The fabric of Mike’s sweater was just as soft as it looked when Ezra laid his hand on it, right over his heart, letting himself pretend that he could feel the steady beat of it under his palm. He stroked slowly with his thumb, not quite ready to meet Mike’s eyes just yet.
This all felt like a dream. An incrediblyrealdream, but a dream all the same.
“I won’t run away this time,” Mike promised. “I don’t know… what this is or where it’s going, but I’d like to find out.”
That finally made Ezra look up, levelling his gaze with Mike’s, staring into his warm brown eyes with joy welling up in his heart. A smile spread over his lips, excitement welling up in the pit of his stomach.
He slid the hand on Mike’s chest up, brushing over his neck and curving it around his jaw. The gentle, easy hold he’d always imagined.
“You can kiss me again if you want,” Ezra offered. The speed of his heartbeat was making him dizzy, all of this too goddamnmuch, but he wasn’t about to back off now. Not if Mike was ready for this.
The way Mike leaned in was painfully slow, inching toward Ezra for what felt likehours. Their noses brushed together at first, as though Mike was testing all this out, still unsure of what he was doing.
But the moment their lips met, it was all worth it. Ezra moaned into Mike's mouth, parting his lips, giving Mike all the access he could possibly want.
Mike's hand came to rest on his hip, his touch light. He was still uncertain of himself, and uncertain of Ezra, but his confidence was clearly building.
In the interest of helping that along, Ezra swiped his tongue along the seam of Mike's lips, making him gasp. Laughter bubbled up in Ezra's chest, sheer joy at the thought of what the two of them were doing making his lungs feel tight.
“For the record,” Ezra murmured. “I like kissing you, too.”
“That's a relief,” Mike responded, brushing their noses together again. “Kinda embarrassing if you didn’t.”
Ezra chuckled, raising his free hand up to play with the hem of Mike’s sweater. “How far do you want this to go?” he asked.
“How far are you… I mean…”
“Up to you,” Ezra said. “I’m easy, remember?”
“You just don’t have weird hang-ups,” Mike said. “I always wished I was more like you.”
Ezra shrugged. “Good a day as any to start. If you want.”
“I want.” Mike paused to swallow. “I want… more than a kiss, anyway.”
Heat pooled in Ezra’s belly. Whatever Mike was asking for, he was more than happy to give it to him.
But he got the feeling he’d have to take the lead, and given the opportunity, he’d take it slow. There was no need to rush, no need to risk scaring Mike away. He’d been lucky to have his first time with a man with someone kind and gentle, and he wanted Mike to have the same.
Kind, gentle, andpatient. Willing to give him just a taste.
“Stop me if I do anything you don’t like,” Ezra said, sliding his hand up under Mike’s sweater and the t-shirt under it, skimming it over soft, warm skin.
Mike didn’t even twitch, so Ezra assumed that was all right. So far, so good.
“It’s okay to be nervous,” Ezra continued. “Nervous is fine. You can always ask me to slow down. I won’t get mad.”
“I know,” Mike said softly, almost a whisper. Still enough to make Ezra’s heart flutter, though.
Knowing he had Mike’s trust was incredible.
Ezra leaned in for another kiss, still determined to take this slowly, ease Mike into it. He wasn’t sure how long his mom would be out for, but he expected her to be a while. With Christmas so close, even parking the car at the supermarket was an ordeal.
Gently as he could, Ezra put just a little pressure on Mike’s chest, encouraging him to back up toward the bed. They’d both be more comfortable sitting down, and he’d fantasized about climbing into Mike’s lap and kissing him until he was gasping for breath a hundred times. It seemed like a good time to make that particular dream a reality.
Mike went without protest, sitting heavily on the bed when the backs of his legs hit the base, the mattress creaking as it bounced under him.
Ezra practically fell after him, settling across his lap and grinning broadly.
