"You look...amazing." Adam's voice held a reverent tone normally reserved for religious worship.

"So do you," Jazz whispered.

Adam's hands visibly shook as he offered Jazz his "corsage". "It's for you. For your buttonhole."

Jazz stared at the red rose surrounded by the tiniest strand of baby's breath. Red for true love. Jazz' heart rate abruptly accelerated and at first, he was sure that he would pass out. But he didn't. Instead he committed the moment to memory forever.

"Put it on me?" Jazz asked. He didn't trust his fingers to work properly.

Adam nodded. He bent his head over his task and worked in silence. Jazz felt like he couldn't breathe. But it wasn't a bad feeling. It was like he was leaving his body behind to...fly.

When Adam was finished, he drew back to admire the effect. "Now you look incredible," Adam said hoarsely.

Jazz took a step forward and nearly tumbled off the front porch in the process, literally falling into Adam's arms. "Hi," Jazz said shyly, his silky golden brown hair falling into his face.

"Hi," Adam replied huskily.

James and Smoke watched from inside the house, breathing a collective sigh of relief when Adam made it to the limo with Jazz on his arm. "Think they'll be okay, Jamie?"

"Yeah, I do, Pete."

*****

Once they were safely inside the limo, they sat in the backseat, inches away from each other, their bodies rigid as if they'd been forbidden to touch one another.

They both tried to speak at the same time. Jazz giggled and somehow his laughter broke the tension. "You go first," Jazz prompted.

"Are you as nervous as I am?"

"God, yes," Jazz confessed, suddenly glad that he wasn't the only one.

"Stupid, isn't it? I mean, we know each other. We've slept together, for God's sake. But here we are, sorta wondering what's next."

Adam smiled. "I know what's next." He caught Jazz' startled look and said in a surprisingly hesitant tone, "I know where I want us to go. I just hope you'll want to come with me."

Jazz half-turned in his seat to face his lover. "I just want to be with you."

"Me, too." Pause. "I'm not sure I should tell you this now or later..."

"Now. I need to know, Adam."

"Well...first, we're going to the Prom." Jazz almost laughed. Hope and excitement were vying for control within him and he found it hard to sit still.

"Then...umm..." Adam mumbled something that Jazz couldn't quite make out, provoking a deep frown to erupt between the younger teenager's brows. "What?"

"We're going to the hotel."

"What hotel?"

"The one we stayed at in Paris. The one where we...you know..."

"Adam?" For several seconds, Jazz' heart beat so rapidly that he felt like he was going to come apart. "We're going to stay in the city?"

"Yes."

"Overnight?" Jazz exclaimed.

"More than...overnight. More like the weekend."

Jazz stared at Adam, who in turn studied his hands in his lap as if they were the most fascinating things in the world. "Do your folks know?"

That roused Adam from his apparent stupor. "Know? Dad made the reservations for me. I promised to get a summer job before I go to college in the fall so I can pay him back. But he said it was a gift. Can you believe that?" Adam looked so proud of his father that his face shone, even in the dim light.

Jazz shook his head. "What about my Dad and Pete?"

"They packed an overnight bag for you. I snuck it into the trunk before they told you I was there."

"Adam? What does this all mean? I mean, I don't want to go getting my hopes up again. So you tell me...what does this weekend mean to you?"

Adam raised his head and met Jazz' green-eyed gaze. "It means I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Nick. Just like I said. We've got our parents' blessing. But I guess what I'm asking you is, do I have yours?"

"You really want to marry me?" Jazz whispered.

Adam nodded. "I want this to be our honeymoon, Nick. What do you say?"

In answer, Jazz flung his arms around Adam's neck and murmured, "Yes," in a tearful whisper that tugged at Adam's heartstrings. Adam kissed him and gently wiped the tears away with his thumb.

"I love you, Nicky."

"Oh, Adam," Jazz said with a hiccup. "I must look like a mess now."

Adam shook his head. "You still look beautiful to me. You always will," he finished brokenly, losing the battle with his own rioting emotions.

The club was crowded, noisy and hot. It was wonderful.

Everywhere Jazz looked there were people dancing. Disinterested in anything that didn't immediately relate to him or Adam, Jazz wandered through the throng, careful not to stray too far from Adam's side. It was impossible to have a conversation over the din, but Adam tried.

"Would you like a drink?"

Jazz shook his head.

"We could have our picture taken," Adam shouted.

Again, Jazz shook his head.

