Chapter 7: My Partner

Warnings: See Chapter 1. Also, this is the porn chapter. While there is some plot there is not a whole lot of plot. Feel free to skip it if RusAm man-on-man action is not your thing (which would be a shame because there's 22 pages of it).

X

Ivan was beside himself.

The hunting trip was going fine. Actually if Ivan was honest with himself it was going to be the best hunting trip ever.

Alfred was the problem though.

Something had really gotten into Alfred. He kept bringing Ivan kills – big kills, rare kills, kills he'd never seen before. Ivan barely had to express a want and Alfred was off like a shot taking care of it and returning back on the double. This would certainly be the year of birds for all the academics back home. Every time Ivan made sure to praise Alfred as each bloody or mangled gift was present to him.

Some times he even went so far as to pet him on the head. Just as Matthew had said, Alfred seemed to love this and would try to fuse their bodies together all but purring and nuzzling. Not that Alfred wasn't affectionate before but something had gotten into the other's system and Ivan wasn't quite sure how to deal with it. It wasn't that Alfred was doing anything wrong exactly so Ivan didn't want to punish him or anything but it certainly made things hot under the collar very quickly.

Ivan hated seeing that disappointed look in Alfred's face every time Ivan all but ran away from Alfred's advances.

By the time they reached the Pacific Ocean Ivan had had enough of running away and hating himself a bit too much every time Alfred decided he wanted to try and squirm onto his lap during meal times or into his bed roll when he thought Ivan was asleep.

Yes. Ivan had had enough.

He was going on the offensive.

X

It started out slow enough. His touch would linger a bit too long.

The praise became a bit too lavish for small things (although that made Alfred only try harder and more for the bigger things to get more praise).

He no longer pushed Alfred away from his bedroll at night.

Alfred accepted it all in stride and was responding with more inadvertent advances of his own.

In turn, Ivan was getting more frustrated.

One night as Alfred saddled up to his bedroll, instead of ignoring the other cuddle up to him with the cloth between them, Ivan opened the side and hauled Alfred in. At first the other struggled against him but when Ivan's nose came in contact with the skull hat on Alfred's head he rolled over and pinned Alfred beneath him.

"Go to sleep, Alfred," said Ivan.

The tone was final and commanding. Alfred had certainly stilled and gazed intently at Ivan. It was a soul-searching gaze that Ivan didn't quite like. Just when Ivan though Alfred had gotten the message to not struggle any more, Alfred ground up against him. It was a slow deliberate movement but there was no denying it for what it was.

Ivan's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline as he quickly filled in all the blanks on Alfred's unusual behavior.

This was – well, Ivan didn't know quite what this was.

That is to say, sex was not a foreign thing to him and sure he may have been seeing Alfred in a light he probably shouldn't have been seeing him in for a few years but having those unaired feeling reciprocated? He had never really thought of Alfred as a sexual creature. Sure his propensity for modesty was incorrigible but all this time Ivan had thought he had been projecting his frustrations out on the other. It was hard not to when you had to leave the debauched courtly intrigue of civilized society for the beautiful figure of your closest, most favored companion. No, Ivan had always counted his blessing that he had managed to hide his desires so well. Yet here was Alfred, working extra hard to please him, grinding up against him, looking like he was about to cry at the lack of response.

The other was frustrated.

That had to be it.

Ivan was just the most convenient outlet for a desire Ivan was sure Alfred knew very little about.

Alfred made to gyrate his hips against Ivan again. Ivan could feel his companion hardening during the action.

Thoughtlessly Ivan adjusted his position to ensure that Alfred could no longer perform such an action. It was proving to be distracting and he needed to think on this new development.

After the shift, Alfred remained completely still under Ivan's hands although Ivan was not paying much attention to where he was looking – he was lost in his head checking and re-checking the situation and what it could actually mean.

Alfred's whimper brought him out of it. He focused back in on the situation at hand only to find Alfred, still hard beneath him, silently crying. The moment Alfred noticed Ivan actually looking at him and paying attention to him, he ducked his head and refused to make eye contact.

Having known Alfred for so long Ivan could tell the other was doing his best to check his emotions and bottle everything up. Ivan hated that look on Alfred's face. It hammered home the realness of the strange situation that he had to deal with.

"Alfred," said Ivan. The other snapped to attention at the call of his name, just the way Ivan had trained him to do. He was still crying but Ivan could see the small flicker of hope in tired, miserable eyes.

Ivan brushed away the tears and then rearranged their position so that Alfred was more curled up to Ivan's side and not pinned underneath him. The last thing Ivan needed was for his control to slip and him to jump Alfred (no matter how much the other appeared to want it) without trying to talk this out. Alfred just snuggled into his side and grabbed fistfuls of his shirt as if he were afraid Ivan would pull away from him. Neither could quite ignore the firm feeling that Alfred's privates had against Ivan's leg. Ivan sighed and began to card his fingers through Alfred's hair noting the tears drying up.

"Is this what you really want?" Ivan said. Alfred just clutched into his shirt tighter and nodded against his chest. But it wasn't good enough for Ivan. The situation was still too odd for a simple nod to cover it. "You can talk to me Alfred. Right now you can talk to me."

Alfred whined.

"I know you can. I will not punish you if you do so right now."

The other remained silent, his breathing shaky, his hands clenching and unclenching at Ivan's shirt almost like a cat trying to kneed something.

"This is really big Alfred and we need to get things straight so it does not go wrong," said Ivan. "What do you want?"

Alfred whined again and ground his hips down on to Ivan again reminding them both of the hardness between them.

"Fuck," said Alfred.

Well if that wasn't direct and to the point.

Alfred gave a few more thrusts to get his point across and then settled back down once more. Despite his surprise at the bluntness, Ivan's hand never stopped carding thought Alfred's hair.

"I see," Ivan said. Then the words of Matthew came unbidden to him – the talk they had about the Russian hunter figurines and of Alfred's blatant affections of love Matthew had insisted were there. This was not just a spontaneous need to get off but a long burning feeling deep inside Alfred.

