Adam's Grace - 3. "Plumis Albidis"

Dog's Creek had been submerged in the most unrelenting rain for over four days. The fields had flooded, the dirt roads had collapsed, and the bridge to the church had been inundated, preventing anyone from passing through.

Outside, the thundering storm roared with reckless abandonment. But inside the chapel, the most disarming peace reigned—a silent serenity brought on by Adam's presence. The boy had been secluded inside, under the watchful care of Father Daniel, since that fateful day he crawled his way inside the church, seeking the priest's aid.

"Adam, are you awake?" Father Daniel questioned, his fingers squeezing between the half-closed door as his eyes scoured inside the small room.

"Yes, Father." Adam's sweet yet frail voice replied. He sat facing a small desk tucked into the right corner of the room, just under a small window. Bellow it, a cross hung on the wall.

"How are you feeling?" The priest questioned, stepping closer to the bed and sitting on it.

"Better. Thank you," the boy replied, his head slightly turning as he smiled at the priest.

"Is your back still itching?" Father Daniel asked, his eyes scouring the boy's still bruised back. The pastor crammed his hand inside his pocket and pulled out his glasses, putting them on as he neared the boy. "The bleeding has stopped, but they're not sealing." He added, his fingers gently brushing Adam's lacerations. They seemed more prominent, but the edges had dried and were now covered with a thin, sheer membrane. Under it, the priest could see several layers of a white, bone-like organism that seemed to move every time his fingers touched the boy's skin.

"I feel...something growing inside my skin," Adam informed, his head falling forward.

"They look like..." Father Daniel muttered out loud, his words battling the incomprehensible nature of his thoughts.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Father," Adam apologized, his voice low yet sincere. The priest pulled back, taking his glasses off. "But I'm glad God sent you there that night." The boy added, crossing his arms over the table and leaning his head over his hands.

"Do you think...?" Father Daniel questioned as he peeked through the larger window near the door into the street.

"He's not there if that's what you're wondering." Adam quickly replied without even looking back.

"How do you...?" Father Daniel asked, squinting.

"I can feel him. I can hear his thoughts." Adam stated calmly. "It started that night, and it's getting worse. His heartbeat inside my head, pounding like a migraine." The boy explained, his hand sliding under his raven hair and grabbing the back of his head.

"He must've gotten hungry and gone home." Father Daniel commented. "Adam, I..." the priest muttered, pausing. "I wish I knew how to help you." He finally added with disarming sincerity. There was a brief moment of silence.

"You are helping, Father," Adam replied, lifting his head, looking back and smiling.

"Adam...about Thomas..." Father Daniel insisted. But Adam cut him off.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about it." The boy gently and politely requested.

"Okay," the pastor agreed. "Let me look at these," he suggested, pulling an aid kit box from one of the drawers and dragging the chair closer to Adam's desk. The priest dipped a piece of cotton cloth in a saline solution and began to gently brush it over Adam's wounds, his eyes running through the boy's shoulder blades, which seemed to be growing outward, creating a slight hunch.

"That feels nice," the boy whispered as his head fell back down, a tender sigh following the movement. "Father?" Adam called in a soft tone.

"Yes, Adam?" Father Daniel replied.

"Can you hold me?" The boy requested. The priest's hands froze, with the cotton cloth hovering inches from Adam's skin.

"Ovecourse," Father Daniel muttered.

He lay the cloth on the bed and nudged his chair across the floor just as Adam's body turned, the boy's arms diving inside the priest's embrace. An overwhelming flood of emotion raced through Father Daniel's body and heart, and with it, a sense of purpose. Something he hadn't felt in a long time. There he was, inside his arms, this boy he had known all his life. One that harbored the power to unearth men's secret desires and thoughts.

"What was his name?" Adam questioned, his muffled voice breaking from under Father Daniel's chest.

"What?" The priest replied, baffled.

"This person you keep thinking about?" The boy clarified.

"How..." Father Daniel mumbled, pulling away slowly.

"I can hear your thoughts. They're more like whispers, really. You're always thinking about him," Adam revealed, not a hint of judgment in his words.

"He was...a good friend from my childhood," Father Daniel responded, his voice suddenly whisked away by the beauty of forgotten memories.

"You still love him," Adam stated. His statement echoed the increasing rhythm of the priest's heartbeat, who gazed at the boy, his eyes glistening with tears.

"I did once, yes. But my love is for God now," Father Daniel replied, struggling to comprehend the nuances in his own conflicting thoughts.

"That's not what your heart's whispering, Father..." Adam disclosed. Despite the tenderness and softness of his intent, the boy's words were cutting, bottled with disarming truth.

Father Daniel looked at Adam and chuckled nervously.

"You've always reminded me of him," the priest admitted, his demeanor changing. His usual austerity gradually dismantling.

"Do you miss him?" The boy asked.

"I think I miss being young," the priest replied with a nostalgic smile on his lips.

"You're not that old, Father," Adam replied cheekily, causing Father Daniel to giggle.

"Maybe. But I'm old enough to know what burying your feelings can do to you," the priest said, his expression suddenly changing. He leaned forward and held the boy's hands, his eyes confronting the vastness of Adam's blue gaze. "You can't keep ignoring Thomas. He's been standing on that bridge for days. Through cold and rain." He argued. "Don't you want to see him? Talk to him?" The priest challenged, propelling Adam's eyes to sparkle for the first time in days.