"Do you want to dance?"

With a sigh, Jazz struggled to make himself heard. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Why? In this crowd, no one'll notice."

For the third time, Jazz shook his head.

"Well, Jesus, Nick, what *do* you want to do?" Adam burst out.

Evidently Jazz had no trouble translating that particular question. He colored furiously and averted his eyes, mumbling something that Adam couldn't possibly make out.

"I thought you were looking forward to this. I wanted tonight to be *special*.

Even with all the noise, Jazz' senses were so acutely attuned to Adam that he registered the older teenager's hurt. "It *is*," Jazz reassured him.

Realizing that wasn't enough of an explanation, Jazz cupped his hands around Adam's ear and spoke directly into it. "You're the one who turned this into our wedding night. How am I supposed to think about anything else?"

"I thought you wanted this," Adam said.

"I want *you*," Jazz told him, his fingers lingering a little too long on Adam's face for mere friendship.

"You want to blow off the Prom?" Adam asked, prepared to do exactly that if Jazz but said the word.

"I want whatever you want. It's *your* Prom. I don't want to spoil it for you."

For a moment, Adam looked conflicted. Then his face cleared, as if he'd come to a decision. "What I want...is to dance with you. But I can't do that here. So...let's go."

Adam took Jazz by the hand and pulled him back to the entrance of the club. "Where are we going?"

Adam smiled. "Somewhere we can dance."

*****

The limo driver didn't seem surprised to see the young couple back so early in the evening. "Where to?"

Adam gave the driver the name of the hotel in the city. The driver whistled appreciatively and re-adjusted his hat. Rich kids. Their parents bought them just about anything they wanted.

When they finally reached the hotel, Adam tipped the driver and retrieved their bags, telling him not to wait. "Are you sure? You're not going to have much luck getting a drink in a classy hotel like this."

"Thanks, but we're not looking to get drunk," Adam said with a polite smile.

"Isn't that what you kids are interested in? Drinking and getting laid? I was at your age."

It was all Adam could do not to laugh. There was a certain amount of truth to what the driver said. He just didn't know that Adam and Jazz weren't cruising for girls.

*****

The hotel was every bit as beautiful as he remembered. For both of them, there was a certain degree of ambivalence associated with their last stay there. It was where they had nearly consummated their love. But it was the scene of the tragic aftermath that almost ruined their lives.

Financial had been made in advance, thanks to Michael, and all Adam had to do was ask for the key to the room. It was both the easiest and the hardest thing he had ever done.

It wasn't until they were safely in the elevator with their overnight bags that Adam relaxed. Or perhaps, relaxed wasn't quite the right word for what he was feeling. He felt like he was beginning a magnificent adventure.

He was.

Adam slid the keycard through the electronic lock and pushed open the door. It wasn't the same room. He wasn't so masochistic as to request the same room; he feared that would have been *too* much nostalgia. But the room was undeniably beautiful.

Just not as beautiful as his companion.

Jazz seemed hesitant to cross the threshold, but Adam tugged on his arm. "Come on. I'll turn on the stereo and we can dance."

For a second, Jazz looked almost confused. "You don't want to--?"

"Nick, I didn't bring you here because I wanted to jump your bones--"

Jazz raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Well, okay, I did." Jazz nodded. "But we've got all weekend. To do anything we want. And right now, I want to dance with you."

"You do?"

"Uh huh." Adam slowly moved closer and cupped Jazz' face in his hands. "Then we're going to call Room Service and have dinner." Adam kissed Jazz, nudging his lips apart with his tongue.

"Then we're going to take a nice warm bath...together." Adam's voice was low and seductive and Jazz could feel himself getting hard just at the thought of what Adam was suggesting.

"Then are we going to make love?" Jazz whispered.

"Yes, baby," Adam whispered back, slipping his tongue inside Jazz' mouth. "But that's not the best part."

"It's not?" Jazz asked incredulously.

"No...the best part is where we get to wake up together...in the same bed..."

"Ohh," Jazz said, his inarticulate response even more touching for all that it conveyed without words.

"Are you getting it yet?" Adam asked softly. "How much I want you?" Kiss. "How much I need you?" Kiss. "How much I *love* you?"

With a fervent murmur, Jazz tangled his hands in Adam's hair and kissed him. "I love you," he breathed against Adam's mouth, suddenly desperate to be claimed.

But Adam's fingers stroked and reassured and promised that possession would come in its own time.

