-Devin-

Friends. That's what Avery was offering. 

At first he'd thought he was dreaming when he opened his door and saw Avery standing there. He'd hoped that Avery was coming to tell him that he wanted him too, but he should have known not to hope for anything more, not after how he'd treated Avery all along. 

Disappointed, he shook his head. "No, I don't want to be friends."

Avery was looking at him with confusion, and his expression shifted to a guarded one. Avery was clearly thinking it had all been for nothing and he was just being cruel again.

He had to take the shot. He'd already ruined any chance he had with Avery, so he had nothing left to lose at this point.

"I want to be more than friends," he said, meaning to say it confidently, but instead it came out sounding timid, yet hopeful. Not like him at all.

Now Avery's lips parted in surprise, and he glanced around the room as though Devin were directing that statement to someone else.

He stepped closer. "I know you don't trust me, and I don't blame you at all. You deserve someone kind and thoughtful, like you, not an asshole like me. But I can't just be friends with you, not when...not when I want you." He blushed. "I like you, Avery."

Avery's expression softened, and he stepped forward, standing almost toe to toe with him. "You like me?"

He nodded. "When I told you back at camp that I cared about you a lot, I meant it. I've cared about you for a long time." He paused, taking a deep breath. "I know it doesn't matter, and it's no excuse for what I did, but the night you told me we couldn't hook up anymore was the night I came over to tell you how I felt about you. It was terrifying to think about putting myself out there like that. I was nervous and I wanted it to work out, so when you said we had to stop I didn't know what to do. You wouldn't even hear me out. I felt stupid and I was angry about being rejected, so I took it out on you and your project. I'm so sorry about that. I know I got what I deserved afterwards, but it was hard. The past few weeks sucked because all I wanted was you. I wanted to be next to you in bed. I wanted to be the one making you smile and laugh. I just wanted to be with you."

He saw surprise and sympathy in Avery's eyes. "I'm so sorry, Devin. No wonder you were hurt," Avery murmured. "I didn't know you felt that way about me. I had no idea. I always thought that you didn't want to date anyone. I'm sorry for not giving you a chance that night. I know I would have been crushed if someone had rejected me that way."

Avery reached over and took his hand, and his next words surprised Devin and made the dark cloud that had been surrounding him for the past few days begin to lift. 

"I like you too. I have all along, despite everything that happened. It was hard to turn those feelings off when things went downhill, but they were there the whole time. I just never thought anything could come of us because you told me you didn't do relationships. And I didn't think you'd ever like me. I thought I was something you were enjoying while you were stuck in a situation, and after it was over, I'd never hear from you again. I didn't want to stop hooking up with you, but I was hoping that it wouldn't hurt as much when you left if I gradually pulled away."

"You were worried about me leaving?"

Avery nodded, a sad smile on his face.

"You want to keep hanging out with me?"

"I do, if you want to hang out with me."

"I definitely want that."

Avery's eyes lit up and his face seemed to be glowing. "Okay. I do have one condition though. If we're going to do this, we're going to do it my way."

Devin chuckled, his first genuine laugh in weeks. "Alright. What's your way?"

Avery's smile grew. "Devin, will you be my boyfriend?"

He felt his mouth drop open. "Really?"

"Yes, really. I'd like to be your first boyfriend."

Dumbfounded, he stared at Avery. The most he'd hoped for was that Avery would agree to hook up with him once in a while, and he'd go from there to try to regain Avery's trust. He wasn't expecting this.

"You want me?" he asked. "Of all the guys out there, all the ones who would be better for you, you want me to be your boyfriend?"

"I do." Avery stepped forward. "And Devin, please don't sell yourself short. I know you're capable of being a great guy. I believe in you."

A smile broke across his face, and he kissed Avery, pulling him close and holding him tightly. He didn't want to let go, but he could feel that Avery wanted more. When he pulled away and looked at Avery, Avery murmured, "Where's your bedroom?"

He picked Avery up, trying to kiss him as he carried Avery down the hallway with Avery's legs wrapped around his waist. He set Avery down gently on his bed and crawled over him, his lips all over Avery's neck. He only stopped and sat back so he could pull his own clothes off as quickly as he could manage.

