Chapter Twenty

~ Vic ~

" M mm," Vic panted in his ear. "Fuck, Tawson. I'm so close. I'm right there."

Vic gripped at Tawson's shoulders, their knees dug into the couch cushions. Tawson's hands were on Vic's waist, guiding them up and down as he fucked up. Having sex on the couch, riding Tawson's cock, was definitely a great way to end their vacation. Made even better that barely anyone was on campus since it was the evening before Thanksgiving. They'd have to drive separately to the ranch, but Vic wanted this one more moment with him.

"Come on, Princess." Tawson's words huffed out of him with each thrust. Vic let their eyes trail down Tawson's body. He was naked, sitting on the couch. Vic hadn't given him much of a warning after they walked into the apartment. Tawson didn't seem to mind though, as Vic stripped him of his clothes, guided him to the couch, and gave their all in a blow job. Tawson took all of four minutes to prep them before Vic was sitting flush on his lap. It wasn't like it'd been long since they had sex. They'd been packing up and Tawson decided that one more intimate, slow round of sex on the bed was in order. That had been six hours ago.

Tawson's cock shifted, hitting Vic's prostate. "Oh fuck." Vic let their head fall backward and repeated that same motion. Their orgasm was building fast. "Shit, Tawson. Oh fuck, that feels good. You always make me feel so good."

Tawson's lips were on their bare chest. He kissed over Vic's skin, flicked his tongue over both nipples. Vic moved their hands from Tawson's shoulders and balanced them on Tawson's knees behind themselves. Their whole body was on fire, on display for Tawson to look at. And Tawson looked. Vic smiled, watching Tawson's eyes take every detail in. Then his hand was wrapping around Vic's own cock and Vic gasped at the touch.

"Take what you need from me, Princess." Tawson kept one hand settled on Vic's hip. They didn't have a lot of room to move, but it was just enough. Vic lifted their hips and dropped back down, coming undone at the drag of Tawson's cock inside their body. It was quick and hot. "I'm close, baby. I want you to come for me and then I'll paint that beautiful body of yours with my cum. Mark you, remind you that you belong to me."

Vic whimpered, shifting once more and surging forward to seal their lips. Tawson's words were always the thing that pushed Vic over the edge. His mouth was filthy during sex. "Oh god!" Vic pressed their foreheads together, fucking themselves harder. Harder. Tawson's hand was still wrapped around Vic's cock, stroking in time with Vic's movements.

"Fuck, baby." Tawson grunted out. In one swift movement, Vic was laying on their back on the couch and Tawson was pulling out. The condom was removed with lightning speed. Tawson took both of their cocks in one hand and started stroking. The room filled with grunts and moans. "Oh shit. Come for me, Vic. Come with me."

Like a scene out of the best porno ever, ropes of cum landed across Vic's stomach, even hitting closer to their chest. Both of them moaned through their orgasms, Tawson's hand slowed down but didn't stop completely. When Vic opened their eyes again, gaining control of their breathing and limbs slowly, all they saw was Tawson. The man that helped them face their deepest secret. The man with the sexy as fuck glasses, the body of a god, the personality of a saint. Outside of the sex, at least.

"You look amazing," Tawson said, stealing the words from Vic's mind. Tawson leaned over their body. Vic prepared for a kiss, but instead, Tawson flattened his tongue against Vic's stomach and licked the cum from their skin. "Taste amazing."

"You're going to kill me," Vic said. They threw an arm over their eyes, knowing if they watched Tawson clean their cum with his tongue that they'd have another boner in no time.

Tawson's lips trailed from their stomach up to their chest. He slotted their legs together, doing his best to not put his full weight on Vic. Warm breath moistened the sensitive juncture where shoulder met neck. "You are so special, Vic. I can't get enough of you."

Vic was on cloud nine feeling Tawson's naked body against theirs. They'd had all kinds of sex. Slow and intimate, quick and hot, drawn out and dirty. Moments when they were loud. Some when they didn't share more than the breath between them. Everything with Tawson was so fucking beautiful.

"I love you."

The words were there, fighting to get out. But Vic pushed them down. Instead, they pulled Tawson in for a kiss, feeding him their tongue and tasting the remnant of their release. After a minute, Tawson pulled back and smiled down at Vic.

"How about a quick shower and then we head home?"

"Sounds perfect," Vic said. "I'm sure I'll get roped into something as soon as I step foot back in the house." Tawson helped Vic up from the couch and they made quick work of a shower.

