This story contains several references to my fic "It's Complicated", featuring Nate, Carver and Megan as teens. If you're interested, you can find it on my AO3 account.

Starkhaven

Nathaniel just barely suppressed a yawn as he approached Howe Enterprises' booth. The job fair had turned out to be a disappointment, the results so far hardly worth his travel expenses for the trip to Starkhaven.

"Mr Howe." Kelly, the platinum blonde young woman at the booth gave him a professional smile. "Another quiet day."

He nodded back at her, suppressing the memory of his first encounter with her, back when he'd just started working at his father's company, several years ago. She'd showed up in his office, late at night, when everyone else had left, and settled on his desk, placing her long, stocking-clad leg in his lap and fluttering her lashes at him. Nate had been so surprised that he'd put up no resistance. They'd had sex right there, on his desk, but their brief affair had quickly petered out.

Kelly hadn't been the only one to come on to him back then. No surprise, probably, since it was an open secret that he, as Rendon Howe's eldest son, was set to inherit everything. A true catch. For a while, he'd happily played along, enjoying all the attention he got, but the pleasure had soon grown stale.

"No interesting candidates at all?" He raised an inquiring eyebrow at Kelly. "Not even one?"

He wasn't actually in charge of recruiting, of course. Rendon Howe had made it abundantly clear that the actual decisions were to be left to the professionals from HR. Besides, Nate was still far too young to be the official face of this father's company. No, his job was to chat up potential candidates, have a drink with them, get them to relax and spill their secrets. He made a face at the thought. He didn't really appreciate being used like this, even if he had to admit it made sense. They had weeded out quite a few bad apples that way.

"There was this one guy who seemed interesting," Kelly conceded. "Bright and with impressive credentials. Good references, too. Still, I have a feeling he's not really in the market for a job. There he is, over at the coffee machine. See? The dark one."

"I see him." Nate felt his face set in a frown as he gazed over at the guy. There was something familiar about him… "I'll check him out. It can't hurt."

As he made his way to the other side of the room, the guy turned toward him, and Nate gasped involuntarily. Could it be…

"Carver?" His heart was hammering against his ribcage. "Is that you?"

"Nate!" A sudden smile lit up Carver's features, but it was gone just as quickly. "Fancy seeing you here."

He sounded wary, and Nate couldn't blame him. They hadn't exactly parted as friends. And yet, looking at Carver he felt a familiar ache in his chest and groin. Fuck. He's even hotter than he used to be. Suddenly it seemed vitally important to put Carver at ease.

"It's good to see you." He smiled tentatively.

"Is it?" Carver's answering smile was a little crooked, but there was a spark of humour in his eyes. "Yeah, I guess it's good to see you, too. How are you doing?"

"Fine." Nate swallowed. "Couldn't be better."

It wasn't true, not really. The past year had been less than stellar. He'd spent the better part of it trying to get over the whole disaster with Sebastian, and coming here to Starkhaven had brought it all back. And yet… Looking into Carver's beautiful brown eyes, it was easy to forget about all of it.

"Where are you staying?" Nate licked his lips nervously.

"The Palace Hotel." Carver's answer wasn't unexpected. The Palace was the only decent place close enough to the exhibition centre, and most of the people attending the job fair stayed there, provided they could afford it. Which Carver clearly could. His suit was well-cut and Nate recognized the smell of an expensive aftershave.

"Me, too." Plucking up his courage, Nate met Carver's gaze. "Meet me at the bar for a drink later tonight? To catch up?"

"Sure." Carver sounded calm and casual, but his eyes were fluttering nervously. "See you there at nine?"

"Nine's good." Nate watched Carver walk away, willing his heartbeat to return to a normal frequency. Which was quite the challenge, considering the view.

The bar at the Palace was the old-fashioned kind, dark and dignified, and a little overstuffed, with a fire roaring merrily in the hearth despite the balmy summer evening outside. Still, it was a lot more inviting than the modern cocktail bars in town, and Nate knew from experience that they served a decent choice of Starkhaven whiskies. When he arrived, shortly after nine, Carver was already there. Without quite knowing why, Nate stuck to the shadows for a little longer, to watch the man who had been his first love, back when he'd just turned nineteen.

Carver had taken off his jacket and tie, but he was still wearing his suit pants, and the way they clung to his ass as he shifted around on the bar stool was… distracting, to say the least. He'd rolled up his sleeves and opened the topmost button of his shirt, too, to cope with the stifling temperature in the room, and that only added to the attraction. Carver still seemed to be into sports, maybe still swimming regularly, if the width of his shoulders and the muscles rippling in his bare forearms were anything to go by.

