AN: I’ve got to run, so this note is quick. I just wanted to say thanks for all the reviews, you guys rock .We’ve got two more chapters on this one. And so read, review, and enjoy.

Adam

Gabe drags me out of the club, leaving Val and Marc staring at our receding forms. My emotions are an odd swirl of unadulterated happiness and sinking dread. My head is still reeling from Marc’s kisses and his confession, but my heart is tightened by the way Gabe glares at me, a hurt pained expression on his face.

He doesn’t say a word until we’re back in our room, and then he starts pacing angrily.

I sigh, and sit on the bed. He’s not going to say anything until I ask. The asshole in me wants to go to sleep, ignore him, let him be angry. But the human part of me knows he has every right to be angry. In fact he has even more right than he thinks he does.

“What is it Gabe?” I ask, knowing full well, but I want him to tell me.

“Where did you and Marc go?” He stops pacing and crosses his arms angrily over his chest.

“To talk,” I reply honestly because I’m not lying, yet.

“What the hell for?” Gabe throws his hands in the air.

“Because he’s my best friend.”

“I thought you hated him. I thought you never wanted to forgive him for abandoning you when he started dating me,” Gabe’s green eyes are angrier than I’ve ever seen him. He’s always been so easy going, so complacent, and now he’s blowing up right in front of me, and I’m not sure how to deal with it. When Marc gets angry he stops talking except for the occasional screaming match, and even then, I am the one who usually starts it. Gabe’s just pulling out all the stops, piercing glares, screaming, hand gestures. I wouldn’t be surprised if he started kicking soon. But Gabe’s not Marc, that much I realized a long time ago.

“I say things Gabe, I just tend to say things, without meaning them,” I’m begging him to understand. I will tell him, soon, just not when he’s this angry, because when he’s this angry I’m afraid he’ll run off and get himself hopelessly lost and most likely in trouble somehow.

“And yet you can’t ‘just say’ you love me,” His words seem to knock the breath out of me, sending me backwards to the events that seem so distant yet took place less than an hour ago.

“I love you,” His eyes are shinning with like pools of melted gold, swirling, the emotions for once as readable as a child’s book. “Always have.”

“Always will,” I finish for him, letting him hold me, as I breath in his scent that is so distinctly Marc.

“I can’t just say I love someone. I’ve never been loved Gabe,” Now I’m lying. “I was a trophy for my parents until I turned 16, told them I was gay, and they kicked me out, with nothing.”
“But a trust fund,” Gabe’s tone is bitter. “Why the hell are you always complaining, you’ve had everything, your entire life. Stop being a spoiled, petulant child.”

“Money’s nothing Gabe,” I shake my head annoyed, “Most people go through their entire lives with one goal: getting rich. And then, when they’ve got money they realize it will never make them happy. You know what makes people happy? Having someone there, truly and honestly there for you, no matter what.” Like Marc has always been, I want to add, but I can’t, because at this point it will only make the situation worse. I remember Marc’s kiss, the way his tongue melted against mine, his lips pulling, tugging, moving with my own mouth.

“So let me be there,” Gabe places a hand against my chest, and it feels like absolute ice, I move away, drawing my shoulders in.

“It’s not that easy.”

“No, of course it isn’t,” Gabe shakes his head, and tries to move towards me, but I move away again. “Love is not easy. Love is something so immeasurably complex that authors have been trying for centuries to capture its essence, and none of them have succeeded. Love… it is a part of who we are. No one is as cold and emotionless as they pretend to be. Love for me is knowing… beyond any possible doubt, that you would not know what to do without a certain person. So let me love you, and let yourself love me.”

If I had ever doubted that my feelings for Marc were love, Gabe had, ironically, just destroyed every last one. Experience had shown both of us that we physically could not survive without each other.

“I can’t,” I admit, shrugging my shoulders, “I’m not cold and heartless, but I’ve been taught from the day I was born that love only led to vulnerability, and it is damn hard to get rid of 19 years of conditioning.”

“But what about Marc, you love him don’t you?” Gabe’s eyes are begging me to give him some sign of real, human, emotions.

“Gabe, it’s not that simple, he’s my best friend,” I’m lying again. It is simple. I love Marc, with everything I’ve got, but I’m not ready to admit it to Gabe yet.

“I’m your boyfriend.” His words are cut short, and the anger is back.

“I know that, and you mean a lot to me, and—“

“Just get out of here Adam.”
“What?”

“You heard me, sleep on the couch or something, I just can’t deal with you in here right now.”

