Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Kevin gets home, Aaron is already in the house. He’s sitting on the kitchen counter. The room smells like cooking. Kevin had not been particularly hungry a moment ago, but his stomach rumbles at the thought of Aaron’s cooking. Somehow food always tastes better when Aaron makes it.

“Hey you.” Aaron leans back on his hands, swinging his feet, giving Kevin a good view of the shirt he’s wearing. It’s a Chicago jersey with Kevin’s number on it. For a moment Kevin wonders how Aaron managed to get one of his, but as he gets closer, he realises this one fits Aaron much better. Aaron catches him staring - that was the intention, after all - and smiles. “Got this to wear for your first game this week.”

Kevin drops his bag and takes the last couple of steps across the kitchen in a rush. He slots himself between Aaron’s legs, gripping his hips and pulling him closer as he leans in to kiss him with such force that Aaron bangs his head against the kitchen cupboards. He’s laughing even as Kevin reaches up to cup the back of his head with an apologetic hum. 

“You like it?”

“Yes. Obviously.” Kevin’s fingers press more firmly against Aaron’s hip. He ducks down to kiss at his neck. Aaron’s neck is quite sensitive, and a surefire way to get him as riled up as Kevin is. Aaron exhales heavily, tilting his head back as Kevin nips and kisses down his throat. One hand tangles in Kevin’s hair, the other arm wraps around his shoulders. Kevin rocks his hips forward against Aaron, letting him know just how much he likes this.

“I put dinner in the oven. It’ll keep it warm. Thought you might be distracted when you got back.”

“You thought right.” Kevin pulls Aaron’s hips right off the counter. Aaron tightens his legs around Kevin’s waist as Kevin catches him under the thighs. He makes his way through the house, wondering if he can wait long enough to get Aaron to bed. “Bed or couch?”

“Bed, Kevin. You don’t want to risk hurting yourself before a game.”

“You worry too much. I’m not going to hurt myself blowing you on the couch.”

Aaron tugs on Kevin’s hair, directing him. Kevin bites Aaron’s nipple through his jersey. Aaron hisses, putting a hand to Kevin’s forehead.

“Hey.”

“Bed it is.”

“I can walk the stairs.”

“No.” Kevin squeezes Aaron’s thighs before jostling him further up in his arms. It’s awkward to navigate the stairs while holding Aaron, but he has a point to make now. Aaron keeps one hand against the wall because he does not trust in Kevin’s super strong and sexy muscles. He also laughs at Kevin’s awkward movements. Kevin might feel under appreciated, if his beautiful boyfriend had not made him dinner and dressed up for him. 

He spills Aaron out on the bed when they finally make it upstairs. It’s a ridiculously big bed. A queen size. He’d wanted a big, comfortable bed for Aaron to come stay with him, even if they do end up on top of each other most nights. Ideally Kevin wants Aaron to move in, but he’d already signed off his lease for another year by the time Kevin came to Chicago, and was not impressed by Kevin’s offer to pay off the rent for him.

“We just got together,” Aaron had said. “We shouldn’t be rushing to move in together anyway.”

Kevin thought this was nonsense, as they had already lived together before, but he let Aaron make his choice. Aaron spends a good deal of his time at Kevin’s house anyway, so Kevin’s happy enough. Very occasionally he goes to Aaron’s, but Aaron finds it grim, having Kevin in his run down student apartment.

“Your place is far nicer,” Aaron said.

“But you’re here.” Kevin smiled, kissing Aaron’s cheeks and then his nose. “And you make spaces better. So here is good because you’re in it.”

“Was that worth it?” Aaron raises an eyebrow, looking up at Kevin from where he is sprawled on the bed.

“Yes,” Kevin says, and he’s absolutely not panting from the effort. He pulls his own shirt over his head and drops it aside. He reaches for the waistband of Aaron’s sweats, pulling them and his boxers down together. He navigates them over Aaron’s socks since he doesn’t want his feet to get cold. 

“I’m leaving the jersey on, I take it.” Aaron’s tone is flat, but his expression is amused. Kevin puts his hands over his shins and squeezes his lower legs. 

“Obviously.”

“Obviously.” Aaron rolls his eyes as Kevin crawls over him, but he lifts his arms automatically once Kevin is within reach, wrapping them around him and pulling him in. They kiss deeply; Aaron’s tongue in Kevin’s mouth, the faded taste of mint, his tongue piercing trailing over Kevin’s tongue. He works his hands under Aaron’s jersey so he can feel the softness of his sides, can drag his thumbs over Aaron’s stomach. Kevin catches one of Aaron’s thighs between his and rocks forward against it. Aaron tenses his leg, making the muscle more firm for Kevin to rut against. 

