Chapter 75
Capri Sun
.
The next day, they left Rome to continue on their tour around Italy. Laxus hated that this meant traveling—and with it his motion sickness—but there was no helping it. They already had an appointment for a boat ride to a private island, and Freed had already hired another cameraman for a photoshoot.
Finally, they reached the coast, explored a little with lots of photographs on their phones, and rested for the night. The next morning, they headed to the docks. Freed had pulled his hair into a bun, expecting lots of wind on the boat ride, and Laxus kept poking at it with a grin of amusement. Then he saw a man with a massive camera and bags of photography gear. Laxus immediately recognized him as the same photographer they had hired in Rome, Jason.
"Him again?" he asked in surprise.
"He's good," Freed replied simply. "Cool, cool, cool!" Jason cheered.
"Now, a few rules," Freed said as they walked across the creaking wooden dock. "Italy is mostly Catholic, and they aren't known for their acceptance of homosexuality, especially sailors. So please try to behave yourself." Freed paused, but Laxus was still amused by the man-bun. "Laxus!"
"Yeah, yeah," he said, leaving the hair alone. "I'm still worn out from how good you fucked my cock in Rome."
Two women walking past them looked over, shocked by Laxus' words and whispering to one another in Italian.
Freed rolled his eyes. "That's exactly the sort of thing I mean. Behave yourself!"
However, Freed did not have to worry too much. If Laxus got bad motion sickness in cars and trains, the boat ride was a whole different level of Hell for him.
Before the ship even cast off, Laxus was down in the cabin, leaned over the toilet, vomiting up breakfast. Freed had offered to stay with him, but Laxus snapped to leave him alone.
Freed tried to enjoy the ride over the water, but it just was not as good without Laxus beside him. He cursed himself. Why did he think this was a good idea? He knew Laxus had motion sickness, yet almost everything about this trip involved traveling. What had he been thinking?
They got close to the island and weighed anchor. The dock was too close to the shore for their ship, so they had to reach it by a little motor raft. While they were stopped and getting the raft prepared, one of the boatmen walked up to Freed.
"Mister American," he greeted. "Want to try fish?" He gestured to show he meant using one of the fishing lines they had on the ship.
Freed looked toward the cabin, where Laxus was still trying to recover. He figured he could get some fun pictures at least while they waited. "Sure!"
"You catch fish for friend," he said. "Feels better with fish."
Freed arched an eyebrow, and some naughty side of him couldn't help but wonder if Laxus would ever make him fuck the mouth of a fish by saying it feels better.
Nope! Nope, nope, nope! He drew a sharp line at using animals, alive or dead!
He forced that thought out of his mind as the boatman showed him the parts of the fishing rod.
"Big rod, vero? Go down deep."
Freed again cringed as his mind would not get out of the gutter. Oh, Laxus certainly had a big rod that could go down deep!
Through Italian and bits of English, he figured out enough to cast a line. He posed for Jason, and the photographer got to work. Freed figured that these would be some fun pictures to share online. Perhaps it would help his image, appearing more rugged and masculine.
He thought it would take a long time to catch anything, but after just a couple of minutes he felt a tug on his line and yelped.
"What do I do?"
"Tirare su il pesce."
"Reel the fish in? How?" he cried out, forgetting the lessons the boatman had just given him.
The boatman rushed behind him and helped him to keep hold of the fishing rod. He began to shout instructions, and Freed panicked as he tried to translate it in his head. Jason began to rapidly snap pictures, visibly excited and yelling "Cool, cool, cool" that there was some action after such a long ride over the calm water.
Suddenly, Freed realized how terribly awkward this was. The man's massive, darkly-tanned arms were around him, his body pressed up flush with his, yanking Freed back up against him, over and over, as he pulled on the line and helped him to reel in the fish.
Why was his mind in the gutter at a moment like this? Surely the man wasn't doing this on purpose!
"Presa salda! Presa salda!"
"What?" Freed squeaked, so flustered that he could not translate in his head.
Jason tried to help by translating. "Press solid, no, hold tight. He says hold tight."
"Tieni una presa salda sulla canna."
"The barrel, no, rod. His rod, hold it tight."
Freed slammed his eyes shut and though to himself, Curse you, vile thoughts, get out of my head!
"Recupera il pesce lentamente."
"Eh, recoup? Take it in slowly."
It was becoming too much for Freed. Between the fisherman with his burly arms around him and Jason trying his best to translate but surely messing up along the way, resulting in phrases that sounded oh-so-wrong, Freed was ready to drop the fishing rod and flee to the cabin to be with Laxus.
"Rilassati, rilassati."
"Relax."
"L'hai quasi."
"Almost there."
Freed let out a whimper, too humiliated to even move now.
Suddenly, the pole was grabbed away, and Laxus took over, rapidly reeling the line until a fish sprang out of the water. He grabbed it and thrust the wriggling fish over to the boatman.
"Touch that, not my boyfriend," he said, glaring daggers at the man, who took the fish and scurried away.
Freed was stunned. "Laxus!" Not realizing he had earlier told Laxus to behave himself, he wrapped his arms around him in a hug, only to catch himself and straighten up before anyone could see. "Are you better now?"
"No," Laxus admitted. "I thought I'd come out for some fresh air, only to see some asshole sailor all over you."
"He wasn't all over me," Freed muttered, although he had also thought it was bordering on creepy.
"Tell them to bring us to the island. We're going ashore." Laxus walked up to the boatman and warned in a dark growl, "Non toccare il mio ragazzo." Don't touch my boyfriend.
Freed's jaw dropped in shock. "I thought you didn't speak Italian."
"I don't. It's one of only three sentences I memorized before leaving on this trip: where's the bathroom, have you seen a man with green hair, and don't touch my boyfriend. Well, that and how to say fuck off in Italian."
Their luggage was loaded onto the motor raft, and two sailors helped them down into the raft, with a third at the rudder. Laxus was glad that there was nothing left in his stomach, because if he thought the ship was bad, this bumpy raft speeding over the waves and kicking up ocean spray was a million times worse.
The motor puttered as they pulled up to the dock, and Laxus bolted away from the craft before the sailor even had time to secure it to a pylon. He rested on the wooden dock on his hands and knees, ready to kiss the ground.
