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The wedding had started out so well. The grooms exchanged vows in an outdoor garden at sunset, followed by a delightful wedding reception beneath a large white tent. Centerpieces decorated with candles and rose petals gave the evening a romantic atmosphere and scented the air with floral perfume. The guests feasted on steaks and enjoyed a well-stocked open bar.
A man standing in front of the bar had just finished ordering his drinks when he found himself tugged to the side by the groom’s twin brother, Alfred.
“Gil, quick, I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend,” Alfred demanded.
“What? Why?” Gilbert raised his eyebrows as he reached to take his two bottles of beer after the bartender finished opening them.
Alfred glared in the direction of the dance floor. “Cuz my ex is here.”
“Oh, I get it.” Gilbert nodded smugly to himself. “You want him to think you’re dating the hottest guy here.”
“Y-yep.” Alfred slowly grinned. “And you’re the best.”
Gilbert’s chest swelled. “Okay, buddy. I’ll do it for you! Here, hold my girlfriend’s beer,” he added as he handed over one of his two beer bottles.
“Target approaching at three o’clock,” Alfred warned, narrowing his eyes. “Mr. Eyebrows.”
A scowling man in a perfectly fitted tux walked straight in their direction. He had blond hair and a lithe figure, but his thick eyebrows were his most distinguishing feature. Alfred’s gaze drifted south as he stared at the man’s lean legs and remembered all of the times they had been wrapped around his waist while they fucked with reckless abandon.
“Damn, looks like he has caterpillars stuck to his forehead.” Gilbert took a sip of his beer and smirked. “Don’t worry, honey, I’ll make him good and jealous for you.”
“Thanks, Gil,” Alfred replied distractedly. “I owe you a six pack.”
“Twenty-four pack,” Gilbert retorted.
“Twelve pack,” Alfred offered.
“Deal,” Gil agreed.
By the time they had finished haggling, the man was in earshot. But instead of taking the final steps toward them, he joined the line for the open bar and pointedly ignored Alfred.
“You had pretty crappy taste in men before you started dating me, didn’t you, darling?” Gilbert asked in a fake whisper.
Although the man’s eyebrows twitched, he continued ignoring them.
“I was young and stupid,” Alfred agreed, clenching his jaw as he glared at his ex.
“You just hadn’t experienced the joy of my foot-long.”
“Uh…” Alfred glanced at Gilbert out of the corner of his eye. Several other people in line turned to look at them, but Mr. Eyebrows focused on the drink list and calmly placed an order for a double shot of rum. His unruffled attitude irked Alfred. The man acted like he had every right to be at the wedding when he didn’t! Not after the way he had treated Alfred. “I can’t figure out why the hell Matthew invited him,” Alfred grumbled.
“Because some things aren’t about you, Alfred,” his ex replied icily as he took his shot glass and turned to face them. He glanced at Gilbert before returning his frigid gaze to Alfred. “Are you going to introduce me or would you prefer to continue insulting me like a mannerless prick?”
Alfred rolled his eyes. “Oh, where are my manners? Gilbert, this is Arthur Kirkland, the perfect English gentleman. But the act falls away as soon as he’s had a few drinks. So do his clothes.”
“Well, nobody’s perfect. Other than me, of course,” Gilbert replied. He grinned and held out his hand to Arthur. “I’m Gilbert, Alfred’s very sexy and very rich boyfriend.”
“And so modest,” Arthur replied, accepting the handshake. It lasted a second too long as they both tested their strength. “Alfred was always such a fan of modesty.”
“Nearly as much as you like mockery,” Alfred retorted.
“It’s called sarcasm.”
Gilbert snorted and then gave Alfred an apologetic look. “Sorry, babe.”
“Of course, his favorite pastime is running away when you ask for commitment,” Arthur added bitterly. He downed his shot in a single gulp and reached over to set the empty glass on a nearby table. “So do be careful of that,” he warned Gilbert.
