Sav had kept the promise he had made with his gaze and continued to tease Joe during that whole day at every chance he got. It didn't matter whether Joe's parents were close by or not, whether they were on the beach or in a restaurant, Sav always found a way to make him blush in a flustered way. And therefore Joe couldn't be happier to finally be able to get back to their little vacation home again since his curly-haired boyfriend had hinted at what he wanted to happen that night for quite some time by then. The question he had asked Joe while they had stood in the cooling water of the sea the day before swirled around the taller one's head constantly and made it very hard to think of anything else. He was unbelievably excited but still scared of the whole thing but he couldn't think of anyone better to try it out with than Sav, the most gorgeous young man he had ever met. So when they finally stood face to face in the little bedroom they shared, Sav's cheeks rosy and his eyes sparkling, Joe couldn't think of a better place to be.

"God Savy, how can you even be so beautiful?", he whispered softly, caressing one of Sav's rosy cheeks with his palm while his other hand placed itself on the smaller man's waist to pull him in closer. The curly-haired's pretty ocean-blue eyes started to sparkle even more at his words and lowered their gaze in a flustered manner, causing his long dark lashes to further illustrate his adorable innocence.

"How can you even manage to flatter me all the time?", he finally replied with some shyness creeping into his voice, not giving Joe a chance to respond when he tangled his fingers in his lover's wild curls and pulled him into a gentle but needy kiss. Joe's hands slid down to the bottom hem of Sav's shirt, pulling it upwards to be able to caress the smooth warm skin beneath. The younger one sighed into the kiss at that action, untangling his fingers from Joe's hair to be able to raise his hands above his head and allow his lover to strip the shirt off his lean body. It only took a few moments for Sav to return the favor and then they were skin on skin, clinging to each other and absorbing the body heat of the other's body while staying entangled in their deep kiss. Just that moment was enough for Joe to know that he was ready for whatever would happen. He would do anything to be as close to Sav as possible.

Gently parting from his lover's addicting lush lips, Joe made eye contact with the blue-eyed beauty in front of him, tucking a strand of the wild chocolate curls behind Sav's ear while a dreamy smile stretched his own kiss-swollen lips.

"Do you really wanna go all the way tonight? I just want you to know that I'll be fine with whatever we do tonight", he then whisper-asked against Sav's angelically curved rosy lips, tightening his hold on his opponent's warm naked waist. The lips he was so addicted to just spread into an honest smile at his words, lanky warm fingers hooking into his belt loops to pull him closer before he whispered an answer that made Joe's breath catch in his throat.

"God yes, Joe. I want you to make love to me for real tonight."

Gulping down the heartfelt, awestruck tears in his throat Joe nodded, gently leaving the embrace and gesturing for Sav to make himself comfortable on the soft bedspread. The latter did so without hesitation, peeling off his pants on the way before laying down, watching Joe rummage through his duffel bag with reddened cheeks, droopy midnight blue eyes clouded in love and lust, and a dreamy smile on his full, already well-used lips.

Joe's hands were shaking in anticipation and excitement while he searched for the lube and condoms he had packed just in case this situation they were in at the moment would actually occur. After a few moments of intensive searching, he found the small tube and a few foiled packages, standing up again on shaky legs and taking a deep breath to calm himself down a bit. When he encountered Sav's warm loving gaze, his worries immediately eased for the most part, letting him know that everything would turn out wonderfully, either way, just because that angel of a man was involved in it.

"Come over here, babe, I'm starting to miss you already", Sav asked sweetly and Joe's smile widened even further, his feet carrying him over to the bed again even though he still feared his legs would give out from trembling too much with excitement any moment. As soon as he stood within Sav's reach, the latter made short work of his jeans and pulled him onto the mattress with him, long warm limbs immediately wrapping around him to keep him close. Joe closed his eyes and just enjoyed the warmth, the love, and the affection Sav's closeness evoked in him, his heart growing happy wings and taking flight within his chest.

They took their time to just cuddle for a while, Sav's warm lanky fingers tracing Joe's spine and the outline of his strong back muscles, while Joe tucked his head under his lover's chin and listened to his slightly sped-up heartbeat. The sizzle in the air around them never ceased completely though, and finally, Joe felt comfortable enough to do something about it. Propping himself up above Sav he made eye contact with his lover again, silently asking him for consent that he got either way in the form of a wide smile and a small nod.

"God Sav, I'm scared of hurting you in any way... I never did this before", he whispered honestly into the comfortable silence, Sav's legs around his waist and his arms around his chest tightening their hold in a silent sign of comfort before the younger one spoke again.

"You won't hurt me, Joe. I trust you with my life and if something should be up I'll let you know right away. But I have a feeling it's gonna work out fine."

