Sauna Sunset - 1. Story

‘So, there’s never been a Pride parade in this area before?’ Adam asked, looking at Juha from the passenger seat. ‘Like, not ever?’

‘Nope.’ Juha smiled, glancing quickly at his boyfriend before returning his eyes to the road. ‘We’re in the Bible belt, here. It’s not like people are violently homophobic, but an actual parade has taken some planning. Thankfully, the city council is sympathetic.’

‘Wow . . . first ever Pride parade . . .’ Adam shook his head. ‘And you haven’t marched in a Pride parade at all before either, have you?’

Juha shook his head. ‘Never.’

Adam grinned. ‘So we’re popping your Pride cherry today! Luckily, I come prepared.’

‘How so?’

‘With glitter!’ Adam’s grin widened and Juha groaned.

‘Seriously? Do I have to?’

‘Dude, you’re going to Pride wearing black. You have to have some colour somewhere.’ Adam himself was wearing a grey t-shirt with a sparkly multi-coloured skull motif and blue skinny jeans. He had styled his hair and was wearing sparkly eye shadow and a healthy helping of eyeliner. He somehow managed to make the whole thing look sleek and natural. The t-shirt was slightly loose at the neck, showing off his well-defined collarbones. He was stunning, but then Adam was always stunning.

Juha was dressed in a black t-shirt with the logo of one of his favourite metal bands on it, and dark blue jeans. He was willing to concede that he could have picked a more colourful outfit, but it’s what he had out at the cabin and he couldn’t be bothered to stop by home.

Adam had arrived in the country a week previously and the two had been staying at Juha’s family cabin since. Juha’s parents were visiting his aunt in another part of the country. Which was lucky, because Juha and Adam hadn’t seen each other since January and, as a result, had spent almost the entire week fucking and not much else.

Juha sighed. ‘Fine. A little bit of glitter.’

‘Yay! I win!’ The American leaned over and kissed Juha’s cheek. ‘I’ll make it worth your while, I promise,’ he purred.

They arrived in town and parked at the square by City Hall. After that, it was a ten minute walk to the place the parade would be starting from. ‘You think there will be a lot of people?’ asked Adam.

Juha shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I have no idea how many queer people live here or in the area. Like you say, it’s our first ever Pride parade. Hard to know what to expect.’

They came up on a gravelled car park next to a playground, and Juha was surprised to see at least a couple of hundred people gathered. There was a single float, in the form of a flatbed decorated with rainbow balloons and a sound system in the back. The people milling about had Pride flags and balloons and the odd placard featuring words like, We’re here! We’re Queer! and Stonewall was a riot! Those were perhaps the most unexpected. There were a few trans flags in addition to the rainbow ones.

‘Oh, wow. This is it?’ Adam didn’t sound disappointed exactly, but he looked fairly underwhelmed.

Juha frowned. ‘Hey, don’t knock it! It’s early days.’

‘Oh, I know!’ said Adam quickly. ‘I didn’t mean . . . I’m just used to these big crowds, you know?’ He looked around. ‘See anyone you know?’

Juha looked too and was about to say no when someone spoke to him in Finnish. ‘Juha! There you are! We worried you would be late.’

His eyes widened and he turned towards the voice. ‘Mum?’ He blinked. ‘Dad? I thought you were both at Aunt Marja’s?’

‘We’re going back tomorrow,’ said Juha’s father. ‘But we wanted to be here for you.’ He smiled. ‘It’s your first Pride parade, right? And we’re proud of you.’

Juha’s mother grinned and raised a placard she was holding. It read, Proud Mother in Finnish.

It was unexpected. Not that Juha’s parents had ever treated him differently after he came out, or judged him or anything like that. Not that they hadn’t always been loving and supportive, as much as his mother really wanted grandkids. But this show of love and support had come out of nowhere. Juha cleared his throat. ‘Thank you. I’m . . . I’m really glad you’re here.’ He turned to Adam. ‘Adam, these are my parents,’ he said in English.

