A/N: Hello, lovelies!

"Holy christ. Edward, what the hell is this?"

Edward looked over from where he'd been sorting clothes to see which box Carlisle had. He snorted. "Sweetheart, don't play innocent with me. I know better. I know you know what those are."

Carlisle fixed him with a look as he began rummaging through the box. "This is quite a collection."

"As though you don't have an extensive collection."

"No one needs this many dildos, Edward."

"What can I say? I'm very thorough and meticulous. Even with my toys."

Carlisle held one out. "This one has a clit massager. Baby boy, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you have no clit." He held up another one. "And as for G-spots…"

"Don't try to limit my kink. I can have a clit if I want to."

"Whatever you say." Carlisle continued to rummage. "Okay, I truly don't know what this is."

Edward rubbed the back of his neck, a little sheepish. "I think it's called the Booty Glove, though that name is really misleading."

It was a blue glove, the fingers of which were covered in soft nubs while the palm and thumb were ribbed. Between the thumb and forefinger was a mouth, lips included. Carlisle stuck two of his fingers through it, miming its purpose. He huffed.

"Does it really surprise you that I like to experiment?" Edward asked.

"Of course not, but I didn't peg you for a hoarder." He pulled out a double-sided dildo and looked at it, blinking in mild shock. He looked to Edward. "Have you used this?"

"No."

Carlisle looked at the thing, and Edward could practically see the wheels turning in his head. "Hmm," was all he said, and he tossed it in the direction of his own chest of toys.

"Now this has some practical use," Carlisle said a moment later. Edward looked up to see him brandishing a wand of vibrating anal beads. "This looks like a very fun toy, love."

Edward was getting well and truly distracted now. His cheeks were flushed and not just from the exertion of moving. "Uh... well, the vibration isn't as strong as it could be, but yeah. It's fun."

"Mmhmm." Carlisle tossed the wand, too, at his chest. Then he crawled forward on his hands and knees, the look on his face predatory.

"What are you- Ack!" Edward flailed as Carlisle gripped him by the ankle and pulled him forward. His boyfriend climbed over him, pressing him down to the floor on his back and pinning both his hands up above his head by his wrists. "Carlisle, I'm sweaty and disgusting."

Carlisle ducked his head, skimming his nose along Edward's neck. "I'm a very observant person, and you're a doctor." He licked and nipped at Edward's skin, making him gasp and squirm. "You know how pheromones work. You smell like a man. And I'm attracted to men. Really, I can't help myself."

Edward whimpered and pressed up into Carlisle, grinding their hips together. "We're never going to get this done."

"So you live out of boxes for a week." He transferred his hold on Edward's wrists to one hand, letting the other drift down between them to unbutton Edward's jeans. "I want to christen our bedroom."

"We've christened this bedroom at least every other week."

Carlisle kissed his way back to up to his lips, kissed him soundly and smiled. "Not as our bedroom."

When he finally released his hands, Edward wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, lifting his hips to help him get his jeans off. "You raise an excellent point," he said, rutting that point into Carlisle's hips.

"So I see."

Coherent speech was lost to them after that. There was the tug of clothing being shoved down, off, or otherwise out of the way. Their language was all gasps, sighs, moans, and the wet smack of their kisses as they moved with each other. They made love, marking the beginning of their new life together.

~0~

They spent the afternoon mostly naked. They managed to feed themselves. Showered. Got dirty all over again, and fell asleep tangled up together.

Edward woke up in the early hours of the morning. For a while, he was content to watch Carlisle sleep, loving the idea he could wake up just like this every day. The idea made him happy.

The idea made him horny.

He rolled over, on top of Carlisle, and began peppering his face with kisses. His boyfriend groaned, turning his head, but Edward was persistent. He licked and nipped at his chin. "Wake up."

"No." Carlisle pushed at him, but it was a feeble gesture at best. He was blinking, mostly still asleep.

"Wake up," Edward said again. He sucked gently at Carlisle's neck.

"Why?" Carlisle grumbled, but his eyes were more focused now.

Edward grinned. He ran his thumb over Carlisle's lips. "Because your eyes are pretty, and I want to look at them."

