FIC: Culture Shock [13]
Back to Chapter Twelve
Marton yawned extravagantly, his coffee cup tilting as he lifted his arms above his head to stretch. He'd been awake since first light, lying beside Karl who was still curled up in bed softly snoring. When the sun rose, he'd snuck out into the kitchen to do battle with the kettle, a battle he'd just won, his prize a cup of palatable coffee.
Padding out onto the porch, he leaned on the rail and watched the forest come alive with color as the sun rose above the hills, sipping his drink and reflecting on the fact that now, finally, he understood the true meaning of the word, 'happy'.
The sound of boards creaking alerted him to the fact he was no longer alone and he turned his head, smiling to see a sleepy and rumpled-looking Sean tottering out through the open doors. "Good morning." he greeted brightly. "Lovely day."
Sean grunted in reply, eyeing the mug suspiciously. He’d heard Karl enough times vocally forbid Eric from ‘screwing with the kettle’, that he knew Eric hadn’t made the brew. Karl wasn’t in any of the common rooms, nor the bathing room he knew from traversing past those areas.
“You made?” he asked, then rushed on to another inquiry. “You did not return to our sleeping room, have you been out here all night?” Nothing in his voice gave away any of the thoughts swirling in his head after his encounters with Eric.
"I did." Marton confirmed with a grin. "And if you tell on me, I'll kiss you again." He moved closer to where Sean was standing and flung a friendly arm around Sean's shoulders. "I spent the night in Karl's room." he confided. "How did your nocturnal venture turn out?"
Sean didn’t know if he was more surprised by the hug or by the threat (promise?) to kiss. He blinked a few times, taking in the changes in Marton’s appearance from this much closer perspective. The smile was disarming, making Sean’s lips twitch upwards, and Marton… glowed… was the only way Sean could describe it.
“Erm… the experience was gratifying, yet raised…” Sean spun to face Marton fully, “You spent the night in his room? With him? Doing what?”
Giving Sean's shoulders a friendly squeeze, Marton grinned. "Kissing." he said. "And touching. I was gratified, too. Also… err, raised." He laughed at his own joke. "Things sound much improved."
“They do?” Sean’s confusion was evident on his face as he backed away slightly. “I found myself with even more questions after… erm…” Sean blushed, tipping his head down. Then more of Marton’s words penetrated his confusion. “All night long?” the timber of Sean’s voice rose in shock. “The release of, erm, tension was quite enervating. However could the two of you… over and over…?” he stuttered, having no words for his experiences before Eric returned to his own room.
Marton, feeling quite magnanimous as well as giddy and satisfied, decided that this was an invitation to what Karl called, 'a wee chat'. He steered Sean down the steps and across the yard out of earshot of the house and they wound up sitting on one of Eric's carved benches beneath the overhanging willow tree by the pond. "We napped." he told Sean. "Apparently, we didn't do everything that two people are capable of doing together, but Karl informs me that people like doing different things. Different strokes for different folks, he said. Still, I'm not complaining. As we're not procreating, I don't see any especial need for penetration. What we did was more than sufficient." He concluded his dialogue with a wink.
“Penetration?" Sean thought back over the fast and furious encounter, trying to recall what could potentially penetrate where. “Oh. Oh!” Instantly he flushed to the tips of his ears. “You mean using one’s mouths to erm… drain each other? That did not resemble at all what little I remember learning of the procreation process.” He titled his head to one side in contemplation. “Though Eric did seem quite surprised when I turned to mutually reciprocate and accept his oral penetration.”
Frowning, Marton tried to remember what Karl had mentioned last night. His recollection was jumbled, probably due to extreme arousal, and he told Sean this. "But I think what you experienced is called 'oral' or similar." he said. "Penetration involves the use of lubricants and the insertion of the penis into the anal passage. Karl said this can be pleasant due to the presence of the gland known as the prostate." It was actually very interesting and quite freeing to be able to discuss such things with Sean and so he went on, "We didn't do that, as I said, but we did pleasure one another with our hands, mutual masturbation I believe it's called and of course, as you mentioned, there is oral…"--he grinned suddenly at Sean--"and kissing. Lots of kissing."
