Adam's Grace - 1. A Very Enchanted Boy

"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned." The young man's voice whispered through the wooden grid, his fair skin flushing slightly.

There was a momentary pause before a long sigh broke from the other side of the confessional.

"Adam..." The priest muttered, sounding slightly annoyed. "What now?" He questioned, his voice reverting to a more accommodating tone.

"I've been having impure thoughts, Father." The melodic, sweet voice admitted.

The priest lifted his head, his eyes scanning the grid. Behind it sat the most beautiful boy. Pale skin, mesmerizing blue eyes, plump lips, and the most beautiful curled black raven hair that grew untamed, falling gracefully over his ears. He wore a sheer blouse that fell over his chest and shoulders, exposing his soft, pale skin and toned body.

Adam was 18 years of age and on the verge of manhood. His body was growing away from his childhood, and his mind was evolving beyond what the small town of 173 people he was born in could offer. There was nothing to do and little to be said there, and slowly but surely, Adam's restless spirit struggled with keeping itself bound to the shackles that held down his most buried inner desires.

"You mean the same ones you had last Sunday?" The priest asked, chuckling inwardly.

"No." The boy replied, his red lips pausing as his tongue skated over it, glazing it with a shining layer. "Different ones." He explained. "I woke up the other night, and..." Adam stuttered, pausing. "I was leaking." He revealed.

"Jesus Christ..." The priest grunted, letting his forehead fall on his palm.

"That's exactly what I thought... I mean, what would he think of this?" Adam questioned. His bluntness was disarming, and his innocence was endearing. "I felt so unclean..." The boy stuttered.

"Adam, look...that's...perfectly normal for a young boy your age." The priest stated, his voice cracking a bit as he continued to observe the boy through the grid, the sun coming through the painted windows of the small church hitting his face delicately, giving him an angel-like appearance.

"Father Daniel, I felt compelled to touch myself." The boy admitted, unleashing a prolonged silence.

"I...see." The priest replied, toiling to unclog the dry knot around his throat. "My child, God..." He tried to interject.

"So you think God wanted me to touch myself?" Adam questioned.

"Yes." Father Daniel inadvertently replied before his eyes gaped in shock at his own words. "I mean, no!" He blurted, squinting as if poked by a sharp object.

Suddenly, Father Daniel's hand started skating down his leg, coasting near his groin. His head tilted sideways, slanting delicately over the grid. As he inhaled deeply, he felt Adam's alluring scent. Marigolds. Such a fascinating fragrance that one's mind would easily wander off, carried by the wind over an endless flower field.

"Did you ever touch yourself like that, Father?" Adam interrogated, his voice ushering Father Daniel's lustful thoughts and a soft chuckle from his mouth.

"I'm only human, Adam." The priest answered, his eyes closing as his hand reached further down into his pants, now trying to cage his 8-inch cock inside.

Adam sighed softly with relief, his fresh, basil-scented breath spewing through the small holes in the grid. The boy leaned forward, crossing his arms and placing his elbows over the dark wooden counter, his big blue eyes glancing up at the priest.

"Do you think I should be punished, Father?" Adam asked, his chin resting over his wrists.

"Yes..." Father Daniel mumbled, hand sliding inside his habit, taking hold of his throbbing cock. "Maybe you should." He muttered, letting his head fall back as he gradually began to stroke his uncut cock.

"Father, can I tell you something?" Adam whispered.

"I don't think..." Father Daniel uttered, his eyes rolling and his hand moving up and down under his skirt.

"Sometimes I feel like God is inside me." Adam confessed, his blue gaze piercing the grid.

"He's...watching...all of us, Adam." Father Daniel stuttered as a single drop of sweat skated down his forehead.

"No, Father." Adam stated, his eyes looking up at the priest's shadow. "I meant, literally inside me." The boy said. "Sometimes, when it gets quiet, I hear him speaking to me." He revealed.

"God almighty..." Father Daniel replied, his head accidentally hitting the wooden wall behind him, his stroking motions slowing down.

"I know, right?" Adam replied excitedly.

On the other side of the grid, the priest's fingers gripped his habit's thick fabric, slowly lifting it, revealing his muscular, hairy legs underneath. And as the dark skirt's trimmed edge reached his pelvis, his uncut, 8-inch hard cock popped out, leaking precum.

"Adam..." Father Daniel grunted, feeling his shaft pumping inside his palm.

"I know what you're gonna say." Adam's voice assumed. "It's sinful to think he would choose to speak through me. It's not like I'm special." The boy argued.

