The hospital celebrated well into the night—as much as they were able to around treating patients, at least.

Someone’s phone was docked at the nurse’s station, their iTunes library blaring as medical staff and patients alike made the most of the good news. Spirits were high and soaring ever higher as the night went on, and Kyle was wrapped up in the best of it, feeling more at home than he had anywhere else in his life.

Except for the fact that something was missing. Or rather, someone. He thought he’d seen Wes at first, going about his work, moving along the outskirts of the celebration. But then he’d just disappeared, and that hole in Kyle’s heart that had been carved out long before Rebecca’s betrayal took keen notice.

His enjoyment faded after that, and he spent a good half hour searching for Wes, eventually making it full circle back to the nurse’s station.

“You haven’t seen Dr. Monroe around, have you?” he asked Vivian, who was in the middle of dancing to a Supremes song.

“Oh he left a while ago.”

It hurt to think Wes had just vanished without even saying anything to him, but then… Kyle hadn’t exactly made his feelings known yet. He’d focused on the hospital first, assuming Wes would be there once that was resolved. Now, because of his foolishness, he might have lost the man forever.

“You did a number on him, you know,” Vivian said, still moving to the music. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he actually sees nurses as people now.”

She winked, making it clear she was joking, but Kyle’s smile was tight. “I didn’t do anything. Wes made his own choices.”

Vivian nodded, the motion eventually moving in time to the music. She extended her hand when a patient walked up, letting them pull her into a dance.

Calling over her shoulder, she said, “Are you gonna hang around here all night, or are you going to go get your man?”

His shift was already over, and he didn’t want to celebrate if he couldn’t do it with Wes. There was nothing keeping him here, and everything pushing him toward the man he loved. The choice was easy, and Kyle’s expression softened.

“See you tomorrow, Viv,” he said, heading to his locker just long enough to get his phone, wallet, and keys before he made his way to Wes’ place.

The drive was one he remembered, and his heart pounded as he pulled into the parking lot. He took the elevator up, stopping before Wes’ door and gathering his courage. There was a chance Wes would reject him. Kyle had been convinced things were over between them, after all. But he wasn’t going down without a fight, and he knocked on the door with a firm, steady hand.

He was still thinking of what he’d say when Wes appeared, wearing a loose, sleeveless shirt and sweatpants. He hadn’t shaved the beard growth from the last few days, his hair was a mess and his clothes were rumpled from what was likely a nap, and his gray eyes took in the sight of Kyle with a mix of surprise and relief.

It was too much for him to resist and he decided not to say anything at all, instead opting for the more reckless path that better expressed why he’d come. His hands moved to the sides of Wes’ neck, his thumbs brushing over the man’s stubbled jaw as he drew past the threshold and kissed him, passion and heart blending as their lips met.

Wes was still for only the briefest moment before his own arms came around Kyle, pulling him flush against his body as he returned the kiss.

It was the answer Kyle had been hoping for, and he savored that kiss as long as he possibly could, reacquainting himself with the feeling of Wes’ lips—soft to the touch, yet firm against his own—and the scrape of his stubble. He relished the way it felt to be in Wes’ arms, the taller man fully enclosing him, his fingers curled in Kyle’s scrubs.

When the need for breath became overwhelming, Kyle finally broke the kiss, pulling back just enough to look at Wes. The two traded breaths for several moments before he said, “You left without saying anything.”

Wes let out a soft breath through his nose. “I didn’t want to spoil the celebration.”

The hand resting at Wes’ neck moved up to cup his jaw. “You’re part of the reason there’s anything to celebrate at all,” he insisted, “but that’s not what I meant.”

Wes searched his eyes for a long moment, the steely grey seeming to lighten as he did. “I… wasn’t sure where you and I stood. I’m not exactly the easiest person to deal with, in case you hadn’t noticed.” His lips curved into a slight smirk. “I either close myself off completely or I get way too close. There’s no in between.”

If this was Wes’ attempt to ward him off, it was a weak effort, and Kyle made his own position clear by kissing him again. Not as long this time, but just as sweet, the taste of Wes lingering on his lips.

“It’s not a fault to be invested, Wes; to care about people the way you do. It’s… one of the things I love about you,” he admitted, a shy smile overtaking his confidence.

Wes’ eyes widened slightly, and when the light caught them they almost looked pale blue more than the grey he’d thought them to be.