And less than half an hour later, Vic was waving goodbye to Tawson. It wasn't like they wouldn't see each other in less than twenty-four hours, but Vic knew they'd be restless tonight. They'd slept so soundly next to Tawson, all warm and safe feeling, that sleeping alone would most likely have them up half the night. They'd let Chauncey up on the bed and cuddle him.

As predicted, when they parked their car in front of the house, several people were sitting on the porch. Wright and Paxton were peeling potatoes. Xander was shucking corn. The front door was opened and they could see their mom and dad inside.

"Look who it is," Paxton called out. "It's a bit late getting back, isn't it?"

"I was at the apartment for a bit," Vic said. "Wanted to unpack and grab some clothes to wash this weekend."

Vic walked up the steps and leaned their backside against the railing. "How was the trip?" Wright asked.

"Great," Vic said. "We went hiking to a waterfall, learned some stuff about nature, the usual. It rained a bit on Sunday so we mostly stayed inside. Played some scrabble." The easiest way to keep the story straight was to stick to the truth as much as possible. But where Vic pictured themselves curled up in Tawson's lap, everyone else was picturing a group of university freshman playing board games. Who was Vic to correct that? "I'm kind of wiped after traveling back though. Do y'all need help with anything?"

"We're good out here," Wright said. "You can ask your mom if she needs anything."

The night air was a bit chilly and Vic didn't have a jacket on. The house, despite the open door, was several degrees warmer. "Hey, Mom. Dad."

"Oh sweetie, hi." Their mom had her hands up with what looked like flour clear up to her elbows. "I would hug you but I don't want to get you dirty."

"It's okay, Mom." Vic wrapped their arms around her and gave her a quick hug. "I missed you. Everything is looking amazing already."

"It's not much," she said, dismissing her hard work like she did every time she cooked.

"It's more and more food every year and yet, she still says ‘not much'." Their dad came from the living room. From the angle the main dining room table sat, Vic assumed that he'd been moving furniture around to accommodate an extra table tomorrow. "How was the trip?"

"Great," Vic said. "It was really needed, but we also learned a lot."

"That's great, sweetie. I'm glad you had fun." Vic watched their mom go back to kneading some dough. She was making her homemade rolls. Vic helped her make them last year. "You look tired, though. Why don't you go get some sleep? We can use your help in the morning getting everything set up, but we're good right now."

"Are you sure?" Vic was feeling a bit drained. Whether that was because they were physically tired or because they craved to drive up to Tawson's place and stay the night.

"Yes. Go sleep." Their dad popped something into his mouth with a finger held to his lips. Vic nodded. "Do you mind helping with the horses tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I can." Vic nodded. They started toward the hallway to head to the stairs.

"Love you, honey!" Their mom called out behind them. "Goodnight."

"Love you too. Both of you."

Vic did just that too. They slipped down to their briefs and got under the covers, pulling up Tawson's texts to tell him goodnight and that they would see him tomorrow. Vic fell asleep before a response came through.

When they woke up the next morning, it was go-go-go from the start. Vic helped out in the barn. They even rode out to the back fields with their dad to make sure the guys and Zaya were good and on track to come up for the meal later. Zaya worked it out with Vic and Paxton's dad that she would be off during the soccer season to travel with Paxton for away games. They had their own house already too, but Zaya still stayed in the bunk house some nights.

By the time they put the horses back in the paddock, the rest of the family was up and moving around. Vic showered and then helped where needed. It involved moving furniture, setting up placemats, greeting friends and family as they came in. They also helped their mom add the whipped cream onto the pies before they went back into the fridge.

The house was filled with bodies and conversations by one in the afternoon. Tawson slipped into the house, handing the cobbler he made off to Vic's dad. "You might regret doing that," Vic commented. "We likely won't see that dish put out on the table."

Tawson smiled at Vic. All the memories of the last couple of days flashed in Vic's mind. They wanted to reach out and touch Tawson, hug him. Kiss him. Tell everyone that they were together. Instead, they ducked their head and offered a small smile in return. "Can I help with anything?"

"Victor?" Hearing their full name sounded almost wrong now. They hadn't gained the courage to tell the family that they went by a nickname. Much less, that they were nonbinary. Vic could see that Tawson knew what was going through their mind. "Can you possibly head to the guest house and see if we have the centerpieces from last year in there still? The ones that have the metal base and have the leaves wound around them?"

"Sure," Vic said. "Tawson, would you mind helping? If they're in there, it's going to require more than two hands."