‘Yeah, I figured,’ said Adam with a smile. He extended his hand to Juha’s mother. ‘Adam Hill. Nice to meet you.’ They shook hands, and then he and Juha’s father did the same. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’

Juha felt himself blush. ‘I, er . . . Adam’s my . . . my boyfriend.’ They had agreed that that’s what they were back in January, but Juha wasn’t used to saying it. He’d told his parents about Adam, of course, but in more general terms. He’d felt awkward talking about it.

‘We know,’ said his mother. ‘It’s good to meet you, finally.’ Her accent wasn’t great, but her English was all right. Her husband struggled more, but they soon had greetings out of the way.

‘Now!’ said Adam, turning to Juha. ‘Glitter!’

Juha groaned again. ‘Okay, fine! If it makes you happy . . .’

‘It does.’ Adam reached into the messenger bag he was carrying and pulled out a small, cylindrical bottle. Screwing off the top, he poured some rainbow coloured glitter into his palm. ‘Okay, stand still.’ And he proceeded to rub glitter into Juha’s short, reddish blonde beard.

‘Really? My beard? Adam . . .’

‘What? You look fabulous!’ Adam laughed.

‘I’m gonna have to shave it off to get all the glitter out!’

‘Hm, yeah, didn’t think of that. I like your beard . . .’ Adam looked pensive for a moment. Then he shrugged. ‘I’m sure we can manage to wash it out.’ He leaned in and placed a brief, chaste kiss on Juha’s lips. ‘There. All done.’

Juha blushed again, glancing at his parents, but they were chatting together in Finnish and appeared completely unfazed.

Not long after, the parade set off. It ran through old town, down the gravel streets between wooden houses, some of which were nearly two hundred years old. There were people lining the street, waving and whooping. Juha caught sight of Markku, Adam’s not too distant cousin, whom Adam had stayed with the first two times he visited Finland. Markku waved excitedly at them, grinning from ear to ear. His sister was with him.

And with every step, Juha found himself feeling more elated. This was his town, his weird little corner of Finland, and he was marching in a small but joyful Pride parade, with a boyfriend he loved. It hit him so suddenly, that he loved Adam, and he glanced at the other man where he walked by his side, taking in the small but happy crowd.

Adam raised an eyebrow and pointed. ‘Is that . . . laundry?’

It was. Stretched out over the street were clothes lines from which hung garments in the colours of the rainbow. ‘Yeah. I heard about this. Didn’t know so many people would actually do it.’ It was a nice gesture.

‘It’s cute.’ Adam grinned. ‘I like this. I really like this, Juha.’ He took Juha’s hand, lacing their fingers together and lifting it to his lips so he could kiss it. And Juha thought, if ever there were a time he could make out with his boyfriend in public, it would be now, so he pulled him close and kissed him deeply and thoroughly.

‘I love you, Adam!’ he said, throwing caution to the wind. But just as he said it, the music from the sound system on the float increased in volume.

‘What?’ said Adam. ‘Sorry, it just got real loud!’

Juha smiled, shaking his head. ‘I’ll tell you later.’

There was a small protest of about five people by the park next to the church, holding signs saying things like, Repent, sinners! Juha shook his head as they walked past and laughed. He pointed them out to Adam. ‘Well,’ he shouted over the din, ‘they tried!’

Adam laughed too.

The parade ended at City Hall and people began to disperse. It hadn’t been a very long parade, but it had been a good one. Juha turned to his parents. ‘Thank you,’ he said in Finnish. ‘Really. I’m so happy you came.’

‘Of course!’ said his father emphatically. ‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Now, we were thinking maybe we could take you two out for a meal?’

Juha translated this to Adam, who grinned. ‘Sure! I’d love that.’

#

They went for a lunch buffet at a Vietnamese restaurant. People here didn’t really go out for dinner much, so lunch was how all the restaurants made money. Juha felt conspicuous with his rainbow glitter beard, but there were other people present who had clearly marched in the parade as well and they all smiled and nodded at each other, whether they knew each other or not.

‘How long are you staying?’ Juha’s mother asked Adam.

‘Oh, um . . . Hopefully forever?’ Adam laughed. ‘I’m actually starting university in the fall. In, uh, in Vaasa. So not too far off.’