"With every fiber of my being, Father," the boy answered. When he did, the most glorious ray of sunshine speared through the heavy rain that poured outside and burst through the small window, shrouding Adam's back like a warm blanket with a yellow glow. "But I'm scared," he added, immediately causing the glow to retreat.

"Of what?" Father Daniel questioned.

"Of what will happen if he finds out about that night..." Adam admitted, his head falling between his shoulders as his body tumbled forward, plunging back inside the priest's arms.

"Adam...you told me God was punishing you for what you did," Father Daniel whispered into the boy's hair, his hand gently brushing it. "But I don't believe that to be true. I don't think God is punishing you," he said soothingly. "I think he's trying to tell you something," he added before pausing, his eyes rising. The glow lingered outside the small window, fiercely battling to glide back inside the room. "Maybe he's trying to tell all of us something..." Father Daniel whispered.

"What?" Adam challenged. There was skepticism in his voice.

"I don't know yet, Adam," the priest replied, lingering on the boy's doubtful thoughts.

He wanted nothing more than to alleviate the boy's broken heart. But there was little to be said in the face of such despair and uncertainty. After all, how could he contend with the magnitude of the miracle Adam had performed and all the questions it raised, Father Daniel thought?

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, inside Thomas's father's barn, a young woman bounced up and down on the hunk's sweaty body. Her pussy stretched as Thomas fucked her with his beautifully girthy, 9-inch dick. His rough, big hands held her ass cheeks, slapping them occasionally.

"Oh fuck!" Her voice screeched as she bit on the hunk's neck.

"Keep it down," Thomas whispered, his breath hectic. His thick, swarthy brown hair, soaking in sweat, bounced up and down.

"Sorry." She apologized, slowing down her movements and tightening her muscles around the stud's cock. But as she did, her eyes locked on Thomas, whose vacant stare caught her off guard. She halted, frowning at him. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" She questioned.

"What?" Thomas replied with an egregious lack of interest. The young woman slid her hand down and yanked Thomas's softening cock from inside her.

"Clearly, something's wrong. You used to be the best fuck in this town." She muttered, visibly annoyed.

"I'm sorry. I've just been distracted," Thomas explained, rubbing his hands on his face with frustration.

"It's not like you got much going on for you besides that perfect cock, Thomas. If you can't even get that to work..." She mocked. "Want me to suck you off?" She suggested.

"I..." Thomas stuttered, his eyes flying to the lofty, wooden door of the barn.

"What? You rather have Adam do it?" She provoked.

Before she could even finish the sentence, Thomas's bulky arms fired forward, pushing her off him violently, forcing her body to fall on the hay-covered floor.

"You shut your fucking mouth about Adam!" Thomas's deep and commanding voice hollered.

"Jesus Christ, I'm sorry. It was a joke..." the girl backtracked, pulling her bra up, trying to cover her naked breasts. "Fucking weird relationship..." She cautiously grinned between her teeth.

"What the fuck did you say?" Thomas questioned, pulling his pants up and grabbing his shirt off the floor.

"It's not like I'm the only one who thinks that," she mumbled. Thomas stood up, his golden eyes piercing, coercing the words out of her. "Everybody does," she finally said.

"Get out," Thomas exclaimed. The young woman looked at him with surprise, her eyes gaping at the stud. "OUT!" Thomas shouted, his lips spouting.

"Fine! Fuck you and that fucking faggot!" She roared back. Thomas leaped forward, grabbed her arm, and dragged her across the barn, tossing her body out the door. She fell over the tall corn, rolling on her belly. "You're a piece of shit, Thomas!" She yelled as the stud slammed the door on her.

Inside, Thomas nervously paced around, his body burning with rage. He kicked a small bucket, forcing it against the wall as it broke into several pieces. The stud collapsed over the hay, his hands covering his face.

"Fuck!" He muttered with complete desperation, lingering there for several minutes before his breath finally stabilized. Once it did, he raised his head. "Fuck this." He uttered, pulling himself off the ground and rushing out the door, his body disappearing as he ran inside the cornfield.

Back in town, on the other side of the bridge, Father Daniel paced around his chamber, pressing clothes inside a suitcase. Adam sat on a chair tucked in the corner of the priest's room, mesmerized by how neatly the pastor folded the clothes as he tucked them inside the travel bag. These days spent in Father Daniel's company had made Adam grow slightly enamored of the priest's innate paternal nature towards him, and as such, they were quickly becoming close friends and confidants. The priest soon became accustomed to the boy's presence, finding Adam's soothing nature a rejuvenating company inside the somewhat lonely church.

"Do you really have to go?" Adam's anxious voice drilled.

"I'll only be gone for a couple of days. Are you sure you'll be alright?" Father Daniel asked, unable to hide his reluctance to leave Adam alone. He glanced back to find the boy nodding slowly. He closed the zipper on the bag and turned around. "Try to rest," he counseled.

"Don't worry, Father. I will." Adam replied. Internally, he struggled, finding it hard to imagine staying inside the cold church alone for two days.

"Don't forget to lock the front and patio doors, okay?" The priest reminded, grabbing the bag and tossing it over the raincoat covering his garment.

