Lara had gotten them a single room. A single room with a huge fucking bed, Ethan observed. Which just meant that he had more room and less of a chance of kicking Paul onto the floor, he thought with a smile. It was a nice gesture, the bed, but surely Paul had told her they weren�t sleeping together. They�d both thought it better to wait, until they were sure. Ethan didn�t want to rush it and Paul was, well, Paul. They�d done their share of fooling around, but never more than that. Sure, Ethan had wanted Paul since practically the moment they�d met, but he�d known from the start that it would have to be Paul to make that move, to take that final step in their relationship.

�Wow,� Paul said quietly beside him, bending slightly to drop his duffel bag and to more gently set his trumpet case on the floor.

�Girl out did herself this time, didn�t she?� Ethan grinned. Once he�d gotten over his initial jealousy of Paul�s best friend, he was able to see that Lara just wanted Paul to be happy. He wondered how she�d justified this room to the budget.

�Yeah,� Paul agreed. �We owe her.�

It had been a long semester and holiday break. Paul and Ethan had almost split up after nearly two years together because they hadn�t remembered each other. And Ethan felt bad about that, that he�d pressed things too far, too fast. He sometimes forgot that Paul had never been in a relationship before, with anyone, and if Ethan didn�t watch himself, he pushed too hard and Paul got spooked and went all withdrawn.

Ethan kicked his bag across the floor as Paul settled on the bed, looking like he could sleep for a week. Four days on the road and three nights in stranger�s houses had taken their toll on the slightly younger man, not to mention the performance schedule.

�So babe,� Ethan stretched up, hearing a satisfying pop in his back before sitting next to his boyfriend on the bed. �What do you want to do?� He figured Paul would want to take a nap before the banquet. They had several hours before they had to meet the bus. �We could go explore the town, walk on the beach, go find Lara and drive her crazy,� he grinned.

�Lara�s crazy enough,� Paul laughed. �She said she had to go run and find stuff for breakfast since Anna screwed up and didn�t find a hotel that provided a decent continental breakfast.�

�Is she going to take the bus?� Ethan shifted aside, smiling to himself at the image of their tall slender friend driving the tour bus.

Paul leaned back on the bed, his arm falling over his eyes. �No,� he muttered from under his arm. �She and Lindsay took off in the Uhaul. It needed fuel anyway. She said she was going to try to take a nap when they get back. She�s exhausted.�

She�s not the only one, Ethan mused. Paul hid it well most of the time, but tour stretched him thin. He hadn�t been one to sleep in a moving vehicle, not since Ethan had met him, and homestays made him uncomfortable enough that even with Ethan right beside him, he didn�t sleep well.

�Paul,� he poked the blonde in the side. �You might want to change out of those clothes before you fall asleep in them. There�s a washer downstairs. I was going to go throw mine in, so they can be clean when we leave tomorrow.� They�d been in the same clothes for the four days of tour so far, the only time they didn�t have to be in the �uniform� was for their precious few hours of free time that day and the next.

�Don� wanna sleep,� Paul muttered, pulling himself up to sitting.

�Well then,� Ethan said. �What do you want to do?�

Paul turned, and Ethan found himself staring into sparkling blue eyes. �You.�

Ethan blinked. Before he could respond, Paul was pressing his lips against his, warm and soft, and when Paul�s tongue brushed against Ethan�s lips shyly seeking entrance, Ethan parted them, letting Paul�s very talented tongue tease his mouth. Paul tasted of coffee and mint, and Ethan let the flavors mingle and wash across his tongue as Paul slowly pulled away from the kiss, hands seeking and finding Ethan�s.

�Paul?� Ethan whispered, searching the flushed face and finding certainty written across the sharp features.

�I missed you,� Paul said softly. �I know I called the whole break thing, but it was hard. I was never mad at you,� he whispered, repeating the words Ethan had heard over the phone three weeks ago when Paul had called him in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, apologizing. And that he�d said again when Ethan had showed up for New Year�s unannounced and they made up for real.