‘Not far at all,’ said Juha, smiling. He reached for Adam’s hand under the table.

‘That is good,’ said Juha’s father. ‘You can . . . you know . . .’ He frowned. ‘You can meet often,’ he said in Finnish. ‘Spend time together.’

Juha translated and Adam grinned. ‘That was the idea.’

‘What will you study?’ asked Juha’s mother.

‘Engineering. I was always good at the practical science stuff and I like . . . making things. Building things. I think I could be a good engineer.’

After they had eaten, they bid Juha’s parents goodbye outside the restaurant and Adam turned to Juha. ‘So, what were you gonna say during the parade?’

Juha found himself blushing again and he smiled sheepishly. ‘I said . . .’ He licked his lips. ‘I said, I love you.’

Adam’s expression grew soft and he gave Juha a gentle smile before pulling him into a kiss. It was weird, kissing in the street like that, with people walking past, but today had already been so different from all other days. Adam came away with rainbow glitter from Juha’s beard on his chin. ‘I love you too. Come on,’ he said. ‘Let’s get back to the cabin and fire up the sauna. I feel like celebrating some more.’

They drove back out in comfortable silence. It was only a ten minute drive or so. Juha spent it with his hand on Adam’s knee when he wasn’t operating the gear stick. When they got there, Juha went to light the sauna furnace. When he returned to the house, Adam met him in the doorway with a searing kiss.

He wasted no time and wordlessly dropped to his knees, fumbling with Juha’s belt. Juha watched as Adam licked the length of his cock before taking it into his mouth. He moaned and Adam made a similar sound. When Juha carded his fingers into Adam’s brown hair, pulling slightly, Adam made that sound again. He began to palm himself through his jeans.

Adam was really, really good at sucking dick. Juha had found that out on the very day they had met, nearly a year previously. This felt every bit as good as it had then. Adam’s mouth was hot, his tongue insistent, and his green eyes as he looked up at Juha were so beautiful. Juha couldn’t imagine ever not wanting Adam.

It didn’t take very long. ‘Fuck, I’m gonna come,’ Juha breathed before shooting into Adam’s mouth with a grunt. Then he pulled Adam to his feet and kissed him hard. He undid Adam’s jeans and stuck his hand down his pants, grabbing hold of his hard cock and beginning to stroke.

‘Ah, God, yeah . . .’ Adam put his forehead on Juha’s shoulder. He was clearly close already.

‘Mm, that’s it,’ Juha murmured. ‘Come for me.’

Adam did, with a shiver, spilling over Juha’s fist. Juha would have liked to suck him off, but he could do that later.

When Adam pulled away, his cheek was covered in glitter. Juha laughed. ‘God, this shit gets everywhere.’

Adam laughed too. ‘Yup. Guess we should try and wash the worst out before we get in the sauna.’

‘You volunteering to help?’ Juha smiled.

‘Well, I am the one who glittered you up in the first place. Least I can do.’ Adam kissed him on the lips. ‘You really do look fabulous, though.’

Juha laughed and glanced at the mirror hanging next to the door. ‘I look like a unicorn sneezed on my face, is what I look like. I’ll boil some water.’

They brought the kettle of hot water with them out into the wash room outside the sauna and mixed it with rainwater until it was a comfortable temperature. Adam sat Juha, naked, down on a stool and proceeded to try to wash the glitter out with shampoo. He frowned.

‘Hm.’

‘What? How bad is it?’

‘It’s harder to get out than I thought. I mean, it’s doable . . .’ Adam met Juha’s eye. ‘How long did it take you to grow that thing?’

‘Few weeks. Why?’

‘Well, we can totally keep washing it and it’ll come out eventually. Like, maybe not today or even tomorrow, but . . . eventually. Or . . .’ He paused for effect. ‘Or we could just shave it off, like you said. It’s up to you.’

Juha squinted apprehensively at Adam. ‘You want it gone, don’t you?’

