"You ready to go?" Carson asked as soon as Kyle had opened the front door.

It was early on a Saturday morning--way too early, if Kyle had anything to say about it, but he always did have trouble saying no to Carson. So here he was, barely awake, as he waved Carson into the house.

To his credit, Carson handed him a cup of coffee from his favorite coffee shop. Bribery, Kyle surmised, but he was going to take it without complaint.

"No, just grab your coat. I'm not coming in," Carson said.

Kyle blinked, confused. "Why not?" The coffee warmed his belly, and he was slowly starting to wake up. Carson got his order right--lots of milk with a dash of sugar for that hint of sweetness.

His eyes twinkling, Carson stepped forward, kissing Kyle on the lips. It was a quick kiss, barely a peck, and Kyle was definitely awake now. "Because we're never going to leave the house if I come in," Carson said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Now come on, let's go."

Kyle felt his cheeks heat up. He wasn't entirely opposed to the idea of staying in the house with Carson, if he was being honest. That sounded like a much better option than whatever it was Carson had planned for them. It felt like it had been forever since they spent any time in bed, and Kyle wanted to feel Carson on top of him, all over him.

"Stop, don't look at me like that. We're going on a date, baby. Don't give me those bedroom eyes," Carson replied, groaning.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kyle said, giddy, as he grabbed his coat from the rack near the door.

He put on his coat, zipping it up tightly before heading out of the house. He locked the door behind him, shivering as the cold air hit the back of his neck. It wasn't even December yet, and already, the weather was turning.

Turning to face Carson again, he got on his tip-toes and kissed him, clearly surprising the other man. Carson's surprise didn't last long, though, and he circled an arm around Kyle's waist.

"You're a tease," Carson whispered against Kyle's cheek. "I'm half tempted to push you back into the house now."

Laughing, Kyle kissed Carson again, letting Carson's scent wrap all around him. He loved the way Carson smelled--earthy, strong, and all man. Kyle had never been one to fall for an alpha's scent, but Carson had always been his one exception.

He could never get enough.

"Me? I'm the tease? Shouldn't I be the one saying that to you?" Kyle said, his breath hitching as Carson moved his mouth down to Kyle's neck, sucking on the spot just below his ear. "We could, you know--I have a perfectly good house. We could just stay in. Netflix, wine, my bed...I don't know what else we could need mo--"

Carson interrupted him with a kiss, hot and intense, and Kyle almost dropped his coffee cup. He moaned into Carson's mouth, enjoying the feel of Carson's tongue against him. Carson didn't just smell good, he tasted good, too, and it was like sensory overload for Kyle.

"We will. I promise you, I'm going to take you back to your house and take you apart," Carson said lowly, his voice deep and soothing. "Gonna make you moan my name. Gonna fuck you with my tongue, with my cock."

Kyle shuddered, unable to think of anything but the feel of Carson's dick inside him. He really, really wanted to stay in now.

"I'm gonna make you feel good, baby," Carson continued, nipping at his ear gently. "But right now, we're going to go on our date. I'm gonna treat you right."

Tilting his head to one side, Kyle gave Carson more access, whimpering as Carson took advantage and sucked on his neck. "You do, though, you do treat me right," Kyle said, his eyes closing as pain and pleasure mingled through his body.

"Fuck, Kyle, you taste so good," Carson said as he tightened his grip around Kyle. "You make me so fucking crazy."

"Let's stay in. Come on, Carson. Need you."

Carson licked a stripe up Kyle's neck, kissing his way back up to Kyle's lips, placing a gentle kiss there. "I know, baby. But this is going to be good, okay? I wanna do this properly."

Whining, Kyle nodded, pulling away slightly. "Then we should go now. If we're not coming back inside, you need to start walking or we're gonna give my neighbors a show."

Carson chucked. "No, no show. You're mine. No one else gets to see you." He slung his arm around Kyle. "Let's go, baby. Follow me. We're not going far."

"Where are we going anyway?" Kyle asked, curious. It was only now that he noticed the big, heavy-looking bag Carson had with him. "What's in there? Do you need help? It looks pretty heavy."

"You'll see. You trust me, right? We're gonna have a good day," Carson said. He picked up the bag easily, like it weighed nothing. "And I got it. You just drink your coffee."

