“Are you sure we are not lost?”
The look Tobias gave him could only be called what the man typically referred to as a ‘dirty look.’ Azrael supposed that was understandable, since this was not the first time in the past hour that he had asked that question. There was bound to be a limit to Tobias’ patience, but Azrael was feeling a bit anxious after several hours spent trapped in the truck, with only small breaks whenever they stopped for gas, food, or the bathroom.
“We’re not lost, Azrael.”
“It just seems to continue on forever.”
“That’s the Midwest for you. You’re in farming country. It’s just a sea of crops, for the most part.”
That was true, to a rather disturbing degree. At first, the sight of row after row of crops stretching on even beyond the horizon had been amazing. Human ability could sometimes be so incredible, and Azrael wondered how they had come to this point in their history as a species. They seemed to pass enough farmland in the first hour alone to feed the whole world, at least to his untrained eye.
After a few hours, however, it had become tiresome. The stretches of crops were broken up only by the appearance of a field full of farm animals or the occasional gas station. Even those had become just as monotonous as the fields of vegetation that they passed. Without anything to occupy himself, he discovered a new human condition that he disliked just as much as fear: boredom.
“I’m going to have to invest in coloring books for you or something, aren’t I?”
Azrael glared at Tobias. “I am not a child.”
“Then try to see if there are any books at the next gas station. Sometimes they have little racks of books. If you had brought some more from the cabin, you might not feel so bored.”
Azrael sighed and flopped gracelessly against the door. He hadn’t anticipated that they would be doing this much traveling when they had made their flight from the cabin. He, at least, thought there would be more chances to stay in one place for more than a day or two. He also hadn’t realized that despite having filled the back of the truck with books, Tobias would end up depositing them all in storage. Azrael hadn’t even known that such places existed, but that’s where most of it went.
“Maybe they will have a book on how humans manage to stay sane out here,” he said.
Tobias snorted. “You know, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to you making jokes.”
“It was not intended to be one.”
“That’s even better.”
Azrael only made another grim noise, eyeing the expanse of road before them, still lined by the same unending stretch of plants. One would think that they were traveling in circles, even though they had driven on nothing but straight roads. It was a wonder Tobias hadn’t simply fallen asleep at the wheel, but he was perfectly content to keep driving, often in silence.
When he had told Azrael they were heading westward to see more of the country, Azrael had gotten excited. He knew that this country had a multitude of different climates and environments, each corner of it radically different from the other in its own way. He had found the sticky heat of the South not at all to his liking, despite his love of the ocean, or at least the water itself. He looked forward to experiencing the other parts of the country, wondering perhaps what a desert or even snow covered land might look and feel like.
A part of him also craved the experience of trying different sorts of food. Tobias assured him there was an array of various meals awaiting him. There had been plenty of seafood at the beach, and plenty of spicy food as well. Tobias normally cooked with less exotic and milder spices, but he had consumed the spicier dishes eagerly. Azrael had been slower to eat them, cautiously exploring the strange sensation of tingling in his mouth.
As if in response to his thoughts, his stomach grumbled. “I am hungry.”
“Yeah, I heard that, even over the noise of the truck.”
The amusement in Tobias’ voice was obvious, and Azrael looked plaintively at him. “May we get some food, soon?”
“Sure, we can stop at the next gas station, and you can get one of their hot dogs or churros again.”
Azrael’s face twisted in disgust. “May we please get some good food, soon?”
Tobias laughed, nodding. “Don’t worry. I still have some leftovers and there’s bound to be a diner somewhere along the way. We’re nearing a more traveled road through this part of the country.”
Azrael blinked. “You mean that we have been driving a road that is not traveled as often? Is this another of your shortcuts?”
Tobias said nothing, earning him an annoyed sound from Azrael. The last time Tobias had taken one of his ‘shortcuts,’ they had ended up arriving at the beach three hours later than they had expected to. It had been Tobias’ attempt to avoid the worst of the traffic but had somehow ended up with them in the middle of what Tobias had referred to as ‘fucking bayou country.’
“Don’t worry,” Tobias assured him. “I made sure to check the map better this time. We’re definitely heading in the right direction, and we’ll be back with the main flow of traffic in an hour or less.”
Azrael peered up at the red-and-orange-streaked sky and sighed heavily. That probably meant it would be two hours before they even found a place to eat. He wasn’t really that hungry, but if they managed to actually get some decent food, he might feel a bit better about the scenery. Perhaps he could eat enough that sleepiness would settle in, and he’d be able to nap until they reached a motel for the night.
He was jolted out of his thoughts by the sudden bounce of the truck as it was driven off the road. Confused, he glanced around to see that Tobias had turned onto a side road. What could possibly be in this lonely stretch of grass that Tobias had just pulled into? There was nothing but a solitary tree that, by Azrael’s approximation, wasn’t even large enough to be considered full-grown.