Alfred crossed his arms. “Why are you here, Arthur?”
“I didn’t break up with Matthew. He’s always been such a kind young man. Unlike certain people I know.”
“Bull. Shit. You came cuz you knew I’d be here and you wanted to ruin it for me.”
“Oh, stop being so self-absorbed. I’m perfectly capable of behaving myself for one night.” Arthur arched an eyebrow. “Are you?”
“Gee, I don’t know if I can commit to that,” Alfred replied, before turning on his heel and stalking away. He gripped his borrowed bottle of beer tightly. Gilbert followed close behind but didn’t say anything until they had reached their assigned table on the other side of the tent.
Alfred slammed the beer down in front of a young woman with long brown hair. “Here’s your drink, Liz. Thanks for letting me borrow your boyfriend.”
“Anytime!” Elizabeta agreed happily as she picked up her beer and took a sip.
Gilbert plopped down in the chair between his girlfriend and Alfred and took a swig of his own drink. “He didn’t seem that bad.”
“Arthur can act nice when he wants, but he’s a huge asshole.”
“Yeah?” Gilbert took another swig. “I thought you liked assholes.”
Alfred rolled his eyes. “He’s mean and bitter and once you start dating him he wants to control everything. I’ll never forgive him for what he did.”
Liz tilted her head to the side. “Did he run over your dog or something?”
“Worse than that.”
“Ran over your kid?” Gilbert asked.
“I don’t have a kid, Gil,” Alfred replied with an exasperated look.
Gilbert snickered. “Not anymore you don’t.”
“Look, I don’t want to talk about it.” Alfred returned his attention to the remaining food on his plate and sulked as Gilbert and Liz took the hint and chatted about mutual friends at the wedding. Alfred ignored them in favor of the filet mignon, stabbing his fork against the plate to vent his frustration. He kept an eye on the rest of the tent and glared whenever he spotted Arthur looking his way. The worst moments were when Arthur was turned away from him and Alfred had a chance to admire the firm butt that was still as delectable as ever. It was distracting enough that he barely even noticed when the servers brought them dessert.
“Okay, that’s enough sulking,” Gilbert declared when he finished his beer and his slice of maple-flavored wedding cake. He stood up and pulled Alfred out of his seat. “Let’s both get plastered and you can forget all about him.”
“No, no, if you get drunk, he’ll know he upset you,” Liz pointed out. “You should go dance and kiss and look happy.”
“She just likes watching, doesn’t she?” Alfred asked suspiciously as Gilbert tugged him out to the dance floor instead of the line for the bar. The band had stopped playing the classical music that had accompanied dinner and had switched to livelier tunes for dancing.
“Probably,” Gilbert agreed. He started dancing to his own beat while Alfred scanned the dance floor for a familiar face. He saw Arthur dancing with a dark haired man closer to the band. Arthur gave Alfred a smug look as he and his partner danced perfectly to the beat. Arthur sashayed his hips and Alfred felt his mouth go dry.
“Fuck,” Alfred muttered.
“We can dance better than them,” Gilbert insisted. He waggled his shoulders back and forth and dropped down to his knees while opening and closing his hands like chicken beaks.
Alfred turned back to look at his friend and frowned. “Seriously? The chicken dance?”
“Hell, yeah.” Gilbert continued dancing like a total dork. “Do what you enjoy and stop worrying so much about your ex.” He cocked his head to the side. “Unless you’re hoping to make him jealous so you can get back together?”
“Of course not!” Alfred protested. He twisted his shoulders and moved his hips, but his dancing felt stiff and uncomfortable.
“Uh-huh.” Gilbert continued the chicken dance and grinned like a Cheshire cat. “That’s why you can’t stop staring at him?”
Alfred, who had been doing precisely that, jerked his head back toward Gilbert. “I’m just watching to make sure he doesn’t come over here!”
