A/N: Thank you to Miss Dare and Beckybrit, my writing buddies for kicking my ass and pre-reading bits of this for me. And as always a huge thanks to Mamdi for betaing.

This is the last part of the story proper, but is the longest chapter yet – I always said this story would be short, but I hope I've done it justice!

Peter

It's shocking how right Jasper's body feels in my arms. This makes three times now. Three times that we've done this. Just as before, he goes to sleep quickly, leaving me lying awake with my thoughts while I curl my body protectively around him.

I never expected to hear him say that he wanted me – I still find it hard to believe that he said it. I'd spent weeks waiting and gradually losing hope. Then when I saw him heading out of the door last night, I thought I'd lost him for good.

But now, now I'm in turmoil and I have no idea what to do. Part of me is desperate to say yes to him, to open up and give him a chance. But another part of me is afraid that I would be risking too much. He's hurt me so much already. I don't know if I can take any more.

I roll away from him and lie on my back, staring up at the ceiling. A gap in the curtains allows light to filter in from the headlights of passing cars on the street outside. I watch as the patterns move and flicker. Jasper breathes softly next to me and I can still feel his warmth although we're no longer touching. A long time passes and my head keeps whirling, but my thoughts are going round in circles and I'm no closer to making a decision.

Much later Jasper moves and murmurs in his sleep, shifting position. He rolls over and reaches for me, slipping an arm carelessly across my torso as he nuzzles at my neck, his breath warm and damp on my skin. My heart swells with tenderness as I breathe in the scent of his hair and feel the weight of his arm on my chest.

And that's when I realize what I have to do.

Suddenly, it's blindingly obvious to me that there's only one possible decision for me. This boy already owns my heart, so pushing him away to try and protect myself would be utterly pointless. If I was going to do that, I should have done it years ago. I can't make my feelings for Jasper go away and I don't even want to. So, the way I see it – if there's even a tiny chance that we can make things work between us then I have to take it. He said last night that he wants to change and I believe him. I know it'll take time, but I can be patient.

I curl my arms around him, and hold him close. "Okay, then," I whisper into his hair. "Let's do it."

The decision made, my thoughts finally start to drift and settle. I lie there, my limbs heavy with exhaustion – Jasper in my arms and tentative hope unfurling in my chest – and I let sleep claim me.

XOXOXOX

We sleep late the next day and when I finally drift reluctantly into wakefulness the first thing I register is that there is a warm, heavy body lying beside mine and the weight of a hand on my chest. I stir, and start to crank my eyes open.

"Morning." Jasper's gentle murmur makes me turn my head to focus on him.

He's lying on his side, his face just inches from mine and he looks as though he's been awake for a while. My face splits into a goofy grin.

"You're still here," I state the obvious. My brain hasn't woken up enough for me to be clever.

"Uh huh," he looks unsure. "Is that okay?"

I take his hand that's lying on my chest and hold it in both of mine, rolling onto my side to face him. "Yeah, it's very okay."

We stare at each other for a moment. I take in the curve of his cheekbones, the violet shadows smudged beneath his grey eyes. His lips quirk in the smallest, most tentative of smiles.

"I was awake for hours thinking," I say, keeping my gaze on him. "And I think I have to try... if you're still sure, that is?"

Hope floods his features. "You mean... you want to..." He falters, as though he's scared of saying the words out loud.

"Be with you – like… in a relationship," I clarify. "But I do have a couple of conditions."

"What are they?" He whispers anxiously.

I take a deep breath. "You said that you want to change, and I'm willing to support you. But I need to know that you're making the effort. I want you to consider seeking some help – a doctor, a therapist – it's your decision but I don't think you can deal with this on your own."

"Okay," he nods. "I can do that. I probably should have done it back in high school. They tried to make me talk to the school counselor when Dad left... but I never kept the appointments. I'm so stupid. Maybe if I had I wouldn't be in this mess now." He frowns.

"Jas, you were just a kid. Don't beat yourself up for decisions that you made in the past." I squeeze his hand that's still trapped between mine.

"So what's the other condition?" He asks me.

"I know this might seem weird given that we've already had sex... but I want to take things slowly between us." Disappointment shows on his face and I try and explain. "That night, it was amazing, and I don't regret it. I just think that this is a big change, and given that we already live together – if we just jump straight in with both feet... well it would be pretty intense. And I'm not sure that that would be a good thing for either of us."

"Okay," he frowns. "I do get what you're saying. So, no sex for a while. But what about making out? Is that allowed?" He sounds hopeful.