It was resolved then.

If they were to be companions they could also be partners in the most literal sense of the word. The Safari Zone's siren song that the court whispered about behind his back would become little more then returning to Alfred and freedom from the rigors of civilized society. Ivan would give in to his – their – desires.

But not tonight.

The day had brought too many trials. Alfred, despite his bravado and assuredness, was exhausted having done the lion's share of the dirty work in defending them from an unusual amount of unpleasantness that day. As much as Ivan wanted to roll over and plow into the mosaic of a man beside him, he owed it to Alfred to allow him rest. Only when they could find some harbor of safety in this wild land could Ivan trust himself enough to do exactly what he wanted to do to Alfred. Sadly, this was not the night.

So he continued to muse in silence. Taking steady breaths to keep his heart rate low and slow he worked to calm Alfred. As his ministrations continued the tension leaked out of Alfred's body and before long the other was more asleep then not.

"I think I would like that too," said Ivan. Alfred stirred a bit at the low murmured words but did not fully awake. Carefully not to jostle the other even more alert Ivan leaned forward to give Alfred a goodnight kiss on the forehead. It was a thing he had not done in years but it felt right to do so now. What he did not count on was Alfred intercepting his lips and meeting them with his own.

Alfred's eyes sparkled with radiant mirth visible even though the haze of tiredness. Before Ivan had the opportunity to balk or question, Alfred was firmly snuggled back into Ivan's side fast asleep.

Ivan was going to fuck him so hard the first opportunity he got.

X

The morning was slightly awkward. It was a novel experience for Ivan waking up next to an almost bed partner. Well, considering the sticky mess on the side of his trousers and all over Alfred's pants and the bedroll in general he was just going to bite the bullet and call it official.

He wanted to get angry. By all rights he should get angry at the soiled material and the amount of effort it would take to get such things clean out here in the middle of absolutely nowhere. But he just couldn't manage to work up the necessary ire with Alfred's content breathing ghosting along his chest or the way the other clung to him only to slide down Ivan's front when Ivan tried to sit up. It was just before dawn – a bit of a lie in day by their normal standards but Alfred still did not stir. No if anything he looked even more smug and content then when he had managed to catch the bright red bird that matched Ivan's coat three days before.

Ivan puttered about the campsite and considered what to do. This area was still a bit too dangerous to bed Alfred – a shame because now that Ivan could tell Alfred wanted it, he was having a very hard time tamping down on his own arousal even with the aid of the tightly padded trousers he was wearing. To add insult to injury they had been unable to find a decent enough water source the night before that he could make Alfred wash their soiled gear in.

Not one to waste the day and eager to find safer ground Ivan quickly packed up, shouldered his bag and carried Alfred, bedroll and all, out of their camp. It was quite a bit to carry but Ivan was a strong man. If he had to, he could brace these wild lands without Alfred.

It was easy for him to tell when Alfred woke up. The body in his arms went from a limp rag doll to a coiled spring ready to strike. Knowing that Alfred occasionally had to face an unfortunate share of captive situations he quickly pecked Alfred on the forehead. Instantly the other unwound and snuggled back into Ivan's grip.

It seemed that despite growing up, Alfred was still a lazy cuddlier who liked nothing more then to be carried about.

So Ivan dropped him.

He may appreciate Alfred's company. He may want to have sex with him. But never would he allow Alfred to became soft on his watch – ensuring Alfred's survival so that they could continue this dance was paramount.

The other hit the ground with a solid thud. Alfred tried to stand up after that but was still firmly tied into the bedroll. Ivan was just about to laugh when the struggling turned a bit fiercer and Alfred started growling. Ivan foresaw the end of his bedroll if he didn't act soon. So he pinned Alfred through the material, undid the offending laces and straps, and gave a big yank sending Alfred sprawling onto the ground in front of him.

Ivan couldn't believe it.

The other had been up for all of a minute and he was already hard.

Painfully and obviously so.

Alfred's pants were thin – worn from years of use and the laces on his crotch were hanging by a thread. Truly the pants left nothing to the imagination and may as well have been painted on for all the good they did at holding things in. If the situation were to continue to progress like this Ivan would not be surprised if the crotch gave out under the strain much in the same way the front of the material on his thighs and calves had ripped open to allow the developing muscles more freedom of movement.

Much to Ivan's amusement Alfred was blushing a brilliant red at being laid out so exposed and clearly wanting.

Ivan truly had never been so glad for his reinforced trousers. Instead he chuckled at Alfred's predicament and attempted to ignore the flashes of rolling bodies and panted moans that his mind's eye so gladly provided for him. He opted to disregard Alfred completely and pack up the bedroll so that they could get the show on the road.

Just as he snapped the last strap of the bedroll onto his pack, a shadow crossed over him. He knew it was Alfred but even then it still shocked him a little. Very rarely did Alfred ever draw himself up to full height – he was almost always in some version of a crouch … it was easier to fight and defend from if you were always poised at the ready. It didn't help that Ivan was now face to face with Alfred's straining package. Ivan flicked his gaze up to Alfred's face and was pleasantly surprised to find a look of curiosity, unease, determination, and desire resting around his eyes.

It was a power play without really being a power play. Ivan knew that if he pressed, Alfred would back down almost immediately. But at the same time, Alfred was trying to show him not only what he wanted but also that he was even willing to take it if hard pressed.

Again, another interesting development. It was making Ivan a bit hot under the collar.

Wanting to see how far this situation could be extended, Ivan slowly drew himself up as he moved to face Alfred full on. He was taller then Alfred by a little bit and used this extra height to his advantage. He could see Alfred attempting to stretch further, puffing out his chest a bit, and leaving his arms loose. It was a good power stance. Alfred did indeed look radiant and fierce. But Alfred had never had to deal with the rigors beyond what nature could throw at him. So Ivan schooled his best game face on – the one that he used in court on special occasions when he needed to project that he wasn't one to be messed with. It wasn't quite a withering glare, it wasn't quite a disapproving frown, it wasn't quite bland impassivity but sharp and direct and indomitable. It picked Alfred a part bit by bit until the defiant fire simmered down to little more then a blatant look of lusty desire. Like flicking on a light switch Alfred sunk back down to his normal posture but instead of stopping there continued right on down to his knees and shot Ivan the most heated look of complete adoration he had ever been on the receiving end of.