Freed pitied him. He saw Jason begin to lift his camera, but Freed put his hand over the lens and shook his head. He did not want photos of Laxus at his weakest.
Thankfully, for how little it took for Laxus to get sick, he recovered just as swiftly. He stood up, ran his hand through his hair to get it back in order and looked around.
"So, no one lives here?" he asked. He gazed way high up at the house sitting atop a cliff. "Helluva nice place. Looks like some medieval castle."
"I think it was one. I know this was out of the way, but there weren't many choices for private island rentals in Italy. Greece, on the other hand…"
"We'll see Greece another day." Laxus still wanted to take Freed there and actually have a chance to look around. Well, that and to show Freed some of those Greek pornos he had found. "I wanna get something to drink. My throat is nothing but acid right now."
The sailor stayed with the raft. The villa sat atop a towering cliff with a steep road winding up to it. A golf cart had been left in a garage on the bottom, and Freed double-checked his phone for the code to access it. Freed backed the golf cart up, Laxus sat on the back in case he threw up, and Jason sat up front, taking photos of Freed driving. They went up the cliff to the villa, where Freed saw a little garage to park the cart.
Freed unlocked the massive wooden doors, and they stepped into a whole other world. Jason rushed in and began to explore around, taking pictures of the medieval villa and the view out the windows. Freed rushed to the toilet. He had been needing to pee since they boarded the boat, but Laxus kept throwing up in the toilet. Laxus got himself a tall glass of water to cool his throat that was raw from all the vomiting, as well as a thick slice of bread and wedge of cheese left by the owner along with a refrigerator that had some basics.
Glancing around, the inside of the house was elegant, with massive windows so they could look out over the water. They had planned to stay the night there, but Laxus wished they could have spent a whole week. No more transportation, no more crowded cities, just the two of them on an island all to themselves. Sure, he loved watching Freed see historical monuments with a face of wonder, and he had to admit that he was getting blown away by the entire experience. Still, right now, all he wanted was to laze around, hold Freed, and relax.
When Freed stepped out, he had let his hair down and styled it. Laxus tried to clean up a bit. After all, Freed really wanted this photoshoot. Laxus was willing to put up with all this motion sickness if it would make Freed happy.
Finally, they headed out to take pictures, first around the villa with photos on the balcony, then the expansive gardens. Laxus had to wonder how these gardens were kept so immaculate when the island was apparently deserted, and how much the gardener was paid to take a boat ride all the way here just to mow the law, trim the bushes, and keep the flowerbeds tidy. As they explored, he saw a tiny house.
"Stay here," he told Freed.
"Where are you going?" Freed asked in worry.
"To piss in some bushes." He pointed to Jason. "Take pictures of him by that tree. It'll look good."
Jason was eager to take more pictures. He walked away from them, over to the small house, and inspected it. Peeking through the windows, he saw that it was definitely a living space. He tested the door, but it was locked. He softly knocked, but no one answered. He slipped around the house, testing the windows, and in the back he found one that opened. He slid it up and peeked his head in.
"Hey, is anyone in here?" he called out, but it was silent. "If you're still here, I want you gone." Not hearing anything, he figured that maybe the gardener only came a few times a week. Or perhaps he lived here, but when they rented out the property, all the staff left for the day. That made sense.
It was still weird to him to think of staff who lived with you. Freed's family had that arrangement, but it was bizarre to Laxus.
If they ever moved into the Justine mansion, he would have to get used to this.
Maybe he could think of it like having a roommate. Laxus had never wanted to live with someone—not until Freed—but he supposed he could get used to the idea, so long as they were used to seeing him and Freed getting frisky.
Once they were done with photos around the garden, they took the golf cart back down to the beach. Jason seemed to naturally know the best spots, waving them forward in excitement. They posed together. Laxus even humored Freed by smiling for photos.
After these more formal photos, they simply explored the beach. Jason excitedly snapped candid pictures, like Freed showing Laxus a cool shell, and Laxus trying to drag Freed into the water by his hair.
Hours passed, and Laxus was beginning to feel weary. "Hey, can we stop for the day? I'm starving."
"I wanted pictures at sunset," Freed whined. "Wouldn't that be romantic? Kissing as the sun sets over the Mediterranean Sea!" he said, dreamy-eyed.
Laxus wrapped his arms around him. "What's romantic is a moment to have you to myself without him…" he said, nodding to Jason, who was snapping pictures of the romantic embrace, "…distracting me and making me hold back."
"Hold back?" Freed asked, chuckling as he guessed Laxus meant being far more sensual. "Well, we have a couple hours before sunset. We can rest until then, maybe get an early dinner."
They returned to the villa. Laxus fixed sandwiches for everyone, and he handed Freed a fourth plate.
"Feed that sailor guy," he said.
Freed smirked at him. "You don't think he'd grope me?"
"That other shithead did, not this guy. And if he does, I'll tie him to that damn raft and pop it. Let him drown."
Freed chided him and shook his head as he walked outside. Laxus waited, listening for the sound of the golf cart. Once it was away, he looked over at Jason and smirked deviously.
"Hey you," he said to the photographer. "I have an idea…"
After they were done eating, Laxus grabbed a beach blanket and umbrella. Freed told Jason to stay in the house. Then they headed out, and Freed drove the golf cart back down the hill. They struck out across the sand, walking far away from the dock, for some time alone.
They set up a little spot on the edge of the water. Laxus spread out the blanket and opened the umbrella, plunged it down into the rocks and sand. They sat under the shade, holding one another and listening to the gentle waves.
"See, this is what I want," Laxus whispered, holding Freed in his arms.
"I'm so sorry," he sighed. "I guess I don't do well planning romantic things."
"Hey, you've done awesome," Laxus assured him, kissing the top of his head. "You wanted photos to remember it by, right? I want to spoil you."
"But I should have known that a boat ride would torture you."
Laxus chuckled and purred, "I'll torture you in return once we get back home. Maybe a little trip to your daddy's sex dungeon."
Freed gasped and looked around in paranoia. He realized they were way too far away for anyone to have overheard them. In fact, he could barely see the sailor in the raft now. Still, Freed shifted the umbrella to block the view of the dock.
