Chapter Nine

~ Victor ~

T he night was hot and inside the barn wasn't much better. There was a breeze coming through the open doors but that just pushed the smells around as he raked out each stall and dumped the manure into the compost pile at the back of the barn. They used to give it to the neighbors before his uncles bought it and now they sent it to their family farm for compost. They made the trip every couple of months.

He was sweating through his shirt in no time at all. By the third stall, he slipped out of his shirt and continued on. He made sure they had enough feed and fresh water for each of them. He called each of them in individually, hooking them to the grooming stall for a quick brushing and check before putting them in for the night. Chauncey didn't seem to mind and "helped" by barking at random intervals, running in and out of the barn. Vic missed his dog during the week.

He checked off each of the horses on the list by the main door before running back to the porch. The horses must have been outside most of the day because it didn't take too long. He had at least two more hours before anyone would be home. He said goodnight to the horses and closed the main doors, leaving the one to the paddock open. Their fence was more than secure and leaving the door open would allow for any type of breeze to go through. He really loved the horses, but the end result of sweat everywhere was less than ideal.

Vic slumped down onto the porch steps and grabbed his phone from his pocket. Tawson had texted him with what he was making- a Lemon Butter fish with steamed veggies. He didn't eat a lot of fish, but it sounded amazing. He also texted his sister to ask if they were still eating, to which she responded that they were just getting their food. It'd been a mix up at the restaurant and they had to wait a bit for a table. He took a deep breath and finally stood up, heading toward his car.

Tawson was waiting at the door for him when he pulled up. Victor was smiling when he told Tawson what Paxton said.

"That's good because you're going to need a good, long shower," Tawson said with a smile and crinkled nose. "Shoes off out here."

"Yes, sir." Victor did as told and Tawson went back to cooking. The whole place smelled like lemon. Victor was glad, because the last thing he wanted was to spend a night in a small room that smelled like fish. He noted the window was open to help too.

He made his shower quick, but once Victor stepped out of the warm steam, he realized he didn't bring any clothes. He had the ones in his backseat still, but they were all dirty. He secured the towel around his waist and moved to the sink and mirror. Tawson had no use for a brush, to Victor's dismay. And he hadn't brought his toothbrush either.

"Hey, Tawson." Victor opened the door and leaned against the door frame, facing the kitchen area. Tawson was pulling something out of the oven. Looked like baked potatoes. He was really going all out tonight.

"Everything is almost done," he said without turning around.

"It smells and looks amazing," Victor said. "I just realized, though, that I don't have any clean clothes. Or my toothbrush. Or a brush in general."

"I have an extra toothbrush under the counter in the pack still." Tawson finally turned his head and all of his movements stopped. Victor smiled, feeling proud to elicit that reaction. "Fuck, you look amazing, Vic."

Victor loved the reaction but hated that he had no way of hiding how his whole body flushed at the way the nickname rolled off Tawson's tongue so easily. He'd called him that almost exclusively since that first time and he still hadn't gotten used to it. Victor was still working up the courage to see himself that way. He moved to stand at the foot of the bed.

"As much as I would be okay with staying in the towel, do you at least have a shirt I could borrow while we eat?"

"Oh yeah." Tawson wiped his hands on the black track pants he was wearing. He had on a plain, white shirt. His skin was getting more tanned by the day in the late summer heat. "Let me grab it for you."

Tawson started forward, toward the one dresser in the house. Victor took the chance and held his hand out, pretending he was a lot braver than he felt inside. Tawson stopped immediately and Victor brushed their lips together. He knew they still had food cooking on the stove so they couldn't ignore it, but he wanted to steal just a couple of moments.

"Mmm." Victor let the sound travel slowly up his throat. He took his time opening his eyes again. "Tastes like someone's been picking at the food while cooking."

Tawson's answering smile was dazzling. "It's a habit of mine. You'll have to deal with it."

"If you keep cooking like this, I'll deal with a lot of things." Tawson's hand snaked around Victor's body and rested on his ass. For a split second he thought about dropping the towel and letting dinner burn, but his stomach protested that thought immediately.

Tawson stepped away with a smirk and moved to the tall dresser in the corner. He'd taken the single dwelling house, not the one that Zaya had rented. It was very similar but had a different wall color- a tan instead of the robin blue- and the bed was a distressed wood style. This house had a five-drawer dresser and a smaller couch. The cabinets were still white and the layout of the furniture was all the same.

