When Kris awoke to the morning light streaming past the curtains, he was alone.

His heart skipped a beat as he looked around for Remi, but there was no sign of him. Shit. This was what he had been fearing. It was going to be weird and awkward. Goddamn it. Why couldn’t he have kept his mouth shut and just had some vanilla sex for once in his life? He’d probably terrified Remi or scarred him for life against sex with men.

Kris knew Remi had cuddled him last night, but he’d been more-or-less asleep. He had most likely come to this morning and been horrified at what he had done with his best friend’s younger brother.

Kris squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. Regret washed over him, tightening his chest and causing a lump to rise in his throat. He should have pulled back when Remi made a move. But was their friendship already lost by that point?

This wasn’t the first time Kris had woken from a night of passion to find himself alone. But he didn’t care when it was random Grindr hookups with guys whose last names he didn’t even know. This was Remi and what they had done had changed everything.

Feeling weighed down, he dragged himself out of bed and pulled his shorts and muscle shirt back on. If there was any mercy in the universe, Remi would have gone out to the gym or the store, leaving Kris to shower and change in peace.

Maybe pack.

With a heavy heart, he pulled Remi’s bedroom door open to step onto the landing, intending to slip into the spare room and grab his new toiletry bag. But the smell of frying bacon caught his attention as soon as he wafted air through the door. Kris paused. Yes, that was bacon he could smell, as well as fresh coffee.

He bit his lip and looked down the stairs. He couldn’t see anything much, but he could hear sounds coming from the kitchen – the clattering of utensils and food sizzling in pans and a voice humming along to the radio.

That didn’t sound like someone going through an existential crisis. Nor did it sound like someone regretting an overzealous sexual encounter.

Remi was cooking breakfast and it sounded like he was happy about it.

Kris’s heart sped up a little. Not thinking too much about what he was doing, he slowly made his way downstairs. Halfway through his descent, he wished he had checked his reflection in the mirror. But he wasn’t going back up now in case he lost his nerve. Instead, he ran his hands through his hair and ruffled it, hoping he looked okay.

He padded softly through the living room, stopping at the threshold to the kitchen, much the same as he had done the previous night after he had come back from the bar. He had obviously interrupted the chicken dinner Remi had been making and spoiled those ingredients when they had gotten…distracted. In their place now were several new pans and mixing bowls.

Sure enough, coffee was brewing in the pot. Bacon and eggs were spitting in a large metal frying pan while Remi stirred some grits. Dear lord, he was only wearing a pair of black briefs as he worked, a dish towel over one shoulder. He must have sensed Kris’s presence because he looked up toward the door suddenly. Then his face broke into a beautiful smile that made Kris’s heart flip.

“Hi,” he said, wiping his hands on the rag and dropping it on the counter. With a glance at the cooking food, he stepped away from the counter, stopping a few feet from where Kris was standing. He leaned over and turned down the radio. “Morning, hi. Did you sleep? How are you feeling?”

Relief raised its head tentatively in Kris’s chest. That wasn’t the worst reaction in the world. “I’m good,” he said. He wanted to appear confident and at ease, but he couldn’t stop himself from folding his arms over his chest protectively.

“Yeah?” said Remi. He seemed to notice he was almost naked and also crossed his arms. But he was still smiling and his eyes were wide. Kris thought he looked hopeful. “Sorry, did I wake you?” He gestured to the delicious-smelling mess behind him. “I was going to bring you breakfast in bed.”

That lump rose in Kris’s throat again, but this time it was from happiness. “You were?” he asked in a small voice. “That’s…that’s so sweet.”

Remi bit his lip and looked bashfully at Kris through his dark eyelashes. “Do you want to take a seat and I can plate up?” he asked. “Or we could go back up to bed?”

As romantic as taking their food back up to bed sounded, there was a lot of it. Also, Kris actually wanted to eat it and then talk about some things. If they went back upstairs now, he was liable to jump Remi again before they did either of those things.