Glancing down guiltily at his own not-quite-so-perfect body, Nate was nevertheless glad that he'd made at least some effort to keep in shape. It had been tempting to give up archery again, after the bad breakup with Sebastian, but he'd stuck with it, even doubled up his training routine to distract himself a little. It hadn't worked, but at least he looked okay.

Enough stalking. Giving himself a mental shove, he approached Carver.

Two hours later, he couldn't recall why he'd been so hesitant. They'd reconnected with impressive speed, and once again it had become abundantly clear why they'd gotten on so well back then, when they'd been barely more than boys. They easily found topics to talk about, ranging from sport to books and movies, and their tastes were different enough to keep things interesting without ever actually clashing. For the first time in months, Nate felt truly happy and relaxed.

When they finally made their way upstairs, it turned out that their rooms were on the same floor, only a few doors apart, so they said goodbye in front of Carver's door. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to step closer, to place a tentative hand on Carver's shoulder, to catch his gaze…

And before Nate knew it, they were kissing, soft and sweet at first, until Carver shifted a little and brought their bodies closer. The feel of him, hot and hard and wonderful, made Nate's brain short-circuit. Instinctively, he deepened the kiss, claiming that perfect mouth, and Maker, Carver's kisses were just as he remembered them, no holds barred, no questions asked. He tasted so good, too, with just a hint of peat and wood smoke from the whisky on his breath, and his own unique taste lingering below it, recognizable even after all those years.

Nate lost himself in the kiss, in the tightening of Carver's muscles under his hand, the scent of him, the rasp of his stubble against his cheek. And he didn't want it to end, he wanted it to go on forever, wanted it with an intensity that was almost frightening.

When they finally broke the kiss, they were both panting, and Nate felt a flush rise to his cheeks. "Carver, I…" He swallowed hard. "Can I see you again? Tomorrow?"

Carver's fist was clenched in the fabric of Nate's shirt, and he seemed unwilling to let go. "Oh yes." His lips were still so close that Nate could feel them move. "Or, you know, you could come in with me now, and stay the night."

For a heartbeat, Nate wanted to say yes, wanted it so desperately that he actually moaned aloud. But then the memories returned, memories of another night in Starkhaven, almost two years ago. Memories of Sebastian's bright blue eyes, gazing up at him as he'd sucked him off in an alley behind the hotel before they'd moved on to his apartment where they'd made lo… no, fucked all night. Because that was all it had ever been, no matter what he'd told himself at the time.

It had all gone so fast, a moment of recognition in a crowd, the realization that they had gone to archery camp together as teens, the silent admission that they'd been attracted to each other even then. And suddenly they had been all over each other. Oh, it had been hot and exhilarating, probably the best sex he'd ever had. Sebastian had been the first man he'd ever bottomed for, and it had meant everything to Nate, and nothing to him.

Fuck, it still hurt, even now, to realize how one-sided the whole thing had been. Biting his lip, Nate forced himself to return to the present. To Carver, who was here in his arms, giving him a quizzical look now.

"I… Let's take it slow, okay." He bit his lip. "I don't know about you, Carver, but if we do this… I want more than just nostalgia. More than just- We had something good, back then, and we messed it up, and I don't want to make the same mistake twice."

Carver's expression softened at those words, and the hand that had been gripping the bunched-up fabric of Nate's shirt relaxed, gently stroking down his chest instead. And that simple touch, meant to calm rather than arouse, made him shiver all over.

"You sure?" Carver's lips were still so very close, and he smelled so good. "We wouldn't have to do much, you know. I didn't bring any supplies anyway. Didn't expect to meet anyone interesting here."

"Me neither." Nate's imagination had gone into overdrive at the word supplies, but he made himself stop. Once he started picturing exactly what he wanted to do to Carver, there'd be no going back, that much was certain. "And yeah, I'm sure. Tomorrow."

Carver gave him a long, searching look, and then his face suddenly lit up in a smile as he pulled back a little, and the sheer sweetness of it pretty much made Nate's heart stop. "You always were a stubborn bastard. Maker, I've missed you." His low chuckle went straight to Nate's groin. "Well, if there's no way I can change your mind…" His voice dropped to a murmur as his lips brushed against Nate's ear. "I'm going to wear out my hand thinking of you, but have it your way."

Nate nodded, struggling for air. "I'm off at six tomorrow, so if you want, we could have dinner in town. I know a few good places."

"Six is fine." Carver reached for his key card. "See you then."

After some consideration, Nate had decided on a tiny Antivan restaurant close to the old Royal Palace. It was one of the few places in the city that wasn't inundated with memories of Sebastian. Besides, didn't everybody like Antivan food? You couldn't really go wrong with that.