I chuckle. "Making out is definitely allowed, in fact it's positively encouraged." He licks his lips and I know exactly what he's thinking. "Come here."

I release his hand and slip one of mine around the nape of his neck and pull him gently towards me. The kiss is sweet and soft, unhurried. I feel my body start to react, it is morning after all and I was half hard before we started kissing, but I deliberately keep a distance between us. I meant what I said about taking things slow, even though I know it'll be difficult when I want him as much as I do. When we eventually separate our breathing is ragged and his lips are flushed and shiny-wet. I want to grab him again and keep going, but I don't.

"Come on," I say, sitting up and pushing back the covers. "I need coffee, and breakfast."

I adjust my dick, which is trying to poke its head out of the waistband of my underwear to say hello. I glance over at Jasper as he slips out of the bed and smirk when I notice that he has a matching bulge in his boxer briefs. He sees me looking and grins, unembarrassed.

"Better get used to this if we're not going to be fucking for a while." He makes his way to the door. "I'm just gonna get some sweatpants and a hoodie."

And so we have breakfast together, making coffee, fixing cereal. Just like every other morning. But now the tension that had been hanging between us for the past couple of weeks is gone, replaced by something comforting, something that feels like a new beginning.

XOXOXOX

We tread carefully around each other at first. Our relationship feels fragile initially, as though one careless move could cause it to shatter. But gradually, as the days and weeks pass, we start to relax and things begin to feel more normal.

We hang out together, mostly at the apartment. Jasper doesn't say anything, but I know that he finds it hard to be around other people at the moment. Also, he's avoiding alcohol so it's easier for him not to be out in bars and clubs for now. So, using work as an excuse, we avoid going out with mutual friends for a while and spend most of our free time together. We do the things that we've always done, watch TV, play video games, eat together – only now we also spend a lot of time making out on the sofa.

We watch TV wrapped around each other and I relish the feel of his body against mine. Sooner or later one of us will make the first move, and the other always responds.

We kiss each other as though we invented it, our mouths moving together, tasting each other for what feels like hours. Our stubble scratches each other's faces and our lips feel bruised by the end of every evening. We inevitably end up hard and sticky with pre-cum but that's as far as it goes. We both shower before bed and I jack off with Jasper's image in my head and his name on my lips, coming fast and furious every time. I assume that he's doing the same when it's his turn in the bathroom.

We sleep together every night; sometimes in my bed, sometimes in his. Always clothed, but tangled together as though we're trying to fuse our bodies into one. The intimacy and connection that we share is raw and frightening, but I think it feels that way for both of us. We're in this together.

XOXOXOX

A couple of weeks after our relationship becomes official, Jasper texts me to let me know that he's going to be home late that day. I'm lying on the couch watching TV when he finally gets back. He comes and sits at the other end, pulling my feet into his lap.

"I had an appointment after school," he says casually. "With a counselor."

I turn the TV off and look at him. "You wanna tell me about it?"

"Well, I only went to the student counseling service this morning, to see if they could help me. And they had a cancellation. Normally I wouldn't have been able to see someone so quickly," he shrugs. "So, since they offered me the appointment I figured I may as well take it – at least this way I had less time to be nervous about it," he grins.

I smile back. "So, how did it go?"

"It was okay, I guess." He looks thoughtful. "It was with a guy called Carlisle Cullen. I liked him. He was easy to talk to. I'm gonna go back and see him once a week for a while."

"That's great news Jas. It's all got to help, right?"

"Yeah," he replies. "I hope so."

"Did you tell him about me?" I ask, not quite sure why I want to know. But it feels a little odd to think that Jasper might be talking about me with a stranger.

"Of course I did." He sounds surprised. "He needs to know stuff about my life, and you're a pretty important part of it." His words make me grin and he rolls his eyes at me. "There's no need to look so smug about it. Now shut up and kiss me." He shoves my feet off his lap and crawls over me, pinning me down on the couch with the weight of his body. I happily oblige.

XOXOXOX

Jasper often talks to me about his sessions with Carlisle, but not always. He tells me the things that he wants to share as he gains more insight into what was driving his self-destructive behavior. It's not that hard to understand really. Having a father who physically abused him and treated him as worthless has left deep scars in his psyche. Different people find different ways to numb the pain, fill the void – however you want to define it. And for Jasper it happened to be alcohol and the physical release of sex, but also the emotional high of being wanted by his partners, however selfishly and fleetingly. It's just another form of addiction and he's starting to understand that now.