"Get your clothes off now," he said to Avery, a hint of desperation in his voice. His hands shaking, he got a condom and lube from his bedside table.

When they were both ready, he pushed into Avery, sighing at the feel of Avery all around him. He felt like he was home.

"Oh God, Avery," he whispered, beginning to slowly rock in and out of him. "I missed you. I missed this."

Avery smiled up at him, a hazy look in his eyes. "I missed it too."

He held Avery's gaze until he couldn't take it anymore, and then he leaned down and kissed Avery's neck. He wanted his lips all over Avery. He drew out of him slowly, and then back in, over and over, feeling the pleasure building for both of them. He pushed Avery's arms up above his head and entwined their fingers, kissing him deeply and covering Avery's body with his own. This was everything he wanted.

"Devin," Avery said, his voice light and breathless.

He put his forehead against Avery's, wanting to be as close as possible. He felt like he couldn't be close enough. "You're amazing," he whispered. "You feel amazing."

Avery tightened his grip, squeezing Devin's hands. "It's so good," he moaned.

He felt Avery begin to squirm, and then when Avery let go, he came so hard that his vision grayed out. When he was able to focus his eyes on Avery again, Avery was looking at him with those beautiful blue eyes and a content smile. The words began bubbling up, and before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "I love you."

He saw the confusion on Avery's face, and he panicked.

"You don't have to say anything. I know you don't feel the same way, and if you ever will it's way too soon to say it, and I'm sorry I said it because I don't want to scare you away. I shouldn't have said it, but I -"

"Devin," Avery said softly. "Don't worry about it. I'm a little surprised, but it's okay."

"Really?" he asked.

"Really."

"Well, you shouldn't be surprised I said it. You're wonderful."

Avery's smile grew, and he looked genuinely happy. "You're sweet," he replied. "I didn't think I'd ever be saying that, but it's true." Avery reached up and kissed him. "I like this version of Devin. If you keep this up, you'll be on your way to hearing 'I love you' too."

"You think you could love me?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course I can. I liked you when no one else did," Avery teased.

"And you shouldn't have," he said, "but I'm so glad you did."

Avery kissed him again, and then smiled shyly. "Shower?"

"You bet. I've missed that too." He kissed Avery back. "Besides, I need one anyway before I take you out to dinner."

"You want to take me to dinner?"

"I do. I want to do a lot of things with you," he said, tracing a finger down Avery's chest. "Boyfriend things."

Avery sat up and grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him in and kissing him hard.

Then they were in the shower, making out as their hands slowly explored each other's bodies. Before the water got cold, he washed Avery's hair for him, placing kisses on Avery's shoulders after the suds ran down. He was determined to treat Avery the way he deserved to be treated. He was never going to treat him poorly again, and he was going to try to be the best boyfriend possible.

-Avery-

He couldn't believe the way things had gone since he showed up at Devin's door. It was like living a dream. Devin was his. His boyfriend. He'd never had a boyfriend this strong, or this confident and sexy. The best part about it was that Devin was sweet underneath it all. And loving. Devin had said that he loved him, and he believed it. It was evident in the way Devin gazed at him, a softness in his hazel eyes that hadn't been there before.

"You ready?" Devin asked, stepping out of his closet. He was wearing a pair of dark blue shorts and a white, short-sleeved button down that he had left partially open at the chest. He looked incredible.

"I think so. We're not going anywhere fancy, are we? The other clothes in my overnight bag are similar to what I have on, so I don't have anything nicer," he said, gesturing to his faded jeans and plain t-shirt.

"You'll be the most attractive man in the room," Devin said, grabbing one of his hands and pulling him close. "Clothes don't matter."

His heart swelled at hearing that. No one had ever said anything like that about him, and it meant a lot after how Devin had initially felt about him.

"Maybe clothes don't matter, but you look amazing," he replied, smiling up at Devin.

He was happy to see Devin's characteristic smirk return. "Come on, we should go before we get distracted."

As they stepped out of Devin's condo building, Devin reached over and took his hand. "I thought about doing stuff like this with you," he confessed as they strolled down the street.

"You did?"

