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06 March 2001
X-Force Ric & Shatty in Mexico. (Post-X-Force #70) Of sunburns and bright light. Disclaimer: X-Force 'tis of Marvel. My story 'tis of me. Sex disclaimer: Never ever have I ever done it with a student, in exchange for fine grades, with a sliding scale for multiple orgasms. For
Te, who gave
me the first paragraph and helped me build a lovely visual to work from
Skin
And Julio wishes Shatty weren't so damned flexible, because then it would be OK to help him with the sunscreen. It wouldn't be sleazy, either, just friendly, one friend helping another. Keeping him from getting hurt. All that fair skin. Shatterstar's had a low-grade sunburn that the healing factor doesn't seem to help since their first day in the desert, and after a week it was obvious he wasn't ever going to tan. Strawberry blond and all that. A lot of freckles. Not that on his legs, which Julio's seen more than a few times before, since Shatty's idea of practice clothes runs to shorts whenever possible, but a lot on the stretch of his shoulders. Like the wingspan of some alien bird. He's wide there, all upper-body strength and fighter muscles. Not exactly out-there for X-Force, but he doesn't think, somehow, that Sam 'Berto or Jimmy have such delicate-looking skin. Translucent, almost, even with the thin sweat-layer that the over-bright sun drags out of him almost before dawn. Pink around his neck. One pink hand gripping the back of his neck and massaging softly, trying to work out something that's gotten down under the skin into the muscle. He could offer to help with that. No matter how well your arms bend, nobody can give themselves a decent neck-rub. It doesn't have to mean anything, but there's no one to see them on this road anyway. He hasn't seen anyone for half an hour. Twenty minutes of empty pavement before he pulled over so they could stretch. Then ten-minutes of what's starting to look like a stage-show, except that Shatty's so utterly unselfconscious doing it. Just that one second when he grunts, and it's all the opening Julio needs. "C'mere, Star." "Julio?" Wide silver irises almost invisible in the high-noon glare. "Just . . . c'mere." Holds his hands out. No breath in his lungs to keep him standing while he waits. For a long, long minute he thinks Shatty's going to say no. Right until the man comes over and stands in front of him, letting Julio's outstretched hands lay palm-flat against his bare chest. Heart-beat under his right palm. "Turn around." And he does. Even bows his head forward a bit, making the red-pale base of his neck naked. The open shirt billowing a little whenever the air moves. He pushes the collar down so both his hands will fit on that flesh. Fingers around the neck tendons to brace, and he digs his thumbs in. Feels the knot almost immediately; not serious enough for the healing factor to kick in, he guesses, but it's an almost crippling ache. Too many hours asleep sitting up. They're going to have to stop trading off the driving and find someplace to crash for a while. The sunscreen makes a lubricant that's some kind of wonderful between his hands and Shatty's skin. No friction at all, just warmth and the faint cocoa-butter smell of the lotion's base. So it's not hard, even though he has to reach up a bit to reach. Or does until Shatty folds himself down to his knees with something almost like a whimper. Neck and shoulders limp and his head down, all that mess of hair hanging over one shoulder out of the way. And this really isn't right. Not just the submission of it or the fact that Shatty's bare knees are going to be etched with gravel afterwards. With him down like this, it's way too easy for Julio to step forward and offer his legs as support, asking Shatty to lean back against him and just relax while he works. He does have to finish eventually, but it's a long time. And when he does, he throws all the drawn-out ache in his hands towards the sun, the way he learned a long time ago, and then just stands with Shatterstar limp against him. Drops his hands into the tied-up mass of hair and draws the big head up, holds it against his waist for a minute. Lets go and watches Shatty stand up. Gravel
in his knees,
like Julio knew there would be, but he doesn't seem to notice it. Only
brushes at them absently and follows Julio back towards their truck.
Flashes
red-gold in the sun before he ducks inside the cab.