"Yes, Father. You're blessing?" Adam uttered, closing his eyes.

Father Daniel paused, smiling, before approaching the boy and placing his left thumb on his smooth forehead.

"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit," the priest blessed, his hand inadvertently lingering on Adam's face before sliding gently down, his fingers brushing the boy's cheeks. Adam held the pastor's hand and kissed it. "You should be blessing me, my sweet boy," Father Daniel whispered. As Adam opened his blue eyes and looked up at him, the priest felt a rush of emotion, and his soul whimpered with sentiment. "Stay safe," he added, walking out the door.

Adam followed, watching him walk across the long aisle until he finally closed the massive front entrance. Suddenly, a crippling silence landed on the chapel. Adam's eyes scoured around lost in the murals and high windows that varnished the church's ceiling. Paintings of angels and saints, their bodies resting weightless over white clouds, with their hands reaching towards heaven.

The longing in their expressions was soothing. An emotion Adam's heart and soul had always longed for. And the more he stared at them, the more he realized how connected he felt to that longing. There, alone in that church, he was beginning to acknowledge his deep connection to a mysterious, invisible, divine presence that had followed him his entire life.

He turned, climbing the steps to the pulpit, ready to return to his room when a loud knock echoed across the chapel. He rushed across the gallery, pulling his spare key out of his pocket.

"Did you forget something, Father Daniel?" He questioned, unlocking the door and opening it.

His blue eyes gaped in surprise. He found Thomas standing on the other side, drenched from head to toe under the heaviest rain.

"Thomas...you can't be here," Adam mumbled, attempting to close the door. But the stud's hand dashed forward, punching the door back and locking it with his heavy boot.

"Are you going to leave me outside like this? Isn't the church supposed to be a welcoming place?" The stud mocked. Adam quickly realized Thomas was slightly drunk. The boy's eyes scoured the central square before his hand grabbed the stud's soaked shirt and pulled him in, closing the door behind them.

Adam paused, his forehead leaning against the door as he inhaled. He felt fearful, uneasy, and profoundly driven to jump into Thomas's strong arms, a place he knew so well and the source of all his strength and comfort. As he turned, Thomas was clumsily ripping off his wet shirt, his glistening muscles slowly exposed. Adam felt his throat dry up, and a soft chuckle broke from his mouth as he watched the stud endeavor, without success, to pull the shirt over his head.

"Wait. Let me help," Adam finally said, walking over to Thomas, who turned, his face completely covered. Adam's hands came up, and he slid his fingers under it, yanking it off. Under it, Thomas's golden gaze waited.

"Thanks," the stud whispered, his heavy breath knitting its way inside Adam's nostrils, immediately hardening his cock.

They lingered there, lost in each other's eyes. At that moment, Adam realized that his heart lacked logic or reason regarding Thomas. There was only love. And whatever part of him struggled to keep his love for his best friend at bay, it couldn't hold a candle to the absolute determined force that sprung from inside his heart, yearning for his friend's embrace. Thomas's eyes descended onto Adam's lips, and before the boy could even react, the stud lunged forward and kissed him passionately. Adam could feel the stud's greedy tongue dive inside his throat, feasting on his desirable taste. Their breaths merged, taking over the space as their moans echoed across the chapel.

"I can't," Adam mumbled between the few seconds Thomas allowed him to breathe.

"Stop pulling away from me," the stud pleaded, his tongue and lips stretched as he tried desperately to latch them back onto Adam's mouth. "I know you want to. I can feel it," he stated, gripping Adam's arms and pulling him closer.

"Not here," Adam pleaded. "Thomas, please," the boy begged.

Suddenly, Thomas pulled away, hands still holding Adam's arms. His eyes twitched with uncontrollable passion.

"Fine," Thomas uttered impatiently, pausing momentarily. His eyes scoured every inch of Adam's body, his mind plotting. Suddenly, he rushed forward and grabbed Adam, throwing the boy's body over his shoulder like a sack of hay.

"Thomas, what are you doing? Let me go!" Adam yelled, his body wholly subdued by the stud's strength.

"Not a chance, angel eyes. You're coming with me," the stud razzed, his manner dancing between playful and menacing.

"NO!" Adam screamed, matching the stud's shallow outrage.

"YES!" Thomas fired back, chuckling as he walked toward the entrance.

He slammed the chapel door and rushed down the church steps, carrying Adam. As he reached his father's truck, he opened the back door and tossed his friend inside, closing the door shut. He jumped inside and started the car, driving across the flooded bridge, and slowly but surely, about ten minutes later, he was parking just outside the lake area. He hopped out of the car and tore Adam from the back seat, carrying him down the incline. The boy kicked his feet and slapped Adam's back with his fists, but the stud's soaring constitution and muscular frame quickly overpowered Adam's delicate nature.

"I'll scream, Thomas!" Adam threatened, his sweet voice barely menacing.

"No one will hear you." Thomas teased, finally dropping Adam on the floor. The boy slapped the stud's chest, forcing him to tilt back slightly. But as the blue-eyed angel looked at his friend, he realized Thomas was sporting the most scalding grin.

"What are you trying to do?" Adam questioned.

