Freebie Friday: NSFW Torn Apart, Part 3 (m/m)

Blurb:

After a massive natural disaster all but destroys the planet of Torn, William—a Human soldier—must find his native lover, Intugu. Will the two be reunited, or will William's dreams end in a pile of rubble?

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"Weyom."

William stood stock-still, unable to move or even blink. Did his eyes deceive him? Perhaps, but he stared steadily at the approaching form, afraid that to look away would dispel the mirage. He was keenly aware of every movement and sound around him—the plat-plat of the rain, the cries of scavenger birds circling above, even his own breath, shallow and bated, waiting…waiting. William sank to the ground with a soundless sob. He jerked back to awareness as water trickled slowly over his parched lips; his tongue darted out instinctively to lick up the gifted moisture. "Where…?" he croaked.

Intugu shook his head, held the canteen of water steady.

William drank greedily, and when he finally lifted his head away, he barely had time to brace himself before Intugu was on him, pressing him back against the ground with a grunt and claiming his lips in a savage, demanding kiss.

"Thought you dead," Intugu murmured as their lips parted. He rained kisses down William's jaw and neck, licking, biting, and sucking.

"I though the same of you." William caught Intugu's head in his hands, their gazes meeting. "Are you well?"

Intugu nodded, a haze of lust in his eyes. William wasn't sure the question even registered.

"You well?" Intugu's stubborn resistance to learning the Human language had left him with a rather rudimentary grasp of it. But he made his meaning clear as he moved his hands up and down William's arms and chest, obviously searching for wounds.

"Just this. Otherwise, yes." William lifted his leg to reveal his ankle. He grabbed for those roving hands and held them tightly, needing to assure himself of Intugu's real, physical presence. Intugu pulled away though, to proceed with a thorough inspection of William's ankle, shaking his head and making little clicking noises with his tongue.

He reached for the canteen again, poured water over the wound and then sniffed at it, pulling his head back with a snarl and a grimace. "Bad!"

William nodded. "I know." And at that moment, he didn't really give a damn about his ankle. Or anything else besides Intugu.

Grabbing William's pack, Intugu upended it and emptied the contents onto the ground. He picked up each item, looking from it to William's ankle and frowning, as if to say this will not help at all! He replaced the motley assortment of found treasures quickly, tossing them back into the pack. Intugu sighed and shook his head.

"It'll be fine, really," William assured him. "I've come this far on it. A little longer isn't going to matter." At least, he hoped not. Though he could smell the damned thing now, where he hadn't been really able to before. The way Intugu kept staring at his ankle, with that furrowed brow and those pursed lips, didn't help.

But Intugu held up a hand and shook his head again. He stood and walked back down the path, then disappeared into the brush.

"Where are you going?" William called out. Damn that man.

Intugu returned with a triumphant smile and a handful of leaves. He cupped his free hand out before him, catching raindrops, and used the water to wash off the leaves. Stuffing the leaves into his mouth, he picked up William's pack again and pulled out the knife and rope as he chewed absently. He cut two lengths off the rope and put the rest back in the pack. "Don't move," he mumbled around a mouthful.

William gasped and held as still as he possibly could as Intugu used the knife to pick away at the dried blood and scabbing flesh on his ankle. In a perfect world, he'd have preferred the knife had been cleaned first, but Torn was far from perfect, and any little bit helped, he supposed.

Intugu spit the leaf mush out into his hand and spread it gently on William's wound. Then he cut the left sleeve of his tunic away and wrapped it around William's ankle, tied the rope around it to keep it secure. "There."

William smiled despite the situation, for Intugu did seem ever so proud of himself, and whatever he'd chewed up just might make the difference. Or it might not, but William wasn't sure how much he cared. "Thank you."