�I was scared,� Paul continued. �Because it hurt so much that we only seemed to have time to snap at each other. But then we stopped being around each other all the time, it hurt even more.�

Paul paused to take a breath, and Ethan wondered how long he�d had the words worked out in his head. Paul was good with the written word, but sometimes it seemed to take him awhile to form the words with his mouth. Ethan understood, and waited patiently, searching Paul�s eyes, while his fingers idly skimmed over the other man�s slightly smaller palms.

�I don�t want it to happen again,� Paul said finally. �And I know we�ve both wanted this for a long time.� He smiled. Ethan loved Paul�s smile. It made his whole face glow.

�Then we won�t let it happen again,� Ethan murmured, leaning forward. �And yes,� he grinned. �I�ve wanted this for a very long time.� He pressed his lips to Paul�s, warm and yielding and soft. �But only if you�re sure,� he whispered after pulling away.

Paul answered with another kiss, long and deep. And he really did have the most amazing tongue, Ethan mused. But he could expect nothing less from the principal trumpet player. Ethan found himself reclining back onto the bed as Paul leaned into him, coming to rest straddled across Ethan�s hips. He felt the heat coil low in his belly, felt the blood drain out of his body and head south, his pants becoming increasingly tight with the kisses and the solid warm weight against him. He could feel the answering heat in Paul.

Ethan tried to follow Paul�s lips as the shorter man pulled back, a small smile on kiss-swollen lips. But Paul started tugging the hem of his dark green tee-shirt out of his khakis, and Ethan let himself flop back onto the bed while he brought his arms up to tug at Paul�s matching shirt, letting his fingers dip teasingly into the waistband of Paul�s khakis. Paul sucked in a breath when Ethan�s fingers brushed over the growing bulge trapped behind fabric.

Ethan succeeded in getting Paul�s shirt untucked first, mostly because Paul never bothered to tuck it in all the way around. Obediently, Paul lifted his arms as Ethan tugged the shirt up, Paul taking over and stripping it the rest of the way off so Ethan didn�t have to move. Paul�s flesh was winter-white, hidden from the sun by clothing and the Oregon weather. Ethan skimmed his palm over Paul�s flat belly, up until he brushed tiny pink nipples, smiling when they grew hard under his touch.

Paul batted his hands away with a smile, leaning down to kiss him again, and giving one final tug on the hem of Ethan�s shirt, sliding his fingers underneath, the shirt riding higher as Paul�s hands roamed across Ethan�s skin. Paul left off his teasing long enough pull Ethan�s shirt over his head and toss it over the side of the bed to land on top of his own.

With a soft kiss to the center of his chest, Paul lifted himself up off of Ethan�s hips, and slid off the edge of the bed, crossing to his bag in the corner. Ethan took the time to sit up and take his shoes off, tossing them carelessly aside to land next to his duffel bag. He watched Paul bend over, the cotton pants stretching nicely over his ass, and dig something out of his bag, before straightening up and toeing off his shoes and tugging off his socks, folding them neatly and placing them in an outside pocket.

Paul turned back to the bed, a tube and a few foil packages clutched in his hand. Barefoot, he padded back to the bed, spreading his bounty on the bed. Ethan glanced down at the lubricant and condoms and back up to Paul�s expectant face.

�Don�t you dare tell me you were never a Boy Scout,� Ethan teased, placing his hands on Paul�s hips and tugging him between his legs.

Paul kissed Ethan again. �Of course I was,� he said, sounding slightly offended, though his smile took the sting off the words. �Always prepared,� he murmured, his hands finding their way to the button of Ethan�s pants.

Ethan covered Paul�s hands with his own, stopping him before he could get his pants open. He looked into Paul�s eyes, searching. �You�re sure?� Ethan had wanted to take this step for so long, but only if Paul was ready. And though it seemed that Paul was in control, Ethan wanted to know that Paul wasn�t doing it just to make Ethan happy, to keep Ethan from leaving him, or whatever other reason Paul could come up with.

