A/N: Much love to my besties winterstale, annetteskitty and JasperWhitlockHale'sMan for their generosity and support and to mac214 for weaving her beta magic.

My room was pitch-black when I woke, and it took me a second to realize I wasn't just dreaming I was spooned around Edward in my bed. I took a deep breath of him, and his scent registered intensely. I exhaled against the bare skin of his shoulder and clutched him closer. Warm bed, warm Edward, no alarm set because it was Sunday – it was perfect except for one thing. I shifted the flat of my hand against the bare skin of his chest and kissed his neck before drawing my arm back and rolling carefully away from him. It was my bladder that woke me up; I had to piss like a racehorse.

Staggering clumsily and still half asleep, I crossed the room, cursing quietly when I stubbed my toe on something in the dark. I shielded my eyes and flipped on the hall light, glancing back to see what I'd stumbled on. Edward's belt buckle. I snickered quietly to myself. Much as I liked seeing his clothes on my floor – and remembering how I'd taken them off him so, so slowly – maybe I needed to remember to kick them out of the way of the door next time.

I was half hard, and it took some concentration before I was finally able to relieve myself. I washed up and swished a little mouthwash. When I was done, I shuffled quietly back to bed and slipped under the covers, sidling up against his naked body again. We meshed together easily. My knees fit just right behind his; his back felt just right against my chest; my face fit just right against the back of his neck. I bent my bottom arm and tucked it up under the pillow, draping my top arm across Edward's waist. Just when I was settled in I felt him squirm.

"Mmm, hey." I nuzzled his neck and pressed a kiss there.

"Hey," he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep. "What time is it?"

"Middle of the night still. Sleep, baby." I rolled into him further and tucked my nose into the space between the back of his neck and the pillow we shared. I breathed him in again. Damn! He just got to me. Sure, other guys I'd been to bed with had smelled good, but not like this. I hadn't known Edward very long at all yet, but he just smelled familiar, right, like… an important memory just on the edge of my consciousness, or like… something I didn't even know I was waiting for. He rubbed his hand over my forearm, and I tightened my grip on him. "God, you feel good," I muttered into the pillow.

"You too," he sighed. Then he sighed again and started to pull away. "Be right back."

Grudgingly I let him roll away, reaching over to switch on the bedside lamp for him. I threw one arm over my face. "Watch out for–"

"Shit!"

"–Your belt buckle."

"Yeah, thanks. I think I found it," he answered wryly. I heard a rustle and thump that sounded an awful lot like Edward kicking his jeans into the corner and grinned. Edward's footsteps retreated, and the door to the bathroom closed. My limbs were heavy and slow, but the smell of Edward and sex lingering in the bed kept my skin on high alert, little chills racing over my chest and down my arms leaving goosebumps in their wake. I shook my head, laughing quietly at myself. Fuck, he wasn't even in the room.

But any minute now he'd be coming back to bed.

And both of us were awake.

I heard the door to the bathroom open again, and I shifted my arm off my eyes and tucked it under my head, blinking in the bright light. I realized I'd missed an awfully nice view of him walking away from me before, and I didn't want to miss watching him walk back.

I couldn't help it. The first thing I noticed was his cock. He was mostly soft though not completely, and it pointed down and away from his body, bobbing slightly as he walked towards me on those long legs. Edward wasn't bulky and wide like me – he was all lean lines and compact proportions and just goddamn gorgeous boy. My mouth was suddenly dry, and I automatically snapped it shut and swallowed.

Edward made a noise, and my eyes darted up to his face.

His hair was shiny like a new penny in the light from the bedside lamp, and it was wonky with bed-head, which was sexy and kinda cute at the same time. He came to a stop next to the side of the bed, and his eyes were wide. He'd caught me staring and, judging by his reaction, the expression on my face must have looked as greedy for him as I felt.

He ducked his head and reached up to scrub his hand over the back of his neck. I blinked heavily at the sight – the way his lean muscles stretched over his chest and ribs, the way his slim bicep flexed, the way I got just a seductive little peek at the sensitive skin and silky hairs of his underarm.

