nervous for tonight. Just excited.

“Wow. It’s huge.”

“So you’ve said,” Landon drawled. The bed did take up a lot more space in the small room, and he’d had to move the dresser to accommodate it, but it would be worth it. Hopefully. Since Bailey’s move back to LA, he’d slept over, but usually one of them took the couch or the futon in Landon’s office after dozing together post-sex. Landon had been too nervous to try the all-night, intentional bed-sharing thing again, but he felt ready now.

They were ready. They’d been through a lot in the last few months, grown even closer than he’d thought possible through a steady diet of shared meals and late-night talks and adventures around town.

Not one to hold back, Bailey went to sit on the new blue striped comforter, bouncing a little on the pillowtop mattress.

“You’re cute.” Straddling his thighs, Landon pushed him back. “I can’t decide how best to break the bed in. Pillow fight?”

“I’ve got better ideas.” Bailey captured his mouth in a kiss. As always, he let Landon decide how fast to ramp things up, mouth pliant and welcoming. Tonight, Landon was in an aggressive mood, and he used his mouth and tongue to tell Bailey how excited he was for this, how much he needed him, needed this.

“You always do have good ones.” Landon nibbled all the sensitive spots he’d memorized on Bailey’s neck. “And I love you for it.”

It was weird. He wasn’t exactly sure when he’d first started using the L-word, only that at first it was this huge, scary thing to be avoided and then the word was slipping into conversation easy as can be, as if they’d always felt that way about each other.

“I love you too,” Bailey laughed as he pulled him back up for another kiss. “But I love you more naked.”

“I can take a hint.” He sat back enough to pull his T-shirt off, then stood and pushed his cargo shorts down. Bailey scrambled out of his own clothes, adorably flustered.

“How do you want me?” Bailey asked as he flopped back on the bed, naked now.

“Right here. In my bed.” Landon kept his tone light to disguise the swelling emotion in his chest. This was exactly what he wanted, Bailey in his bed, forever. Stretching out next to Bailey, he gave him a lingering kiss before palming his cock. “And you know what I like. I’m feeling the need to test my lung capacity again.”

“You and your experiments.” Bailey laughed. “If you want that, I want to try that idea I had a few weeks ago, just without the too-small bed and one of us landing on the floor part.”

“Dude. That was the least graceful sixty-nine ever.” Landon bit his stomach as he moved south. Not everything they tried worked out perfectly, and that was okay. They’d had a good laugh over the failed sixty-nine attempt. And sometimes things needed a second try, with better preparation, like this whole sleeping together thing. He was happy to indulge Bailey in this. “And sure, bigger bed might make it less likely for you to get beaned in the head.”

“You sound so confident.” Bailey scooted to the middle of the bed, giving Landon ample room to roll to his side while continuing to nip at Bailey’s stomach, stopping short of his straining cock. “Now give me that cock.”

“Fine. Fine.” Landon moved closer at the same time that he finally gave in and licked Bailey’s cock, loving how that made him shiver. “I think you’re just afraid you’ll get bored when I do this.”

He swallowed Bailey as far as he could in one fluid motion, then breathed and lowered his mouth the rest of the way down. Bailey’s response was to reach for Landon’s cock.

“Not bored. Definitely not bored. Never getting tired of that.” Bailey’s voice was breathless but happy. “I’d say you should give lessons on how to do that, but I’m not sure I’d want the competition.”

“Dork.” Landon pulled back and lightly bit the inside of Bailey’s thigh. “You have all my affections. For always. And I like that thing you do with your hand about as much as you like my mouth, so we’re even.”

Bailey’s hand was big and strong, and he was very good at using different grips to drive Landon out of his mind. He also was talented at coordinating his mouth and his hand, which he did right then, sucking on the head of Landon’s cock while he jacked the shaft.

“Fuck. That. Feels so good.” Landon moaned and momentarily forget he was supposed to be sucking Bailey. He made up for it by swallowing Bailey’s cock deep, nose tickling his balls, doing what he loved and holding the cock deep as long as he could. Bailey cursed and sputtered and lost whatever rhythm he’d had with Landon’s cock. Which was good. Making each other crazy was the whole point of this little endeavor.

“Do you practice this in the tub or something?” Bailey’s thighs tensed, and Landon knew he was working hard to not move or thrust. He kept stroking Landon’s cock, tongue taking lazy swipes at it from time to time, which felt amazing.