Carlisle helps Jasper to think about other more positive habits that he can develop to give him a boost when he's having a bad day, and works with him on building his self-esteem. It's not a quick fix but as the weeks pass I start notice the changes in him.

He starts to smile more, his face becomes less guarded. It's only when I see him grinning openly one day in the kitchen as we're goofing around, that I realize how long it's been since I've seen Jasper look genuinely happy. The shadows beneath his eyes are fading. Now that he's avoiding alcohol he has more energy and doesn't look exhausted all the time.

We start running together a few times a week. Jasper used to play hockey in high school but hasn't done anything physical since then. I've always enjoyed running but I enjoy it more with his company. He finds it hard to keep up at first, but he's young and his body adapts quickly. We push each other hard and get back to the apartment sweaty and panting, high with endorphins.

One day I come home to find Jasper playing his guitar. It's been standing in the corner gathering dust for months and it makes me smile to see him playing again. He hasn't lost his touch. He picks out some old favorites and serenades me while I cook that night. He sings me schmaltzy romantic songs with a smirk on his face. I roll my eyes at him, but my cheeks flush and I feel that rush of warmth in my chest that Jasper always manages to inspire in me.

Jasper starts taking better care of himself. He's still messy and disorganized, but that's normal for him. He always eats breakfast now, and does more around the apartment. When he starts making more effort with laundry and doing the dishes, I'm suddenly aware of just how much of that I'd been doing for him before. It had been such a gradual slide into our old habits of me taking care of him and him letting me do it, that I hadn't really noticed it. But now that he's taking responsibility for himself again, I can see how bad things had gotten. It's a combination of these small things that make me realize how far he's come in a relatively short time and make me feel so fucking proud of him.

As the weeks pass it's getting harder and harder to stick to our no sex rule. We haven't discussed it since our agreement to wait, but it's only jacking off twice a day in the shower that's stopping me from taking things further. He doesn't push me, but I know that he's constantly horny too. Sometimes he rubs up against me in his sleep and his cock is hard enough to crush diamonds. I'm very proud of my self-control at times like that. I'm not quite sure why I'm still holding back, I just want to be sure that he's ready – that he's not going to freak out and run away from me again, like he did the first time. I know if that happens that it would break me. So I wait, and trust my instincts.

And then one day I know that it's time. I come home and find him cooking. Real cooking from scratch, using a pasta recipe from a magazine that he's got propped up against the toaster. He's been shopping and bought ingredients and he's cooking for us.

I stand in the doorway of the kitchen and find my eyes pricking with tears, because suddenly I really believe that he's going to be okay. That he's found new ways to cope and that the strategies he's using are working for him.

He glances over his shoulder. "Hi, Babe." His casual greeting makes me grin from ear to ear.

"Hi, Jas. What's all this in aid of?" I keep my voice light, embarrassed by the strength of the emotions that I'm feeling.

"It's kind of a special day," he says. He has his back to me now and his ass wiggles in a really tempting way while he stirs something in a pan that smells amazing. "It's been two months," he continues. "I only noticed because of the journal that I've been keeping for Carlisle… but it's two months exactly since we got together. I thought it was worth celebrating."

I'm silent; overwhelmed with a rush of love for him that nearly makes me breathless. I don't trust my voice to come out as anything other than a mortifying squeak, so I move up behind him and put my hands lightly on his waist and lean in to nuzzle the back of his neck. I nose his hair aside and breathe in the musky warmth and press my lips against his skin. "I love you," I murmur.

He leaves the spoon propped up in the pan and turns in my arms, sliding his arms around my shoulders and kissing me deeply. Then he pulls back and looks into my eyes with a small smile hovering on his beautiful lips.

"I love you, too." It's the first time I've heard him say the words and my heart swells with happiness.

We usually eat in the kitchen, but today I clear our stuff off the table in the living room and set it, bringing the chairs through from the kitchen. Jasper has even bought candles and I tease him for being such a romantic, but the huge grin on my face probably gives me away.

The chicken and tomato pasta dish that he's made is really good. Turns out my boy can cook – who knew? Jasper's still avoiding alcohol so we drink water with the meal, which is fine by me. I've got out of the habit anyway; it wouldn't seem right drinking in front of Jasper.

He apologizes when he brings the dessert through. "It's only ice cream I'm afraid, I didn't want to make things too complicated."

But he's bought berries, wafers and strawberry sauce to go with it and has made it look beautiful in the bowls. "It's awesome," I assure him. "You're awesome." He blushes and reaches for his spoon.

