The sound of the sea never stopped in Jacob’s Bay. Even at night, the tide whispered like a lullaby across the sand, tugging gently at the shore, as if reminding them that some things - like love, or loss - never truly leave.
Liam walked beside Carlo, their shoulders brushing every few steps as they made their way up the path to the beach house. Their conversation from moments ago still hung between them - raw, honest, and unlike anything they’d said before. No titles - no headlines - no past. Just two men who had finally found the courage to say I still need you.
As they approached the small porch, Liam reached for the door but paused. He turned to Carlo, eyebrows raised.
“You sure you’re ready for this?”
Carlo met his eyes, not flinching. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
Inside, the house was dark except for the dim golden light spilling from the fireplace. A bottle of wine sat uncorked on the counter, likely left by Liam’s parents before they quietly made themselves scarce. The air smelled of the sea and something faintly herbal - lavender, maybe. Comforting. Safe.
Liam walked to the speakers and pressed play. A mellow acoustic guitar filled the room, not loud, but enough to wrap around them like warmth. Carlo stood by the window, staring out at the waves again, his silhouette bathed in amber light. He looked out of place and perfectly at home all at once – barefoot now, sleeves rolled, royal in presence but so very human in this moment.
“You’re quiet,” Liam said gently.
“I’m terrified,” Carlo replied, not turning around.
Liam came up behind him, close but not touching. “Of what?”
Carlo hesitated, then finally faced him. “That I won’t know how to do this right. That I’ll disappoint you. That I’ll get lost in something I’ve never let myself feel until now.”
“You think I want perfection?” Liam asked, voice low, steady. “Carlo, I want you. However scared or uncertain or messy that is.”
Carlo looked down, then up again, his eyes shining but not from tears. From something braver.
“I’ve never let anyone see me like this.”
“I know,” Liam whispered. “And that makes this matter even more.”
For a long moment, they just looked at each other. Neither reached forward. Neither rushed. The silence wasn't empty - it was full of the weight of choice. Of trust. Of a thousand unspoken promises.
Then, slowly, Carlo stepped forward. He didn’t take control. He didn’t ask what came next. Instead, he let Liam guide him - fingers intertwining like they had done this a hundred times before, though both knew they hadn’t.
Liam’s hand slid to the side of Carlo’s face, cradling it gently. Carlo leaned in, lips brushing Liam’s in the faintest ghost of a kiss. It wasn’t hunger. It wasn’t need.
It was reverence.
“You still have time to walk away,” Liam said softly.
“I walked away once,” Carlo murmured. “And it nearly destroyed me. I’m not going anywhere.”
Liam smiled, and this time when he kissed him, it was deeper. Not desperate. Just certain.
He led Carlo through the house toward the guest room, fingers laced together, steps slow. The night outside stretched quiet and endless, as if holding its breath just for them. Inside the room, the bed was turned down. A single lamp glowed near the window, the curtains shifting gently in the breeze.
Carlo stood in the centre of the room, looking suddenly younger, as though the armour had finally been stripped away for good.
“I’ve imagined this,” he said quietly. “But I never thought I’d be ready.”
Liam stepped close, heart pounding - but not from nerves.
From knowing this moment was the start of everything.
“Then let’s not rush,” he said. “We have the whole night.”
And then - he kissed him again.
Liam’s hands moved slowly, reverently, not out of hesitation but intention. When he reached for the hem of Carlo’s shirt, he paused just long enough to meet his eyes again.
“Okay?” he asked, voice barely more than a breath.
Carlo nodded, steady. “Okay.”
Liam tugged gently, and the fabric lifted away, revealing skin that was pale from palace winters, freckled faintly across the collarbone. His chest rose and fell with quiet breaths, but his gaze didn’t waver. If anything, it deepened - like he was choosing to let Liam see each vulnerable inch.
Liam let his fingers skim over his chest, not possessively but in awe, tracing the shape of him like a map he was just beginning to understand.
Carlo laughed softly, and the tension broke like a bubble. “I didn’t think I’d be this nervous.”
“You’re allowed,” Liam said. “You’re also allowed to feel good. To want this.”
Carlo reached for Liam then, his hands trembling just slightly as he pulled Liam’s t-shirt upward. Liam raised his arms to help, and when the shirt fell to the floor, they stood there - bare skin to bare skin, chests inches apart.
It wasn’t the spark of lust that charged the air between them, though that was there. It was something richer. Like finding home in a body you’ve never touched before.
Carlo touched Liam’s shoulder, then his jaw, then let his fingers rest over Liam’s heart.
“It’s racing,” he whispered.
“You’re the reason,” Liam murmured.