“Tobias—” he began. He was cut off when Tobias exited the truck and closed the door behind him. Sighing, Azrael opened his own door and followed. Tobias leaned over the side of the truck, rummaging around in one of the bags tied up neatly in the back. After a moment, he straightened, holding a blanket with a few other things wrapped up in it.
“What are we doing?”
“Having a snack and watching the sunset. You telling me you’re sick of sunsets, already?”
“Well, no, but you said we were not far from where we may be able to get something to eat. I assumed that was your destination.”
“Yeah, we can get something real to eat in a little bit.” Tobias tossed the blanket out and spread it on the ground before the base of the tree. “But I want to have a snack real quick. I’m starving, and it might still be a while after hitting the main stretch before we find something decent. Plus, I like sunsets.”
Azrael smiled as he followed after Tobias and slid down next to him. Tobias had dug out a couple of those plastic containers of fruit that he was so fond of, along with a strip of jerky for each of them, and a bottle of water to wash it all down. They settled down on the blanket, shoulders touching, and munched contentedly side-by-side for the next few minutes.
The sun sank slowly below the horizon, splashing the sky with lingering flashes of crimson and a dusting of gold. The day had been comfortable, almost lazy, and it still hung around in the small clearing lined by crops on three sides. The wind rustled pleasantly through the tall plants, brushing against the sun-kissed foliage.
“This is more peaceful than I thought it would be,” Azrael admitted, contentedly leaning in closer to Tobias.
“I thought you might like it and at the very least, the food would keep you quiet for a little bit.”
Azrael frowned. “My silence was what you sought?”
Tobias laughed, setting their empty containers in a small plastic bag he had brought with them. Before Azrael could grow more insulted by the laughter, Tobias straddled his legs, smirking down at him. Azrael’s irritation flickered and faded with the press of Tobias’ hips against his as he wriggled on top of him. “And maybe I just wanted to get you naked under an oak tree.”
Azrael looked up. “Is this an oak?”
“Az, focus.”
Tobias’ mouth captured his. The distraction worked, and Azrael was instantly focused on the press of Tobias’ mouth against his, on the tongue that slipped in to slide along his own. His hands found Tobias’ hips, his fingers trailing along the edge between his shirt and jeans, feeling the warmth of his skin. Tobias pushed against him, and Azrael sprawled backwards, narrowly missing hitting his head on an exposed root.
Tobias laughed against his mouth as he followed Azrael to the ground. Azrael hardly noticed the impact, too caught up in the feel of their mouths meeting, of Tobias’ hand sliding to his pants and unbuttoning them. Breaking the kiss, Tobias shoved his shirt off and then began fighting with his pants. Azrael made a motion to help, but the thought fled as he was caught up in watching the inches of skin slowly exposed to the waning light of the sunset.
“Tell me about the sunset being beautiful, then do one better by showing me your body,” he murmured, letting his hands roam over the naked skin.
“Sap,” Tobias muttered, sounding like he was attempting to be grumpy, but smirking all the same. “Don’t get all romantic about a quickie.”
“A quickie?”
Tobias laughed, suddenly pulling a familiar plastic bottle up from the grass. Azrael hadn't noticed it there. “Yeah, I’m going to ride you, under a tree in the middle of nowhere.”
Azrael’s mouth went dry. Tobias flipped the top of the lube off and sat over Azrael’s hips. He was cast in shadow from the lingering light of the sun, but Azrael could see one hand slipping behind him. Bending forward, Tobias pressed his lips to Azrael’s, gasping in what Azrael knew to be pleasure.
“Tobias,” he breathed, barely able to think around the image of a naked Tobias on top of him, fingers deep inside himself, only seconds away from Azrael being inside of him.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Tobias grunted, slick fingers pushing beneath the band of Azrael’s briefs. Azrael gave a little gasp, pushing his hips into the touch as Tobias nudged the underwear out of the way to expose him. Lube-covered fingers coated his cock, the fluid warm from contact with Tobias and his skin.
Azrael lay there helpless, unable to move as Tobias shifted into a more comfortable position above him. Usually, Azrael was the one who took control, more comfortable with being forward and aggressive now that he understood the workings of sex a bit better. He had begun to wonder if the dominance and penetration were simply tied together. Now, however, he was beginning to question that theory as Tobias lined himself up on top of him.
Heat wrapped around the sensitive head of his cock. A small whimper escaped his lips as Tobias eased himself back slowly. Azrael’s fingers fisted into the blanket as Tobias’ thighs held onto his waist as he worked himself patiently. Tobias had assured him that the day would come when this would be a much smoother, faster process, and Azrael couldn’t wait. The slow buildup of feeling Tobias wrapped around his cock was exquisite, but it was torture as well.