"You're special, Adam...so special..." Father Daniel mumbled before taking his free hand to his chest and clutching his silver cross.

Even the boy's sadness sounded delicate and alluring, his voice like a melodic song, capable of, through his pureness, tease the sin out of even the most sinless person.

"Should I pray, Father?" Adam asked, his right hand coming up as his finger playfully teased the grid and Father Daniel's shadow.

"Yes, Adam. Please do." The priest agreed, his head turning slightly to gaze at the boy's silhouette.

Adam leaned forward and locked his hands together, his eyes closing as he let his forehead fall over his soft hands. As he did, the most beautiful ray of sunshine burst through the confessional, trickling gently over Adam's raven hair and turning the surface of his pale skin into a spellbinding shimmering desert. His voice began to whisper, soft and inviting, breaming with longing for absolution.

"Our Father, Who art in heaven." Adam chanted. On the other side of the grid, Father Daniel's hand trembled with lust. "Hallowed be Thy Name." He continued his words ushering the last rush of blood to the priest's cock as it twitched. "Thy Kingdom come..." He muttered.

"Holy mother, f..." Father Daniel's voice cried, its vibrancy quickly retreating into a deep groan as strings of thick, white jizz began to fire from his throbbing cock, spewing all over the confessional wooden walls.

"That's not..." Adam uttered, his head lifting as his eyes squinted, confused. "Father, are you alright?" The boy asked, his blue gaze peeking inside the grid.

"I...I just...need a moment." Father Daniel's voice announced from the other side, his body desperately attempting to cage the violent spasms it unleashed.

"Well, I should go." The boy said. "Thank you, Father. We should do this again." He added, leaning into the grid and smiling. Father Daniel glanced at him, briefly catching the magnificence of Adam's stretched lips.

"We should..." Father Daniel mumbled, his hand brushing against the dark fabric, trying to clean off the cum latched to his fingers. "I mean, you should..." The priest corrected, his hand dropping from his chest, releasing the cross from inside it. "...Try not to stray from the path of righteousness, Adam." He concluded.

Adam paused, his cerulean gaze searching for the priest's eyes. Father Daniel lifted his arm and slid the grid open, his face slowly turning, reluctant to face the boy's mysticism.

"Father, you look flushed." Adam commented, a gentle smirk on his lips. "Maybe it's too hot in here." He added.

"It sure is." Father Daniel muttered, his voice dancing between embarrassment and laughter.

"Your blessing?" Adam requested.

There was a pause, their eyes locked on each other, before Father Daniel's cum covered hand came up, gliding through the opened portico. Adam held it with both hands, closed his eyes, and leaned his plump lips into it, brushing them against the priest's skin. He lingered there, his nose inches from it before the softest of moans broke from his mouth.

"Adam, I'm..." Father Daniel stuttered just as Adam's head rose, the boy's angelic blues piercing him. Time seemed to slow down to a complete stop as the pale beauty slowly unfurled his moist lips.

"Delicious." Adam whispered in slow motion, his voice sultry yet muffled.

"What did you say?" Father Daniel questioned, his face frowning as a momentary fog began to dissipate, suddenly unclogging his mind.

"I said you're precious, Father. To our community." Adam repeated, confused by the priest's bewildered expression.

"Thank you..." Father Daniel replied, slowly pulling his hand away. "Run along, Adam." He ordered, closing the small wooden grid with a loud bang.

Adam lifted his knees from the small padded stool and opened the confessional door, the bright sunshine hitting his face most gloriously. He rushed down the church aisle, and as it tended to happen, everyone still sitting inside the church glanced at him, spellbound by his beauty. Whether it be men or women, there wasn't a soul in that forsaken small town who would dare stray their gaze away from Adam whenever he walked past them. Everyone yearned for the boy despite the apparent prejudice stemming from Adam's rare and uniquely human qualities, empathy, and kindness. Their sexual urges heightened by the blue-eyed angel's angelical virginity.

As he stepped into the church stairs, Adam sighed at the prospect of yet another dull day living at Dog's Creek. His town consisted of nothing but a central square, half a dozen local stores, a bunch of houses, a lake, a small bridge, and on the other end of it, the church he now stood at. And every day was the same as the last. Everyone in the village would attend church. Afterward, the women, many seamstresses, would stroll around the stores buying groceries and fabrics for their clothes. The men would rally around the local pub, drinking and playing pool until dinner. And all the young men and women would run across the bridge and spend their days on the lake, bathing and lying under the scorching sun, enjoying their carefree youth.