Sitting up, I leaned towards him, bracing myself on one hand while the other slipped around the small of his back and pulled his belly towards my mouth. I pressed wet, open kisses under his belly button. There was a sprinkling of freckles here I saw earlier but hadn't gotten to explore yet. I kissed them one by one. Edward sucked in a gasp each time, and I felt the muscles under his skin bunch and contract with every kiss. I could feel Edward's cock fill and lengthen, grazing my throat and the underside of my jaw with the convulsive movements of his belly.

I brushed my fingers over the rise of his ass and grinned up at him, asking with fake innocence, "Something you wanted?"

His exhale was a breathy laugh, and he dropped his eyes away from me as a rash of color spread across his cheeks.

Jesus, he looked so damn good. There was something delicious about that bashful blush, because my boy was bold and anything but chaste. In the back of my mind I wondered what put that look on his face right now, but mostly I just wanted my lips on his skin again.

I angled my head down and kissed him again just over his pubic bone, right at the base of his cock, letting it brush against my cheek as it rose. It was a wet slurp of a kiss as I sucked at his skin. Edward made a needy sound that pulsed straight through my erection and tightened in my balls. I broke the kiss with a pop and looked up at him. His eyes were closed and his jaw was slack.

Fuck, I needed to hear him make that noise again.

I bent my head down to do it again, but Edward's hands on my shoulders stopped me. "Emmett." His voice was almost pained, that needy sound still coming through as he whispered, "I want to touch you, too."

Hell if I would say no to that.

I sat up and wrapped both arms around him, manhandling him down to me and partly across my lap and kissed him soundly. "Mmm," I hummed. "You used my mouthwash."

"Yeah, I figured it was better than the alternative." He smirked. "You don't mind, right?"

"'Course not. But I don't think I would have minded either way."

He laughed at me and made a face. My eyes narrowed. "You don't believe me?" He shook his head, and I pinched his nipple in playful punishment.

"Oh, fuck…" His head whipped back as he clutched at my bicep with one hand and gripped his erection with the other.

Huh.

I guess he really liked that.

I ran my thumb deliberately over the sensitive skin and watched him squeeze himself in response. It was like cause and effect, action and reaction, and I wanted to see more. I toyed with his nipple, teasing, tugging, and scratching lightly as he panted. My attention was riveted to his hand on his cock. It was like having a remote control – flick my fingers like this, watch him buck and stroke like that.

"Emmett," he gasped, his grip biting into my arm.

I looked at his face. He was hanging on by a thread. I let up on my attack and let him catch his breath. "Sorry, baby. It's just watching you do that is so… yesterday, when you… I've never seen anyone do that… fuck, Edward. Just… hot." Yep, that was about as articulate as I was going to get right about now.

He flushed. "Yeah, about that…" His eyes shifted away and worried his bottom lip between his teeth.

"What?" I raked my fingers through his wonky bed-head hair. "You can tell me."

"Um… well… that wasn't exactly on the safer sex menu, if you know what I mean."

I considered that for a moment. Just the memory of watching him stroking his dick with my come made my skin flush hot with lust – there was something primal and instinctive and almost possessive in the pleasure that image inspired – but thinking more critically I could understand the concern.

"Would you, uh…" He cleared his throat and started again. "We should get tested."

I'd only been with one person since my last test, and we'd always used condoms, but it was a casual thing and who knew for sure, really? I couldn't tell if Edward was asking about getting our blood work done because he was as serious about us as I already was, or if he just needed some reassurance after that moment of exposure. Either way, I wanted him to feel safe with me; I had no reason in the world to say no.

"I was clean at my last test about six months ago." I pushed his hair away from his forehead and smiled down at him. "Tomorrow's kind of busy for me. Tuesday okay with you?"

"You'll go?" he exhaled the question.

"Of course, Edward." I kissed his temple. "We'll go together, yeah?"

He closed his eyes and nodded. "Yeah," he agreed, a small smile forming on his lips. "Yeah, that would be great." I felt his whole body melt into mine, and I sensed the direction of his intensity shift when he opened his eyes again and met mine directly.