Carver had changed out of his formal clothes and was wearing crisp blue jeans and a plain white shirt. It was a good look on him. He seemed happy with Nate's choice of restaurant, settling down at the table with a relaxed air that boded well for the evening. The food was delicious and plentiful, and between the two of them, they'd finished off a whole bottle of red wine by the time they left.

The sun hadn't set yet, so they took a walk along Starkhaven's old city wall. The ancient stone construction was wide enough to allow for a proper walkway on top that led all around the old town centre, interrupted only by the occasional watchtower or gate. Many of the buildings in the old town had escaped the fate of their contemporaries in other cities and were remarkably well-preserved - a major asset for Starkhaven's tourism industry.

Eventually, they paused to admire the view from the Water Gate. The water level of the Minanter was low at this time of the year, but it was still an impressive sight.

"Beautiful." Carver leaned against the rough flagstones, gesticulating toward the river. The setting sun was glittering on its surface, like a cascade of brightly coloured jewels. "I should have brought my camera."

The warm light made Carver's skin glow like burnished gold and his smile shine twice as bright. Try as he might, Nate couldn't take his eyes off him. "Yeah. Beautiful."

His voice must have given him away. Carver turned to face him, a knowing smile playing around his lips. "Come here. Kiss me."

Nate didn't have to be asked twice.

They ended up making out wildly in a hidden alcove of the old gate house. Rationally, Nate knew they were in a public place, knew they were behaving like horny teenagers, but he couldn't help himself. Carver tasted too good, felt too good, smelled too good. Cupping Carver's perfect ass through his tight jeans, he ground against him, trembling with desire, and Carver made no move to stop him.

The scandalized mumbling of two elderly ladies approaching the gate finally drove them apart. Carver was flushed, his chest heaving with quick, laboured breaths, and Nate had to fight the urge to drag him to the stone floor, old ladies be damned. Fortunately, Carver was still a bit more coherent.

Grabbing Nate's hand, he pulled him toward the closest staircase. "My room. Now."

Nate couldn't have said how they made it back to the hotel, how they managed to get through the lobby without embarrassing themselves. The moment the door to Carver's room fell shut behind them, they were kissing again, and Nate gasped hard when Carver shoved him against the wall.

"Wait." It took an effort to push him back. "We should-"

"Don't tell me again that we should take it slow." Carver almost whined. "Maker, Nate, I've had all the taking slow I can take. I want you. Please."

The words went straight to Nate's groin, and he whimpered, not caring how he sounded. "Not going to argue. Just… Can we find a proper bed first?"

"With pleasure." Carver took a step back, then another one, slowly walking backward towards the large bed at the centre of the room.

He was unbuttoning his shirt, trembling as he did so, and with every inch of skin he bared, Nate lost it a little more. "Damn, Carver, you're driving me crazy."

"Good." With a final flourish, Carver tore off the shirt, tossing it into a corner. "Because you're not leaving this room without fucking me first."

Nate was lost for words. Helplessly he watched as Carver threw off the rest of his clothes and lay back on the bed. Naked, he was even more beautiful, his skin smooth and silky, his cock hard and lovely. Nate wanted to touch him so badly he was burning with it, but something still held him back.

"Nate?" A hint of worry had crept into Carver's tone. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Shaking himself, he took a step closer and sat down on the edge of the bed, his hand hovering just shy of Carver's toned stomach. "I just- Maker, Carver, you're so gorgeous, and I don't know where to start."

"Anywhere you want." Carver's smile was back, confident and provocative. "I don't really care as long as you end up inside me."

"Carver!" Closing his eyes, Nate shivered all over.

Dirty talk had always been one of his weaknesses, and of course Carver knew. Even as a teen, Carver had been far more direct than him, far less worried about embarrassing himself, and that lack of inhibition had never failed to turn Nate on. Sucking in a deep, shaky breath, he gathered his courage and finally allowed himself to place his hand on Carver's stomach, savouring the contrast between his velvety soft skin and the hard muscles beneath.

Carver moaned unrestrainedly, moving into his touch like a cat begging to be petted. "Yes. More. Get out of those damn clothes."

Nate obeyed and moments later they were both naked, both stretched out on the bed, and Carver pulled him into a tight embrace, and it was… Hot skin, the weight of Carver's cock in his hand, the sweetness of his breath against his cheek, his rough voice whispering into Nate's ear… It was almost too much, and yet he wanted more.

"Nate, please." With a tilt of his head, Carver indicated a neat stack of condoms and a generous bottle of lube on the nightstand.

"I thought you didn't bring any supplies." Nate raised an eyebrow in mock reproach.

"Yeah, well." Carver was grinning again, but his eyes belied his casual tone. They were dead serious, burning with intent. "After last night… I decided it was time to do some shopping. Aren't you glad?"