Carlisle's answering smile was gentle. He brought his hands up, and ran his fingers along Edward's spine. They kissed once, a languid caress of mouth and tongues, just soaking up each other's company.

But after a few minutes, there was something serious in Carlisle's eyes, something just a slight bit troubled. "Any regrets yet?"

Edward's lips couldn't decide whether to frown or smile. He settled on a disbelieving laugh. "Do I look like someone with regrets?" He shook his head and kissed Carlisle again sweetly. "That's also like the fifth time you've asked me something like that. Do you have regrets?"

"Not a single one." His fingers traced patterns along Edward's back and shoulder blades. "I'm nervous."

"What the hell do you have to be nervous about?"

"It's just simple inexperience. I'm afraid of losing this by making a rookie mistake."

Edward rolled his eyes, laying down with his head on Carlisle's chest, just cuddling. "You should have more faith in me. I have faith in you. Maybe we will do something stupid, but we'll work it out. That's what grown-ups do."

Carlisle scratched along his scalp. "Just promise me something."

"What?"

"If anything starts to go wrong, if anything bothers you… tell me. And I'll make you the same promise. Even if it feels stupid and small. It's the stupid and small things that get people in trouble, I think."

"Okay," Edward said. He tilted his head up to press a kiss to the underside of Carlisle's chin. "I promise."

~0~

Edward's parents weren't being outright confrontational about the fact he'd moved in with Carlisle, but it wasn't difficult to read between the lines. Whenever he spoke with either of them on the phone, they only made indistinct noises or acknowledgment whenever he said anything about Carlisle.

Irritated, Edward finally called his mother on it. "If I was your daughter, wouldn't you be thrilled that my boyfriend was a successful, well-to-do doctor?"

His mother sighed. "It doesn't have anything to do with that, Junior. If you were my daughter and your ambition in life was to keep a house and have babies, I would be thrilled for you. That man would be a good match. But if you were my daughter, as you are, then I wouldn't feel any differently.

"That man isn't your peer, he's your better. He's more accomplished than you are-not that you aren't capable of being as accomplished as he is; you simply haven't had time to get there. He has more than you do-a home, investments, and the like. While it looks good on the surface that you're with someone who is your better, that means that he's with someone who's his lesser. That's what makes me distrust him. You look up to him. You're in awe of him, and that gives him the upper hand."

"Christ, Mom. Don't you give me any credit?"

"Love is blind. There's no shame in that. And I've told you before, I understand what you see in him. He's very good looking."

"I'm not that shallow."

"It's also clear that you have every reason to admire him," his mother said with a warning in her tone because of his interruption. "You've never had much patience for your own peers, but he's twice your age."

"Sixteen years and some months. He wasn't even an adult when I was born."

"No, but he was a doctor before you were ten. Junior, I know you're a smart boy. You understand what I'm saying here. As your father said, it's your life. You've got to make your own mistakes, but I don't trust that man not to break your heart when he finds someone who makes more sense for him. An equal, not a young man just starting out in life."

~0~

When Edward confessed to upper management why he didn't want to continue on with Carlisle as his superior, they agreed it was probably a better idea for him to move on. It was a blow, but as he'd said, not a major one. He had already secured a position at the second leading hospital in the city.

It was daunting, starting over in a new place, but that was life-one set of challenges after another with twists and turns along the way. Some more interesting than others.

Edward got a job at Garrett's hospital. The man wasn't his direct superior, but they worked together frequently enough.

"You shouldn't sound so surprised to find out he's a good doctor, Edward," Carlisle said over dinner. "He's very well respected."

There was that odd, cloying discomfort in the pit of Edward's stomach again. He cleared his throat, concentrating on winding his pasta around and around his fork. "Is that how you two actually met? As doctors, I mean."

"I was sent as part of the surgical team here to observe a surgery at his hospital." Carlisle smiled. "Your hospital. It was the first using a new method. He was assisting." He tilted his head, his voice far off as he remembered. "Something went very wrong, and it was Garrett who noticed first. He saw what was about to happen, and he acted. I knew he was a resident, as I was at the time. I wouldn't have been gutsy enough to make the call he did, and he saved the man's life.

