A/N Wesper's first time. Not explicit. Follows the book plot.

Jesper, for all his flirting, is nervous about their first time because it's with his merchling and not a random hook-up. Wylan reasssures him that everything is as it's meant to be and well... Wylan does owe Jesper a down payment.

***

"Your ribs are now healed," the medik declared to Wylan as he sat in one of the many guest rooms of the mansion, lifting his shirt up for the medik to examine it. Jesper was trying awfully hard to look away and to hide his excitement.

Due to Wylan's ribs, their intimacy had been limited to kissing and when things got a bit more heated, when Jesper pressed a bit too hard by accident, Wylan would let out a wince and they'd stop, trying to control their breathing and take a walk instead. 

Wylan had stopped wincing a few days ago but Jesper had been determined to wait until he was pronounced healed. And he was buying himself time.

Jesper had a reputation and there were rumours and many of them were untrue, but the ones that said Jesper knew what he was doing weren't. He did know what he was doing physically, no strings attached, but the sentiment... He didn't know how to do that. He didn't know how to make it special for the merchling, didn't know how to behave afterwards without sprinting out of the room. So yes. He was buying himself time and putting off their first time.

His flirting had stayed constant though: from subtle glances at Wylan's lips, from snaking his hands into Wylan's jacket when they were on a walk, to outright saying, "Merchling, where's my down payment? I want to take you apart. I want you to take me apart."

***

Two days had passed since the medik had come and gone and now, as dinner finished and as Wylan was putting their dishes in the sink, refusing to have servants do such small gestures, Jesper wrapped his hands around Wylan from behind and tucked his head into the merchling's neck.

"Hey," Wylan murmured and turned around in the embrace, catching Jesper's lips in a sweet kiss.

It was no longer sweet when Jesper put his weight forwards a little and pressed Wylan against the counter, one hand cupping his neck and the other bracing himself on the counter, pinning Wylan against it.

Wylan tugged at Jesper's shirt, pulling him impossibly closer, and gasped as Jesper kissed his neck, and went lower, and lower-

"Mr Van Eck-"

Jesper jumped away as one of the maids stood at the kitchen entrance, blanching and then blushing furiously. She almost matched Wylan's flush.

"Sorry," she said, "I'll... I'll find you tomorrow morning?"

"Yes," Wylan all but squeaked and it was all Jesper could do to not burst out laughing.

"Ugh," Wylan groaned after the poor girl left, "Why did she have to come in now? The mood's ruined."

Jesper grinned at him and wrapped a hand around his waist, tugging him so there were chest-to-chest. He kissed him and then trailed a path to his ear and whispered, "Nothing's ruined, Wy."

And if the way Wylan had his eyes shut, the way he was raking his hands up and down Jesper's side was anything to go by, then nothing was ruined at all.

Jesper pulled away and Wylan reached out instinctively. Jesper chuckled but kissed him again and let out a surprised gasp when Wylan deepened the kiss, wrapping his hands around Jesper's neck.

"Wy," Jesper tried to get out, "Come on. Bedroom."

Wylan apparently couldn't comprehend words. He was trying to undo Jesper's shirt. "Wy," Jesper tried to say strongly but only a whisper came out as his head fell back, Wylan's lips on his neck. "Wylan. Bedroom. I'm all yours, I'm not going anywhere, but we need to get to the bedroom, merchling. Come on."

Wylan groaned as he pulled away but the two raced up stairs, pausing twice: once when Jesper pushed Wylan against a wall to mouth at his neck and once when Wylan demanded a kiss. When they finally reached the bedoom, and it felt like an eternity, Wylan was pressed against the door, gasping and clutching at Jesper as the Zemeni boy teased kisses everywhere.

"Jesper," Wylan whined, determindedly undoing Jesper's shirt even as the movement of Jesper's lips against his skin made him unable to think coherently. The shirt finally fell on the floor and Wylan's mind went blank as his hands traced the smooth muscles of Jesper's chest and back. Wylan nearly groaned out loud at how good Jesper felt, at how wonderfully the dark skin moved under his touch.