“Roll over. Let me see the back.”

“Egotist,” Aaron mutters, but when Kevin leans back to give him space, he rolls onto his stomach. There is Kevin’s name, emblazoned on his back. He traces a finger over the letters. He runs his hands down Aaron’s back. They come to rest on the swell of his ass cheeks, and Kevin squeezes them firmly beneath his hands. “I’m glad you’re having fun, but this isn’t doing much for me.”

Kevin flips Aaron back over and dives in to kiss him again. Aaron pushes Kevin’s waistband down, palming over his ass as he pulls Kevin closer to him. Kevin could come like this, just rutting against Aaron. He has before, hot and desperate, with Aaron’s teasing voice in his ear asking him if he was going to get off humping his leg like a dog. Kevin does not think Aaron actually expected him to come from that, but maybe Aaron should learn to consider the impact of his words. 

That’s not what he wants tonight. Tonight he wants to focus on Aaron. To spoil him with attention. Aaron always tries to put the focus on Kevin, but Kevin wants to look after him tonight. He catches Aaron’s wrist when he reaches down to palm at Kevin’s cock. He presses it down beside Aaron’s head, then catches the other and does the same. Kevin kisses his nose.

“Let me enjoy this,” he says, because he knows if he says something like let me look after you , Aaron will just make a fuss about looking after Kevin. “Just let me appreciate you in my jersey for a bit.”

Aaron huffs, but because Kevin has framed it as a desire he has, Aaron will allow it. The downside of Aaron in the jersey is that Kevin has less to work with. Usually he likes to mouth at Aaron’s shoulders, tease his nipples, kiss over his stomach before he sinks between his legs. He palms at Aaron’s chest through the jersey, but it’s a muffled sensation. It doesn’t make Aaron squirm and pant to the same extent. That’s okay. Kevin will have him naked again some other time. That’s a joy he has. The knowledge that Aaron is here, and there will be other days to kiss and hold and touch him.

Kevin lies on his stomach between Aaron’s thighs. An unforeseen advantage of their massive bed - it had looked smaller in the store, okay, when it was in a big warehouse and not Kevin’s bedroom - is that they have plenty of room for different positions. Aaron’s bed makes this very difficult with Kevin’s long torso and lanky limbs, and the fact it is only a single. It’s great for cuddling, because they have no choice but to sleep absolutely tangled up in each other, but not so much for sex. 

Aaron’s legs are one of Kevin’s favourite parts of him. He loves how they are a mixture of softness and strength. How portions of them are smooth and soft and have creases in the skin, and others are sheer solid muscle. Aaron’s inner thighs are one of the soft parts. Kevin presses his face against one, nuzzling the skin before he nips and sucks, adding to the already extensive collection of bruises he has left on Aaron’s thighs. A few of them are lightening, so Kevin sucks over them again, touching up his previous work. Aaron’s hands have moved from where Kevin pinned them. One comes to scratch through Kevin’s hair the way he loves. He happy hums, tipping his head up against the touch. Aaron smiles at him, his eyes all soft and creased. Kevin wonders if one day he will be immune to Aaron aiming smiles his way, but so far they still hit him like a battering ram of affection to the chest. He tilts his head to press a quick kiss to Aaron’s wrist, then ducks down between his legs again.

By the time Kevin has inched his way up his thighs, Aaron’s cock is hard. Kevin gets needy and whiny and insistent if Aaron teases him too much without touching his cock, but Aaron is endlessly patient. He never really directs Kevin to touch him, unless Kevin has expressed he’s in a mood to be told what to do, or has asked for Aaron to direct him to what he wants. Usually he focuses on getting Kevin off first, his own pleasure an afterthought. Well, not today. Kevin takes him in hand. He gives a few slow strokes. Aaron’s head tips back with a soft exhale. Kevin leans in and draws the tip of his tongue along the underside of Aaron’s cock, dragging it over the tip. Aaron makes the softest, barely audible moan. Kevin’s determined to get him to make a louder one.

Kevin gives Aaron a couple more licks before he takes him in his mouth. He circles his tongue around the tip before bobbing his head slowly. Aaron continues to work his fingers pleasantly against Kevin’s scalp. Kevin looks up at Aaron through the dark fan of his lashes. The Chicago jersey is the same colours as the Ravens. Black with white numbers and red details, though the designs are different. Kevin had worried the first time he put his jersey on he might feel some kind of way about the similarities, but he has only ever looked at his jersey and seen all it represents. A fresh start, his courage to chase what he wants, the affection he feels for Aaron, his happiness at their finally being together. It is a reclamation. He has overwritten what those colours used to mean to him with something so much better. 

