Sören woke with a cry, sitting up abruptly, heart pounding.
Mark wasn't in bed with him - Sören's eyes glanced around the room in panic. Needing him here. He'd had another one of those dreams, so intense and vivid it felt like more than a dream. It felt real.
The most immediate recollection was the burning up... again. That had been what had woken him, the fire, the smoke, the ash. Before that, the mob descending on him, beasts of smoke and fire, armed with whips. The lashes... the pain. It was like something out of a horror movie but far worse, far more realistic and terrifying than even the mind of H.R. Giger could conceive.
Before that, fire of a different sort. Laying with Mark. Laying with a man who bore a resemblance to Mark, with silver-blue eyes and a flood of hair even longer than Mark's, to his knees. He lay with them separately one at a time, and with both together. Remembering the silk of their skin over the steel of their muscles. Kisses, caresses. Taking, sweet velvet. Being taken, the rubbing inside him stoking frenzy until it was like a star about to go nova. Writhing. Moaning, like a song. The passion. The ecstasy, the transcendence of it, like something divine.
The fire of a forge. His own hands at an anvil. Steel, jewels, glass. Bringing visions to life, enchanted weapons, armor, adornments... and above all that, glass balls that could see into other worlds.
He didn't understand any of it. And remembering it, as he sat, his head spinning, heart racing, trying to take deep breaths to calm down... the passion, and the creative frenzy in the forge, was just as terrifying as the horrorbeasts, if not more, but in a different way. The horrorbeasts were eldritch abominations that should not be, but his lovers and the act of creation was awful as in awe-inspiring, the way ancient people must have looked at the sea of stars in a night sky without light pollution and fancied they were looking at the gods. He got chills thinking about it, tears coming to his eyes.
He needed Mark. He had a moment of mad fear, wondering if Mark had left...
He heard the sink in the bathroom, and then the bathroom door opening. Mark stepped into the bedroom and smiled at Sören. "Oh good, you're awake. I was just coming to wake you up."
Sören tried to smile back, but he could only half-smile, and Mark could tell right away something was wrong.
Mark was fully clothed, in a Def Leppard T-shirt and jeans, and he sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing Sören's back. "Babe? What's the matter?"
"I had a bad dream," Sören said. That wasn't entirely a lie, nor was it entirely the truth. Some of it - the last part of it - had been bad beyond bad. The glimpses of other things was bad in the sense that it felt like a home he could never go back to. Bad in the sense that he didn't understand it. If dreams were a way of the brain recycling thoughts into symbolic mysteries at night, his brain had to be tripping balls to come up with shit like this.
"Ohhhh, baby." Mark's arms were around him now. "It's OK, baby." Mark pet his curls, his face, kissed the top of his head. "You want to talk about it?"
Sören took a deep breath. He didn't know where or how to begin - couldn't make words for most of it, mouth suddenly dry. But he managed to choke out the worst part. "I was burning to death again."
And with that Sören fell apart, crying. Mark rocked him, pet and soothed him. Mark kissed his tears, and when Sören looked into Mark's eyes he saw Mark was tearing up too. Sören didn't want Mark to feel bad, he didn't want to make Mark cry, and he cried even harder. Mark pulled Sören close and his arms tightened around him, rocking harder, stroking Sören's curls. "Shhhhh, baby. I've got you. I'm here. I'm right here. You're safe now."
Sören sobbed, and Mark made soothing noises. One of Mark's hands began to rub Sören's back, slowly. "Shhhhh, love. It's OK. It's all right." The sound of Mark's voice, and listening to his heartbeat, made Sören start to calm down, and when the worst of the sobbing was over and it was just silent tears, Mark cupped Sören's chin and tilted his face up.
"Here, honey. I was going to wake you up anyway but... let's get you out of your head for awhile, OK? You want to go someplace?" Mark gave a reassuring smile.
Sören looked at the clock, and then at Mark. "I know it's probably a bit late for getting a decent parking spot, but can we go to Muir Woods?" The peace of the redwoods felt like the right thing to do right about now.