"To get you to talk to me." The stud sounded. Adam's breath wavered, and he fell to the floor, slamming his perfectly smooth bubble peach on the ground, facing the water. After a brief silence, he felt Thomas's heavy body sit beside him. "Is this about what happened last time?" Thomas questioned, his eyes glancing at Adam discretely.

"No. Of course not." Adam replied, side-eyeing the stud, trying desperately to avoid his gaze. He knew neither could resist lingering inside each other's eyes for too long.

"Cause I seem to remember we both enjoyed it," Thomas muttered, his voice beaming with eroticism. "In fact, I can't stop thinking about it," the stud admitted. Adam's lips stretched, unable to conceal his smile.

"I can't either..." the boy mumbled.

Thomas slid his beefy body closer, his face rubbing softly against Adam's, eyes closed in complete resignation.

"Your smell...your breath...your skin," the hunk whispered as his nose skated along Adam's silky cheeks. "What the fuck is happening to us?" He questioned, finally asking what they both labored to answer.

But the answer didn't come. Instead, Thomas dipped his tongue into Adam's mouth again. But the kiss was greedy, reckless, and utterly passionate this time. They fell back, Thomas's weight pushing Adam into the ground, the hunk's hand crawling under the boy's shirt, ascending towards his shoulder blades.

"Thomas...stop," Adam uttered, grabbing the hunk's hand and pulling it away.

"Why?" Thomas questioned, his lips descending into Adam's neck. His teeth gently nibbled on the boy's intoxicating skin.

"What do you remember? About that night?" Adam finally asked, his voice trembling with trepidation.

He immediately felt Thomas's lips stop, his breath blowing into his neck. The hunk raised his head and locked his golden eyes on his friend.

"I remember...being dark and feeling empty," Thomas mumbled, his voice eerily gloomy as his gaze withdrew to the motionless river water. "But then I dreamt an angel came to me, said my name, and took me by the hand. Then I woke up." He endeavored to recall, his words now soft and tender. Thomas lifted and turned his head to find Adam's eyes soaked in tears.

"I have to go," Adam uttered, pulling away and standing up.

"Adam..." Thomas called, jumping up and rushing after the boy, who sprinted up the incline. He reached for his arm, grabbing his wrist.

"Let me go, Thomas," Adam pleaded, trying to pull away.

"No," Thomas muttered, his face scowling in frustration. "NO!" Thomas yelled, his tone shifting into rage and desperation. As he did, his hand accidentally pulled Adam's shirt, ripping the fabric and exposing the boy's gashes. His morphed shoulder blades were even more conspicuous, the bones pushing outwards, stretching his pale skin to an almost translucid condition. Under it, Thomas saw something moving.

"What the fuck!" The stud exclaimed, pulling back. "Adam..." he muttered. Adam's hands immediately sheathed his shoulders, trying to conceal his wounds. Thomas attempted to walk in his direction, but the boy pulled away.

"Something is...happening to me," Adam finally revealed, his body recoiling with shame.

"Is that why you've been avoiding me?" Thomas questioned. "There's something you're not telling me..." he stated, watching Adam's expression shift and the boy's blue eyes finally face him.

"You died." Adam blurted out.

"What?" Thomas questioned, his face thawing with incredulity.

"That night, you died. Right there..." Adam stated, pointing at the spot up the incline where he had held Thomas' dead body. "They beat you to death, and you died in my arms," the boy finally revealed, a mixture of relief and dread filling his chest.

"Is this a joke?" Thomas questioned, chuckling nervously. But Adam shook his head slowly from side to side, his eyes conveying candor. Thomas pulled back, his stoic presence abruptly dissolving.

"The darkness you said you felt...the emptiness. That was you dying." Adam revealed. "I pulled you back. I begged God not to take you," the boy said. "I know I shouldn't have, but...I couldn't live in a world where we weren't together. I just couldn't," he admitted, tears streaming down his cheeks.

As he stared into Thomas's eyes, he saw his deepest fears come to fruition. Inside them, that once warm and familiar light he fed off and that nurtured his soul and spirit was fading. Thomas's gaze was changing.

"I think you're right, Adam," the stud's stony voice uttered. "I think it's probably best if we don't see each other anymore," he suggested, pulling further away. For each step he took back, new tears fell from inside Adam's eyes, the boy's soul screaming in torment. "I need to be alone..." the stud muttered, opposing his own will.

"I'm sorry, Thomas." The boy implored, clamoring for forgiveness. He reached forward, extending his hand.

"Go away, Adam," Thomas uttered as he turned around, his fingers scratching his neck and scalp as he walked away, feeling muddled. Inside, his soul broke.

Confusion and pain took hold, but he kept going, his spirit slowly shattering as he got inside his truck, the sound of Adam's cries waning in the distance.

Once more, Adam was alone. Right back where everything had started. And the fear he had arbored inside his heart his whole life had finally manifested: he now lived in a world where Thomas wasn't part of his life. He had spoken the truth, inadvertently pushing away the person he loved most in his life. Gloom took hold of his heart, and with the last shred of strength he had left in his frail body, Adam turned around, his feet dragging him from that lake all the way back to his house.

As he stepped onto the tiny porch, he saw a small light flickering inside the kitchen. His father was home. Adam pushed the door open and walked inside. He tried to sneak into his room, but as soon as he grabbed the stair railing, his father's deep voice echoed inside the tiny house.

