#but i just kept thinking: if this is a tribute to Alex Manes being deeply happy and in love with Michael I've gotta go big or go home

[prouvaireafterdark]

Yours to Keep

After LITERAL MONTHS she's finally done: the smutty morning after sequel to Just A Nightmare, Baby that you've all been waiting for! And she’s got a name now!

This fic was a labor of love, both for Alex Manes, who deserves all the happiness in the world, and for all his fans who were left hurt and betrayed after 2x06. It’s hands down the sappiest thing I’ve ever written and I hope it’s exactly what you all need right now. 

It’s also very, very filthy, so, like, probably don’t read this at work lol

And shout out to @queersirius for giving me the coffee inspiration!

Also on AO3! 💜

***

When Alex wakes slowly from a blissfully dreamless sleep, he opens his eyes to see the bare skin of Michael’s hip a few inches from his face, peeking out between the hem of a white t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. His gaze shifts upward to see Michael tapping away on his tablet, looking soft and comfortable, his curls still damp from a recent shower.

Alex leans forward and presses his lips to that warm strip of skin. He hears a startled noise above him, but it’s quickly followed by the feeling of Michael’s left hand gently cradling the back of his head, his fingers sliding through his hair.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Michael says as he lowers his tablet into his lap. “Well, afternoon technically, but time’s a social construct.”

“Shit, what time is it?” Alex mumbles against his skin, eyes closed.

“A little after noon.”

“Fuck.” Alex hasn’t slept in this late in… God, it must be over ten years. Good thing it’s a Saturday, he thinks, which, now that he thinks about it… “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“Not today,” he says as he continues to pet Alex’s hair.

Alex thinks that over, wondering if he’s mistaken, but he’s positive that’s not true. He usually takes the weekend off, but he distinctly remembers Sanders calling him the other night to ask him if he could work Saturday morning.

“You had a shift though,” Alex insists.

Michael doesn’t say anything right away. Instead, Alex feels him start to lean away from him, and the movement pulls a soft noise of complaint from the back of his throat. Michael keeps his left hand on the back of Alex’s head, and as soon as his tablet is safely on the bedside table, Michael slides down the mattress so they can lie face to face.

“I took a personal day,” Michael explains, his right hand slipping under the blanket to lay on Alex’s bare side, his thumb tracing idle patterns on his skin.

“Why?” Alex says.

“I wanted to,” Michael insists, sliding closer to Alex until their noses brush. “You had a rough night last night. I didn’t want you to wake up alone.”

As those words sink in, Alex can feel fresh tears pricking at his eyes. It overwhelms him sometimes that this is real, that he can look into Michael’s eyes and see how fiercely, how unconditionally he loves him. There are days where Alex doesn’t feel worthy of it, but knowing that Michael will always be there for him, even when he doesn’t know how to ask him to be, it… it means a lot. It means everything.

“Hey,” Michael says softly, leaning back to get a better look at Alex’s face. His hand moves from Alex’s side to cup his cheek, his thumb resting lightly by the corner of Alex’s eye. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” says Alex, giving Michael a watery, but hopefully reassuring smile. “I just really, really love you.”

“I love you too,” Michael whispers back, expression impossibly fond.

Alex leans in to kiss him, and Michael returns it easily. Heat ignites low in his belly as Michael deepens the kiss, licking into his mouth, and Alex can’t help but tangle his fingers in those damp curls, blunt finger nails scraping oh-so-gently against his scalp.

Michael pulls back much too soon for Alex’s liking, but he’s back a second later, pressing soft kisses against the side of Alex’s neck, the hand on Alex’s cheek moving back down to grip at his waist again—harder this time, needier. Alex’s eyes slide closed in contentment.

“So, do I have you all to myself today?” he asks.

Michael hums in confirmation, and then slowly drags his tongue along the column of Alex’s throat. Alex can feel Michael smile against his skin as he moans, his cock stirring in his sweatpants.

“What should I do with you, huh?” Alex wonders aloud, fingers tightening in Michael’s curls.

“Well,” Michael starts, leaning back so Alex can see the suggestive look on his face. “I was planning to start with breakfast in bed, but now I’m thinking it might be nice to skip to dessert.”

Alex is about to call him out on how cheesy that line is when his stomach rumbles loudly at the mention of food.

Michael sighs dramatically.

“Okay,” he relents, “I guess I should feed you first.”

“Sorry,” Alex laughs.

“Don’t be,” Michael says easily, kissing him swiftly on the mouth before throwing the covers off himself and climbing out of bed. “How does blueberry pancakes sound?”

It sounds perfect, if he’s honest, but Alex feels a little bad. Michael’s already put himself out by taking off work to spend time with him today, he really shouldn’t have to bother with all that.

“Cereal’s fine, you don’t have to—“

“Too late,” he says, smiling cheekily. “I already made the batter while you were sleeping.”

“Michael—”

“Don’t get out of bed!” Michael calls behind him as he disappears out of their bedroom.