Ever since he was a small boy, Adam had dreamt of the unknown. Of whatever was out there beyond that last stretch of dirt road over the bridge. Sometimes, he would walk close to it during the peak hours of the day and just stand there, gazing at the heat cloud smudging the horizon, almost as if purposely blocking his way out. And although Adam sometimes felt stuck, there were things he cherished about his life there. Namely one.

"Hey, angel eyes!" A strong, charismatic male voice hollered from the other end of the sidewalk. "Let's go!" It beckoned.

Adam's head immediately turned, his smooth, slender hand coming up to his forehead, thwarting the sun from hitting his eyes. There, standing a few feet from him, was the most beautiful, masculine, mind-blowingly sexy young man to ever grace the earth. Well, as far as Adam was concerned, at least.

"Coming!" Adam greeted, his arm swinging in the air and his lips stretching into the most stunning smile.

Thomas and Adam had been best friends since childbirth. And when they announced that proudly to everyone, they meant it since they were born just a few days apart. Both their mothers were best friends, but Adam's had tragically passed away during his birth. Thomas' family took in Adam as their own, filling the empty space left by his mother's absence and his father's neglect. And with time, Thomas became Adam's world, his brother, and the closest he ever had to a family. They were as tight as any two people could be. And intimate enough for everyone in their small town to occasionally comment with underlying malice.

Thomas' manly looks had already swept half the female Dog's Creek population off their feet. He was about 5.8, with thick dark brown hair and an unruly beard, a perfectly chiseled face, and a body molded by the gods. Muscular arms and thighs, covered in dark brown fuzz. He would frequently wear denim overalls that showcased his bulky arms. But despite his already godlike appearance at such a young age, what most people found to be Thomas' most striking feature were his eyes. A golden brown gaze that would melt the heaviest of hearts, a reflection of his kind and altruistic nature. In Adam's mind, Thomas was God's most perfect creation. There was only one problem: He was straight. Not that it had made any difference until now. But given how Adam's hormones had been behaving lately and all his recent restless urges, acting naturally around his best friend was becoming increasingly difficult.

"You know we're all gonna burn in hell in the end, right?" Thomas mocked as Adam was coming down the church steps.

"Cut it out, Thomas." Adam replied, trying not to giggle and give the tanned stud the satisfaction.

"Did you give Father Daniel a hard time?" The stud questioned as he wrapped his bulky arm around Adam's slender neck.

"Well, he was acting weird." Adam commented, his head trying to get away from Thomas' grip.

"Hey, let's go to the lake." Thomas suggested.

"I don't feel like it today. You go." Adam grunted, his head now squished into Thomas' chest. Even though he felt uncomfortable, he couldn't help but discreetly sniff the stud's pecs, his eyes rolling backward as he took in that pungent, musky fragrance.

"I'm not going without you. And...I need to go." The stud argued, his lips diving inside Adam's curls. "Don't do this to me, angel eyes." He whispered as they crossed the street and descended the dirt road towards the bridge.

"Who is she?" Adam questioned, making Thomas chuckle.

"Maggie's cousin. She's visiting." Thomas revealed.

"Oh, that's perfect then. You can just have your way with her and never have to see her again." Adam teased sarcastically.

"Damn, baby. You know me so well!" Thomas replied exuberantly, unaware of just how inappropriately turned on Adam felt when he addressed him like that. He finally loosened his arm, allowing the blue-eyed beauty to pull away, his hand dusting against his now reddened neck.

"I just... I don't wanna bump into the Pit Brothers." Adam explained, his tone immediately shifting, bottled with dread.

"Have they been bothering you?" Thomas questioned. Adam's eyes remained on the road. He knew what was coming, so he didn't say a word, but his shoulders inadvertently shrugged. "Hey! Look at me." Thomas said, snapping his fingers before his hand slapped against Adam's chest, blocking him from walking.

"What?" Adam replied, sighing.

"What did they do?" The stud drilled.

"I..." Adam stuttered, his puppy eyes finally glancing up.

"I was coming home from church yesterday, and they ran by with the jeep." Adam finally admitted. "They threw a bucket of manure on my good shirt." Adam revealed with a disappointed expression.

"The sparkly one?" Thomas asked, his eyes flaring.

"Um...yeah. It's ruined." Adam mumbled, visibly upset by it.

"Mother fuckers!" Thomas hollered before sprinting down the road just as they reached the small river crossing under the bridge.

"Thomas...language." Adam warned, his eyes following the stud. "Where are you going?" He asked before rushing after him.

