Chapter Nineteen

~ Tawson ~

T awson spoiled Vic the entire trip.

Over breakfast Monday morning, Tawson gave Vic the necklace he'd bought. He refused to tell how much he spent on it, to Vic's dismay. But they put it on immediately and had yet to take it off. Then, he'd surprised them with some new clothes. Things Tawson had snooped on their Amazon account that they'd saved. One thing was a screenshot that Vic had sent him, teasingly asking if Tawson thought they would look good in it.

Turns out, Vic looked fucking stunning in the lavender silk nightgown. It barely covered their upper thighs and had a slit on the bottom hem four inches high. Which showed off the matching, sheer jockstrap Vic had bought. Tawson had fucked Vic in the outfit out on the balcony. And then later in the bed again.

Tuesday, they took it slow in the morning. Vic wrapped themselves in a blanket and sat outside with Tawson. They shared a cup of coffee each, rocking side-by-side in the chairs on the upper balcony. Tawson finished reading his book and Vic had seemed more than content to work on the word search book they had brought.

After packing a picnic, they set off on the hiking trail. It was two miles, one way. The waterfall was beautiful and they snapped several photos together. It was a little too cold in November to go swimming. But they solved that by hiking back, rinsing off in a quick shower, and then getting in the hot tub. They stayed like that for an hour, until an unexpected storm rolled in and the lightning started getting a little too close for comfort.

"I didn't see rain in the forecast," Tawson said once they were dried off and back downstairs. "I guess we'll just be staying in tomorrow."

"Oh, the horror of being trapped in a house with you for an entire day. Whatever will we do?" Vic glued themselves to Tawson's back and kissed across his shoulders and then down his back.

"What are you doing back there?" Tawson asked. He lifted an arm and looked down at Vic. They smirked and then took the opportunity to duck under Tawson's arm and slip their body between Tawson and the counter. "Well, hello. You're blocking our dinner."

"Can it wait for two seconds?" The seriousness of the question caught Tawson off guard.

"Yeah. What's up?"

Vic led Tawson over to the table and motioned for him to sit down. Vic reached over and took his hand in theirs. "I want to ask you something, but I don't want you to think I'm trying to convince you or make you feel bad if you say no."

"Okay?" Tawson wasn't sure where Vic was going with this.

"So, do you remember that time at your place when I told you that I really liked how you pushed me up against the wall? When you came on my back."

"I do." Tawson tilted his head just slightly. He wasn't sure where Vic was going with it, even less than just a second ago. But he appreciated that Vic was mature enough to actually sit down and talk about whatever it was. Even if it seemed to be coming out of left field a bit.

"I've been thinking about that a lot," Vic started. "About you coming on me again. I don't mind the condoms and I'd never want you to do something you weren't comfortable with." They rushed to get that part out. Their eyes were honest and Vic squeezed the hand he was holding. "I just- I would like to experience that again. If you wouldn't mind. I know that one time kind of happened in the moment, but I'd love to do it again."

"You want my cum on you?"

"Yes." Vic nodded. "I know that condoms are a boundary for you and I totally respect that, Tawson. I need you to know that. But the thought of us having sex and then you finishing on me instead of in the condom is something I'd like to do. If you're okay with it."

Tawson smiled and tugged on Vic's hand he was still holding. Vic stood up and positioned themselves on Tawson's lap. His arms wrapped around Vic's waist to keep them secure on his lap. He pulled a move from Vic and pursed his lips, silently asking for a kiss. Vic obliged easily.

"I don't mind that," Tawson said after a long moment. Vic's smile was bright. "And I appreciate you being respectful of that boundary, Vic. That means more than anything to me. But the thought of marking this skin, marking your body, claiming you as mine? Yeah, I don't think I'll have a problem doing that."

"Can we try it before we leave here?"

Tawson laughed at their enthusiasm. He kissed them once more before he motioned for them to stand up so he could focus on dinner. Of course, now he was focusing with an erection that most likely would not go down on its own. Vic was back behind him.

"I love how my chin fits perfectly on your shoulder," Vic said. Tawson stirred the chili he had simmering on the stove. It was close to being done. He'd also made some cornbread which was already cooled on the counter.

"I love how your whole body fits perfectly against mine," Tawson commented back. He turned his head to look at Vic. "Like you were made for me."

"You're so cheesy," Vic said. They stood on their tip toes and kissed Tawson. It was more tongue than anything else, but Tawson didn't care. "But I'll let it slide because you're cute."