It didn't stop there though.

Alfred closed the small space between them and began nuzzling Ivan's lower abdomen – uncomfortably close to an uncomfortably hard area. Ivan's hand found Alfred's hair and he began to tug and pull a bit at the locks every time Alfred's hands did anything other then hold on to the back of his thighs.

Ivan knew that he should stop this. They were on an exposed out cropping. He'd been seeing traces of what could be a bear or other large animal all during the morning.

But it felt really nice.

They hadn't even gotten to the actual sex part and it felt really, really wonderful.

Just when Alfred dipped his head a little lower and slid his hand up a little too high Ivan heard it. With one sharp tug he had pulled Alfred up and away from his tantalizing actions. Alfred wined in confusion at the interruption but one look at Ivan's intense gaze sweeping the surroundings snapped the pleasure hazed from his mind. Both moved to their standard defensive position. Ivan ready to grab whatever armament necessary and Alfred crouched ready to attack.

They waited in tense silence. Neither was dumb enough to discount the lack of surrounding sounds as a threat passed – at least not in the Safari Zone.

It was Alfred that caught the next sound. It was a bit to the right of the pair and Alfred angled himself accordingly. He was still in position to cover the area in front of them but if the threat were from the right it would be long dead before it realized what it had stumbled upon. If the threat were from the center or the left it would catch a glimpse of the duo before dying violently.

Then the low bushes from the right moved again. Soon after a small animal emerged from the underbrush – it was only when Alfred had deposited the shredded remains of what might have been a fox at his feet did Ivan let some of the tension drain from his body. Alfred looked pretty livid at the deceased creature and continued to rend its corpse as Ivan scouted the immediate area for other forms of danger before the pair continued to move on.

When Alfred's sour mood did not improve by the afternoon Ivan stopped and admonished him.

"I know you are frustrated," said Ivan. "I am also frustrated but these are the facts of the life we live and love out here in the Safari Zone." He got right up close to Alfred and pinned him with an intense gaze as he whispered in the other's ear. "I want to take you very badly but I can't right now because it is not safe. When it is, we can, but not until then."

His motions went straight to Alfred's groin. By the time Ivan had finished his explanation the other was again painfully hard but this time doing his best not to present for Ivan or try to rub off his frustrations lest Ivan's warning message come back to bite him.

For his part, Ivan very much enjoyed seeing Alfred have to manage with blue balls the whole day. Alfred still did his best to please Ivan but it was with the addition of strain and desperation. A good half of the things Alfred brought to him that day were mangled just as bad as the fox.

Ivan even had to tell Alfred off when he caught a bird Ivan had never seen before but was so twisted up from Alfred's aggravated hands that it was absolutely worthless.

Relief finally came at dusk.

It was a bit on the early side for them to be stopping – especially considering how late it was that they started out that morning. But the situation was just too good to pass up. The duo had stumbled upon a good-sized cave. Sheltered by a large tree it was mostly out of sight. To be honest neither party would have normally considered sleeping then and there if the current tension had not been present. As an added bonus there was a river not 500 yards away that would be prefect for cleaning up the soiled clothing the pair were sporting as well as whatever further damage they would do to the bedroll that night.

Dinner was a rather humorous affair. Having more time to prepare something than normal Ivan settled on a nice stew. It had some roots and other goodies that he and Alfred had scavenged from the area as well as the meat from things that Alfred had mangled beyond recognition that day. It was a much more hearty meal then they were used to eating at this point in the journey but experience showed him that it was never good to waste things and the little bits of meat from the catches were really too small to waste the effort to dry and too tough to eat on their own so a lavish stew it was.

Alfred was not used to eating stew.

Or using a spoon for that matter.

Instead he plucked out the chunky bits with his fingers and then attempted to slurp the rest of the liquidly mush down which resulted in him getting about half of it everywhere but in his mouth. He got burnt quite a bit from the hot liquid but ate seconds and thirds when Ivan offered.

Ivan, on the other hand, ate only because his mind told him that he must eat. He was not hungry – at least not for food.

Just when Alfred started licking the bowl to get the last tasty remnants of the stew off of it, Ivan pounced.

He grabbed the cleaning rag (really just a shirt that met the bad end of a thorn bush early on in the journey), gave Alfred a quick wipe down to get the stew off of his chest and face, picked the other up, and started for the cave.

During their short walk it concerned Ivan that Alfred was not hardening in anticipation like he was. Instead Alfred wrapped his arms and legs around Ivan further and signed into his chest. The terms fed and content – or maybe fat and happy – floated through Ivan's brain for a moment. Maybe the third helping was being a bit too indulgent. No matter. Ivan was about to heat things up in a big way.

By the time they reached the cave Alfred was almost fully asleep and Ivan was most definitely fully hard. Gently he placed Alfred down on the opened bedroll. Alfred made to close in on himself and curl up but Ivan kept him splayed open. It was a position that Alfred was not normally in and tried his best to avoid because it was so exposing. Being forced to remain that way woke Alfred up a bit.

Ivan quickly and decisively removing the partial skull out of Alfred's hair woke him up the rest of the way. Ivan had not wanted the bizarre hat to impeded his grip on Alfred's hair when things got heated but Alfred really did not seem to want to have him remove it. The more Alfred emerged from his contented state the more he began to protest and wreathe as Ivan meticulously removed the skull. Once it was finally off of Alfred's head, Alfred was growling at Ivan and trying to thrash his way out of Ivan's grip. The movement was doing wonders for Ivan's lower regions but Alfred was too upset and the padding in Ivan's pants was a bit too thick so Alfred didn't notice.