The truth was that Thomas had always protected Adam. From the time they were children and played pretend, Thomas was always the knight rescuing Adam, who obviously played the princess, stuck in a dark tower under the clutches of an evil witch or mad king. But even though they grew up, Thomas continued to play the role. But it would happen, occasionally, that trouble would find Adam alone and unprotected. But everyone on Dog's Creek knew that if they messed around with Thomas' blue-eyed angel, they would soon find themselves tasting his wrath.

They must have walked for over ten minutes, with Thomas rushing and Adam chasing him before the stud's towering figure broke through the bushes surrounding the lake, his eyes locked on two young men smoking a joint, sitting on the back of a navy-colored jeep. Their laughter was interrupted by the shadow of Thomas' closed fist lunging into the tallest one's face. He immediately got knocked to the floor and was still turning when Thomas grabbed his shirt, his arm pulling back again, ready to strike. But as he did, the shortest guy jumped on his back, his body bouncing from inside the car. But Thomas was a force to be reckoned with. While still holding the taller brother with his right arm, he grabbed the younger one with his left and yanked him off his back, his ridiculously spineless body plunging onto the ground.

Around, you could hear the cackling and giggling. Clearly, this was common practice in those late afternoons.

"I told you to stay away from him." Thomas groaned, his fist inches from one of the older Pit brothers.

"Fuck, Thomas, it was just a joke!" The older Pit argued.

"Was it?" Thomas replied, pulling back slightly. "Then you don't mind if I return the favor, do you?" He stated as he began to pull his denim overalls down. Soon, he was drawing his soft dick out, the perfect crack of his muscular ass teasing everyone's eyes. "All in good fun." He uttered before he began to piss over the guy on the floor.

A thunder of laughter erupted around the lake clearing as Thomas swung his dick around, drawing his name with his own urine. From the other end, while everyone cheered the stud's actions, Adam observed, enamored by Thomas' devotion. His friend's half-naked, sweaty body, with his arms flexed as he held his 6-inch soft cock, and the proud look he sported as he defended his best friend's honor was enough to trigger something inside Adam. The sounds around him numbed, and everything became murky and sluggish. All he could see was Thomas, whose face suddenly turned, his gaze locking on his best friend through the crowd. He smiled and winked.

And that was when Adam felt it. A sharp, wet burst of warmth inside his undies. At first, he thought he might have pissed himself, but he soon realized that what had just spewed from his stiff cock and was now leaking into his pants was his own cum.

"Oh, no." He mumbled.

"Hey, Adam!" A female voice greeted him from behind.

The boy's eyes squinted shut with embarrassment before he begrudgingly turned around, trying desperately to hide his messy state.

"Hey, Maggie..." He whimpered.

"I want you to meet my cousin, Sarah." She introduced.

From behind her, the most beautiful blonde girl appeared. Blue eyes, gorgeous freckled covered cheeks, wearing a white, spring hand-sewed dress that fell slightly above her perfect knees.

"Hello." She greeted. Adam's eyes immediately ran through her, his keen and attuned sense of beauty immediately heightened.

"I love your dress." He uttered. His words ignited the most glorious smile on Sarah's face.

"Thank you. I made it myself." She said, her fingers softly holding the ends of her skirt and lifting them, along with her feet.

Adam beamed. He wanted to dislike her, but he simply couldn't. Hating wasn't in his nature.

"You sew?" He asked, eyes sparkling.

"Yeah!" She responded, matching his enthusiasm. Suddenly, Adam's arm flew forward, his hand grabbing hers.

"Come on!" He exclaimed, pulling her across the crowd and rushing for the pier further down. "That's enough, Thomas." Adam uttered as they plugged past the circle around Thomas, who looked at him, still grinning proudly.

"You should thank him. I would have shit on your face next." Thomas mocked as the older Pit Brother slid from under him, utterly intimidated. "Now get the fuck out of here. And take the little one with you!" He said, pointing to the younger brother.

The two hopped on the jeep and drove off to the sound of everyone's clapping. As the stage of Thomas' epic revenge emptied, his eyes went straight to the pier, his golden brown gaze squinting as he watched Adam in the distance who sat on the pier's edge, his pale legs bent over it, and his beautiful feet dipped inside the cold water. Sarah sat beside him, her fingers carefully sliding inside Adam's sheer blouse. It looked like she was leaning into it, trying to see it up close. Thomas frowned, a weird and somewhat inexplicable feeling boiling inside his chest. Something he had never felt before and failed to identify. But then again, Thomas wasn't the most astute regarding emotions. He acted with his heart, not his head. But something about Sarah's sudden closeness with Adam rubbed him the wrong way.