"I don't know why, but when everything was over and he left the operating bay, I followed him. I think I wanted to pick his brain, or that was the excuse I gave myself, but I found him in the stairwell losing his shit, to borrow a phrase. I was there for him when he broke down, and after that, of course we were friends." He smirked. "It was only later we discovered our mutual proclivities. So yes, that's the long answer to your question. He had my admiration as a doctor well before I had him in my bed."

"Interesting," Edward said, and he did his best to smile. There wasn't anything not to smile about, after all.

But his mother's words echoed in the back of his head, uncomfortable and aching. Carlisle had known Garrett since they were both his age, but they hadn't entered a relationship until just a few years ago. They were peers-both accomplished surgeons well respected in their field. They were equals.

"Edward?"

Edward looked up, realizing he'd spaced out. "What?"

"Sorry. I was just thinking that must have been a surprise."

Carlisle scoffed. "But a good one." He eyed Edward. "Were you surprised when you found out about me?"

At that, Edward couldn't help his grin. "Horny, I think, is a better word. Out of my mind horny." He shrugged. "I don't know about surprised. It's always the mild-mannered sweethearts that are the kinkiest motherfuckers."

"Mild-mannered sweetheart." Carlisle quirked an eyebrow. "Is that how you see me?"

"I was teasing. You may be mild-mannered in front of your patients, but that's about it. You're too passionate to be considered mild." He pointed his fork at the other man. "But you are a sweetheart. You're just going to have to deal with that."

Carlisle reached across the table and drew his fingertips down Edward's face in a tender, intimate gesture. "I think I can deal with that."

~0~

Edward was on his way out the door for lunch, his phone to his ear talking to Carlisle, when someone slung an arm around his shoulders and yanked the phone away. "Hey, what-"

Garrett Damon grinned at him, that charming smile that had attracted Edward the night they met. He put Edward's phone to his ear. "Hey, Dr. Sexy. You wouldn't get too jealous if I took your boyfriend out to lunch, would you?" He listened a moment and then chuckled, his grin widening. "Oh, daddy. I promise I'll be on my best behavior."

Edward's jaw went tense. It occurred to him that Garrett, with his arm draped over his shoulders, was steering him in the direction of his car. Apparently, he and Carlisle had similar taste in cars. They had the same model Mercedes, but Garrett's was loud red to Carlisle's sedate black.

"Okay. Ta." Garrett disconnected the phone call, finally letting go of Edward to open the passenger door of his car. "Get in, sweet, sexy thing. Lunch is on me."

Though Edward was annoyed, he had to smile at Garrett's cocksure grin. "Thanks, Dr. Damon."

Garrett snorted, but he closed Edward's door before walking around to his own. "What, are we going to pretend I haven't been balls deep inside you? Don't Dr. Damon me when we're on our own time."

Edward's cheek twitched. "Fair enough."

Garrett took them to a deli and then sat at a quiet booth in the corner. They talked shop first. Garrett gave him a rundown of the who's who of the hospital-who to impress, who to ignore, who to never argue with under any circumstances. He then complemented Edward's technique and dexterity.

"I can see why Carlisle was so impressed with you." Garrett's grin turned wicked. "Well, one of the reasons at least."

And there it is. Edward raised an eyebrow, chewing a bite of sandwich slowly.

"He's at that annoying stage where he babbles only about you."

Edward tilted his head. "When?"

"When we had lunch a couple of weeks ago." Garrett stared back as Edward stared at him. "Oh. Ohhh. He didn't tell you, did he?" He coughed into his hand. "It was an impromptu lunch. I was in the area for an appointment and decided to see if he was available. I know he tried to call you, but you were in surgery that day."

More than a little irritated with himself, Edward made an effort to unknit his brows. "It's not a big deal. Two weeks ago, I was on shift for nearly thirty-eight hours straight. I was delirious by the time I got home."

"Residency. I'm convinced it's designed to weed out the weak doctors by actually killing them." Garrett shook his head.

"Exactly. So it was probably ancient history by the time I was coherent again. Insignificant."