In the spirit of no-more-sunstroke, Julio bought Shatty a hat around the time they crossed the Mexican border. One of those white-straw cowboy jobs, bent up a bit at the sides. Just a little blank line of a band on it. Since then, the hat's been a fixture. Pushed low on Shatty's head, keeping the sun off or shading him while he sleeps, or maybe just because he likes the look of it. Julio caught him once watching himself in a store window. Little grin on the pale lips. And if the hat's getting sweat- and dirt-stained, then so much the better. Looking more real by the day. He gets to smell it for the first time when they come down to the river. Pull the truck off the road and walk in through the scrub brush. It's the first time all day Julio's been grateful for his boots and jeans. He was hot in the truck, but he'll be intact when he gets there. Whereas Shatty's going to look like shredded meat. Those legs are exposed from the tops of the unlaced combat boots to the ragged edge of his cut-offs, and all the sunblock in the world isn't armour against mesquite. At the river, he watches Shatty's healing factor kick it. Open cuts turn into white lines in the time it takes to breathe, though there's a lattice of white against the sunburn for another half hour. Aching enough that Shatty bends and rubs at the healed places absently. Then wades into the river, boots and all, and stands thigh-deep like it's heaven. Cold. Takes the hat off and dips it in, pours the collected water over his head. This instant of drenching, and then Julio's treated to that startling grin, surrounded by bedraggled reddish hair, and Shatty's coming back towards him with the hat refilled. Wraps a big hand around the back of Julio's neck and holds him steady while Star pours the water over him. And while it isn't ice, it's genuinely cold, and it takes his breath away it's so good.. After,
with the
water beading on their skin and Julio's jeans soaked from wading in, he
realizes that the faint smell of the water from the hat is still
clinging
to his shoulders. Not ugly like he would have thought, just faint and
vividly
Shatterstar. Like something brilliant and super-heated.
He hadn't realized how much he missed sleeping in a bed until he fell into this one. Just this one bed in a hotel that might've made even Domino pause, but still good. Warm air moving sluggishly through the room. Warm Shatterstar sprawled beside him, sleeping on his stomach with just the cut-offs on. That mess of hair obscuring his face shifts every time he settles deeper against the mattress. In
quarters this
close, it doesn't mean anything that Julio lays an arm across that
barely-sunburned
back before he dozes off. It's just a need to stretch, and maybe
something
protective asserting itself.
And wakes with his nose buried in skin and hair that still smells like the sun and dust outside. Behind the curtains, it's obviously light out, but getting late from the angle of bright slits he can see on the floor. In the first warm minutes of awakeness, he's prepared to settle for that view and the comfort of his position. Only after thinks about what it means that he's pressed himself against Shatterstar's back with his face in the curve of neck and shoulder. That one of his legs is pushed between those pale ones. That one of his hands is snaked up along the man's ribs, stroking his chest. Very fine, very pale skin, radiating warmth from its faint burn. Small, tight nipples that almost blend into the pattern of muscle. Until the fifth or tenth or twentieth stroke of Julio's palm, when one hardens under his touch. Warmth and sun-smell of the room feeding his stoking. While he moves from palm to fingers, taking that nipple and rolling it gently, then a little harder as a sleepy Star arches back against him. "Julio . . ." "Shhh." Burrowing his face back into Shatty's hair. The warm sunscreen-smell's seeped into it at some point; this is going to be the smell of bright light to Julio forever. And Shatty against him is relaxed, moving just a bit, always towards. Closing the small gaps in space between them, while Julio plays with the bit of flesh in his grip, teasing it out to a point and then twisting gently. He loves the little gasp he gets in response. Tries again, harder, and gets a full-body *rub* back against him, Star's ass pushing against his groin and the whole body moving. He's going to try it a third time, but Shatty's hand snaked in and catches him. Pushes his hand down to the other nipple and closed the fingers deliberately around it. Which is all the encouragement he needs. Especially since it only takes a minimal wriggle to get his other hand under Shatty's arm to reach the nipple in question, leaving his top hand free. To go wandering across the tight fairness of Star's belly, though the almost-invisible hair to the waist of his shorts. Softly, "Julio . . ." "Shhh." "No." It's