He first laid eyes on him one hot summer night in an old town going nowhere. Love at first sight was a connection Jesse never believed in, but this time, maybe he’ll entertain the notion.
A small oriental face so lost and alien in the crowd. Such wasn’t uncommon in the city. Out in the small highway towns where no one had any business besides bikers and brief stopovers, finding him was uncanny.
From the humble platform of the bar where Jesse performed, he almost wouldn’t have spotted him under the dim lights. He had dark hair that was swept to the sides, a little unruly like he’d traveled through rough afternoon winds. He had a defined jaw and cheekbones that sheened under the light. Then he had dark and heavy eyes like he was only a few bottles away from passing out on his chair. Jesse wouldn’t have noticed him if he hadn’t sensed the sharp gaze directed right at him. He wondered if the guest realized he was doing it, or if his mind was too alcohol-laced to care about manners.
Jesse had one last song before his time was up. He was leaving town the next morning, and a little fun wouldn’t hurt before he drove on to the next.
Jesse downed the water bottle beside his stool carelessly, not giving a damn about the droplets that ran down his chin and neck. It was too fucking hot. Clearing his throat, he went straight away to strumming his guitar and humming to the melody, forgetting about any introductions. Locking eyes with the handsome male at the bar counter, he sang of warm nights and blazing touches, voice low and dripping with want. The binding voice from the front kept the guest on the edge of his seat. The distance between them was nothing; it was as if Jesse was wrapped around him with the force of his presence only. And it was awakening a certain fire in the beautiful stranger.
Jesse was deaf to the applause he received when he stepped down the platform. He goes straight to the counter, right beside the subject of his attraction, and orders them a drink.
“I hope you enjoyed the small performance.”
The guest rests his head on his palm, his gaze enchanting as he studied the singer before him.
“You have a pleasant voice.”
“And you have a lovely face.”
The guest chuckled and looked away before taking his drink. The deep voice and light laughter made Jesse’s throat dry. Following him, he drank his whisky that glided down smoothly with a soothing burn in his throat.
“Jesse.” The singer holds his hand out, waiting for his company to shake it. All he got was a nonchalant stare that had him pulling his hand back to himself.
“Give me a reason why I should tell you my name.”
“So I know what name I’ll be calling when I take you tonight.”
Straight to the point. He wasn’t in the mood for small talk.
The customer’s eyebrow shoots up and the corners of his lips rose slightly. He was amused, but he didn’t want to feed Jesse’s ego too much.
“Hokuto.”
Instead of reaching his hand out like Jesse did for a shake, he clinks their glasses together, both of them downing to the last drop before they stood from their seats and walked out of the stuffy bar.
It was impossible to see anything in the dirty back alley. Hokuto had to guide himself to kiss Jesse’s lips, clutching onto his shirt and pulling him down to meet him halfway. He tasted the whisky on his lips and traces of salt from his sweat, but Hokuto didn’t mind it. He knew he must have tasted the same, yet Jesse was enthusiastically kissing him deeper as he pressed him against a wall.
While Hokuto had his arms around Jesse’s neck, Jesse’s hands were slipping underneath Hokuto’s thin shirt. His fingers glided up Hokuto’s waist, feeling the little shivers from his hot skin. With each touch and gasp, Jesse craved him more. He leans down to kiss Hokuto's neck, and Hokuto's breath hitches at Jesse's stubble brushing against his skin. Maybe it was the feverish summer mixing with potent alcohol, but Jesse doesn’t remember ever being this eager to get into a stranger’s pants. In the back of his mind, he reckoned that the Jesse from five years ago would be shaking his head at himself.
Before they wandered too far, the backdoor opened for another pair mirroring their obscenity to come out. At the sight of their frantic shadows, Jesse laughs quietly against Hokuto’s neck. It was their signal to leave.
Holding his wrist, Jesse guided Hokuto to his car at the front. His hands were fast in catching Hokuto steady when he nearly stumbled on the gravel road. Jesse’s attraction increases tenfold when Hokuto’s pretty laugh echoes in the air.