He slipped on the faded gray shirt and sat at the table while Tawson plated their food. He'd even gone as far as cutting open the potato and adding butter to it for him. "This honestly looks amazing, Tawson. Thank you."

"It's no problem," Tawson said. "It's nice to cook for someone other than myself."

"I feel that," Victor said. "My roommate was in one morning, but that was it. Said he had to take some staged photos to keep up the appearance. I starred in two of them. Other than that, I've cooked for myself and Joe one night but the rest of the time it's been me."

"How is that going? Living alone?"

"It isn't bad," Victor said. He cut a piece of fish and his eyes fluttered as soon as the flavors hit his tongue. "Oh god, this is great. I don't eat fish a lot, but that's good. "

"You get so distracted," Tawson said. "But thank you. I'm glad you like it. Now, back to the topic at hand."

"It's okay," Victor said. "I have my study group over on Tuesday evenings but the other nights I'll just chill. It's easy to concentrate at least. The walls are thicker than they seem. I don't usually hear anyone when I close my bedroom door. I might just have quiet neighbors."

"You're just striking freshman gold, aren't you?" Victor knew it was said as a joke, but he nodded either way.

"I mean, I struck the main gold with you."

They were quiet for a moment. Victor felt his cheeks heat and he pushed the broccoli around on his plate before taking a bit. His thoughts raced while they ate in silence. He knew he shouldn't have said it. That gave way too much weight to whatever they were doing. This was just fun, right? Victor wasn't entirely sure what he felt, but he liked whatever it was they were doing. He felt safe.

Tawson reached across the table and took his hand after several long minutes. He finally looked up with a tight lipped smile. Tawson tugged his hand, tipping his head back slightly to indicate for Victor to stand up and move over to where he was sitting. Tawson shifted himself on the chair, spreading his legs so Victor could easily sit on one thigh. Tawson's left hand wrapped around Victor's back and his other went to his thigh. The towel fell open slightly, revealing the milky skin of his upper thigh that didn't get much sun.

"We should really talk about what we're doing," Tawson said. "But I honestly don't know what this is. I just know that I really like having you here. In my house. On my lap."

Victor smiled and wrapped his arms around Tawson's neck. "I like being here, in your house. In your lap." Victor kissed him, gentle and quick. "I also like being in your bed."

"Smooth," Tawson said with a short laugh. Victor smiled triumphantly. "Let me clear the plates. You go get comfy on the bed okay?"

"I'm going to brush my teeth first," Victor said. While the food was delicious, the last thing he wanted was lingering fish breath tonight.

"Good call," Tawson said with another smile. They made quick work of everything and within five minutes, both of them were pulling back the covers and getting in the bed. Victor dropped the towel, naked from the waist down, but still had Tawson's shirt on. Tawson was the opposite; he had his pants on, but no shirt. He clearly took a shower before making dinner and Victor snuggled close to him, smelling that same soap he'd used on himself. It was quickly going from delicious to addicting. Tawson's arms wrapped around him, holding Victor tight against his chest.

Victor was realizing fast that physical touch was becoming his thing with Tawson. Any thoughts of worry and the small knot in his stomach disappeared the longer they stayed connected like that.

"Tawson?" Victor's voice was soft. He didn't want to ruin the moment.

"Yeah, Vic?" Fingers carded through his hair and he closed his eyes briefly and enjoyed the feeling of his fingertips scratching at his scalp. Victor let his fingers trail over Tawson's exposed pecs and abs. Tawson's body was insane. He flattened his hand on Tawson's lower stomach, at the start of the sharp V that disappeared under his track pants. His fingers were only inches from the fabric.

"Are you okay with this? I know you're worried about me, but I don't want to rush you into anything either."

There was no immediate answer. Tawson didn't pull away, but he didn't move either. Victor didn't pull his hand away; he let his fingers brush over Tawson's happy trail and circled his belly button. He was surprised when Tawson's hand covered his own and guided him lower. He tightened his grip on Victor's hand when he stopped over his groin. Victor could feel Tawson's dick twitch at the touch. He understood what Tawson was saying.

Tawson didn't get hard immediately, unlike Victor. He could practically feel the rush of blood to his own cock as he continued to palm Tawson's. Tawson eventually let his hand drop and Victor took it a step further, pulling back to look at Tawson for any sign of stopping. They locked eyes and smiled. Victor leaned down and kissed Tawson.

"Tell me if you want me to stop," Victor said against his lips. Victor kissed his jaw, down his neck. He worried that Tawson wouldn't say stop at any moment. Not because he didn't want to stop- he would in a heartbeat- but because he didn't want him to push himself for Victor's sake.