“If it’s what you want,” I nod, and leave the room, secretly pleased that I wont have to come up with a good excuse as to why I don’t want to have sex with him tonight. I flip aimlessly through the channels wondering where Marc and Val are, hoping that wherever they are, they get back soon.

The clock reads 1:30 am when the door clicks open and Marc enters the room, Val stumbles in behind him, practically surgically attached to some nameless blond European.

I stand, and smile shyly at Marc. His eyes shine brightly, his face slightly flushed from the cold. He throws his coat off, giving me a clear view of his muscular torso, his shirt halfway unbuttoned and sticking to his still sweaty body.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” He replies, and then he’s taken two steps forwards and he’s kissing the hell out of me, his arms so tight they’re almost cutting off my breathing, yet it’s nice. He’s holding me like he was terrified he’d never see me again, like I’m the only thing that matters. I understand completely, because I feel much the same way.

When we break apart Val is smirking, “Here,” He hands us a plastic key, and we both look at him, questioning. “Room 3304. Have fun.”

“What about Gabe?” I ask immediately as Val starts ushering his latest fuck into his room.

“Just be back here by 8:30 with breakfast, and I’ll tell him you went to pick it up before he awoke from his beauty rest,” Val’s turns away from us and starts working on the blonde’s belt buckle.

“You had this all planned out didn’t you?” Marc accuses as I start leading him out of the room.

“You should know better by now Marc,” Val smirks, his hand disappearing beneath the blonde’s waistline, “Never underestimate the master.”

I pull Marc all the way out of the room and close the door behind us.

“That bastard,” Marc swears as I tug him towards the elevators, “he had all of this planned.”

“Of course he did,” I respond as the elevator beeps and the doors slide open. “Now shut the fuck up.”

“What?” Marc asks as I push him into the elevator, slam him against one of the walls, and put his mouth to far better use. He responds immediately, fingers tangling in my hair. He bites down lightly on my lower lip and I find myself completely incapacitated by his kiss. Our tongues duel for control, but I willingly let him have it. I’m intoxicated, spellbound, so absolutely far gone that I don’t feel the elevator stop, or see the doors slide open until Marc roughly forces me out. It is a damn good thing that our room is two feet down the hall or we would have never made it.

I nip at his neck, undoing the remaining buttons on his shirt as he fumbles with the door, “Wait, Adam,” He tries to move my hands away from his chest so he can concentrate on the door, but I can’t help it. I have to touch him. The heat coming off his skin, and just the fact that it’s Marc, and that we’ve finally admitted how we truly feel makes it impossible for me to pull away, not even for half a second.

Fortunately, a moment later the lock clicks and we fall into the room.

“Ow,” I complain as I land on the floor, Marc on top of me.

“Sorry,” He smiles sheepishly, before kicking the door closed with his right toe, and looking down at me. His pupils are heavily dilated, his lips kiss-swollen, breathing slightly labored.

“You’re beautiful,” I tell him, pressing a hand to the side of his face. He leans against my hand.

“Thank you,” he says, and then he kisses me again, my arms wrap around his neck, and I find myself completely lost in the indescribable being that is Marc.

………………

Marc

I’ve pinched myself over a hundred times since Adam said he loved me to make sure I’m not dreaming. And now, he’s laying underneath me, dark lashes casting shadows on his pale skin under the dim light as he looks up at me, his lips are full and red, his hair disheveled. He looks indescribably beautiful.

“What?” He asks, trying to pull me down for another kiss.

“Nothing,” I shake my head, pulling us into a sitting position. I stand abruptly, “I need a shower.”

“Marc…” Adam complains, catching my belt loop as I try and walk away.

“Yeah?” My smile is soft as I turn to face him.

“Can I come?” Something in his voice is so timid, and shy, so afraid of being rejected, and so unlike the Adam I’m used to that I can’t help but pull him roughly against me, and kiss him for the millionth time since we’ve entered the room.

“What do you think?” I ask, grinning as he pulls the last button open on my shirt and throws it to the opposite side of the room. He then pushes me into the bathroom, and reaches into the shower to turn it on.

“You know what I just realized?” he says, fingering the top button on his shirt.

“What?” I ask, undoing my pants.

“You haven’t seen me naked in three months.”

“A fact I’m very much aware of,” I swallow hard as his shirt comes off. His body is better than I remembered. All lean toned muscles, all beautifully tanned, smooth skin. I reach forwards to gather him against me, desperate to feel his skin against mine, to be reassured once again that this is actually reality. That I am not just lost in some fantasy I am destined to wake up from in a moment with a nothing but a hard-on to remember it all by.