If he heard the not-quite-accidental slight, Garrett didn't let on. "Exactly. Good. Sorry. I have to be honest, I'm not sure of the tact in this kind of a situation." He laughed. "You know, the fact we've all had each other… that didn't matter as part of the scene. Well-" He reached out and tapped on Edward's wristband. "I'm not going to pretend I wasn't a little jealous when I saw this on you, but that wasn't a big deal. Now, the whole boyfriends scenario-I'm a little curious about that. Can we still be friends? If we're friends, can I crack jokes, or is that not allowed? It's all so high school."

"High school." Edward repeated, and then he shrugged. "I'm not the sensitive type, Garrett."

"Hey, you never can tell. Anyway, I'm not trying to start shit between the two of you. I respect him too much for that, and I always liked you, kid." He leaned across the table. "In fact, you know, if you and Daddy dearest are ever looking for something particularly kinky-"

"I don't share."

Garrett laughed and leaned back in his seat. "Well, you can't blame a guy for trying. Jesus Christ. Have you seen the both of you?" He sighed. "Ah, well."

~0~

Time passed in a flurry of work, work, and mostly more work. There was some respite in between. It was good when their schedules lined up so Carlisle was home when Edward came in the door, but that didn't always happen.

It took a while before Edward was comfortable with how much Carlisle catered to him. After all, he was a busy doctor himself. He too often came home tired. And yet he was the one who made dinner as often as he could so they didn't have to survive off take-out and pizza. He drew Edward a hot bath more than once and his massages… Jesus Christ. Edward almost came from the pleasure those massages brought him.

One evening, Edward came home not in a good mood. He'd overheard Garrett talking about the annual conference in Las Vegas-the one where he and Carlisle had been seen having a good time together in years past-which he was not yet invited to. He wanted to ask Carlisle if they had plans to see each other, go out on the town together, but he kept telling himself not to be so stupid and juvenile. He trusted Carlisle with things so much bigger than fidelity.

Either way, he was both tense and exhausted when he got home.

"You know, you don't always have to pamper me," he snapped the third time he tried to help Carlisle with dinner only to be told to sit down and relax. "I'm a big boy, and I made my own dinner plenty of times. I can help."

Carlisle looked at him without annoyance. "Hasn't anyone ever just taken care of you?"

Edward frowned. "Why should they?"

Carlisle shook his head, his smile a little sad. "Come on. Dinner can wait a few minutes."

Edward followed him up the stairs to their room. There, Carlisle took Edward's shirt off and held him close. "You're tired and I know you're achey. You've been trying to pop your neck since you walked in the door."

"You have to be as tired as I am."

"I sincerely doubt that today. However, I understand what you're trying to say, and that's all the more reason you should let me take care of you now." He led Edward to their bed and gave him a light push. Edward grunted, but he laid down on his belly, head resting on his folded arms, and Carlisle began to knead his shoulders. "This is your time, Edward. This is me supporting you as best I can. Residency is trying, and because I have a demanding job too, I'm not always here when you get home. This is what partners do for each other. Let me be your partner, baby."

Edward sighed and relaxed. Then he scoffed.

"What?" Carlisle asked.

"Nothing. It's just funny. We're both figuring out how not to be alone. You've been alone longer than I have, but you're better at the whole couple thing."

"Not better." He leaned down, pressing a kiss to Edward's shoulder. "I just want to do it right."

Edward reached behind him, catching the back of Carlisle's head before he could pull away. He twisted to kiss him. "I'm trying, too."

Carlisle nuzzled his cheek and kissed him again. "I know."

With Carlisle's hands on him, massaging the tension out of his shoulders and back, all the nagging doubt and discomfort Edward had about his boyfriend's upcoming trip faded to nothingness.

No. As Carlisle tugged at his pants and his touch turned sensual, Edward forgot all about Garrett and Las Vegas and all the things his mother had said weeks ago.

He and Carlisle made perfect, unshakable sense.

A/N: Do you know how difficult it is to type with a cat on your lap who specifically doesn't want you to type? Yeah. Difficult.

Anyway. See you soon, kids.