Alex would be tempted to listen to him if he didn’t need to use the bathroom and also brush his teeth, so he reaches for his crutch and makes his way to their ensuite. Before he leaves, he makes sure to rinse his mouth well so the taste of toothpaste won’t ruin his morning coffee.

Michael hasn’t returned by the time he gets back into bed, so Alex checks his email until he hears footsteps coming from down the hall. He looks up, expecting to see Michael, but the first thing that catches his eye is the various pieces of kitchenware that are floating into their bedroom.

“Show off,” Alex teases when he sees Michael following close behind, a mug in each hand.

“Hey, I didn’t wanna spill the coffee, okay?” Michael smiles. “Can you get your little laptop table thing?”

“Yeah.” Alex reaches into the space between his side of the bed and his nightstand to pull out the wooden tray table he uses when he still wants to work on bad pain days.

He sets up the tray on the bed and Michael uses his TK to place everything on top of it. When he’s done, there’s one plate stacked high with golden, fluffy pancakes, a bowl of fresh strawberries, a tiny little jug of hot maple syrup Michael must have dug around in the cupboard to find, and two forks sitting in front of him.

Michael hands him a mug topped with whipped cream and cinnamon as he climbs onto the bed, careful not to spill any.

“I thought you said you brought coffee,” Alex asks, tilting his head questioningly at the cup of what appears to be hot chocolate he’s holding.

“I did,” he smiles.

Alex takes another look at the whipped cream on top. “Did you make me a Vienna?” He’s usually a straight espresso guy, hence the fairly expensive machine sitting on their kitchen counter, but, when he’s at a coffee shop that’ll do it right, a Vienna coffee is one of his guilty pleasures.

“Mhmm,” Michael smiles wider.

A complicated series of emotions grabs hold of Alex. He knows how much of a pain in the ass this thing is to make, and the fact that Michael put in that extra effort, especially after making him pancakes and losing money to be with him today, rather than just brewing some dark roast for the two of them… it’s incredibly sweet and Alex loves him so much for it, but it’s—it’s not necessary. Michael doesn’t need to go so far out of his way for him, and Alex certainly doesn’t want Michael to feel like he does.

“Uh oh,” Michael says, catching the look on Alex’s face. “Here it comes.”

That throws Alex for a second. “Here what comes?”

“You’re gonna tell me this is too much, right?” he says, as if plucking the words from Alex’s brain.

“It is,” Alex sighs. “I appreciate it, I do, but—you really don’t have to do all this.”

“Maybe,” Michael shrugs. “But did it occur to you that maybe I need to feel like I’m taking care of you as much as you need to feel taken care of right now?”

At Alex’s stunned silence, Michael puts his own coffee onto the crowded tray table and reaches for Alex’s free hand that’s resting in his lap, holding it in both of his.

“I love you,” he says, brow creased. “And last night… kinda freaked me out, honestly.” Michael looks down at their hands when he confesses, “I was up for a while after you went back to sleep trying to figure out what I did to make you feel like that.”

“That wasn’t your fault,” Alex insists, hating the way the furrow in Michael’s brow deepens when he looks up at him again. “It was just a stupid dream.”

“Yeah, but dreams come from somewhere, right? On some level, I made you feel like I don’t want you, and I just—I hate that. You’re my person, Alex. There’s literally no one on this Earth—or any other fucking planet—that’s more important to me than you,” he says, leaning forward in his desperation to make Alex understand. “I need you to know that.”

Alex sets his own coffee down on the tray table and tugs Michael into his arms, careful not to let anything spill. He leans back against the pillows and Michael settles willingly against his chest, his arm tight across his waist.

“I know,” Alex reassures him, holding him close. “You’re my person too.”

Michael sags against him in relief and Alex’s heart breaks a little.

“I think I just missed you,” Alex admits after a second’s pause, running his palm over Michael’s back. On the way back up he slips his fingers under the hem of his shirt, seeking out his bare skin. “We’ve both been so busy with wedding plans and working overtime so we can pay for everything, it feels like we haven’t really had the time to just be together in a while.”

“So let me make it up to you,” Michael says, lifting his head off his chest to look at him.

Alex opens his mouth to tell him he doesn’t have to, that this miscommunication was just as much his fault as it was Michael’s, but Michael doesn’t let him get the words out.

“Please, Alex,” he insists with a pout. “Let me feed you pancakes and ridiculous coffee and just spend the whole day making you smile, okay? That’s all I want to do right now.”

Alex’s resolve flags in the face of Michael’s pout. He draws Michael up, closer, and Michael sighs happily into the soft kiss he presses to his lips.

“You’re a good man, Michael,” he says when they part, “and I can’t wait to marry you.”

Michael’s responding smile is soft and breathtaking, and Alex thinks, not for the first time, that he never wants to look at anything else for as long as he lives. He leans in for another kiss, intending it to be short and sweet, but Michael doesn’t let him go for at least another minute, all but climbing into his lap as he presses needy kisses against his lips. Alex is happy to let him.

“So is that a yes?” Michael asks when he pulls back for air. “You’ll let me spoil you today?”