“Oh yes, kissing,” Sean’s tongue went automatically to a cut inside his lip from some very intense kissing. “Hands were employed quite liberally to ‘stir passions to erogenous areas’ I do believe were some of the few words Eric uttered during the session. Nipples are quite erogenous to touches by finger tips and lips and teeth, I discovered during our brief experimentation. We were facing each other so I cannot conceive how penile penetration of the anus could have been possible. I also will say the rubbing of two erect penises against each other led quickly and quite pleasantly to the oral penetration of which we just spoke.”
On the porch, Eric felt more than heard Karl step out and pause just behind him. The heat from his full body blush was so intense he was surprised he could feel Karl’s presence. Like watching a train wreck, he could not turn away from the conversation flowing up on the morning breeze.
"Good Lord," Karl exclaimed softly, coming up behind Eric. He'd been listening to this eloquent discourse through his open bedroom window and squirming almost as much as Eric was right now. "They're making it sound just like old Mrs. Macavoy and third level Human Health, aren't they?" he chuckled, face bright red. "Now I know how bugs under a microscope feel."
But last night had been great, despite his continued misgivings about his sanity in starting something that could only have one conclusion, so he wasn't bothered by the discussion taking place beneath the willow tree, just mightily embarrassed by its frankness.
An inarticulate gurgle was Eric’s only response as Sean’s voice continued.
“…the two of you actually discussed what you were experiencing? Hmm, when his mouth was not otherwise occupied, Eric seemed incapable of anything resembling coherent speech. Though, the animalistic grunts and growls proved quite thrilling when uttered against one’s skin.”
Internally Eric reeled. Yes, Sean had come passionately alive in his arms last night. Instinctively he’d followed Eric’s lead taking them both to a fast and furious race to completion. The intensity had been so great, Eric was sure he’d blacked out a couple times, and he’d had to leave immediately after in fear of revealing something he was unwilling to admit even to himself.
Yet… here was Sean, mantle of control firmly in place, dispassionately dissecting their lovemaking, his performance so… so… clinically, as if the flash fire of desire that had encompassed them had never happened.
"Eric," Karl urged, seeing his cousin's distress and slapping him quietly on the back a couple of times "breathe! Different culture, remember? It's how they cope, learn, deal with stuff."
"I asked questions" Marton was admitting. "And Karl kindly answered them. Even if what I asked must have seemed ridiculous. I must admit to peppering our quiet times in-between exploration with much conversation." He sipped from a mug before continuing, "Did Eric stay in our room all night?"
Karl eyed the mug suspiciously before whispering to Eric, "Did you?"
“Did I what?” Eric hissed back. The last thing on his mind was the mug in Marton’s hand, nor what substance it contained. He’d never even thought about where Marton was supposed to be last night. It was now becoming obvious that Karl and Marton were all lovey dovey, spending the entire night cuddling and whispering sweet nothings (well, okay, ‘peppering their quiet in-between times with conversation’). Fucking hypocrite! ‘Hands off Eric, they’re lost and don’t understand our ways. We can’t corrupt them Eric, they have to return to their own world.’ Blah de blah blah.
All this time Eric had suppressed his true loving and cuddling nature until he was quivering with a need so great it exploded last night. And in all that time, Karl had wooed Marton, literally charmed the pants off him until the Altonian was a tall auburn-haired lap dog.
Eric shook off the hand still on his shoulder blade and spun to growl in Karl’s face. “Did I what, fuck him? You can hear for yourself what we did.” His arm flung out toward the willow at the edge of the clearing. “…got me so fucking tied in knots I did something you’ve always been known to do, leaving as soon as the ‘action’ is over… bet you never tossed and turned guiltily until you couldn’t stand to be in your own skin? No, you tossed aside your love ‘em and leave ‘em ways to become the cuddle king, snuggling and sweet talking your lover all night.” Chest heaving, Eric blinked a few times in shocked amazement that he had all that bottled up inside.