Frustrated at the turn the evening had took Ivan let the full weight of his body pin Alfred. The other's growling got even more intense and their eyes locked. Ivan saw none of the positive emotions that were normally filling Alfred's eyes. He saw none of the passion that had filled them in their brief previous encounters.

That just wouldn't do.

To get his point across Ivan ground down against Alfred in a bizarre parody of what the other had done to him the night before.

Alfred's eyes widened at the action and all traces of upset completely disappeared. The curling sensation of hope and desire filled the void and when Ivan ground down again, Alfred let his eyes slide closed and let out the most positively contented thrum of pleasure Ivan had ever heard.

On Ivan's third attempt Alfred met him half way and Ivan was please to feel his companion beginning to firm up. With a mind on the near constant state of arousal Alfred had been suffering from all day, Ivan knew that he had to act quickly.

He kissed Alfred fiercely and began to undo the laces on Alfred's pants. Alfred was so caught up and overwhelmed in the new feelings and pleasure of the kiss that he barely noticed his nether regions being exposed as his overly tight pants were painstakingly peeled away. In fact Alfred only noticed when he heard the ungraceful rip of the material when Ivan accidently forced the clothing too fast off his left ankle. With Alfred's body almost entirely uncovered – all except for the lower right leg where his pants bunched around his knee, Ivan was free to let his hands roam over the flesh before him and spread Alfred wide.

These sights were all ones Ivan had seen before. It was impossible to travel as much as he and Alfred did and not catch the other naked at some point or other. There were even years when Alfred did not have any kind of clothes at all to shield his body from Ivan – granted at that time Ivan was not lusting after Alfred like in recent trips.

Alfred's muscles were quivering as Ivan held his legs open. His cock jutted proudly upward despite the fact that Ivan had stopped his ministrations and was working very hard on burning the memory into his mind.

Eventually Alfred had enough of waiting. He broke eye contact and did his best to find some sort of friction in the air with a few shallow thrusts. He whined when the move did him no good and again sought Ivan's gaze for some sort of aid.

Ivan would not help him though. Slowly the other leaned backwards so that he was only pinning Alfred's leg open with his own legs. The move caught Alfred's attention and despite the fact that Alfred's hands were now free, he still kept them braced up by his head where Ivan had originally pinned them. Knowing that Alfred's eyes were locked onto his actions, Ivan made a bit of a show about drawing his manhood out of his trousers. The laces and buttons and sash came away and before long Alfred was getting an eyeful of what he had been fussing over.

Just as Ivan was about to bend over Alfred again and grind their exposed cocks together Alfred wrenched his body forward so that he was sitting up. He did not seem to care that his legs were even more splayed with Ivan settled between them. But he did care about touching Ivan's dick.

In a showing level of trust Ivan allowed Alfred's exploration. Alfred's nails were quite … claw like. Normally Ivan cared little for Alfred's talon-hands – they helped Alfred climb and hunt better then your typical blunt manicured nail but having those agile but deadly digits around such an exposed and vulnerable place nearly pushed Ivan over the edge. Alfred was careful in his exploration though. He patted and stroked and fondled but was always mindful of his nails. He just simply seemed enraptured with Ivan.

With one eye towards Alfred's ministrations, Ivan fished though his coat pocket and drew forth a small vial. It was embarrassing to say that Ivan had been carrying it around for years as a force of habit. Back before his first trip to the Safari Zone had even started, his father had explained that many of the valuable and delicate bug specimens that he had brought back from the Safari Zone made the journey safely because they had been trapped in the viscous liquid more commonly used for sexual activities. Ivan had been mortified to even think how his father came upon this knowledge let alone to carry the little vial around but the man had never let the other leave home without it. Now that he had passed Ivan still sucked it up and brought some along with him – never used it, never even had the thought to use it, but now he was infinitely glad he had some.

While this was certainly not Ivan's first time being with a partner, Ivan was positive it was Alfred's. They had hardly done anything and Ivan liked this quite a bit and wanted it to continue. The better he could make this first time for Alfred the more likely he could follow up the action with more acts of passion.

Alfred was so entranced with the differences between his and Ivan's dicks that he didn't notice Ivan's actions with the vial. Or the way Ivan coated his fingers in it.

Once Ivan was sure he got everything within arms reach and ready to go he jumped back into the game. He drew his gummy fingers up the inside of Alfred's thigh making the other jump, whine, and squirm.

As Ivan massaged Alfred's balls he slowly laid Alfred back down all the while ensuring that Alfred's legs stayed just as splayed as they were when he was upright. Ivan knew his movements were well received because Alfred's muscle twitches were out of pleasure not of him trying to close himself up again. In fact Alfred seemed almost wholly unconcerned when Ivan's fingers drifted further down to the fleshy round globes of Alfred's butt.

Alfred's hands scrabbled at the hard ground beneath him as he keened at the slow pace Ivan was going. Again he tried to buck up into Ivan to get some more friction but Ivan was having none of that.

Mentally readying himself to take the plunge Ivan leaned down and bit harshly into Alfred's neck as the first of his lubed fingers breached Alfred's sensitive inner walls.

Just like that Alfred arched and cried and came hard all over the two of them.

Alfred may have finished but Ivan was far from being done. He carefully maneuvered Alfred's blissed out body so that his hips were canted further upward for better access and carefully his finger continued to stretch Alfred. It was slow going but Ivan knew the consequences of not adequately preparing a partner well enough. Knowing Alfred was well over stimulated from his recent orgasm Ivan kept his ministrations probing but careful – toeing a fine line between ramping up the temperature again and the hurt he was sure Alfred's body would be feeling otherwise. Slowly slowly. In and out and in and out. Again and again. Ivan worked tirelessly and by the time Alfred had mostly returned from his slaked state, Ivan was not only nearly ready to explode but Alfred's body was nearly ready to receive him too.