The black is stark against Aaron’s pale skin. It makes him look even paler. He’ll probably look better in the away version of the jersey. Kevin will have to get him to wear his sometime, so he can see. He likes the idea of Aaron in his jersey. Not just a replica, but Kevin’s actual jersey. The material baggy on Aaron. What is usually layered over Kevin's armour flush to Aaron’s skin. He thinks about the Fox jersey still folded in among his clothes. Maybe Aaron will wear that for him sometime.

Kevin’s left hand is gripping Aaron’s cock. His right is resting on the curve of his hip. Aaron lays his hand over Kevin’s. He slots their fingers together. Another small point of connection for them. Aaron has a gift of making it feel intimate and tender everytime they have sex, regardless of what they are doing. And they have definitely done some things that were not very tender. But Aaron is always there brushing his fingers through Kevin’s hair, gently wiping away his tears of pleasure, cleaning sweat from his skin, offering him water to drink. Aaron is very good at taking care of Kevin. Kevin is trying to learn how to take care of Aaron just as well. 

He strokes his thumb against the back of Aaron’s hand as he takes him further into his mouth. Kevin hollows his cheeks the next time he bobs his head. He can feel the twitch of Aaron’s muscles in his thighs tensing, a silent confirmation he liked that. Kevin repeats it. Aaron makes another quiet sound.

“That’s good, Kev,” Aaron says, because he has learned Kevin likes positive feedback during sex. Kevin makes his own soft moan around Aaron, his hips shifting against the bed. Aaron gives his hand a soft squeeze. Kevin moves his head faster, swiping his tongue along Aaron as he goes. He wants him to feel good, to feel so, so good, to not be able to think about anything but Kevin’s mouth on him. Aaron’s heels press against Kevin’s back in unspoken encouragement and Kevin moans again. Yes. He’s doing a good job. “Fuck.”

It takes a while for Aaron to come. It always takes longer for Kevin to get him off, but he doesn’t mind. Especially when he hasn’t come yet himself, which is rare, as Aaron likes to prioritise him, but he likes it. It adds to his build up, getting to pleasure Aaron. Especially if he has to ignore the pulsing of his own cock to do so. It’s a form of foreplay for Kevin. Not that he ever needs much of that. Aaron finally moans louder as he tips over the edge. His hand tightens in Kevin’s hair, his heels press more firmly against him, and his thighs tense and tighten around Kevin’s head. He always thinks he would die happy if he were to be suffocated between Aaron’s thighs, but fortunately, he always emerges intact.

Kevin climbs up over Aaron as he slackens and pants in the aftermath. Kevin brushes his hair back from his forehead, nuzzling against his cheek, dotting kisses to his skin. Aaron’s hand slowly brushes up and down Kevin’s back. Kevin throws a leg over his thigh so he can rock against it again. Aaron laughs, tugging lightly at Kevin’s hair in a way that makes him keen and rock harder.

“You’re not coming against my leg tonight. I want to get you off.”

“Technically your leg is part of you, so that still counts.”

Aaron tugs Kevin’s hair more sharply. Kevin hisses, but it’s still on the side of pleasure rather than pain. Aaron never pulls enough to cause more than a slight twinge. The only time he has ever really hurt Kevin is the time the wristband of his watch got caught in Kevin’s hair, and that wasn’t really Aaron’s fault, so Kevin doesn’t think it counts. 

“Kevin. Behave.”

“I am behaving! I’m being so good.”

“Then don’t spoil it.”

“Tell me I’m being good.”

“Mmm.”

“Aaron.”

“God, you’re so needy,” Aaron says, but there is nothing but affection in his voice. He turns his head to bump his forehead against Kevin’s. “You’re being so good, Kev. My good boy.”

“Yesss.” Kevin’s legs tighten around Aaron’s and Aaron makes a scolding noise. Kevin laughs, but obediently rolls off of him. Aaron stretches out his body with a sound that is probably not intended to be erotic, but Kevin absolutely finds so. He sticks his hand under Aaron’s jersey and rubs a circle over his stomach. 