"Well, this was unexpected." Maggie sounded from behind him. Thomas kept staring at the small pier.

"What the fuck is he doing?" Thomas questioned.

"Making friends, you idiot. Isn't that what you're always telling him to do?" Maggie countered before walking away.

Thomas lingered there, uncertain of how to act, which, for the stud, was also a first. But he loved Adam too much to rob him of this obviously unexpected and blissful connection, which didn't happen frequently. So he stepped away, joining Maggie's group. As he did, he could hear Adam's soft giggles. They were one of his favorite sounds in the whole world.

"I love the trim you did here." Sarah commented.

"Thanks. Catherine...that's Thomas' mother. She lets me use her machine." Adam explained before pausing. He always did that, as if talking about the things he loved made him feel self-conscious. His eyes darted around, his whole body tensing. "Sometimes, she brings me new fabrics from the store. She knows I like sparkly things, like the ones in the magazines." He confessed, his smile pushing through. Sarah stared at him most endearingly.

"What about your mother?" Sarah questioned, quickly realizing her question triggered Adam's gloom. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." She apologized.

"She died the day I was born." Adam revealed.

"Do you... remember anything about her?" Sarah questioned, her eyes mesmerized by the gentleness of Adam's demeanor, who turned his head and smiled at her.

"Everything." Adam stated, turning around, legs crossing in front of him. "I remember her voice, the way she smelled, the feeling of her silk nightgown on my cheek when she held me to her breast. And her eyes. The same color as mine." He conveyed.

"Do you know what happened?" Sarah asked.

"Yes. I killed her." Adam stated as the sorrow in his voice lingered.

"Is...that what you really think?" Sarah questioned, stumped by Adam's self-imposed guilt.

"It's what my father tells me all the time." Adam responded, his head fleeing back into the water.

"Adam..." Sarah uttered, incapable of finding the appropriate words to convey her sympathy for her new friend's buried pain. "Must be hard. To be...different in a place like this." She said, a soft breeze floating through, their luscious hairs moving with it.

"In my mind, I'm not different. I'm just...me." Adam stated, his voice soft and velvety. "I only feel out of place when I look inside other people's eyes." He added, turning to the river surface.

"Thomas seems to have your back." Sarah noted, her eyes scanning for the stud among the crowd in the distance. She could see the hunk leaning against one of the trees, where two local girls slavered all over him.

"He's my best friend." Adam stated, his eyes twinkling from under his momentary gloom. He leaned back and let his body fall, his head landing softly on the wooden deck. She smiled, extending her hand and brushing her fingers over his raven curls.

"Maybe more than that?" Sarah teased. Adam's blue eyes shot up immediately, burning a hole through her. "I promise I won't tell." She expressed, caging her giggles.

"I wish you lived here." Adam remarked, his eyes closing as he delighted at Sarah's fingers massaging his scalp.

"My home isn't far away." Sarah argued.

"Everything's far away when you live in Dog's Creek." Adam contended, his arms stretching outwards.

They stayed there, basking in their extraordinarily unexpected newfound friendship until the first streaks of blue twilight began to descend on them. It was time for Sarah to leave with Maggie and Adam to find out where Thomas had sneaked off to.

By the time they reached the ridge, most people were gone. Adam waved goodbye to Maggie and Sarah and lingered there, watching the sun slowly hide behind the still water's horizon. He knew Thomas wouldn't leave without him, which meant he was probably fucking one of the girls that was with him before, or both. He sat near the dirt patch where the still water floated. This particular time of the day was Adam's favorite. Something about the quietness of it, where his mind could run free, bound by nothing but the limits of his own imagination. And as he eventually numbed his mind to the deafening sounds of life's chaos, he would pray. Hoping that God would hear him. Besides Thomas, only Adam's faith quelled his sadness. Through it, he survived, and with each new day, his hope was rekindled with the promise of something new.

"Fuck, they nearly wore me out." Thomas groaned from behind him. Adam's eyes rolled, his head shaking with disapproval.

"It's getting dark. We have to go." He warned.

"Yeah, yeah." Thomas uttered, falling next to where Adam sat, his arms stretched back, holding his drunken body straight. "Don't worry. You won't get lost while I'm around." He asserted.

"You can barely point north, Thomas." Adam quipped, his lips stretching reluctantly. There was silence, so he turned his head slightly, his eyes catching Thomas looking at him. "You can't always be taking care of me." He added.

"Why not?" Thomas immediately disputed. He seemed taken aback by his friend's statement.