And that was what they did. Amazingly, they managed to find a parking spot, as if the fates themselves had aligned. It was a brilliant sunny morning, with some leftover mist from the damp, overcast days before, and the golden sunlight and silver mist combined in the forest to make little rainbows here and there, giving it an even more enchanted feeling. Sören was delighted, and clapped his hands like a big kid, which made Mark grin at him.
They held hands as they walked - side-by-side for most of the trail, and when they had to go single-file through narrow parts Mark put his hands behind him and Sören took both of them. At one junction Sören rode up on Mark like a caboose, arms around his waist, which made Mark pause so they could steal a kiss.
The lingering moisture in the forest brought out the petrichor smell Sören loved so much, mingling with the rich scent of earth and evergreen. The colors of the forest seemed more vibrant in the play of sunshine and mist, or maybe Sören was noticing it more because he was in love and the world itself seemed brighter. Sören stopped here and there to admire the little wonders - fungus and moss, a patch of ferns. And sometimes stopped just so he could look up and up and up at the redwoods, reaching hundreds of feet into the sky. After one of these moments, as Mark looked up with him, they looked at each other and Mark stroked Sören's hand, then his face. Sören felt a little shy, looking down with a crinkle of his nose and bite of his lower lip. Mark booped Sören's nose, making him giggle, and then he whispered, "I love you." Just before Sören could lean in to steal another kiss, his eyes widened at the sight of a buck and a doe, off to the side and above them. Mark's head also turned at the rustle in the brush and their breath caught together, seeing what appeared to be two mates before they pranced off.
We, too, are mated.
Sören loved seeing Mark at peace in the forest even more than before. It reminded him that he needed to finish that painting he'd started - they'd spent a lot of time in bed making love, and Sören still wanted that too, but they were both creative people and there was only so long they could keep from getting back to that. And somehow, the thought of painting while Mark played was arousing to him, wondering what their sex would be like after they'd had a good work session together.
He wondered about a lot of things on the way back - if this would continue when the summer was over and they went back to Oregon. What it would be like to live together, settle down together, grow old together. He found he very much wanted a future with Mark. It wasn't just the mind-blowing, hot sex - though that was some of it - but the emotional connection that they'd forged, which was responsible for that hot sex above and beyond the physical attraction. Sören loved Mark's company. It was so easy to be themselves together... one dork to another, Sören thought to himself, smiling as Mark sang along with "We Will Rock You" by Queen on the radio.
They stopped at the store. Sören picked up a refill on his medication first, and then they slowly made the rounds together. "What do you want for dinner tonight?" Mark asked.
You. "Grilled cheese OK?"
Mark nodded. "Swiss on rye?"
"You know me." Sören grinned.
"We should have something to go with that." They hit the produce section. "I was thinking a tossed salad." Mark picked up a head of romaine lettuce.
Sören's mind immediately went there, not able to restrain the snort and his laughter. "You can toss my salad, all right."
It took Mark a minute, and then Mark rolled his eyes, turning red, fighting back laughter of his own and failing. "Goddammit Sören, you're incorrigible."
Sören stole a little kiss, not caring that they were in public. "And insatiable."
"Mmmm." Mark kissed him back. He loaded other vegetables for the salad into the cart - taking awhile to inspect tomatoes - and then he asked, "Dessert? I can grab something at the bakery..."
"You could, but I really like fresh fruit even more than I like baked goods."
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you have a degree of health consciousness, since you were in med school -"
"It's not that, honestly." Sören let out a little sigh. "When I was growing up, we didn't have a lot of money because my aunt and uncle drank, and my uncle was between jobs a lot as a consequence of drinking and, ah, his behavior. So fresh fruit was more of a luxury."
Mark's face tightened. He put his arms around Sören's waist and kissed his forehead. "Oh, baby. I don't know what to say. 'I'm sorry' seems so trite..."
Sören nodded. He leaned on Mark for a moment, trying to ground himself to the present. Then he reached for a small carton of strawberries. "My favorite."
Their last stop was the dairy section, where Mark got a package of Swiss cheese, and also a can of whipped cream. Sören's face burned, thinking about their first time with them feeding each other sensually in front of the fireplace, and when his eyes met Mark's and Mark gave him a pointed look, he got the impression that Mark was thinking about that too. Sören felt a frisson down his spine, wondering if Mark had plans for that whipped cream.