“Right. Swap. On your back.” Aaron pushes at Kevin’s shoulder until he rolls onto his back. A movement they do not have to shuffle to accommodate, thank you big bed. Aaron pushes himself up and moves to fully undress Kevin. He kneels between his legs and rubs his hands up and down Kevin’s thighs once he is done, looking at his face for a moment. Fuck, Kevin loves him so much. He knows this as a fact all the time, but it really hits him in small, quiet moments like this. Aaron leans forward so he can press a sweet kiss to Kevin’s mouth, then starts to work his way down his body.

Since Kevin is completely undressed, Aaron has the freedom to kiss and touch wherever he wants. He bites at Kevin’s collarbone, drags his nails down Kevin’s stomach, mouths at one of his nipples. Kevin, who is already riled up enough that Aaron could have went right for his cock and he would have been content, writhes and whines and pants and begs beneath him. 

“Fuck, Aaron, please.”

“Please what?”

“Touch me.”

“I am touching you. I’m doing a lot of touching.”

“Aaron.”

“Mm?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Oh, touch you here?” Aaron ghosts his fingers along the length of Kevin’s cock, not enough to give any real friction. Kevin whines and bucks his hips and looks at Aaron with a pouty expression. Aaron laughs, falling down over him, cupping Kevin’s cheeks so he can pepper affectionate kisses to his mouth in a flurry before Kevin parts his lips and kisses him properly. While they’re kissing, Aaron reaches down and grips Kevin firmly. “Okay.”

Aaron spends another few minutes kissing Kevin as he jerks him off, before he slides back down between his legs and takes him into his mouth. The build up has been a lot for Kevin. It doesn’t take him long to come, with Aaron’s tongue piercing rubbing against the head of his cock, Aaron’s hand gripping the base with just the right amount of pressure, his thumb massaging the underside. Kevin repeats Aaron’s name like a mantra through his orgasm. He’s boneless and useless afterwards, Aaron having to rearrange Kevin’s limbs when he climbs up to lie beside him. He wipes his mouth on Kevin’s shoulder. Kevin gives a grunt of protest, but it’s only the slick of Aaron’s saliva so he doesn’t care too much.

“What did you make for dinner? It smells nice.”

“Carbonara.” The vegetarian is unspoken but implied. Aaron always cooks vegetarian versions for Kevin. 

“I love that.”

“I know you do. That’s why I made it.” Aaron presses a kiss to Kevin’s temple. “Besides, all the vegetables you bought last week were starting to go off. They needed to be used.”

Kevin mostly keeps his house stocked with food so Aaron always has whatever ingredients he needs available without having to buy groceries. He won’t let Kevin pay for them, even though Kevin eats the food Aaron makes most days, so Kevin’s way around this is just having the kitchen flush with supplies at all times. Since he never knows what Aaron is going to make, this does involve buying a bit of everything, which Kevin never gets around to using himself. Aaron tries his best to incorporate everything as he can’t stand food waste, but he has started up a compost bin in the garden for all the peelings and scraps. Produce beyond saving goes in there. Aaron has been talking about trying to grow some of his own vegetables next year. Kevin has secretly started pricing greenhouses and poly tunnels. 

They get dressed. Aaron puts on Kevin’s green bamboo shirt over his pyjama trousers. It’s basically Aaron’s now, claimed the very first night he stayed over with Kevin. Kevin doesn’t mind. Aaron looks better in it anyway. Once he’s pulled the shirt into place, Aaron’s head perks up. He walks over to the bookcase, running a finger over Foxrates’ snout.

“I need to dust in here.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow,” Kevin says, which is probably a lie, but it’s hard to remember things like dusting when he comes home to situations such as Aaron in his jersey. Aaron gives him a side glance like he doesn’t really believe Kevin, but he says nothing, accepting the hand Kevin has outstretched towards him and leading him out of the room.

They eat at Kevin’s dining table, which is far too big for two people. They sit at one end together, Aaron’s legs wrapped around Kevin’s under the table as they catch each other up on their days. Sometimes if they’re really tired they’ll just eat on the couch with the TV on, but Kevin likes when they make the effort to eat at the table. Likes that they can focus on each other without distraction. It feels like a mini date without having to leave the house. 

“Why on earth are you looking at houses?” Aaron had asked when Kevin took him along to the few viewings he had lined up. 

“Better resale value,” Kevin had lied at the time. It was only after he’d put the down payment on this one that he told Aaron the truth. “If you do decide to move in, I want space for this to be our home. I want room for a study, so you can set up a computer for your games, and have a quiet room to do your work in. And I’ll have a big cosy chair in the corner that I can come read in because I want to be near you even if we’re not doing something together. I want a big kitchen because you like to cook, and maybe you’ll teach me so I can cook for you too. I got an extra room because I know you’d never leave Katelyn to live alone or cover the lease by herself, so she can stay with us until you finish school, and we still have space for a guest room if Andrew and Neil want to visit.”