“Ah, ah,” He dances away, undoing the buttons on his fly, and shoving his jeans off his hips. He’s naked beneath them, and I smirk.

“Planning on getting laid?”

“You know me so well,” He stands in front of me. My eyes wandering up his long, strong legs, migrating to his beautiful torso, and then moving to his face, his eyes looking at me nervously, as if afraid of what I might think.

This time when I step forwards he lets me touch him lightly, his own hands coming to push my pants and underwear off of me in one fluid motion. And then we’re naked, together, and even though we’ve been like this hundreds of times before, this time it all feels different.

More honest and real, for once we aren’t hiding anything. He hugs me suddenly, squeezing our bodies tightly together, “Adam?” I ask, tracing my fingertips lightly over his scalp.

“I’ve missed you so much,” He whispers, arms tightening in their grip.

“Oh god…” I say softly, pulling back and tilting his chin up towards me, “I’ve missed you too. Life’s been hell without you, you have no idea.” His honesty shocks me. I’m not used to Adam being real with me. I’m used to him hinting at the truth, toeing the line between honesty and falseness.

“I’m sorry,” He releases me slightly, “I’m being a total sap.”

I shrug my shoulders and lead him into the shower, “That’s all right, I’m not being much better.”

The water is warm, and I sigh, tilting my head backwards as it washes over both of us. I shampoo my hair, and then pour out some more onto my hands, before massaging it into his scalp. The groan that he lets out of his mouth makes my groin tighten considerably, and I suddenly find myself rushing to rinse the suds out of his hair.

I turn him around so that he’s facing me and meld our mouths together. He sighs and presses himself against me, I can feel his erection against my own, and it’s making me feel all kinds of wonderful. The kiss pushes deeper, until I can barely breath and the only sounds coming from either of us are the groans barely audible from the backs of our throats.

“Bed?” I ask, running my fingers across Adam’s hair, trying desperately to get all the suds out.

“Bed,” he confirms. Frantically rinsing out the rest of the shampoo, shutting off the water and dragging me out of the shower.

Adam slips a little as he steps out of the shower, and I take the opportunity to grab him and lift him up. He wraps his arm around my waist, the friction between us causing us both to groan loudly.

“God-damnit, Adam,” I choke out hoarsely before shoving him against one of the hotel room walls and rampaging his lips. He’s intoxicating. He smells clean, and short puffs of air come through his nostrils as his tongue and lips fervently attack my own. I’ve forgotten how good he is at kissing. I’ve forgotten how good he is… at everything.

Somehow we end up on the bed. I have no idea how it happened, nor do I really care to reconstruct the events leading up to us ending up horizontal, with Adam’s body pressed tantalizingly against mine. I smile at him, flipping us over, and kissing down his neck, nipping gently at his collarbone. I gasp as he arches against me, before biting down gently at his left nipple and grinning as an impossibly hot gasp of air leaving his parted lips.

My hand wraps around his cock, and his entire body tenses. I pause for a moment breathing warm air over the tip.

“Marc…” He whimpers, pushing his hips up towards me.

“Patience love,” I tease, taking just the tip into my mouth, “Patience.”

“I like it when you call me that,” He sighs, as I slide my mouth slowly downwards.

“Call you what?” I ask between strokes.

“Love,” He replies, before I take him fully into my mouth and he stops talking all together.

He immediately tries to buck upwards, but I place my hands firmly against his hip, holding him down, and he just groans as I continue my ministrations. I don’t let him come, not yet, that’s for later. That’s for when I’m buried deep inside of him, and his blue eyes are wide open, looking straight into mine.

I crawl back up his body lying next to him. Adam whimpers in complaint, but he’s easily silenced as I kiss him gingerly, letting my lips linger for a moment, before pulling backwards.

“Love you,” I whisper, surprised at how easily the words fall out of my mouth.

“Love you too,” He replies, and then he grabs me, kissing me with everything he’s got. It’s rough, it’s heavy, and it’s anything but romantic. Yet it is so Adam, so beautifully recognizable that I can’t help but understand exactly what he’s trying to tell me.

The rest of the world ceases to exist, and its just me and Adam, locked in an embrace that can only be described as beyond passionate. I devour his mouth, gasping as his lips pull, and caress my own. I shift so that I’m on top of him, he stares up at me, his chest rising and falling at an accelerated rate, our hips pushed firmly together. I’m so damn in love, and I’m so damn turned on, just by him, I’m not sure quite what to do.