Intugu sat back on his knees—stared at William for the space of a second, head cocked and eyes narrowed—and then pounced once again. I'm not clean. It's raining. We're in the open. People might see. We're not safe here. All the logical objections sprang to William's mind, but never passed his lips. This was his Intugu—alive and whole—and nothing else mattered. Hot lust flooded through him and his cock jerked. Even near death, he was certain he could—and would—rise to the occasion for Intugu.

Intugu tore at William's clothing impatiently, as if replacing it were no larger a matter than simply buying new ones. Despite William's attempts to slow him, Intugu pressed on, getting them both naked below the waist. He settled himself between William's legs and took William's cock in his hand, began to work it with long, slow, tight strokes that had William breathless and writhing. William let out a yelp as he opened his legs wider instinctually, accidentally bumping his ankle on a rock and subjecting himself to a searing bone-deep pain. Intugu reached back and laid his hand on William's leg, holding it down firmly as he continued his ministrations with his other hand.

And then he lowered his head and William thrust up into the sweet, blissful moist heat of his mouth. Although there was nothing necessarily soft or slow about Intugu's lovemaking—men like him took what they could when they could, and thought nothing of sweet platitudes, and William understood and agreed with that—there was a certain amount of regard to it. He saw to William's pleasure first, and if he wasn't careful, he was at least thorough. He knew how to pleasure a man, knew what touch felt good no matter the mentality of the one on the receiving end, had always known how to bring William's high-and-mighty arrogance crashing down in a heap of begging and pleading for more.

And William did beg and plead, in quiet, hushed words, his voice ragged and hoarse from days of a throat drier than should've been possible. He gagged and coughed on his own words, but Intugu seemed to take no mind of it, kept up his stroking and licking, sucking and pulling. William kept thrusting, unwilling to admit defeat, that the very act of responding to Intugu sapped his strength and left him feeling near lifeless.

Head heavy and thoughts scattered, he closed his eyes and bit down on his bottom lip to keep the scream of orgasm at bay. Intugu swallowed, the sounds of his greedy consumption reaching William's ears and making him grin. That grin dissolved, though, as Intugu's spit-slicked cock filled him quickly, starting a hard, fast rhythm at once. Intugu hunkered down over William and fucked him like a man possessed, hands clawing into the ground beside them for leverage.

William lay unmoving, though not uninterested, simply unable to coax his wrung out body into anything more than a vessel for Intugu's passion. But that was enough, was good beyond measure. He whispered harsh words, urging Intugu on, saw the feral glow of lust flame to life in the depths of Intugu's eyes and he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he could never, ever live without this man—this native who so wholly consumed his soul. Although they admittedly spoke barely ten sentences to each other in any given day.

Intugu reared back, bunched muscles standing out against his smooth skin. He shook his head from side to side, slinging rainwater, as if to deny the intensity of what he felt, or to question his own ability to feel it. William sighed as Intugu fisted a hand in his shirtfront and hauled him up by it, stealing another long, hard kiss.

Intugu broke the kiss with a heaving gasp and nodded. "We go to temple."

"It still stands?"

Another nod, and a look of incredulity, eyebrows arched, as if the thought of the temple not standing after The Great Anger was somehow more far-fetched. "Temple stands."

"All right then." William stood with Intugu's help and they fumbled with their clothing, bumping into each other on purpose more than accidentally, if either of them were to admit it, needing to convince themselves of the other's existence. At length they were ready, and Intugu slipped an arm around William's waist; William slung his own over Intugu's shoulders.

"Temple?"

William nodded. "Temple."

"Weyom." Intugu pressed a lingering kiss to William's forehead and William sighed with contentment. It seemed an alien thing to feel, in the midst of chaotic disaster, with a wound that could very well cost him his foot, if not his entire leg, depending upon what they found at the temple. But standing there, Intugu's warm, solid body pressed against him, Intugu's strong, powerful arm around him, William knew somehow they'd be all right. He took a step forward, but turned and frowned. Intugu hadn't moved—stood looking up at him, clinging to him.