“Fuck, you should see your face,” Tobias grunted, then let the last couple of inches sink into him by simply letting gravity do its work. Both men gasped, though Tobias’ held a note of pain that Azrael’s own lacked. Breathing heavily, Azrael reached for Tobias, only to have his hands redirected by him to Tobias’ hips. He wrapped his fingers around the muscled waist and held on for dear life.
Quickie, indeed, Tobias wasted little time after the whole of Azrael’s cock was buried deep inside of him. Tobias raised himself up, then eased himself back. The first movements were slow, careful. Azrael’s body shifted and he groaned, as the pleasure in him rose and fell with each movement. It was too slow for his taste, but he didn't want it to end, either.
Though it had gone unspoken, Tobias chose to grant Azrael’s wish all the same. His body began to move with a more confident rhythm, the pace picking up rapidly. The sound of their skin meeting was faint, as only the barest part of Azrael’s skin was exposed. Even in the purplish light of dusk, Azrael could see the layer of sweat growing on Tobias’ body as he rode him.
Azrael couldn’t keep himself still for long, finally finding the courage to thrust his hips up as Tobias moved downward. In response, Tobias planted his hands on Azrael’s chest, bracing himself there. Tobias shoved Azrael's hips down with his own, burying Azrael even deeper inside him. Azrael writhed, helpless as Tobias went from riding him submissively to being the man in charge.
“Tobias,” he panted, his balls tightening as his release sped to the surface.
“Cum for me, Az, c’mon,” Tobias encouraged, never stopping his movements for a moment. His eyes were locked onto Azrael’s face, greedy in their need to see his angelic lover’s every expression in this most intimate of moments. Azrael's body clenched as he saw in that gaze just how much Tobias wanted him.
His fingers dug hard into Tobias’ hips, finally getting his own say in matters by yanking him down into his lap. Back arching, his body slammed into an orgasm, spilling deep inside Tobias from below. Tobias hunched over him, kissing at his face and jaw, murmuring words Azrael couldn’t understand, but his tone only seemed to enhance the moment.
Then, it was done, and Tobias was chuckling as he pulled himself up carefully, letting Azrael slip free from inside of him. Azrael was too lost in the haze of his fading orgasm to protest much as he felt Tobias lie down beside him. Even in the fog of contentment, he didn’t miss that Tobias was still hard and leaking.
“You…”
Tobias waved him off, grinning at him. “Don’t worry about it. That was fun to watch.”
“Mm mm,” Azrael grunted in disagreement, finding the strength to roll over and shimmy his way down Tobias’ body gracelessly. Tobias laughed at the sight of it, but his eyes were filled with hunger for the orgasm he had been ready to deny himself for Azrael. Azrael didn’t know a tremendous amount about human interactions, especially when it came to sex. What he did know, however, was that it seemed utterly rude to leave a partner unsatisfied.
“Hell,” Tobias hissed above him as Azrael’s mouth closed around the head of his swollen cock. Even drained, Azrael moaned softly as Tobias’ cock slipped past his lips, his tongue eagerly moving about the sensitive flesh. Strong fingers found their way into his hair and pushed him down further. The move startled him before he finally relaxed, letting Tobias hold him down while pushing his hips up. With a grunt of pleasure and surprise, Tobias managed to bury himself almost completely in Azrael’s throat.
“Didn’t know you could do that,” Tobias rumbled, fingertips pressing against Azrael’s head as he slid himself back.
Tobias’ eyes were locked on Azrael’s face, mouth hanging partially open as a flush filled his cheeks. The trail of muscles down the length of Tobias' torso tightened, his breath hitched, and Azrael’s name floated from his mouth. His eyelids were heavy as he gave one last half-hearted push up. The man’s cock swelled as it spilled into Azrael's mouth. He finished the job Tobias had encouraged, burying the rest of Tobias’ cock in his throat and earning him a yelp.
Both clung to one another until the last of Tobias’ strength drained out of him and he slumped backwards with a soft noise of absolute pleasure. Azrael let Tobias’ cock slip from his mouth, tasting him on his tongue. He curled around Tobias, kissing him softly. The kiss held just a hint of passion but stopped short as their bodies were both a little too willing to simply relax.
“Mmm, swallows and will even kiss me after. You are an angel,” Tobias murmured against his cheek, his smile pressing against Azrael’s skin.
“Is that uncommon?”
Tobias chuckled. “More uncommon that you’ll kiss at all, actually.”
“Really? Kissing is one of the best parts.”
“You say that about all of the parts.”
“Probably because all of the parts include you.”
“Sap.”