“Here’s great,” he said enthusiastically. “Wow, I had no idea when I moved in you liked cooking so much. This smells amazing.”

Remi grinned as he grabbed a quilted potholder and opened the oven, wafting the slight buildup of smoke away then retrieving a tray of fresh cornbread muffins. “My mom taught me a lot when I was a kid,” he said. He glanced over at Kris as a slight frown crossed his face. “My dad doesn’t really think guys belong in the kitchen. It’s not like he forbade it or anything. He just…didn’t get it. I guess it was enough to stop me from trying over the years.” He smiled at the potholder in his hand. “Mom gave me this when I moved in. I kinda feel like she was encouraging me to try again now.”

Kris swallowed around the pesky lump in his throat that refused to go away. “That’s awesome,” he said out loud. To himself, he thought a couple of things. One, how he could relate to what Remi was saying about his dad, and two, how interesting it was that Remi had started cooking again now. When Kris was living here. Not in secret where no one would know. He was doing it because of Kris. For Kris.

That was pretty incredible.

He watched Remi plate up their large breakfasts and pour the coffee while a warmth settled over his heart. Maybe this wasn’t going to be the disaster he had feared. Maybe…just maybe…the crush of his life liked him back.

Stranger things had happened.

Remi placed the plates carefully down on the already-set table and sat himself in a chair. Only once they were both settled did Kris realize this was where they had been last night before the kiss.

Remi obviously appreciated the same thing as his eyes went wide.

“About last night-” they both said in unison.

Thankfully, they both also laughed afterwards. “Um, yeah,” Kris said. He could feel his cheeks getting a tiny bit warm, but hopefully he wasn’t blushing too much. “How are you, uh, feeling? About everything.”

Remi bit his lip and looked at Kris. “Well, you know. Good.” He lifted his fork and toyed with the prongs for a second. Then he slammed it back down on the table. “I’m bi,” he blurted out, shaking his head rapidly. “I’m bisexual and I’ve known that for a couple of years and I think I really like you and I know it’s fast but last night was amazing.”

Kris felt frozen in place. Remi was also now still. He wouldn’t quite meet Kris’s eyes and his forehead had gone a little shiny with perspiration. But Kris felt like a balloon of happiness had expanded in his chest. “Oh, honey, really?” he squeaked. He bunched his hands up in excitement then sat on them to stop himself from waving them about. “I wasn’t too much? I…well, I kind of woke up feeling like I shouldn’t have been so extra.”

Remi’s face broke into a grin even bigger than the one when Kris had entered the room. He reached out and pulled the nearest hand free from under Kris’s thigh, squeezing it tightly. “Screw that. That was some of the hottest sex I’ve ever had. It would have been the hottest if I hadn’t freaked out halfway through. But next time, if you want there to be a next time, I won’t do that. I promise.”

Kris bounced on his seat. “I’d love there to be a next time,” he said. “More times. As many times as you like.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I have ideas.”

Remi burst out laughing. “I am really sorry you woke up to an empty bed,” he said, shaking his head. “I’d hate for you to think last night wasn’t monumental for me, in more ways than one.”

Kris placed his other hand on top of Remi’s. “So, you’re bi, huh?”

Remi nodded and blew out a heavy breath. “Yes,” he said firmly. “God, that feels good. You – well, you’re the first person I’ve ever told.”

Kris was taken aback. “What, ever ever?” he spluttered. Not Leon or his mom or one of his buddies at the fire station? Kris sat back in his chair. Wow. “I’m honored. Thank you.” On a whim, mirroring the night before, he stood up and walked around to Remi. But this time, he draped his arms around him for a hug. Despite his almost complete lack of clothes, the moment felt tender, not sexy.

“Oh, man,” Remi said with a laugh as he hugged Kris back, resting his cheek on Kris’s shoulder. “I love how much you hug. It’s so cool.”

Kris frowned and stood up with his arm resting around Remi’s shoulders, looking down at him. “Doesn’t anyone hug you, baby?” he asked.