Intugu reached out hesitantly and pressed his hand to William's chest, over William's heart. "Love," he whispered.

William swallowed hard and nodded, suddenly realizing that there did in fact exist one thing that neither he, nor indeed anyone or anything—not even Torn—could conquer, bend, or convert. "Love."

~The End~

Freebie Friday: NSFW Torn Apart, Part 2 (m/m)

Blurb:

After a massive natural disaster all but destroys the planet of Torn, William—a Human soldier—must find his native lover, Intugu. Will the two be reunited, or will William's dreams end in a pile of rubble?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Intugu's gaze swept up and down, and William thought he saw a barely perceptible nod. Intugu arched an eyebrow, licked his lips slowly, and offered William a crooked smile—the look in his eyes one of lust. William's insides tensed and his cock twitched. He glanced from Intugu to the commander and back again—then looked away quickly, praying Intugu would understand and not do anything embarrassing in front of his superior.

But Intugu never had been very good at the subtle nuances of Human body language. Something nudged William beneath the stone table; his eyes went wide as he realized the something was Intugu's bare foot. That foot inched higher, sliding up along the inside of his thigh and settling between his legs. Intugu scooted forward just enough to deliver a slight pressure to William's crotch. William bit down on his tongue to keep from gasping and tore his gaze away from Intugu as five skillful toes began to knead his cock.

Across from William, Intugu's attention remained fixed on the commander's presentation, though his foot stayed just as active. His big toe rubbed up and down; William shifted in his seat to allow for the uncomfortable bulge in his pants. How he would stand up and show his face after this, he wasn't certain—he'd either be contending with a very obvious erection, or a very obvious stain. And he wasn't sure Intugu was too particularly concerned with his predicament.

"Weyom...."

William awoke to the whisper of his name in Intugu's deep, husky, heavily accented voice, and a shudder of lust running up and down his spine. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, savoring the image of Intugu's dark eyes and darker skin, arms folded across that bare, muscular chest, long, black hair flowing down around a head held high and proud. He savored it for a long, long time, simply sitting there, mentally clutching the memory close as if he could pull Intugu to him somehow by doing so.

He opened his eyes and banged the back of his head against what remained of a wall. He'd been unable to bring himself to look through the rubble, but equally unable to leave. If he looked—if he found Intugu's body—that would be the end of it. No hope. But if he left without looking, might he be leaving his lover to the ravages of time and worse? What would he do with Intugu's body, even if it were there? Intugu's people had strict ceremonial requirements for their remains—embalming, special wrappings, not to mention the display ritual—none of which William could fulfill by himself.

He could search the building, and assuming he found Intugu, he could go and try to find a Godswoman, if any still remained in the city. But how would he protect Intugu's remains in the meantime? There was a temple nearby, but he doubted it still stood. William blinked back tears of frustration. Who was he kidding? He could barely support his own weight, let alone shoulder Intugu's. He kicked at the ground with his heel dejectedly.

William sighed. Nothing for it, he supposed. He had neither the physical nor the mental strength to look for Intugu. He had to hold onto the thought that his lover was still out there somewhere, searching for him, just as he searched. With a groan, he pushed unsteadily to his feet, catching himself on a pile of smashed building just before he toppled into it face first.

Thunder rumbled in the distance; fat, heavy drops of rain splattered to the ground. William turned his gaze skyward. "Really?"

To be continued...

Freebie Friday: Torn Apart (m/m)

Blurb:

After a massive natural disaster all but destroys the planet of Torn, William—a Human soldier—must find his native lover, Intugu. Will the two be reunited, or will William's dreams end in a pile of rubble?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Torn's not like any other place you've ever been. That planet has a soul—remember that. She'll demand your respect, and you'd do best to give it.

And in true Human fashion, William had dismissed the words of his superior officer. Ten years of living in the barely-describable-as-civilized wilderness of Torn without incident had only served to cement his belief—no, his conceit—that nothing could stop him. There existed nothing that William—indeed any Human—couldn't conquer, couldn't bend to their will. Couldn't convert.