"Geez, thanks, baby."

They sat back down at the table and ate the chili and cornbread. It seemed like they never ran out of things to talk about. They played twenty questions. First it was random questions about themselves and then it turned into another round of guess what I'm thinking of. Tawson celebrated with a goofy dance around the table when he guessed Vic's word in less than ten questions.

Wallet.

Tawson's item had been a fire hydrant. Vic barely got it with eighteen questions.

They played a second round when they headed upstairs and Tawson started the jacuzzi tub. He'd filled it yesterday and ran the jets just to make sure they were clean. It took long enough to fill completely due to the size. Tawson stripped Vic of the sweat pants and jockstrap they wore. He smiled and danced his fingers lightly over the necklace Vic refused to take off. The purple looked great against their skin.

"Oh god, this feels amazing," Vic said as Tawson helped them into the tub. Vic sat opposite of Tawson, their legs slotted together to fit comfortably enough. "It's like the hot tub without the fear of being struck by lightning."

Tawson chuckled at the joke. He laid his head back on the edge of the tub and let the jets ease the muscles in his back. "That does feel good," he conceded easily.

The room fell silent. Tawson stole a glance at his partner, noting that their eyes were also closed and they were totally relaxed. Tawson tried to keep his mind clear of everything except that moment. The slight sloshing of water with each of their movements, the way Vic's toes pressed against his outer thigh. He turned the jets off after about ten minutes but neither of them moved to get out or actually bathe.

It wasn't until he could feel his fingers starting to wrinkle that he decided they'd soaked long enough. The first movement startled Vic and Tawson laughed, realizing they'd fallen asleep. Tawson made it up to Vic by sitting on the edge of the tub and washing their hair. Then had them stand and he washed their body too.

Neither of them bothered with clothes when they walked from the bathroom to the bedroom. Okay, so maybe they would be that couple just a little. Tawson towel dried Vic's body before tucking them under the blanket and doing the same to himself. Vic was half asleep and mumbling when Tawson situated himself as the designated big spoon.

Tawson wrapped his arms around Vic and pulled them close. He kissed the top of their head, wishing like hell they could do this same thing every night. Vic fell asleep almost instantly, but Tawson took a little longer. He committed everything to memory. The way Vic's naked body felt pressed against him. The little breaths they let out from their slightly parted lips. The smell of the shampoo they used.

They had one more day together before heading back to the real world. He wasn't ready for it. He wanted a place where they could be together without having to travel four hours away to do it. Maybe he'd really start looking into apartments in the city. He had enough money to pay a couple of months up front.

Tawson shifted their positions a bit. He slotted one leg between Vic's and pulled them in as close as he could. He wanted to make the most out of every single moment they had together. After making up his mind that he'd start looking for an apartment, Tawson fell asleep with Vic secure in his arms.

It didn't feel like much time had passed at all when he opened his eyes again. Vic wasn't in the bed and he could hear distant clinking coming from downstairs. And music. The smell of something sweet hit his nose. It was enough to drag him out of bed. He slipped on a pair of briefs just because. The weather outside was still cloudy. They most likely wouldn't hike back to the waterfall. It looked like they were spending their last day indoors.

"Good morning sleepyhead," Vic said when Tawson walked downstairs. "I was wondering when you were going to wake up."

"I'm surprised to see you awake before nine in the morning." Tawson stood beside them and kissed their cheek. "Did you sleep well? "

"Amazing," Vic said. "I just wanted to make the most of our last day together so I got up and wanted to surprise you."

"I'm very surprised," Tawson said. Vic was wearing the same sweat pants from yesterday. "Thank you, baby."

"You've been spoiling me all week so it's about time I give back."

"You know I don't buy you that stuff because I want something in return. I buy it because it makes me think of you which makes me smile."

"Laying it on thick this morning," Vic commented sarcastically.

"What can I say? I'm a romantic."

Vic flipped a pancake onto a plate by the stove and glanced over their shoulder. "You can be when you want to be."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tawson tried to sound offended but Vic didn't take the bait. They finished plating the food before joining Tawson at the table. "What do you want to do today?"

"Would I be lame to say that I want to play some board games and just hang out?" Vic asked. "I mean, it's kind of blah outside anyway and I think it's supposed to rain a bit. And I need to redeem myself against the English professor in Scrabble."

