A/N: This chapter is lemony.
When Trent was discharged, he and Nathaniel decided to celebrate with a quiet night in at Nathaniel's place. Nathaniel helped Trent shower: they showered together, and Nathaniel held him and kept him grounded through his hydrophobia. He also tenderly washed Trent's back, soaping up both his hands and running them over the other man's body. After some hesitation, Trent did the same for him. They were careful with each other, each handling the other like glass.
"I think I could get used to that," Trent said when they were drying off.
"So could I," Nathaniel agreed. He led Trent to his bedroom and pulled back the covers. "Do you want to… warm up a bit?" he asked.
Trent snuggled gratefully up under the covers. Nathaniel followed suit, and Trent nestled into him, laying on his side, resting an arm on Nathaniel's chest and his head on Nathaniel's shoulder.
"Let's watch a movie," he suggested.
They flicked through a few streaming apps and eventually settled on something that Nathaniel had heard of in passing but Trent never had. It wasn't the kind of thing either of them would have watched with Rebecca or alone, but strangely, it made a certain kind of sense that they gravitated to it now. It excited Nathaniel, especially when Trent noticed and started giving him an intimate massage.
Nathaniel's breathing became shallow. That felt better than it had any right to. "Ahhh…. Trent, you don't have to do this. You just got out of the hospital; you should be relaxing."
"Helping you relax is relaxing," Trent purred back huskily into his ear.
"Mm— but still…"
"Do you want me to stop?" Trent paused.
"No, I didn't say that…"
"Good boy. I don't want to stop, either."
Nathaniel's cheeks heated. He didn't know what it was about Trent calling him a good boy, but he liked it, a lot, even more than when George said it. He also really liked that devious dimpled smile, so seemingly innocent and yet so not.
He shifted his position so that he was on his side, facing Trent, then cupped Trent's face and kissed him deeply. "You're adorable," he murmured. Trent kissed him back and draped a leg around him, scooting closer until they were pressed flush against each other.
"Turn around," Trent whispered after a few minutes of making out and grinding on each other. Nathaniel's breath hitched as he did so. Feeling Trent preparing him was strangely tantalizing. Then—
"Oh God, Trent!" Nathaniel clutched the bedsheets and cried out in mixed pleasure and pain.
"Are you okay?" Trent asked gently. "Should I use more lubricant?"
"No, this… this feels perfect."
Their first time together was not quite what Nathaniel had been expecting. As kinky as they both were on paper, neither of them was exactly reaching for a candle or a knife tonight. Tonight was about connecting; perhaps tomorrow would be about exploring. Trent was so nurturing, such a generous lover, so… talented. They both had high stamina and low refractory periods; even in vanilla sex, they were highly compatible.
Trent hadn't been expecting anything tonight, but Nathaniel reacted so sweetly to Trent's attentions that he couldn't help but take things further. It wasn't difficult to see that Nathaniel craved love, not as singlemindedly as Trent, but the desire to be loved was certainly there. It made Nathaniel utterly irresistible. Nathaniel's body didn't move as fluidly as Rebecca's, but he was still wonderfully enjoyable. He was so free, so vocal, about what he liked and wanted.
Nathaniel quickly realized that Trent liked to tease, but he didn't edge Nathaniel like George did. Still, Nathaniel sensed that Trent was perfectly capable of being sadistic in his own way. Back in the hospital, he had suggested Nathaniel beg for punishment… but right now, he was being so tender, so gentle and caring.
"I think I'm in love with you," Nathaniel murmured, after he'd finished and cleaned up and was facing Trent again.
Trent gave him a strange look. "I love you, too, Nathaniel," he said. "Isn't that why we just…."
Nathaniel's eyes widened. "Oh. That's right. I'm sorry, I should have remembered, you don't do casual sex."
Trent's face settled back into a peaceful smile. "I can't," he said. "I've never tried loveless sex, but I never even get aroused unless I'm with, or at least thinking about, someone I love."
The fact that this meant so much to Trent should have chilled Nathaniel to the bone, but strangely, what he felt was his heart cracking in sympathy. He pulled Trent into his arms and stroked his hair. Trent leaned into him easily, but a few moments later, he pulled back, green eyes bright with unshed tears.
"Are you going to send me away, too?" he asked, hardly daring to speak above a whisper. "Are you going to marry George, make me leave, make me n-nothing?"
Nathaniel knew exactly what he was talking about. "Trent, no. I'm not planning to break up with you. If there's something that's bothering me, I'll talk with you about it, and we can come up with a reasonable solution."
Trent nodded, allowing the tears to slip down his face. "Thank you," he whispered. "I promise, I'm not jealous of George, as long as I can have you, too." It was true: He hadn't been jealous of Josh, either, until Rebecca had been set to marry the guy.
"I'm here," said Nathaniel soothingly. "And you can stay as long as you want," he added. "I know you live and work in LA, but…"
"I own my company and I can actually do most of what I need to remotely," Trent chirped, snuggling back into Nathaniel's embrace. It felt strange to be accepted, to be invited to stay in the life of someone he loved. He liked it very much.
Nathaniel turned off the TV and they settled into sleep. It had been a good night indeed.