“Nope. Just on you.” Landon pulled back for a breath. “I want to go deep again and you can fuck my throat. But slowly, okay?”

“This was a terrible idea,” Bailey groaned. “I’m not sure I can get you off before you make me lose it.”

“Okay, this was definitely worth a second try.” Giving a wicked laugh, Landon went deep again and held, relaxing his throat and urging Bailey to thrust with a hand on his thigh. They’d done this enough that he totally trusted Bailey to go slow and not choke him. And he absolutely loved the sounds Bailey made as he pushed forward. The noises were almost better than whatever Bailey was doing with his hand.

Landon swallowed around the cock, using his tongue to milk the shaft, and Bailey cursed low and fervently as he started a slow slide forward and back. He kept jacking Landon with his hand, which gave Landon even more of a rush than normal.

“Fuck. Fuck. I’m close. Not sure how, but I’m close. Fuck. You’re unreal.” Bailey babbling was the most fun thing ever and Landon hummed his approval as Bailey gave him a chance to suck in a breath before thrusting again. Wanting to get Bailey over the edge before his hand shredded Landon’s control, he got a hand on Bailey’s balls. A little tug and—

“Fuck. You do not play fair. Oh. Oh. Fuck. Coming.”

Landon swallowed him down before pulling back with a laugh that turned to a squeak when a newly-energized Bailey licked his cockhead while stroking him hard and fast. He was already close after blowing Bailey, the satisfaction of getting him off humming in his veins. Plus, Bailey had this move where he used the tip of his tongue on the underside of the head while his thumb swept back and forth against Landon’s balls, and it made Landon shudder and ride the edge of orgasm.

“Do that again. Please.” His eyes squished shut as Bailey complied, and the pleasure hit in a sharp burst. Orgasm with Bailey was just so damn fun, the way Bailey laughed even while swallowing. He loved the triumphant sound Bailey made when he pulled away.

“Okay, so like our timing needs some work, but no one got concussed, so that’s a win, right?” Bailey patted Landon’s thigh. “Go ahead, say it. I have good ideas.”

“You do.” Landon nipped at Bailey’s stomach before—carefully—flipping so they were face-to-face. “And I’m not sure the bed is sufficiently broken in yet. That was fast. I may need to fuck you after we eat something.”

“Consider me willing to happily sacrifice for the noble cause.” Bailey grinned at him.

“I love you, goofy.” Landon kissed his cheek. “Thank you for trying again.” His voice was thick and he didn’t just mean the sex or the bed. He was so damn grateful that Bailey had given him a second chance, had been willing to try and make this work. And they had.

“Always.” Bailey rubbed his arm. Fuck. This, this right here was exactly where Landon wanted to be.

“Bailey?”

“Yeah?”

“Someday, soon, I’m going to ask you to move in.” Landon’s chest hammered, but in a good way.

“Someday, soon, I’m going to say yes. And ask for our own Street Fighter machine.” Bailey beamed at him. Bailey had been living with his parents to save money after moving back, but he knew that this had been in the back of both of their minds as a possibility. And it was one that Landon increasingly wanted. Savannah and Rachel were taking the plunge themselves, moving in with Rachel’s mom, and he knew that soon it would be their turn.

“Sure. Twist my arm on the game.”

“And a dog.”

“Hey now. What?” Landon blinked.

“We should totally adopt a dog together. Not now, but someday. Some old tolerant soul who will let Thor rule the roost and Loki scheme.”

“You do have good ideas,” Landon allowed. He liked the vision of them going off to the shelter too much to say no. “Even the crazy ones. You know Thor probably heard you, right? Watch your shoes this weekend.”

“I’m willing to take the risk.” Bailey gave him a soft kiss on his mouth. “And my mom is probably going to write you a thank-you card. Just, you know, fair warning. For when you ask and all.”

“Consider me warned.” He did his best imitation of Bailey’s deeper voice, which made them both dissolve in laughter.

And that, goofiness and all, was the perfect moment, the singularity he hadn’t known his life needed. He’d told Bailey that “Eureka” moments didn’t happen, but this was his—his best, most awesome discovery. The one he couldn’t wait to tell the world about. The one worth waiting for, worth fighting for. And that was exactly what he intended to do—fight to make this work. Bailey had helped him to see the big picture for his life, and he’d do whatever it took to ensure the variables all added up to the future he now wanted for both of them. And he knew, with laser certainty, that this time they were going to get it.

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