"Is that you, boy?" he questioned. Adam took a deep breath and entered the kitchen, stopping under the cracked doorway. He stood there, quietly nodding. Their eyes met in a long silence, a chasm separating their spirits, its deepness reflecting their broken relationship. "You look sick," he commented, looking at Adam's increasingly pale complexion.

Leonard was a stern man, cold and emotionally detached. Yet, whenever Adam peeked inside his father's blue eyes, which he inherited, he could always see his kindness—tucked away like something to be ashamed of.

"I haven't been feeling very well?" the boy replied, taking a few steps forward. He pulled a chair and sat on the kitchen table, facing his father.

"Why are you hunching?" Leonard asked, his neck stretching as his eyes scoured his son's back.

"I guess I've just been tired..." Adam replied, trying desperately to move the focus elsewhere. Adam's eyes fled down, his fingers nervously twirling as he garnered the courage to speak. "Dad? You never talk about Mom. What was she like?" he questioned, never taking his eyes off the table.

There was a brief silence, during which he heard his father chug the entire glass of whisky he held in his hand before placing the glass on the table and refilling it.

"She was..." Leonard uttered, pausing. "The most beautiful girl in town. She was breathtaking." he resumed, his left hand brushing the old table wood. "I couldn't believe it when she chose me. Out of all the boys in Dog's Creek. The day I proposed, and she said yes...fuck..." Leonard stuttered. "It was the happiest day of my life," he added, his words finally forcing Adam to lift his head, exposing his beautiful smile.

Leonard had never opened himself to Adam like this. He rarely spoke about her, and when he did, his mood would always turn sour, as if his memories of her pained him.

"But she was also troubled..." Leonard unexpectedly stated, his tone shifting. "Always walking around with her head in the clouds. Making up stories," he continued. "Then she became pregnant with you...and things just...escalated," Leonard revealed, his fingers swirling the glass around the table. Adam's eyes were now locked on his father, attentive. "People started noticing. She was talking nonsense. Stuff about God speaking to her and shit like that," he revealed. Adam leaned forward on the table, his arms crossing before him.

"What was he saying to her...?" the boy questioned, his blue gaze skewering his father for answers. Leonard glanced at his son and chuckled.

"You're just like her..." he mocked, chugging another glass and filling it again. "Your mother had a sickness in the head, boy. It wasn't her fault, but she did," Leonard argued, almost to himself.

"What was he saying? She..." Adam stuttered. "She must have told you," the boy drilled, his heart beating with thunderous force inside his chest.

Leonard paused, his eyes traveling around his son's face, almost as if his eyes had found themselves discovering something they had failed to notice before.

"She said...that God told her she would give birth to an angel." Leonard finally uttered.

Adam's eyes blinked slowly, like a child in wonderment, hearing the most magical bedtime story.

"And did you believe her?" Adam questioned, his lips stretched into a smile. But soon, that smile wavered as he realized the remorse taking hold of Leonard's expression.

"I took her to the best doctors. They told her it was a high-risk pregnancy, that it was either her or the baby," Leonard revealed, his hands trembling slightly as his eyes evaded Adam's gaze.

"Did you believe her?" the boy insisted.

"No." Leonard finally said. The word submerged the room in a sudden apathy. "And I'm glad I didn't. I loved your mother more than you'll ever know..." he continued, his lips tightening in misery, guilt, and bitterness. "So she had to be lying. Because If God existed, he wouldn't have taken her away from me," Leonard argued.

Adam pulled back, leaning against his chair, his face squinting in pain as his shoulder blades touched it.

"How lonely she must have felt," he whispered, almost to himself, before his eyes glanced up, digging into his father.

"If you hadn't been born, she would still be here," Leonard muttered.

They were the cruelest words ever spoken. And yet, in the face of them, Adam's compassion prevailed. He looked at his father and rose from his chair, now sure that every word out of that man's mouth until now were nothing more than the ramblings of a broken man, hostage to the most profound grief. The same grief that had caused Adam's miracle to occur on that river, saving Thomas from the cruelty of his fate.

"I didn't kill her. Her loneliness did." Adam conveyed, walking out of the house and leaving his father to dwell alone in his self-inflicting pain.

Adam began running as soon as he stepped on the dirt patch outside. He didn't stop until his worn-out shoes touched the other side of the bridge, where he stopped, his head rising as his eyes gazed up at the church. Suddenly, for the first time in years, he felt at home.

He strolled up the steps, walked inside, and closed the door behind him, turning the key on the lock. And then, a deep silence began to coat the chapel borders. Adam walked along the corridor, stopping midway through it before closing his eyes. There, inside those walls, there was no judgment, no resentment. And yet, a puncturing sadness, tugging inside the deepest recesses of his heart, still lingered. And as Adam's spirit prepared to bathe in it, a voice uttered from behind him.

"I remembered...your voice calling me," Thomas's voice uttered. Adam felt a jolt of electricity run through his body, and the enormous mass that grew inside his shoulder blades expanded. "I was so cold...and when I heard you, everything became warm and...serene," the stud's voice continued, progressively closer. Adam finally turned to find Thomas standing behind him, his musky smell coating the air around him. "What's happening to you?" the stud asked, his voice layered with familiar compassion.

