"Don't be such a baby," Alex said as he turned to survey his lover's
progress up the hill.
Mulder was swatting his hand back and forth in front of his face
with his eyes screwed shut. His light grey T-shirt was
sweat-darkened on his chest and under his arms, just like Alex's own
green T-shirt. Alex had forgotten how hot it could get in New York
in the summer.
He adjusted the pack on his back. "You know, this wouldn't be so bad
if you would just stop complaining."
Mulder glared at him through a straggle of unkempt hair that had
flopped over his forehead. "Alex, we've been on this trail twenty
minutes, and I'm already miserable. I thought you said this was one
of the most beautiful places in the area. Well, all I see is an old
abandoned paved road, which by the way, must have been hell in the
winter for driving since it's practically vertical. Plus the flora
here seems to be restricted to a tremendous amount of poison ivy
infiltrated by clumps of poison sumac."
Alex sighed.
Mulder blew his hair out of his eyes for the fiftieth time and
stared back at the disappointed green eyes.
Alex ducked his head and looked to the side. "If you want to go
back, then I guess we can go."
"Thank God. Maybe there's a cafe open by now and we can grab a real
breakfast. A roll and some coffee at the convenient store is not my
idea of a hearty meal." Mulder turned and took a step back down the
steep hill.
"I just thought you wanted to know more about me, that's all."
Mulder stopped. He swore to himself. His head swayed back and forth
as his fingers combed back the hair from his eyes. Alex was silent
behind him. When Mulder turned around, he knew he had lost the
battle.
His lover looked like an overgrown boyscout with his hiking boots,
long shorts, and baseball cap. Alex had been so excited last night
and this morning, and now he just looked...defeated. The whole
picture was very wrong.
"I'm sorry, baby. I'm just hot and really tired," Mulder said as he
reached out to stroke Alex's arm. His fingers slid through a
sticky-slimy coat of sunscreen and bug spray until they clasped onto
strong, calloused fingers. "You shouldn't have kept me up so late."
A small smile broke out over Alex's face, and he grasped Mulder's
fingers in his sweaty palm. "I couldn't resist," he answered.
The low-roughened tone reminded Mulder once again how he wished they
were back in their air-conditioned room at the Bed and Breakfast.
He leaned in, offering his mouth for a kiss.
Alex pulled away. "Later," he said with a smile.
Mulder frowned.
"Come on, this used to be one of my favorite places in the summer. I
want to share it with you." Alex beckoned with his hand
outstretched.
Mulder clasped it and followed Alex off the crumbling road, onto a
narrow, dirt path into the woods.
"Look here," Alex said as he pulled away a blocking sprig of
blackberry thorns.
"What was that? A greenhouse?" Mulder picked his way through the
overgrown path until he stood in front of the ruined and broken
structure. The base was cement, but wooden timbers lay crashed into
the center. Part of the windowless, sectioned roof still stretched
across the back, providing a trellis for a multitude of green and
brown vines—some a thick as his arm, some like delicate lace.
They both peered into the gloomy interior, but the weeds prevented
them from getting too close. Alex turned to him. "This is just the
beginning. We're on what used to be the Cornish Estate. It burned
down in 1956."
Mulder raised his eyebrows and laughed.
"What?" Alex asked.
"Since when did you become a history buff?"
Alex shrugged. "I came here a lot as a kid. It was an escape."
"Pretty far to walk all the way from West Point."
"Well, that's where my Dad was stationed, but we had a house just
south of here, right outside of Coldspring."
"The town where we're staying? Why didn't you show me the house?"
"No." Alex shook his head. He turned and headed down the path.
Mulder hurried to follow and almost stumbled into him when Alex
suddenly stopped and whirled around. "That place wasn't home to me.
I don't want to see it again."
"Is that where it started?" Mulder asked quietly. He reached out
with a reassuring touch to Alex's cheek.
"I was thirteen. Time to be a man." Alex looked away. "You know the
rest."
Mulder bitterly regretted that he would never have the chance to
meet Alex's father. But breaking an old man's jaw would give little
satisfaction to the years of pain the man had doled out to Alex.
He threaded his fingers into the soft brown hair under the baseball
cap and coaxed the younger man towards him. A softly placed kiss,
followed by a lingering one, and he felt Alex's neck muscles relax
under his hand.
"I love you," he whispered.
Alex smiled and laughed. "You're a complete sap."
Mulder smiled back and glanced forward. Motioning with his eyes, he
said, "Was that their house?"
Alex turned and nodded. "Yes. We can climb all through the ruins.
Just be careful of broken glass."
