A Needed Vacation

Marco really didn't want to get up in the morning. He was quite comfortable sleeping next to Tom, head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat and feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest. He kept laying there for as long as he could once he opened his eyes, but now that he was awake, he realized he had slept with a lot of his weight on one leg and it was starting to feel uncomfortable. Unable to help it, he shifted into a better position.

That quick movement woke Tom up. He lifted his head, yawning, and his hand gently touched Marco's back.

"Sorry," Marco said.

"Mm, it's fine." Tom moved to get comfortable too, and then kept holding him, closing his eyes again.

"You wanna keep sleeping?"

"Yeah, kinda." Tom already seemed to be dozing off again.

"Yeah, we did stay up kinda late." Marco nodded in agreement, more than happy to keep sleeping. He pressed a brief kiss to Tom's neck, and drifted off again, utterly content.

It was only another hour though before Tom woke up fully, and he sat up, stretching. Marco opened his eyes too, watching him. He smiled at how Tom's wings opened, stretching too. They were so elegant, fitting for Tom's personality.

Tom leaned over Marco, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Hey."

"Hey." Marco nuzzled his wrist.

"Good morning."

"Good morning." Marco pushed himself up with a hand, letting the blanket slip down to his waist as he stretched his arms out. Something popped in his back, and he sighed. "Man."

"How do you feel?"

"Good. Like… I feel pretty good." Marco rubbed his neck, looking down at the small scratches Tom had left on him. He almost felt as if he still had an afterglow, but that couldn't be right.

"After last night, I'm not surprised. So do I." Tom wrapped an arm around him. "It still feels so good, even just sitting here next to you."

Marco curiously looked at him. "So… How long does it take for the high to go down? You know, after sex?"

"Depends. Usually a few hours, but for a first time between a new couple, it can last for like a day."

"Wow, really? Demons are weird."

"Heh, we are pretty good at the lust thing, so it makes sense." Tom laid him down, kissing him. "Anyway, we're partners now, we're married, so it was… A pretty exciting high for both of us. Of course we still feel good about it."

"What if we went again? Right now?"

"It'd probably be pretty great. Do you want to go again?"

Marco answered by flipping Tom over onto his back, pinning him down. Tom's wings briefly flared out, but they closed again, and Tom gave him a challenging smile.

"I guess the answer is yes."

Marco had confidence in this now. After how intimate they got yesterday, he wasn't shy about his body or Tom's. "You led everything yesterday. My turn now."

"Sounds good to me, mi amor."

Marco rolled his eyes, then dove onto him, and Tom happily accepted him.

After a good hour of romping about, the demons finally decided to actually go out and enjoy the island they were staying on. They had chosen to come to Kaua'i. Along with the ocean right nearby, there were walking trails, which they planned to explore. After a quick shower, and some more playing around, they dressed and headed out.

"Man, that was fun," Tom said, referring to the shower.

"Yeah, definitely, I took lots of notes."

"Oh geeze."

Marco reached up to scratch behind Tom's ear, grinning at how his back curved and a purr slipped past his lips. "Adorable."

"Okay, I think I liked you better when you were shy about sex."

"You don't mean that."

"You're right, I don't." Tom took his hand as they got in the elevator. "Why don't we go find somewhere to eat?"

"How can you even think about food after how much we ate yesterday?"

Tom gave him a look. "We just had sex like… six times since coming here, I think I burned through everything I ate yesterday. Are you saying you're not hungry?"

"I'm just messing, I'm totally hungry. Let's find somewhere to eat."

They didn't really talk for the elevator ride, though Marco did playfully poke the hickey he had left on Tom's neck earlier. Tom scowled and pushed his hand away. They went through the lobby and then outside.

The air was warm and the Sun was bright, and there were palm trees and beautiful flowers all around. They could faintly hear the roaring of the ocean and there was a gentle, humid breeze.

They got some looks as they walked, but generally everyone was relaxed, just going about their day.

Tom froze when they came close enough to actually see the ocean, staring at how the sunlight reflected off the waves. "Whoa. It was pretty through the window, but…"

Marco chuckled, slipping an arm around him. "It's so much better up close."

"Yeah." Tom was amazed.

"Want to get closer?"

"Yeah."

Luckily they were wearing sandals. They stepped off the sidewalk and onto sand, beginning the short trek toward the water.

