Paul had to admit, he'd thought of everything. The blanket spread across the sand was close enough to the water to enjoy the soft crash of the waves without getting wet, and it was laden with sumptuous delicacies stolen from the party in the beach house: crackers and caviar, small, intricate chocolates, a bottle of champagne. Candles defined the boundary of the blanket, warming the scene with their soft glow, and rose petals had been scattered in sweetly random patterns. It all combined to make a terribly touching, tender scene, and it would have been utterly romantic if Paul hadn't burst into laughter.

"What?" Teemu asked in a stricken tone, looking surprised and oh-so-confused. Paul tried to reassure him that he was not, in fact, making fun of him, but he couldn't stop laughing long enough to get the words out. His stomach hurt with it; tears brimmed in his eyes. He clutched Teemu's hand desperately, begging for help with wide, nonsensical gestures. Teemu was not amused; he threw down a bunch of roses in embarrassed frustration, and he probably would have made a dramatic, storming exit if Paul hadn't wrapped both arms around him and tackled him to the sand.

"Bastard," Teemu grumbled as Paul recovered from his hysteria, drawing deep, careful breaths of icy air. "I swear, Paul Kariya, you're the biggest jerk ever."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Paul panted the words, struggling to catch his breath. "Okay, I'm okay now."

"I hate you," Teemu sulked. "The mood is so totally ruined." He shrugged away when Paul tried to hug him and pointedly turned his back.

"Aw, come on, don't be like that!" Paul laughed and wrapped his arms around the other man. "I didn't mean to laugh. It's just...candles? Rose petals?" He chuckled a little, his breath puffing warmly against the back of Teemu's neck, and despite himself the Finn felt his mouth curve into an answering grin.

"See if I ever waste romance on you again. There are plenty of people who would appreciate me."

Paul smiled and brushed his lips lightly across the back of Teemu's neck, an easy, familiar gesture that aroused tingles in his skin. Teemu glanced at their hands and saw that without conscious thought they'd laced them together; he lifted one of Paul's hands to his lips and kissed the tips of his callused fingers. "I do appreciate you, Teemulanne," Paul murmured against his neck, nose pressed to skin to inhale the other man's scent. "And I appreciate all of this. But it isn't necessary. I just want to be with you."

Teemu turned Paul's hand over in his and pressed a gentle kiss to his palm. His soft mouth traced tenderly over the work-roughened skin, mapping out the well-known lines and ridges, relearning their shape against his lips. He dusted kisses over swollen knuckles, soothing their tired ache. Paul had his eyes closed and he was purring quietly by the time he finished, dropping a final kiss on his pale, delicate wrist.

"Hotel?" Teemu questioned softly, tilting his head back to catch Paul's mouth in a light, ghosting kiss.

"Mmm," Paul murmured, feeling languid and agreeable. Then he paused, one dark brown eye cracking open. "No more wine and roses?" he asked, with the teasing hint of a smile.

"No more wine and roses," Teemu confirmed, grinning, and swallowed Paul's answering laugh in a long kiss.