Epilogue

EPILOGUE

ETHAN

The Next Summer

After the big upheaval regarding his mom, with a bit of help from Shane, Mickey found a therapist. Shane had fully taken on the role of Mickey's big brother, something he'd never had.

He kept his apartment above the bar for a while, but split his time between there and Ethan's house. Ethan rented his basement to one of Shane's cousins. Taylor didn't stop sneaking plants into other people's houses, but he did eventually give up his own studio apartment and officially moved in with Nash and Damon in the Spring.

With the blessing of his therapist, Mickey eventually decided to take the same kind of plunge. He still didn't have much in the way of belongings, so packing was easy as most of his stuff could be stuffed into trash bags. The furniture belonged to the apartment. Even the dishes in the kitchen had come from the bar downstairs.

Shane insisted on driving Mickey over with all his things After kicking his shoes off, Mickey carried his bags into the bedroom. Not that there was much left to bring over. Moving in with Ethan was more of a formality than anything as most of his things were already there, but Ethan spent time unboxing the last of Mickey's things and making space for him.

The next morning was the first time Mickey woke up next to Ethan in their house. It was Sunday and they'd have to get to the diner soon. Breakfast at Bennett's was still a weekly tradition. Sometimes not everyone could make it, but Mickey's favorite Sundays were the ones when everyone was there.

"Wakey wakey." Mickey rolled over and used Ethan's shoulder for a pillow. Ethan had been stirring for the past few minutes and Mickey wanted to take advantage of the early morning. He angled his head up, nuzzling against Ethan's stubbled cheek.

The first brush of Ethan's mouth against his was feather soft. Mickey slid his hand over Ethan's chest, toying with his nipples. Ethan kissed him again, slower, harder, deeper. Licking his way into Mickey's mouth, he rolled Mickey onto his back and pinned him there.

Still kissing him, Ethan wedged a knee between Mickey's legs. The sudden friction was almost too much. Mickey gasped and Ethan moved his kisses from Mickey's mouth to his neck. Ethan held Mickey's wrists in a firm grip and he trembled in Ethan's arms at the sudden onslaught of sensations.

"Ethan…" Mickey didn't know what to say next. He couldn't even think straight, not with the way Ethan was devouring him. Teasing him. Mickey ground himself against Ethan, helpless and shameless.

"I've waited months to fuck you in our bedroom, Mickey." The confession washed over Mickey, filling him to the brim with light and love and a sense of belonging. Dirty talk shouldn't make Mickey's eyes sting, but he blinked away the burn, willing himself to not ruin the moment with his sappy tears.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Mickey whispered, hoping his voice didn't betray the fact that his emotions were too big for his body and were spilling out everywhere.

Ethan devoured him, body and soul. Slanting his mouth over Mickey's, he worked a hand between them and took hold of Mickey. He arched up into Ethan's expert touch. Their sex life had only gotten better as time went on and Ethan learned more about his own body, and Mickey's, and all the pleasure they were capable of creating together.

Mickey got his hands free and sank them into Ethan's hair. Ethan kissed Mickey's neck again, his chest, a whole teasing trail down to his throbbing cock. Then Ethan nuzzled the base of Mickey's cock. Breathing deep.

"We don't have a lot of time," Ethan said. "A thousand years wouldn't be enough."

Licking Mickey from root to tip, Ethan looked up at him, mischief dancing in his eyes. "We have about twenty minutes before we need to go."

Mickey yelped when Ethan didn't wait a single beat before taking Mickey's cock into his mouth. Keeping his eyes open so he could watch Ethan eat him alive was an accomplishment of epic proportions when Ethan seemed determined to suck Mickey's brains out through his dick.

Ethan's hands slid up the outside of Mickey's legs before gripping his waist and dragging him in deeper. He took Mickey down to the base, something he'd worked for months to perfect. Mickey was glad to be pinned to the bed because he was certain that he'd have collapsed otherwise.

"E-than," Mickey gasped, broken and needy. High on lust but still yearning, always fucking yearning for more. He'd burrow inside Ethan's chest and live there if he could. Curling his fingers into Ethan's hair, he tugged the way Ethan liked it. Not hard, just enough to make his scalp tingle, he'd confessed to Mickey with red cheeks and a sheepish expression.

He'd made a million more discoveries since then. Unearthed things about himself that he'd never known. Like the fact that over almost anything else, Ethan loved sucking Mickey's cock. He'd even asked if Mickey minded that he liked it so much, to which Mickey had rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, of course I mind getting amazing blowjobs from my very willing boyfriend. It's such a hardship."

Ethan had then asked what Mickey liked best because he wanted to make sure Mickey was always taken care of.

That, Mickey told him, was his favorite thing. Being taken care of. Ethan kissed him long and slow after that and eventually stated that Mickey had missed the point of his question.

"Ethan, please." Mickey's hips thrust without his permission, encouraging Ethan's mouth to continue doing wicked things to him. Ethan hummed, his gaze quickly flicking up to meet Mickey's. Their eyes locked and Ethan's cheeks hollowed out. Mickey's head swam. His body turned to marshmallows.