The look on Michael’s face is impossible to turn down.

“Yes, I’ll let you spoil me today,” Alex relents, and Michael smiles wider, “as long as you let me return the favor.”

“Fuck me through the mattress later and we’ll call it even,” Michael says, too happy to achieve the deadpan expression Alex knows he’s going for.

“Deal,” Alex laughs. “Now, come on, let’s eat before the pancakes get cold.”

Michael puts on an old episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix for them to watch as they eat off the same plate. The pancakes are a little cold, but they’re helped by the hot maple syrup Michael brought to go with them, and his Vienna coffee is delicious even though the whipped cream has entirely melted by the time he takes a sip.

“That was so good, Michael, thank you,” Alex tells him when they’re done eating, both because he deserves to hear it and because he loves to watch the way Michael melts under a compliment.

The smile Michael gives him is soft and pleased.

“Anything for you,” he says, pressing a kiss to his cheek before he takes the dishes to the kitchen.

Alex folds up the tray table and puts it back where he found it before he relaxes against the pillows. Michael’s back a moment later, climbing into bed alongside him and settling against his chest. They manage to make it to the end of the episode before Michael loses interest in the show and starts kissing Alex’s neck, his fingers tracing idle patterns over Alex’s skin wherever he can reach.

Alex lets him, without comment or much reaction besides the slow, encouraging caress of his palm up and down Michael’s spine, until he feels the tease of Michael’s tongue at the hollow of his throat. He curls the fingers of his left hand under Michael’s jaw and draws him into a kiss that tastes like blueberries and maple syrup.

Michael throws his leg over Alex’s thigh, moving in so close he can feel him starting to get hard against his hip. Alex deepens the kiss, chasing that sweetness inside Michael’s mouth with his tongue. Michael indulges him for a moment before he pulls back, a slightly mischievous glint in his eye.

“What?” Alex pants.

Michael leans down to press a kiss to the corner of Alex’s mouth.

“There’s something I wanna try,” Michael murmurs against his lips.

“Oh yeah?”

“Mhmm,” he says. “I think you’re gonna like it. Do you trust me?”

“Of course,” Alex answers instantly.

“Can you turn over for me then, darlin’?” Michael whispers.

Alex raises an eyebrow, but does as he’s asked, using the space Michael gives him to roll over onto his stomach. His confusion grows when Michael gathers the comforter and shoves it to the bottom of the bed.

“I’ll be right back,” Michael tells him, pressing a kiss to his shoulder before disappearing from the bed to rifle through their closet. When he returns, it’s with a small wicker basket and a large, fluffy towel.

“What’s that?” Alex asks, rolling onto his side to get a better look. Inside the basket he can see a few bottles of massage oil. His eyes spark with interest. “Ooh, you’re gonna give me a massage?”

“Mhmm,” Michael nods with a smile, spreading the fresh towel on an empty space on the bed to save their sheets. “I was gonna save it for our honeymoon, but now’s as good a time as any. Would you like coconut, jojoba, or sweet almond?”

“Mmm, coconut,” Alex decides, moving closer so he can lie down on his stomach on top of the towel.

“Good choice,” he says, selecting the bottle and placing the basket on the floor by the bed. “This one doubles as lube.”

Alex hums interestedly. “And what exactly are you planning on doing with it?”

“I’m sure you’ll tell me,” Michael says easily.

Alex huffs a laugh and feels the bed dip under Michael’s weight as he kneels beside him. He feels Michael’s fingers at the waistband of his sweatpants, dipping just under the fabric.

“Can I?” he asks.

Alex nods his permission, and Michael slides his underwear along with his sweatpants down his thighs and then off entirely, tossing them somewhere on the floor.

“Mm,” Michael hums. Alex turns his head over his shoulder to see Michael appreciating the view with his bottom lip caught between his teeth.  

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Alex teases, resting his head back on the mattress.

“Don’t tempt me,” Michael says as he straddles Alex’s hips and pops the cap on the massage oil. Alex braces for the feeling of cold liquid on his back, but by the time Michael is smoothing it over his skin his hands have warmed it right up.

Michael works the oil into his skin, rubbing the tension out of his neck and shoulders with a firm but gentle touch. It’s not long before Alex feels like he’s melting into the mattress.

“God, Michael, how’d you get so good at this?” Alex moans. Upon reflection, he adds, “Actually, don’t tell me, I don’t wanna know.”

He hears Michael snicker behind him. “Relax, I took some classes.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Michael says, running his thumbs up along Alex’s spine. “You work too hard, Alex. You should probably be seeing a professional regularly, but I know you don’t really like it when other people touch you so I thought maybe I could learn,” he explains, and there’s the briefest pause before he adds, smile audible in his voice, “Plus, it gives me a great excuse to get you naked. I mean, admit it, this is pretty sexy, right?”

Alex barely hears the second part, his brain stuck on the fact that Michael really spent time, money, and effort so he could give him some relief on bad days. The constant confirmation of how much Michael loves him is really starting to overwhelm him, and his eyes get a little misty just thinking about it.