When they got back to the house, after the groceries were put away, they both mutually wanted to spend some time together playing and painting - Mark was energized by the trip to the forest too. Mark set a timer so they wouldn't completely lose track of time and he'd eventually stop to make dinner. But in the few hours they had before the timer went off they made magic together, with Mark improvising and Sören continuing work on his painting of the forest... with Mark in the forest. It felt almost like Mark's fingers were conjuring the light and the mist, the sparkling rainbows, the sense of wonder in the ancient forest, filled with life that had endured through the ages, and was home to new life - like the buck and the doe they'd seen. Sören's painting began to take on a dreamlike quality, where the forest looked more like an enchanted forest from legend. He remembered the faery door he'd seen in Golden Gate Park and painted a faery door here and there, small nature spirits here and there, faces on the redwoods like Ents. He embellished Mark, giving him a flood of hair to his thighs rather than the hair down to the middle of his back. Mark was in a tunic and breeches befitting an Elf, and was carrying his war harp with him.
He wasn't quite done with the painting yet, but he was getting there.
After the timer went off, Mark got to work in the kitchen and Sören took the easel down to his room. Though he'd mostly moved out of the bedroom and into Mark's room, he kept canvases in here to not clutter up the living room or Mark's bedroom, and in this case he was a bit sensitive about Mark accidentally seeing the work in progress, wanting it to be a surprise when it was done.
Mark had on the classic rock station as he cooked and made the salad. Sören helped by adding bits of chicken and bacon to the salad while Mark tended the grilled cheese. Then "Walk This Way" came on while Mark was tossing the salad and Sören said, "Oh, this is the perfect song for tossing salad," and Mark had to put his utensils down, leaning on the counter.
"Sören, I swear to god..."
"Wait, I can make this worse."
Sören ran down to the bedroom and came back with the glass dildo, playing air guitar on it as he danced around the kitchen. This time Sören got even more exaggerated, doing kicks and spinning, prancing into the living room where Mark could still see, prancing back. Wiggling his butt and sticking his tongue out.
When the song was over Mark threw a cherry tomato at Sören, who somehow managed to catch it with his mouth.
"Wow, I got pelted by a tomato," Sören said. "That must really have been awful."
"You are the worst." Mark pulled Sören to him and gave him a little kiss. "Don't ever change, Sören."
Sören kissed him back, harder.
They had their meal on the deck, watching the sunset. Sören allowed himself a glass of moscato, and Mark had two. In addition to the grilled cheese and salad Mark put out a small bowl of olives and another small bowl of nuts. "I like deez nuts," Sören said, making Mark facepalm, almost spilling wine on himself as he shook with laughter.
After dinner and dishes, Sören and Mark took a walk on the beach together, the last light fading to twilight. They watched the first stars come out, and with the tide washing over their bare feet in the sand they held each other and kissed. They looked into each other's eyes, and with Mark's hair stirring in the breeze, he stroked Sören's face and they kissed again. The moment was absolutely perfect, and Sören knew once again I want to spend my life with this man. He got the wild urge to ask Mark to marry him, and he choked it back, fearing rejection if Mark wasn't quite so serious about him... and not wanting to break the spell of the moment with words.
They went back up to the house in silence, and once they got in, Sören said, "I'm gonna take a shower and then maybe we can have dessert?"
Mark smiled. "Sounds good."
Sören came into Mark's bedroom wearing just a towel, curls damp, beads of water clinging to him, feeling nice and relaxed from the shower... and he noticed the golden glow of the bedroom. Mark had lit candles around the dresser and on the bedtable. Mark himself was laying on the bed naked, with a tray of a bowl of strawberries, a bowl of whipped cream, and the can of whipped cream itself next to him.
And Mark was already hard.
Sören's breath hitched. "Oh, my."
Sören let the towel drop to the floor and climbed onto the bed, climbing over Mark. As they kissed, Sören reached for the stained glass box on the bedtable and flipped it open to retrieve the lube. Mark kissed his neck, then going for a nipple, lapping it hungrily.
