There were no shadows to hide them this time, and Austin didn’t close his eyes to escape the reality of the situation. He hadn’t wanted to before, and he didn’t do it now. He kept his eyes on Hale as he lifted his shirt up and over his flat chest, took in the tufts of hair beneath his arms and the hint of stubble along his jaw, and let himself enjoy the masculine features of Hale’s body. Hale, in turn, stripped his shirt off and cast it to the bedroom floor—a bedroom that now smelled like them, Austin realized.

Hale kept coming back to it again and again, and Austin didn’t think he’d ever be able to forget what they’d shared here. He was glad for it. He didn’t want to.

“I was thinking,” Hale murmured as his fingers traced down Austin’s chest and found their way to the button of his jeans. “I’ve been staying over here a lot recently.”

“Mm?” Austin grinned.

“And it’s closer to Victory Boulevard. Like. Way closer than where I live.”

“Go on.”

“And there’s plenty of room in this bedroom for an overnight bag.” Hale batted his eyelashes and looked up at Austin. “I don’t think I’m ready to move in with you just yet, because it’s only been a few days, but I wouldn’t mind staying over some nights. I think we could get into a lot of trouble together.”

“Trouble is about the last thing I’m interested in after what we just went through,” Austin teased. “You can stay home.”

Hale rolled his eyes. He undid the button of Austin’s fly. “Bedroom trouble.”

“Oh. Well, if we don’t have to leave the house…”

“Are you kidding? If I’m here, I wouldn’t even want to leave the bed.” Hale snickered. “You might have got me hooked on your junk.”

“Did you honestly just say that?”

Hale laughed again. He rested his head against Austin’s chest, and Austin stroked his hair. “I did. I mean, it’s not wrong. I’m pretty addicted to you. But… I don’t know. I guess I’m feeling goofy after the whole ‘being alive after almost dying’ thing.”

“Adrenaline,” Austin said wisely. He kissed the top of Hale’s head as Hale undid his zip and slid his hand into the space it left. Hale’s hand found its way through the fly of his boxer-briefs and grasped Austin’s hardening cock. He stroked it slowly. “You’re going to be buzzed for a little while. Do you like the feeling?”

“No. I feel strung out.” Hale paused. “Can you fuck it out of me?”

“I could do that.”

“All I want is to know that you’re here and that you’re going to keep me safe. It would help.”

“Then that’s what I’ll do.” Austin had started to move his hips, pushing into Hale’s hand in search of friction. He bit back on a moan as he worked, knowing it wouldn’t be long before Hale had him rock hard. He didn’t know how Hale did it, but every time without fail, all it took was a little encouragement to get him ready for action, even after he’d already come. “You don’t have anywhere to be today, do you?”

“No,” Hale said. “Or tomorrow, even, if it takes that long.”

“It might,” Austin teased. He undid the fly of Hale’s pants and lowered them, then pulled his boxer-briefs down. Hale stepped out of them, casting them aside. “I make no promises. My dick can only do so much.”

“It can do a hell of a lot, if the last few nights are any indication.” Hale’s eyes sparkled, and Austin felt limitless. He smiled back, enchanted, and captured Hale’s lips in a stunning kiss. His heart sang. After the divorce, he’d been so sure that he’d be alone that he’d given up hope that he could ever be happy, but now, he was happier than he’d ever been before.

I’m starting to fall in love, aren’t I? This is different than with Eleanor, but… but it’s right. It feels like all the pieces have finally fallen in place, and I’ve found someone I can truly be myself around—someone I don’t have to perform for. Hale’s seen me at my worst, and he still wants me. He’s wanted me for all these years… and now I want him, too.

Austin didn’t have words anymore—his heart was too full of joy, and it blocked off his throat and kept everything sealed inside of him. Instead, as they stripped out of the last of their clothes, he took Hale in his arms and held him close, kissing him gently. Hale kissed back and hummed into his mouth. His hand kept moving at a steady pace, readying Austin to enter him.

Slowly, they made their way to the bedside, and only when they were both ready did they sink onto it together. Hale’s hand left Austin’s cock out of necessity, but it didn’t matter much. In the next few minutes, it had returned—this time with cool, smooth lotion Hale worked down his shaft. Austin groaned and pushed into his hand, knowing where this would go. When Hale had him slick, he’d invite Austin into his body and let him do whatever he wanted, just as it had always been since they’d started their happenstance relationship.

A happenstance relationship that wasn’t so happenstance anymore.

Hale was the one who took control in the end, rolling them over so that Austin was on his back. Hale straddled his hips and looked down at him, still working lotion down his cock.

“I thought that I was going to fuck it out of you,” Austin commented, but he was too pleased to care. Hale made him feel empowered and confident, and any kind of contact between them was good enough.