Devin nodded. "And not just dinner. Vacations too. It's probably the first time I've ever imagined myself doing stuff like that with a guy."

He couldn't help the smile that broke across his face. He'd had no idea that Devin had thought about him, or thought about the two of them that way. He squeezed Devin's hand. "I'd love to do those things with you."

A few blocks later, they reached a restaurant with a pretty outdoor patio. As they were seated, he still couldn't believe he was here with Devin. He hadn't ever allowed himself to think too much about Devin as a boyfriend or imagine situations like this, because he'd thought that was off limits.

"When did you know?" he asked.

"Know what?"

"That you liked me."

He saw a faint blush creep across Devin's cheeks. "The second time we slept together. I didn't know that's what was happening, but I knew something was different and that's why I bolted out of there right after we were done. You were just looking at me and smiling, and I got this weird feeling, like my stomach was in knots or something."

"Butterflies?"

Devin chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that's what they were. Not like I would have known."

"And after that, when did you know?"

Devin raised an eyebrow.

"That you loved me."

"We don't have to talk about that," Devin said, the blush returning to his cheeks. "I, ah, shouldn't have said that."

He reached across the table and took Devin's hand. "But you meant it?"

Nodding, Devin avoided his eyes.

There had been no indication that Devin felt that way. But he supposed he wasn't looking for one, and he was so focused on talking himself out of his own feelings for Devin that he probably wouldn't have noticed anyway.

"I don't know exactly when it happened," Devin said, speaking up. "But I knew for sure that I felt that way the day that I ruined your project."

Puzzled, he waited to hear Devin's explanation.

"I felt so terrible when I saw your face - your reaction to what I did. I went back to my cabin and threw up. I knew right then that I never wanted to do anything to hurt you again."

He squeezed Devin's hand. "Even though it was rough, I'm glad we ended up here."

"I don't know how you can be so forgiving."

Shrugging, he smiled. "It's easier than staying mad."

"Or maybe you're just a saint." Devin smirked. "Saint Avery. I haven't called you that in a while."

He laughed. "Well, Sam still calls you Devil."

"Some things never change," Devin replied, grinning.

-Devin-

After dinner, he and Avery walked around the park in Bellevue until the sun went down. When they got back to his apartment, he faced Avery and asked the question that had been on his mind the past hour.

"You mentioned earlier that you brought an overnight bag. Does that mean you'll stay?"

Avery smiled. "I brought it because I had planned on seeing my family too, especially since I didn't know how talking with you was going to go. Do you want me to stay?"

"Absolutely."

"Then I'll stay. I'll go see my parents tomorrow."

"Good," he replied, wrapping his arms around Avery and kissing him. "I want you all to myself tonight."

They got Avery's overnight bag from the truck, and he watched happily as Avery brushed his teeth and washed his face. He tried not to get ahead of himself, but he could see Avery living here with him, the two of them eating dinner together every night, and then getting ready for bed and falling asleep together. He'd never known that he'd want this with someone. He hadn't seen Avery coming.

Avery joined him by flopping down on his back in the king-sized bed. "We aren't crammed in that tiny twin bed anymore. We can actually spread out and not be on top of each other," Avery said, rolling away towards the other side of the bed to test out the space.

"In that case, I want to go back to your cabin," he replied, reaching out for Avery. He pulled him close and wrapped his arms around Avery. "I hope you'll still let me do this."

"Of course," Avery murmured, snuggling his head under Devin's chin. "I'm happy I'm here with you."

"Me too."

Everything was finally right. He could fall asleep with his arms wrapped tightly around Avery, and he knew that tonight would be the first time in a while that he'd be able to sleep through the night. Having Avery's body pressed against his was heaven - a heaven that he'd never imagined could exist. 

He could only hope that someday a saint like Avery could love a devil like him. 

~

Author's note: Thank you to everyone who read, voted, and commented! I didn't think I'd get many reads on this story, so I'm truly grateful for your support. If you enjoyed the story (or even if you didn't and have feedback about what could be better), I'd love it if you left a comment.

[6/27/2021] I've started working on a sequel called "All Your Perfect Imperfections". It can be found here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/275281370-all-your-perfect-imperfections