Except Torn. She'd proven that, at last, and taken back the land from terraforming, digging, and drilling. Torn had handed down her revenge. The storm—the natives called it The Great Anger—had come on quickly. No preceding black skies, no foretelling howling winds. No time to react. No warning. Nothing.

Crudely built, the wooden shanties they lived in had splintered and crumbled under the powerful gusting gales. The Great Anger ripped mighty trees from their roots as if they had not been rooted at all, careened them through the air like they'd weighed no more than twigs. They'd become weapons in Torn's plan, a way of bringing about even more damage as they slammed through walls and rooftops. Quakes split the roads open, torrential rains flooded the cities. In its wake, the Great Anger left nothing but devastation.

William recalled passing the bodies of the dead and dying, some trapped beneath rubble but somehow still drawing breath. Though he'd known many of them—as an Earth Liaison he had crossed paths with almost everyone in the village at some point or another—he hadn't stopped to help anyone—not the dying, at any rate. There'd been nothing to do for the dead; no way to see their remains properly honored. He'd comforted himself by saying he'd come back for them, but he doubted the truth of that even now, in the aftermath, in the eerie silence that surrounded him—in the moldy, wet dark. William had one thing on his mind, one person left in the world whom he gave a damn about besides himself. Intugu.

Where his lover had ended up, William didn't know. He'd searched as much as he could during the storm—run up and down alleyways, darted in and out of huts screaming Intugu's name to no avail. The last they had spoken, Intugu had mentioned a meeting in the council hall on the other side of town. William would reach the hall within the next hour, if he'd guessed the distance correctly earlier.

He crouched low at the sound of voices off to his left. Only two days since The Great Anger, and already the looting and pillaging had started. Not just those from other ravaged towns come to prey upon the weak, but their own townspeople as well. There was no one left to enforce the law—the Honor Guard had long since fled, had taken possession of anything that would fly the very hour The Great Anger had ended and left the planet behind. There was no justice to be had, no safety anymore. Not from the elements, not from the animals—four legged or two. And they were surely all animals now.

He waited for the voices to move away before he stood again and continued down the path. Pain shot up from his ankle, sizzled along the muscles of his leg, and nearly made him cry out. He surrendered to it, though only momentarily, kneeling to inspect the makeshift bandage he'd fashioned. Seeped through with blood and muck, the thing clung to his wound with a tenacity that seemed almost Human. He grimaced at the sickly squishy sound it made as he pulled it back.

He might as well have not even bothered, since all that met his eyes was the same gnarled flesh scraped down to the bone. The smell though—the scent of overripe meat, the sharp tang of blood, and the heated stench of sweat combined with pus—would've raised food to the back of his throat if there'd been anything left in his stomach. As it was, he failed to stifle a cough. William replaced the bandage as best he could and stood again, shouldering his pack. Time to move on, to focus on his goal of finding Intugu.

He limped along slowly. In truth it drove him mad to move at such a snail's pace, but he supposed it didn't matter anyway. If Intugu had managed to live, he'd be somewhere waiting. And if he hadn't, well, he'd still be somewhere waiting. Fatigue tugging at him, William started to mentally catalog the supplies he'd managed to scrounge before he'd headed out after Intugu. His bag held a length of rope—not much longer than his arm, but maybe it would prove useful for something—a hunk of sambat bread—though he hated the stuff—a large knife, a spoon—in case he somehow managed to find something more appetizing than that disgustingly dry, crumbly bread—and a hunk of chain. A paltry lot, indeed, but the Honor Guard had taken most everything else.

Following the winding gravel trail through what remained of the forest, he finally arrived at the council hall. He stood frozen in that spot, mesmerized, as the sheer magnitude of what had happened pressed down on him. What had once been a tall, proud, sprawling building was now a barely recognizable, ruined heap.

To be continued...