Tom kicked up some sand, watching it drift in the wind. Marco nudged him, and then took off his shoes. Holding them in his hand, he began jogging. Tom did the same, and soon laughed.

"Sand feels so weird!"

"Isn't it great?" Marco skipped, and Tom caught up to him, leaping into the air and doing a front flip. "Show off."

Tom landed softly and kept running. Marco kept up with him easily. They didn't stop until their feet touched damp sand, and Tom stood there to take it all in. The louder yet pleasant roar of the ocean, the salty breeze, the sunlight on his skin. He watched the waves roll, then raised his gaze to the noisy seagulls overhead.

It occurred to Marco that the dry sand they had run across to get here was really hot and he hadn't even noticed. He chalked it up to being a demon. He kept walking, out until the water was regularly running over his toes, washing them clean. Here he sat, not really caring that he wasn't wearing swimming trunks. He'll dry off soon enough in this heat.

He set a hand against the sand, running his claws through it, digging little grooves that filled with water and mud every time a wave came through. A few moments later, Tom sat next to him.

"I get what you said about the ocean," Tom said. "It's huge. It could kill me and not even care. I would be terrified to be lost at sea."

"Yeah. It's dangerous and beautiful." Marco held his hand out, trying to form a wave of his own. A small section of water rose into a swell, but it soon spread back out, joining in with the natural waves and following their course. Marco chuckled. "I can barely control it. The ocean is too powerful to obey me. I can try to influence it, but it has its own direction. Each of these waves were set into motion miles and miles away. How can I stop that?"

Tom nodded thoughtfully. "It has a mind of its own, huh."

"In a way." Marco set his sandals on his lap and tried using both hands. With focus, rocking his hands forward and back, he was able to draw up more water into the waves, making them bigger, wider. He focused on one of the huge waves that was further out, which someone was surfing on. He made it rise higher, and the surfer let out a whoop, adjusting and continuing to ride it with no problem.

When the wave eventually crashed down, it sent water much higher up the shore than usual, and a few people took startled steps back, but no one seemed to find it unusual. Monster waves were common.

For a while, Marco entertained himself with that, but he wasn't properly dressed for swimming, so once he was bored and Tom had gotten his fill, they put their sandals back on and walked back to the sidewalk.

"We've gotta go swimming later," Marco said.

Tom nodded in agreement. "Never swam in the ocean before. That'll be interesting."

They explored the area, letting the Sun dry them off, pointing out interesting landmarks, and casting glances at Mount Waialeale, the inactive shield volcano in the center of the island that was visible from here. They were highly considering going on a tour, though apparently accessing the highest points of the mountain would be difficult. But that was fine; they just wanted to get closer and maybe take some pictures.

They finally chose a restaurant selling burgers, wanting something simple. There were many different specialty burgers available, and Tom pondered over one boasting a 'volcano sauce' while Marco questioned whether one with caramelized pineapple would taste good.

In the end, Tom decided to try the volcano burger to see just how hot it was, and Marco just played it safe with a fairly standard bacon cheeseburger.

"Dude, does yours come with pepper?" Marco asked once the server walked away.

"Sure does," Tom replied.

"Oh my God."

"Don't hate."

"I'm not hating, I just… Why would you do that to yourself?"

Tom chuckled. "What humans call hot and what I call hot are two entirely different things."

"Okay but like. All I'm saying is I'm not getting anywhere near your butt until that's cleared out."

Tom snorted and threw a spoon at him.

They sipped on iced tea as they waited, Tom lamenting that he couldn't order alcohol because he didn't have any sort of Earth ID and also they wouldn't serve it to him anyway because he's 18.

"We can always just go to Germany or something," Marco suggested.

"Eh, it's fine. We have stuff at home. And I can always just magic up that vintage wine Mom gave us."

"Fair enough."

They admired the view from their window, and when Tom saw someone parasailing, he immediately perked up. "We gotta try that!"

"You have wings," Marco said.

"So? It still looks fun!"

Marco had to admit, it did. He's kinda wanted to go parasailing too but just hasn't gotten the chance. No doubt Star would have dragged him off to do it if he mentioned it when they were younger, but it never came up. Maybe that was for the best.

They finished their food and paid, and Marco looked up where they had to go for the parasailing. It wasn't too far away, and they walked there.