"Oh?" Laxus asked, intrigued by Freed giving the two of them privacy.
Freed spun around, wrapped his long legs around Laxus and gave him a kiss. Laxus hummed and squeezed him close.
He chuckled, "And here you were warning me to behave."
"They can't see, right?" Freed looked around again. From this angle, he could not see the house at all, and the massive umbrella fully blocked the view of the dock. "I feel really bad for putting you through all this. How can I make it up to you?"
Laxus arched his eyebrow. "Seriously?"
Freed's long fingers traced his chiseled face. "Anything you want. Tonight, I'm yours."
"Tonight?" Laxus smirked and whispered, "What if I want you to make it up to me now, while it's still daylight?"
This time, Freed glanced back at the dock and up at the house with mild fear. "Now?"
"My sexy angel," Laxus murmured, tracing his finger around Freed's mouth and getting him to gulp hard. "You told me once that it was a dream of yours, right?"
"W-What was?"
"Sex on the beach. I bet you want it," he growled hungrily. "I bet that's the whole reason you rented a goddamn island. You wanted to be fucked next to the water."
Freed gasped and looked around again with wide eyes.
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna fuck ya. At least, not without lube and a much better towel so we don't get sand up in every crevice. Just a blow job."
"Just!" Freed squeaked. He looked around again. No one could see them. So long as they did not make too much sound, no one should know. He whispered, "Can you be quiet?"
Laxus smirked that Freed was considering it. "You're the one who can't keep quiet."
"Or…" Now Freed had a devious smile. He reached down and stroked the bulge in Laxus' pants. "I could keep your mouth full."
Laxus' eyes opened wide. "Shit, Freed." He felt a spike of excitement, and Laxus chuckled, loving this man who could be so timid and so insatiable. "That would truly be a dream come true."
They kissed passionately, and their hands palmed each other. Although it was Freed who had worried about noises, he was the first to moan.
"I told ya, you're noisy," Laxus breathed, and he lowered Freed's zipper.
"We … nngh … should lower our pants," Freed gasped. "We still have the photoshoot at sunset. We need to keep our clothes clean."
"I think it'd be sexy if you spilled some of my cum onto my pants and the stain was all shiny in the sunlight."
Although he said that, Laxus shimmied his trousers to his knees, and Freed pulled his all the way down to his ankles. However, as he tried to climb on top of Laxus, the trousers and boxers were in the way.
"This ain't gonna work," Laxus muttered. "It'd be easier if you took them completely off."
Freed felt yet another spike of nervousness. At least pulled to their knees, they could yank the pants back up swiftly if anyone came their way. Completely off, he would feel more exposed.
Laxus saw his nerves and calmly caressed him. "If anyone comes, I'll wrap you up in the blanket and deal with it. I want you to be comfortable. Hell, what I really want is to have you fully nude, but half-naked is good too."
Freed bit his lip and looked around. He trusted Laxus. He trusted him fully with his decency and his protection.
Laxus was astonished as Freed not only undid his shoes to pull his pants off, but also unbuttoned his shirt, stripping fully naked. He lost all air in his lungs seeing his angel on the beach in full glory.
"Fuck, I wish I had a camera."
Freed smiled coyly. "Your phone, silly."
"Huh? Oh shit, right!"
Laxus reached down to the lowered trousers and pulled his phone out. First, he kissed Freed.
"Seriously, thank you. If you feel uncomfortable, we can stop, but just seeing you like this … thank you."
A blush graced Freed's cheeks. Laxus took pictures of Freed naked with the ocean as the backdrop.
"Beautiful," he whispered in awe. "Please, just real quick, suck my cock. I want a pic. I would jerk off to something like this any night."
Freed chuckled as he scooted down. "Maybe next time, we should set up a video."
"Fuck yes!" Laxus growled.
"Quiet, dear," Freed playfully scolded. He let the massive cock slide into his mouth.
Laxus took over a dozen pictures, and even a brief video of Freed sucking him right there on the beach with the waves behind him.
"Fuck, you're so beautiful. You really are an angel. I love you so much, Freed. Seriously, thank you."
He felt overwhelmed from the praise. He would have sucked Laxus to completion, but he had asked for something more. He pulled back with a pop of his lips and let his tongue drag across them.
"Ready?" Freed asked with a devilish smile.
Laxus was speechless. How could he possibly speak to such a divine creature?
Freed climbed on top with his face down at Laxus' groin. Laxus looked up at Freed's cock hanging down toward his mouth. He wrapped his thumb and index finger in a circle around and pushed his foreskin back, making the flared head pop out, plump and pink. He licked around the head, then carefully pulled Freed's hips down toward his mouth.
Freed slid his mouth over Laxus and delighted in feeling him gradually grow thicker in his mouth, until he was so firm that the corners of his mouth ached. At the same time, Laxus held Freed's hips, pulling him gently down and back up, trying to time it to the soft, wet slide of Freed's lips up and down his shaft.
He slid a hand up and cupped Freed's balls, kneaded them. Freed moaned, vibrating and low, down the length of Laxus' cock. Then Laxus slid two fingers behind them and rubbed, gently but firmly, against the sweat-damp patch of skin there. A gag came from Freed, he tensed for a moment, only for his thighs to part even more.
Laxus pulled Freed's hips up so he could get some air, and a whine of displeasure came from Freed. He glanced down, but all he saw was Freed's green hair curtaining the view as his head bobbed away.
"I really do wish I could fuck ya," he whispered.
Laxus pulled Freed's hips back down, smothering himself and loving it. Freed at least was considerate, humping slowly and not too deeply in. If Laxus wanted to take him in more, he had to pull Freed down onto his face.
He slipped his fingers back a bit further and explored between his butt cheeks. Freed's whimper sputtered on him, and he pulled his head back up to gasp for air.
"Laxus…"
He replied by taking his other hand and pulling Freed tighter down with a firm suck, silently letting him know to relax and enjoy this. He brushed a fingertip around his pucker, and Freed moaned again.