For ten minutes they walked through half-walls and peered into
fireplaces filled with birdnests and maple tree saplings. There
wasn't much left of the mansion that once stood there, but the
overgrowth and the bed of dropped pine needles that cushioned their
footfalls combined to lend an air of mystery. Mulder felt like he
should be in the middle of investigating a case.
He stood up from checking out a garter snake curled inside a rusty
bit of pipe. He wanted to share his thoughts with Alex, but the
younger man was meandering further down the path.
Alex was watching something off on his left, down in a gully. Mulder
quietly walked to his lover's side and joined him in watching a
young whitetail deer walking through the brush about fifty feet
away. It hadn't noticed them yet.
The long tawny ears swivelled to catch the slightest sign of a
predator. Mulder held his breath. Together they watched the graceful
animal pick its way around prickly briars and thorny blackberry
bushes to a lush bit of bright, green grass growing in the basin of
the gully. With quick tugs of her head, the deer ripped out a
mouthful of the young plants.
Suddenly, the deer tensed and raised her head. The beast was so
still, that if Mulder hadn't been watching, then he would never have
been able to see it. The light brown coat blended perfectly with the
surrounding trees and the layer of last year's leaves on the ground.
Even this close, the animal blended perfectly into the background.
A moment later, it sprinted off into the brush.
Mulder released his breath and heard Alex do the same.
Then they heard voices up ahead on the trail.
Mulder shifted his light backpack and started walking, curious as to
who was ahead of them. The trail took a turn passed a rippling brook
and a small waterfall created by an old waterway system. He could
still hear voices, but clearer now.
There were at least two boys laughing and trudging their way down
the steep path towards Mulder and Alex.
They came into view—two ten-year-olds carrying fishing poles. One
of the boys held a string of slippery sunfish.
Alex's voice startled Mulder from behind him. "Did you boys catch
that fish in the lake up above?"
"Yup! There's a whole lot up there. Fishin' is great!"
The boys passed by them quickly and crossed over the stream to take
another trail down the mountain.
Mulder turned to Alex with a sly smile. "Are we going fishing,
Guppy?"
Alex's mouth twisted in wry amusement. "Call me that again and
you'll find yourself at the bottom of said lake. And, no, we're
going further up the trail than the lake."
Mulder's smile dropped. "How much further? You do realize that it's
ninety degrees out today, right?"
Alex stepped in close and took his hands. "It'll be worth it." Alex
leaned in further and whispered against his mouth. "Trust me." Then
he touched his open lips to Mulder's pouting mouth and lightly
begged entrance with his tongue.
Mulder accepted and found himself drawn into a searing, searching
kiss. A strong hand on the back of his head held him tight while
Alex's tongue stroked his teeth and soft palate, stealing his breath
way. He was left gasping when Alex finally tore away.
It took him a moment to realize Alex had already started back up the
trail. "Come on, Fox. We have a while to go still."
Mulder took a much-needed drink of cold water from the bottle
strapped to his pack. He snapped the bottle shut and hurried to
catch up.
The trail was much steeper now, heading straight up the mountain.
Neither man could spare breath to talk as they trudged along. The
trail was once a streambed and they had to watch their footing among
all the rounded rocks and stones. There were trail branches here
and there that crossed over a newer stream on their left. The icy
cold water made the air seem cooler here beneath the trees.
Still, Alex and Mulder were sweating heavily by the time they
stopped.
Alex pointed to where the trail continued straight. "That's the way
to the lake."
"What are these buildings here?" Mulder asked, gesturing between the
right and left fork of the trail.
"Used to be the stables and carriage house. Do you want to see the
lake?"
"Are we stopping there for long?"
"No."
"Then let's keep going. The next time we stop, I'm breaking out
lunch."
Alex grinned. Putting the rambling, wooden stables behind them, they
took the right fork and headed further up the mountain.
Twenty minutes later, the trail narrowed as dwarf pines and mountain
laurel crowed closer together. Mulder could feel the sweat trickling
down his back, but at least the cloud of gnats had left them as they
climbed higher.
Then suddenly, the path widened—another old streambed. A golden
retriever bounding along with some hikers, passed them going down
the mountain.
"Okay, we have a choice now," Alex said as he stopped just ahead of
Mulder. "We can continue on the harder path straight up the mountain
or we can take the easier one that winds back and forth gradually up
to the top."
Mulder took the two steps to stand closer. "Since when do we ever
take the easy path?" he said with a smile.
Alex smiled back at him, his face only inches away. "You've got a
point."