They laughed - quietly, like sharing a secret - and then kissed again, slower this time. Their bodies edged closer, until Liam felt the heat of him, the careful press of fingers at his lower back.
“Let’s take our time,” Liam said into the curve of Carlo’s neck. “No scripts. Just us.”
They moved together without choreography, clumsily at first, then more in sync. Liam guided Carlo toward the bed, his hand lingering at the small of his back. He watched the way Carlo’s eyes scanned the room again, the softness of the lamp-light warming his expression.
Liam reached for the button on Carlo’s jeans, fingers pausing one last time.
Carlo answered the unspoken question with a smile. “Still not walking away.”
Every movement was met with a look, a word, a reassuring kiss. Not one piece of skin was touched without care. When Carlo finally undid Liam’s belt, he looked up like he was checking for permission - not to touch, but to be trusted with what came next.
Liam cupped his face again, thumb tracing over his cheek. “You don’t have to be anyone tonight except yourself.”
“I’m still figuring out who that is,” Carlo said.
“Then let me meet him,” Liam replied.
Carlo leaned in, and this time, when their bodies came together, it was with a quiet gasp, a sharp inhale, a release of tension neither had realized they’d been holding.
They eased down onto the bed, limbs tangling with caution and laughter. Fingers brushed over skin, exploring not with urgency but with wonder. The music still played faintly from the speakers in the living room, distant chords threading through the silence.
Carlo’s hand slipped into Liam’s. “Is it always like this?”
“No,” Liam said truthfully, brushing his lips along Carlo’s temple. “It’s never like this.”
Outside, the sea whispered its endless rhythm against the shore.
And inside, two men - once strangers, then friends, then heartbreaks - finally lay down beside one another not to escape, but to be known as lovers.
The lamp dimmed with a soft click, and the night folded around them, warm and full of promise.
Liam’s lips found Carlo’s with a tenderness that melted into something deeper, more urgent. Their kiss was slow at first, a soft brushing of lips, a delicate exploration of each other’s mouths. But as their tongues met, the passion ignited, and the rhythm of their breathing synced, quickening with every passing second.
Liam’s hands roamed over Carlo’s body, tracing the curves of his muscles, feeling the heat radiating from his skin. His fingers slipped beneath the waistband of Carlo’s boxers, teasing, eliciting a low moan from the prince. Carlo’s hands mirrored Liam’s movements, pulling at the hem of Liam’s briefs, their breaths mingling in the small space between them.
“I need you,” Carlo whispered, his voice trembling with desire.
Liam smiled against his lips, his hands moving to cradle Carlo’s face. “You have me. Always.”
Their lips met again, this time with a fervour that left them both gasping for air. Liam’s hands slid down Carlo’s back, gripping his hips, pulling him closer until their bodies were flush against each other. The friction between them was electric, every touch sending jolts of pleasure through their veins.
Carlo’s fingers tangled in Liam’s hair, tugging gently, his breath hot against Liam’s ear. “Please, Liam… I need you.”
Liam’s heart raced at the request, his chest tightening with the intensity of his desire. He pulled back slightly, his eyes searching Carlo’s, finding nothing but pure, unadulterated need staring back at him.
“Are you sure?” Liam asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Carlo nodded, his eyes never leaving Liam’s. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
With that, Liam kissed him again, his hands moving to Carlo’s boxers, sliding them down his legs with a deliberate slowness, leaving Carlo completely bare before him. Carlo’s breath hitched as Liam’s eyes roamed over his body, taking in every inch of him. Liam took off his own boxers as well, his manhood standing proud. The two naked men, both hard, both erect, drank in the sight of each other as if this time was different. And it was. They both knew, that this moment, this act of love that they were about to engage in, would change everything about them. From this point onwards, they would be one.
Liam’s touch was gentle yet firm, his hands moving to Carlo’s thighs, spreading them apart, exposing him completely. Carlo’s cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anticipation, but he didn’t look away, his eyes locked on Liam’s as the larger man positioned himself between his legs.
Liam’s fingers trailed over Carlo’s legs, slightly brushing them from the knees upward, teasing, kissing him until he found Carlo’s untouched hole, preparing him, his movements slow and deliberate. Carlo’s breath caught in his throat, his body trembling with anticipation. A soft whisper from Carlo - “Liam, I need you” - he repeated, but this time he added – “Inside me.”
“Relax,” Liam murmured, his voice soothing, calming. “I’ve got you. I know how to make you feel good.”
Carlo nodded, his body slowly relaxing under Liam’s touch. Liam’s fingers worked their magic, stretching him, preparing him, each movement bringing Carlo closer to the edge.
