Disclaimer: two consenting teenagers talking about sex in the aftermath. I tried to be as respectful to privacy and as vague as possible to keep a T rating.

It's the only time I'm breaking formula, too, in the penultimate chapter by also having it from Ian's perspective. But we're almost done here, and it's my fic, and I think it works. Also, it was completely planned from the outline for this to be the only break.

I guess try to have fun with this one?

First Time

"Can never give him enough, enough of my love."

—"Everything He Needs" Carly Rae Jepsen

Ian

His soul is still taking its sweet time working its way back into his body, just coming back down to their realm. But if it didn't transcend in the first place, Ian honestly doesn't think that what just happened would have, well, happened. He rolls off of Aeric, who's still looking up at the ceiling, panting, and cuddles up to his side. Gods, he's so warm.

"Aer?" he asks quietly, pressing a gentle kiss against one of the many marks made against his boyfriend's neck (he isn't aware until just now of just how many he left). Ian can't help the slight trembles that work through his body, still trying to process.

"Hm?" Aeric hums after a few moments, entangling their legs together as he shifts more to his side, but he's careful not to lean too far. But his brow furrows as he takes Ian in a little more. "You're shaking, baby."

"I'm okay," Ian assures, trying to ground himself by closing his eyes for a moment and taking a few deep breaths. When he opens them again, there are those violet eyes, which haven't stopped looking at him with complete and total trust.

Sighing, Aeric pushes the sheets down a little, slowly starting to move. "Hold on," he says, getting out of bed with a little stumble. Ian reaches forward as if he can help from where he's laying.

"Are you okay?" he asks instead, unable to help the little chuckle that escapes.

"Yeah." Aeric grabs his glasses from the nightstand, and there's a little laugh in his voice, too. "I'll be fine—it's just been a while. You did quite a number on me."

Ian watches as Aeric walks (with a little bit of a slight limp) out of the room, and if his backside just isn't the best view... Sighing, he rolls back, pulling the sheets up. They smell like Aeric; he's completely intoxicated.

Slowly he lets himself relive what happened, now that he's coming down from his high and can finally think. Weren't they studying for finals? When was the precise moment where he lunged forward and kissed Aeric without a care in the world and it led to... this? The thing they'd kind of been skirting around, the thing Ian honestly feared far more than telling Aeric he loved him.

Ian looks down at the piles of haphazard clothes strewn about the floor: his flannel atop Aeric's jeans, his jeans somehow on the other side of the room... he did that, didn't he? Flushing, all he can really remember and focus on are Aeric's eyes, which were plastered to his the entire time, pleading with him, telling him that, whatever he was doing, it was what he wanted. He can remember Aeric's muffled voice asking if every step is okay, and that he has everything, and then... pure bliss he can't even describe. A warmth and a trust that transcends.

He always thought his first time would be at night, one of those clichés with candlelight and everything light and airy and it'd be completely planned... but Aeric had been right about it being more of a feeling, a mood that keeps building and you never knew when and where it would strike.

As in, during one weekend afternoon, at Aeric's house, while his parents are out (Fiske at the office; Della running errands). Daylight still streaming from the blinds, and flooding with so much light that Ian now realizes he's hidden nothing from Aeric. And yet Aeric never once commented on how lithe he is, only praised him in countless compliments and kisses. But he doesn't feel much different, like he thought he would. Like there would be some threshold between being not having sex, and then... finally having it. He's still Ian, and Aeric is still Aeric, and it's just a natural progression in their relationship.

And the only thing that's changed, is that he loves Aeric even more than the day before, and now there's more trust between them than ever.

Aeric still walks a little funny as he enters his room again, looking a little fresher with a clean, damp washcloth in hand. Honestly, Ian was just letting instinct take over, hiding all fears in the corner of his mind as he acted without much hesitation. Aeric did mention he had this natural dominance, and, well, that certainly seems to be true, after what they'd just done.

"You're kind of... loud," Ian admits as Aeric settles back into bed, immediately intertwining their legs again.

Flushing at the comment, Aeric avoids eye contact and starts cleaning Ian up. The cool, damp cloth swiping gently across his skin is something he didn't realize he needed, but leave it to Aeric to just know. "So I've been told..." he replies quietly, embarrassed by it. Ian wonders if it's ever been used as a negative.

"It's not a bad thing," he assures, sighing as Aeric's hands continue to work over his torso. Amazingly, all his fears about how he looks are the last thing on his mind, especially since this all happened in near broad daylight. "I liked that you let me know what I was doing well, I guess."

"Well, no one's perfect their first time." Aeric sighs, too, finally looking up at Ian. "But I think your partner should know what they're doing right, to keep it up. I guess I'm just used to guys telling me to be quiet, but I get where that comes from."

Ian laughs lightly, out of observation as opposed to laughing at Aeric (not that he could ever). "Well, I guess it's a good thing everyone was out, right?"

"A very good thing." Aeric leans over and kisses Ian's nose. "How are you feeling?"

"Amazing," Ian sighs, his voice full of heady bliss. The shivers from earlier are now just pleasant tingles, and now that it's happened, he can't stop holding Aeric. At the beginning of the year, he couldn't so much as look at him. "We keep saying there's no possible way we could love each other more, but this just leaped galaxies. It transcends magic, even."

"I'm better than magic? There's no way." Shaking his head, Aeric places the washcloth on the nightstand and pulls Ian flush. Much nicer now that they're cleaner. And yeah, they should probably get up and dress soon, but he wants to just bask in the afterglow and live in this intimate moment they've made for themselves.

"Well, I love you more than I love magic." And boy, is he learning how to love magic and its endless possibilities. But magic isn't Aeric. "And I'm sorry if you can't walk that well..." He's still unsure just how that happened, but then again, he did lose himself back there in that bliss.

"I'll be fine," Aeric assures again. "Not the worst I've taken by a long shot, but by far one of the best."

Now it's Ian's turn to flush—really, he's not sure what he's expecting to hear. But, it should be something they're comfortable talking about, and Ian's starting to open himself up more to it.

"You're really lucky," Aeric adds, reaching up to brush Ian's curls back. He can only imagine how messy they look—certainly more than his boyfriend's.

"Why do you say that?" Sure, he's the lucky one for having someone as trusting, gorgeous, and understanding as Aeric, but something tells him it's not about any of what he just thought. It's something else.

"Your first time is with someone you love. That's something I can't have, no matter how much I'd want it."

The look in those violet eyes is so sincere, so loving, that Ian can't help but cup that sharp jaw, just behind those long, pointed ears, and pull him in for a deep kiss. Their kisses have more meaning, now, more passion and depth he can't wait to explore.

"Well, you finally get to be with someone you love," Ian points out. "It's okay when it's a little late than never, right?"

"Yeah, that definitely makes me feel better," Aeric agrees. "Gods, the last thing I want to do is get up and continue studying for finals."

"I know, but junior year is what all the colleges really look at," Ian sighs, but makes no move to get up, not when Aeric is so comfortable, abs and muscles and all. "I think our need to get into Willowdale is a little more important."

Luckily a text from Della asking if they want anything for lunch becomes their quick catalyst for getting redressed, each article of clothing feeling different as Ian tugs them on. The rest of the afternoon plays out as normal as they study together, and yet he's in that fuzzy haze the entire time, enamored with everything having to do with his loving boyfriend.

If this is about as good as high school gets, then college with Aeric is going to be perfect.

One more chapter to go! And then I get to torture myself all over again with a new fic afterward.

As always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated.