Dreams and Clipped Wings - 8. Chapter 8

8:Migratory Patterns
: edited by viv :

Warm sun glinted off the slow rippling water, ducks called out, whether in thanks, or in hopes of finding another day old chunk of bread being hurled in their direction, Cody didn’t know. Lifting his face to the sky, Cody imagined he could absorb some of the invisible energy. It didn’t matter if you couldn’t actually see it, because he felt it, an undeniable truth, much like the way lounging on the grass outside The Palace always seemed to put things into perspective for him.

The Palace of Fine Arts, built for the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition—a world’s fair to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal— was only supposed to be a transient structure. Its Corinthian columns and massive rotunda initially built of wood frame construction and skinned with a mix of plaster and burlap fiber. Even the design of the edifice was intended to show how man’s impression on the Earth faded in time; crumbling into ruins that only hinted at a grandeur that once was.

The citizens, however, fell in love with the edifice and before the exposition closed, began rallying support to save it from its eventual demolition. In that regard, the palace held a special place in Cody’s affections. In conception, it had been deemed an ephemeral building, constructed with no real foundation to support it, but this city gave it a permanent home; rebuilt it out of concrete with real foundations and a secure place in their hearts.

Cody could only wish for the same outcome from his similar beginning. It was already happening; he considered the city, and all of its disparate neighborhoods, home. He considered Saul, Joe, and even Stacey-- the gregarious punk girl he worked with-- his family; the three of them were surrogates who replaced his actual parents, parents that would rather see him torn down and forgotten, than given a proper chance at being something great.

Greatness wasn’t in his future, not on the scale of this mammoth structure that existed ‘just because’, but he was content with that. Sure, money wasn’t flooding in, but money caused more problems than it was worth; Cody understood that harsh reality more than he would ever let on. He knew the power plays his mother used. Money was her power, her form of dominance over his father; a shell of a man who bent to the woman’s every whim, or more importantly bent to the whim of the body that controlled the trust accounts she had inherited from her family.

The only thing he worried about now was Benjamin. He hoped his brother was strong enough to survive their mother’s shit. He hoped he was smart enough to see her for what she was and to do whatever he could to make it out of the house and into a nice safe college as far away as he could get.

That had been his own plan; to lay low until he could escape to Penn State. Fate, in her ever-fickle nature saw fit to deny him that. In doing so, she robbed him of the future he’d wanted, but wouldn’t admit to. Robbed him of the family he had always known, while simultaneously opening his eyes to certain undeniable truths.

Most days, Cody longed to be ignorant again, but here he found himself a stone’s throw away from the city he was born and raised in. He didn’t exactly make it as far away as he possibly could have. That didn’t matter however, like The Palace, he was sure he was here to stay.

“So how long are you guys in town?” Julie asked, paying no mind to the guy not more than twenty feet away, deep in thought as he plucked blades of grass and tossed them aside. Her focus, the focus the aspirin had allowed her, was centered on the two guys sitting before her. One sketching in a pad after looking up at the colonnade every so often, while the other lounged effortlessly on his side, curled around the guy he loved.

“Leaving this afternoon, actually,” Jacob said answering Julie’s question as he squinted in her direction. “Only stopped here over night to visit Sweets here,” he nodded his head in Valerie’s direction, “before heading on to Sacramento.”

“Oh,” Julie said. “That’s a shame I would have liked to spend more time with some of Val’s friends from back home.”

“They’ll be back this weekend,” Valerie offered, interjecting herself in the conversation, while idly wondering just what Julie wanted to wrangle out of the two.

“Great, there is this party this weekend. You guys should come,” Julie said, smiling broadly. “I’ll make sure Joe and his roommate show up so you guys can meet him.”

“Sounds interesting,” Jacob offered, settling his hand on Matt’s knee. Julie beamed at the prospect, but Valerie knew the disinterest in Jacob’s voice.

“Come with me,” Matt finally spoke as he pushed himself off the grass.

“What’s up?” Valerie asked.

“I want to see the colonnade from a different angle. One of the weepers isn’t coming out right,” Matt said while motioning to the maidens that graced the top of the Corinthian columns. The design had originally called for raised planters to be placed on the top of the colonnade. The four statues of maidens, one at each corner, where supposed to be weeping into the planters, representing the sorrow of a world without art. However, time and budget restraint had forced the exclusion of the planters.

Julie looked up at one of the figures Matt referred to as a ‘weeper’. She had never really noticed them before, matter of fact, The Palace and its huge rotunda were only a landmark in passing to her.

“Well, have fun,” she offered, even as she wondered why he found the building so fascinating.

Cody looked up from his thoughts to catch a glimpse of two guys walking off towards the colonnade. Their faces where mostly hidden from his view, but he admired the familiarity they shared. Their connection was evident in the way they walked close to one another, allowing their shoulders to collide. The way the one would place his hand reassuringly on the small of the other back as the laughed over a joke they shared. The one laugh sounded familiar in the way that the sound of a stranger’s laughter always does. Something about its pitch, or perhaps its length and mirth, called upon poignant memories of a particular laugh of someone he once knew.

Deciding he’d had enough of the park for the day, Cody pushed himself up off the grass and brushed himself off. He was at a loss for what do for the rest of the day, but at the same moment he was sure he could come up with something to do regardless of where he was. Food sounded like a good idea to Cody, perhaps even a beer or two, if Joe had a few left in the fridge.

With that in mind Cody began walking in the direction of the bus stop.

“Cody!” he heard after about fifteen feet, turning in the direction of his name, he noticed Julie sitting on the ground waving him over. Against his better judgment, Cody altered his path slightly and ambled up to Julie and her friend from school he had met on a few occasions, Valerie.

“Hi Julie,” Cody said showing off his best, if not most sincere, smile.

“What are you up to?” she asked looking up at him from where she was seated on the ground.

“Not much,” Cody answered. “I was just relaxing and killing some time.”

“There are these two guys you should meet,” she offered. “They wandered off, but should be back round in about fifteen minutes or so.”

The thought of spending one minute more with Julie than he had to didn’t thrill Cody at all. “Can’t right now,” he answered, “have some stuff I need to take care of.”

“Oh,” Julie looked dejected momentarily, before her face brightened into a smile. “That’s okay, they’re headed up to Sacramento, but they’ll be back in town this weekend.”

“Okay,” Cody offered, not knowing what else to say.

“Oh, hey,” Julie started, acting as if she thought of the idea. “They’re gonna be at a party over in Sausalito this weekend. You should totally come. Bring Joe along, too.”

“Yeah,” Cody said frowning, not liking the order of words that had just fallen from Julie’s mouth. “Anyhow, I better get going.”

“See ya around, Cody,” Julie offered.

“Yeah,” he repeated, but gave her nothing more as he walked away.

The two girls watched as Cody wandered off, not in the direction of the Palace itself, but rather to the west, back in the direction of the City proper itself. Valerie was about to counter Julie’s earlier notion of Cody, saying that she didn’t find him all that bad, even if the interaction between the two of them seemed strained. She would have if Jacob didn’t choose that moment to walk back up.

“Who was that?” Jacob asked, his gaze switching from Julie and Valerie, to the person they were both watching walk away. The way he moved and carried himself reminded Jacob of something, someone.

“Oh, him?” Julie asked noticing Jacob had taken an interest in Cody.. “That’s Joe’s roommate, Cody.”

Cody was bothered the whole bus trip back. ‘Bring Joe along, too’. What was that? What it was, was rather annoying. Just the way Julie told him to tell Joe about the party, she was, after all, his girlfriend; Joe would probably take the invitation from her better than he would take Cody telling him that Julie wanted him at this party this weekend. He added this little exchange to the pile of run-ins he’d had with her recently. He wanted to shrug it off, but it kept nagging at him as he got off the bus and walked up the block to his building. He knew why it did, too, simply because the bitch didn’t deserve Joe; he was definitely too good for her.

Cody stopped momentarily to grab the mail out of the box before pounding his way up the steps, shuffling his way through the pile of envelopes and ads as he did. One envelope caused him to pause. The paper of the envelope was thick, expensive feeling, with a linen pattern and bright white, so white, that the paper had a blue tinge compared to the dull grey of the newsprint ads. Cody’s name and address was written in blue ink on the front with no return address.

The postmark, printed in light red on the right hand corner, read San Francisco, CA. Puzzled, Cody turned the envelope over and found the return address he was looking for, though it didn’t help any. It was a simple W printed in light gray, the familiar logo for the W Hotel, with the city and street address printed below.

Curiously, Cody continued his trek up the steps. He wanted to tear into the envelope right there, yet he also wanted the privacy of his apartment and a place to set the rest of the assorted bills and mailers down.

Fishing his keys out of his pocket, Cody fumbled with and lost the majority of the mail as he slid his key into the door. Cursing silently, he bent down and gathered the mess as he blindly pushed the door open and stepped inside, kicking the newsprint ads across the threshold as he did.

“Joe?” Cody called, receiving no answer.

Ignoring the ads on the floor and adding the bulk of the mail to their pride of place, Cody concentrated on the mysterious white envelope. Giving it a quick flick, to usher the contents to one end of the envelope, Cody tore down the opposite edge, and pulled out the note inside, as a second smaller piece of paper, folded in half, flitted towards the ground. Focusing on the note Cody unfolded it, recognizing it as stock hotel stationary. The note however was more interesting.

Hey,

Don’t even try to return this, and you better cash it, or I will keep sending it until you do.

Eric

Cody’s brow furrowed as he read the simple note, written in the same blue ink and angular script as the address on the front of the envelope. Separating the note in his right hand from the envelope in his left, Cody looked down at the floor and the piece of paper.

Shoving the envelope into his left hand to again to meet up with the simple note it had been so fond with; Cody bent down and picked up the smaller folded piece of paper. Opening it, his suspicions were confirmed. It was a check, as he had expected it to be, but not in the amount he was anticipating. Not that he was expecting anything at all after he had told his boss not to worry about paying him.

Eleven hundred dollars and from the looks of the check; drawn on Eric Carlisle’s personal account, the bassist he had spent an evening getting to know better. It wasn’t a payroll check, but rather a personal check filled in by hand and signed with a signature that looked nothing like the photo-static copy that was printed on the poster in Cody’s room.

Cody smiled, laughed to himself really. Anyone else and this would have pissed him off, but the memory of the rock-star that tore through Cody like stars are meant to do, had him actually chuckling at the event. He even found humor in the rather salacious sounding memo Eric had included, and as he read it, he could see the bassist’s mischievous smile as he wrote the short note… for services rendered.

It was an odd thing to do; Cody knew it as he lifted the check to his nose and inhaled. What he was looking for, he didn’t know, but the only thing he found was the slightly sweet, gum scent of the cotton bond the check had been printed on.

As Cody pulled the check away, a different scent wafted through his memory, its presence warm and thick, causing his the muscles of his jaw to contract in anticipation. It was not the scent of cotton that provoked the memory of the tequila’s silken fire spreading across his palate, rather the fact that the check had come from Eric.

That had been a good night, even if it hadn’t ended in the best way. Cody idly wondered how far Eric’s expedition would have gone, had they not been interrupted. Sure he said one thing, but there was a small something in the kiss that seemed to grow as their lips lingered pressed against one another.

The memory, and the free thinking that followed it, brought a flush to Cody’s cheeks, as well as a surge of blood to other places. Having his fill of fantasies and ‘what-if’s’, Cody folded the check along its crease and slid it into his pocket. That done, and his hand in the area anyhow, Cody took a second to squeeze the girth in his shorts, willing the organ that often had a mind of its own to behave.

Abandoning the rest of the mail in the small entryway, Cody made his way to his bedroom where he placed the simple note in the top drawer of his dresser besides a stack of unopened envelopes from Dr. Jimenez’s office. That done, Cody crossed the way to his computer and woke it from its sleep mode.

Once the computer had finished loading, Cody launched the web browser and navigated to the Instinct web page. Logging in, he clicked on the link for the web forum where he was quick to start a new topic, titled thanks.

I know you guys don’t read these things, but this is the only way I can figure to say this. You didn’t have to do that, but thanks for doing it. Hope we have the chance to cross paths again in the future. Maybe we could hang out, or something. Anyhow, thanks again, Eric.
Cody

Cody was nervous as he hit the post button, perhaps a little excited, as well. Pushing away from the computer, Cody rationalized away thr giddiness as unfounded. The fact remained that bands hardly ever read their own message boards. That, and in Cody’s life, nothing good rarely stayed.

There was one more thing Cody did on the computer before Cody retreated from the room, and that was to make a reservation for classes at a riding school. With the certificate of completion, he wouldn’t have to bother with the skills test at the DMV.

Retreating to the kitchen, Cody reached into his back left pocket and fished out his cell phone that had given his left butt cheek a short pulse of vibration. ‘Hey’- the short text message read. It took Cody a minute to place a face with the name, but once he did he remembered the fresh faced flyboy, just out of boot camp and technical school and the fun weekend they had spent getting acquainted with one another.

Opting to just give Zach a call rather than text back, Cody hit the button combination that would do that. After a single ring, the other end was answered. “Hey Flyboy,” Cody said before Zach could say anything.

“Hey,” Zach said and Cody could hear the exuberant, cheeky smile. One that he had definitely like the first time he saw it and only grew fonder of every times he saw it over that long weekend.

“Long time no talk,” Cody said as he bypassed the kitchen and plunked down on the sofa.

“Sorry about that,” Zach muttered. “You told me to call you the next time I was in town. I haven’t had a chance to get off base until now.”

“No problem,” Cody laughed, he had hoped when he said it, that Zach would get a hold of him again, but never really expected he would. “What are you up to?” he asked.

“Well, I was kinda hoping we could hang out, or something,” Zach said. “I mean if you’re busy, or don’t want to, that’s cool, I just thought…” Zach trailed off.

Cody chuckled at Zach’s nervousness. “I thought you servicemen were supposed to be more cocky then that,” Cody said cradling the small phone between his shoulder and head, as he popped the top button on the shorts he was wearing. “What something did you have in mind?” Cody teased, sounding heated.

“We could waste time by me telling you while you stroke, or you could just come over and I’ll show you.”

“God, I’ve missed that,” Cody sighed, pulling his hand from his shorts.

“Missed what?” Zach asked.

“Cockiness,” Cody answered, “Jonathan never got cocky in the way you can. The way that gets me riled up.”

“Still seeing him then?” Zach asked, knowing a little about the guy Cody was talking about, the reason their mutual discretion had first been assured.

“Nah, no time for moody bitches,” Cody answered. “You know how it goes.”

“Mmm,” Zach replied. “So, you coming over?”

“Same place as last time?” Cody asked, already expecting that it was.

“Room 315.”

“Cool, let me shower and I’ll be right over.” Cody said pushing himself from the couch and shrugging out of the shorts, leaving him clad in only the pair of distended white boxer briefs.

“Don’t waste anything,” Zach laughed.

“Mmmm, nope, that is what your sexy little face is for,” Cody laughed.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

An hour later, Cody was treading eagerly up a concrete and wrought iron staircase. The green outdoor carpeting that covered the treads was trampled and stained an interesting smash of brown and black. He kept his pace, walking past the office on the second floor as if he were registered at the hotel. He continued up the next flight and down the hall, past the vintage security camera that he was sure hadn’t worked in his lifetime, much less the past decade.

The eighth door on the left was his destination, and Cody wasted no time in rapping his knuckles on the faded paint. A few moments later the door swung open, taking Cody’s breath with it as it did.

Zach stood in the open doorway looking more impressive in the BDU’s he was wearing, than he did when out of them. He wasn’t scrawny by any stretch of the imagination, but he wasn’t bulked up and muscle bound either, and that was to his benefit. He didn’t have the frame to support heavy muscles and six pack abs, instead he was lean and well toned, with a flat stomach that looked more tempting in the way it was exposed by Zach’s unbuttoned shirt.

“You just gonna stand there and cream your shorts, or what?” Zach asked, before a cocky grin smoothed over his boyish face.

“Admiring the view…” Cody commented taking a moment to feast his gaze along the length of Zach’s body. Starting at his perfectly shined black boots, up along the fatigue pants, which did nothing to camouflage the bulge in Zach’s crotch, sweeping up further along the pale, flat belly to the dogs tags nestled between his pecs, and finally up to the blue eyes which stared back at Cody, burning wantonly.

“Stop admiring and just take,” Zach challenged, stepping back a pace. He had to, or else he would be in the hall way in his battle dress uniform, mauling Cody with the two months of pent up desire that was coursing through his veins.

Cody smirked, visuals of licking the man’s navel already running unabashed through his mind. He was no sooner through the door before Zach pounced on him, attacking Cody’s lips roughly, using their combined mass to slam the door of the motel room roughly, while his hands pawed up Cody’s sides, seeking out the nipples buried beneath the thin cotton t-shirt.

Cody groaned approvingly into the mouth attacking his as the fingers tweaked his nipple. Zach was perfectly content with taking Cody right there, up against the door, his head writhing along the emergency evacuation placard. However, he reasoned that the bed was a better place to take what he had been waiting too long to conquer again. Abandoning the nipple he was teasing, Zach hooked his arms under Cody’s ass, hefted him up, and swung him in the direction of the bed. Zach managed to shuffle their weight a few paces before he broke the kiss and tossed Cody roughly on to the bed.

Cody chuckled at Zach’s zeal. “Been awhile?” he asked, raising up on his elbows and cocking his head slightly as he admired Zach again, toeing off his shoes and letting them drop to the floor. His shoes off, Cody reached down and shucked both of his socks.

“Yeah,” Zach said, grabbing Cody’s ankle and pulling it straight, before straddling his ankles and shuffling his way up until he was standing, on his knees over Cody’s crotch. “Since you,” he answered before leaning down and kissing Cody at a more sedate pace, while his hands began tugging at the hem of Cody’s shirt. He took ample chance to rub against Cody’s skin as he smoothed the fabric up his torso. “Communal showers are a bitch now,” he added, nipping at Cody’s lips and chin before raising up and pulling Cody’s shirt the rest of the way off.

Cody chuckled, but any thought of continuing the conversation washed away, as Zach’s tongue washed over his chest, snaking a tingling trail from one nipple to the other. Cody gasped at the sensation combined with the hand that was now tangled inside of his shorts and squeezing his erection. He added a groan to the gasp, as he thrust his hips upward into the invading hand while he grasped onto to Zach’s head with his own hand, pressing Zach demandingly into his chest.

Sweaty palms, cool air curling in between his thighs, the scratch of his shorts being dragged down in a manner which Cody couldn’t quite comprehend, and he loved every sensation, loved the mystery to his lust-clouded mind as Zach’s tongue again crossed the valley of his chest; blindly seeking the out the other nipple.

“Fuck…” Cody breathed, surrendering to the achingly slow pace of Zach’s hand on his cock; inching slowly up the shaft, giving him a little twist before descending down just as tortuously slow.

It was a mutter; one Zach took as a demand. A demand he was more than willing to comply with, a demand he had been longing to recreate. Zach ceased the expedition of Cody’s chest and rocked back on his haunches. There he tugged Cody’s shorts down and off, tossing them carelessly over his shoulder. His prey nude, Zach shuffled on the bed again; placing his knees inside of Cody’s splayed legs before he bent over the edge of the bed and dug around in the duffle that was dumped there.

Coming back up, Zach had a little bottle in one hand and a string of foil packets in the other. “Flight suits,” Zach said, his face plastered with a goofy, eager grin as he shook the string of condoms before tossing them down next to Cody’s thigh and opening the lube.

Zach dribbled some of the sticky slick substance on his index and middle fingers before tossing the bottle aside. Leaning over and kissing Cody once on the lips, before moving the attention of his lips to Cody’s chin, Zach squirmed his fingers into the cleft of Cody’s ass running a tantalizing trail downwards until he found the spot he was looking for. Cody whimpered as Zach teased him with the cool slick substance and the heat of his fingers just beyond, while nibbling softly along the nape of Cody’s neck.