enough to startle Julio out of this tummy-massage he was offering, and he ends up pushed away and propped up on one elbow, watching while a wide-eyed and obviously hard Star rolls over to face him. And puts an arm between them. Deliberately. And Julio realizes what exactly in the name of god he's been doing. Groping his best friend. About one small step away from jerking him off. All just for the sake of those little wriggles against him and the whimpering sound of Star's breath and the wonderful way his skin smells. "Dios, Star. I'm sorry." Scrabbling back. Frustrated when his back hits the wall, thinking that Cable'd yell at him for being stupid enough to get trapped, and who in their right mind puts a double bed against the wall anyway? "I just . . ." Sigh. "Julio." A big hand closes over his wrist and pulls him back down to a half-lying sprawl. Only releases him when it's obvious he's going to stay that way, and then strokes up Julio's arm to his shoulder before falling back between them. "Si." "Tell me this is what you want." It shouldn't be that terrible a request, but it is. He isn't even sure he has the words to explain this wanting. Hasn't ever been able to think about it terms of guys, just in terms of Star. And if he knows the one is definitely the other, well . . . Well. What he really wants is to get his face back against that skin and lie there until his courage comes back. Isn't sure he won't get pushed back if he tries it. "Te quiero." Easy once it's out. Not right, quite, but he's not ready for the other, and wanting's enough, for now. One of Shatterstar's big, blunt hands reaches out and catches the back of Julio's head. Pulls him in and kisses him. He can't quite believe they haven't done this before now. They must have. Sometime in the truck or in the water or that afternoon behind the café up north. Must have. Because he's sure he's had this taste in his mouth before. Clear-pale and warm, reaching down his throat towards his heart. Very soft skin against his lips. Not female at all, but not raspy, either. Just open-mouthed, and how could he have wanted to make love to this man without ever kissing him first? Not fair of him at all to have skipped such an important step. Mouth roving over his face and neck, and sometimes just their cheeks rubbing together. The closest he's ever been to swallowing someone else's tongue. Catches his breath while Shatty and the mane of his hair settle near his left ear. Breathing hard against him, more or less on top of him. Shatterstar says something, but very, very softly. Like it's not particularly important, and anyway it doesn't really sound like amo. Just an extra wordless breath too close to his ear. They have to get his jeans and Star's shorts off, which is harder than it should be. Too damned hot. Afterward they have to just lay against each other for a while, and keep kissing, while their bodies get used to the feel of each other. To this nakedness. Not quite sure what to make of another man's cock against his, and against his belly, for the first minute. He pulls back for a second, stares up at Shatty and brushes a strawberry strand out of his face. Gasps when Shatty catches the side of that hand in his mouth and sucks it. Whatever other skills he's got, Shatty's a master at making out, and flexible in ways that Julio couldn't even have guessed, because he didn't even notice the man shift before he got the sunscreen pressed into his hand. For a second, he has this idea for a full-body massage using it. Then looks up into eyes turned blue and gets it. "Oh." Softly, "Please." And he isn't sure he can do this. Not even with the armload of beautiful friend pressed against him. One of those you-bet-your-ass-scared things. "Please, Julio." "I don't think I can." "Please. I have done this before. It won't hurt me." Beat. "You?" Wide silver-blue. "Of course. Why . . ." "You aren't the one who looks like a girl." "You do not look like a girl, Julio." Shakes his long, messy hair loose over his shoulders for emphasis. "Gracias." Almost not-sarcastic. Trying to keep control of his body now that it's gone crazy with the idea that they could do this. "De nada." Which was definitely a joke, though not a good one. Laughing while Julio flips him onto his back and kisses him down into the mattress. Still laughing while he rolls onto his belly and spreads his legs. The first finger that goes in takes a while. If Shatty's done this before, it was a long time ago, and possibly not in this body. Just a fingertip makes him gasp, and his breathing through the pain is obvious. It should be enough to stop them, but Julio's entranced by this new touch, and as long as Shatty keeps whispering for him to go on, he's going to. Deep with that finger, eventually. Finds something hard that makes Shatty twist under him. Discovers he can massage that spot and have his