Before Mark could go too far, Sören dipped a strawberry in whipped cream and brought it to Mark's lips. Then Mark fed Sören a cream-dipped strawberry. They took turns giving each other strawberries, licking and sucking the juices and cream from each other's fingers, kissing between strawberries.
Sören wanted more. He wanted to love this beautiful man, express his passion. He began to arrange strawberries over Mark's body - a line of seven strawberries down his chest and stomach, one on each nipple, three on each thigh. He took the can of whipped cream, shook it, and coated Mark's torso and thighs. Mark grinned at him, and then he took the can from Sören and sprayed whipped cream over his own cock. Sören giggled, and gave Mark a little kiss, that quickly became deeper, more passionate.
Sören took his sweet time licking up the whipped cream, eating the strawberries off Mark's body. When Sören's mouth took a strawberry on Mark's nipple, and started to lick his nipple clean from the juices and cream, the sounds Mark made went right to Sören's cock. He got a wicked idea, and reached into the stained glass box again, for the glass dildo. Mark watched as Sören sucked on it - Sören held it to Mark's lips so he could also suck on it a little - and, with the dildo nice and wet, Sören brought it down between Mark's legs and began to work it in and out of his channel, slowly, as he continued to eat the strawberries and whipped cream off Mark. Mark arched to him, panting, groaning, crying out as Sören worked on his other nipple, and his tongue teased his chest and stomach with slow, sensuous strokes, continuing to work the toy slowly in and out.
When Sören's head lowered to Mark's stomach, he took a strawberry between his teeth and came up to lower his head to Mark's, bringing the strawberry in his mouth to Mark's mouth. Mark took a bite and they kissed, sharing the strawberry between them. Sören did this with each of the strawberries on Mark's stomach. He saved the strawberries on Mark's thighs for himself - but now he came up with cream on his tongue, for Mark to lick off his tongue, their tongues rubbing together before they kissed. The toy still moved slowly in and out of Mark, whose moans were getting louder. Mark gasped when Sören at last began to lick the whipped cream from his cock, and he bucked up against Sören with a cry, grabbing Sören's curls as Sören took Mark into his mouth, moving the toy just a little harder and faster but still on the slow side, teasing and teasing.
At last Mark could take no more and he pulled Sören off his cock. "Your turn," he said, a predatory look in his eyes.
Sören pulled the glass dildo out of Mark, and Mark took it away, holding it in one hand as the other arranged all but the last three strawberries over Sören's body, and then he vigorously shook the can of whipped cream and smothered Sören in it. He gave Sören the same treatment, the dildo playing in and out of him exquisitely, excruciatingly slowly, teasing his prostate as Mark's tongue teased the rest of his body, eating strawberries from him - sometimes carrying a strawberry in his mouth up to Sören's mouth for them to share - and lapping and lapping the whipped cream, licking him clean. Mark's tongue lingered on Sören's nipples, and later his cock, bathing it, worshiping it. Sören writhed, gasping for breath, begging "please, please, fuck me..." but Mark showed no sign of giving in anytime soon. When Sören got particularly loud, Mark grabbed the can of whipped cream again and gave Sören a wicked grin as he coated Sören's body a second time, moving the dildo even more slowly inside him - and twisting it back and forth, driving Sören crazier - as he licked Sören all over once again. Here and there he came up with whipped cream on his tongue, Sören licking it off, their tongues rubbing together playfully before Mark slid back down to pick up where he'd left off on Sören's body.
Sören was a quivering, whimpering wreck by the time Mark was ready for something more. He came up to kiss Sören, and kissed and licked Sören's neck, still working the toy in and out as slow as could please. "Shall I replace this with the real thing now?" Mark whispered before he took a nibble at Sören's neck.
Sören gave him a murderous glare. "I've only been begging for the last hour or so."
Mark laughed and kissed the tip of Sören's nose. "You beg so prettily, my sweet. I couldn't help myself."
Sören nipped Mark's lower lip with a growl. "You. Inside me. Now."
Mark laughed and gave an exaggerated sigh. "As you wish."