"Humans are great," Tom said. "You really aren't so different from demons. You do all these risky things for no reason other than fun. I admire that."

"Heh, yeah, humans are crazy," Marco replied. "Also, I'm not one anymore, remember?"

"Right, right, I know, just… You were for years, and I still kinda think of you as one of them. You're both human and demon. It's pretty cool, actually."

Marco shrugged. "Yeah. I get what you mean."

Tom took his hand, looking up at the sky. "So, parasailing. What happens if something goes wrong? Humans can't fly or levitate."

"Well, they're over water. I guess they just have to release themselves from the tow cable and fall into it. It'll hurt but it won't kill them."

Tom looked up at someone who was currently being towed. "I don't know, they are really high up. They have a better chance if they get separated from the canopy, but… I'm imagining their line breaking, and them getting dragged across the beach and slamming into things."

"Hm. Yeah, good point." Marco started to rethink it, then realized he had magic and could easily save himself. "I'm still gonna do it."

"Me too."

It was a rather pricey activity, but Tom had more than enough money to pay for it. They had to sit through a lengthy safety and instructional briefing, and it was so hard for Tom not to just extend his wings and bluntly say he could handle himself in the air.

But finally they were able to pull on their life jackets, grab the necessary equipment, and head out to the boats.

Tom went first, his boat pulling out a good distance ahead before Marco's followed. Soon, Marco saw his husband's parachute deploy, pulling him off the back of the boat and high into the air. Marco's sensitive hearing caught his ecstatic cry even from here. He prepared for his own deployment.

Once the boat had picked up enough speed, he was given the signal and was able to open the chute. It yanked him backward, and despite being prepared for it, he let out a startled yelp. Within moments he had gained hundreds of feet of air, before being jolted and held steady, a good five hundred feet above the water.

He really wished he had wings, and then remembered he could levitate. He relaxed, slowly loosening his grip on the steering lines. He tugged on one side, and drifted left. He tried the other direction and was swung that way. He finally laughed, enjoying the rush of wind in his hair, the adrenaline pumping through him.

Marco looked over at the beach, far below him, some people glancing up to watch in awe and longing, and others continuing about their day, used to the sight. Then he looked in the other direction, where the ocean stretched beyond the horizon with no end in sight. There were waves and the occasional splash of fish, and sunlight sparkled across the surface. If he squinted, he could see boats, and off in the distance there were even cargo ships.

He turned his gaze forward, stretching out his arms out and letting out a whoop before grabbing onto the ropes again. Maybe he could stop himself from falling, but he still didn't want it to come to that. It'd be hard to explain. Him and Tom being demons has already gotten them more attention than they wanted. Luckily people could be surprisingly tolerant.

The ride lasted nearly twenty minutes. Marco took some selfies. He tested how far back and forth he could glide, and occasionally saw Tom glance back at him, and would wave. It was still over sooner than expected, the boats heading back to the docks and lines reeled in.

Marco stumbled slightly when his feet touched down on the boat, but he steadied himself quickly and hopped down into a seat. The canopy was retrieved and folded, unhooked from his harness. In the boat ahead, Tom was waving back at him, grinning.

Once back on land, Marco wrapped his arm around Tom and walked with him onto the beach.

"You know, we could have done two-person parasailing," Marco commented. "That's a thing."

"Yeah, I noticed while we were up there. But it's okay, I still had fun."

"That's all that matters."

They spent the day exploring the island, taking a tour up the volcano, having a light meal, and heading back to town. They took plenty of pictures and delighted at just how beautiful it was. They had dinner at a cafe outside, and returned to their room to watch the sunset from their balcony, sipping on piña coladas that Tom had magicked up. They tasted amazing, and Tom assured Marco that he had left money to pay for taking the ingredients from a random store.

Before, it might have bothered Marco. But not now. He was having too good of a time. He held Tom's hand, watching the Sun go down and colors fill the sky before darkening into night.

Most of the beachgoers turned in. There were tiki torches providing spots of warm light every so often, but they likely weren't going to be relit until tomorrow. Only the ones close to the buildings would be looked after.

"Wanna go swimming?" Marco asked.

Tom perked up. "Absolutely."