If I wasn't already sure that tonight was the night, watching Jasper eating ice-cream by candlelight would have removed any last doubts. As his soft lips part around each spoonful and he licks the occasional stray smear of ice cream from the corner of his mouth my dick is getting progressively harder in my pants. I hope that he's going to want this too; I'm tired of wanking in the shower before going to bed with my boyfriend.

I do the dishes but he insists on drying, even though I tell him he could just leave them to drain. But I like his company in the kitchen so I don't insist. We stand closer than we strictly need to, our elbows jostling occasionally, and when he gets ahead of me with the drying he stands behind me and gropes my ass while I scrub at the oven dish that had the pasta bake in it.

"This shit is hard to get off," I grumble.

"Just keep scrubbing, Babe." He presses up behind me and I can feel his erection. "I like the way you move when you do it."

"Perv," I mutter. But he knows I love it.

When we finish up in the kitchen, he moves through the doorway and is about to head back down the hallway towards the living room. I stop him with a hand on his arm. He turns to look at me questioningly and I feel suddenly nervous, fearful of rejection. I take a shaky breath.

"Can we go to bed, Jas?"

There's a silence and I can see his mind working as his brow wrinkles in confusion. "To bed, like… to sleep?"

I shake my head and feel my face heat. "To bed, like… to fuck."

The penny drops and his eyes light up as his face splits into a huge smile. "Are you sure?"

My hand is still touching his arm and I slide it down and take his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Never been more sure of anything."

We end up in my room and we undress each other slowly. We've waited this long, we don't need to hurry now. The tension crackles and hums between us as we pause to kiss each new warm bit of skin that's revealed, to explore the textures and scents of each other's bodies. He's more solid than I remembered, his ribs less visible, the jut of his hip bones softer. He shudders as I skim my fingers over him, assessing, approving.

Once we're both naked I drop to my knees in front of him and nuzzle the soft curls at his groin as he hums and threads his fingers through my short hair. He smells amazing, warm and musky and it makes my mouth water. His cock is hot against my cheek, the skin velvet-soft over the hardness beneath. I tongue his balls first, enjoying the feel of them; testing their weight in my mouth as his hips twitch in my hands. I slide my lips up his shaft and lick delicately around the head, tasting him, my lips sticky with his pre-cum.

"My turn," he says firmly, pushing my head away. He reaches for my hands and pulls me up, then pushes me back against the bed. I lie back eagerly, watching as he crawls over me, hungry intent on his face. He starts with my lips, kissing me urgently as his hands roam over my torso. He grazes my nipples with his thumbs and I hiss into his mouth as they harden under his touch. I feel him smile against my lips and he pulls back to kiss down my neck.

"Sensitive, huh?" He murmurs against my shoulder.

"A bit," I gasp breathlessly.

And then Jasper's tongue finds one nipple while his thumb keeps teasing the other and I moan, arching helplessly beneath him, overwhelmed by sensation. He keeps his attention there for a while and then I feel his other hand sliding up my leg to my hip. His thumb traces circles on the soft hollow next to my hipbone and I'm desperate for him to touch my dick.

"Please, Jas," I whine, pushing my hips into his hand.

He pulls away from my nipple and looks down at me. I can feel the blood heating my cheeks and he's flushed too, his lips wet and his eyes dark. He smiles slowly and my cock twitches against his belly in response making him chuckle.

Jasper lowers his head again but his lips and tongue take a downward path now, moving over my ribs, making me squirm. I feel him pause at my belly button and his tongue dips inside, then lower still, brushing the line of hair there with his lips until I feel warm breath on the sensitive head of my cock. I hear myself whimper, but I'm too far gone to feel self-conscious about the sounds that I'm making. He licks tentatively, making me twitch again and then he sucks me into the wet heat of his mouth and I groan. My fingers find their way into his tangled curls and I tug gently, urging him for more.

He takes my cock deeper, his tongue flickering along the underside, then pulls back again to lick around the head. I feel the tension building and I don't want to come yet so I pull his mouth away gently.

"I'm so close, already." My throat is dry, my voice husky. "What do you want?"

He looks up at me, his face still level with my cock. "I want you inside me again. I need you like that… is that okay?" I can see from his face how much he wants me.

"Of course," I whisper, touching his cheek with my fingers. "Whatever you want is good with me."

His smile is radiant. "Stay there."

He scrambles off me and rummages in the drawer beside my bed and returns with lube and a condom. I hold out my hand to take them but he shakes his head. "Let me."