“Marc,” He whispers, pressing his palm against the back of my neck to pull me in for an impossibly gentle kiss. He breaks the kiss, but keeps our mouths practically connected, and whispers: “Make love to me.”

Those words are my absolute undoing. Since the time we were sixteen we were fucking, having sex, sleeping together, but never were we making love.

“Okay,” I say softly, “Okay.” I stand for a moment and move to the bathroom where I left my jeans. I fumble around the pockets for a condom, and the small container of lube that Val had handed me smiling before we left the club. I thought he’d been kidding, now I’m glad he wasn’t.

Adam’s lying sprawled on the bed when I come back. His arms are lifted above his head, legs twisted, his eyes holding a definite ‘come hither’ expression. It’s a wonder I don’t just go off right then and there.

“What?” He asks, as I step forwards, and lower myself gently on top of his frame.

“You’re damn gorgeous,” I tell him, squeezing some of the lube onto my hand, and lifting his legs over my shoulders. “I don’t know if I can’t control myself.”

“Then don’t,” His grin is nothing short of lecherous. “Please Marc, just be real.”

I pause for a moment and lean forwards to place a firm kiss to Adam’s pouting mouth, “I am being real. And I can promise you that I always will be.”

“No more lying?” Adam asks, gasping as my fingers find his prostate.

“No more,” I smile as he bucks against my hand.

I roll the condom on, and settle myself at his entrance and find that I’m trembling. For whatever reason I’m nervous as hell. It’s not like we haven’t done this before, and yet I find myself unable to breath or swallow my mouth is so damned dry.

“You alright?” He wants to know, as his fingers trace the counters of my face tenderly.

“Fine, just scared.”

“Scared? Marc, we’ve done this a million times, it’s like riding a bike, you never forget.”

“Yeah, but this time it really means something. This time… I’m trying to show you that I love you.”

Adam’s smile is so soft and beautiful as he props himself up on his elbows to look me in the eye, “It always meant something. No matter how hard we tried to hide it, we couldn’t. That’s love Marc, it’s a lack of reason, and a lack of any sort of logic. It’s honest.”

“Thank you,” I say honestly.

“For what?” Adam asks, his eyes closing as I slowly push into him.

“Being so damn wonderful,” I manage to gasp out as I sink fully into him and am forced to just sit for a moment, for fear that it’ll all be over too soon if I don’t.

Adam’s eyes are closed his body tense, short nails digging lightly into my back. His breathing is short as I start to move, leaning over him, keeping his blue eyes trained strictly on mine.

The blur of emotions, and sensations I’m feeling are almost overwhelming. I bury my face in Adam’s neck as I move, kissing, sucking, licking his neck and collarbone, groaning as his hands come to cup my ass and urge me on. I keep moving. My own groans now too loud to be muffled by Adam’s shoulder, his shouts filling the room. It’s impossibly hot, and both of us are covered in sweat. I pick up my head, placing each hand on the bed on either side of Adam, and start moving faster. His eyes open and he tilts his gaze up to look at me. The completely wild look in his eyes, the sweat sheen on his face, they are by far the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

“Marc,” My name is half lost in his groan, he looks like he’s about to say something else, but right now, as the feeling in my stomach tightens and I feel my own orgasm impossibly close the only thing I want to do is kiss him. So I do, melting our mouths together in an impossible messy, yet somehow perfect kiss just as spasms begin taking over his body. His muscles contract around me, sending me so far over the edge I can do nothing but move at a furiously off rhythm, close my eyes, and try to remember to breathe.

I don’t know how long it is until I collapse on top of him, breathing hard, happy to see that his chest is moving up and down just as quickly as mine is.

“Jesus Christ,” Adam swears, hands running across my sweaty back. “That’s the best sex we’ve ever had. Hell, that’s the best sex I’ve ever had with anyone.”

“Mmm,” I reply, to content, and exhausted to say much else. We lay together, sticky, wet, and more or less disgusting until I decide I’ve had enough and get up, pulling Adam along with me. I discard the condom in the trashcan, and lead him into the shower.

We hug tightly under the warm water, just basking in the afterglow of our actions.

I feel so completely content, happy, and exhilarated.

Adam steps away for a moment, letting the water wash him clean. I just lean against the shower wall, staring at him. Staring at this beautiful specimen of humanity that I can finally call my own.