Ace
Ace entered the bedroom first, turning to watch Phoenix follow him inside. He let his eyes trail over him, memorizing the way the light brought out the caramel in Phoenix’s hair. The wrinkle of his brow as he tried to hold back his emotion. The way he looked like a lost child.
Taking a deep breath, he crossed the room and pulled Phoenix into his arms. Phoenix came without resistance, practically melting underneath his touch. Ace slid his hand up Phoenix’s neck to cup his jaw. His skin was so soft, and Ace tried to commit the feeling to memory. He didn’t want to forget any of this.
He forced a smile, stroking his thumb across Phoenix’s cheekbone. Phoenix shivered underneath his touch, nuzzling into the hand. Then he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to Phoenix’s. The kiss was slow, unrushed. Ace wanted to memorize the feel of it. How Phoenix’s lips yielded underneath his. He wrapped his free arm around Phoenix’s waist, pulling him close so they touched from chest to groin.
Phoenix let out a quiet noise that might have been a gasp or a sob, Ace couldn’t tell. He deepened the kiss, his nose brushing against Phoenix’s as he wrapped both arms around him. There was so much he wanted to say. He’d made his living by writing article after article, but now he found he didn’t have the words to express how he felt. Instead, he slid his hand up Phoenix’s back to run through his hair. Phoenix hummed, and Ace deepened the kiss, his tongue tracing the inside of Phoenix’s mouth.
When they broke apart, Phoenix looked up at him, his eyes overly bright. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again.
“What is it?” Ace asked softly.
“I need to feel you.” Phoenix’s voice shook. “Need you.”
Ace didn’t need to ask what he meant. Instead, he nodded and pulled his shirt over his head. He’d learned during one of their first times together that Phoenix preferred to remove his own clothes. So instead, he focused on stripping himself. He pushed his jeans and boxers down past his hips and pulled off his socks.
When he looked up, Phoenix was completely naked. His skin was pale in the light from the lamp, his chest dusted lightly with dark hair. Ace drank in the sight. He never wanted to forget this. Even if they weren’t together, even if he never saw Phoenix again, he would always want him.
Taking a step forward, Ace closed the distance between them. His hands settled on Phoenix’s waist, and he kissed him again. This one wasn’t slow. It was hard and urgent. If he stopped, even for a moment, to think about the future, he didn’t know if he would have the strength to go through with it. Instead, he rolled his hips, eliciting a gasp from Phoenix.
“How do you want me?” he asked, his voice low.
“Inside me. I want to remember—”
Phoenix bit his lip, but Ace understood. He wanted to feel it, even after Ace was gone. Slowly, he backed them toward the bed until the backs of Phoenix’s thighs bumped against the mattress. He pulled away to grab lube and a condom from the top drawer of Phoenix’s night stand, while Phoenix settled back against the pillows. Ace joined him, settling in between Phoenix’s legs. Immediately, Phoenix wrapped them around Ace’s thighs, holding him close.
Ace kissed down Phoenix’s neck, nipping gently at his collarbone before moving even lower. He took one nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue across it until it hardened into a bud and Phoenix writhed underneath him. Then he did the same to the other. He wasn’t going to rush this. There was so much he wanted to capture—every moment they spent together like this.
As he trailed his way down Phoenix’s body, Phoenix spread his legs. Ace pressed kisses down his body. Goosebumps formed along Phoenix’s skin, and he shivered, but Ace kept going until he traced the V of Phoenix’s groin with his tongue. Phoenix was hard now, but Ace didn’t touch his cock. Not yet. Instead, he kissed around it, until Phoenix threaded his fingers through Ace’s hair and gripped hard.
“Please,” he gasped.
If he were in a teasing mood, he would have made Phoenix wait. But Ace didn’t want this to be anything other than perfect. He wrapped his fingers around Phoenix’s cock and stroked once, then slid his lips over the head. Phoenix groaned in encouragement, so Ace continued, his tongue playing over the sensitive slit as he stroked the shaft. He moved his free hand lower, cupping Phoenix’s balls.
“Don’t want to come.” Phoenix’s voice was rough.
Ace pulled off and breathed deeply, taking in the scent of musk and sweat and Phoenix. “I won’t let you come yet. Until I’m buried inside you.”