partner relax, enough that the second finger doesn't cause nearly as much pain as the first. And once it's in, they can play. Rubbing the small, hard place. Twisting the rest of his hand down to stroke Shatty's balls gently, to caress the thin skin behind them. Whispering bello, bello, bonito into the pink-white-freckledness of his skin and watching Star move towards the brush of Julio's breath. He pulls both fingers out and tries to figure how they're going to do this. Gets faced with a fully-aroused, kneeling Shatterstar who slicks him with a palmful of sunscreen. Wonderful hands on his cock, intense enough that he has to grind his teeth to keep from giving it up right there. Then those hands cup his chin and kiss him again. Cocoa-butter and sex up close to his nose, the smell almost overpowering. Pushing him to lean back just a bit while Star crawls into his lap. Knees on other side of his hips. One hand gone from his jaw to steady his cock, and then Star slides down onto him. Hisses. Very still, back arched for a second. Not really loose enough to have just pushed down like that, put not giving up either, and still hard. Forehead against his forehead while Shatty slides down onto him. Julio doesn't exactly know what he can do to ease this, except massage Star's belly and lower back, and kiss his chest. Whisper to him that he's beautiful and brave. That he wants him. He keeps swallowing amo or burying it in open-mouthed kisses pressed to Star's chest. Finally down in his lap, their arms wrapped around each other so they can just about balance. Fucking deeper than he thought they'd be able to go like this. Slick and warm. Even trembling against him, Star's bright-smelling and soft. And as he relaxes, some of the secret Shatterstar mischief surfaces, and Julio's struck by a big, slightly wicked grin, right before Star corkscrews those slick-animal hips down hard against him. He'd do better with something at his back to brace against, but he does OK hanging onto Star's waist. Kissing his chest because it's all he can reach except in the moments when Star twists back and down to lip-lock them. No hand free to jerk Star off like he wanted to, but he thinks maybe he could suck him, after. It seems in this moment like the only possible way to express how good this is. How much he loves the man slowly fucking down against him in his lap. "Star . . ." "Quieto, Julio." "Star . . ." "Shhh. Te amo." Mouth on his, hips slam into his lap, and one of Star's hands is between them, working frantically at his cock. Julio wants to tell him not to, only his mouth isn't free, and he was desperate for air even before the slick flesh around his cock spasmed tight around him. And once Star's laid back in his arms, almost howling, he isn't going to say anything against the moment. Once Star goes limp, Julio thrusts in again, just once or twice, and comes too. Hard orgasm rocking up from his spine towards the base of his skull where one of Star's hands is locked. Sob-sound out of his mouth in that moment, nothing like as manly as he wants it to be, but heartfelt. Rolls them both down, trying to take care of his weight and Star's both with nearly-dead muscles. Tangles his legs around those long, pale ones and holds Star against him. Nuzzles his shoulder for a bit. Once the blue-silvers unfog, though, he slides down. Kisses the semen-stained belly and flattens his tongue against it. Mouths at the hair. Nuzzles the soft cock resting against Star's thigh. The smell he gets is still, overwhelmingly, one of Shatty's skin. Only after that the cocoa-butter of the sunscreen and the warm, slick sex-smell that's hanging on both of them. He goes looking for it in the crease of hip and thigh, and then inner thigh, and finally with his mouth around the soft cock. Not sucking, if only because he's getting enough whimpers to understand that it's too sensitive for that right now, but wetting it and stroking the head gently with his tongue. Just taking care, at this point. He lets go, eventually, and mouths his way back up. Pauses just beside Star's navel, opens his mouth against the skin, and sucks hard. Rubs the spot with his tongue and then pulls at it again. Feels warmth building under the skin as it bruises. Only pulls back and kisses and resumes working his way up when he's sure the mark won't fade for days. Finishes
with his
head on Star's belly, looking up at him. Naked and curled up against
him.
He's just barely aware that it's getting on for night outside. Thinking
how good it would feel to throw the curtains open and do this again
with
cooler air moving over them. Just enough of a chill that they could do
it under the covers. Maybe this time with him on top, though Star
around
him like a blanket is good. Maybe just twined around each other and
touching.
He'd like a few hours or days to map out the details of Star's skin. jane go back |