“Sure.” Gilbert shook his head and smiled as the song came to an end. He patted Alfred on the shoulder. “Sorry, babe, but if you can’t understand the allure of the chicken dance, then it just isn’t meant to be.”
“Are you fake-breaking up with me?” Alfred asked.
“Guess so,” Gil agreed with a cheerful wave.
Alfred stood alone on the dance floor for the few seconds of silence between songs. A gnawing loneliness washed over him. He turned toward the open bar and started walking.
“Looks like you chased off another one,” an accented voice commented from behind him. Alfred whirled around and glared, but Arthur just smirked and tilted his head to the side. “It’s probably for the best.”
“Go to hell, you asshole,” Alfred snapped as he stalked off the dance floor. He pushed his way through the crowded tent and walked into the gardens in search of peace and quiet. The sound of crunching gravel behind him warned him that he wasn’t alone. Alfred followed the path to a koi pond with a bubbling fountain. Lights beneath the fountain gave the water a haunting, ethereal glow. There was no one else nearby and with any luck, it was far enough away that no one in the tent would be able to hear them fight. Alfred took a deep breath and turned around. “What do you want?” he growled.
In his dark suit, Arthur blended into the night. It wasn’t until he stepped closer that Alfred could see the venomous glare in his eyes. “An apology.”
“I have nothing to apologize for.”
“You owe me a list of apologies ten pages long. Let’s start with the fact that I paid the rent while you were taking classes and you ditched me right after you graduated.”
“You were the one who asked me to move in!” Alfred snapped. “I should have known you would try to control me because you had more money.”
Arthur narrowed his eyes. “I had more money because you were a complete dunce with your finances. Someone had to step in. You weren’t complaining when I did your taxes.”
“You opened a joint account without my permission!”
“I thought we were building a life together.”
“You should have asked me!” Alfred shouted.
Arthur smiled humorlessly. “As I recall, I did. And you said no.”
“Best decision of my life.”
“For once, I agree," Arthur admitted. "I didn’t realize what a bullet I was dodging. I deserve better than someone who breaks people’s hearts and throws them in the dust bin when he’s asked to commit.”
“Yeah, well, I deserve someone who doesn’t read through my emails because he thinks I’m having an affair.”
“You were very chummy with Francis,” Arthur muttered defensively.
Alfred looked disgusted at the suggestion. “He was dating my brother. That’s gross!”
“You dumped my tea into the garbage disposal.”
“You locked me out of the apartment!”
Arthur scowled. “You insulted all of my hobbies, denigrated all of my friends, and never once thanked me for helping you grow from a man-child into a respectable adult.”
“That was the problem!” Alfred yelled, clenching his fists. “You always wanted to fix me. I’m not a project, Arthur.”
“If you didn’t think it was working you should have told me instead of letting me think we had a future together!” Arthur retorted.
“God, I want to shove my fist up your ass,” Alfred growled.
Arthur snorted. “Pity you weren’t that kinky when we were dating.”
“Nobody’s into as much weird shit as you are.”
“You could have at least tried it.”
“I’d be willing to tie you up and gag you right now.”
Arthur opened his mouth and closed it slowly. He glanced down at the pond and watched the koi swim back and forth in gentle circles. “The sex was good, wasn’t it?”
“Probably the main reason I stuck around way longer than I should have.”
“Want to take this fight back to my room?” Arthur offered, a smirk on his face and a sly look in his eyes. He glanced up at Alfred through his eyelashes in the way that used to always melt Alfred’s heart into a puddle of goo.
Alfred frowned. “I’m not gonna fall for your revenge plot to take photos for blackmail.”
“Don’t be absurd,” Arthur scoffed. “I’d use my picture of you in a ‘sexy’ Ronald McDonald costume if I wanted blackmail material.”
“Horny McDonald,” Alfred corrected. “And that was a great outfit.”
“The only thing good about it was when I ripped it off your body.”
Alfred chuckled. “Yeah, about the only time you stopped complaining was when I fucked you. Maybe I can finally dislodge that stick you’ve got shoved up your ass.”