“You have a place nearby?” Hokuto asked, eyes glistening and unfocused as he looked up at him.
“No.”
“I’m booked at a motel just a few streets away.”
“Lead me there.”
Jesse never stayed in one place. All he had with him was his old rundown muscle car and his best acoustic Fender, the only company he needed. He was a runaway with no destination in mind. He left his city five years ago and never went back. He liked to think he was free in many ways; he was never bound to one place, and he left whoever he hooked up with behind when he woke up the next morning for the next ride.
It was going to be the same with this Hokuto he picked up. When they were settled in his car, the remaining bits of a gentleman in him pulled Hokuto’s seatbelt to fasten it for him. His hand was slapped away, and Hokuto crawled over to his side to straddle his thighs, gripping his shirt and pulling Jesse for another deep and hasty kiss. Jesse was already painfully hard while Hokuto grinds his hips down on him, but before the temptation to press Hokuto against the leather of his backseat wins over him, he firmly holds Hokuto’s waist to get him to stop. He kisses Hokuto’s forehead and whispers for him to calm down. As much as possible, he’d like to savor Hokuto fully in bed. He didn’t want to mess up his car either.
The motel Hokuto was staying in was cheap and old, but still a lot better than the few other places found nearby. It was practically empty with only two cars parked at opposite ends. Hokuto’s room was on the second floor, and Jesse began to wonder what kind of man he had picked up tonight when clumsy hands managed to unfasten his belt while they were still in the elevator. He clicks his tongue at his partner’s impatience, but he isn’t against it. As soon as the door to Hokuto’s room is opened by the swipe of a keycard, Jesse lets go of all the self-control he’s been holding and pushes Hokuto to bed.
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Jessed had initially planned to leave the following morning. Then plans changed when he was reluctant to let go of the body in his arms.
Hokuto was amazing. It’s been a while since he last had sex that good. Jesse thought he was deserving of another round of mindless sex tonight, so delaying his leave didn’t sound so bad. While he didn’t appreciate waking up at the crack of dawn, he never really did have a decent sleeping pattern in the first place. As soon as his arm was going numb under Hokuto’s weight, he carefully pulled himself away, watching as Hokuto’s face scrunched in his sleep before curling up and hugging the pillow instead. Looking around, he couldn’t spot where he had thrown his shirt. He gave up, heading out the balcony with his bare upper half. It was hot anyway.
He lights a cigarette and draws smoke, exhaling a puff that curls and disappears into nothing. If there was one thing he liked about being awake at this early hour, it was the silence of the world around him. Everything was still, just like the aqua-blue water of the pool below him. Time moved very slowly. It was what he needed after long days moving from place to place, chasing something he had yet to find out.
He had no clue how much time had passed since he was busy gazing into nothing, but he was halfway through his cigarette when he felt arms encircle his waist from behind. Warm and bare skin presses against Jesse’s own, and he shivers when Hokuto’s breath fans against his flesh.
“Did you sleep well?”
Jesse turns around to face the source of his most pleasurable night, and he chuckles in awe. He finds Hokuto standing out in the open fully naked, not an ounce of shame or fear of being caught regardless that the place was mostly empty and most souls were asleep. Leaning against the railing, Jesse’s eyes trace the marks he had peppered all over Hokuto’s flesh. There was an abundance scattered around his neck and hipbone. It wasn’t obvious since they were hidden, but if his memory served him right, there should be numerous on his inner thighs too. He could sense Hokuto’s sharp eyes trailing down his body too. He must be doing the same, counting the hickeys that had blossomed on Jesse’s chest.
Hokuto tiptoes and kisses Jesse, tasting and swirling the smoke in his mouth. As expected, he wasn’t a fan of the smell and taste. He pulls away just when Jesse places his hands atop his waist.
“That’s gonna kill you.”