"Cause... you can't." Adam insisted, his hand clutching a small peddle from the ground and hurling it into the water. There was a low sound, the ripples stretching on the surface, drawing these flawless circles that slowly expanded. "One of these days...You'll meet a nice girl, get married... and have many kids that'll hopefully look like you." He added as they both giggled. "And...you know...things will change. It won't just be you and me anymore." Adam claimed.

"Hey...it's always gonna be me and you." Thomas said, his words bearing conviction.

"You don't know that." Adam argued, his eyes fleeing forward. "Thomas, I..." He stuttered. But just as he was about to choke on his words, his best friend rose to his rescue again.

"I know what you're gonna say." Thomas' mellowed voice uttered. Adam froze, his heart beating faster.

"You do?" The boy asked.

"I'm slow, but I'm not an idiot. You don't...like girls. I mean...not the way I like girls." Thomas stated. His observations weren't judgemental. Adam smiled as he realized Thomas was trying to find the right words, pushing desperately not to hurt his feelings.

"And it doesn't bother you?" Adam questioned.

"No." Thomas calmly stated. "God made you exactly as he intended. I mean... as far as I'm concerned..." Thomas said, his hand coming for Adam's chin, grabbing it. The stud angled Adam's face to him, the boy's eyes glistening with emotion. "He fucking nailed it when he made you." The stud conveyed.

Adam's body dipped into Thomas, his chest suddenly quivering as he held his own, trying not to cry.

"I love you, Thomas." Adam quietly whispered into the stud's chest, almost fearful his loving words would flee from under the small space that separated them.

"I love you too, silly. You're my best friend." Thomas stated. "My life would be shit without you." The stud added, chuckling.

"Same." Adam mumbled before he suddenly felt lightheaded and slipped further into Thomas. The stud noticed and swiftly placed his right arm under his friend, dropping him carefully on the ground and lying beside him.

"Adam, are you okay?" Thomas asked, visibly concerned. But as he turned, his head hovering over Adam's, he noticed the boy was beaming, his eyes closed in complete joy.

Thomas halted, suddenly lingering on Adam's mouth. Before he knew it, his left hand moved into his friend's lips, his fingers brushing them unhurriedly. He seemed mesmerized by the softness and plumpness of it. His heartbeat increased, and he felt a warm jolt in his groin. His hand fell sideways but never pulled away from Adam's body, and soon, his fingers were climbing up his pale skin. Thomas felt bewildered by how foreign it felt to touch Adam's face, almost as if he witnessed it for the first time. But how could something he had seen and known all his life feel so different, the stud thought? He reached Adam's dark eyebrows, his index slowly riding down his soft nose before pulling up, fingers stretching to brush the boy's raven curls.

And that's when Adam's blue jewels popped open. Their eyes met, seemingly unable to pull apart.

"What are you thinking?" Adam asked, his voice so low it could barely be heard.

"I'm thinking about kissing you." Thomas whispered.

"Oh..." Adam mumbled as the stud leaned forward, his moist lips getting closer and closer.

But suddenly, an overwhelmingly bright light hit them from behind, making Thomas' head swing up, his eyes fluttering. He held his hand in front of his eyes, trying to block it, and as he pulled up, they heard a raspy male voice hollering.

"Now, now, what in the gay hell do we have here?" The voice announced, escorting several distinct loud chuckles and hostile laughter. As Thomas stood up, a tall shadow was walking in his direction, his identity concealed by the bright light behind him. "I think we caught ourselves a couple of faggots trying to do the nasty!" The voice mocked, its dark energy and volume getting nearer.

"Adam, get up." Thomas warned in a low and cautious tone. Adam obliged, his deep blues locked on Thomas as he rose from the ground.

"We don't want any trouble. We were just about ready to leave, anyway." Thomas shouted as the shadow got closer, his eyes scanning his surroundings, searching for a way out. He saw two other men standing on the uprise, leaning against a busted pick-up truck.

"Leave?" The man stated, finally stepping away from the light, revealing an older man, probably in his early 40s, wearing denim pants and hiking boots. He was bare-chested, with a tattoo that clambered his chest all the way into his neck. "But we just got here." He conveyed with eery excitement.

"Who the fuck are you?" Thomas questioned, his hand coming up, blocking Adam's body. He could see the man's eyes rummaging his friend up and down.

"We're nobody. Just passing through." The man stated, looking back and signaling something with his head to the other two, who immediately walked down from the truck. "Though I gotta be honest, man... This little town of yours is a fucking shit show." He mocked. "And we're bored as fuck, aren't we, boys?" He hollered over to his friends, who walked past him and began cornering Thomas, walking around him in an intimidating way.