Mark's choice of words touched Sören and he threw his arms and legs around Mark, kissing him hard. They both moaned into the kiss and then Sören whispered, "I love you too," as Mark pulled back.
Sören groaned at the feel of lube pouring inside him, and again when he felt the head of Mark's cock at his opening. Mark pushed into him slowly, kissing him, and when Mark was all the way inside he breathed, "I love you, Sören."
"I love you, Mark." Sören's arms went around him again. "So much."
Mark fucked him slowly at first, kissing Sören's mouth, his neck, his nipples. Sören moaned at the slow, sweet rubbing inside him and the magic of Mark's lips and tongue over him. When Mark nibbled on a nipple before tugging the ring with his teeth, Sören gasped and bucked, nails raking Mark's back. Mark laughed softly and soothed with his tongue, before giving the other nipple the same treatment with his teeth, eyes blazing.
Lost in sensation and lust, Sören found himself grabbing the glass dildo again. He reached around and shoved it into Mark's ass. Mark gasped and then gave a little cry as Sören started working it in and out of him, harder and faster than before, but not too fast... not yet. With the slow, languid pace of Mark's thrusts inside him, Sören matched the rhythm as he pushed and pulled the dildo, and soon they were trembling, panting, and Mark started fucking him harder.
At last Mark was nailing him, pounding him into the mattress, and Sören worked the dildo as hard as he could, fucking Mark right back. Mark was even louder than usual, and Sören loved it, knowing how good it had to feel, Mark's cock and prostate getting pleasured at the same time. Sören's arousal intensified at the sight and sound of Mark completely lost in fucking and being fucked, and when Mark began stroking Sören's cock in time with his thrusts, the volume of Sören's cries rivaled Mark's own. It felt so good to unleash like this, to completely lose control together.
Sören climaxed first, shooting all over Mark, and that set off Mark a few seconds later, spending into him with a hoarse shout. Mark collapsed on top of him and they kissed - Sören gave a last few slow strokes with the dildo for good measure, gratified by the way Mark shook against him and made a whimper and a groan. Sören pulled the dildo out and Mark's face was in Sören's shoulder; Sören pet his beautiful mane as Mark caught his breath. His heart soared as Mark whispered, "I love you, baby. I love you..."
There were three strawberries left in the bowl, and just a little whipped cream. When Mark came to he dipped a strawberry in the cream and they shared it, kissing. Then they shared the other, and the kiss was more heated this time. Sören's cock woke up again, and Mark stroked their cocks together until Sören started trembling, let out a whimper.
Mark rolled onto his back and Sören climbed atop him. He watched Mark's eyes as he poured lube inside him, and continued to hold Mark's gaze as he pushed into him. When Sören was all the way inside, he rested - Mark felt so delicious, and he didn't want to blow his load too quickly - and Mark's arms were tight around him. "I love you, Sören," he said, kissing Sören's forehead. "Love you so much..."
Sören started to thrust, slowly. Giving Mark the same teasing treatment he'd had, going as slowly as he could, groaning at the feel of that sweet tight velvet heat wrapped around him, kissing his cock. He couldn't help but quicken his pace just a little when Mark pushed the dildo into him, pleasuring his sensitized prostate. But it was still slow and sensual, and Sören reveled in Mark's moans, Mark's whispers of "that's it, Sören, just like that, baby, you feel so good..."
Sören sprayed more whipped cream onto Mark's chest, feasting on his nipples. Mark loved it, his cries more urgent, his hips rocking back at Sören's, urging him on faster. Sören finally gave in, too turned on by Mark's noises and the sight of Mark lost in lust and pleasure, the sight of his nipples peaked, glistening from his tongue. And then Sören went harder and faster still, the beast in him awakened by Mark's screams, Mark bucking against him, Mark reaming the dildo in and out of him. Sören propped Mark's legs on his shoulders and took him as hard as he could, balls slapping against Mark's ass, giving deep, primal grunts as he fucked away, the pleasure almost too much to bear, the passion consuming him, wanting to devour Mark alive. Mark somehow still managed to reach to fuck Sören hard with the dildo, making Sören growl at the rhythm on his prostate. He was so close soclosesoclose... "God, I love fucking you like this," Sören rasped.