"I'm—fuck. Close. So close. Oh, my God. OhmyGod ." Mickey's hips stuttered and thrust, and Ethan made a gagging noise when Mickey went that fraction of an inch too deep… and then Mickey was coming down Ethan's throat. Ethan sucked him dry and kept teasing him with his tongue until Mickey twitched and pushed him away.

Ethan sat back on his heels and looked up at Mickey.

"I hope you have time to clean up," Mickey panted. "Because it's obvious that you just sucked a dick."

Ethan laughed and then groaned when he pushed himself to his feet. "If I'm late, I don't think the boss will fire me."

He pulled Mickey to his feet and slanted his mouth over Mickey's, sharing the lingering taste of his orgasm.

"We should clean up," Ethan said, pulling away.

Mickey glanced down at his flagging erection. "Me too. I wish we had time for another round."

"You're worth the wait." Ethan brushed another cum-flavored kiss against Mickey's lips. He leaned in for yet another one, but the sound of his alarm going off shattered their interlude. "Shit. Time to get ready."

Mickey shoved Ethan toward the bathroom. "Get the shower started. I'll grab us clean clothes."

Mickey scrambled over to the closet and selected what he called Ethan's uniform. Well-worn jeans and an old band tee. Sometimes Ethan wore a flannel overtop, but there was no need for one in the summer months. After a quick shower, they debated the idea of being extra-late, but Mickey's grumbling stomach was the only thing that got Ethan moving away from the bedroom.

Ethan and Mickey were the last to arrive. The diner's open sign was dark and the only cars in the lot belonged to members of the Bennett family.

"What's going on?" Ethan glanced at Mickey.

"Don't look at me. If it's subterfuge, it was probably Taylor's doing."

"Well, let's see what these jokers are up to." Ethan killed the engine and Mickey followed him to the diner. There was a sign taped to the front door and Ethan read it out loud.

"Closed for a private event. Opening at 9 a.m. Sorry for the inconvenience. The Bennetts." Ethan took a deep breath. "Fucking Taylor."

His words held no malice, only affection for his youngest, slightly mischievous son.

When they walked into the diner, they were indeed the last to arrive. Instead of everyone trying to cram in and around the booth the family had claimed long ago, they'd shoved several tables together to create one large one. Taylor had clearly been hard at work for a while now, because the center of the table was stacked with breakfast food.

Colby appeared with a coffee pot and started giving everyone refills when he looked up and saw them standing there.

"Hey, the guests of honor have arrived."

"The what?" Mickey said. Ethan's hand pressed against the small of Mickey's back and he herded him toward the table.

"Taylor, get your beautiful butt out here. Your dad's here!" Nash shouted and a moment later Taylor appeared, rocking a hot pink bandana, a string of pearls, a generic shirt that he didn't mind ruining, a pair of skinny jeans, and combat boots. He carried an additional tray of food and set it down, taking his seat between Nash and Damon, who still looked at him like he was the prettiest thing they'd ever seen.

"What is all this?" Ethan asked, leading Mickey to one of the remaining empty seats.

"This," Jonah said, "is a celebration. Usually we hurry through our family breakfasts and Dad is up and down a thousand times. Taylor gets called to the back. It's kind of a nightmare. And when you get all of us together, we take up half the restaurant."

"That's an exaggeration," Ethan cut in.

"We wanted to do something special to celebrate you and Mickey making it official. We're glad you finally wore him down and got him to move in," Colby said.

Next to him, Milo smiled and scooted in closer to his boyfriend.

"You closed down the diner for us?" Ethan sounded touched and perplexed. "How?"

Taylor rolled his eyes. "Social media, Dad. Get with the times. The locals love us. And we love you." Taylor shifted his gaze to Mickey. "Both of you."

"This family is crazy." Mickey shook his head.

"Our family," Ethan corrected him quietly.

Warmth spread through Mickey's veins the way it always did when Ethan laid claim to him. He was quick to remind Mickey that he belonged. That he was loved. That Ethan wasn't going anywhere.

And neither was Mickey.

Though today was his first official day living with Ethan, and this celebration was in honor of that, this had been Mickey's home for a lot longer.

His phone buzzed with a text. He read it, then showed the screen to Ethan. "Mom says congratulations."

Things with his mom had improved since she'd left his dad. They were on speaking terms now, and sometimes they met up for a coffee. Not at the diner or at the bar, but at a more neutral location. In the nicer weather, they sometimes went for a walk together. He didn't know if they'd ever be close, but they were healing, and that was enough for now.

"Thank her for me."

"Jonah and I tracked her down and invited her too, but she said she wouldn't feel right about it," Spencer explained. "She said she was really happy for you, though."

It was hard for Mickey to stop smiling, even after his face started to ache from it. Never in a million years would he have imagined this for himself. He'd gone from having nothing and no one, to eating scraps outside the diner, to being a guest of honor inside. A cherished member of the family.

Slipping his hand in his pocket, he felt for the guitar pick that he still kept with him at all times. He no longer needed the constant reminder that he was loved, but he still liked to touch it and remind himself just how lucky he was.

"Let's eat," Mickey said, letting go of the pick. "Can someone pass the waffles?"