“You’ve really gotta ease up with these romantic gestures, Michael. I’m starting to feel like a leaky faucet over here,” Alex says, wiping at his eyes.

“Me too,” Michael says, and grinds his erection into Alex’s lower back, effectively ruining the moment.

“Oh my god,” Alex laughs, burying his face in his pillow. “You’re such an ass.”

“I know,” Michael says, sounding far too pleased with himself, and then he’s leaning down until his chest is resting on Alex’s back, head to the side so Alex can see his face. His eyes are bright and mischievous as he adds, “Made you laugh though, didn’t I?”

Alex bites his lip in contemplation before he raises his head off the pillow. Michael meets him halfway, bringing their lips together in a sweet, teasing kiss. The angle is awkward, but Alex hardly notices.

“Can I get back to work now?” Michael asks when the kiss ends.

“Mhmm,” Alex smiles, content.

Michael leans in to peck him once more, on the nose this time, before sitting back up.

Alex misses his warmth immediately, but the steady pressure of Michael’s hands on his back is a pleasure all its own. He loses himself to the sensation, lets himself float a little at a time until all he’s really aware of is how good he feels. His cock begins to ache the longer Michael touches him, growing thick where it’s trapped against his belly, but there’s no urgency, no desperation to come spoiling his enjoyment of the moment. His world narrows to the warm weight of Michael above him and the bone deep satisfaction of knowing that, no matter what, he will take care of him.

He must fall asleep because when his eyes flutter open again Michael is kneeling over his calf and he can feel his hands, slick with fresh oil, working slowly over his right thigh, creeping higher and higher. His whole lower body feels relaxed, like Michael’s already worked his magic there, and Alex wonders how long he’s been out.

Alex moans softly as Michael’s fingers brush his inner thigh, the arousal that’s been simmering just below the surface beginning to make itself known again.

“How was your nap?” Michael asks, sweeping his hands back down all the way to the sensitive spot just behind his knee.

“Amazing,” Alex sighs, somehow feeling even more well-rested than he did when he woke up this morning. Maybe Michael’s right—he really should be getting more sleep during the week. “Sorry for falling asleep on you though.”

“I’m choosing to take it as a compliment,” Michael says, sliding his hands slowly back up towards Alex’s ass.

“You should,” Alex insists. “Doing such a good job, baby.”

“Yeah?” Michael asks, sounding pleased.

“‘Course you are,” Alex assures him.

“Good,” Michael says, and even though he can’t see him, Alex just knows Michael’s preening silently behind him.

Michael then crosses his right hand to Alex’s right thigh. Starting at the knee, he presses the heels of his palms into his muscle on the way back up, and Alex’s cock aches as Michael’s thumbs edge dangerously close to the apex of his thighs. When Michael finally reaches his ass, he palms both cheeks and squeezes.

“God, Alex,” Michael marvels, smoothing his hands over the swell of it. “Your ass is amazing, I should really play with it more.”

Alex snorts into his pillow, but it turns into a gasp as Michael slips his oil-slick thumb between his cheeks, heat flaring up inside him at the intimate touch.

“Fuck,” Alex murmurs as Michael rubs his thumb around his hole. “They teach you that in massage school too?”

Michael chuckles. “I think we both know I don’t need a licensed professional to tell me how to touch you here.”

Alex moans again as Michael slides his fingers down to press into his perineum, his thumb still working in slow, steady circles.

“Feels good, huh?” he asks rhetorically, like he can’t see the way Alex’s hips twitch forward to grind his cock against the mattress.

“Mhmm,” Alex hums, spreading his legs a little wider. Michael takes it for the message it is.

“You want my fingers in you?” he asks, and Alex can just imagine the hungry look on Michael’s face.

“Please,” Alex answers breathlessly, biting his lip in anticipation. They don’t usually do it this way, but Alex is so relaxed and turned on that it sounds like the best idea he’s ever had.

Alex hears the sheets rustle as Michael reaches for the coconut massage oil again. He can’t help but tense up a little as Michael rubs a lubed finger against his hole.

“Just relax,” Michael says softly, kissing his lower back, “and tell me if you want me to stop, okay?”

“Okay,” Alex agrees with a small nod.

Alex takes a deep breath and releases it as Michael slides his finger inside him, his body opening up for him. It’s a little uncomfortable at first as Michael stays mostly still, just getting him used to the feeling before he starts to move. His finger barely grazes his prostate, giving him nothing but a taste of what he needs.

“More,” he gasps after a minute, digging his fingers into the mattress. “Please.”

Alex feels another finger teasing at his hole before it breaches him. Michael gives him a second to adjust before he starts to fuck him, spreading his fingers on every other thrust to open him up even more. He feels it when Michael finds his prostate, blunt fingers crooking downward against it, and Alex cries out as he jerks in Michael’s hold.

“You like that?” Michael asks, pressing an openmouthed kiss to his tailbone. “You want more?”