Karl stepped back, shocked and dismayed. It'd been difficult enough, going against what common sense had told him, but to have Eric throw it at him like that...
"I'm going to have a shower." he said tightly, teeth clenched. "You can go fuck yourself!" He strode off into the house, ignoring the hail from Marton, belatedly noticing he and Sean were no longer alone.
Marton stepped up onto the verandah, leaving Sean on the bench. He peered after Karl and then shot Eric a glance. "Is Karl upset about something?"
“No, Karl is fine,” Eric answered gruffly. “If you hurry, you can help him wash his back.” Instantly contrite, Eric put out his hand to stop Marton’s bewildered retreat.
“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. But yeah, you’d be much better company for him than me.” Eric’s face softened and smiling, he nodded Marton indoors with a small squeeze of his bicep.
One small apology done, he carded a hand through his hair and looked down at his other extremely bewildered guest. Guilt roiled in his gut and backed up into his throat. “Sean, stay there. I need to speak with you,” Eric croaked treading heavily down the stairs.
*
Karl had turned on the shower and stepped beneath before he realized he was not alone. "Showering." he spat without turning around. "Cooling-the-fuck-off. Leave me alone!"
"If you wish." A voice said quietly.
Karl spun around, almost losing his balance on the slick tile. "Marton! Sorry, I thought you were Eric, following me in here for another round."
"You are at odds with your cousin?" Marton observed, stepping up to the opportunity presenting itself.
"Misunderstanding." Karl agreed grumpily. He turned back to adjust the water flow. "It's complicated." A small silence fell and for a moment he thought Marton had gone but then his nemesis spoke again.
"I shall wash your back."
Before Karl could say anything, he felt naked flesh pressing against his rear and a warm flannel wiping gently across his shoulders. "I, umm, err…"
"Soothing as well as cleansing." Marton's voice held a ghost of a smile. "I take it the subject of dispute is Sean and myself?"
"Yeah." Karl admitted. The slow circles Marton's hand was making with the wash cloth was soothing and besides, he needed to talk about it. "At the start I told Eric to be careful, yeah? Could see he was attracted to Sean and I didn't want him getting hurt; he's such a softy. But then I went and ignored my own good advice while he took it to heart and now he's pissed at me."
"Why would he get hurt?" The warm, drumming rain of the shower, the steam, the caress, Marton's hypnotic tone, lowered Karl's barrier of reserve.
"Because you'll leave." he said softly. "And it's painful to lose someone you lo… care about."
"I see." They rhythmic stroking of the cloth continued on silently for a few minutes before Marton bade him turn around. Karl turned obediently and found a wet, naked, Marton sans the washcloth which lay discarded on the floor. "I'm here now, though." he said quietly.
Karl took him in his arms. "Yes." he said. "Yes, you are."
*
A while later Eric slammed into the cabin, a growl escaping his throat when he glanced to Karl and Marton canoodling over the kettle. The woodchips and sawdust liberally coating his clothing and hair left a trail as he stomped to the bathroom, slamming that door as well.
Not long after that, Sean entered. He’d used the time since Eric stormed off to regain his composure, and dust the sawdust and chips from his clothing if not the wee bits still decorating his hair. He gave a serenely sated smile to Marton and Karl when he noticed their presence.
“I must say, communicating with that man is futile, and quite irritating.” The high color on Sean’s cheeks deepened. “Though, the non-verbal communication during sexual acts is intensely satisfying.” He smiled again, dampening bruised lips and ambled down the hall. Raised voices emanated from the bathroom, Eric’s rising over Sean’s.
“Bloody Hell Sean, have a care when you attack! Sawdust …never there!”
“…if you’d ceased wriggling…”
Loud thumps of bodies colliding ensued, followed by a quiet broken only by occasional male groans of ecstasy.
And so a pattern was set for all four men. Karl and Marton took advantage of the time left to them. Eric and Sean continued to bicker at every turn, often the encounters swiftly exploding into passion only to end in more bickering.
On to Chapter Fourteen