“Liam…” Carlo moaned, his voice breaking, his hands gripping the sheets beneath him.
Liam leaned down, capturing Carlo’s lips in a deep, passionate kiss, their tongues dancing together, their breaths mingling in the heated space between them. Liam’s fingers continued their work, stretching Carlo, preparing him, until he felt Carlo was ready.
Liam pulled back slightly, his eyes meeting Carlo’s. “You want this?” he asked, his voice low, filled with a raw, unspoken desire.
Carlo nodded, his voice trembling with need. “Yes, Liam… please...”
With that, Liam bent down, and with slow, deliberate kisses, rimmed Carlo slowly, steadily, savouring the taste of Carlo’s hole. Slow circles from his tongue became desperate slight stabbings into Carlo’s puckered asshole, until Liam could see Carlo’s entrance winking at him, almost as desperate for love as its owner. Liam’s fingers worked Carlo’s hole over while he was rimming him, preparing him. Light, loving knocks from his fingers on the now slick asshole followed, before Liam grabbed a bit of lube from the bedside drawer, slicked himself up as well, before positioning his impossibly hard cock, slick and veiny, at Carlo’s entrance, his hands gripping Carlo’s hips, holding him steady. He pushed forward slowly, inch by inch, groaned at the velvety heat from Carlo’s love channel that enveloped his cock, giving Carlo time to adjust, to feel every moment of their connection, before he bottomed out inside his lover, his own heart racing with the intensity of it all. His hands found Carlo’s cock, and with slow strokes he did, indeed, make his lover feel good.
Carlo’s breath hitched as Liam filled him, his body stretching to accommodate him, the sensation both overwhelming and intoxicating.
“Oh, God…” Carlo moaned, his hands gripping Liam’s shoulders, his nails digging into his skin.
Liam leaned down, capturing Carlo’s lips in a deep, passionate kiss, their bodies moving together in a rhythm that was both primal and tender. Liam’s thrusts were slow at first, allowing Carlo to feel every inch of him, to savour the sensation of their connection.
But as their passion grew, so did the urgency of their movements. Liam’s thrusts became faster, harder, driving into Carlo with a force that left them both breathless. The obscene slap of flesh on flesh filled the room along with Liam’s grunts and Carlo’s moans, his body arching into Liam’s, his hands gripping the sheets beneath him for support.
“Liam… harder… please…” Carlo begged, his voice trembling with desire.
Liam grinned against Carlo’s lips, his hands moving to grip Carlo’s hips, pulling him closer, driving into him with a force that left Carlo shouting in pleasure.
Their bodies moved together in perfect harmony, their passion igniting the room, the heat between them growing with every thrust. Liam’s hands roamed over Carlo’s body, touching, teasing, driving Carlo closer to the edge with every movement.
Carlo’s breath came in ragged gasps, his body trembling with the intensity of his pleasure. He could feel the heat building inside him, the sensation overwhelming, intoxicating.
“Liam… I’m close…” Carlo whispered, his voice trembling with need.
Liam leaned down, capturing Carlo’s lips in a deep, passionate kiss, his thrusts becoming faster, harder, driving against Carlo’s prostate with a force that left Carlo shouting in pleasure.
“Cum for me, Carlo,” Liam murmured, his voice low, filled with a raw, unspoken desire.
With that, Carlo’s body convulsed, his release crashing over him like a wave, his body trembling with the intensity of his pleasure. “Oh fuck!!!” Carlo shouted, his orgasm more intense than any he ever experienced, his cock erupting with more cum than ever before, slicking both their bodies at the same time. Liam’s thrusts grew erratic, the clenching actions of Carlo’s asshole on his cock sending him over the edge as well, his own release following close behind, filling Carlo as they moved together, their bodies trembling with the intensity of their connection. As he filled Carlo, a few drops spilling, Liam still rocked back and forth slowly, bringing the two of them down, slowly, from the incredible, life changing high they just experienced with each other. Liam withdrew slowly – there was no pop when he took his cock out completely, but Carlo suddenly felt empty – as if there was a part of Liam that he now craved and didn’t have anymore.
For a moment, they stayed like that, their bodies entwined, their breaths mingling in the heated space between them. Liam leaned down, capturing Carlo’s lips in a soft, tender kiss, their bodies still slick with the sweat of their intense lovemaking. A contented sigh escaped Carlo’s lips, followed by a small chuckle. “That was fucking incredible my love”, he smiled, looking at Liam with new eyes – eyes that reflected the love he felt. “Fucking amazing”.
The room had fallen into a stillness that only came after something sacred.