Alex gasps, spreading his thighs wider. Michael makes him wait for it, rubbing his fingers over that spot inside him that drives Alex fucking crazy for what feels like an hour before he pulls out. When his fingers return there are three pressing into him, splitting him open and filling him up more than he has been in a good long while. Michael peppers kisses along his back, his ass, anywhere he can reach as Alex gets used to the stretch, his rim taught over Michael’s fingers.

Soft gasps and moans tumble from Alex’s lips, unable to be contained once Michael starts to fuck him again, nailing his prostate on every other thrust. His breath hitches in his chest as frissons of pleasure snake through him, driving him closer and closer to the edge.

“Fucking hell, Alex,” Michael murmurs, something like awe in his voice. “You gonna come for me like this?”

“Fuck, I think I am,” Alex moans in response, just as surprised.

Michael curses and redoubles his efforts, curling his fingers more firmly into Alex’s prostate as he fucks them in and out of him. Alex moans, grinding his cock harder against the mattress, desperately seeking that extra bit of stimulation he needs to get off.

“Don’t stop,” he begs, so close his thighs are shaking with it.

“So fucking hot, Alex, love you so much,” Michael groans against the small of his back. “Come on, come for me, know you wanna, baby.”

Michael’s encouragement and a particularly well-timed twist of his fingers sets off Alex’s orgasm, his whole body going hot all over as he clenches down on Michael’s fingers and comes onto the towel below him.

Michael keeps pressing kisses to his skin, teasing his prostate until his touch crosses that line between just right and too much and Alex whines, grabbing blindly for Michael’s wrist to stop him. Alex’s hand falls boneless back at his side when Michael gently withdraws his fingers, murmuring an apology as he does.

Michael cleans the lube from his hands and Alex’s hole with the towel before he gently rolls Alex over onto his back, pulling the dirty towel out from under him and shoving it to the floor. Alex is so blissed out, he doesn’t even think to complain about the oil seeping into their sheets.

Out of nowhere, he feels the wet heat of Michael’s tongue on his lower belly, and his eyes fly open to watch him lick the come off his skin. As Michael’s mouth envelops the head of his softening cock, Alex’s eyes slip closed again with a soft moan, his head falling back against the bed.

A moment later, once Michael’s cleaned him up, Alex feels him straddle his waist. Alex’s hands come to hold his hips instinctively as he opens his eyes to see Michael looking down at him, curls brightened by the afternoon sun filtering through the window.

He’s so beautiful, Alex thinks, and Michael smiles like he’s said it aloud.

Michael leans down for a kiss, fingers threading through his hair as he coaxes his tongue into Alex’s mouth so he can taste himself. Alex moans, chasing the bitterness on Michael’s tongue with his own. It could be seconds, minutes, or hours later when Michael tugs his bottom lip between his teeth, rough enough that it pulls a soft, hurt sound from the back of Alex’s throat. Michael releases him, soothing the bite with his tongue.

“Ready for more?” Michael asks.

Alex opens his eyes to see Michael looking at him, eyes dark and hooded.

“There’s more?” he asks, still dazed from his orgasm.

“I’m only halfway done,” Michael answers, his smile sinful when he leans back to look down at him. He lets his fingers skim down Alex’s broad chest, catching on a light dusting of chest hair and brushing against his nipples. “Still got so many kinks to work out.”

Alex very pointedly does not take the bait by asking what kind of kinks Michael has in mind.

Instead, he lets his gaze wander over the length of Michael’s body, from his wild curls to his rumpled t-shirt, and lower still. It’s then that Alex notices how hard Michael is, the outline of his cock clearly visible through his grey sweatpants, a wet spot of considerable size darkening the fabric. Alex is struck by the image of Michael tugging down the waistband and shuffling closer to feed his cock into his mouth. It makes his mouth water just thinking about it, and he finds himself sliding his right hand from Michael’s hip to the front of his pants. He bites his lip as he feels Michael’s cock jump against his palm.

Michael catches his wrist and takes both of his hands in his, interlocking their fingers as he presses them gently back into Alex’s pillow.

“Later,” he promises, capturing Alex’s lips with his once more. “Told you, I’m not done with you yet.”

Alex relents, content for the moment to let Michael continue while he lies back and thinks about all the ways he can thank him for it later.

Michael gets back to work, starting at Alex’s shoulders and working his way down to his collarbone before moving on to his arms. When he’s done with his right hand, Alex expects him to gently lower it back down to rest beside him like he did with the other one, but this time he presses a soft kiss to the center of his palm. The tenderness of Michael’s touch takes his breath away just like always, but when Michael starts to kiss each of his fingertips, Alex can’t help what he does next.

Alex taps Michael’s full bottom lip with the tip of his finger and Michael opens right up for him. Two of his fingers disappear into the warmth of Michael’s mouth, and Alex is hit by a sharp surge of arousal at the sight of his lips stretched over him, the soft heat of his tongue between his fingers. He presses them in deeper and Michael moans softly, his hips twitching fruitlessly forward, eyes boring into Alex’s as he sucks.