Edward's hands crept across my chest as he rolled up to catch my mouth with his. Blunt fingernails scratched lightly over my nipples scattering pinpricks of sensation over my skin as he mumbled against my mouth, "Do you like it, too?"

I bit lightly on his lower lip before answering. "It's nice, yeah," I agreed.

"Just nice?" He rolled up further, pushing at my chest until I was lying back against the mattress and he was hovering over me. His fingers went back to teasing me, and he watched my face.

"I like it," I whispered. "I just think you're more sensitive there than I am." I pulled him down and kissed him hard. He was responsive to nipple-play in a way I hadn't encountered before; I didn't want him to think he was doing something wrong just because it didn't get me going the same way it did for him. I poured all the heat from earlier into this kiss until I had him moaning into my mouth.

He broke the kiss and nipped his way over my jaw until he was teasing my earlobe with his teeth. His breath tickled in my ear and made me shiver deliciously. I reached for his erection, palming him and fondling his balls. He groaned and shifted his focus to my chest again, kissing and licking his way to my nipple.

He scraped his teeth over me and sucked the skin into his mouth. The feeling certainly wasn't unpleasant. In fact, my chest seemed to warm in a mildly satisfying way as his actions drew more blood and sensitivity to the area, but I was feeling impatient, greedy for the good stuff. I stroked him and put my other hand on the back of his neck to draw him back up to me, but the look of intense concentration on his face made me pause.

He released the suction and then flicked his tongue across my nipple over and over, so fast it was like a damn snake tongue.

"Jesus!" I gasped.

My body was taut, every muscle tensed against the unexpected and intense sensation. I didn't even realize I had curled up off the pillow until I felt Edward's hands on my chest and hip, pressing me down into the mattress. He paused just long enough to ask, "You like that?" before starting again.

I could only grunt in response. Tingling pinprick sensations escalated to wildfire, rushing down my belly and right into my gut. My dick ached to be touched, but I squeezed Edward's instead.

Jesus.

Apparently my brain was on repeat. But he was so hot and hard in my hand, and I needed to put my mouth on him. He was kneeling on the bed perpendicular to me, and I reached for his hips and pulled them towards me roughly. "God! Get over here."

He huffed a small laugh of understanding, and we squirmed and wiggled to rearrange until we were lying on our sides facing each other. I wasted no time in tasting him.

He was musky and salty and just exactly what I was craving. I gripped his ass with both hands, bobbing my head and going down on him until I was gagging, because God, I was gagging for it! And fuck me, he made that needy sound again, muffled as it was with his face against the inside of my thigh.

His panting breath was warm and teasing, almost ticklish until he grabbed me at the root and took me in. I closed my eyes then; shut them tight against the onslaught, groaning around him because it was so fucking good to be buried in his mouth.

His hands were everywhere he could reach from his position – stroking long lines from my knees to my nipples, caressing, kneading, sometimes scratching just hard enough to sting. Every touch with the pads of his fingers was like dragging fire across my skin; every time his nails bit my flesh it was like striking a match inside my brain. It was different than this afternoon when he'd teased me, more like when we'd come back from the bar and he'd been so quiet and intense. I felt like he was touching me as if it was the last time he'd ever get to.

My hands had his ass in a vice grip I was so strained. Damn, I was going to combust, just spontaneously burst into flames. I was heading for complete meltdown.

But I was going to make him come first this time if it killed me.

And considering the way it felt as he moaned and whimpered while sucking so hard on me, it just might.

I forced myself to loosen my grip, squeezing and kneading his flesh as I licked and sucked at him. I moved his top leg until the back of his bent knee was under my arm. I wanted – needed – better access to more of him. I wanted to tease him and run my fingers over the crease of his ass.

I felt his tensed thighs start to shake as I started a slow circuit with the fingers of one hand. I began where my lips were locked around his shaft, traveled over his balls tracing that seam as it crossed his perineum and lead towards his entrance. My fingertips lingered over the puckered skin there, loving the way he shivered and twitched erratically in response to my touch. Then I swept my hand softly up the rise and followed the curve of his spine until the end of my reach before reversing direction and doing it all again and again and again. The torturously unhurried pace of my fingers was in direct contrast with the fire racing through my veins and the aggressive way I was devouring him.