“Just do it,” Cody said. He was unsure about the request, but at the same time wanted nothing more than the man teasing him so expertly, inside of him.

Zach didn’t need to be told twice, the majority of his training had been on following orders and when he heard one, he acted on it. Pushing back he struggled with the belt and fly of his pants, splaying the fly open before pushing the camouflage material roughly down his hips, giving Cody a revealing view of the cock that had been hidden there.

Cody didn’t waste time as Zach was struggling with his pants, reaching for the packets scratching a reminder at his hip. Cody tore a single packet off and ripped it open, as Zach grabbed his ankles and pulled him down the bed.

A gasp filled the room followed by a sharp rush of air careening through Cody’s clenched jaw as Zach ran the naked head of his dick along the cleft Cody’s ass, smearing it with the excess lube he had applied.

Grabbing Zach’s dick with his left hand, Cody rolled the condom down it with his right. Zach grabbed the bottle of lube that was slapping up against his calf, rocking with the motions on the bed. Opening the bottle, he smeared a generous amount over his suited shaft before lining up with Cody’s ass. Nestling himself there, Zach paused, leaning in to kiss and nibble at the tight skin that covered Cody’s chest again.

Cody suffered him momentarily, letting his hands glide along the rolled up sleeves of the camo shirt Zach was still wearing. “What are you waiting for?” Cody asked, heady with the cacophony of sensations all vying for his attention. “Don’t get all timid on me now flyboy.”

Zach lifted his head, looking into Cody’s eyes with a question in his own. The only answer he found was steely determination and even a distant coldness. It was an attractive quality; the guy below him knew what he wanted. Zach knew what he wanted, too, and figured there was only one way to get it. The corners of his mouth curled slightly, as he contracted the muscles in his ass, applying pressure to the tip of the cock poised at Cody’s rear.

Cody’s face screwed into a wince, his hand clasped onto Zach’s bicep, squeezing the embroidered American flag stitched there. Zach continued to watch Cody’s face, and his eyes when they weren’t squinting in discomfort, even though he wanted to look down and watch himself disappear into Cody. However, he found the brilliant mix of pain, determination, and offbeat pleasure that played in shadows across Cody’s face too intriguing. Something in him just had to behold the reflection of his effort playing out on the mask of Cody’s features.

“Yeah,” Cody sighed, reveling in the dull sting and pressure of the only man he had ever allowed to do this to him.

Zach’s childish exuberance that first weekend, a couple of months ago, had convinced Cody to give it a try. He had been scared when Zach mentioned it while he idly stroked his plump cock. If it was that big only partially erect, it would never fit, but Zach kept at it, offering his ass up first, but only for an in-kind return. Cody was on the verge of telling him no deal, but the man’s smile, his simple smile of awe and excitement over the idea, chased any objections Cody had away. The smile continued as his shoulders were draped with Cody’s legs; leaving Cody feeling more exposed than he ever had been. It was a fumbling experience. Zach didn’t want to hurt him and Cody had never even thought about shoving a finger up there, yet they managed and repeated it several times over the long weekend.

Now, though, Cody knew the unique pleasure to be gained of surrendering his control in such a way. He knew the feeling of containing Zach so completely that he in turn surrendered himself completely into Cody’s body. Their dance that weekend, was a sublime power play where nothing was as it outwardly seemed, with the dominant Zach submitting fully to the submissive Cody.

Cody winced again as Zach thrust into him while hefting Cody’s leg up on his hip to aid his penetration. Still the heavy eye contact continued as each thrust caused a wince or a grimace, a grunt or sated smile, as their pacing sped up.

Zach slowly closed his eyes, his mind shutting all unnecessary sensory data down to focus on the seven inches of flesh that bound the two of them together in a sweaty mass. Cody’s gaze shifted down slightly, watching the rivulets of sweat trickle down Zach’s pale, freckled, chest as his back began to arch with each thrust.