When Ivan felt Alfred was himself enough, he began to assault the other's prostrate. In only a short while Alfred was again at the height of pleasure nearly ready to burst. His eyes were open wide with tears as he moaned at every little twitch and crook of Ivan's fingers completely oblivious to how Ivan's other hand was no longer tracing patterns on his body or tugging at his cock but instead fishing for the vial and slicking up his dick.

Alfred's first inkling that something was changing came when Ivan spread the fingers he had inside him as wide as he had managed to stretch and then something new was coming at him. Lack of fingers turned into something so intense that he arched into Ivan and cried out. Even half delirious, Alfred stunned Ivan by grinding down onto the intrusion fully seating himself on Ivan's cock.

Despite Ivan's now overwhelming pleasure he held Alfred pinned firmly down. Both were breathing heavily – Alfred in trying to accommodate the new girth and Ivan trying to keep it together enough to do this right and not hurt the other. To stall for time Ivan brushed away Alfred's tears, murmured soothing words and even hummed a bit from a song he knew Alfred liked.

By the time he had hummed the melody over three times Alfred's breathing had returned to normal, his cock was again fully erect, and he was looking at Ivan with nothing but pure love and devotion as if Ivan were the whole universe to Alfred.

There was no going back now.

Alfred gasped and cried out when Ivan pulled back only to arch and keen when Ivan slammed back in. It didn't talked long for Ivan's pacing to have Alfred completely undone. It particularly pleased Ivan how fast Alfred had managed to learn how to control his own body's movements and time them to meet Ivan's thrusts and to squeeze down on Ivan at just the right time with just the right amount of pleasurable pressure. Alfred, despite being so new to sex, was a very good lover and Ivan was rewarding him with everything he had.

For as long as he could, Ivan tried to delay the inevitable finish of their first time together. But in the end even he could not contain the pleasures coursing though his body and its reactions to Alfred's every gyration and loving vocalizations. With one final push into the warmth beneath him Ivan came.

It was only when the tidal wave of hazy pleasure started to fade away did he register that Alfred had come again too. The other had even passed out fast asleep from the high.

Briefly Ivan did one last sweep of the cave they were in and, when he sensed no danger, pulled the spent form of his newly christened lover close to him and joined Alfred in dreamland.

X

Ivan was first to wake in the morning. He came to with a start thinking that only death could have left him in such a solid slumbering state. He wasn't quite sure where he was and there was something heavy holding him down so that he couldn't move properly.

He tried to move again but stilled instantly at the sound of a menacing growl coming from his partner. It was only then did he look at his bedmate, his Alfred, that things came back to him. With the memory of what they had done also came the awareness of how gross he felt – dried lube and sweat and come everywhere. It was reviling but the still blissful look on Alfred's face made the situation better. It almost made the number of cuts and scratches littering Ivan's frame from Alfred's sharp nails forgivable. Yet Alfred was much worse for the wear than Ivan was in the cleanliness department.

It was only just dawn but the need to move that always plagued Ivan in the Safari Zone could not be surmounted by the warmth of having another by his side despite a night like last night.

With resolve to wash up, again Ivan was met with Alfred's subconscious low rumbling growl when he tried to move. Alfred was still fast asleep but was clearly unhappy with his good pillow trying to escape. Ivan lingered in the feeling for a bit. It was a small indulgence that no one would ever know about. Unfortunately that left him feeling a bit hard downstairs and as much as Ivan wanted to start the day off with another round he needed to make sure that Alfred was still able to travel at least a bit that day. No. Ivan had to be the better man and hold off on any more escapades. That resolution truly started with a cold bath in the stream nearby to clean up.

Alfred would still not let go or wake up when Ivan tried to move again. Instead of forcing the issue Ivan simply gathered Alfred in his arms and brought him to the water's edge. There in the early glow of pre-dawn Ivan gave himself and Alfred a much-needed bath. Alfred only squirmed awake when Ivan tried to clean out his passage. He seized up immediately at the water all around them (even with its shallowness) trapping Ivan's hand in clenching muscles that spasmed uncontrollably. Panicking, Alfred attempted to get away from Ivan's one-armed grasp.

Ivan tried to not feel hurt at Alfred's fearful struggle or pained wines. He knew that Alfred avoided bathing the same way Ivan avoided political intrigue in court. It wasn't Ivan Alfred was trying to get away from but the water and waking up in an unfamiliar place. Yet the situation was ruining Ivan's morning.

Not wanting to drop Alfred but needing his other hand free to help sooth his panicked lover, Ivan quite harshly knocked their heads together. The impact was enough to relax Alfred's body just enough for Ivan to free his hand and then pull Alfred into an all consuming embrace as he forced Alfred's head steady so that the only place the other could look was directly into Ivan's eyes.

They stayed like that for a moment – connected by foreheads and where Alfred sat comfortably on Ivan's lap in the soft licking shallows. Then Alfred moved forward, pecked Ivan on the lips and then scampered out of Ivan's loosened embrace. Alfred would have scuttled all the way to shore had the sharp pain in his backside not stopped him cold.

For Ivan it was a beautiful study in anatomy. He could see the stabbing ache shoot up Alfred's spine and watch the muscles ripple in radiating waves of pain.

Again Alfred tried to move onto dry land and again his muscles could do nothing but protest. After the third try with little success Alfred flopped down in the last few millimeters of water on the bank of the river and let out a pathetic cry.

The whole thing was so over the top dramatic that Ivan couldn't help but laugh at the other's antics. Even with eyes partially closed in mirth he could see Alfred inch his head up from the pebbled banks and level Ivan with the most withering glare he could muster before letting his head crash back down into the water and sighing.

Not one to linger in the cold water after being cleaned Ivan made his way towards his prostrate companion. He drew up along side Alfred and took a moment to admire how the other cleaned up quite nicely and appreciate his handy work in shoring Alfred's unruly, overgrown hair to a much more manageable length for the lifestyle he led. (It would also rid Ivan of having to look at that damnable skull.)

Alfred didn't move at Ivan's approach. He did react when Ivan placed his hands on his upper thigh. There was a gasp at the contact that morphed quickly into a groan of pain. Alfred didn't try to move again after that, instead returning to stare at the empty sky above them.