“You heard me,” Kyle said softly. “I love you. I don’t know if you feel the same or not, but—”

“I do,” he said quickly, his expression so close to incredulous. “I do.”

Wes’ fingers curled more tightly against Kyle’s back, drawing him even closer, their bodies pressed against one another. He swore he could feel the other man’s heartbeat in that moment, and his own heart squeezed in recognition when Wes bent to kiss him.

While the last two kisses had been sweet, this one conveyed a flood of emotion that threatened to overtake Kyle. All he could do was hold on to Wes and return it, his lips and tongue meeting the other man’s, the warmth of Wes’ body drawing him in.

He hadn’t even realized the door was still open until Wes reached behind them to close it—and then promptly backed him up against it, the breath temporarily leaving him. He followed with another kiss, this one with more intent behind it, a fact that made Kyle very aware of how closer they were.

There were times when he might have preferred a slow seduction, but right now, he needed to be as close to Wes as possible. So close that even being flush against him wasn’t enough right now. His arms slid over Wes’ shoulders, hands locking behind his neck as he hooked one leg over the man’s hip. Wes complied easily, moving his hands to Kyle’s thighs to support him, lifting him up so that his legs wrapped around Wes’ waist while the taller man pinned him against the door.

They kissed until they were both breathless, pushing past the discomfort just so they didn’t have to break apart. But even when their lips left one another, their mouths found other ways to stay occupied. Wes kissed along his throat and neck as his hands slid under Kyle’s scrub top and over his abdomen. Kyle drew the lobe of Wes’ ear into his mouth as he rolled his hips against the man, desperate to feel him.

And desperate to get out of what had become very constricting clothes.

Wes must have felt the same, because he moved his arms under Kyle’s ass and lifted him up, away from the door. Kyle let out a soft, surprised yelp, then buried a laugh against Wes’ neck as he was carried through the living room.

His cheeks burned, but once he recovered his dignity he took full advantage of his position, drawing Wes’ bottom lip into his mouth, making the man groan and forcing him to push Kyle up against the nearest wall.

“Keep that up and we won’t make it to the bedroom,” he said with a growl, nipping at Kyle’s jawline.

“I don’t see the problem here.”

Wes looked up at him, his eyes almost molten, sending a shiver racing down Kyle’s spine. “As good as fucking you against this wall sounds, I don’t think it’s a long-term solution.”

His voice was deep and thick with need, and Kyle shuddered as he unpacked all of the delicious promises in that sentence. There was no doubt in his mind they’d keep going until they just couldn’t anymore, but those two words—”long term”—spoke of something that would last beyond tonight, too.

“Don’t let me stop you, then,” he said, some of that sass coming out.

Wes smirked and gave his ass a punishing squeeze before he returned his mouth to Kyle’s and stumbled toward the bedroom. It was a wonder they even made it over to the bed, but Kyle soon felt himself being lowered with Wes following on top of him, unable to part from him.

Clothes were handled without too much thought from that point, shirts tossed aside, pants tugged down after some careful maneuvering. Kyle kicked off his shoes and was focused on getting his socks off when Wes started kissing his way down his bare torso, leaving fire in his wake.

He moaned, burying his hands in the man’s messy dark hair, his hips lifting off the bed as Wes moved ever downward. There wasn’t any preamble this time. In the space of a breath, Wes pulled his cock from his boxers and took him into his mouth, sucking with a frenetic energy that made Kyle’s dick throb.

He threw his head back, giving in to the sensation of Wes’ hot, wet mouth closing tight around his shaft. And when Wes took him deep he cried out, something inside of him tightening to an almost painful point, that frenzied, needy energy transferring freely.

Kyle’s fingers curled hard in Wes’ hair and he pulled the man’s head up into a hard kiss. He took everything Wes gave him and then some, rolling so that their positions were switched. When the kiss broke, he struggled out of his own underwear and pulled down Wes’ as well, coming back to the man to grind his naked body against Wes’ before he moved downward, taking Wes’ thick cock into his mouth with a confidence he hadn’t possessed before.

There was no finesse in it. No teasing strokes. There couldn’t be this time; they needed each other too much. Kyle simply made the most of what he’d learned from the internet, his tongue pressing against the underside of the head as he sucked. He reveled in Wes’ moans and the way his thighs twitched as he tried to control himself, but there came a point where it just wasn’t possible anymore.