Whiny, keening, needy sounds had become a constant from the both of us, and the trembling in Edward's thighs magnified. Suddenly he clutched at me, backing off my dick suddenly as he cried out. I sucked hard at him, pulling and drawing on him deeply as he ignited. His flavor was mild and hardly bitter at all, and this was Edward, and that meant I wanted every last drop.

He wheezed heavily as I savored him, shuddering a bit as I licked the sensitive skin. Then I felt him shift his weight a bit and start on me again. He took me deeper, deeper, oh fuck, deeper until the back of his throat was tight around my head and his lips made a seal around the base of my dick, and there was nothing else in the world like being swallowed down to the root, like feeling lips clamp down around you right there, and oh my fucking shit! Christ! Coming coming coming!

Time passed in a blur of tingling skin and heavy breathing. I may have passed out for a moment there. And thank God blowjobs made for no clean-up necessary, because there is no way I could walk after that.

Edward was splayed out on his back looking like he was half asleep already, even with the light from the bedside lamp shining right in his face. We were both thoroughly spent. I groaned at the effort it took to drag him up so his head was on the pillow and then reach over him to turn the switch. I collapsed onto his chest with a muffled laugh as soon as the lamp was off.

"Mmf," he hummed and patted my shoulder lazily with one hand.

"Sorry, baby," I mumbled and started to heft my weight off him.

He stopped me with his hand and yawned, "Stay."

"M'not too heavy?"

"Like it," he sighed and yawned again. Eyes already closed, I smiled against his skin and stayed right where I was.

-o-

When I woke again, the sun was up, and Edward and I had shifted so he was lying on his stomach and I was draped across his back. He was still sound asleep. The fingers of one hand were numb and when I tried to wiggle them I realized they were laced with his. I ran my thumb over his a couple of times and then tried to extricate myself without waking him. He stirred as I shifted my weight off him though, and apparently my morning wood was poking him in the hip because he reached between us to palm me.

"Don't you ever get enough?" he groaned, but there was a laugh in his voice that belied his supposed aggravation.

I opened my mouth wide and took the flesh of his shoulder lightly between my teeth, shaking my head a little and growling quietly. He chuckled and rolled away, pulling the blanket up to his neck and covering his head with a pillow. "Just ten more minutes," he mumbled drowsily.

I laughed and smacked his ass through the covers before sitting up and stretching. My phone beeped from its spot on the nightstand. I rubbed my hands over my face and yawned before picking it up. There was a text from Rose.

It's up. Call me after u read it.

The article.

I'd almost forgotten. I threw off the covers and jumped up, shivering a little as I grabbed some track pants from my dresser and last night's t-shirt from the floor. With one last backward glance at Edward, I shuffled out to my computer desk in the living room. I wiggled the mouse as my butt landed on the swivel chair in front of my docked laptop, putting my phone on the desk next my keyboard. Part of me wanted to delay, maybe check my email first, but I knew Rosie would be waiting for my call, and putting it off wouldn't lessen the flip-flop of my stomach. My emotions were a chaotic jumble – pride warred with shame, self-righteousness with doubt, courage with cowardice. Apparently I'd just come out to the world in my school newspaper; the electronic bits were out there now, and there was no way to get them back.

I clicked the shortcut on my desktop that took me straight to The Daily online, and then clicked again on the link to Sports. I'd navigated this path a hundred times, checking scores and skimming headlines, but the nerves in my belly contradicted the familiarity of the actions. I fidgeted anxiously as I waited for the page to load then scanned the headlines just as impatiently.

March madness: Bracket Breakdown

Roth Eyeing School Record

Huskies fall, 10-4, to BYU in Provo

UW men's tennis team back at home to face EWU

Fuck. There it is.

The Art of Being a Good Sport
Decathlon athlete strives to master his personal potential, on and off the field

By Edward Cullen

Emmett McCarty wants you to think he's just an average guy who plays his part for Huskies track and field.