“Your dirty talk is as excruciating as ever,” Arthur grumbled, but that didn’t stop him from leading the way back to the hotel. A few other wedding guests were already walking back across the hotel garden paths. Alfred kept his head down, but he didn’t see anyone who knew him well enough to recognize his ex.
They snagged an empty elevator and stood together in awkward silence as the door took too long to close, even when Alfred repeatedly hit the ‘door close’ button.
As soon as Arthur had swiped the card to enter his hotel room, Alfred pushed him against the wall and kissed him hungrily. He wrapped his arms around Arthur’s narrow waist and slid his hands down onto Arthur’s firm ass, cupping one cheek in each hand. Arthur kissed back passionately, slipping his tongue into Alfred’s mouth. The teasing circular motions he drew with his clever tongue reminded Alfred why Arthur was the best kisser he had ever dated. They stumbled together toward the bed, losing clothes with a speed born of years of practice.
“Your tux is terrible,” Arthur complained breathlessly as he tossed Alfred’s jacket onto a lamp.
“It’s a rental,” Alfred replied in between love-bites on Arthur’s neck. “Don’t break it.”
Arthur glanced up and down Alfred’s body as he unbuttoned Arthur’s shirt. “That would explain the poor fit and shoddy…” His voice trailed off as he stared at Alfred’s abs.
“Who cares how it fits if I’m just gonna throw it on the floor?” Alfred demanded impatiently. He undid Arthur’s zipper and smirked. “You got lube or should I fuck you raw?”
“In my toiletries,” Arthur replied. He turned on the bathroom lights and hurried inside, Alfred following close behind. As Arthur searched through his toiletry bag, Alfred kicked off his shoes and pulled off his trousers. He eyed Arthur’s firm butt and palmed his growing erection.
“Better hurry up or I might finish myself off first,” Alfred warned.
“Such a generous lover,” Arthur replied sarcastically. He handed over the travel-size bottle of lube and involuntarily licked his lips as he stared at Alfred’s thick cock.
“Turn around,” Alfred demanded huskily.
Arthur slowly turned to face the sink. He bent forward until his elbows rested on the cool granite. He caught Alfred’s gaze in the mirror, flashing him a sly smirk as he eyed Alfred’s cock. “Looks like you are happy to see me at your brother’s wedding, after all.”
“Oh, shut up,” Alfred responded. He tugged Arthur’s trousers down to his knees, followed quickly by his briefs, leaving Arthur’s pale, shapely ass exposed to the cold air. Alfred coated his fingers with lube and slipped one into Arthur’s tight sphincter. Soon the only thing coming out of Arthur’s mouth was husky gasps and needy moans. Glancing at Arthur’s reflection in the mirror, Alfred could see Arthur’s flushed cheeks and parted lips. Arthur gazed back at him through half-lidded eyes and for the first time that night Alfred didn’t see thinly veiled anger.
“Hurry… hurry up,” Arthur demanded. Following orders for once, Alfred added a second finger and drew a loud moan from Arthur’s throat as his slick fingers hit Arthur’s prostate. “God, yes!” Arthur gasped wantonly when Alfred added a third finger.
Driven on by the lusty moans, Alfred hurriedly slathered lube onto his cock and pressed it into Arthur’s tight warmth. Alfred’s cheeks darkened and sweat shone on his forehead as he moved inch by inch.
“Harder!” Arthur cried. He rolled his hips backward, burying Alfred’s cock deep into his ass.
“Nngh.” Alfred moaned at the sudden, delicious sensation of being completely encased. He dug his fingers into Arthur’s hips so tightly that he left red marks on Arthur’s pale skin.
They lost themselves to the rhythm of the thrusts. Arthur cried out and writhed in pleasure each time Alfred’s cock struck his prostate. Alfred moaned with exertion and desire. None of his other lovers had ever bottomed as powerfully as Arthur—pushing back into Alfred’s thrusts and driving them both deeper and deeper into orgasmic ecstasy.