"I'm good, Vic." Tawson's eyes locked with his and he could see the honesty in them. He smiled and finally moved his hand to slip it under his pants. He wasn't wearing any underwear. That one thought made Victor laugh to himself. "Woah, woah. Did you just laugh when you grabbed my dick?"

"Oh no!" Victor's face flamed with embarrassment. He hadn't meant it like that, at all. "You're not wearing any underwear and it made me think about how I planned on wearing the ones I sent you a picture of but I kind of ruined them. Your dick is, like, amazing. Perfect, even."

"Now you're laying it on too thick," Tawson said. But Victor could hear how his voice had changed from offended to teasing. Victor took the bait, though. He pushed the covers away from their bodies and pulled Tawson's joggers down just enough. He was straddling Tawson's calves, his eyes flicking from the cock he was now holding.

"Not as thick as you," Victor said.

Tawson had the audacity to roll his eyes and scoff. But Victor felt him twitch in his hand. It was a new feeling and he liked it. They repositioned themselves at the same time. Victor laid on his stomach between Tawson's legs, his hand slowly moving up and down in a loose fist. He wanted to taste him.

Victor made sure Tawson was watching him before he flattened his tongue and licked from base to tip, just like he'd done to Victor. He smelled amazing. Clean. His hair was groomed, clean lines. His cock was at least six inches and thick. He'd only been with one other guy, one other person in general, truthfully. And Tawson was definitely more in every sense of the word.

Victor closed his eyes when he wrapped his lips around the head. He felt Tawson's hips shift, like he was fighting the urge to buck up into his mouth. He wasn't the most experienced and he tried to remember the things that Tawson did last time they were this intimate.

He definitely wouldn't be able to take him all the way down without some practice, but after a few sucks, he felt brave enough to go a little more. Tawson let out a long moan at the move. Victor really had no idea what he was doing. Victor wasn't expecting the salty taste that hit his tongue, but it wasn't unwelcomed either. Victor swiped his tongue over Tawson's slit. He pulled off and took a much needed breath.

"Is this okay?" Victor asked. He wasn't sure if he was actually doing much for Tawson. He felt sloppy compared to how quickly Tawson worked him over and had him coming.

"It's perfect," Tawson said.

Victor rolled his eyes. "You don't have to lie to me, Tawson. I know I'm not experienced. If I'm not doing something right, I'd rather you tell me now."

"You're doing great," Tawson said. "Feel free to add a little more pressure though. With your lips, I mean. And you can use your other hand to play with me."

"Play with you?" Victor was almost sure he knew what he meant. He remembered the way Tawson jerked him off while sucking on his balls. Was that what he meant? He'd never even made it past a few strokes and bobs of his head the one other time he'd done this.

"Here." Victor dropped his hand and frowned a bit when Tawson moved to sit up. "Get on your knees on the floor here. If you're okay with it."

Victor wasn't sure what he was about to do, but he wanted to make Tawson feel the best he could. He was willing to learn. Tawson moved to sit on the edge of the bed. It was the perfect height; Victor's face was only inches from his cock and balls again. Tawson took himself in one hand and used his free one to take Victor's hand. He looked up at Tawson, waiting for instructions. "Shit, just looking at you like this is beyond words."

He moved Victor's hand to cup his balls. They were drawn tight already and his cock was leaking. Victor massaged them, mostly just feeling and smiled when Tawson let out a low moan. "That's it," he whispered. His hand left his cock to cup the side of Victor's face. His thumb trailed over his lips, adding pressure until Victor got the hint to part them. Instinctually, Victor closed his lips and sucked. "God, Princess. I want you to keep doing that, okay? Keep your hand right there and open your mouth."

Victor did just as he said. He could feel his own back straighten at the pet name. He'd only used it once since Victor told him that story, but it was nice. It had him wanting to do as good a job as Tawson said he was. He wanted to pretend, for just a little while.

"Vic, look at me." Victor's eyes flicked up to Tawson. "If you want to stop at any point, you need to tell me. Either pull off or tap my leg or something, okay?" Victor nodded. He knew the concept of consent. And despite only knowing him for a couple of weeks, Victor trusted him more than anyone. "I need your words, Princess."

Victor could feel tears threatening at the back of his eyes. He did not want to cry. He moved his hand from Tawson's balls to wrap around the base of his dick. "I promise. But please, teach me what you like. I need that."