"I don't know," Adam answered with disarming honesty. "But I keep getting sick every time we're together," he tried to explain, inadvertently taking a step back. "I think I'm being punished...for using His gift selfishly," Adam finally admitted.

A short silence took hold before a sharp chuckle broke from Thomas's mouth, echoing across the church.

"That's the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard," the stud expressed. "If God wanted to punish you, why would he let you save me?" he argued, his words finally breaking Adam's guilt.

"Thomas..." the blue-eyed boy stuttered, overwhelmed.

"I think you're just scared. That's what's making you sick," Thomas countered, stepping forward and closer to Adam.

"Scared?" Adam mumbled.

"Of me. Of us," Thomas confronted, the stud's honesty slicing through the small space between them.

"But I'm..." Adam stuttered, his tears finally showing. He let his head drop, but as his eyes locked on the floor, he saw Thomas's shadow moving closer, enveloping him. He felt the hunk's hand grab his chin, lifting it.

"You're Adam," Thomas said. "My Adam," the stud proclaimed, his beautiful smile returning to greet his best friend.

Adam's soul lit up, and his heart finally settled into a slow and warm beat. He smiled, rejoicing in the comfort of Thomas's presence and love.

Outside, the rain that had plagued the town for days finally stopped, and the most glorious moonlight broke from behind the clouds, its light piercing the glass window of the chapel's ceiling.

"Thomas, I love you." Adam finally admitted. "I've always loved you. Not just as my best friend...I..." the boy stuttered, struggling to convey his sexual longing for the hunk, who stared at him, his golden eyes smiling at him. "I think I'm ready," Adam uttered.

"Are you sure?" Thomas whispered, his cock now pulsating inside his pants, the fabric already stretching outwards. Adam just nodded, slightly biting on his red lips.

"Okay." The hunk stuttered with an almost childlike nervousness.

Adam began to slowly strip his clothes off, his eyes facing Thomas's passionate gaze. His beautiful, snow-white skin glistened as he peeled the pieces off, the moon's blue mantle shining. As he dropped his pants, his stiff pink shaft sprung up, and Adam's arms came forward, his vulnerability wholly exposed.

"Don't hide," Thomas whispered, smiling. "You're too beautiful to hide," the stud expressed before he began to strip his own clothes. His shirt first, revealing his massive chest and bulky arms. His cinnamon-toned nipples moved up and down as he breathed. Then he pulled his pants down, which barely caged his now rock-hard 9-inch, thick, and veiny cock. Adam's eyes flared slightly, looking down at it with an inquisitive frown.

"Can I touch it?" Adam asked. There was tremendous beauty in how he asked for Thomas's consent, and the stud grinned with delight before nodding slowly.

Adam stepped forward and placed his hand under Thomas's cock, his palm merging with the base of the stud's shaft. It was sweaty, and he could feel it pumping blood. He pulled his hand back, skating it along the shaft's smooth skin, and stopped as he reached the tip, feeling Thomas's precum soak his palm. Adam's eyes came up, their innocence teasing Thomas.

"Don't be afraid," Thomas declared.

"I'm not afraid. Not anymore," Adam whispered, his basil breath and marigold-scented skin beckoning Thomas's body and mouth to move in. "You're here now," the boy uttered.

"Angel eyes..." Thomas whispered back before his lips lunged forward, his tongue diving inside Adam's inviting mouth.

They dove into a passionate kiss, their breaths fusing effortlessly as their arms wrestled with each other. Thomas's hands frantically scoured every inch of his friend's body, unable to conceal his desire to own every inch of Adam's skin. And as he descended into his hips, Adam leaped forward and scissored his legs around Thomas's muscular waist, the stud's cock now trapped between the boy's asscheeks. With every pulse, it squeezed deeper between them, teasing Adam's virgin hole. The boy moaned, his breath spewing inside Thomas's mouth and traveling deeper inside the stud's already inebriated body. The hunk walked forward, holding Adam in his arms, and as he reached the steps to the pulpit, he stopped, turned around, and leaned back on them. Adam was now saddling Thomas, his lips still greedy, sucking on the hunk's plump mouth.

But suddenly, he pulled back and stood inches from Thomas, gazing at the stud before his lips descended into the hunk's neck and kissed it.

"Fuck..." Thomas muttered. "Is this really happening?" The hunk questioned, his voice bursting with lust.

Adam's mouth continued its journey down Thomas's body, his tender red lips skating along the stud's hairy chest, stopping to lick his nipples gently. Thomas's back arched with rapture, his hands crossing before his face. Adam moaned, enjoying the salty flavor of his lover's sweat and the pungent musk exuding from the hunk's groin. Adam continued to kiss every inch of Thomas's body, his soft mouth blessing every muscle and every crevice. And as his nose nestled near the hunk's belly bottom, he stopped, lifting his ass gently and unleashing the hunk's massive cock. It shot up, slapping against his chiseled stomach, bringing with it a string of precum that splattered over Thomas's chest. Without missing a beat, Adam slid his tongue over it, moaning as he swallowed the sheer liquid. Then he slid his hand down and grabbed the stud's cock with his right hand, stroking it gently. His lips were now inches from Thomas's.

"I'm going to put it in my mouth," Adam whispered, his face disappearing downward.