Laxus pulled Freed back out to warn him, "You're way too loud. Face down." He pushed Freed's head back toward his cock and felt him plunge down even more voraciously. "Is one finger okay? We don't have lube, but spit should be okay for just a finger. I promise not to do too much. I just wanna feel inside you."
Freed's cock gave a leap before his head had a chance to nod in agreement. Laxus licked his finger until he was dripping, then slid his finger in slowly, knuckle by knuckle. No wild thrusting, he just really wanted to feel the heat and Freed's muscles trembling.
Freed was tight, and Laxus imagined fucking him after this. He pictured Freed on his hands and knees, face toward the water, burying himself to the root inside Freed's ass, with the sound of waves and the Mediterranean sun streaming across his pale body, lighting up the gentle curve of his spine, glistening on his perfectly plump butt cheeks, and glinting on his green hair. He imagined gripping Freed's hips as he pounded into him, his voice crying out like a seagull, all of nature to witness them, and if Neptune or Poseidon or any of those ancient sea gods felt this was profaning their domain, he would show them what real fucking was like until they slunk away in shame.
The thought of fucking Freed like that was pushing Laxus over the edge. He pulled his mouth back enough to warn in a strangled voice, "Freed! Faster!"
Freed's mouth became more determined, tightening and giving him rapid strokes. Laxus pulled Freed down tight into his mouth, using his cock to stifle the moans.
Freed felt the pulses as his mouth was flooded. He heard Laxus grunting, struggling to remain quiet through this moment. He drank it all down, like Bacchus himself had provided this fine drink, salty, but somehow that fit the ocean around them. He pulled back to clear his throat but continued to stroke Laxus as the tremors passed through him. He licked up one last little pearl of white and cleaned the head with a final soft suck that sent Laxus trembling with sensitivity.
Still, as much as he loved to taste Laxus, his own cock was aching. Before he had a chance to say anything, Laxus spoke.
"Your turn."
Freed found himself attacked from behind, grabbed, and set down hard on his ass. Before he could ask, Laxus was in front of him and surged up between his legs.
"Now you get a view," he said with a sly smirk, and his mouth plunged down to devour Freed.
He almost cried out, but seeing the ocean in front of him, Freed was acutely reminded that they were out in the open.
Were they being too loud, too suspicious, too…?
There was a ship somewhere out there, and a raft on the dock. Jason was back at the house. Was it possible for the photographer to look down and see them from that height?
Would he take a picture?
Maybe he had one of those telescopic lenses.
Oh God, what if he's taking photos of this and they end up in a tabloid and then everyone will see Laxus sucking me off, oh God!
His fears of being discovered only drove his excitement higher. His heart raced with the terror and humiliation of simply thinking about someone watching them. All the blood rushed down, pulsing through his swollen cock.
"Shit," Freed hissed, putting his hand on the spiky blond hair. "Laxus!"
Laxus gave him no respite. He knew that setting Freed into this position, sitting upright with a view of the beach, would push him. The man barely wanted to make love in the forest not long ago because there might be people out there. Now here they were, knowing two people were on the island with them, and not all that far away.
How he wished a strong breeze would come along and blow that umbrella away right as Freed reached his climax, so he would be fully exposed but too far gone to do anything about it. The sweet humiliation would be perfect!
A rapid tapping on his shoulder and muffled whine was the only warning he got right as Freed's whole body clenched and doubled over. It all burst out, so strong that Laxus gagged for a moment. He swallowed down everything and tried to glance up, wanting to see just how red Freed's face was.
Oh yes! So much humiliation!
Laxus was slow in his cleanup, not wanting this to end. However, eventually the lapping of his tongue was too much for Freed's sensitive, deflated cock. Laxus sat up, crawled around Freed, and held him wrapped up in his arms.
"I'm still naked," Freed protested.
Laxus would not let go, nuzzling Freed's bare shoulders. "Just a moment," he whispered.
Freed went from mortified to melting. Laxus really did love to cuddle afterward.
Well, what was another five minutes?
Laxus let out a deep, warm sigh. "Thank you. I hope it wasn't too much."
"Really pushing things," Freed had to admit. "If we didn't have this umbrella, I wouldn't have agreed."
Laxus snuggled against Freed's shoulder. "Anything for my boyfriend."
Freed relaxed, leaning fully against Laxus, and closed his eyes. "Am I forgiven for putting you onto a ship?"
"Mmmh … for now. There's still the ride back to the mainland. I'll have to punish you again."
Freed licked his lips as he felt thrilled at the threat. He turned around and wrapped his long, milky legs around Laxus' hips. "How about I drive up there, get Jason, we finish those pictures, send all of them away…" He leaned in like a predator, whispering, "…and you can punish me all night?"
Laxus held his chin and breathed in awe, "Insatiable incubus!"
"Of course I am," Freed said with a smirk, and he leaned into Laxus for a slow, gentle, lingering kiss.
They dressed, but Laxus still wanted to sit, holding Freed between his legs with his arms wrapped around him. Freed let him be clingy, but as he kept an eye on the time, he finally warned that they really did need to get Jason for the sunset pictures.
Freed drove back up the hill to fetch Jason while Laxus waited on the beach, not about to ride that nauseating golf cart unless he absolutely had to. He stretched as he strolled the beach, feeling amazing after that blowjob. As he passed the docks, he glanced at the sailor and realized he had headphones on, watching something on his phone. He glanced up at Laxus, frowned, and shook his head.
That clenched it. He had heard them, but at least he had decided to give them privacy.
Freed returned with Jason. While the photographer set up his gear, Freed remained sitting on the golf cart in the shade of some trees. Laxus walked up to him.
"You okay?" he asked in concern.
Freed smiled up at him. "Tired."
"I bet! We'll take a nap once he's done. Stay here and rest."
He walked over to Jason. The photographer glanced over and greeted him with a nod. Laxus realized that he was sweaty, like he had just run a marathon.
In a low voice, Laxus asked, "Did you get them?"
Jason deftly handed him a USB stick. "Foto porno."
"And the video?"
"Also on chiavetta USB. For the video, I charge extra."
Laxus glanced back at Freed, but he was looking at his phone. He quickly pulled out his wallet. "I'll pay in cash. Don't tell him you did that."