While it's true he's not the fastest man on the track, spend one meet watching him churn through the ten events that make up decathlon, and it's easy to see he's still a powerhouse of endurance, strength, agility and speed. At last weekend's spring invitational meet at Portland State University, McCarty scored consistently well across all ten events, resulting in a second place ranking for the meet. That's far from average. In fact, McCarty has placed in one of the top three decathlete slots at six out of eight meets to date this season.

McCarty's 68ft 9in throw in the meet's shot put event earned him PAC-10 and NCAA records. The attempt bested points leader Thomas McCune by more than two feet and gave even the PSU home crowd something to cheer about. The length of two school busses parked end to end is a long way to heave a 16 lb metal ball.

McCarty's peers say he doesn't let his achievements go to his head. "Emmett puts his whole heart into everything he does," says friend and teammate Rosalie Hale, "and I think that accounts for a lot of his success. But you'll never hear about it from him. He's just really down to earth."

Bob Banner, head coach of the Huskies Track and Field team seems to agree. "Emmett is an inspiration to his fellow teammates. He excels, yes, but not without toil. He strives to learn from his shortcomings, and he takes his losses in stride. He receives praise with grace and offers it with generosity. He is one of those men with a humble yet indomitable spirit, and it is my great pleasure to know him."

Of his fellow decathletes, Husky teammates and opponents alike, McCarty has this to say, "Despite being from different schools, it's kind of like we're all on the same team, just guys trying to improve ourselves, to beat our own records."

The respect the 21 year-old Tennessee native shows to his colleagues on the track is well-known. Quil Ateara, decathlete for the PSU Vikings, remarked, "It's always a blast to compete against Emmett. He's a challenging opponent, but he keeps it fun and friendly on the field. Win or lose, he always seems to have a kind word for everybody." Fellow Husky Garrett O'Connell notes, "Emmett has a knack for knowing how to push himself to a personal best without losing perspective. I admire his ability to balance classes, track and free time. He's a great sportsman, and I'm glad to call him a close friend."

With a major in Urban Design, McCarty's academic career is focused on city planning for sustainability and for ecological and economic vitality, all served with a side of social justice. His third year projects have included designs for low-income housing, improvements in public transit, and researching ways to include urban organic food gardening in local food banks and soup kitchens.

This social awareness shows up in his personal life as well. For the past two years, McCarty has volunteered in the mentoring program at the Q Center. The Q Center is a student union facility with a mission to support LGBTQ students and "achieve a socially-just campus," according to their website and university-approved charter.

Emmett McCarty hopes to bring that support to UW athletes by facilitating a new student group – the Queer Athletes Alliance. The group will be open to LGBTQ athletes and allies for discussion and socializing. A kick-off meeting featuring student speakers and a pizza social will be held this Thursday, March 25th in the Q Center conference room from 6-8pm.

According to McCarty, decathlon is an event that "requires one person to master their personal potential." McCarty's personal philosophy for decathlon seems to be working for him, on and off the field.

The article finished with an action shot of me just at the peak of my spin, right as the shot left my hand. Emmett McCarty, junior, makes personal record with shot put distance 68ft 9in; takes 1st place in the event and 2nd overall in decathlon at PSU on Sunday March 14th, 2010. Photo credit Ben Cheney.

I read the whole thing through twice before it started to make sense to me. It was like no other profile piece I'd read before. The things Edward had written about me felt like so much more than I deserved… I could hardly understand them on a rational level. They struck right in the gut, and there was a lump in my throat. The fact that I had just gone public was momentarily taking a back seat to everything else I was feeling.

I reached blindly for my phone and dialed Rosie. She was number three on my speed dial after Nessie and my folks.

"Hey, Bear. That's some article you got there." I could hear a smile in her voice.

"Uh… yeah. I'm kinda blown away…" I trailed off, still stunned.

"You're a helluva man, Emmett, and I'm so proud of you."

My throat got tight again, and it got hard to speak for a moment. I coughed to clear it. "Thanks, Rosie. For everything."

She sniffled a little, then laughed at herself and struck off on a tangent. "I got a text from Garrett last night."