"Yeah?" Jesper asked, teasing.

"Bed."

"As you wish."

And before Wylan knew what had happened, he was underneath Jesper, Jesper bracing himself with both hands on the pillow, and leaning down to kiss him whilst his hands worked Wylan's shirt expertly until it ended up somewhere on the floor. Wylan closed his eyes, hands clutching at Jesper's bare back as he felt kisses down his jaw, neck, collarbone, chest, stomach...

It felt so damn good. Yeah, he'd had his tumble with a tutor, but it hadn't been as good as Jesper caressing his cheek, such a contrast to his hot kisses and mumbled words of, "Saints, Wy. You're gorgeous," and gasps and shudders when Wylan scratched his back accidentally or when Wylan made a quite frankly embarrassing noise that only seemed to make Jesper lose his mind more.

He was so lost in Jesper that it took him ages before he realised Jesper's kisses had gone fainter and it took him a while longer to realised Jesper was shaking above him. He tugged Jesper so they could look eye-to-eye again. Jesper was definitely trembling.

"Hey," Wylan murmured, rubbing a thumb across his cheek, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jesper lied, "You're beautiful. It's a little overwhelming."

Wylan cocked an eyebrow and Jesper groaned, falling back against the sheets.

"We don't have to do anything," Wylan said softly, "This was great. So good. We could... revisit tomorrow."

"No," Jesper protested, "I want you so badly."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Saints, no," Jesper mumbled, "I do want to. So damn much."

"Jes, you've got to talk to me," Wylan said gently, pulling until Jesper was lying on Wylan's chest. He smoothed a hand through Jesper's already ruffled hair.

"I just... I'm scared. And now I feel stupid that you're being a self-sacrifising after all the flirting I've done."

"Jes," Wylan said in his earnest way, "Just because you've said stuff and because you wanted to kiss and see where the night led doesn't mean it has to go all the way. It's okay to be vulnerable and want to wait. You've told me that countless times. It applies to you as well." He placed a gentle kiss on Jesper's forehead and whispered, "What are you scared of?"

"I've never... Saint, I want you, Wy. But I want all of you. I want to remember this night ever day, I want you to blush every time you think about it, I want you to be okay and for you to enjoy it. For you to know that I love you and that I want this... us... you forever. 

When I've done this before, I didn't need to think about the future or waking up next to them. But with you... Saints, I want you to fall asleep wearing my shirt and to wake up together, remembering everything we did tonight. 

I don't want just a hook-up. I want... I want this to be something we both hold as a secret only for us. I want our first time to be special, but I don't know how to make it special and make it different from a hook-up. Should I have bought candles and rose petals or something?"

Wylan tried very hard not to laugh because Jesper was clearly worried about this. How could Jesper think this would be any less than perfect? "Jes... I'm doing this with you. That's all I need for it to be special. We could've done this in the cramped rooms of the Slat and it still would've been special because it's you, Jes. You staying with me afer this and holding me close, the promise of being able to do this whenever we want is what makes this special, Jes. 

And of course, I'm going to blush everytime I think about this," he pressed Jesper's finger to his own collarbone, where a bruise was emerging, "I have got plenty of reminders."

Jesper blushed. It didn't show much on his skin, but Wylan could tell. Jesper said, "Sorry... Got carried away."

"I wasn't complaining," Wylan reassured him, "I liked it."

Jesper leaned up to kiss the hickey and Wylan shuddered and mumbled, "We're having an important conversation here. You can't just distract- Saints!" Jesper had grazed his pale skin with his teeth and Ghezen, it felt good. The temptation to surrender to Jesper's ministrations was almost unbearable.

"Jesper Llewellyn Fahey, stop," Wylan said and Jesper was so startled that he did stop. 

"Jes, look at me," Wylan said and when their eyes met, their love was a physical presence that wrapped them both in a wam blanket. Wylan linked his fingers with Jesper's and said resolutely, "I want this. I want you. And I know this is going to be the best thing that's ever happened to me. But if you're worried, we don't have to do anything more. I'd wait an eternity for you just like you would for me. And I don't care that you've said so much stuff to me that made me want you a million times more. 