Alex rises up to meet him, desperate to kiss him again, but Michael plants his hands on Alex’s shoulders and shoves him back onto the bed, his fingers slipping from Michael’s mouth with the movement.

“Nice try,” Michael grins. “But I’m still not done with you.”

“Sorry,” Alex says, with a smile that shows just how sorry he isn’t. “Got carried away.”

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Michael laughs, shaking his head. He leans in close again so Alex almost has to close his eyes to see Michael’s lips. “But come on. Be good for me now and I’ll be so good for you later.”

There’s a part of Alex that still wants to flip Michael over and absolutely wreck him, but he can see how badly Michael wants to play this thing out, and Alex is powerless to refuse him. Besides, it’s not like he isn’t enjoying himself.

Alex steals a kiss before he nods. “Okay,” he agrees. “I’ll be good.”

“Promise?” Michael asks, and Alex can see the mischievous glint in his eye, but he agrees anyway.

“Promise.”

True to form, Michael plays dirty as he moves on to massage Alex’s chest, teasing his nipples with his lips, tongue, and fingers until Alex is squirming. From there he works his way down his stomach, kissing along the hard plane of his abdomen. He looks up at Alex as he nibbles on the protrusion of his hip bone, just inches away from his cock, which has slowly started to stiffen once again, and it’s no small miracle that Alex manages to keep his fingers out of Michael’s curls.

“Michael,” Alex whimpers as Michael sucks a maddening bruise into the crease of his thigh a few inches lower, as if he’s testing Alex’s self control.

“Shh,” he soothes, pressing a close-mouthed kiss against the darkened patch of skin. “Just a little longer.”

He leans back up to sit on his knees between Alex’s thighs before he starts to massage them, taking special care with his right one. Alex moans as the tension he always carries in his right hip and thigh releases under Michael’s attentive fingers.

Michael waits until he’s explored just about every other part of Alex’s body before he finally, finally, slides between Alex’s thighs to give his cock some attention. He wraps his hand around it, gently stroking it to full hardness as the other plays with his balls.

Alex struggles to keep his hips still when Michael leans down to take the head into his mouth, the velvety softness of his tongue like heaven as it teases his slit. He brings his hands toward Michael’s head, itching to bury themselves in his curls, but he stops just short of doing it, letting his hands fall back to the mattress with a barely audible whine as he catches himself.

Michael reaches for Alex’s left hand and threads their fingers together as he pulls off his cock.

“It’s okay,” Michael tells him, pressing open-mouthed kisses along his shaft. “You can touch me now.”

Alex weaves the fingers of his free hand into Michael’s curls instantly and delights in watching Michael’s eyes flutter closed as he goes back to sucking lightly on the head. He can feel more than hear the content little moan Michael makes around him at his touch. Alex’s eyes drift closed, just enjoying the tease of Michael’s mouth, the way Michael’s thumb caresses the soft skin of his palm.

He opens his eyes when Michael extricates his fingers from Alex’s grip just in time to see him slicking them with the coconut massage oil.

“Wait,” Alex says, and Michael pauses with his fingers halfway to his own ass. “Get up here.”

Alex half expects Michael to remind him he agreed to take the backseat this time, but instead Michael releases his cock from his mouth and rises up onto his knees, going in to kiss him.

“Not like that,” Alex corrects him with a shake of his head.

Michael’s head tilts in confusion, but he gets what he’s asking for a second later, a filthy grin breaking out onto his face as understanding dawns on him. He tugs off his shirt and strips his sweatpants off eagerly before straddling Alex’s chest, facing away from him. Alex grabs him by the hips and drags him closer until his ass is directly over his face. He locks his arms around Michael’s thighs to keep him exactly where he wants him before he licks right over his hole with the flat of his tongue.

Michael’s hips jerk at the sudden sensation, a moan slipping from his lips. The sounds Michael makes as he continues to flick his tongue over his hole are high and needy, spurring Alex on to narrow it to a point and slip the tip of it inside him.

“Fuck, Alex,” Michael moans, shoving his hips back further against Alex’s face before he warns, a little breathlessly, “Don’t let me come. Wanna come with you in me,” before he feels the wet heat of Michael’s mouth around his cock once again.

Alex groans and works his tongue deeper inside Michael’s ass, fucking it in and out of him a few times before letting his head fall back against his pillow—as much as Alex would love to keep giving Michael’s ass the attention it deserves, there’s no way he’s going to last if Alex keeps eating him out like this.

Instead, he spreads Michael’s cheeks wider with his palms and smoothes his thumb around the pink furl of his hole. It’s loose and slick enough now for him to slip the tip inside. Michael whimpers as Alex tugs his thumb to the side just a little to watch it stretch.

“Pass me the lube,” Alex says, voice rough with arousal, and Michael tosses it vaguely in his direction, too overwhelmed to be precise about it.

It lands on the bed nearby and Alex reaches for it, gently removing his thumb. He slicks his fingers and slides two of them inside Michael at the same time. Alex’s cock slips out of Michael’s mouth as he cries out and drops his forehead to Alex’s thigh, fingers digging into the mattress. Alex can feel pre dripping from the head of Michael’s cock onto his chest as he fingers him open, careful to avoid his prostate as much as he can.