Phoenix shivered, and Ace went to work again. He took Phoenix further inside his mouth, his tongue tracing the vein on the underside of Phoenix’s cock. He kept working until he tasted the salty tang of pre-cum. Phoenix’s thighs trembled, and Ace let his cock slip from his lips. It bobbed against Phoenix’s stomach, and Ace glanced up at him. He had an arm flung over his face, and his chest heaved.
“Spread your legs,” Ace ordered.
As Phoenix complied, Ace climbed back up his body, settling between his thighs. He grabbed the lube and popped open the cap, coating his fingers. Slowly, he stroked the pad of his index finger along Phoenix’s entrance, feeling him give way. A second was quickly added, and Ace fucked him with his fingers, carefully observing him for any sign of discomfort. There was none. Curling his fingers, he searched for that sweet spot inside Phoenix that would bring him pleasure.
“Oh fuck,” Phoenix breathed. Bingo.
Deliberately, Ace ran his fingers over the sensitive bundle of nerves again and again until Phoenix whimpered, “Need you.”
Ace nodded once. No more waiting. He pulled out slowly and grabbed the condom packet, ripping it open with his teeth. He slid it on, then cupped the back of Phoenix’s thigh, opening him even further. Lining up, he pushed in slowly, giving Phoenix plenty of time to adjust. Everything in him wanted to fuck Phoenix hard and fast, but he grit his teeth against the urge. Instead, he focused on the way Phoenix looked underneath him.
His eyes were closed, a small wrinkle between his brows. Ace leaned down and kissed it away, then down Phoenix’s nose, before capturing his lips. As they kissed, he rolled his hips. Phoenix’s moan was muffled, but it spurred Ace on all the same. He bottomed out, then began to move, slowly and deliberately.
Dropping to his forearms, Ace bracketed Phoenix’s head with his elbows. With each thrust, his body dragged across Phoenix’s cock. Pre-cum slicked their abdomens, but Ace kept moving. His movements grew faster, more urgent. Phoenix slid a hand through his hair, cradling him close.
Something in the tenderness of the gesture tugged at Ace’s chest. His vision blurred and his breath came out shuttered. How could he leave? Everything he wanted was right here in his arms. An ache settled deep inside him as he considered the possibility that this would be the last time they would ever be together.
The tears fell.
He couldn’t stop them. Didn’t try to. Squeezing his eyes shut, he let them trail down his cheeks, his neck. When he finally opened his eyes again, tears clung to his lashes. Part of him expected Phoenix to scoff. Certainly some of the other men he’d been with would have. But much to his surprise, Phoenix was crying too. He didn’t hide the tears, instead letting them fall down his temples and into his hair. Ace kissed him fiercely, trying to convey everything he couldn’t say. How much he was going to miss Phoenix. How much he didn’t want to leave. How much he loved him. He wished so badly he could say those words, but they wouldn’t do any good. Ace was leaving in the morning. So he might as well make the most of tonight.
Reaching in between them, he wrapped his hand around Phoenix’s cock, stroking quickly. If nothing else, he could give Phoenix this.
“Come for me,” he breathed.
Phoenix cried out, his entire body tensing as spurt after spurt landed on his abdomen and chest. He squeezed around Ace’s cock, nearly sending Ace over the edge at the same time. He thrust twice more before his orgasm ripped through him, leaving him breathless. His hips slowed, before he stilled, but he didn’t pull out immediately. Instead, he savored the feeling of being inside Phoenix as the aftershocks rolled through him.
Eventually, he pulled away, quickly disposing of the condom in the can beside the bed. He climbed out of the bed and padded into the bathroom, returning with a wash cloth. Slowly, he stroked Phoenix’s stomach, clearing away the evidence of what they’d just done.
When he finished, he let the cloth drop to the floor instead of walking back into the bathroom. He buried himself beneath the covers and pulled Phoenix against his chest, holding him close. He opened his mouth, but there were no words for what he felt. The love and loss all rolled into one. When the sun rose, he would be gone. His train was early, and he would have to drive to New Haven. But for tonight, he would lay here with Phoenix and pretend that his heart wasn’t breaking.