Sometimes, Kyle forgot just how strong Carson was. "Thanks for the coffee, by the way."

Carson grinned at him. "No problem. I knew I needed to bribe you a little. It's a bit early, I know.”

It was 7:30 a.m. on a weekend. A bit early was an understatement, but Kyle let it go. He was too curious to see where Carson was taking them, even if he did still feel shaky from their kiss earlier.

They walked towards downtown, and Carson never once let go of him. Carson's hand on Kyle felt almost proprietary, and Kyle would be lying if he said it didn't turn him on a little. It was like he belonged to Carson, like he'd always been Carson's, and Kyle was going to keep basking in all the attention Carson gave him.

A few minutes later, they stopped in front of the community ice skating rink. Raising a brow, Kyle looked at Carson questioningly. "This is where we're going?"

Carson just smiled in reply, pushing him gently towards the entrance. "Come on, let's get you warm."

"Are they even open right now? It's early as hell."

"Trust me?" Carson asked as he pulled the door open for Kyle.

"Of course, always," Kyle said, because he did. He trusted Carson--even before they'd started doing this...thing between them.

They entered the rink, and Kyle was immediately taken back to their childhood. It had been a while since he skated, but the memories all came rushing back to him. The rink smelled the same--looked the same, too, and Kyle couldn't help but grin as they walked towards the ice.

"I don't have skates with me," Kyle said. He hadn't owned skates in forever, not since middle school, at least, when he'd last seriously played hockey. It wasn't that he missed the ice, not entirely, but being back in the rink, it made him itch to feel the ice under his blades again.

Carson kissed the side of his head. "I told you to trust me," he said, pointing towards the big bag he'd been carrying.

Oh. Of course Carson brought skates for them.

Kyle felt giddy, like he was a kid again, and he quickened his steps towards the ice. The rink was empty, but it was clear the ice had been recently cleared. He looked at Carson questioningly.

Carson chuckled sheepishly. "I may have rented out the rink for us."

"You rented out the rink? The whole rink?" Kyle spluttered. He couldn't believe it. It must have cost Carson a pretty penny to make sure they had the rink to themselves. "Are you crazy?"

Placing the bag on the bench, he sat down, tugging Kyle down with him. "Are you upset with me?" Carson held his hand, their fingers tangling together. "I thought you'd love it."

"I do love it," Kyle said quickly, bringing their hands up to his lips. He kissed their hands softly. "Thank you. This--this is amazing. How long do we have?"

Carson beamed at him. "Good, I'm glad. I thought you would--when was the last time you skated? It's been a while, right?" He opened the bag, procuring two pairs of skates. "I'm pretty sure this is your size--I double-checked with Nora. We have a couple of hours to do whatever. It's your call, baby."

There was a part of Kyle that still couldn't wrap his head around the situation. Carson rented the rink for him. No one had ever done anything like that for him before. It was the most thoughtful thing ever, and Kyle didn't really know how to respond.

There'd been a time when skating was his life, and he couldn't believe Carson remembered that.

"Thank you. I--this is a lot, Carson. Thank you," Kyle said. "It didn't hit me how much I missed skating until we walked in."

"There's nothing to thank. I wanted to do this for you. I wasn't sure if this was something you would have wanted, but I'm glad I made the right choice," Carson replied. He handed Kyle one of the pairs of skates in his hand.

Once upon a time, Kyle had dreamt about playing hockey professionally. He played hard, played well, and made hockey his life. But the older he got, the more he realized that hockey wasn't the most inclusive of places when it came to omegas.

It almost killed him when he made the decision to quit hockey in favor of focusing on academics. Sometimes he wondered if he made the right decision, but more than a decade and a half later, the pain had dulled and now he knew for sure, professional hockey wasn't the life for him.

He really shouldn't have stayed away from the ice, though. That much, he regretted.

Once his skates were on, Kyle didn't wait for Carson to take his first step on the ice. One glide on the fresh ice, and Kyle knew he was hooked again. The ice felt good under his skates, and he went for a loop around the rink. He stopped in front of the bench, holding out his hand for Carson.

Carson took his hand, and they skated side by side for a while, their hands clasped tightly together. Carson wasn't as good of a skater as Kyle, but that didn't matter. Kyle may have been a hockey player years ago, but right now, he had no desire to play hockey again. He wanted to stay just like this, Carson a step beside him, while they glided across the ice.