He’s three fingers deep with a fourth teasing at his rim before Michael gasps, “Enough, I’m ready.”

Alex withdraws his fingers and waits as Michael turns himself around on shaky knees to straddle Alex’s hips. Michael’s eyes are dark and unfocused as he looks at him, his lips red, wet, and a little swollen from use.

I did that, Alex thinks with no small amount of pride.

Alex slicks his own cock as Michael settles above him, knees on either side of him. He holds himself steady as Michael sinks down onto his cock in one smooth movement, moaning at the scorching, tight heat of him, and it’s only Michael’s hands planted on his chest that remind him to stay still. To distract himself from the need building inside him to fuck his cock deeper into him, Alex runs his hands along Michael’s flank, focusing on the softness of his skin beneath his fingertips until Michael’s caught his breath.

Michael starts to roll his hips into Alex’s in a slow, dirty grind, eyes pinning him against the mattress like a stuck butterfly. Alex reaches up to roll his thumb over Michael’s nipple, pinching it just hard enough to make him gasp and tighten up on him. His hips start working harder, and by the time Michael is bouncing on his cock, Alex can’t look away from him, enraptured by the flush high on Michael’s cheeks and the little moans that get forced out of his open mouth every time his ass hits the cradle of Alex’s hips. He’s the most beautiful thing Alex has ever seen, and his heart swells with so much love and gratitude for him that he has to sit up and pull him down for a kiss.

Michael wraps his arms around Alex’s shoulders and kisses him back, licking into his mouth as he squirms desperately in his lap.  

“Is it my turn yet?” Alex asks against his lips when a particularly well-aimed grind of his hips makes Michael’s mouth drop open in a gasp.

“What?” Michael pants, a little deliriously.

“To spoil you,” Alex reminds him, kissing his way down to his jaw, then his throat. He sucks lightly at his skin before he adds, “We had a deal.”

“Do I not look—mm, fuck—spoiled right now?” Michael asks, tugging Alex up by his hair to look at him in the eye.

“Not yet,” Alex answers, reaching up to run his thumb against Michael’s full bottom lip, “but you will.”

Michael visibly shudders in anticipation. “Fuck, yeah, okay,” he answers. “Do whatever you want to me.”

Alex leans in to steal another kiss before he flips Michael onto his back with surprising grace, keeping himself seated in the process.

“Where’d you even learn how to do that?” Michael asks when his back hits the mattress.

“Basic,” Alex answers, a smug smile on his face.

“Jesus,” Michael says, wrapping his legs higher around Alex’s waist. “Send Uncle Sam my regards.”

Alex laughs and leans in to kiss him again, a light press of lips that quickly turns filthy as Michael teases his tongue into Alex’s mouth. Alex grabs hold of the backs of Michael’s thighs and pushes them further toward his chest, folding Michael nearly in half as he starts to fuck him again, the room filling with the sound of skin slapping on skin.

It’s not long before Alex feels Michael start to tighten around him, hears the pitch of the little “uh, uh, uh’s” he’s making turn a little sharper, and he angles his hips so his cock brushes his prostate that much firmer. Michael keens, and a heady mix of pleasure and pain breaks out over Alex’s skin as Michael digs his blunt nails into his shoulders.

Alex reaches between them to get a hand on Michael’s dick to push him over the edge and all it takes is another few thrusts before he’s is coming on Alex’s cock, so hot and tight around him it makes them both cry out.

He fucks Michael through it, but he doesn’t let himself succumb to his own impending orgasm, determined to make Michael come one more time before he does—Michael’s been so good to him, it’s the least he deserves. He waits for Michael to stop trembling beneath him before he pulls out and sits back on his knees. Michael whimpers unhappily at the loss.

“You didn’t come,” Michael frowns, looking down through the V of his thighs at Alex’s cock, still flushed and hard between his legs.

“Turn over,” Alex pants.

Michael obeys him instantly, propping himself up on shaky knees and spreading his thighs wide enough that Alex can see his hole between his cheeks, slick and open for him. It’s a beautiful sight, but Alex doesn’t take advantage, not yet. Instead he grabs Michael’s legs and tugs him further down the bed. Michael yelps in surprise, but otherwise stays where Alex puts him.

Alex slicks himself with a little more lube before he leans over Michael again, nudging his legs closer together with his knees on the outside of Michael’s thighs. He slips the head of his cock between Michael’s cheeks and lets it tease against his rim.

“Is this okay?” he asks, giving Michael the opportunity to deny him if he’s too sensitive for this.

Michael nods. “Shit, yeah, come on.”

This time, when the thick head of his cock breaches Michael, he’s so much tighter.

“Oh fuck,” Michael groans, head tossed back so his curls tickle Alex’s shoulder. “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, Alex.”

Alex can’t help but share that sentiment, Michael so tight around him he feels like he’s going to burst any second, but he pushes that down and focuses on giving Michael what he needs.