It truly amused Ivan how Alfred could handle all sorts of wild animal fights and all the trials Ivan had put him through showing little regard to pain or other bodily injury yet he was acting so put out after their coupling. Ivan could only figure that it was due to the different nature of the soreness or something that was causing Alfred's strange behavior.

Ivan glanced at the sky – still not quite full sunrise yet. They still had a few stolen moments in this place before they had to get moving again.

Ivan knew the best way to get the other up and going again. Carefully he began to massage Alfred's robust thigh muscles, working out the knots and kinks left over from the odd array of positions and uses of last night. Alfred did nothing to protest or encourage Ivan's actions – he just lay there in the few millimeters of water oblivious to how his hair spread out like a halo around his head as it floated in the water as he let out the occasional gasp, grunt, and whimper at Ivan's ministrations. Ivan, for his part, knew what he was doing – massages and other forms of self-medication were points of fact in the rough and tumble culture he was used to dealing with. He doubted Alfred had ever noticed the special attention Ivan always gave to his feet after dinner at the end of each night. It soothed many ills of the journey and Ivan truly knew what he was doing and just how flexible Alfred normally was when he wasn't a ball full of throbbing nerves. After 20 minutes of concentrated effort on the area between Alfred's upper thighs and lower abdomen Ivan was sure that Alfred should be back to fighting form once again. Content with this knowledge it was now time for Alfred to either put up or shut up so that they could get moving again.

Ivan left Alfred there in the water to make his way back to camp. He dressed quickly and cleaned up the area even faster. The bedroll was a mess but it was dry and some of the contaminant even flaked off when he shook it out. Poking his head out of the cave Ivan could see that Alfred had yet to move. Well if that was the case then Alfred wasn't getting any leftovers for breakfast.

Ivan ate quickly and packed up the rest of their camp. By the time he was ready to leave the only thing out of place was Alfred's untouched pack and the shreds that served as Alfred's pants.

Unhappy at Alfred's apparently apathy at everything, Ivan balled up the pants and chucked them at Alfred before stalking off into the underbrush.

He was a good mile and a half down from their last campsite when something barreled into him from behind. Having not sensed anything tracking him Ivan was completely caught off guard and went sprawling. Not one to be on the wrong foot for long, Ivan twisted until he had just enough leverage to grab the assailant and flip their positions. His bloodlust quickly died when it was clear that it was just Alfred playing a very dangerous game with him.

Alfred still did not have pants on and was doing his best to grind up into Ivan from the braced position he was in.

As much as Ivan would have loved to fuck Alfred in this position (it was perfect for rutting and gave him all the power and he instantly understood why animals enjoyed it so much) – now was not the time. Travelling to the Pacific and back was their primary objective … enjoying each other came second.

With great internal remorse Ivan shoved Alfred out from under him. He scanned the area and quickly found Alfred's pants – the other would have been severely punished if he had forgotten his pack and pants – at the base of a nearby tree and snatched them up. In a few quick strides he was back to Alfred's side. Alfred looked up from the melancholy contemplation of the hardness of his dick at Ivan's return approach but didn't have time to escape before Ivan sat on his chest and began yarding the pants over Alfred's flailing legs.

Ivan ignored all protest in his work. Alfred knew better then to scratch at Ivan's back when he was clad in such a resistant coat and instead tried to pinch and grab and shove Ivan off. The actions did not deter Ivan's progress.

The hardest part of re-clothing Alfred came when Ivan tried to fit Alfred's engorged manhood into such a tight, constricting garment. Surprisingly a few well timed bucks from the unwilling individual beneath him had enabled Ivan to slip the pants around Alfred's butt but the other's balls and dick were proving to be a problem. Alfred was slick with pre-cum and all but wailing at Ivan in frustration by the time Ivan finally managed to jam everything back in. With vindictive glee Ivan made sure to tie the laces of the crotch extra tight around the bulge to try and ensure his message was fully received.

To see if it worked Ivan tossed a glance over his shoulder. Alfred was still lightly shoving at his back trying to get Ivan off of him but his eyes were mostly glazed over and he was drooling quite a bit. His eyes sparkled with unshed tears at the denied release he was undoubtedly suffering from.

Pleased with his handy work Ivan gently rubbed Alfred's crotch and got off the other. Without even a backward glance to see if Alfred was following Ivan stalked off. He could hear Alfred's growls of frustration behind him and again chuckled softly at the looks of pure death Alfred sent his way whenever their eyes managed to cross paths.

Even with all of the commotion Ivan was pleased that the other could still move so adeptly after the activities of last night and with the arousal in his pants.

The shared tension between the two continued as Ivan pushed them long and hard all day long and much into the night.

When they did finally stop Ivan made sure to make no advances upon the other. Alfred, even as much as he wanted a second coupling, was still too miffed at Ivan to go after it.

Ivan did not offer to open up his bedroll to Alfred that night and Alfred still sticking to his grievances defiantly made himself comfortable for the evening on the other side of their camp.

Of course when Ivan woke the next morning Alfred was somehow in his bedroll with him. It unnerved Ivan how he had not woken up by this intrusion. Even as he stirred to assess the situation further Alfred was out of his bed and across the other side of the camp like a shot pretending that nothing had happened at all. The charade was nearly perfect except for Ivan could still feel the lingering warmth of another beside him, feel the wetness on his leg, and observe the matching wet spot on the front of Alfred's no longer bulging pants.

Still he made no comment of the situation and the pair continued on their merry way.

The pattern of mutual frustration continued for almost a week when an opportunity presented itself.

It was pouring down rain that day. It had started early in the evening and the pair were forced to shelter in a small hole dug into the side of a hill that Alfred had managed to find. They were in the middle of the flat lands – the big wide-open prairie and were lucky to have found such shelter. After a few hours of tinkering the pair had managed to enlarge the space so that they could both sit up comfortably and have enough floor space to spread out their soggy clothes to dry.