"He does not know?" Jason asked, looking upset at the idea that he had just taken a few hundred erotic photos as well as a sex tape without the consent of everyone involved.
"He wanted them but was too shy to ask. See?" He pulled out his own phone and showed Jason the last photo he took, a closeup of Freed with a cock in his mouth. Jason caught a brief glimpse and quickly looked away with a bright red face. "He wanted it, but if he knew you were there, he would have been distracted. That's why I told you to follow us and stay unseen."
"Long way down, harder to get back up," Jason said, looking peeved at just how exhausted he was now, having to rush back up to the top of the cliff while Laxus held onto Freed so he would not see the photographer making his escape.
Laxus reached into his wallet and handed the man even more money for his trouble.
"Lots of money for porno. You have phone," he pointed out.
"I know, but yours is better. This is my gift to him."
"Gift?"
"Yeah, it's a surprise anniversary gift."
"Ah, regalo di anniversario," Jason said with a bright smile. He looked back over at Freed and muttered, "You must really love him."
Laxus looked at the bathroom door and felt a smile lift his cheeks. "More than anything."
Jason gave him a bright, understanding smile, and translated to himself, "Più di ogni altra cosa. Cool. I hope he likes the photos."
Laxus chuckled as he looked down at the flash drive in his hand. "Oh, he will!"
At sunset, they took the last few photos, holding one another in dozens of positions. Just as the sun touched the horizon, Jason sped up with rapid changes in poses and adjustments to his own lighting equipment to get as many pictures as he could as the sun slowly sank. Once that was done, Jason hugged both of them with kisses on the cheeks. Then he loaded his gear onto the raft, which returned to the ship.
Laxus frowned. "They ain't going all the way back to the mainland, I hope!"
"No. The ship will sail around to the other side of the island, out of view, and return in the morning to bring us back."
"Out of view?" Laxus wrapped his arms around Freed. "So, we'll have the beach house all to ourselves."
Freed eased back. "Not so fast. I really, seriously, am tired."
Laxus sneered at the golf cart. "You go up in that. I'll walk."
"Are you sure? It's a long way."
"Then I'll be tired by the time I get to the top and join you in bed." He leaned into Freed's ear and whispered, "Be naked for me."
Freed lost all breath and gulped. Laxus smirked at the blush on his cheeks and gave him a kiss. "Go on."
Freed drove the golf cart while Laxus began to walk. As he hiked up the steep hill, he wondered if maybe he should have paid Jason more for agreeing to sneak down and race back up.
He reached the summit, walked through the garden entryway, and entered the house. He guzzled a glass of water and washed the sweat off his face, then went to the bedroom.
Inside, he saw Freed under the blanket, sound asleep, with his bare torso showing. The pink twilight, shined on his green hair, and Laxus simply had to get a picture of him like that. Then he stripped naked and slid under the sheets. Freed woke briefly, rolled into him, and fell back to sleep. Laxus thought he would just lie there and rest, but instead he plummeted down into sleep.
When Laxus woke up, it was pitch black outside. He saw Freed still asleep, and he sighed in contentment, thinking how lucky he was to have a boyfriend like this.
Freed finally woke up to see Laxus watching over him. Before he could even fully open his eyes, lips were on his, and Laxus climbed on top. Sparks of excitement woke Freed fully up as Laxus plunged his tongue in and began to rub up against his body. Freed desperately reached around him.
What a wake-up!
Just as Freed began to stiffen, Laxus pulled away.
"I'd take ya right here, but I'm seriously starving."
Freed felt both flustered that he had teased him, and thought it was adorable that Laxus had stayed in bed with him rather than get up to eat.
The house had food and a selection of wines. They cooked a simple pasta meal and clinked their wineglasses together. Then Laxus pulled out his phone and began to smile
"What are you looking at?" asked Freed.
"The photos of you with my cock in your mouth," he bluntly replied, and glanced up deviously as Freed's face flushed with humiliation and arousal. "See, look." He flipped his phone around to a particularly slutty picture of Freed with his eyes raised to the camera and his lips stretched tight.
"Laxus!" He sharply looked away, feeling his heated blush creep up to his ears and now his neck.
"It's good, right?" Laxus chuckled as he looked at the picture. "Hell, maybe I should take up photography."
Freed chewed on his lip and muttered, "You really do take good pictures."
Laxus smirked and haughtily said, "I know. I find the sluttiest angles."
"Laxus!" Freed screamed, but the blond was too busy laughing.
After dinner, they rode down to the beach one more time. Laxus brought a lamp to light their way and a thick blanket to deal with the rocky shore. Freed laid back upon it and smiled invitingly. Laxus hovered above him, kissing him and slowly undressing him. Freed groaned as he thought about being naked in the open again. It was not as scary as doing this in broad daylight, but it was still thrilling.
Laxus worshiped every part of him, sucking his nipples, kissing all along his abs, working his way down, but he skipped the best part. That came last. He kissed and caressed those slender legs, down to his ankles, and even kissed his feet. Then he worked his way back up and slowly spread Freed's legs apart. He was so eager now, squirming under such stimulation. Laxus finally kissed his cock, up and down, sucked slighting on the flushed head, but simply left it at that while Freed whined for more.
"Hands and knees," Laxus said in a deep but gentle voice.
Freed obeyed, and Laxus kissed all along his shoulders, spine, down to his buttocks. Freed heard a lube cap pop open. Then slowly, Laxus spread the cheeks, and he slid a finger in. Freed was a little too eager, pushing back on him with a moan. Still, Laxus was gentle, letting Freed fully enjoy this dream come true.
He continued to kiss his back and reached around to only brush his fingers along the twitching cock, teasing and promising him that there was more to come. He gradually eased in another finger, then another, kissing all over him and whispering adorations.
"Are you ready?" he finally whispered.
Freed nodded, more than ready now.
As he listened to the wind and waves, Freed felt Laxus line up against him, ease his ass open, and slowly press. It was always hard to get him in at first, but he forced himself to relax until their bodies merged. Slowly, deeper, Laxus pushed in, adding more lube, waiting to give Freed time to adjust and relax, until he was fully in. Laxus pulled a little out, then pressed all the way up to the hilt, and a loud moan echoed over the island cliffs.