It would be good.

It would be better than good. It would be everything necessary.

			*Please note: 
		This chapter is seriously NC-17. 
		It's also slash. 
		If this isn't for you, keep on going. :-)

For several minutes, there was no sound save the music. Then Jazz broke the silence. "Adam?"

"Yes, Nicky?"

"Please tell me you don't own this CD."

Startled into laughter, Adam grinned at his companion, receiving an answering smile that stole his heart all over again.

"It's not getting you in the mood?"

Jazz stepped into the space between Adam's legs and gently pressed their groins together. With a soft exhalation, Jazz rested his head on Adam's shoulder, his breath ruffling the hair at Adam's nape. "Seriously?" he whispered to the older teenager. "I don't think I really need any help getting in the mood."

"Oh, Nick, we are going to be so good together," Adam said with a groan of anticipation. He could feel the younger man's mouth curve into a smile against his neck.

"So what are we waiting for?"

"Why? Are you losing control?" Adam chuckled.

"No, I'm starving," Jazz said, his stomach growling in apparent agreement with that statement. "You promised me food."

Adam slid his fingers into Jazz' hair and tugged until he brought his head up for another kiss. "Am I boring you?"

"Mmm, no," Jazz admitted. "But Room Service could take a while...there must be something we could do to...pass the time."

Adam's eyes sparkled with mischief as he slowly licked his lover's lips, unaware that he was starting a conflagration that would spin completely out of his control. "I can think of one...or two...things we could do."

Jazz' bright green eyes were half-shut, but Adam could feel the intensity of his gaze nonetheless. "Won't it bother you if we do things...out of order?"

"Hey, it's *my* plan. I can be...flexible."

Jazz' mouth parted on a sigh of such utter sensuality that Adam gasped. With an exultant cry, Adam kissed him, harder and deeper than before, wondering for the first time if he was going to survive the night, much less the weekend.

"Adam?" Jazz murmured, reluctantly breaking the kiss.

"Yeah?" Adam whispered.

"Better call Room Service now."

"Good idea."

But it took an act of considerable will for Adam to reach the phone and pick it up. He wasn't sure he could speak coherently enough to order food. All he could think of was plunging his tongue inside that mouth again. Luckily for both of them, Jazz had strong instincts for self-preservation. He took the phone out of Adam's hand and dialed.

When Jazz hung up the phone, he said, "The food'll be here in an hour."

"I don't think I can wait that long," Adam said hoarsely, suddenly aware that he wasn't talking about food.

Jazz wound his arms around Adam's neck and whispered hotly, "I think we're both wearing too many clothes."

Adam swallowed hard. He was used to being in control, used to being the seducer, not the seduced, but Jazz showed every sign of turning the tables on him. And somehow Adam didn't think he was going to mind. He loosened the hateful tie that had plagued him earlier in the evening.

"Tsk, tsk," laughed Jazz. "So slow."

"Urm?" Adam wasn't sure what he uttered was even a word, but he could no longer think, not with Jazz' hand on his zipper.

"Enough foreplay," Jazz said, ducking his head to nip playfully at Adam's bottom lip. "I hate to mess up your well-planned schedule, but--"

Adam literally gasped for breath as Jazz fell to his knees and abruptly pulled him into his mouth. "Oh, God."

The sound of someone like Adam being reduced to a quivering, whimpering mass brought Jazz right to the brink of climax. It wasn't so much a conscious decision as that they were both suddenly way too hot to hold on any longer.

Adam came first, pouring himself down his lover's throat with two or three involuntary thrusts.

Jazz sat back on his heels and licked his lips, his tongue swiping at the come that had splashed his face. Despite the fact that Adam had just come, he thought it was the hottest sight he'd ever seen. Until...

...Jazz opened his pants with shaking hands and pumped his swollen cock several times. Adam watched, transfixed, his flaccid dick twitching interestedly as Jazz arched his back and came into his hand.

Jazz panted, his face flushed and slighty sweaty. "Guess I should have brought a handkerchief," he said ruefully.

Adam knelt down and turned Jazz' hands palm up. Without a word, he carefully licked every drop of his lover's essence. "That better?" Adam whispered.

"Much," Jazz answered in the same low seductive tone.

"You ready to get down and dirty?"

But Adam couldn't wait for a response to his own question, leaning forward to merge their mouths again, as if they had never been apart.