He rolls the condom carefully down my cock, pumping me a few times once it's in place. Then he squirts lube on his fingers and reaches behind, preparing himself quickly, efficiently.

"Are you sure that's enough?" I ask anxiously as he moves to line my cock up at his ass. "I don't want to hurt you."

"It's fine," he reassures me in a murmur, his eyes intent as he concentrates on getting me in position. "I can take it - I can't wait, I need this."

I hold onto his hips tightly as he lowers himself down. My body stiffens as I feel the tight heat enclose the head of my cock and my fingers curl, clutching at him as I fight for control. I move my hands away, grasping the sheets instead, afraid of causing him pain.

"Fuck… Jasper," I gasp. "You're so fucking tight…"

"Well, it's been a while," he chuckles breathlessly, then slides down further. "God… feels so fucking good!"

And then I'm in him all the way. His ass is flush with my thighs and he pauses for a moment, a little frown between his brows as he breathes heavily, adjusting to the stretch of my cock inside him. He feels incredible, so hot and tight around me.

He shifts forward, putting his weight on his forearms and captures my lips in a kiss as he starts to move his hips. He goes slowly at first, rocking against me as his tongue slides against mine but gradually getting faster, more urgent. I meet his thrusts and moan into his mouth at the sensation. He sits back then, his body upright and he rides me, raising and lowering himself as he keeps his eyes fixed on mine. He looks glorious, his hard body slick with sweat, his cock erect and bobbing as he sinks down and takes me deep with every stroke.

I reach for his cock and wrap my fingers around him, sliding fast and sweeping my thumb over the wet head. I know that I'm going to come soon and I want him there with me.

"Please, Jas…" I'm tense with the effort of holding back, "I can't hold off much longer."

"Faster," he mutters through clenched teeth. So I speed up the movement of my hand on his cock and am rewarded as I feel him tense around me and his hips buck. He throws his head back and cries out. His whole body spasms as thick, warm pulses of cum spill out onto my hand and my belly.

"Oh, fuck… yes!" My own climax rips through me and I thrust up hard into him, my cock jerking inside him as I come, my body arching helplessly beneath him.

And then he's lowering himself over me and we're kissing – messy, desperate kisses with whispered words of love against each other's lips. I wrap my arms around him and pull him close against my chest. Eventually we break the kiss, still breathless and he presses his face into my neck. We stay like that for a while as our breathing settles.

When I start to slip out of him, he reluctantly lets me move so that I can remove the condom. We're both sticky with drying cum and cooling sweat. I'm too tired to move so I lie back again as Jasper goes to the bathroom. I'm expecting him to come back with a washcloth but he's gone for a while. I hear the sound of water running but don't give it any thought. I drift off for a while, half dozing in my hazy state of post-orgasmic bliss.

I start when I feel his hand pulling mine. "Come on," he says. "You're all sticky."

"I'm all sleepy," I grumble, but I let him pull me up and lead me to the bathroom.

The bath is full of steaming water and he just smiles at me as I look at him questioningly.

"You ran me a bath?" I say, confused.

"I ran us a bath." He steps in, still holding my hand and pulling me with him. "I know it'll be a bit of a squeeze but I thought it would be fun."

We try and sit facing in the same direction at first, with me leaning against his chest, but the bath is too narrow for that to work. So we end up sitting up and facing each other instead. That suits me better anyway because I can see him this way around, and Jasper looks fucking beautiful when he's wet. We pour the warm water over each other's heads and shoulders. His curls flatten against his head and his eyelashes stick in clumps, making his grey eyes ridiculously pretty.

We wash the jizz off our bellies and take a little more time than is strictly needed washing each other's junk. We both start to get hard again and end up kissing, until he pushes me back down in the water a little too enthusiastically and sloshes water all over the bathroom floor.

This distracts us and we both laugh at the mess but then he suddenly turns serious again, his grey eyes intense as he looks down at me. His hair dripping on my face.

"Thank you," he says. I frown, confused, and he continues, his voice soft and hesitant. "That night… the night you bathed me. I never said thank you."

His face is utterly serious. I want to tell him that there's no need to thank me. I loved him then, just as I love him now. He doesn't need to thank me for anything. But I sense that he needs to say this to me and that it's important to him that I let him. So I reach up and slip my fingers into the wet hair at the nape of his neck and pull his lips down to meet mine.

"You're welcome," I whisper. And then I kiss him.

A/N: I have plans for a short Epilogue, so you should get one more chance to check in with these boys a little further down the line.
Thank you for reading. If you've enjoyed this story please take the time to let me know.