�I�m sure,� Paul said calmly, blue eyes reflecting trust, love, and a fair amount of lust. �I love you, Ethan.�

Oh, God. Ethan squeezed Paul�s hands. �I love you, too.� They�d said it before, and Ethan knew that they would say it again, but still, it felt so right, so perfect, like coming home.

Paul sealed their words with yet another kiss, no longer tender and lingering, but deep and quick as he worked on Ethan�s pants, his lips drifting over the brunette�s jaw, nipping lightly at the stubble that he hadn�t bothered to shave that morning. Ethan gasped lightly when Paul finally got the button undone and lowered his zipper, freeing Ethan�s growing erection from its confines. Paul touched him lightly through the fabric of his boxers, shy, tentative. They had fooled around some, before, and hadn�t exactly hidden their bodies from each other, but dorm life and sharing a house with members of the opposite sex made modesty a necessity.

�I�m not going to break,� he teased lightly, covering Paul�s exploratory hand with his own, guiding. The touch on his cock firmed slightly, growing more confident with every heartbeat. It felt good, and Ethan didn�t want Paul to stop, but if he didn�t, he was going to do something that would embarrass them both.

Slowly, Ethan eased Paul�s hand off his crotch, with a soft smile. Paul grinned in return, a rare precious thing normally, but since they�d arrived at the hotel, the expression hadn�t seemed to be missing. Gently, Paul eased Ethan�s pants and boxers off, Ethan lifting up so the material could be slid off his hips and puddle onto the floor. In a smooth motion, Paul pressed Ethan back on the bed and took a hold of his thighs, swinging him up so he was reclined on the bed, fully naked, with Paul standing over him next to the bed.

Before Paul joined Ethan, he carefully stripped himself out of his pants, depriving Ethan of the joy of unwrapping him himself. But he knew there would be other chances, more opportunities to play and explore. They were both circumcised, Ethan noticed as Paul climbed onto the bed, long and hard, clear fluid already leaking from the dark purple head of his length.

�How do we do this?� Paul asked softly, kneeling between Ethan�s legs, reaching for the lube and condoms.

�Slow and careful, babe,� Ethan advised. He�d never done this before, and he knew Paul hadn�t. But he had read, and watched, once upon a time in his parent�s expansive house, alone for a week at a time, and knew, more or less, what to do. The internet was a remarkable tool, and there were amateur writers publishing stuff out there that had made him blush at the same time making him incredibly horny. �Slow and careful,� he said again.

�Okay.� Paul bent and dropped a kiss to Ethan�s belly and Ethan shivered slightly, his hands making contact with Paul�s body, roaming over whatever skin he could find.

Paul took the tube of lubricant in hand and paused a moment, as if he were considering. Ethan�s hand found Paul�s and squeezed reassuringly. �Should I turn over?� he asked.

�No,� Paul murmured, still thinking. �No,� he said again, more firmly, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face. �I want to see you. We�re doing this together.�

�Okay,� Ethan smiled, loosing his grasp of Paul�s hand and letting it wander down his body, coming to rest on Paul�s erection, feeling, teasing, exploring.

�Ethan,� Paul said shakily, warning.

Ethan decided it was a good thing they had plenty of time before they were expected anywhere, because at the rate they were going, it wasn�t going to take long, and they would probably want to do it again. And again.

And probably again after the banquet and calming Lara down from whatever catastrophe had occurred before the banquet.

Ethan grinned up at Paul but let his hand fall to one muscled thigh, shaped from hours of running to burn off excess energy. There was a time that he�d tried to go running with Paul, but he didn�t have that kind of energy. He forgot to eat too much of the time for that kind of endurance, and after the first time he�d caught the �Campus Crud�, he�d stopped running and never gone back to it.

Paul flipped open the cap on the lube and squeezed a blob into his palm, a decision apparently reached. Ethan watched him slide the lube around his hand and move forward on his knees. Ethan spread his legs farther to give Paul room. A strong hand on his lower belly was a warning as Paul spread the cool wetness along the crack of his ass.