"Just get in the car and drive, man." Thomas entreated, and at that moment, Adam felt fear in the stud's voice for the first time in his life. The tattooed guy looked at him and smirked. Then he turned his attention back to Adam.

"What's your name?" He asked, his dark, menacing eyes twinkling in the dark.

"Adam." The boy responded, his usual tender voice slightly trembling.

"You're a fucking cutie, Adam." The stranger commented as his buddies giggled to the sides. Thomas' instinct kicked in, and he stepped sideways, placing himself between Adam and the gang leader. "C'mon now, stud. Don't be greedy. I just wanna take Adam over to my truck and have a little chat." He taunted, his sarcastic tone churning Adam's spine.

"Over my dead body." Thomas stated, his chest filling up.

"Well, if it comes to that..." The stranger said. His voice was now acute and ominous.

Suddenly, the other two rushed forward and grabbed Thomas' arms, pulling him back and away from Adam. One of them kicked the stud's calf, knocking him to his knees, while the other grabbed his thick, luscious hair, jolting his head back.

"Wait!" Adam yelled, his voice pausing everyone around. "If I go with you...will you leave us alone?" The boy negotiated, his face trembling in fear as he glanced at Thomas behind him.

"Sure..." The tattooed stranger replied, his unconvincing tone unable to reach Adam's benevolence.

"Adam, don't..." Thomas warned, but as he looked into his friend's eyes, he saw the boy's resolve.

"It's okay." Adam appeased.

He walked past the group leader and started climbing up to the truck. He could feel the sound of the stranger's boots pursuing him closely behind. As he reached the back of the car, he paused, turning around. The tattooed thug was already inches from him. Adam leaned back and sat on the pick-up, his blue eyes scouring the distance for Thomas.

"Don't worry about your friend. As long as you play along, he'll be alright." The guy promised. He unzipped his pants and tugged them down unceremoniously, pulling out his hard cock, and stroking it in front of Adam. The boy could feel the stench emanating from it. He hadn't washed himself in weeks, Adam could tell. "So, are you going to take care of this for me?" He questioned, glancing down at his own dick.

Adam had never been this close to another man's privates before, and the feeling was excruciatingly different from what he had imagined. The boy froze, his eyes bucking in angst as he realized his mistake. Tears began to boil inside, his body shivering as he tried to cage them.

"Thomas..." He whispered, completely vulnerable. Through the thug's arm, he could see Thomas' eyes gaping at him, glistening with despair.

"Wait...are you...?" The thug commented, visibly surprised. Seconds later, he burst out laughing. "This is our lucky day, boys!" He hollered back before grabbing Adam and rolling him over, the boy's chest hitting the truck's bed floor. The thug grabbed a piece of rope hanging on the wheel tub and tied the boy's hands behind his back before grabbing his pants and pulling them down violently, ripping them by the sides. "Would you fucking look at that!" He rasped as he gazed down at Adam's perfect, smooth peach. He took his dirty hands and unfurled the boy's cheeks, exposing his pink hole. "Now that's a pussy worth going to jail for." He mocked belligerently.

"Thomas!" Adam's desperate voice cried out.

"Stretch his fucking pussy!" One of the thugs hollered, both breaking into laughter, their maniacal voices resonating across the lake. But their momentary outburst proved to be a mistake.

"Fuck this." Thomas uttered before bouncing his body off the floor, smashing his head into one of the thug's noses and knocking him back as he screamed in pain. He quickly pushed the other one to the ground, finally unlocking his arm.

"Hey! Heads up!" One of the hoodlums hollered to the leader as Thomas sprinted up the dirt slope toward the truck.

Adam's eyes gaped, his face squished against the cold aluminum, witnessing the tattooed thug clutch something heavy before turning around. Thomas was reaching the back of the truck, his fist already lunging forward, when a loud smacking sound shattered through the clearing, followed by something heavy hitting the floor. Adam strenuously angled his head down, his eyes glancing at the floor, where Thomas' body lay, barely moving.

"Stubborn, mother fucker. I warned him!" The thug said with a playfully sadistic tone.

"I think he broke my nose!" The other thug commented as he walked up, followed by his friend. His hand was covering his face, which bled profusely.

"Make sure he stays quiet this time." The leader uttered, turning back to face Adam, whose now sweet voice wailed in terror as the other two kicked and punched Thomas' body into an inch of his life.

"NO! Stop hurting him!" Adam begged. "Thomas..." He whimpered, tears skating down his flushed cheeks as he watched the stud being savagely beaten.