"You're such a beast. I love it." Mark shuddered.
"You're my beauty." Sören stroked Mark's face.
Mark took Sören's hand and kissed it, eyes blazing his soul. Sören almost came just from the look in Mark's eyes. The moment of tenderness made Sören slow down - teasing them both - and then Sören reached for the last strawberry. Mark took a bite, and then he did. They kissed deeply, moaning into the kiss, Mark's arms holding him tight, the dildo slowing down inside him...
...and then Mark worked the dildo in and out of him savagely. Sören howled and sped up, driving into Mark with abandon. One of Sören's hands reached to stroke Mark in time with his thrusts, his hand a blur, Mark's cock rattling, and the other grabbed a lock of Mark's hair, pulling hard. Mark's hips slammed against him, giving back as good as he got, the slap of their flesh almost as loud as their cries.
Sören leaned in to give Mark one last kiss, knowing he wouldn't last much longer, and his hand let go of Mark's hair and clamped on Mark's throat, not enough to choke him, just enough to feel possessive, dominant. For all that Sören liked Mark dominating him, now it was his turn, and it was that which set Mark off, screaming out "Sören, Sören, yes, yes" as he shot all over Sören's chest and stomach. The sight and feeling of Mark's cum splashing over his nipples, watching Mark in the throes of passion, the sounds of it, feeling Mark contract around him... Sören gave in, howling with pleasure, coming so hard it almost hurt, a full-body orgasm, cock and prostate throbbing together. Sören took a last few brutal thrusts, crying out with each one, before he fell into Mark's waiting arms, shuddering, gasping as his orgasm pulsed on and on.
"Oh, baby," Mark whispered. "Oh, baby, I love you. You were so good."
"That was fucking hot." Sören kissed him hard. "I hope I didn't hurt you."
"I might be a little sore later but that was so worth it." Mark kissed him more softly.
For awhile they just held each other, coming down from their intense climax, and then Mark collected some of the dregs of whipped cream from the bowl with his fingers and brought them to Sören's lips. The act of sucking on Mark's fingers made Sören harden up again, and Mark smiled knowingly.
Mark picked the bowl up, and Sören started licking the bowl like he was a dog or a cat. Sören giggled, wrinkling his nose, and Mark pet and skritched Sören's curls and his beard. "That's a good boy," Mark said.
For some reason Sören's cock twinged at that even more. And then, seeing the heat in Mark's eyes, he knew what Mark wanted, and god, he wanted it too.
Sören got on all fours, giving Mark a sassy butt wiggle before Mark got on his knees behind him and slapped Sören's ass. Sören moaned, and leaned face down in the pillows, making his ass come up some more. He cried out as Mark's fingers teased around the outer rim of his opening, and then just rubbed against it. "Oh god, Mark, please, take me..."
Mark teased a moment longer, until Sören was rubbing his ass against him, panting, begging for it. He panted "yes, yes, yes" as he felt the tip of Mark's cock at his opening, and let out a cry of "yes" when Mark pushed inside.
Mark grabbed Sören's hips as he started to thrust. "Such a good boy."
"Oh god, yes..."
Mark slapped Sören's ass. "It was fun when you turned the tables... and now it's time for me to take charge again."
"Mmmmmmm, god, yes, please, Mark..." Sören shuddered, wanting it, rocking his hips against Mark's, fucking himself on Mark's cock.
"Need to take care of what's mine."
Sören whimpered into the pillows. The only thing more delicious to Sören than eating strawberries and cream from Mark's body was when he got dominant like this. Sören never thought he'd be into it, after what happened with Seth, but he trusted Mark, felt so safe with his big, strong, protective man...
"Oh, Mark." Sören moaned, and again when one of Mark's hands reached around to start stroking his cock.
"Yes, baby."
"God, fuck me..." Sören shuddered. The angle of this position was doing amazing things to his prostate. "Fuck me, fuck me... more, I need more..."
"As much as you need, baby. We can go all night if you want."
The rest of my life. Please.