�Slow and careful,� he whispered as Paul trailed a finger through the lube and began to circle his opening. Ethan willed himself to relax, reminding himself that Paul loved him, would never hurt him, and that he trusted Paul with every fiber of his being.

He let out a breath as he felt something press inside, closing his eyes and focusing on feeling, not thinking.

�Okay?� Paul asked.

Paul�s hand stroked his stomach with strong fingers as he moved his other hand, slowly stretching and loosening the tight ring of muscle. Ethan gradually felt his body relax, accept the intruding digit as Paul pressed inside. After a moment of gentle movement, Ethan felt the addition of a second finger, drawing in a hissing breath as his body stretched painfully.

�Do you want me to stop?� Paul paused, worry lighting his eyes.

�No,� Ethan breathed. �No. Just. No,� he breathed again. The pain had faded to an ache that was fading as he adjusted. �Don�t stop,� he said softly.

�Okay,� Paul leaned forward and kissed him, softly, sweetly on the lips as he continued to stretch him, slowly pressing two fingers inside. Ethan lingered in the kiss, concentrating on staying relaxed, knowing that the discomfort would lead to pleasure, knowing that Paul wouldn�t hurt him. He felt the fingers inside him start to scissor, and he felt sparks go off when Paul�s fingers brushed something.

�Oh.�

�Good?� Paul asked, and Ethan could hear the smile in his voice.

�Do that again.�

Paul obliged him and Ethan felt his hips jerk in response to the touch, felt his balls tighten. �Paul,� he breathed.

�Yeah?�

The hand on his belly disappeared and Ethan heard the rustling of a condom being opened. �I was just going to say,� he sucked in a breath as the fingers were withdrawn. �That we should get on with it.�

�Yeah,� Paul breathed. �Open your eyes, Ethan,� he said softly and Ethan complied, feeling his legs being lifted, watched Paul duck slightly and place Ethan�s calves on his shoulders. Paul slid his hands up Ethan�s thighs, coming to rest on his hips as he lined himself up.

Ethan took a breath and held it as he felt the slick head of Paul�s condom wrapped erection at his entrance. He covered Paul�s hands with his own, slowly letting his breath out as Paul slid into him, the first hints of pain fading into a sense of fullness, then pleasure as the smaller man�s penis raked inadvertently across his prostate.

�Oh, God, Paul,� Ethan breathed. They were both drenched in sweat, Paul trembling faintly as he stopped, completely buried.

�Fuck, Ethan,� Paul agreed, giving into profanity that was rarely heard. �So tight. Hot. Fuck.�

�Yes,� Ethan breathed.

And then Paul started to move.

It took no time at all, two mostly virgins coming almost immediately and at almost the same time. Paul had only to touch Ethan�s cock while buried inside him and it was enough to send him over the edge, his seed spilling over Paul�s hand and splashing them both. Paul came an instant later, whispering Ethan�s name before all the strength seemed to drain out his body and he tipped forward, head coming to rest on Ethan�s chest.

Ethan wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, no, lover, he corrected himself mentally. Paul shifted and Ethan winced when his softened penis slipped out of him.

�Hey,� Ethan said softly when Paul looked up at him.

�Hey,� Paul smiled. �Want a nap now.�

Ethan chuckled and craned his neck to kiss the top of Paul�s head. �Okay, babe. But clean up first, you think?�

�Kay,� Paul murmured, already mostly asleep.

Ethan chuckled again and slipped out from under Paul, who immediately curled up in the warm spot he had left. Ethan retrieved a damp cloth from the bathroom and used it to wipe his seed from both their bodies and to remove a little of lube mess left behind. He tossed the cloth negligently on the dresser and gently eased the used condom off Paul and tossing it into the trash can before shifting Paul so he could pull the covers back. Before he slid in behind Paul and found his arms full of a suddenly snuggly trumpet player, he set the alarm for two hours before they had to be down to meet the bus.

Because it seemed a shame to waste the room just sleeping.