This had been the first time they had been forced to be naked together since their initial coupling and while in hunting seasons of the past nothing had come from the pair sitting naked to wait out the rain, Alfred hardened almost instantly at realizing they would have to strip.

Ivan had been the first to start to undress. One button at a time he dawdled over removing his hunter's jacket, then his under coat, then his vest, then his shirt, then his light padded armor, then his undershirt. He could feel Alfred's eyes burning holes into him – or more specifically his still-clothed arousal that was slowly being revealed.

As Ivan was doing his best to appear fussing with ensuring his clothing was set up to fully dry out, Alfred too stripped out of his pants. With nothing to hide behind, Alfred's antics had sent Ivan over the edge of desire in a very public way.

With one stern look from Ivan, Alfred made to shake his wet pants out so they would dry properly.

The moment the other's back was turned Ivan pounced.

He pinned Alfred on all fours and ground his hardness against Alfred's rear. The other gasped and arched into him not at all trying to pull away.

Ivan knew that the rain would not let up anytime soon that day – maybe not even the next. It was the perfect opportunity to fuck Alfred again and again and again until he couldn't walk without remembering their activities.

Ivan continued to ground down on the willing body beneath him while his hands roamed up and down the well-sculpted torso – tweaking nipples and fondling his dick and balls and everything else that peaked his interest.

Alfred did his best to stay stalk still and let his body be explored by his lover. Only the constant shivering of pleasure, his bobbing dick, and the never-ending keening moans were the only signs Alfred was not entirely catatonic.

Ivan made sure to work Alfred into such a state that the other hardly noticed when he was breached with fingers. Alfred was still ridiculously tight and Ivan had to work exceedingly hard to open the other up. Just as he was working up to add another finger Alfred bucked up against him causing Ivan to brush the other's prostrate. Instantly Alfred collapsed beneath Ivan's weight coming everywhere.

Ivan had half a mind to become upset that his hard work was just undone but was also please that the other was so sensitive to his touch. Ivan was almost positive that he could get the other to come by just brushing his hand up and down Alfred's forearm respectively or something equally crazy.

Knowing that he had ample time and good protection from the raging elements Ivan let Alfred recover a bit before returning again to stretching his partner.

Ivan worked languidly and with an almost snails pace in preparing Alfred. He delighted in watching the other's muscled back twist and shift at his every caress. Such slow loving would not have been possible if Ivan had been able to see Alfred's face – instead the moans and pants were just enough to keep Ivan heated but not to the point where he had to jump Alfred.

Their whole coupling was slow. Just as smoldering as the first time but with an extra element of deliberate care and compassion, Ivan worked to show Alfred every ounce of affection he could.

When Ivan finally came hard and deep inside Alfred he made sure to try and keep his spent form within the other for as long as possible. Through his ministrations he even managed to be cognizant enough of Alfred's state of affairs to get the full impact of the other coming and clenching around him.

They cuddled long after that. Alfred dozed off and on and when Ivan felt he was ready again he worked to stoke the fire in Alfred's belly and continue their loving.

By nightfall that day Ivan had only come three times while Alfred was dry orgasming at Ivan's every manipulation of his body.

The rain continued on the next day and Ivan set about learning all of the unique pleasure spots on his lover's body. Alfred was quite sensitive to touch all over but Ivan managed to find key places that he knew he could easily exploit should Alfred ever need a quick release and Ivan didn't feel like dirtying himself up in the process.

By the third day of rain their clothes were dry but neither made a move to put them on. Ivan was still milking Alfred dry time and time again to the point where Alfred was nearly delirious from the constant pleasure assault. In truth they had only coupled a handful of times each day but Ivan diligently tired Alfred out so much so that the other had stopped trying to influence when they mated or even trying to come on to Ivan anymore. Alfred was truly exhausted and sexed out. It didn't help Alfred's case that he usually dozed through meal times and when he was awake he was usually too exhausted to eat. So Ivan fed him – and made it erotic – and Alfred would seize up again because he had nothing left in him to give after being nearly constantly bombarded for over 72 hours.

On the forth day the rain was lightening up considerably. Ivan's best guess was that tomorrow they could be off again. He left Alfred sleep nearly the whole day – he fucked the other hard and fast in the early morning. Alfred slept through it but came hard nonetheless. He also brought Alfred off one last time when he spent the afternoon diligently massaging out all of the soreness from their rainy day escapades.

By mid-afternoon on the next day the duo was up and ready to go. It was the first time in nearly the whole trip that Ivan had not had to wake up to Alfred's hardness nor a sticky patch against his leg. It was a nice change of pace for once and Alfred seemed just as content to not initiate anything, opting instead to just bask in their shared warmth until it was time to move on.

For the rest of the day they traveled on. Alfred was even up to the task of downing a buffalo for Ivan. Only twice did Ivan catch Alfred trying to rub the soreness from his behind. It was quite a crude mimicry of the massage Ivan had given him but it warmed Ivan's heart.

When they stopped for the night, Ivan prepared a hearty meal and spent the reminder of the evening further massaging Alfred until the other fell blissfully asleep after a happy day.

The fire was still there but they each set nonverbal boundaries for the other knowing when it was a good time to fuck and when they had best continue on traveling. They spend the remainder of Ivan's time in the Safari Zone jumping each other's bones across the whole continent and back. Each new day brought the possibility of a new sexual experience for the couple. Over time the pair found their favorite positions – Ivan's mirrored there second coupling, taking Alfred hard from behind. Alfred on the other hand loved to pounce on Ivan while he was unaware and ride Ivan into the ground. Between the two of them they managed to find several suitable substitutes for lubricant … Ivan's had quickly run out little more than a week into their various unions. The substitutes were not as good but Ivan suspected that Alfred enjoyed the extra burn because Ivan was always sure to give Alfred the most luxurious massages to help chase the soreness away afterwards.

It was a sad day when Ivan knew he could no longer prolong leaving the Safari Zone. Even with the preoccupation of fucking Alfred, the duo had managed to have another wonderful, successful hunting season. But all good things must end.