It was not kinky, besides the location. Laxus dragged it out with slow thrusting. He whispered sweet words that melted and thrilled Freed. Then he would stop, and without pulling out, he guided Freed to sit on his lap with his cock still buried in deep. He kissed his shoulders while stroking Freed's cock, and they could both look out over the ocean as they made love. Then he would put him back on all fours, hump into him for a few more minutes, stop, and rest in his lap again with more ministrations of his hand.
Part of Laxus wanted to drag this out until sunrise. How fantastic that would be! The sailors would return to see Freed fucked out of his mind, exhausted, with bags under his eyes. Surely they would know what happened.
After nearly an hour, Laxus suddenly asked, "Do you want to fuck me back?"
Freed gasped. Could he? Out here?
"Let me rephrase that," Laxus said, and his voice deepened. "Fuck me. Right here, in the open. Fuck me on the beach."
Freed just about came from that dominant voice alone.
Laxus prepped himself, and Freed crawled behind. Facing the ocean with Laxus on his hands and knees, he slid in. Freed shuddered, both in pleasure and fear. Or maybe pleasure because of fear.
Laxus realized that Freed was not moving, his muscles stiff with paranoia. "Obey me," he ordered.
Freed felt like he had to. It was a command from his master. His hips slowly flexing in and out, and a moan shivered out. Laxus hummed in pleasure.
"Oh yeah. Sex on the beach. You're gonna fuck me out here, in public. Anyone out there could see you."
"Laxus!" he whimpered. "Please. Be quiet."
Laxus smirked. Freed would only demand that if he was very close to his limit.
Good!
"You're doing great," he praised, and Freed relaxed a little.
Freed finally started to really get into it, thrusting in a rhythm that thrilled Laxus. He looked over the ripples of the moonlight on the sea. He was so glad now that he had rented a private island, and not merely a private beach. Like this, he felt safer. They could make love in the open, and there was absolutely no way anyone was going to see them.
Suddenly, Freed let out a loud gasp, yanked away, and turned off the small lamp. Laxus looked displeased, but he soon saw the problem. Although the ship was supposed to moor on the other side of the island and stay there until morning, it seemed that the sailors got bored and wanted to sail around a little. Even from the shore, they could heard music blasting and see men on the deck drinking and singing.
Freed hunched down and shivered as he stared at the ship. If they could see those men, then the sailors could see them. However, they were lit up, while the beach was now dark except for the silver light of the moon.
"Obey me," he said again.
"But Laxus—"
"Obey me!"
Whimpering, Freed looked from the ship to Laxus on his hands and knees in front of him. Slowly, he crawled back. "Yes, master," he whispered. He re-positioned himself and tried to slide in; however, the fear had crossed a line, and now he was struggling to get erect again.
Laxus growled. "Disobedient slave." He pulled away, flipped Freed onto his back, and crawled on top.
"Laxus!" he squawked.
"You're gonna fuck me." He grabbed Freed's cock and plunged down onto it, sitting atop of him. "I'm gonna make you cum with that ship out there."
"No!" he whined, trying to pull away. "Don't!"
Laxus paused, but he wasn't saying Écriture. Trusting that Freed would tell him if he really wanted to stop, he pinned Freed's arms down. "Fuck my ass! Fuck it and fill me up." He forcefully glided on his cock. "Ooh yeah! I'm gonna force you to fuck me in front of all those men. Oooooh fuck!"
"Quiet! They'll hear," he hissed, still trying to pull away.
"Let them. Now all of them can listen in. Show them how good you are."
Even as Laxus acted forceful, he kept a keen eye on Freed, looking for the slightest hint that he truly was past his limit. He was right at the border, that was for sure.
"Come on, Freed. I know you secretly like this. Relax. Just give in."
Freed bit his lip hard, pulling and struggling. Yes, he loved the humiliation. He loved Laxus being rough and forceful. Still, as he heard the sailors singing some Italian song, he felt too much panic to handle.
"I can't," he whimpered. "Yellow."
Laxus yanked off and instead pulled Freed up onto his lap so his back was to the sea. He spread Freed's butt cheeks and took him fast and powerfully.
"Ahhhhh!" Freed cried out in pain and pleasure.
"Now you can't see them. They'll only see your back and think it's some long-haired woman."
"They know I'm on this island," he hissed.
"They also know we fucked earlier."
"What?" Freed screamed.
"That sailor by the raft. He put on headphones because he could hear just how loud you were. I told you, you're the one who gets noisy." He bucked up into Freed. "So they know, and you can be as loud as you want."
"No," Freed whimpered, and he bit his lips. Still, he did not say Yellow or Red.
Laxus thrust Freed down onto him rapidly and thrust his cock in deep. "I'll protect you."
Freed still could not help but think that someone out there might see him getting plowed by a massive cock.
"Fuck yeah! You're so tight when you're scared like this. Damn, I love it. Feels so good. Damn! I'm gonna cum inside you," Laxus warned, gritting tightly. "I'm gonna cum!"
He yanked Freed down, burrowing deep into him, and let out a roar. Freed stiffened. Anyone could have heard that bellow of animalistic pleasure. Maybe the sailors would think it was merely some monster, like how the Greeks thought the Italian islands were littered with monsters: Cyclopes, Scylla, and so many more.
Perhaps all of those epic stories were just horny Italians making love on the beach.
He felt his insides coated with wet heat, and he felt some dripping back out. Their blanket was going to be a mess.
Laxus took a couple of minutes to float on that high. Then he looked up at Freed, and there was displeasure, almost anger, in his eyes.
"Punishment!" Laxus growled.
"What?"
He pulled Freed up so suddenly, he did not have time to clench, and cum gushed back out. Then he forcefully set Freed up onto his feet and spun him around so he could once again look out at the sea.
"Stand there," he ordered. He saw Freed staring and breathing hard in fear at the ship whose lights were still in view on the horizon. "You have a choice. Option one: stand there. I won't I suck you off, I won't even touch you, but I will turn this lamp back on so they most definitely can see you standing there naked. Option two: lie down so they can't see you at all, and I'll ride on top of you."