Remi shrugged. “Nah,” he said with a rueful smile. “Dudes don’t do that, man.”

Kris rolled his eyes. Honestly, straight people sometimes. “Well, this dude does,” he said, dropping sideways onto his lap and kissing Remi’s cheek. They grinned at each other. Remi rested his large hands on the small of Kris’s back.

“So, um,” Remi said, playing with the hem of Kris’s shirt. “Do you wanna, like, do this?” he asked.

Kris raised his eyebrows. “This?” He thought he knew what Remi was asking, but he was too scared to jump to any conclusions.

“Like, uh, us,” Remi said. He wasn’t blushing, but he did squirm under Kris’s legs. “I mean, we’re both here, in the house. But if that’s too much pressure-”

“Baby,” Kris said patiently. “What is ‘this’? Sex?”

Remi spluttered, but then he laughed. “Well, yeah, that would be great,” he said, squeezing around Kris’s waist. “But I suppose I meant a bit more than that.”

Kris felt a bit dizzy. “Like…dating?”

After a beat, Remi nodded, but he seemed hesitant. “I’m not out,” he said in a rush. “I guess you worked that out for yourself, but, huh, I don’t know-”

“Oh, hey, no,” said Kris shaking his head. “Babe, you don’t have to leap out of the closet like a baby gazelle. You can take it slow.”

“I want to,” Remi said quickly and earnestly. “Come out, I mean. I do. I just don’t know how…or when…”

Kris stopped him with a kiss, cupping his face gently with his hands. “Darling, sweetie,” he said sincerely, “take all the time you like. Let’s try this thing on for size and see how it goes. You know, give it a spin, like a new car!” He gave Remi some jazz hands. “Then if you feel right, you can start telling people.”

But Remi was shaking his head. “No,” he said. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, that’s real nice of you. But I’m not just coming out because I’m seeing a guy now. I’m coming out because…it’s me. That’s who I am.” He rested his forehead against Kris’s. “If I happen to have a super hot boyfriend when I do, that just makes me lucky.”

Kris tried not to wriggle with ecstatic glee. He couldn’t believe Remi was saying this. “Aww, baby,” he whispered. He didn’t know what he was more excited about. The fact that Remi wanted to come out regardless, the fact he thought Kris was hot – not cute or adorable, but actually hot – or the fact he had used the word ‘boyfriend.’ “That’s so great,” he said, not trusting himself with anything else.

“Thank you,” said Remi.

Kris frowned. “For what?”

Remi kissed the tip of his nose. “For helping me work it out. I needed someone incredible like you to push me into admitting what I already knew.”

“That you’re bi and fly?” Kris asked, swinging his legs and being all cutesy. He was trying to play it cool but deep down, he was over the goddamned moon. He couldn’t believe yesterday he had been so distraught and now he was so happy. He felt like he could conquer the world.

Remi laughed at his silly joke. “Damn right,” he said. Then he kissed Kris properly, capturing his lips and moving them slowly. “But I swear, I’m not going to sit on this. I just have to talk to my family. Once I’ve worked out how to do that, I can tackle work and friends.”

Kris ran his hand down Remi’s sculpted arm. “Do you think they’ll have a problem with it?”

Remi tilted his head. “I think my dad is gonna be in a whole world of surprise,” he said after a few moment’s consideration. “I think I’ll start with my mom.” Kris nodded. After all, he himself had waited until his dad had skipped town before coming out. He got that, totally.

“Good plan,” he told Remi sincerely. “And I’ll be here to support you, all the way.”

Remi hugged him to his chest, running his fingers through his hair and kissing his neck. “I mean it,” he murmured. “I’m so lucky. You’re amazing.”

“So are you,” Kris replied.

Before they could start making out too heavily, Kris insisted on eating at least some of the yummy breakfast Remi had made them. Then he had detailed plans on how he would take them back to bed.

But for a few minutes, he just stared at this wonderful man he had somehow managed to attract. Maybe, just maybe, his luck was turning around?

He could only hope.