Cody released the grip he had on Zach’s bicep, allowing his hand to travel along the left breast of the camouflage shirt Zach’s still wore, letting his fingers dance along the flat embroidery that read U.S. AIR FORCE before inching to the dog tags tinkling out the rhythm of Zach’s thrusts and sounding like a lonely petit wind-chime begging for a gentle desert breeze.

Cody grabbed the airman’s identification, tugging on them. Zach’s eyes flew open as the beaded chain bit into his neck, pulling him downwards until his lips smashed against Cody’s. Zach groaned into Cody’s mouth, leaning forward as he attacked the kiss with unrestrained lust.

Zach’s tempo, which had faltered when Cody attacked his lips, began again in earnest accentuated by a symphony of grunts and purrs from the two of them. Breaking the kiss, Zach, still on his knees, curled into Cody’s chest as he rutted him with a quickening, relentless pace. His lips sought out, the nearest of Cody’s nipples, teasing it with a quick pass of his lips, before nibbling gently on the hard nub.

“Fuck,” Cody hissed.

“Almost,” Zach gasped sliding his wet forehead across Cody’s equally damp breastbone. “Almost,” he repeated before slamming into Cody and emitting a low groan. Zach held the position for a second, before pulling back and thrusting in again, receiving a growl of satisfaction that rumbled through the chest he was resting on.

Cody smiled as he ran his hand along the back of Zach’s head, curling his fingers down his neck. Zach angled his head up, resting his chin on Cody’s chest as he looked at him. “Shit, I needed that!” he panted.

Cody nodded his head, agreeing with the blunt assessment. “My turn,” he said, as the small smile broadened across his face and he flexed the muscles in his groin; pressing his dick against Zach’s curled abdomen demonstrating his meaning.

Zach’s lips curled into an eager smirk that Cody only had the pleasure of viewing momentarily before they disappeared from his direct view. Instead, Zach used his lips to skate across the slick skin of his abdomen in an erotic tickle that distracted him from the empty feeling that replaced the heat and presence of Zach’s erection.

Cody moaned as Zach seized the opportunity to stab his tongue into his navel. The simple action sent an erotic surge from the origin through his guts, before racing up the tip of his erection. Realizing the positive response, Zach repeated the motion a few times, enjoying the feeling of Cody squirm beneath him.

“I swear to God,” Cody breathed between gasps. “If you don’t stop, I’m going to flip you over and really show you how to fuck.”

“Promise?” Zach asked, abandoning Cody’s navel and chuckling.

“I guarantee,” Cody returned Zach’s smile.

“Can’t wait,” Zach said before returning his lips to Cody’s abdomen, kissing and licking a trail down along the edge of Cody’s pubic hair before pulling back long enough to spread Cody’s legs wider. Zach ran his tongue in a long swath between Cody’s inner thigh and balls and kissed the meat of Cody’s thigh affectionately before he moved on to the main challenge. Cody sighed with pleasure as Zach opened his lips and engulfed half of his cock in one easy pass.

Two hours, and two more rounds later, Cody and Zach laid cuddling on the rumpled, gaudy floral-print bed spread. The sex was good, any sex was good, but with Zach it proved exceptional. As great as it was, Cody found the quiet cuddling they always did afterward just as satisfying, if not more so, than the actual sex.

“Stay with me,” Zach asked absently while drawing unrecognizable patterns on Cody’s skin with his finger tips.

“I dunno,” Cody sighed, but squeezed Zach into his side anyway. “I have to work in the morning…” He trailed off, wondering why this had to feel so difficult.

“I know,” Zach sighed. He knew it was useless to ask. Even if Cody did say yes, it would only be a prolonged escape from the regimented world he had to return to in some thirty-six hours. “You don’t have to leave right away do you?” Zach chanced to ask.

Cody gently lifted Zach’s face and regarded him for a moment. Looking at the real Zach, stripped of all the bravado, and free of the deep confines of Uncle Sam’s closet. What he saw must have been a glimpse of the kid that enlisted, looking for acceptance, for adventure, never knowing he’d find both of those in a cheap motel room in the bay area.

“Yeah I can hang out for a bit.”