"Jesus Christ..." Thomas stuttered before he felt Adam's soft lips finally touch his cock. He looked down and took a deep breath filled with unbridled ardor. There, with his beautiful mouth wrapped around his girthy cock was Adam, his blue eyes glancing up at the stud. "You're so fucking sexy," the hunk muttered.

Adam's eyes beamed at him as his lips nibbled gently at the tip of his lover's cock. They were gentle, wet kisses which slowly glossed the stud's dick. Every now and then, he would nudge his nose on it and take a sniff, his eyes closing in rapture as he relished in the hunk's manly scent. Thomas just stared at him, mouth agape. And within seconds, Adam dove in, sliding the stud's cock inside his mouth. Thomas's head fell back, a guttural groan following his movement. And while he felt tempted to look down and take in all the beauty of Adam's pureness being overtaken by the boy's lust for cock, Thomas resisted, and his gaze lingered on the church's ceiling. His eyes scoured the beautiful drawings and marveled at how the light peaked through the glass while his spirit and body surrendered to the absolute joy of that moment.

He could feel Adam's mouth diving deeper, every muscle in his mouth exploring new depths as he struggled to keep his throat from gagging on Thomas's beast. Every once in a while, the stud could feel the boy pulling out, only to dive right back in, the greediness taking over. And with each new movement, his head bobbing up and down, Thomas could feel Adam surrender. He could feel his lover's body dive willingly into uncharted territory. As Adam's moans increased in volume and volition, Thomas's hands unwillingly slid down, his fingers finally grasping the boy's raven curls.

"Your mouth feels so good," Thomas whispered, his breathing getting hectic. Immediately, Adam moaned, his tone slightly changing. It was provocatively submissive. And as Thomas's grip began to tighten around his hair, Adam's neck upped the rhythm, his lips now moving fiercely fast up and down the stud shaft, his tongue carefully hugging the base. And soon, the hunk could feel his tip gently touch the back of his lover's throat. "I can't believe..." Thomas muttered, chuckling as he did. "You're taking it all in..." he continued. But his grin of satisfaction began to morph as he felt the first rush of heat brush the inside of his groin. "Adam...wait..." the stud warned. But Adam's eagerness and Thomas's satisfaction were too mighty. "Wait...shit...I'm gonna..." he warned before the first jolts of his orgasm began to erupt from his pelvis, his ass jerking forward, pushing his first strings of cum deep inside Adam's throat.

The boy moaned, fearlessly holding his position as his tongue masterfully teased Thomas's load off him. Soon, the hunk was firing string after string into his lover's mouth, and with each shot, Adam moaned, coughing gently before swallowing every drop of it. Thomas's body twitched and shivered uncontrollably, his mind blanking from the sheer pleasure. No mouth had ever made him feel that way.

He needed to see it, and so, the stud lifted his head, his golden gaze stumbling on the sight of Adam's lips stretched thin around his prick, his skin flushed red, and his blue eyes gazing lustfully up at him. With his hand holding the base of the stud's cock, Adam pulled back, his bloated mouth sliding along 9 inches of glistening meat before he finally pulled it out of his mouth with a loud pop. The boy gasped as if he had been holding his breath underwater for several minutes. But then his lips paused, and a mischievous grin took hold of them, his eyes taunting Thomas's incredulous look.

"Oh my God," Thomas exclaimed, giggling euphorically. Adam chuckled back, pulling his face up slightly and slapping Thomas's cock against his cheek playfully, sliding his tongue along it. The boy had conquered Thomas's mammoth, and an engrossing pride was exuding from him, a sense of conquest and a benign possession. Adam could see it mirrored in Thomas's eyes: the stud's cock was his now.

"Thomas?" Adam called, his voice sultry and uninhibitedly sensual.

"Yeah?" The stud replied, wholly subdued to the boy's spell.

"I want you to fuck me like one of your girls," Adam demanded, his voice sparking a shift in Thomas's expression.

He was relinquishing his power, and now, Thomas was leading, the stud's dominant nature roaring from inside his chest. The hunk smirked, slid his hands under Adam's armpits, and pulled the boy up. He could feel his cock still rock hard, barely aware of the massive load it had just released. He took his right hand to his mouth and spit on it, taking it down to Adam's ass cheeks. His fingers slowly slid inside the boy's crack, scavenging for his pink virgin hole. Adam's neck tilted back, feeling the stud's middle finger finally graze his velvety sphincter. Thomas rubbed the moist hand around it and, without pausing, gently slid the finger inside, the walls of Adam's hole closing in around it.

"Oh god!" Adam exclaimed, his mouth opening in surprise.

But rather than stopping, Thomas pushed his finger even deeper, and as Adam's chest fell into his face, he seized the opportunity and lunged his mouth on the boy's succulent pink nipple, his tongue playfully tickling it. He gently finger fucked Adam's hole as he feasted on his marigold-scented skin and patiently waited until he finally felt his lover's hole begin to relax and unwind his tight grip around his moist finger. Once it did, he pulled it out and grabbed his uncut cock, stroking it while his left hand aided, spreading Adam's cheeks apart. He pushed his pelvis forward, aiming the massive shaft at the inviting hole, and slowly drilled about 4 inches of it inside, his foreskin stretching back, exposing his sensitive head to the warmth and comfort of Adam's virgin taint.