The sea murmured just beyond the window, its lullaby a soft hush against the glass. The curtains swayed gently in the breeze, catching moonlight and casting silver arcs across the bed. Their bodies were still slowly entangling, warm from each other and the closeness they had craved for far too long, but they stayed close to each other, a thumb caressing a nipple, a hand wiping a curl away, a palm lovingly placed on a naked hip. The men just revelled in the closeness of each other.
Liam lay on his side, head propped on one hand, the other tracing light patterns over Carlo’s chest. His fingers moved with care, not wanting to wake him if he’d drifted off. But Carlo’s eyes were open, soft and heavy-lidded, staring at the ceiling with the kind of expression you only wear after finally laying down a burden you didn’t know you’d been carrying.
Liam watched him for a little longer, then leaned down and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, right over the curve where muscle met collarbone. He lingered there, breathing him in.
And then, in a voice so quiet it might’ve gotten lost in the waves outside, he whispered, “I love you.”
Carlo turned his head slowly, his gaze meeting Liam’s.
For a moment, he said nothing. Just stared at him - naked, flushed, eyes glinting in the moonlight - as though trying to hold onto the moment forever.
“You’ve never said that to me before,” Carlo murmured, voice hoarse from emotion and use.
“I know,” Liam admitted, brushing a stray lock of hair from Carlo’s forehead. “I think I was too scared to make it real.”
Carlo shifted beneath him, just enough so their faces were level. His hand found Liam’s, their fingers fitting together effortlessly.
“And now?” Carlo asked.
Liam smiled. “Now I want nothing more than to say it again. And again.”
Carlo’s thumb stroked gently across the back of Liam’s hand, thoughtful. “I love you too,” he said. “I think I did even when I told myself I couldn’t.”
Liam’s breath hitched softly, but the smile stayed. He kissed Carlo’s knuckles, one by one.
“I’m not hiding anymore,” Carlo said. “Not from you. Not from myself. Not from the world.”
The words didn’t feel like a vow. They felt like truth. Like something he’d already begun to live the moment he reached for Liam on that beach.
“Good,” Liam said with a quiet laugh, “because I’m terrible at pretending you’re just some prince I once trained.”
Carlo chuckled too, and the sound was so deeply content, so at ease, it filled the room like light.
“I used to think being with a man like you would be impossible,” he admitted, shifting to lie on his side, their faces mere inches apart now. “Not just because of who I am back home - but because I didn’t know how to let someone in like this. Not completely.”
Liam’s fingertips trailed down Carlo’s arm, stopping where their hands were still clasped. “You did tonight.”
Carlo nodded. “With you… it didn’t feel like losing control. It felt like choosing to be seen.”
Their lips met in a kiss that was neither urgent nor deliberate - just a slow press, like a punctuation mark on everything that had been said.
When they pulled apart, Liam let his forehead rest against Carlo’s. “I’ve imagined this,” he murmured. “Us. After.”
Carlo raised a brow. “And how did you imagine it?”
“Mostly like this,” Liam said with a grin. “Except maybe I thought we’d still be a little awkward. I didn’t expect you to be this... incredible.”
Carlo snorted. “I was nervous as hell. Still am.”
“Well,” Liam said, feigning thoughtfulness, “you’re doing a pretty good job hiding it. Might even say you were born for this.”
Carlo groaned. “Don’t start with the royal puns.”
Liam laughed, burying his face in Carlo’s shoulder. “Sorry.. Too soon?”
Carlo’s fingers threaded through Liam’s hair, gently scratching his scalp. “It’s never too soon, if it keeps you close like this.”
They fell quiet again, the comfort between them rich and easy. The kind of silence that says I see you, I know you, and I don’t need to say anything more.
The moonlight danced across the sheets, catching on skin and shadow, illuminating two bodies no longer guarded, no longer strangers to one another’s fears or hopes.
Liam pulled the blanket around them, adjusting slightly so Carlo could rest against his chest. He felt Carlo’s breath warm against his collarbone, steady, slow.
“You okay?” Liam asked softly.
Carlo hummed. “I’m better than okay. I feel… free.”
Liam pressed a kiss into his hair. “I want you to feel that way every day. Not just here. Not just tonight.”
Carlo lifted his head, just long enough to kiss Liam again - slow and sure.
“I will,” he whispered. “As long as I’m with you.”
Eventually, their kisses slowed. Their breaths deepened. And with the hush of the ocean filling the quiet spaces between heartbeats, they let their eyes close.
They slept wrapped in each other, bare beneath the blankets, the moon casting a silver glow over everything. Their legs still tangled. Hands still clasped. Hearts, finally, unguarded.
They didn’t dream of each other that night.
They didn’t have to.
They were already living the dream.