Alfred came fast and hard. He gasped and slumped onto Arthur’s back. Alfred nuzzled Arthur’s neck and breathed in the musky smell of sex. He reached around Arthur’s waist and felt the sticky sensation of success on Arthur’s cock. “Made you come before I did,” he bragged.
“Must everything be a competition?” Arthur asked in a tired voice.
“Well, yeah. If you’re not a winner, you’re a loser.”
Arthur sighed and slowly pushed Alfred off his back. “You were always too focused on winning arguments to pay attention to the harm you were causing our relationship.”
Alfred crossed his arms. “Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black.”
“I know,” Arthur agreed ruefully. “Well, clean yourself off if you want. You’re not spending the night,” he announced.
“You gonna come back to the party?” Alfred asked. He stripped off his shirt and added it to his pile of disheveled clothes. “You could get drunk and we could have a second round.”
“No, I’m going to bed.” Arthur plucked his clothing from the floor and closed the bathroom door behind him.
Alfred enjoyed a quick, hot shower and cleaned the sweat and cum from his body. His nocturnal activities would be obvious from his wrinkled clothing, but at least he would smell clean. He toweled himself dry and put the tux back on as best he could. Alfred slipped into the bedroom and reclaimed his jacket from the floor lamp closest to the door.
From where Alfred stood, he could see Arthur's tuxedo neatly hanging in the closet and a bundle of blankets curled up on the bed. A strange heaviness filled Alfred's heart at a sight he had seen so often in happier times. “You awake, Arthur?” he asked.
“If I wasn’t, I would be as soon as you asked that question,” Arthur grumbled.
Alfred smiled at the familiar complaint. “Want me to turn off the light?”
“No, I prefer having it on to keep the ghosts at bay.”
“You do?” Alfred asked in surprise.
Arthur sighed. “Sarcasm, dear.”
“Oh, right.” Alfred flicked the switch and stood for a moment in the darkness. As Alfred’s eyes adjusted to the dim light coming in from the window, he struggled to make out Arthur’s gray shape in the bed. “Hey, Arthur?” he asked hesitantly.
“What?”
“You ever wonder what would have happened if I had said yes?”
Arthur sighed and rolled to his side. “We would have fought over every bit of wedding planning and gotten divorced within a year. We just had… too much growing up to do.”
“Maybe we met a decade too soon,” Alfred suggested quietly.
“No, it wouldn’t have been the same. We wouldn’t be who we are if it hadn’t been for… well, everything that happened…” Arthur’s voice trailed off.
“Yeah,” Alfred agreed. He quickly raised his hand and wiped the dampness away from his eyes. “Well, thanks for the fuck. Let me know if you want another.”
“Good night, Alfred,” the tired lump on the bed said pointedly.
Alfred stood in the silent darkness a moment longer. “I’m not sorry for what I did,” he said quietly. “And I’m not sorry for what I said. But… I am sorry I hurt you so bad.”
“You’re just saying that because you want a second round,” Arthur accused.
“No, it’s true. I never meant to hurt you.”
“You have an odd way of showing it.”
“Yeah, well, you hurt me, too,” Alfred complained.
Arthur chuckled mirthlessly. “Oh my god, even our apologies turn into fights. It’s okay, Alfred,” he added with a softer tone. “I don’t agree with how you did it, but in the end, I think you were right. We only would have made each other miserable.”
“I guess.” Alfred leaned with his back against the inside of the door and imagined waking up to Arthur’s kisses and smile every morning. Snuggling together after every round of amazing sex. Eating dinner while Arthur discussed his day in such a witty way that Alfred couldn’t stop laughing. Alfred tried to choke down the lump in his throat. “See you ‘round sometime?” he asked.
“Maybe,” was Arthur’s only reply.
Deciding it was the best he was going to get that night, Alfred nodded and shut the door behind him with a final click.