"I can't believe you did this," Kyle said, breathless, when they stopped to rest at center ice. "You're crazy."

Carson winked. "Good crazy, though, right?" He pulled Kyle towards him, his hands resting on Kyle's hips. They were standing so close, their lips just mere inches apart. "I wanted to make you happy." Carson said it so simply, like it was just an everyday fact, and Kyle's stomach warmed at his words.

"Definitely good crazy," Kyle said, quiet. "No one's ever done something like this for me before."

"That's because all the other guys you've dated before weren't worth you," Carson said fiercely. "You deserve everything."

Kyle blushed at the attention, needing to look away from Carson's penetrating gaze. "Oh, and you are? Worth me, I mean?" His tone was playful. They were getting too serious, too quickly.

Carson tilted Kyle's chin towards him, his hold on Kyle's hip firm. "I hope to be," he said, forcing Kyle to look at him. "I want to be worthy of you."

"Fuck, Carson," Kyle breathed. "You can't say things like that to me. Not unless you mean it." This was a whole side of Carson that Kyle had never experienced before. He didn't know how to deal.

He gobbled up all of Carson's words to him like they were a treasure. He wanted to hear more of it, wanted to hear just exactly how much Carson wanted him. Still, there was a part of him that was struggling with the idea that Carson actually wanted him right back.

He'd wanted for so long. He'd loved for so long, that the idea of Carson reciprocating his feelings was out of this world.

Carson kissed him gently, his lips warm on Kyle's, and Kyle felt like he was going to break.

"I mean it, Kyle. I know it took me a while to see things--to see you--but trust me, now that I have, I'm not letting you go." Carson pressed their foreheads together. "I love you."

Kyle swallowed visibly. Carson loved him? His body shivered beyond his control. This was what he wanted, right? What he was waiting for? He couldn't breathe, the air around them seemingly lost.

"Talk me to me, baby. Tell me you feel the same--that you feel it, too," Carson whispered. He cupped Kyle's face, peppering feather-light kisses all over.

Nodding, Kyle shut his eyes. "I do. God, Carson, of course I do. I love you," he said. He took a deep breath, nervous. He’d already started—he might as well go all in. "I've loved you for so long, I can't remember a time when I didn’t love you.”

Carson stilled. Kyle opened his eyes, hesitant, as he touched Carson's face. Fuck, he said too much, didn't he? The last thing he wanted was to overwhelm Carson. Kyle shouldn't have confessed everything on the table like that.

"How long, Kyle?" Carson said, finally, after a beat. He didn't look mad or upset, thankfully, just...pensive. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Kyle gave him a tight smile. He could back out, keep things casual, and tell Carson a lie now, but what good would that do? He needed to be brave. "Years," he said, trying not to let his voice crack. "I've loved you for years. Like I said, I can't remember a time when I didn't love you."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

A bark of laughter escaped Kyle's throat. "You're straight, Carson." He paused, reassessing his words. "Or were straight. You've never given any indication before now that you might love me back. You mean everything to me. I wasn't going to risk it."

Carson thumbed Kyle's cheek gently. "I'm sorry. I should have seen it earlier. I should've known," he said. His lips brushed against Kyle's, letting his tongue run over Kyle's bottom lip. "I know now, though, and I'm not letting you go."

They stayed like that for a while, arms wrapped around each other, as they kissed, their mouths fused together, uncaring of who might see them. When they broke apart, panting and out of breath, Carson brought them even closer. He kissed the top of Kyle's head.

"I love you." Carson said it like a promise.

Kyle felt his belly warm at Carson's words. He couldn't believe this man--his best friend, his everything--loved him back.

He clung on to Carson. He needed to feel Carson’s solid weight against him. He needed this to feel real. He didn't know it was possible, but it was like he was falling all over again for Carson. It was scary and exhilarating all at once.

“I’ve got you,” Carson said, as if he was reading Kyle’s mind. “It’s okay, baby.”

Kyle shed away all of his worries, his doubts, and his fears, allowing himself the one thing he hadn’t given himself permission to since this thing with Carson started.

He jumped into Carson’s arms, into Carson’s heart, and fell.