Jesse stares at him and merely replies with a breathy laugh. He guides Hokuto back inside the room with him before stubbing his cigarette on the ashtray.
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The sober version of Hokuto outside of bed and his sex-driven state was very different. He preferred not to talk much about himself. He was relatively closed off, unlike the way his body was so open for him not even half a day ago.
They were eating at a diner somewhere close by for lunch. Jesse was fascinated by the way Hokuto wiped the tip of the condiment bottles every time either of them squeezed them on their burgers. He was also fascinated by the way Hokuto chose to chew slowly when he asked him something about himself. Despite already having shared their colas and saliva, he was just a stranger to him anyway. He expected nothing more. All he gathered was that Hokuto was just like him. A runaway from his own town going nowhere in particular.
The day was still long so Jesse phoned up the owner of the bar he went to last night asking if he could go for another gig. His guitar was ready as it was left at the back of his car. He invites Hokuto over back to the bar with the intention of having a drink with him again after his session. Maybe they could talk longer and Hokuto would finally open up to him. But this time, Hokuto turns him down, yawning and stretching his back when he said he’d rather rest at the motel.
And so before Jesse drove to the bar, he dropped off Hokuto back at the motel. Perhaps Hokuto sensed his disappointment that he wouldn’t be accompanying Jesse; he kisses Jesse’s cheek before he drives off, bidding him ‘See you later.’
It was a different crowd today at the bar. It was an observation Jesse didn’t expect for a small town. From the platform, he looked at the empty spot Hokuto sat in yesterday. While he enjoyed singing and the free booze that came with performing, it wasn’t as electrifying without the dark-haired man.
Jesse thought he was losing his mind for already branding Hokuto as some kind of muse after just one night.
He drives back to the motel past nine, quietly humming a song under his breath while heading back up to the second floor. He opens Hokuto’s room with the spare keycard and finds the room bathed in darkness. Flicking the light switch on, the room was void of any person. His chest oddly hammered when he thought of the possibility of Hokuto leaving all of a sudden. Then he let out a sigh of relief when he spotted Hokuto’s backpack on the leather armchair in the corner.
The heat and the rush of nerves make Jesse dizzy. He pulled his shirt off so he was left with the thin tank top underneath. Walking to the balcony, Jesse opens the door for some air. He was about to pull out the pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his shorts when something below caught his attention. He squints and recognizes the figure sitting by the edge of the swimming pool, and he doesn’t waste a second to go down.
“You’re back early.”
Hokuto was ephemeral as his skin glowed a tranquil blue from the reflection of the pool. His legs were folded as he sat on the ground, only his toes dipping in the water to create small ripples. In his hand is a red iced popsicle he bought from the convenience store right beside the motel. He holds it out for Jesse to have a taste, and he chuckles when Jesse makes a sour face. Jesse had never been fond of cherries.
“It was boring without you.”
Hokuto stared at Jesse wordlessly. He continued to lick his popsicle while he seemed to be observing him, and Jesse felt too open. He chose to look at the pink tongue sticking out instead of the dark eyes trying to read him.
“I’m leaving this place soon and I thought I’d rather spend more time with you before I drive to the next city.”
He squatted down before making himself comfortable beside Hokuto. The latter was halfway through his treat, and he offered Jesse another lick, but Jesse refused.
“How about you?”
“Hm?”
“Where are you going?” Jesse asked.
Hokuto was quiet, running the question in his head a few times before finally answering back.
“Anywhere I can be free.”
Jesse didn’t know where that was, but he knew what Hokuto meant.
Hokuto had no intentions of opening more of himself to someone he still considered a stranger. He finished the last of his popsicle and set the stick to the side before he crawled over to Jesse and straddled his hips. He leans down to kiss Jesse while his hands roam around his body, tracing the hard muscles of Jesse’s biceps before moving down to feel him underneath his tank top. He didn’t like that his tank top was in the way. He pulled it over Jesse’s arms and put it aside, and Hokuto’s breath shortened seeing his companion’s broad chest and abs, glistening with sweat from the summer heat. Even if he’s seen Jesse naked, Hokuto could barely see him when he fucked him last night through his glassy eyes and the dim lights. He wanted another round where he was more conscious of the body taking him.