‘No! Not at all!’ Adam smiled. ‘I love the rugged look. I wish I could grow proper facial hair, but . . .’ He shrugged. ‘So yeah, I like your beard. I mean, I like you with or without it. But it’ll grow out again, right?’

Juha hadn’t had a beard when they’d met, or even when Adam had visited at Christmas, but after that he’d decided to try growing one and found that it suited him. He sighed. ‘Yeah. I guess shaving it would be best.’

‘Okay.’ Adam reached for the razor and shaving foam on the shelf. ‘Hey, can I . . . can I shave you?’

‘Er . . . yeah, if you want to. I’ve never had anyone shave me before.’

As it turned out, it was quite nice. It felt intimate, somehow, sitting on the stool while Adam knelt before him and gently shaved off his glittery beard. When they were done, Juha touched his hand to his smooth cheek. Adam smiled and kissed it. ‘Think the sauna’s hot now?’

‘Hot enough,’ said Juha. ‘Let’s get cleaned up, eh?’

They got in the sauna and sat down. This was, Juha mused, the best sauna in the world. The furnace was about fifty years old, but the building was much older, maybe as much as two-hundred. Like the cabin, it had been moved from a different location. These classic Finnish log cabins could be disassembled and reassembled quite easily. It was Juha’s grandfather who had built the seats and nailed the spruce paneling to the walls.

Juha splashed water on the rocks on the furnace and watched the steam rise. Adam covered his face with his hands and breathed in slowly. ‘Man, I never get sick of this.’

‘The surest sign that you really are a Finn at heart,’ said Juha.

‘Figuring that out more and more every day.’ Adam smiled. ‘I feel so at home here. Especially out here in the woods. And especially . . . with you.’ He sighed happily. ‘It was nice meeting your parents. They seem like good people.’

‘Yeah, they’re all right. I get the feeling they’ll want to see more of you, though.’ Juha hesitated. ‘Er . . . you should probably meet my grandparents too at some point. Think you can handle that?’

Adam grinned. ‘Definitely.’

They washed together, scrubbing each other’s backs, and then they went and sat on the porch in their underwear, each with their can of beer. The summer evening was bright and clear, the sun not even close to setting. They didn’t talk much, mostly just enjoying the silence. When their beers were empty, they both got up and went inside the house. They didn’t need to speak to one another but simply went upstairs. There were two bedrooms. One had twin beds and was where Juha tended to sleep when his parents were at the cabin as well. The other had a thick, double mattress on the floor under the slanted ceiling. That was where they went.

Adam leaned in and kissed Juha, who opened his mouth, welcoming Adam’s warm tongue. The kiss tasted of beer, in the best of ways. He pulled Adam close, feeling his warm body against his own. ‘Will . . . will you top tonight?’ he whispered. He usually topped, but he felt vulnerable in a way just then. He didn’t want to let go of that feeling.

‘Whatever you want,’ Adam whispered. They got into bed, pulled off each other’s underwear, and Adam got to work on Juha’s arse with his tongue. Juha arched his back, panting. Everything about Adam felt good and right, always, but tonight it felt doubly so.

‘Fuck,’ Juha whispered. ‘Just . . . I need you, Adam.’

Adam got out the lube, coating his finger in it and inserting it into Juha’s hole. Then he lubed up his own cock. He didn’t bother with a condom. Neither of them had been with anyone else in nearly a year. Adam slowly slid inside Juha, keeping their eyes connected, letting Juha adjust. Then he rolled his hips and Juha swore and threw his head back at the perfectly angled thrust.

They made love slowly, taking their time.

‘God, you feel good,’ Adam murmured. ‘We should do this more often.’

‘I’m . . . I’m okay with that,’ Juha gasped. ‘I could . . . get used to this . . . Oh, God!’ He reached down and grabbed hold of his cock, stroking it slowly. ‘Fuck, I dunno how long I’m gonna last . . .’

‘That’s okay. You’re really tight. I’m . . . I’m getting close too.’