They finished their drinks and went to change into bathing trunks, and Tom was about to just fly off the balcony when Marco reminded him of how terrible that idea was when they were surrounded by wingless humans.

Tom sheepishly agreed, though as they were going downstairs, he commented that it would still be funny to see everyone's reactions.

Marco couldn't help laughing. "You're right, it would be."

They headed outside and across the cooling sand. Their sandals were removed so they could enjoy the feel of sand against their feet, and they found a spot to lay down their towels not too far from the water. One keycard to their room was tucked between their towels, which they left folded. The other was kept in a Velcro pocket Marco had, and he assured Tom that the card would work after being submerged. Then they waded in.

Tom was cautious, especially when the waves began hitting his midriff and higher, powerful enough to knock him back. But he kept going, soon getting used to it. He cast Marco a curious look. "I've only been swimming in pools. Is it any different in the ocean?"

"Not really. Just make sure you watch out for the undertow." Marco was considerably further out, letting himself be pulled back and forth.

"What's that?"

"It's the current that runs in the opposite direction and deeper than the waves. They go toward the shore, but then the water has to return, right? That current can actually yank you further out with it if you're not careful. Course, you can just fly or teleport out. But still."

Tom nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I can feel it." He swam closer to Marco, his feet finally leaving the ground. He could just barely stretch his leg out enough to touch it again.

Marco brushed his hair out of his eyes, looking across the skyline. Then he turned to the horizon, smiling at the stars. Tom reached underwater, taking his hand, and Marco turned to smile at him instead. It was very romantic, until a wave barreled over them and dragged them several feet forward, depositing them into shallower water. They were still pushed under, though.

Marco grunted as his front was scraped against the seafloor, and shoved himself up, breaking the surface. He coughed, wiping the stinging water out of his face, and soon felt another wave hit his back, much more obvious now that he was laying down. He looked around and saw Tom nearby, spitting up water and rubbing his eyes.

"You okay?" Marco asked.

"Fine. Just… That surprised me."

"Yeah. Waves will do that. These are much bigger than the ones in California. And they can get a lot bigger." Marco stood, wiping himself off. He wasn't deterred, going back out.

Tom followed, more observant now. He knew to brace himself and cover his face as swells buffeted him, before pressing forward. They returned to the deeper water, and Marco began to wish he had a surfboard. He's never really had a successful attempt at surfing but he was always willing to try again.

They swam for a while, as it grew darker around them, but they could see just fine with their night vision.

Tom drew Marco close once they got far enough out that waves were no longer crashing over them and the water was relatively calm other than the occasional swell. It was almost dangerously far from shore, but not for a couple demons. They held hands, resting their foreheads together, just relaxing in each other's company. Their feet lightly tread in the water to keep them afloat, and Marco glanced toward the horizon to make sure nothing was coming, before drawing Tom into a kiss.

Tom tilted his head and kissed him back. Marco tasted like salt and coconut, and Tom ran a hand up through his hair, kissing deeper.

The other hummed with approval, parting his lips and inviting Tom closer. He happily did so, wrapping an arm around Marco, tongue teasing along his lower lip.

Marco leaned back to catch his breath, and chuckled, shivering a little. "Heh. This can't be safe."

"We'll be fine," Tom assured him, nuzzling his throat. "You know, with how far out we are, I bet no one on shore can see us."

"Probably not. Which is why it'd be really bad if we started drowning."

"That would never happen."

"It could. We're fireproof, not waterproof."

Tom shrugged. "True. But we can escape if something goes wrong. Just teleport right back. We'll be okay. I was thinking more along the lines of what we can get away with out here."

Marco gave him a knowing look, feeling Tom's claws run down his back. "Are you really thinking about sex? Out here?"

"It may have crossed my mind." Tom wiggled against him. "Imagine how weird it'd feel. But it'd be nice. Warm, wet… And immediate cleanup." He lightly splashed the water, and gave Marco a kiss. "What do you say?"

"I say you're crazy and need to keep it in your pants," Marco replied, even as he hooked his fingers into Tom's waist.

"Mm, so you're saying you're down to grind out here?" Tom teased.

"Maybe I am-" Marco's response was cut off by a searing pain around his ankle, and he jolted, kicking with his other leg and feeling something like sandpaper under his foot. He just barely managed to release Tom before the grip tightened and he was plunged down into the depths.