When Jazz tasted himself on Adam's tongue, he whimpered and relinquished control to him. "More," he pleaded.

Adam smiled and began to shrug out of his dinner jacket.

No one was in control now.

			Please note:
		*Yes, this is even more seriously 
		NC-17 than the previous chapter. 
		So hide the combustibles, people!

"Yes, Nick."

"And the jacket, too?"

"Yes, Nick."

"Good. Pete paid a lot for that outfit. I wouldn't want to get it--"

Adam kissed him. Hard. Cutting off whatever Jazz had been about to say. "Are you nervous?" Adam asked breathlessly.

"How could I be nervous? I just jerked myself off in front of you. I came all over my hand. I--"

Adam kissed him again. Even harder. His tongue insinuated itself between his lips and by the time Adam broke away, they were *both* gasping.

"I know you're nervous, Nick. But I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know," Jazz replied quietly. But his eyes darkened to moss green.

In an intuitive desire to reassure his mate, Adam rubbed his cheek against Jazz'. "I love you."

"I love you, too," answered Jazz, closing his eyes and instinctively responding to Adam's touch.

"You're cold," Adam said, grabbing an extra towel to wrap around his lover. After undressing each other, they had covered their nakedness with huge, fluffy white towels.

Pulling Jazz to his feet, Adam said, "Let's take a shower. That should warm you up."

"Together?"

Adam smiled and kissed him, his mouth warm and wet and open. "Of course."

*****

The water was hot. But not as hot as Adam's hands roaming all over his lover's partially aroused body.

"Adam, slow down."

Adam blinked in surprise, shaking his wet hair so that it sprayed droplets in every direction. "Was I going too fast, baby?"

Jazz leaned back against the smooth tiled surface of the enclosed shower and beckoned Adam forward. The shower spray pulsated along Adam's back as he stepped between Jazz' legs, their half-erect cocks rubbing against one another. Jazz stood on his toes to reach the taller teenager's mouth and clung to it as though his life depended upon it.

Raising his voice slightly to be heard over the water, Jazz said, "When I come again, I want you inside me."

Adam was utterly still. His nostrils flared slightly, the only sign that he'd heard Jazz. "Are you sure? We don't have to. I don't need that for us to be happy."

Jazz kissed him, his lips still swollen and slightly sticky, and a spiral of need uncoiled within Adam's groin. "I want to. More than anything, Adam."

"Oh, God, Nicky." Adam buried his face against Jazz' neck and shuddered at the thought of truly possessing him.

When Adam could breathe again, he turned Jazz so that he faced the wall. Slowing the shower spray, he detached the nozzle and began massaging Jazz' back. Bit by bit, Jazz relaxed.

Gradually, Adam approached his lover's buttocks, using his free hand to spread them apart, exposing the tight opening they guarded. Using the water to coax Jazz' body into a semi-boneless sprawl, Adam noted that the rest of him was as hard as a rock.

Suddenly letting go of the shower spray, Adam pressed himself against Jazz, his erection sliding into the crevice that separated his lover's buttocks. Breathing heavily, Adam kissed the nape of Jazz' neck before finding a tender bit of flesh to suckle. He reached around to grasp Jazz' manhood, Jazz' sharp gasp alerting him that he was close to climax.

"You want to come, don't you, baby?" Adam whispered in his ear, insinuating his body even further into the crack of his ass.

Jazz whimpered under Adam's patient ministrations. "Yes."

"You like it when I play with your ass, don't you, baby?"

"A-dammm..." Jazz groaned.

Adam licked the back of his ear. "I want to be inside you when you come. Would you like that, Nicky?"

"Oh, God, yesss...."

Before Jazz knew it, they were out of the shower, leaving the water running. Kneeling on the extravagantly thick carpet, Adam urged Jazz onto his hands and knees, overriding Jazz' protests about not being able to kiss Adam.

"It'll be easier this way the first time, Nick. Trust me."

"Just do it, Adam. Please..." Jazz jiggled restlessly beneath Adam's gently probing fingers. His fingers generously coated with the expensive hand lotion he'd lifted from the vanity basket on the counter, Adam prepared his lover.

When Adam was finished, his cock stood almost rigid with need. Applying the hand lotion there as well, he poised himself at the entrance to Jazz' snug channel.

One deep breath and he was in. Jazz moaned, but Adam could tell by the way his ass rapidly adjusted to the intrusion that he was ready. He began to move, Jazz' inner muscles clenching and unclenching around his cock.