Given two choices like that, Freed knew the safer option. He obediently laid back down on the blanket and awaited his next order.
"I thought so," Laxus chuckled. He straddled on top. "I'll go slowly this time."
He eased himself down onto Freed's cock and let out a soft, pleasurable sigh. Going back to their earlier slow lovemaking, he rocked himself on top, kissing Freed as he looked up at the stars.
"I'm sorry for pushing you," he whispered. He glanced out at the sea. "The ship is just about gone. Do you want to look out at the ocean again?"
"What's easier on you?"
"Honestly, although this position is fucking awesome, I want you to see the ocean as you fuck me. That's your dream, right?"
Freed leaned up and kissed him. "You already ruined my dream."
Laxus felt a stab to the heart.
"I wanted simple, gentle lovemaking. You decided to get so kinky, you nearly pushed my limits."
"Oh fuck, I'm so sorry," Laxus said, cringing away in shame.
Freed smirked. "I expect you to make love to me again first thing in the morning, and this time slowly. No, let me rephrase that," he said with a sly glimmer in his eyes. "You will make love to me. Slowly. Early enough so it's before the ship arrives. Maybe right at sunrise, I'll wake you up."
Laxus groaned at that. He hated waking up early.
"No complaints," Freed teased, bopping him on the nose. "I expect nothing less than half an hour of foreplay."
Laxus went from feeling like slime to laughing. "Fuck, I love it when you play like that. You sassy little brat! I seriously thought I fucked up."
"You almost did."
"I'm sorry," he whispered, giving Freed a heartfelt kiss. "This time, I'll make love to you properly. Now, ass, mouth, or hand?"
"I've already been in your ass, so not your mouth. We might as well continue." He leaned into Laxus and whispered, "On your hands and knees!"
Laxus got a gulp stuck in his throat. Seriously, Freed could flip into his very own dom mode so quickly! Laxus got on all fours and looked out at the water. Then, to his utter surprise, Freed turned the lamp back on.
"If those sailors had already heard us, and maybe already saw something just now, then they can see that it's you who takes it up the ass."
Laxus laughed. Where the hell did Freed suddenly get such confidence? Maybe he actually liked doing this in public if he was in his dom mode. Laxus did not care either way, but he was thankful that the ship was nearly out of view, if only so Freed would not regret this in the morning.
Freed crawled up behind him and kissed along Laxus' spine. "I did like it," he assured. "I think we need to push that limit some more."
"Oh?" Laxus said deviously. "If so, then I've got ideas."
"Do I get a hint?"
"Nope."
"Meanie," Freed chuckled.
Laxus felt Freed's cock press in, and he groaned. He no longer cared if they were loud. Apparently, Freed didn't care either, because as he began to pound in, he gave small grunts.
"Yeah, Freed. Fuck me. It feels good, so good. Fuck me on this beach. Oh God, fuck me harder!"
Freed gritted his teeth, pounding in, and dug his nails down into Laxus' hips as he came. Then he collapsed down. Laxus was swiftly to spin onto his back and wrap Freed up into his arms.
"You were amazing. And I'm glad you turned that lamp back on. The video is gonna be awesome."
Freed bolted up and screamed, "Video?" Only then did he realize that Laxus had propped his phone up to capture the whole thing. He buried his face down into his chest. "You jerk."
"You love it," he purred, holding him preciously.
They returned to the house and took a shower together, teasing one another about what happened on the beach. Laxus then collapsed into bed in exhaustion while Freed put on a housecoat and went to the kitchen for some wine to help calm his nerves from the terror and thrill of earlier. Laxus lay there, slowly getting bored, and he had to admit, lonely.
He went to the kitchen, but Freed was not there. He figured some wine wasn't a bad idea, at least kill off the bottle. He poured himself a glass and roamed around.
Finally, Laxus found Freed sitting on a balcony, a wineglass in his long fingers, the housecoat draped open and hanging slightly off a shoulder, one milky-white knee propped up in slouched relaxation, looking elegant, more beautiful and perfect than any Roman marble statue.
Laxus pulled out his phone again and began to take pictures. Although Freed noticed him, he opted to continue looking oblivious, gazing out at the moonlit sea. However, he shrugged a little so the housecoat would slip off both shoulders and tucked back a strand of his hair.
He felt on display, and it felt, admittedly, nice. Rather than the frantic and fake poses from Jason taking photos all day, this was just sitting there, an object of affection and admiration.
He liked this feeling.
Finally, Laxus set his phone down. Freed glanced over, seeing those electric blue eyes gazing so softly at him.
"Do you want to head to the bedroom?" he asked, wondering if Laxus was exhausted after all the sex.
Laxus slowly shook his head. "I just want to admire you for a moment."
Freed thought this was adorable, the rare gentle side to Laxus that came out after all of his craving for kink was satisfied. He stretched his hand out, and Laxus joined him on the balcony. They sat side by side, gazing out over the Mediterranean, and simply enjoyed the calm peace.
"Worth the boat ride?" Freed asked.
Laxus kissed the top of his head. "Hell yeah!"
The next day, they sailed back to the mainland and took a train to Pisa. It was another day packed full of sightseeing, with Freed excitedly dragging Laxus around and the blond going where he was pulled, amused by Freed's excitement. The whole time, Jason was with them to take pictures.
"How much are you paying him?" Laxus finally asked.
Freed laughed nervously and admitted, "He cost more than the plane tickets and hotels combined. Worth it!"
Laxus had to admit, it really was worth it. Especially since he had glanced through the USB stick. He could hardly wait to show Freed those photographs!
And the video!
They went to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and Freed begged to take pictures of Laxus holding up the tower. Laxus scoffed and agreed, but only if he was allowed to take any embarrassing photo of Freed he wanted. Freed consented, but only on Laxus' own camera, not Jason's. This picture turned out to be of the statue of David. Laxus wanted the photo at an angle with Freed's tongue out, so that it looked like he was licking David's marble dick. The utter humiliation of posing there with his tongue hanging out made Freed nearly pass out in humiliation.
There was a trip to Venice and a romantic gondola ride—which made Laxus sick. Next was shopping in Milan where they got to see Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper. They explored Pompeii, hiked through the Dolomites, and had dinner at Grotta Palazzese in Polignano a Mare.