‘Ah, I’m gonna . . . !’ Juha groaned as Adam’s dick nudged his prostate again and he came. Adam’s hips came to a stuttering halt as he followed. Juha could feel Adam’s cock pulsing inside him as he filled him up. He felt that vulnerability again and thought for a moment he might cry from the sheer, overwhelming emotions he was experiencing. It felt different, and not just because they’d reversed their usual positions. Something was fundamentally different now than it had been before. He realised what it was when Adam spoke.

‘I love you.’

Juha let out a shaky breath. ‘I love you,’ he said. Then Adam kissed him.

They lay together for a little while in silence and Juha thought he might drift off to sleep, but his belly and his arse were sticky with cum, so in the end they got up. While they cleaned themselves up, Juha looked out of the window at the yellow and orange glow that shone through the trees to the west north-west. He turned to Adam and said, ‘Hey. Wanna go down to the beach? We could watch the sun set.’

‘Yeah, sure,’ said Adam with a smile.

They got dressed and headed off down to the beach. The path was full of mosquitoes and Juha sustained several bites, but the beach was free of the little pests and they walked across the soft sand all the way down to the water’s edge. Juha kicked off his flip-flops and let the waves wash in over his feet. ‘It’s pretty warm.’

‘Yeah?’ Adam climbed up onto the low cliffs shooting out into the water. ‘The rock’s warm, too.’

Juha grinned. ‘Wanna skinny-dip?’

Adam looked skeptical. ‘What if someone sees?’

‘Does it matter? Anyway, there’s no one else here.’

‘We don’t have towels.’

Juha shrugged. ‘Like you said, the rock is warm. We’ll just lie down there, we’ll be dry in no time. Anyway, sunset’s a little while away.’

Adam gazed out over the sea, to where the sun stood a little bit over the north-western horizon. ‘I’ll never get used to how long it takes for the sun to set here. In Cali it just kind of . . . drops.’ He sighed. ‘I love this.’

‘Yeah, it’s pretty magical,’ Juha agreed.

He took off his t-shirt and his shorts. Then he waded out into the water. The surface water was maybe twenty-two degrees, though it was colder near the bottom, and when he was out to his hips he stopped to adjust. He heard splashing in the water behind him and turned to see Adam wading out towards him in the nude. Juha reached for him and took his hand. They waded out a bit further, until the water was up to their chests, then looked at each other before dipping down beneath the surface. Juha opened his eyes underwater. The salt-content in the Gulf of Bothnia was about the same concentration as tears, so it didn’t sting at all. He saw Adam’s brown hair floating around his head. Pulled him close and kissed him.

They came up for air panting. Adam’s cheeks were pink and he smiled. ‘This was a good idea,’ he said. ‘I’m kind of cold already, though.’

‘Yeah, let’s get out of the water.’

They swam towards the cliffs where they’d left their clothing and climbed up to sit on the warm rock, staring out across the ocean at the setting sun.

‘You know,’ said Adam, ‘I don’t think . . . I don’t think I’ve ever really been in love with anyone before. I’ve never felt this was about anyone.’

‘Yeah.’ Juha took his hand. ‘Me neither. I’ve only really had one other boyfriend. Back at uni in England. We broke it off when I went back home because we didn’t want the long distance. But with you, the distance didn’t matter.’ He slid his fingertips over Adam’s palm, then laced their fingers together and gripped tightly. ‘Like, at all. I mean, I’m glad you’re here now. I want to be with you every day, but . . . You were worth waiting for. You know?’

Adam smiled. ‘Yeah. I feel the same.’ He leaned in and kissed Juha on the lips. ‘Minä rakastan sinua, Juha,’ he whispered and Juha laughed in surprise.

‘When did you learn to say that?’

‘Right before I came here last week. I . . . I’ve been wanting to say it, but you beat me to it.’

‘Well,’ said Juha with a smile. ‘I love you too, Adam. So much.’ They kissed.

Adam rested his head on Juha’s shoulder. Then they sat there in silence, holding hands, and watched as the sun set.

END

The actual end! I wanted to give Juha and Adam their happy ever after. Not quite my style, I often leave things a little bit more open ended than this, but I really think they were made for each other. I mean, they were. I made them. 
I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, or if you didn't, feel free to leave a comment below! I love hearing from you.