After some careful scouting Ivan knew the boat he needed to leave on would depart just after lunch that day. It gave him only a few hours time with his lover and he wanted to make them extra special. In secret he laid his plan and waited patiently for Alfred to return from wherever he went to get the raccoon Ivan had challenged him to get.

Carefully Ivan prepared the last batch of their homemade lubricant and readied himself for their final union until next year.

Alfred had no idea what was up when he burst thought the clearing they were staying in with the dead raccoon clutched tightly against his chest. He presented it to Ivan and, as had become the custom for them, Ivan drew Alfred in close and set about praising him for his skills and determination and cunning at catching the creature. Alfred soaked it all up along with Ivan's strategic petting. It wasn't long before Ivan's gentle words and skillful hands had Alfred standing hard at attention. Quickly Ivan's fingers undid the laces on Alfred's pants. Just when Alfred sighed in relief at his member springing free of its confines, Ivan tackled Alfred to the ground and fully divested Alfred of his garment. Alfred thrummed in contentment and spread his legs wide to accommodate Ivan settling between him as he waited for Ivan to rid himself of his breeches. Ivan could tell that Alfred was watching his movement intently even through half lidded eyes.

Then Ivan broke the pattern.

He grabbed Alfred's member and before Alfred could truly react to the changing situation, lined his entrance up and impaled himself on Alfred's hard length.

Alfred was quick to snap out of his I'm-about-to-get-laid heady mindset. He jerked forward with a gasp when he felt himself in Ivan but Ivan was quick to not let the tables be turned and forced Alfred to ease back down with his strong hands on the other's chest. Alfred's breath had rapidly picked up and his eyes were squeezed tight in rapture at the new sensation of being engulfed in warmth and knowing that it was Ivan who was allowing this to happen.

Neither body moved until Alfred opened his eyes again. Their gazes locked and all Ivan could see was the sky and the sea and the pure life found in the Safari Zone reflected in the loving and devoted gaze Alfred gave him. It made his own heart flutter in pride and grief knowing that this would be their final union for so many days to come.

Steadying himself, Ivan lifted up and slowly sunk back down again. Alfred's rumblings were utterly incoherent by that time and his gaze was beginning to glaze over as his pleasure mounted. By Ivan's second movement Alfred's hands had stopped scrabbling at the ground and latched on to Ivan's hips. By the third movement Alfred, even in rapture, was helping Ivan's motions. It was at that point Ivan felt his resolve to stay stoic crumble. Instead he began to whisper sweet nothings to Alfred, pouring out the depth of his feeling that he felt could not be fully conveyed through physical means alone. The position was less then ideal for solidifying a permanent physical memory of each other but Ivan wanted to ensure that Alfred had unique memories of this event.

After having joined so many times in the past months he could tell whenever Alfred was about to ditch over the edge of pleasure and would slow up just enough to ensure that he could milk the situation for all it was worth. Alfred on the other hand did nothing more but help use his hands to guide Ivan's hips up and down on his length. He simply watched Ivan in partial hunting livery as if Ivan were the moon and the sun and the whole of everything.

It was painful for Ivan when Alfred came. It signified the ending of this happy time. Even that thought did not stop the pleasure coursing though his body as he too reached orgasm quickly after Alfred. He could tell that Alfred also knew that this moment was somehow fragile and different for Ivan and had forced his heated blissed out gaze to stay open and looking at Ivan the whole time. Alfred was literally hanging on Ivan as the paragon of everything.

When the pair had finally wound down from their high Alfred was openly crying. He was silent and his grip on Ivan's hips kept squeezing as if to affirm that the other was real and that this was truly happening. With half a mind to the time of day Ivan drew out a small dagger from his inner breast pocket. It was an old but sharp weapon – a last line of defense weapon, but with great care he brought it to Alfred's gently heaving chest and painstakingly carved a shallow 'x' right above the other's rapidly beating heart.

As much as he wanted to lean down and kiss Alfred he had to leave. Gently he removed the other's hands, their contact lingering a moment too long to be just a simple parting. Then Ivan stood and felt his heart drop out of his chest as Alfred's semen and warmth trickled down his thighs. Alfred had sat up the moment Ivan was off of him but made no move to go to Ivan as the other quickly donned his breeches without even attempting to clean himself of the other's seed. Alfred was still silent as Ivan grabbed both heavily laden packs and then turned out of the camp to leave for the docks. Just before Alfred was out of eyesight Ivan quickly threw his gaze over his shoulder for one last look at his Alfred. Alfred who was still sitting in a small puddle of their essence, covered with Ivan's spend and his hands over his bleeding heart looking utterly broken at Ivan's departure.

With one dry sob Ivan hastily turned and made his way through the last little bit of underbrush. Carefully he drew the walls up around him again. He painstakingly hardened his heart and straitened his gait as he purposely marched through the center of town toward the docks. People scuttle out of his way, casting weary glances at the hardened man who looked like a walking reaper, grim and calculating and completely bereft of all good human traits. Ivan ignored their presence and concentrated on nothing but reaching the boat.

It was only when he was safely stowed in his luxurious cabin, door locked tight and boat sailing for the continent did he allow himself to contemplate the hollowness inside of him or the wetness between his legs.

X

Author's Note: I hope it was worth the wait for you lot in getting to this chapter. I've never ventured into this territory before so forgive me of my errors. I've gotten rather tired of the wham bam thank you ma'am kind of sex scenes in this fandom. Don't get me wrong, I read every one diligently before bed each night but there's always something to be said for the tension and the buildup before the main event. Hopefully the two almost dubcon incidents didn't scare too many folks away. Communication errors and misunderstandings can be a total bummer but at least we got to see Ivan not be a bad guy. I also hope you folks appreciate how difficult it is to write a character who has literally said one single word during this entire chapter. Thank goodness for body language but if I lost anyone during any point in time, drop me a line and I'll try to clear things up. The plot picks up after this chapter but there is a tiny bit more man-on-man action in the future.