“You will… but I want to warm you up first. And, more importantly, warm me up first.” Hale lifted his hips, and Austin watched in amazement as he slid two lubricated fingers into himself, stretching his hole. Austin had never found men to be attractive before, but seeing Hale touch himself flipped a switch in his head, and he couldn’t look away. As Hale rode himself, preparing his passage for Austin, he closed his eyes and let out tiny, whimpered moans that drove Austin crazy. It was far too long before Hale was satisfied and removed his fingers, grabbing Austin’s cock instead so he could move it into position. “If you really get into it, and the spirit moves you, you can pin me to the bed and fuck it right out of me.” Hale grinned. “Or, you could just let me figure out when the best time to switch is. I honestly don’t care, as long as you’re inside me.”

“I have no intention of not being inside you,” Austin said. His voice was almost hoarse with lust. Seeing Hale touch himself like that had turned him on like nothing else, and he knew that if he didn’t push himself into Hale soon, he’d go insane. The little twerp he’d known through Michael in their senior year in high school was all grown up, and he was hot as hell. Austin would never try to convince himself otherwise again.

Holding Austin’s cock in place, Hale lowered himself down and joined them. Austin sucked in a needy breath and had to restrain himself from pushing in all the way—he wanted Hale to be the one to call the shots, and Hale seemed more than happy to take control. He sank down slowly, thighs trembling, until he was seated on Austin’s cock. Then he started to rock his hips.

“Oh fuck,” Austin breathed. He grabbed onto Hale’s lips to give him stability, but didn’t hold him in place or otherwise direct his movement. “Bounce, baby. You want it?”

“Mm, fuck yeah, I want it.” Hale picked up the pace. He worked himself harder, and Austin could barely hold himself back. He was already close to coming and Hale had only just started. “Tell me what makes you feel good. Wanna have your cum inside of me. Want it so fucking bad.”

Austin’s heart skipped a beat, then proceeded to race in order to catch up. He pushed up into Hale as Hale fucked himself, white hot pleasure flooding his groin and spreading like fire through the rest of his body. While it was sexy to watch Hale pleasure himself like that, he wasn’t moving anywhere near as urgently as Austin needed him to move. After a while, he grabbed Hale by the hips, pulled him down so they’d stay locked together, and maneuvered them so that Hale was on his back and Austin was between his legs. Hale looked up at him with lust-drowned eyes and said two words that burned straight through Austin and set what was left of him aflame. “Fuck me.”

All of the repressed fear over losing him, the anger upon seeing Kevin treat him like shit, and the adrenaline from the could-have-been-lethal situation unleashed. Austin barely felt himself move, but he slammed into Hale as Hale whimpered and moaned in total, unabashed ecstasy. The slap of their bodies echoed through the room, and the bed started to hit the wall, unable to stand its own against the way Austin was taking the man he was starting to fall for—the man who’d saved him, and in turn, the man he’d saved.

“Oh fuck,” Hale panted. He wrapped his arms around Austin’s neck, and while Austin was fairly sure he was moving his hips in time, he couldn’t tell. They were going at it too hard for it to make a difference. “Oh holy fuck, Austin. Fuck yes. Fuck me, fuck me!”

The real world began to melt away. All the was left was them and their need. Austin took Hale’s cock in hand and started to pump, matching the frantic rhythm of his hips. Sounds spilled from Hale’s lips, babbled noises of pleasure, and occasionally a squeak or a high-pitched cry. He buried his face against Austin’s shoulder to muffle the sound, but Austin still felt it vibrate against his skin.

How could he have dismissed men his whole life? How could he have left a connection like this on the table, simply because Hale wasn’t born with a vagina? No woman he’d ever been with had felt like this. It was like saying he understood the difference between apples and oranges without ever having tasted an orange. Maybe he didn’t like all men, but he didn’t like all women, either. It had been foolish to shoot down his latent attraction all these years because of a principle.

“I’m going to come,” Hale uttered, his lips brushing against Austin’s shoulder. “You’re gonna make me come, Austin. Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck!”

Hale’s cock twitched, then Austin felt his wet cum run down his hand. Hale’s body tightened, and suddenly, Austin found himself unable to stop his orgasm. He thrust into Hale one final time, grunting as release gripped him and held him firm. He couldn’t stop.

“Oh, fuck,” Hale panted. “No matter how many times you take me to bed and do naughty things with me, I don’t think I’m ever going to get tired of the way you feel when you come.”

“Is that a matter of fact?”

“Mmhm.” Hale grinned. “Well, I guess it’s technically an opinion, but until you prove me wrong, I’m going to say it’s fact.”

“I guess we’ll have to keep going then. You know… for research.”

“I like where this is going.” Hale kissed him, and it wasn’t long before they were at it again. Austin didn’t just fuck it out of Hale—he fucked it out of both of them.

That night, exhausted, he had a dreamless sleep in the arms of the man who meant the world to him. It was the perfect moment of sweetness after a few nightmarish days.