The sensation was too overwhelming to be sustained for long. With an exultant shout, Adam came. When Jazz felt Adam's wet heat surge inside him, he came, too, collapsing beneath the weight of Adam's suddenly inert body.

His lover's cock still deeply imbedded inside him, Jazz buried his face in the luxuriant carpet, the magnitude of what they just shared bringing him close to tears. As if he sensed Jazz' disquiet, Adam slowly withdrew and cleaned both of them off before taking him into his arms.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"No," Jazz said, biting his lip. "I was just thinking..."

"About what?"

"I love you so fucking much," Jazz whispered.

"Oh, baby," Adam murmured. Then he kissed him. "That's all I ever wanted."

They sat cross-legged on the floor, their bodies naked save for a well-placed towel, and ate spicy Buffalo wings that dripped hot sauce all over their fingers and mouths. They traded kisses in between bites, but gradually, their need now more emotional than physical, they stopped eating to stare at one another.

So much had changed. So much had stayed the same.

After smearing Jazz' mouth with sticky fingers, Adam licked his lover's swollen lips, pleased to see that he now looked thoroughly kissed. "How do you feel?"

"Like anything is possible."

"It is," Adam assured him. "So..." For once, Adam seemed shy about sharing his feelings.

Jazz tilted his head questioningly. "What?"

Adam bit his lip and studied his sauce-covered hands. "You ready to tackle sleeping with me?" he whispered. "For real?"

Jazz blinked guilelessly. "Isn't that what we just--"

"No, I mean...getting in that big bed over there and sleeping...till we wake up."

"Oh, that," Jazz replied with a grin. His bright green eyes twinkling merrily, Jazz wiped his hands on the towel wrapped around his waist. Leaning forward on his hands and knees, he kissed Adam, his mouth still slick and spicy. "I go wherever you go, remember?"

Suddenly Jazz' eyes darkened. "Well, except in the Fall, when you go to college..."

Anxious to console, Adam reacted without thinking, smoothing sticky fingers across Jazz' face and hair. "I want to ask you something, Nick. Something real important."

Jazz' breath mingled with his moments before Adam kissed him. When Jazz opened his eyes, his mouth slightly parted, Adam thought he was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"I'm not moving into the dorms this Fall. I'm going to get my own apartment."

Jazz nodded. This was not totally unexpected. But it filled him with a longing that he valiantly suppressed. He knew how much Adam loved him. He didn't want to make Adam feel any worse for having to leave him behind when he went to college.

"I want you to move in with me."

Jazz stared at him in disbelief, fighting the urge to shout, Oh, God, yes! "But--"

"I know. You don't want to leave high school before you graduate and you're right. You shouldn't." Now that Adam had blurted out his most fervent desire, to keep Jazz with him, no matter what, he spoke urgently, almost frantically.

"But you could stay with me. It wouldn't be that far for you. But if you think it is, I'll get a car."

"With what?" Now that Jazz could breathe normally, he forced his brain to function. "You don't have any money. You're just starting out. You don't need that kind of pressure, Adam."

"It's not pressure, Nicky. I love you. I'd do anything for you. I want us to be together."

Jazz' eyes sparkled with unshed tears. "I love you, too, Adam, and I want to be with you. All the time. But we'd both have to work. And go to school. Pretty soon, we'd start to fight and then...God, we'd start to hate each other."

"Never happen, Nick. I swear."

"I want to believe you," Jazz whispered, tears imminently threatening his composure. "But the truth is, Adam...I'm not ready. I can't leave Dad and Pete yet. Please forgive me. Please...tell me you understand."

Adam closed his eyes on a wave of pain so sharp that it pierced his soul. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes again, a lone tear trickling unnoticed down his cheek. "I...understand," he said huskily.

Like a sleepwalker, Adam rose to his feet, leaving the debris of their hurriedly eaten dinner behind. He pulled back the covers and slid beneath the sheets, rolling over onto his left side.

Jazz slipped into bed behind his lover and wrapped his arms around Adam's chest. He felt rather than heard Adam begin to cry, the erratic movements of his chest betraying him. Jazz rubbed his own wet eyes against the nape of Adam's neck, almost afraid to take another breath.

"Adam?"

No answer.

"I love you."

"I know." Adam buried his face even more deeply into his pillow, muffling his voice further. "That must be why it hurts so much."

"I'm sorry," Jazz murmured against his back.

"So am I."