"You can't win by making up words," Tawson argued back. "The way you play stresses me out."

"Yeah, well the way you play makes me have to have a dictionary on hand." Vic ended their reply by shoving a substantial amount of pancake in their mouth. Their cheeks puffed out as they chewed. Tawson was sure at some point or with anyone else he'd find that almost gross, but Vic doing it was cute. "We'll cap the words at six letters."

And that's what they did. After putting the dishes in the dishwasher, Vic grabbed the board from upstairs and brought it down to the living room. They sat opposite each other around the coffee table. There was a rom-com playing in the background. They spent hours playing round after round. There was laughter and small arguments about the validity of a word. Tawson, at one point, even pulled out the rules and read it out loud. Vic tried to distract him by sitting directly in his lap to "read the small print".

It was playful and domestic. And Tawson fucking loved every second of it.

When dinner came around, Vic ran upstairs to their room while Tawson made some sandwiches. He decided on some BLTs on toasted bread. Food was the last thing on his mind when Vic came back down the stairs. They replaced the sweats with a pajama set. The set was also silk, like the nightgown, but this one was a deep blue. It had four white buttons down the front, a collar that was neatly folded down and revealed a small expanse of skin. The sleeves stretched around their muscles and the shorts were barely showing underneath the length of the shirt.

"Someone looks comfortable," Tawson said. "I know I kicked your ass in scrabble. Again. But you can't be throwing in the towel now. We still have hours left before bed."

"You are a sore winner," Vic commented. They sat at the table and Tawson slid over one of the plates. He grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge before sitting down too.

They didn't talk much while eating. Vic got up and grabbed the mayonnaise from the fridge, adding more. Tawson had yet to get the amount of mayo right on Vic's food. He'd keep trying. After dinner, they decided to sit out on the balcony.

There were a couple of the Adirondack chairs and Tawson sat down, Vic unapologetically sitting on his lap. They rested their head against Tawson's shoulder, face buried in his neck. Tawson brushed his fingers up and down Vic's outer thigh, his other hand on Vic's back. The clouds gave way to a decent rain about ten minutes into them sitting outside. Vic snuggled deeper into Tawson's chest. He was certain they would both fall asleep sooner than later.

Tawson loved a good rainy day. The sound was a perfect background noise, the smell fresh and gentle. It was a perfect moment and Tawson planned to stay sitting there, in their own little bubble, for as long as Vic wanted to. Which seemed to be quite a while. They never fell asleep like Tawson guessed they would. Both of them spoke softly, recapping their last couple days, talking about the holidays, nothing really in particular. Tawson responded in kind, telling stories of Christmas with his family and how his older sister would always ruin what his gifts were up until she was at least ten.

"Pax did the same to me," Vic said with a small smile. Tawson was essentially cradling Vic in his lap while they talked. "She wouldn't do it in front of our parents though. But they knew. And when they caught on to it, they started telling her the wrong things that they got me. I think the best one I can remember was a pack of oranges."

"My mom always put fruit in our stockings," Tawson said. He missed his parents. He'd spoken to his mom a few times since moving to the ranch, but he hadn't been back to see them. His hometown was only another two hours from where they were. "I would get one apple and one orange with some gift cards each year."

"That's so lame," Vic said with a small chuckle.

"Hey, that was a family tradition," Tawson defended. "I don't remember when it started, but we looked forward to it every year."

"Do you think you'll want to go see them over the holidays?" Vic played with Tawson's fingers, not looking him in the eye.

"Well, I've already been invited to Thanksgiving with your bunch. But I might reach out and go see them for a day or two over the Christmas break. Maybe you could come with me?"

Vic's back straightened and they looked up at Tawson through impossibly long lashes. "You want me to meet your mom?"

"Well, I'd like you to meet the entire family," Tawson said. "But only if you want to and whenever you're ready. We can just say we met on the ranch."

"Is your family okay with you being bisexual?"

"Yeah, they are. I think it's mostly old news. My mom and sister stuck by me during everything. We never had the closest relationship. But they were the only ones that didn't turn their backs on me."

"They sound like great people," Vic said. "I'd like to meet them."

"We'll talk about it," Tawson said. "Right now, I think we should get back inside. The mosquitos are starting to come out and I know that they are weirdly attracted to your legs."

"Yes, inside. Please." Vic was up and off Tawson's lap in a second. "I'm making dinner tonight, by the way."