"Very." And he was, Nate realized, as he slowly worked a finger into Carver's welcoming body.

He was truly glad for Carver's persistence, truly glad he hadn't taken no for an answer. Because Carver was right, and there really was no need to take it slow.

This wasn't Sebastian, with his shitload of issues when it came to commitment and giving up his precious freedom. This was no stranger he needed to be wary of. This was Carver, who had never lied to him, whose need to be loved, to be wanted had always been so obvious to anyone with eyes to see. Yes, they'd both grown up since then, both changed, and maybe Carver was no longer quite as transparently vulnerable. He was a lot more experienced, in any case, and quite a bit more confident, too. But Nate still felt he knew him in a way that he'd never known any other lover.

And suddenly, it was all easy, and Nate could no longer remember why he'd wanted to hold back. Suddenly, all he could think of was how to make this good for Carver, how to wipe that confident smirk off his face and replace it with sheer, naked desire. So he set about doing so with renewed focus.

Carver was hot and tight, and judging from his moans and from the way his cock was twitching against his stomach, he was enjoying what Nate was doing to him. When Nate paused for a moment to adjust the angle of his probing fingers, he couldn't keep his hips still, moving into Nate's shallow thrusts with undeniable eagerness.

"Shhh." Nate's face almost hurt from smiling. "There's no rush. We have all the time in the world."

"Speak for yourself." Carver's eyes were feverish, his mouth half open. "Maker's mercy, please, Nate."

He sounded raw, and he looked so… Nate desperately wished he could preserve the image forever in his memory: Carver begging for his cock, pleading to be fucked, so mind-blowingly gorgeous in his arousal, so ready for the taking. It was intoxicating.

"Yes." Slowly withdrawing his fingers, he reached for a condom, at the same time pushing Carver's legs a little further up and apart.

And Carver was so willing, so pliant, so undeniably eager. There was a moment of resistance when Nate pushed against him, but Carver clearly knew how to handle it, exhaling slowly to open up for Nate. Nate did his best to hold back, to move slowly, until he was there, surrounded by the heat of Carver's body, and the urge to move, to thrust was almost irresistible. But Carver was clutching him tightly, his fingers digging deep into Nate's back, his breath coming in quick, shallow gasps, and Maker, the look on his face…

"Nate." There was a world of emotion in Carver's tone, and Nate knew, without the shadow of a doubt, that this wasn't going to be a one-night stand. He had to see Carver again, he simply had to, no matter what it would take. No matter-

Just then, Carver whined impatiently, and Nate forced himself to focus. Well, maybe you ought to make sure he has a good time. That would be a good first step, surely? Slowly, he rolled his hips, trying to find the perfect angle, and Carver moaned, deep in his throat.

"Good?" He repeated the movement, more insistently this time, and Carver arched into his thrust with a small, stifled cry.

"Yes. Don't stop." He sounded wrecked. "Maker, Nate, you-"

Carver's next words were cut off by another thrust, and then another, until Nate found a rhythm and things rapidly became too frantic for conversation. Too frantic for any kind of clear thought, really. It was all heat and sweat, passion and hunger, lips on flesh burning with need, hands tightening on muscles already tense with want.

At some point, Carver grabbed Nate's hand and guided it to his throbbing cock, wrapping his fingers tightly around it. He felt amazing, and he was close, so close that the moment Nate touched him, a shudder ran through his whole body. Instinctively, Nate tightened his grip just that little bit further, and Carver came with a strangled cry, came all over Nate's chest and stomach, came for what seemed like forever.

The sight of Carver, combined with the tightening of his body all around his cock, was enough to push Nate over the edge as well. Shuddering all over, he poured himself into Carver's body, whispering his name over and over. Carver had one hand buried deep in his hair, and he pulled Nate's head close to his shoulder, holding him, breathing kisses on his forehead, muttering soothing nonsense. It was hot and intense, and at the same time almost unbearably sweet. Carver. I won't let you go again.

Nate ended up staying in Carver's room all night. They alternated between more hot, steamy sex and a few hours of restless sleep, curled up in each others' arms despite the warmth. But when the sun came up it was time for Nate to leave. It was the last day of the job fair, and Nate had to be on the train for Ansburg by three o'clock. Carver was set to depart even earlier, to catch a plane for Amaranthine around noon. They said goodbye on Carver's doorstep, where they had enough privacy for a long, deep kiss and a tight embrace.

As Nate headed for his room and a hot shower, he felt tired enough to sleep for a week, but there was a definite bounce in his step. They hadn't made any definite plans for seeing each other again, just exchanged phone numbers and addresses. But he was sure it wouldn't be long until he held Carver in his arms again.

Nope. I'm not letting you go again. Never.

Huggles and thanks to my wonderful beta suilven. :)