Tawson didn't say another word, but he shifted just slightly on the bed. He laid one hand on the back of Victor's head and guided his cock to rest on his tongue. Their eyes stayed locked on each other. Victor finally moved his hands to grip either of Tawson's thighs as he was given what he wanted. His lips stretched wide and Tawson's dick quickly filled his mouth. He pushed forward too quickly and felt his throat constrict. He pulled back and took a deep breath.

"Go slow, Princess. It's okay."

Victor could feel his own cock leaking. The whole situation had Victor so turned on. He didn't want this to be over too quick so he ignored the way his cock bobbed with anticipation. He licked his lips and took a deep breath, moving forward to go again. This time, he wrapped his lips around the head of Tawson's cock. His tongue explored, taking in every detail he could.

His hands roamed too. He squeezed Tawson's thighs, moving up to his hips, and then tracking one hand back down to his balls and the other to pump what he couldn't fit in his mouth. The noises and quiet praises Tawson gave spurred him on. After a minute, he dared to take him deeper. Victor felt the head hit the roof of his mouth. Tawson tasted delicious, bursts of salty precome landing on Victor's tongue.

"Oh, fuck, Princess. Yes, that feels amazing."

Victor found a rhythm. He moved his hand and mouth in tandem. He was getting used to it and he shifted his body, arching his back and adjusting the angle of his throat. Tawson's hand gripped his hair and he let out several shuddery breaths. Victor reached his hand up blindly, covering Tawson's hand with his own. He bobbed his head a couple of times, hoping that he took the note that Victor wanted Tawson to take the lead.

"Are you sure?" Tawson's voice was breathy and strained. Victor applauded himself at the twitch of Tawson's cock against his lips. His eyes fluttered closed at the taste, the smell. The feeling. He was giving his first real blow job. The thought spurred him on. He doubled his efforts, grateful when Tawson finally started to do what he asked.

Tawson's hands were on either side of Victor's face, holding his head still. The first thrust of Tawson's hips came quickly and Victor adjusted his position again to take him as far into his mouth as he could. He could feel him hitting the back of his throat each time.

He closed his eyes, determined to not fuck this up. He breathed deeply and evenly through his nose. It was easier to focus on that when Tawson was doing most of the work. He just had to stay still. Tawson suddenly stood up, changing the angle of Victor's head. The quick change without Tawson missing a thrust had Victor's own dick jerking and leaking on the floor. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was Tawson. His body was so fucking hot, abs contracting, muscles working, jaw slack.

"I'm going to come soon," Tawson said. "Touch yourself, baby. I want you to come with me."

Victor did just that. He wrapped his hand around himself, surprised at how much he'd been leaking. Victor's shaft was hot in his hand, stiffer than he'd ever been before. He loved the feeling of Tawson using him, the way his hips bucked forward. His own orgasm was building quickly and he twisted his fist, squeezing on the upstroke.

"Fuck, Princess. Fuck, fuck." The word chanted on Tawson's lips, over and over as his hips stuttered and then he pushed as far into Victor's mouth as he could. He felt the hot cum hit his throat and he instinctually swallowed, which elicited a long moan from Tawson. He sped up his own hand and pulled off of Tawson's cock when his orgasm hit. He let out a small cry of intense pleasure, not able to contain the noise.

His orgasm seemed to last forever. He painted the floor in front of him and swallowed again. Tawson's taste was still on his tongue. Victor smiled and opened his eyes when he could catch his breath again. Tawson was sitting back on the edge of the bed.

"Are you okay?" Tawson asked. He took Victor's hands in his own and pulled him to his feet and then on to his lap. He sat sideways across both his legs .

"More than," Victor said. He rested his head against Tawson's shoulder. "That was hot."

"It was for me too," Tawson said. He stood up, holding Tawson bridal style with seemingly no problem. He maneuvered them into the bathroom and set him down, handing over the tooth brush once again. They brushed their teeth together and then Tawson directed Victor to lay down while he cleaned up the floor.

Victor's cheeks heated with embarrassment and Tawson must have seen it. He tossed the cleaning wipes into the trash can and then came back to the bed. "Don't do that. Don't feel embarrassed. Watching you come like that, that was everything."

Just as they settled back on the bed, Victor's phone chimed with a notification. He groaned, the last thing he wanted to do was move. "I think that might be your queue that you should head back home. Your family might wonder where your car is."

"Just a few more minutes," Victor said. He felt Tawson's lips press against the top of his head and he held him a bit closer.

"A few more minutes."