Mulder took the lead slowly, turning his head back to keep eye
contact with Alex until the last moment. A cool breeze tickled the
damp wisps of hair on their necks. Mulder lifted his face into the
refreshing light wind. He could smell the sweet mountain laurel and
honeysuckle all around them.
Mulder suddenly found himself enjoying the hike. Listening to Alex's
labored breaths and rustling footsteps behind him, he was reminded
once again how glad he was not to be alone on this hike or in life
itself. They had slogged through oppressive heat and tangled vines,
but to arrive at the peak together would be well worth the trip.
The trail leveled out and turned. Mulder looked down as his feet
stepped onto bare rock. 'The bones of the mountain,' he thought.
Alex grabbed his hand and quickly dragged him along. Mulder looked
up.
The trees parted. The light blue sky stretched forever over their
heads and the sun beat down with merciless light. Mulder quickly
shaded his eyes. Now he could see the Hudson River down below,
lazily curving around the base of the mountain range. The treeline
followed the curves of the mountain they stood upon, billowing
sharply over the edge and flowing gently into the valley the trail
had taken them through. Another mountain sloped up next to them.
"That's Breakneck Ridge," Alex said. "The trial there is longer and
more treacherous—a good challenge, but I thought it was too hot
today for that."
Mulder heartily agreed. "It's too hot for anything." The sun beat
down on his dark hair and he wished he had worn a hat like Alex did.
Alex squeezed his hand. "I wouldn't say that," he whispered with a
leering grin.
Mulder quickly looked around. They weren't alone up here. A small
group of teenagers sat over to his right, munching on sandwiches. A
young couple stood just behind them, off to the left, slipping their
backpacks onto the ground. Standing on an outcrop of rock to get a
better view around the trees, was a middle-aged man and his son. The
father was pointing to the Newburgh-Beacon bridge in the distance
and explaining how they had driven over that tiny, tiny bridge just
this morning.
Mulder felt Alex's rough thumb gently rubbing his fingers, and he
realized they were holding hands. He started to jerk away, but Alex
held tight, and he motioned with his head for them to continue on
the path.
The trail turned in a circle so that hikers could get a view from
both sides of the mountain. In this clearing, there was an older
couple sitting in the shade and a lone male hiker wearing a Grateful
Dead T-shirt. There was a spectacular view of the river as it winded
around West Point, the huge army base.
Alex huffed and pulled him along again. The trail descended quickly,
but often took turns to outcroppings of rock where a hiker or two
could stand and appreciate the beautiful landscape.
"There!" Alex exclaimed.
Then he cut through a break in the prickly bushes around them and
stepped out onto a well-shaded rock ledge just barely big enough for
them to both sit comfortably. Mulder let his backpack fall to the
ground as he settled onto the moss-covered rock. He groaned and
stretched his shoulders back, relishing the popping noise his spine
made.
The view here was just as spectacular. Turkey vultures had built
nests into the unreachable crevices of the mountain, and the huge
birds circled and swooped, oblivious to the watching hikers sitting
at the top of the cliffside. Below that, the town of Coldspring
hugged the park line and spread out along the Hudson River. Across
the half-mile expanse of water and up the side of another mountain,
the historic walls and buildings of West Point could be seen.
"Hungry?" Alex asked from beside him.
Mulder looked to his right where Alex was handing him a turkey
sandwich.
"Yes, but..." Mulder twisted his head around to be sure that no
other hikers were near. He didn't need to worry—they were
well-screened from the nearby trail. He turned back to Alex and to a
bit of sandwich held just beneath his nose between Alex's thumb and
forefinger. Mulder shyly smiled and took the proffered morsel into
his mouth and let his tongue linger over the tips of Alex's fingers.
He looked up to catch Alex paused in drinking from his water bottle.
The bottle was lowered. Mulder focused in on the moisture that
coated Alex's lips. Suddenly he was very thirsty.
Alex reclaimed his hand and moved forward to offer his mouth. Mulder
leaned into the kiss. Alex's mouth was cool like the breeze that
ghosted over his skin and moist like the moss-covered ground beneath
his hand. Slowly, he pushed Alex back until he lay over his lover's
body.
Alex didn't seem to care that his head rested on the ground,
cushioned only by a bit of soft grass. He surrendered to Mulder's
kisses and allowed his lover free access to his body, letting his
arms fall out to either side.
They were in the shade, but the heat was still oppressive. Sweat
trickled down Alex's face, and Mulder hastened to lick it up. Alex
arched his back and tilted his head, searching for another kiss.
Mulder obliged and moaned as Alex's right hand carded through his
hair and urged them even closer together. Mulder rocked his hips,
rubbing his erection into the sweat-dampened denim between them. He
shifted to wedge his thigh between Alex's legs.