Slipping his hands behind for Jesse’s defined back and shoulders, Hokuto moves his hips and moans into Jesse’s mouth when he could feel Jesse’s cock growing thicker against his rear. His legs twitch with the desire to spread open, but Jesse doesn’t indulge him yet. Jesse could taste the cherry in Hokuto’s mouth and for once, he didn’t mind the sweet and tangy flavor. Anything mixed with Hokuto, he would willingly taste.
Jesse breathes heavily when Hokuto’s hands come to rest on his chest. He smiles through the kiss when Hokuto tells him to “Kiss me harder” while he brushes his fingers over Jesse’s nipples. Hokuto was a gorgeous memory he didn’t want to leave behind in this town. At the back of his mind, he wonders how long Hokuto has been a lost soul running away from his past. His mind begins to question how many places Hokuto has been to, how many people he’s met, and how many people he’s seduced and invited to touch him.
Jesse felt silly for the flare of jealousy that burned within him. His hands crawled down to grab Hokuto’s ass and he grinds their hips together harder, rocking back and forth, their cocks throbbing and weeping through their shorts. Hokuto’s hands find one end of the string of Jesse’s bottoms and pulls it to untie, slipping his hand under his shorts and underwear to stroke him. He was bolder again this time, different from the man he was spending his time with this afternoon. He doesn’t know much about Hokuto, but Jesse bets he was a horny little devil that tricked people through his reclusive air. Either that, or he was drunk from cherry.
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Impatient, Jesse stood up from the ground, takes his own cock into his own hands, and pumps himself in front of his partner’s mouth. Hokuto gets up on his knees and stares up, waiting patiently with his cherry-red tongue sticking out from his supple lips. When Jesse hit his limit, he shoves his cock inside Hokuto’s mouth, releasing a throaty moan as he came with hot and quick spurts.
Jesse could easily get hard again from the sight of his own cum inside Hokuto’s mouth and dripping down his chin. Hokuto giggles with zero shame. He doesn’t fancy the taste of semen so he drools out the mixture of spit and cum in his hand. He wipes it on Jesse’s shorts who curses and grimaces, and Hokuto laughs harder because he simply found Jesse funny.
Jesse was ready to let Hokuto have his turn for release, but Hokuto swats his hand away when he palms him through his shorts. “It’s hot,” Hokuto complained instead under his breath. Without a second thought, Hokuto pulls down his own shorts which fall around his ankles. He was already bare underneath. He merely kicks his shorts to the side, and Jesse watches entranced as Hokuto gracefully falls into the pool completely naked.
When Hokuto shows up from the water, he combs his damp hair back and searches for Jesse. His eyes were sparkling and speaking ‘Won’t you come and join me?’ and Jesse’s shorts made it to the ground too. He jumps into the pool fully bare, finding Hokuto in the water, searching for his waist to pull him close. Their legs tangled under the water as they merely held each other, uncaring of the possibility of eyes watching them from their windows.
When the adrenalin seeped away and their breaths slowed down, Jesse chuckled, finding himself doomed that he was getting butterflies in his stomach. His heart was still beating fast, and he knew Hokuto could feel it when he laid his hand on top of his chest.
He couldn’t help it. Hokuto lit him up like a flame, and Jesse felt him everywhere.
“Hey,” Hokuto started, his voice quiet and slightly out of breath. “Take me with you.”
Jesse looked at him in surprise. He wondered if Hokuto was aware of what he just said with his own lips, but Hokuto was looking back at him with firm and serious eyes.
“I have no destination set,” Jesse confessed.
“Then we’ll find that out along the way.”
In this hot summer inferno in the middle of nowhere, Jesse discovers his own freedom in the form of black hair, dark eyes, and cherry-sweet lips.