I care that you're not overthinking, that you're here, with me, and enjoying this with me. We can wait until we have rose petals and whatnot, but I meant what I said. I'd want you even if we were in the Slat still, and I'd still wake up in your arms wearing your shirt. Neither of us are going to go anywhere after this. We're going to clean up, cuddle, and fall asleep together. I promise."

"You know I love you so much, merchling?" Jesper decided to say.

"I love you too, Jes," Wylan whispered and then grinned, "So. Are we waiting for rose petals or...?"

For an answer, Jesper leaned up and kissed Wylan with surety and pressed him into the mattress, Wylan going willingly. 

Soon enough, the world was forgotten and shared whispers and gasps filled the room. Jesper's kisses stayed firm even as he went lower than he did before and Wylan was trembling underneath him. "Wylan," Jesper breathed and Wylan shuddered, clawing at Jesper's back, trying not to scratch too hard. Jesper rarely ever called Wylan using his full name - it was always 'Wy' or 'Merchling' - but now, to hear Jesper whisper 'Wylan' did things to him and he tugged at Jesper's hair hard until they were kissing again.

Slowly, Jesper reached a hand towards Wylan's trousers, hands shaking. "Do you want to stop?" Jesper asked.

"Don't you dare," Wylan mumbled, eyes scrunched shut at the sensations thrumming through his entire body, "Unless you want to."

"Saints, no," Jesper said and he reached blindly, with his free hand, for Wylan's and linked their fingers together on the pillow in which Wylan was lying on.

Very soon, the clothes were gone, hands were everywhere, there were whispers, there were gasps, there was Wylan saying a mixture of 'Jesper', 'Jes', and 'Saints' every other breath, there was Jesper repeatedly saying 'Wylan' and saying 'You're so gorgeous' and a lot of cursing as being on top of Wylan drove him absolutely insane in the best possible way.

When they were skin to skin and heart to heart, the world exploded in a blinding light of love and want and Jesper didn't know how he ever thought it could've felt like a hook-up. It was everything to be with Wylan as desire took over; everything to hear Wylan breathing his name; everything to feel Wylan arch beneath him; everything to feel Wylan's fingertips on his skin, tugging and tugging, and pressing so hard that if Jesper's skin was lighter, there would've definitely been visible bruises. Jesper loved it.

Saints, this was more than special. Jesper would give anything to get the merchling underneath him whenever he wanted. 

Finally, Jesper collapsed against Wylan and both of them were breathing heavily, hands somehow still enterwined between them, and grinning like the idiots in they were.

"That was..." Wylan couldn't think enough to finish the sentence.

Jesper seemed to understand, and he kissed Wylan's forehead. "I think... if that's my down payment, I'm more than happy to stay forever."

Wylan just smiled, too tired to even be embarrassed. He whined when Jesper got out of bed to clean them up but was grateful when Jesper got him a glass of water and an over-sized cream shirt and some trousers. Jesper himself seemed to have thrown on his sleeping trousers but was, thankfully, shirtless.

Wylan shrugged Jesper's shirt on and it smelt like the Zemeni boy: gunpowder and metals, and just... wonderful. And when Jesper pulled him close, the warmth that spread through his body was something divine.

They fell asleep, a tangle of limbs, and awoke in each others arms, smiles and love as bright as the sun in the fields of Novyi Zem.

***

And when the events of the night repeated itself a day later, the rose petals and candles were a nice addition, but Wylan honestly couldn't pay much attention when he had Jesper on top of him. He was too busy gasping, shuddering, pulling at Jesper and saying his name over and over again. The only things that mattered in the entire world seemed to be Jesper's flirty grin, clever hands, expert kisses and the heated desire and love they shared. 

Neither of them would have it any other way.

***

A/N Hope you enjoyed! Comments and votes are much appreciated.

Love, IC x