#denverstart

Ethan let out a belated sigh as he stepped out of the elevator onto his floor, bags in hand. He really didn’t care if it was 2:30 in the morning and he was jet-lagged as hell—it was fucking nice to be home. He would’ve gotten home tomorrow regardless, but Ethan had decided to spring for a sooner flight in order to surprise Alex. It’d been months since he’d been inside Mile High Apartments, but it felt like he’d never left. Being on tour had been amazing—exhilarating, even. But Ethan had definitely missed being home at Denver with his friends and family. But most of all, he had missed his boyfriend. He missed Alex. Taking his paces down the hall, Ethan mentally counted the apartment numbers until he found the one that belonged to him—and Alex, too. They had finally gotten their own place together back in January, but Ethan had went off on tour—his first in quite some time—only a few months later. It’d been hard being apart from Alex. They had been sustained only by constant contact by phone and a few surprise trips when he’d brought Alex out to where he was on the road.

But despite that, they’d survived the time apart. It hadn’t been easy, especially at first, but Ethan thought Alex had handled himself very well, especially for someone who had never dated someone with a schedule like Ethan’s, with such large bouts of downtime followed by extensive time apart. But here they were. Alex was the one and only thing on Ethan’s mind. It’d been his first tour where he’d found himself in a relationship... a real, serious relationship. It had been different, but it was definitely in a good way. Ethan had learned a lot, but he was so glad to be home. Because honestly? He was in love with Alex. He had been in love with him before he had left for the tour, even if he hadn’t been able to say it loud. He had been in love with him the first time he said it, over the phone before one of his shows Ethan had gotten anxious about. He’d been in love with him the first time he’d said it to his face, when he’d flown Alex out to see him in Japan after almost two months apart. And he loved him now that he was home. Ethan loved Alex now more now than ever. They had made the right choice to get together, and they had made the right choice to move in together, too. It was uncharted ground for Ethan, but he wouldn’t want to experience it with anyone else. This was the man he could see himself spending the rest of his life with.

His hands were shaky as he placed his key into the door to unlock it. Ethan was so fucking nervous, but in a good way. Opening up the door, he let out a soft sigh as he walked over the threshold into the living room—looking (almost) the way it had when Ethan left, he couldn’t help but smile softly. The apartment was still and dark in the midst of the night. Ethan had told Alex that he’d be home tomorrow, so it was really no surprise that he was in bed. Ethan did his best to shut the door behind him without making a sound, leaving his bags in the living room. He’d deal with that later. He wanted to see man he’d been apart from all this time. Creeping down the hallway, he made the familiar turn towards their bedroom. Slipping off his Converse, he shimmied out his skinny jeans as he tiptoed towards the bed they hadn’t shared together in months. A small smile crept onto Ethan’s face when he saw Alex’s sleeping form, and he knew that he was finally home. This was where he needed to be. As he climbed into bed, Ethan eased himself under the covers, hoping that his stealth had paid off and he hadn’t woken Alex up. Snuggling up against Alex, Ethan looped his arms around him as he pressed a loving kiss to his neck.

“Babe? I caught an earlier flight. It’s me... I’m home.”