"Oooohhhhh..." Thomas groaned, taken over by the most grandiose feeling he had ever experienced.

"Shit," Adam added, his fingers digging inside Thomas's biceps.

"Adam," Thomas called, propelling the boy to lock eyes with him. "Language." The stud teased, causing Adam to giggle before his face dove inside the stud's chest again.

Thomas clenched his ass cheeks and pushed his pelvis up, gently and slowly sliding his entire cock inside Adam's hole. He waited there, their bodies glued by sweat and musk, feeling his shaft pumping inside his lover like a heartbeat, the boy's hole slowly expanding and adjusting. His left hand skated down, his fingers feeling the soft fabric of the stretched sphincter, while his right hand ran up Adam's back, bypassing the boy's sensitive upper back and gently holding his neck. And then, in the most endearing manner, Thomas closed in on Adam's ear.

"I love you, Adam." The hunk whispered.

And just like that, Thomas started fucking Adam's hole. His whole body, soul, and spirit rammed into his lover, gifting him with the only thing Thomas had to offer: himself. Every thrust was layered with desire, meaning, and gratitude. And each wet, slapping sound that echoed inside the chapel harbored a memory, a story, and a moment shared by the two.

During the first few minutes, they barely breathed, their beings held captive in a dream-like state. But as Thomas's enduring stamina persisted, his every muscle working tirelessly to please his lover, Adam's voice finally broke from under them.

"Thomas..." the boy whimpered. "Your cock..." he cried out. "Feels so...good," Adam uttered, his words being cut short by the stud's thrusts.

"It's all yours, Adam. All yours." The hunk proclaimed, his dick stretching Adam's crevice into compliance.

Thomas fucked Adam continuously and without pausing. It looked primal yet felt divine, and the brighter the moon became, the harder Thomas loved Adam. There they were, two friends and soulmates finally plunging over the threshold of their sexual awakening—a moment years in the making. Nothing had ever felt this right.

As the blue-eyed angel's head lay over the stud's chest, every pleasurable beat of the boy's spirit echoing inside him, Thomas finally realized they were meant for each other. Their souls linked by the pleasures of the flesh and the pains of the spirit. The stud could feel his orgasm building again.

Then, suddenly, amid such profound emotional clarity, a high-pitched scream erupted from Adam's mouth, his head snapping back and his upper body rising as his mouth gaped, signaling an excruciating pain. With it, an explosion of blood splattered around them, sprinkling Thomas's face and chest.

The hunk's eyes gaped in shock, blood dripping slowly down his bushy eyebrows and mouth as he saw the brightest light erupt from inside his lover's opened mouth and a white shadow rising from behind him.

Two massive wings, layered with the most beautiful white feathers, had just burst out of Adam's back, soaring 5 feet above their heads, shining brightly under the blue mantle of the night's moon. They wavered in a sumptuous delicate dance, their slow and minimal movements discharging the most gloriously tempting scent into the air, following Adam's breath, which seemed to be escalating as his dick now twitched in warning.

"I..." he warned.

"Fuck..." Thomas replied, an invisible string of energy rushing from the base of his balls into his groin, where Adam's pink shaft stretched, the tip pointing at the stud's chest.

Thomas shot his first pumps of batter inside Adam's warm hole just as he felt his lover's hot cum fire into his chest, their thickness layered with a strange glow. He tried desperately to keep his eyes open, but not even his disbelief could tame his overwhelming desire, and he began to shake, clutching his hands around Adam's waist, attempting to hold himself in place. His cock pulsed and throbbed inside Adam's taint, his thick load starting to ooze out.

The boy's open lacerations were now healing and closing around the wing's roots.

"I always knew. Deep down, I always knew." Thomas mumbled, overwhelmed with emotion by the unbelievable sight before him.

Adam's head finally fell forward, his eyes overflowing with a blinding luster from within. He locked on Thomas before the blue brilliance of his gaze finally pushed from under it.

"You were right, Thomas," Adam whispered, his lips stretching into a smile. "He wasn't punishing me," the angel stated. "He was calling me," he finally acknowledged.

"What now?" Thomas questioned, his breathing still hectic as his eyes marveled at the massive wings that shimmered above them.

"I don't know," Adam replied calmly.

But a crippling anxiety took over Thomas's heart suddenly, and the stud's eyes filled with tears.

"Now that I have you, I don't want to lose you," Thomas cried. His stoicism and masculinity shattered, providing a glimpse into his endearing vulnerability. Adam's arms wrapped around Thomas's head, holding the stud in his divine embrace.

"You won't," the angel promised.

Adam's wings descended forward and slowly circled them, creating a cocoon-like structure that shielded their bodies. Thomas's eyes glistened with emotion as he realized they now embraced inside a tight, marigold-scented crown of light. The stud let his head fall forward, nestling inside Adam's pale, smooth chest, as the melodic beating of the boy's loving heart echoed around them.

And there, my dear reader, the two young lovers slumbered inside the most beautiful shrine of divine light as their now consummated love slowly helmed Adam's inevitable ascension to divinity.

Inside the walls of that holy sanctuary, and under God's grace and comforting embrace, Thomas and Adam had finally accepted the arcane nature of their connection and love.

But...would the world?

(To be continued...)