Alex gasped and arched again. He quickly transferred his hand from
Mulder's head to his ass. He thrust up, seeking rougher friction for
his trapped cock against Mulder's leg. He was sweating in earnest
now. Lost in a haze of lust, he barely felt Mulder's fingers at his
shirt buttons.
"I want you, baby," Mulder whispered in his ear.
Alex grabbed his hand. Mulder's head came up and the hazel-gray eyes
looked at him with hurt confusion.
"I want you, Alex," he repeated softly.
"Sshh...I know, but not here. We have to be quiet, and I can't be
quiet with you inside me. It feels too good. You have to wait until
we get back."
Mulder's eyes darkened and his lip pushed out in an unconscious
pout. Alex closed his eyes and counted to ten. Giving in was not an
option. Fucking in a dark alley around the corner from their
favorite Washington bar was completely different than getting caught
in broad daylight by a couple of twelve year-old hikers on a trail
used by families.
Alex took a deep breath. "No," he stated with just a hint of steel.
Mulder leaned down close to his mouth again. "Let me suck you then."
Alex paused as his body sent waves of agreement to his brain. He
ordered his mouth to refuse, but Mulder interrupted.
"Please, baby. I want to suck you. I want to taste you. I want to
swallow you down and make you come."
Mulder's agile hands were already at his zipper, fumbling around,
making Alex delirious with pleasure.
"Please," Mulder whispered fervently, "You've teased me all morning.
We don't have to get naked. No one will know. They won't hear us.
Just keep quiet."
Alex wondered how he would do that since he already felt a moan
working its way up his throat as Mulder's fingers finally found
their prize. Alex let his head fall to the side. Mulder gave one
long lick to his neck and fisted his cock slowly, tightly. Alex bit
down on his lip to stifle his cries.
"Ohh, yes, Alex. You're so beautiful. I love you, baby." Mulder
kissed his jaw. Then Alex felt the cool breeze hit his chest as
Mulder descended to his groin. He felt almost chilly after the heat
of Mulder's weight. He shivered. Then he jumped as Mulder's tongue
circled his cockhead.
"Mmmm. You taste so good," Mulder said.
Alex heaved deep breaths through his nose. Then he sat up to
whisper, "Shh...quiet, Fox."
Mulder crouched beside him. One arm curled around his lower back,
while the other massaged his balls through the shorts. Alex braced
himself up with one arm. The position didn't give him any room to
maneuver, but Alex urged Mulder on with the other hand buried in the
thick brown hair.
Mulder hummed and moaned softly as he took Alex's cock deeper and
deeper into his mouth. Alex struggled not to make a sound, but his
harsh panting sounded to him like he was using a megaphone. It felt
so strange to be the responsible one, to be the one fighting for
silence so they wouldn't be discovered. Alex bent over Mulder's head
and swung his arm around to clasp his body closer to him.
He was so close! Just a little more, a little more...He tipped his
head back again, and leaning heavily on the one arm, lifted his
pelvis off the ground.
A muffled whimper broke his concentration. He looked down into his
lap. Mulder's hand pulled at Alex's grasping fingers which were
yanking on a fistful of hair. Alex settled back on his ass and
relaxed his grip. Mullder pulled off his cock, gasping for air.
Alex swallowed a curse and forced himself to wait patiently. He was
so tempted to shove his cock back between the moist and swollen
mouth just centimeters away. But the days of taking what he wanted,
regardless of his lover's pain or discomfort, were over.
He leaned over to whisper in Mulder's ear. "I'm sorry, Fox," he
croaked.
Mulder shook his head, then looked up at him with heavy-lidded eyes.
"I'm okay. Just don't pull my hair."
Mulder trailed his fingers over the flushed erection. Alex threw his
head back and hissed though his teeth.
"Close?" Mulder asked.
Alex nodded. 'What did he think?'
"You can be rough, baby. Just don't pull my hair. I want you to fuck
my mouth. I love it. I'm close too."
"Yeah, okay," Alex rasped. 'Fine, whatever. Just get back to it.'
Then Mulder shifted onto his knees and bent to engulf Alex's
erection. His hands didn't stop Alex from heaving up, shoving his
cock deep into Mulder's throat.
Alex brought his hands around to grip Mulder's skull and hold him
still while he thrust up, again and again, harder and faster. Alex
bit his lip and turned his head from the sight of his purple-hard
cock slipping wetly in and out of his lover's plush mouth.