They walked outside and down the steps. Vic wore his tennis shoes, a pair of dark jeans, and a sweater with a discreet argyle design across it. Tawson was in much the same with the shoes and jeans, but he chose one of the blazers he wore for work. He looked amazing. Vic unlocked the door and stepped in, closing it softly behind Tawson. No one else was inside.

"You still haven't told your family?" Tawson asked. It wasn't accusatory or pushy, but Vic knew he was going to ask as soon as they were alone. They shrugged.

"I don't know," Vic said. "I want to. It's kind of weird hearing my full name again. I'll talk to them, I promise. After today, though."

"I'll be there if you need me," Tawson said. "Do you want me to use he / him pronouns again or?"

"No, it's okay. I promise, I'm not near as worried as I was at the start of the semester to tell them. It just hasn't come up."

Tawson pulled Vic in for a quick hug before they focused and Vic led him to the closet they used for storage. They found six of what their mom was talking about, exactly the reason why Vic asked for extra hands. Back inside the main house, Vic and Tawson let their mom direct on how to set the tables. Then she directed Vic to find some candles.

They got it set up just in time for everyone to come in and find a seat. With such a crowd and the rush of dishes that everyone brought, settling the kids that had been running around, and this and that, Vic and Tawson weren't given a second glance when they sat beside each other. Both of them kept their legs pressed together under the table.

Vic's grandma on his mom's side, Palma, sat across from them. She had an unending list of questions for Tawson. Most of them he answered, some he skirted around the truth a bit. She asked Vic how classes were going too. When she realized that Tawson was a professor, that started a whole new round of questions for both of them.

They all laughed and ate and had a good time. Vic ate way more than they should have. They regretted the jeans and wished to sneak away and put on a pair of sweats or something. Tawson called out to Vic's dad that he couldn't see the cobbler on the dessert counter when he went to get himself and Vic something.

"Shhh! Don't be so loud, man." But Vic's mom slapped his arm and told him to pull it out of the oven where she'd kept it to stay warm. Everyone in the house laughed at the interaction and watched him pull the pan out of the oven. There was also vanilla ice cream pulled from the freezer.

Palma caught Vic's attention by sitting in Tawson's seat. They hadn't seen her even get up to move around the table. They'd been a little too focused on how easily Tawson fit in with all their family and friends.

"How are you doing, baby?" Palma asked. Her voice was low and soft. She was nearing her eighties but still going strong. She'd always been soft spoken in volume but she'd speak her mind on anything and everything.

"I'm doing good, Grandma." Vic turned their head to look at her. They offered a small smile. "How are you doing?"

"I'm still kicking, Hun. But you-" She leaned her body over, nudging her shoulder into them. "You seem to have an eye on someone."

"Oh no, Grandma." Vic's nerves shot up quickly and they tried to hide the reaction. "I'm not-"

"Hey, Vic." Tawson's words were low, like he was trying not to make it known to everyone. Palma was the only one close enough to hear him at the moment. Everyone else was otherwise occupied or up getting their own dessert. He stood behind Vic and reached around to set a plate in front of them. "I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I grabbed both chocolate options. One, your mom made and the other I think I heard someone named Gretchen made." He leaned further down to whisper. "I have no idea who that is so hopefully it's a good recipe."

Vic's grandma laughed, pulling a few stares in their direction. Tawson continued to stand behind Vic, since Palma was in his seat. Vic tilted their head back to look at Tawson and thanked him for getting it.

"Did you want anything, Grandma?" Vic asked. "You can share one of these with me. I'm not going to eat both."

"Oh no, Hun. I'm okay. Probably shouldn't eat all those sweets, as good at it looks." She lifted her hands to the edge of the table. Vic knew she was having some issues with her hips and getting up was sometimes hard for her. Vic and Tawson seemed to have the same thought, though, because they both reached a hand out to help her up. "Don't fuss over me boys," she said once she was standing up. "Tawson, you take your seat back."

After a quick protest, Tawson and their grandma switched places. She placed her hands on both of Vic's shoulders and bent down to whisper something. "He seems like a good one, Hun."

Vic turned in the chair to look at their grandma. She smiled warmly down at them. She and their mom looked so much alike. The same nose, eyes, face shape. She lifted her hands to cup Vic's face in them and kissed each cheek. "Don't be afraid to be yourself, baby. We all love you no matter what."

Vic didn't think before they stood and hugged their grandma. She was always supportive, and of course she didn't know the full extent of everything, but her blanket statement was exactly what they needed to hear. "I love you, grandma."

"I love you too, Hun." She dropped her arms after a few seconds. "Now, finish that dessert before I change my mind."