“I need you,” Wes breathed, his blunted nails digging hard into Kyle’s shoulders as he urged him back up.

Their mouths met, Kyle’s knees pressing into the mattress on either side of Wes’ hips. Wes’ hands gripped his ass, pulling him into a rhythm as Kyle ground against him, his cock slick with saliva and precum.

“Then take me,” Kyle goaded, biting down on Wes’ shoulder before instantly laving the spot with his tongue, earning a hiss and a shiver from the man who writhed beneath him.

One hand remained on Kyle’s body, tracing a feverish caress over his ass to his back, while the other reached out behind Wes at an almost impossible angle. Kyle heard a drawer open, followed by some fumbling, and he reached out to help Wes grab the lube and condoms.

Neither of them were particularly deft. Lube got on Kyle’s thighs and Wes’ stomach, and one of the condoms was ripped in the process of trying to open it. Kyle could only help but laugh, catching Wes up in the joyous amusement of it all until they were both nearly breathless.

But when their eyes met again, a calm settled over him, mixing with a deep need to be connected to this man, now and always. His hands moved to frame Wes’ face and he kissed him slowly, deeply, that ache returning as his heart squeezed in his chest.

Wes’ hands moved between them and he slid the condom on while Kyle applied the lube, gripping his dick and making it glisten before he applied some to himself. There were no words between them, only the harsh, stuttered breathing and the beating of their hearts as their eyes met.

“Please,” Kyle whispered, capturing Wes’ mouth in one more kiss.

He needed this. He needed to feel this man inside him, connected to him in the most intimate sense. And as he positioned himself over Wes’ cock, he soon got his wish.

Slowly he sank down as Wes lifted up, both of them in perfect sync, the same as they were at the hospital. The head of Wes’ cock pressed snugly past his entrance and Kyle kept lowering himself, feeling his body stretch to accommodate the other man.

He moved in one smooth motion, not stopping until his thighs were flush with Wes’. He let out a stuttered moan, his head falling back as he gave himself over to the feeling of fullness.

But it wasn’t until he lowered himself down, his elbows on the bed, hands tangled in Wes’ hair, lips meeting his that he got what he wanted. Wes moved inside him slowly at first, grinding his hips against Kyle’s, never breaking that connection.

When that was too much to bear, he moved faster, the rolling motion turning into powerful thrusts that Kyle met, sinking down on Wes’ dick every time he thrust upward, his ass rising and falling in the air under the other man’s guidance.

“Wes,” he breathed, his fingers moving in a gentle caress over his lover’s face.

Wes looked up at him, his eyes that same pale blue as earlier, his lips gently parted as he continued to move. “I love you,” he said, arms wrapped around Kyle, cock deep inside of him.

This was what he’d needed. This connection of mind, body, and soul. It washed over him, filling him with a blissful euphoria that was almost set apart from his impending orgasm. He shuddered, driving his body down against Wes, meeting him thrust for thrust, kissing him until they couldn’t maintain the breath for it anymore.

Kyle held out as long as he could, not wanting the moment to end. But eventually Wes hit just the right place inside him and his body tightened, clenching around the other man’s cock as he was wracked with pleasure, his aching dick shooting between them. Wes wasted no time, thrusting deep inside Kyle and coming with a fierce shudder and a loud moan.

They lay there for a long time, chests rising and falling, hands stroking lazily over sweat-slick bodies as they caught their breath. Kyle would have been perfectly fine with the moment stretching on for an eternity, but eventually his muscles began to ache, and he knew Wes’ must feel even worse.

He moved off the man, Wes taking just a brief moment to get rid of the condom before he pulled Kyle to him and held him there, against his frantically beating heart.

The night wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. But Kyle lay there in the arms of the man he loved—the man he took a chance on when his heart was broken in two.

When they first met, he thought he’d just wanted something different. But what he really wanted was this. Someone who would make him feel like the only person who mattered in the world. Someone who could steal his breath away with every kiss and make him feel things he never would have imagined feeling. Someone he could let his guard down with, who let their guard down with him.

Looking into Wes’ eyes, he saw the truth of it all. What they had was new, but love shone fiercely through them both. As he leaned in to kiss the man he’d given his heart, he knew with absolute certainty that they were just beginning.