“Mmm, I know,” Alex coos in his ear, sliding one hand in Michael’s curls and the other under his arm to brace against his chest as he presses deeper inside him. “Bet you feel so full right now.”

Michael nods, gasping desperately.

“You like it?” Alex asks, rolling his hips slowly into Michael’s until he’s as deep as he can get. “That feel good?”

“Yeah,” Michael moans, “fuck, yeah.”

“Good boy,” Alex says, dropping kisses to Michael’s shoulder before starts to fuck him in earnest.

In this position, Michael can’t do much more than bury his face in his pillow and take it, but that doesn’t stop him from trying, high, thready moans clawing at his throat as he shoves his hips back to meet Alex’s thrusts as much as he can. Alex groans into Michael’s neck as he spears him open on his cock, the tight, clutching heat of him almost unbearable.

“Michael,” Alex groans against his skin. “So good for me, always so good for me.”

“Only—fuck—only for you,” Michael gasps.

“That’s right, baby,” Alex says, grinding his hips harder against him. “All mine, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me.”

“M’yours,” Michael moans.

“Show me,” Alex orders. “Come for me again.”

Alex changes the angle of his thrusts until Michael shouts and he knows he’s found it. He keeps driving his cock right up on his prostate and, sure enough, moments later Alex feels Michael’s walls clench down on him again as he starts to come.

“That’s my boy, come on, let me hear it,” Alex all but growls in his ear, and Michael practically sobs as his second orgasm of the day rocks through him.

Alex doesn’t let up after he’s finished, just keeps thrusting his cock in and out of him until Michael’s a squirming mess beneath him.

“Alex,” Michael begs, “please come, god, please, I can’t—“

“Where do you want it?” Alex grunts, seconds away from the finish line.

“In me,” he answers, dissolving what’s left of Alex’s self control. “Want it in me.”

Alex groans, arousal sharp in his gut at Michael’s words. He tumbles over the edge moments later, snapping his hips forward one last time before he comes, filling Michael up just like he wanted. Judging by the way Michael whimpers and shudders beneath him, he can feel the warm rush of it inside him.

They lie there, gasping and spent, until Alex has the presence of mind to lift his weight from Michael’s back. Alex pulls out of him as softly as he can, one hand spreading open Michael’s cheeks so he can watch his come leak out of his hole, something possessive deep inside him satisfied by the sight.

“‘Lex,” Michael pants tiredly, his hand reaching back to land on Alex’s thigh. “C’mere.”

“I know,” Alex answers, “just a second.”

He leans over the side of the bed for the towel they cast off the bed earlier and cleans up the mess between Michael’s thighs before he lets himself fall back on the mattress beside him. Michael wriggles over to him and Alex opens his arms, bringing Michael close to rest against his chest. He presses his face into his curls, breathing in the soothing scent of the expensive conditioner Isobel bought him for Christmas. They’re both sticky with sweat, come, and massage oil, and in desperate need of a shower, but for the moment Alex is content to soak up every bit of contact he can get right now.

Alex is on the edge of sleep when the sudden peal of giddy laughter Michael buries into his chest draws his attention.

“What?” Alex asks, smiling down at Michael.

“I need another shower,” he explains, laughing again.

Alex huffs a laugh into Michael’s hair as he drops a kiss to his head. “I’d apologize, but I’m not sorry.”

“Eh, whatever,” Michael says, looking up at him with a sated smile. “Totally fucking worth it.”

“Yeah?” he asks, even though he knows the answer. “I give you what you needed?”

“You always do,” Michael sighs happily. A subtle wince passes over his face as he shifts further up the bed to kiss Alex, soft and sweet. “Fuck,” he whispers against his lips. “I’m gonna be feeling you for fucking days, Alex.”

“Good,” Alex grins, kissing him again as pride swells in his chest.

“What about you?” Michael asks when the kiss ends. “I spoil you enough?”

“More than enough,” Alex laughs. “You were perfect. You are perfect.”

Michael bites his lip as a pleased grin blossoms on his face. Alex runs his fingers through Michael’s curls and smiles fondly when Michael’s eyes drift closed as his nails graze his scalp. Michael nudges further into Alex’s touch and practically purrs like a cat.

“I love you,” Alex sighs, the affection he feels carrying through in his tone.

Michael opens his eyes to look at him, expression soft.

“I love you too,” Michael replies. He settles back against Alex’s chest, pressing a gentle kiss right over his heart. It’s the simplest touch, over before it’s even really begun, but it makes Alex ache with all the love he has for him.

Michael just fits in Alex’s life, like a missing puzzle piece or the other half of a friendship bracelet. He always has, filling in all of Alex’s edges and making him complete, whole in a way he’s never been without him. Having Michael in his arms—feeling the unnatural warmth of him against his skin, hearing the soothing cadence of his breathing—is a balm on Alex’s soul.

Alex knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he belongs to Michael and Michael belongs to him, and there isn’t a single goddamn thing in the universe that will ever, ever change that.