That got my attention. If she'd been texting with Garrett after we'd been drinking at the bar last night then they were probably flirting again. They had been interested in each other for nearly two years now, and it was amazing to me they had never gotten together. Rose said Garrett was just a big flirt, and she didn't want to screw up their friendship by getting involved unless he was serious. Garrett said he thought Rose enjoyed the chase and she'd get bored with him as soon as he let her catch him.

I thought they were pretty perfect for each other and just too scared to admit it.

"He said he's not going to get back until late tonight so we won't see him for dinner." Her tone was nonchalance layered over disappointment.

"That sucks. Maybe the four of us can get together for dinner tomorrow night instead."

"Yeah. Hey, we could try that Ethiopian place he was talking about."

Ethiopian food? Rose was an adventurous girl, but she'd sounded so skeptical when Garrett was telling us about this restaurant he'd heard about down in the Central District. Yep, they were definitely flirting again.

"Hm. Well, I'll ask Edward if he's interested. You know me – I'll try just about anything once."

"Much to your mama's dismay," she teased. I laughed, remembering when Mama had come out to visit once and Rosie and I had tried to take her out to sushi for lunch. The taste of raw fish had not impressed her no matter how artfully arranged by the talented sushi chef.

It felt good to laugh together, and I felt myself coming back down to earth a little. The reality of the article's announcement started to sink in.

In the quiet that followed our laughter, Rose asked, "Are you worried about how things are going to go?"

"Honestly? I'm worried about all kinds of things." I picked at the loose edge of a White Stripes sticker stuck to my desk. "What if no one shows up to the meeting? What if a bunch of people show up? What if people on the team can't get over it?" I took a deep breath and blew it out noisily, hitting my head against the heel of my palm a few times. "I don't really know what I'm doing, you know? What if I'm not ready to handle all of this?" God, I sounded whiny.

"Listen to me, Em. There are a lot of people who love you and will stand by you through this. You don't have to do it all alone, okay? You just be your awesome fucking self, and anybody who doesn't like it can kiss both our asses."

She was using her take-charge voice, and it made me smile to hear how feisty and protective she could be.

"I swear I will throat punch that pigeon-fucker Alec if he tries to pull any shit with you."

"R-Rose!" I barked out a startled laugh.

"I don't care if he's got Felix backing him up or not. I'll kick Felix in the 'nads. You know the bigger they are, the harder they fall."

That, however, sobered me quickly. Felix was an intimidating dude, and that was saying a lot coming from a big guy like me.

"Rosalie," I admonished, "Don't mess with Felix. I'm serious."

"I know," she huffed. "I'm just venting." The amusement returned to her voice. "And trying to make you laugh."

"You succeeded, babydoll."

"I did, didn't I?" I could hear the grin in her voice and was not terribly surprised to find myself wearing one to match. "Now go see your boy-toy and get dirty under the hood together."

"Mm, now that does sound good. Gotta go wake him up."

"Ha! I knew it!"

"Bye, Rose."

"Buh-bye…" she snickered in return. I snapped my phone shut and headed back to my room.

Edward was exactly where I'd left him. I crawled onto the bed and nudged him gently. "Wake up, sleepy head." He didn't move. I nudged him again, a little more forcefully this time. "Come on, Edward," I wheedled. "Wake up."

He grunted, rolling onto his back, but kept the pillow over his face, mumbling, "Oh God, you're a morning person, aren't you?"

"Yep. Most mornings I'm at practice or out for a run or something by now. So get a move on, lazy."

He lifted the pillow just enough to peek out from under it. "What's for breakfast?"

"Uh… probably just cereal."

He let the pillow drop. "You're going to have to do better than that."

"Too good for cold cereal, huh?"

The pillow nodded. "A guy has to keep up his strength around you."

"I can't believe I'm about to bribe you to get out of my bed. This is all kinds of wrong."

I yanked all the covers off him in one swipe, and he yelped, throwing the pillow at me.

"I'm up, I'm up," he laughed, stumbling out of bed. "And that hardly constitutes a bribe, you goof."

I put my hands on his waist and steered him towards the bathroom. "How about this… long, hot shower, auto-parts store, and then Voula's for coffee, eggs and hash browns?"

His grin was brilliant, the kind of smile that did things to me – weird, wonderful things. "Now you're talking."

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