"A restaurant in a cave? Fucking awesome!" as Laxus put it.
After a week of speed-run exploring, they were back on a plane. Laxus zonked out from anti-nausea pills and sheer exhaustion. Freed watched him with adoration.
What a memorable anniversary!
One year together!
He wished for a lifetime of this sort of happiness with Laxus.
Next Chapter: "Childhood Bedroom"
A/N: Hey everyone, Rhov here.
Thanks for waiting.
For the beach house, I was inspired by Casa Fiore (appropriately named) in Capri. That's actually why this chapter is called "Capri Sun." (Well, that and it was one of my favorite juice drinks as a kid.) I originally wanted it to be a private beach on the island of Capri, but I couldn't find one that worked. I also looked for private islands to rent. I was surprised how rare those are in Italy. So we'll just pretend that Freed has "connections."
Cyclopes and Scylla — references to The Odyssey. Many locations in the epic took place around Italy, a place the Ancient Greeks saw as a wild, barbaric, untamed frontier full of monsters.
Totally off topic, it should be spelled "Kyklopes" and "Skylla." That's how it was spelled in the original, and how my very first copy of The Odyssey spelled the names.
English went through a weird phase of trying to make "C" happen like it was fetch. (Who remembers that joke?) We can blame Latin for changing the Greek kappa or "K" into their own "C." Latin books on Greek mythology made it to the British Isles, but without the proper pronunciation. Latin uses "C" for both soft "s" and hard "k" sounds, and it's not always clear which is which. So the Brits, only reading the stories without hearing it, mispronounced many of the words. While Calypso retained her hard "K" sound, "Circe" did not, and "Cyclopes" ended up with a mix of both hard and soft. (I am ALL FOR completely removing the letter "C" from English. Let's make THAT happen like fetch!)
Nowadays, modern transliterations (especially scholarly books) opt for the letter "K" so people pronounce the words correctly. However, the English language had already fucked it up, invented Hollywood, and spread the mispronunciation all through media.
So now the name is commonly (but not universally) pronounced "Sill-lah" in English instead of "Skee-lah," or "Skill-lah" as Homer would have pronounced it. Since the copy I had as a kid was more faithful to the original, I learned it as Kyklopes, Skylla, and Kirke. That led to a lot of confusion when I got into college and took an Ancient World Mythology class!
(Shout-out to my Epic: the Musical fam. I know you've been waaaaaaaiting, waaaaaaaaaaaaiting for this chapter!)
That wraps up the Italian trip. It was supposed to be a quick 4-chapter bonus, getting to see the world outside of Magnolia.
Instead, I took a LONG hiatus.
In early 2020, I took my first break to publish a novel (see shadowstrider =dot= net for more).
In March 2020, I published Chapter 72, literally just days after my area went into Covid lockdown. Remember when we all thought it'd be just for a couple of weeks? Boy, were we wrong!
Although I rather liked lockdown at first—an excuse not to be social—by late 2020 it was really getting to me, and I fell into some pretty extreme depression. As friends began to lose family members to the virus, and as my own family struggled to survive in emergency rooms, I was too scared to leave my tiny apartment, cramped upstairs, food being delivered to me, and if anything required going outside, my husband took care of it since he still had to go into the office. In one Zoom meeting, as my friends bragged about getting gardening work done while they were in lockdown, I numbly replied, "I haven't touched grass in four months."
By 2021, I thought I was feeling better and published Chapter 73 exactly one year after my hiatus. But then, I had a full-blown breakdown. Had there not been a pandemic going on, I would have voluntarily institutionalized myself.
Yeah, it was THAT bad.
I could only focus on one thing at a time, and that was "Dangerous Territory" since it was mostly finished and only required some historic research. I was DEFINITELY not in a good headspace to write about BDSM.
By September 2022, I was slowly beginning to feel better again, and that was when I managed to finish Chapter 74. I'll be honest, though: it felt like a slog. I was forcing myself to write. I didn't even leave an Author's Note. I didn't apologize for vanishing for a year and a half. I didn't care if readers hated me. I had finished a chapter, and that was enough.
Clearly, I wasn't back to normal.
Then in early 2023, as if things couldn't get much worse, my mother suddenly passed away from a heart attack. I went utterly numb, like tunnel vision, and after hearing the news, all I could repeat was that I needed to get back home, NOW! I flew back to Arkansas to help with funeral arrangements, lawyers, bank accounts, and what made it worse was she and my dad had been in the process of moving into a new house, so I helped with that as well. I stayed until June. Side note: it was only the second time my husband and I had ever been apart for more than a day since we married, so this extended separation was emotionally hard on both of us.
Thankfully, I come from a huge family ("farmer stock" as we teasingly put it) so I had lots of siblings and cousins around. As sad and numbing as the whole thing was, I think being out in the countryside and around family really helped. It was a change of scenery after feeling like I was trapped in a small apartment for three years. At the very least, it gave me a sense of purpose. My whole chaotic, autistic mind was narrowed into "what needs to happen next so my family is okay."
Even though it might have helped me with lockdown blues, I was still numb inside from grief. I couldn't do anything creative for months.
I still feel numb.
I'm mentally doing better, although there are days when things collapse in on me, and there's the never-ending numbness.
Grief is a process, and I know I shouldn't push myself. Still, writing has always been my safe haven. Writing literally kept me alive during the worst of my mental health episodes.
Writing will get me through this now.
I just need to remember that I should never push myself. Write what I can, because I want to, not because I feel indebted. (I mean, I still DO feel like I owe it to my readers, I want to keep y'all entertained, but guilt shouldn't be the sole reason to put words on paper.)
To be totally honest, I almost skipped this entire chapter; however, I had an outline and already wrote the first part, and I didn't want it all to go to waste. So you may notice that the last part is super rushed, more like a montage. This is because I don't want to spend even more time writing chapters of what are basically just my own dream trip to Italy and have nothing to do with the plot.
My 2025 goal is to get one chapter a month done for "Catch the Thunder." I won't push myself, but at least it's something I can strive for.
We'll see what 2025 brings. God help us.