“You’d let my ex move in with us?” Aaron asked flatly, though his expression was all soft after listening to Kevin speak.

“If that’s what it takes for you to move in. I really want to live with you. When you’re ready, obviously, but I’ll have the foundations of our home waiting for when you make that call.”

Aaron has yet to suggest moving in, but Kevin is really hoping he’ll drop his lease this summer. He has Aaron here a lot of the time. Aaron has a whole set of drawers in the bedroom for his things. He has a toothbrush that lives permanently in Kevin’s bathroom, and his own toiletries mixed in among Kevin’s. He has half of the big built-in wardrobe, though he doesn’t use all the space. He is a solid presence even when he’s absent, but when he’s not there the house feels too big and empty for Kevin, like Aaron takes all the warmth with him when he goes. He really does make spaces better. 

Kevin insists on doing the dishes since Aaron cooked dinner. Aaron boxes up the leftovers and puts them away while Kevin rinses off their dishes and stacks them into the dishwasher. Sometimes when they don’t have many dishes, they’ll wash and dry them themselves, side by side at the sink. Since Aaron has been cooking, there’s a full load for the washer tonight. 

Kevin finds Aaron in the living room when he’s done. He’s looking at a big photo frame on the wall. It’s made up of several smaller frames, and full of photos of them. There’s photos of them in Chicago with Andrew and Neil, others from Germany, and in the middle is the photo of Aaron and Kevin in the shark head at Birch Aquarium. Kevin thinks Aaron is just looking at the photos until he lifts a hand and runs his finger along the frame. 

“Stop worrying about dust tonight.” Kevin drapes himself over Aaron’s shoulders and starts to drag him back towards the couch. “I said I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“I’m putting it on the whiteboard.” Aaron has a whiteboard in the kitchen. Sometimes he writes simple recipes for Kevin to follow on it, sometimes he puts reminders of important dates. Lately he’s been using it as a chore chart for Kevin. He’s even bought some gold stars to stick beside the chart whenever Kevin completes one of his tasks. He hates to admit that this works on him. 

“And tomorrow you can tick it off when I dust.” Kevin drops back onto the couch and pulls Aaron into his lap. The couch is also big. Kevin maybe got carried away buying his own furniture for the first time, but he wanted everything to be super comfy and inviting so Aaron would want to stay. The couch is a deep forest green. The matching pouffe is hollow and can be used as a storage space, which they keep several fleece blankets folded up in since Aaron gets cold so easily. There’s Kevin’s Trojans one, and more recently Aaron’s star patterned one from his room in Columbia has made its way into the pouffe. Kevin takes this as a good sign. Every time another thing of Aaron’s appears in his house he takes it as a good sign.

“Are you staying tonight?”

“No, I was thinking I’d wear my pyjamas for the walk home.”

“Ha ha ha.” Kevin bites Aaron’s cheek. Aaron gently headbutts him. “I wouldn’t be surprised, considering you go to all night diners for milkshakes in your pyjamas.” 

“That was one time.”

“Mhm.”

“You’re so annoying,” Aaron says, kissing Kevin immediately afterwards. Kevin’s laughter is muffled by his mouth. “Okay, I actually have some work to do, but you can watch TV if you want. I’ll just put my headphones on.”

“It’s okay. I’ll just do some reading.”

“Non fiction or smut?”

“I don’t just read smut! I’m reading that other book for you.”

“You’re right. That whole third of a non smutty book you’ve read.”

Kevin bites at Aaron’s cheek again. Aaron just pushes him away this time, getting up to fetch his glasses and laptop. He rests it on the arm of the couch when he comes back, legs curled beneath him. Kevin lies down, resting his head against Aaron’s legs. He reads on his phone for a bit, the frequent tapping of Aaron’s fingers a soothing background rhythm, but he’s tired after today. An early start, a day of practice, an orgasm, and a filling meal. It’s not long before Kevin’s eyelids grow heavy. He closes his phone and rests it on his stomach. He looks up at Aaron. 

Aaron’s bent over his laptop, fingers moving swiftly over the keys. Aaron’s glasses have slid down his nose. Kevin desperately wants to push them back up. He reaches up and does so. Aaron gives him a soft smile of thanks, gently cupping Kevin’s jaw and stroking a thumb over his cheek. Kevin closes his eyes, absolutely rapturously happy with the life he has ended up in.