Mulder moaned, and Alex opened his eyes to see Mulder's hand busily
pumping his own dick. The slick cockhead peeped out at him from
Mulder's fist again and again in time to his own thrusts. Alex had
the surreal thought that he was really looking at his own dick—that
it had somehow disappeared into Mulder's mouth only to reappear in
Mulder's fist. They were really just one being that could fuck
itself all day just like breathing. Alex giggled, and the hitch of
his laughter started a trembling through his whole body that he
couldn't stop, didn't want to stop.
He fought to keep his eyes open and his mouth silent as the
trembling increased and focused into hard, quick, forceful thrust
up, up, up. His balls clenched. He hands held Mulder's head so
tightly to his groin, he was sure Mulder couldn't breath. He watched
to see if his cum would shoot out from Mulder's fist, but he could
feel Mulder swallowing, and the hand still pumped furiously at the
cock as he watched. Alex felt his legs relax and his pelvis tilt
down to the ground again. His softening cock was released to the
cool air.
Mulder tossed his head back with a sharp inhale. His body seized,
and Alex watched with satisfaction as thick, white jism spilled out
over the ground in Mulder's shadow. Alex gazed at his lover and
tried to imprint the memory in his mind—the expression of pleasure
on his face, the sun giving his brown hair a golden hue, the line of
his body arching in exaltation. Alex felt so grateful that his lover
had agreed to take the trail today, to make a place that was special
for him, even more so.
Mulder sat back on his heels and looked at the wet ground before
him. Then he glanced over to Alex's smiling face. He smiled back.
"Were we quiet enough?"
Alex shrugged a shoulder. "I don't remember. I guess so."
Mulder laughed. "You better put that away." He motioned towards
Alex's exposed penis.
"Put it away for me?" Alex asked with a smile.
Mulder raised an eyebrow.
"Come on," Alex coaxed, "I just want to think about your touch on
the trail back."
"And you call me a sap," Mulder answered as he leaned over to tuck
Alex's member away. He did the same for himself, then asked about
lunch.
They quickly devoured sandwiches and some grapes. Then they settled
back to watch the birds swoop passed them on the way to the nests
below. Mulder held Alex against his chest, and they dozed in the
shade, listening to groups of hikers as they tramped passed, unaware
of the couple resting just a few feet away.
Eventually, Alex urged Mulder to his feet, and they started the trek
down the mountain. The trail was shady the entire way and very steep
with clearings here and there for another look beyond the tree cover
to the river below. Each time they stopped for a view, They checked
for privacy and stole a kiss or two—little reminders of what had
taken place up above and what would transpire later that evening.
The last leg of the trail skirted down around an abandoned gravel
pit, now overgrown with wildflowers. Mulder sneezed and his eyes
started to water—his allergy pills were starting to wear off.
Alex smiled, crinkling his eyes. He had put his lover through a
grueling day. Mulder was filthy and sweaty, his hair stuck up, and
his eyes were red.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Mulder asked as they turned
away from the gravel pit and continued down the trail.
"You look...adorable."
Mulder stopped in his tracks and gave Alex a look of disgust.
"What?! Adorable? Okay, who are you and what have you done with my
ex-assassin?"
Alex grinned and took two paces to wrap his arms around Mulder's
waist. "He retired," he answered with a kiss.
Voices reminded them of their location, and they stepped apart just
as two dark-haired women walked around the bend ahead of them. The
women carried baskets and Mulder couldn't understand their
conversation.
"They're speaking Greek," Alex whispered.
Mulder and Alex watched as the women suddenly broke from the path
into the brush and stopped to pick leaves from a shower of vines
hanging down from a black walnut tree. Alex tugged on Mulder's
sleeve.
As soon as they rounded the bend, Mulder looked to his companion for
an explanation.
"They were picking the grape leaves to make dolma. It's a dish where
the cook wraps grape leaves around a mix of rice, pine nuts,
sometimes lamb, and spices like garlic and onion."
"They pick them from the woods?"
Alex shrugged. "They run a restaurant in town. We can go there for
dinner tonight and you could ask them."
"Is that a date?" Mulder teased.
Alex grabbed his hand and pulled him in close. "Only if I know I'm
getting some afterwards," Alex answered as he squeezed Mulder's ass
for emphasis.
Mulder laughed. "It's a date then."
END
End Note: The trail the boys went on is real and located just north
of Coldspring, New York. Everything they saw (the people, the
plants, and the animals) came from my own memories, but not the sex
(that's from a totally separate section of my brain). I'm not sure
which restaurant in Coldspring serves dolma, but it's a great little
town for spending the weekend.
Taurus Mountain Trail
by Katail
"Aw, God, why did you bring me here? I'm getting eaten alive!"