"Shut up!" The tattooed thug demanded, grabbing Adam's neck and slamming his head against the truck's bed floor. He leaned over into the boy and started smacking his semi-hard cock against his crack.

He was about to push himself inside when a loud gunshot reverberated across the clearing, followed by a flock of birds fleeing as they burst out of the giant tree above them.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice warned from a few feet away, his frame concealed behind a vehicle door. It sounded calm yet commanding. The tattooed thug's body shot backward, his hands up in the air.

"It's okay, man. It's cool." He uttered, visibly thrown off.

"Cut the rope. Let the boy go." The voice hailed. There was a brief silence, the thug glancing discreetly at the other two.

"We're just having some fun, dude." The one with the broken nose argued. But as the words were flying off his mouth, another gunshot fired, blasting a hole through the truck's rear panel. Both men slowly and cautiously pulled away from Thomas' unmoving body.

"Fun's over. You boys either do what I say, or none of you will leave this lake alive." The mysterious person forewarned. Adam's eyes squinted as he realized he knew that voice.

"Father Daniel..." He whispered.

"By how you three conduct yourselves, I doubt anyone would come looking for you." Father Daniel said as he came from behind his car and carefully approached the group, pointing a Remington shotgun at the leader's head. All three thugs flinched back, their eyes on the white collar popping from under his leather coat. "Get in the truck and get the fuck out of here. If I ever see you around Dog's Creek again, I'll shove a bullet between your eyes." He warned as he drew back the gun's fore-end.

There was a short silence in which the tattooed thug's eyes met Father Daniel's. After which, he chuckled, smirking at the priest before taking a knife out of his pocket and cutting Adam's hands loose. The boy fell backward, his naked bum hitting the floor. He immediately pulled his ripped pants up and ran for Thomas' body, falling over him.

"Copy that, chief. Boys..." The leader uttered, signaling the others to get inside the truck, purposely hitting the accelerator as they drove off, causing a storm of dirt to hit Adam and Thomas before vanishing into the main road, their insane hollering fading in the distance.

"Adam, are you..." Father Daniel asked as he lowered his gun.

"We need to get him to a doctor." Adam interrupted, his breathing feverish as his hands held Thomas' bloodied face.

"We're seven miles from the nearest hospital. He's not gonna make it in time..." Father Daniel stuttered as his eyes watched Thomas' life slip away.

"My angel..." The stud's voice whimpered from under his bloated face, his mouth barely moving and his words spewing with blood.

Adam glanced down, quivering as he watched Thomas' eyes gazing at him before they ceased moving, the light inside them dimming into nothing.

"Thomas, Thomas..." Adam called, unbelieving. He pulled the stud's heavy, motionless body into him, cradling his head into his chest.

His best friend, his brother, and the love of his life had just died in his arms.

Everything went numb, his body melting into a black pit of despair. How could this have happened, Adam thought? Only moments ago, they were sharing the most beautiful moment of intimacy, and now he nestled Thomas' dead body in his arms. The boy's eyes closed in pain. If this nightmare were to be true and if fate had chosen to take Thomas away from him, then Adam would gladly join him.

Now...my dear reader, you may think this story ends here. In tragedy. But if you wish to proceed, it would be wise to broaden your mind and begin believing in something other than what you were taught.

Because it was there, at that moment, his soul hostage to the most unbearable pain of his young life, that the legend of Adam's blessing came to be.

You see, it takes the purest spirit to rise from the darkest pain. Some call it faith, others strength, and some even madness. But in Adam's case, it was love. And his was numinous, capable of accomplishing miracles.

"No." The boy whispered, his lips brushing against Thomas' bloodied skin. Suddenly, his mouth began moving, chanting something.

'"Adam...?" Father Daniel questioned as he kneeled beside them, the boy's words now narrowly discernible.

"Please...please, save him." Adam beseeched, his voice piercing through the hopelessness of that evening's darkness.

"What are you doing?" Father Daniel's bewildered voice questioned. But Adam was elsewhere, his whole spirit now bound to Thomas' life.

"For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds..." Adam prayed as his tears fell over his friend's wounds.

And that's when it happened. The blood covering Thomas' face began to slowly rescind into Adam's lips, the boy's complexion changing as his skin glowed from within. Father Daniel's eyes gaped in wonder as he watched the bloating on the stud's face subside and the open lacerations on his skin regenerate before his eyes until the first breath of life finally erupted from Thomas' lips.

"Impossible..." The priest's voice stuttered, trembling with disbelief.

(To be continued...)