His last words were accompanied by a comforting smile and a cheeky wink that helped Joe's self-confidence to grow back and soothed the tremble in the taller man's hands to some degree. Uncapping the bottle of lube he poured some into his hand before curling it around his lover's erection, drawing soft sighs and moans of contentment from the halfway-opened puffy red lips that spurred him on further. After he had a feeling that Sav was as relaxed as he could possibly be, Joe slowly and hesitantly searched out the rosy entrance with slickened fingers, keeping his gaze fixated on Sav's gorgeous facial features to encounter any sign of discomfort right away. But even as he massaged softly and finally dared to slip one of the digits inside, there was none. Sav just sighed and closed his eyes, focusing on his feelings with a shy smile playing on his lips.

Joe got a bit bolder then and started to gently feel around the tight passage for that one spot he had read about. If he found it, he'd strike gold according to the experts on that topic. Sav suddenly gasping for air while a cry of pleasure left his lips made him guess that he, indeed, was on the right path. Gently slipping another finger inside he searched that specific spot out again and again and fascinatedly watched Sav's body writhe beneath him in raw pleasure, looking so beautiful that he almost couldn't handle the sight.

"Joe, please...", he whimpered out after a while between pleasure-filled moans, his limbs pulling the taller man down on top of him and his fingers digging into the skin of Joe's strong shoulders, holding on to him like a drowning man would cling to his lifeline.

"It's okay, Savy, I got you", he whispered right back, gently withdrawing his fingers from the other man's warmth to coat himself in both a condom and lube before leaning down to place a passionate, soothing kiss on his lover's sweet lips, brushing a few sweaty curls away that clung to the younger one's heated cheeks.

"Are you completely sure about this?", Joe asked again just to be on the safe side, one palm resting on the scorching hot skin of the outside of Sav's naked thigh.

"God, yes. Joe, please", he whined in return, claiming Joe's lips again while wrapping his warm thighs around his lover's hips, letting Joe's doubts about them doing this dissolve into nothingness. With his heart pounding in his ears, the taller man finally completed their joining, closing his eyes to let the overwhelming feelings wash over him completely while stilling to let Sav adjust to the sensation.

The smaller one had squeezed his eyes shut in concentration at the intrusion but his face relaxed again with every passing moment, his blue eyes finally opening again and meeting Joe's loving green ones. They both felt their souls connect in a way with that gaze and confirmed their loving, deep thoughts with a soulful, heartfelt kiss.

Joe began to move slowly after some time, still keeping the two of them connected through their gazes, the ocean-blue orbs letting him know just how much this whole scenario meant to his angelical lover. He was still starstruck at the fact that someone as beautiful and wonderful as Sav trusted him so much that he gave himself to him in this intimate and pure act of love. Joe considered himself the luckiest man alive.

At some point the pleasure overtook them both, causing their movements to turn harsher and their moans and sighs to turn louder and more desperate, their sweat-slickened skin sticking together and trapping the heat between their bodies. They brought each other to the heights of pleasure and finally fell off the cliff into complete ecstasy together with a moan of each other's name.

Both of them couldn't move afterward, their hearts beating erratically and their muscles still quivering in exertion while they clung to each other, still intimately joined. Joe's head was resting on Sav's sweat-covered shoulder, his trembling fingers still tangled helplessly in his lover's soft but sweaty curls. His breath still refused to turn back to normal as he relived the last few moments in his mind. Sav had been so vulnerable but so beautiful. Joe's heart was bursting with love for his boyfriend when the picture of him writhing beneath him with his reddened lips parted and his droopy midnight blue eyes fixated on his own rode through his brain again.

He finally heard a shaky intake of breath above his head, indicating that Sav was coming back down from his ecstatic state, too. Propping his head up on Sav's chest he gazed into the ocean-blue eyes he loved so much once again, seeing them filled with a happy glint but also with tears. At that sight, his concern directly kicked in and he propped himself up onto his forearms to make better eye contact.

"Sav? Are you alright? God, did I hurt you?", he asked into the silence, Sav not replying directly and therefore causing Joe's fears to grow. But after a moment he started talking, his voice hoarse and thick with emotion.

"No, of course, you didn't hurt me! I'm just so overwhelmed with all of this. It was so amazing, it doesn't even hold a candle to my fantasies. God, I just can't believe that this is the reality since it's much too perfect."

"Oh Savy...", Joe whispered in return with a smile on his face at that explanation, leaning in close to place another soft kiss on Sav's lips that his lover gladly replied, his lanky fingers tangling in Joe's curls once more.

When they parted again, they stayed breath against breath and forehead against forehead for another moment, losing themselves in their loving gaze and feeling the connection again. And without meaning to, Joe couldn't help those three little words from slipping past his lips again.

"God Sav, I love you so so much."

"I love you too, Joe, more than I've ever loved anyone else", came the whispered reply against his well-used lips before this angel of a man engaged them in a kiss once more.

~~~~

The rest of the autumn holidays was filled with a lot of cuddles and even some more lovemaking sessions and both Joe and Sav couldn't be happier in any way. They would usually wake up in the mornings and have an intense long cuddle session before getting up and meeting Joe's parents for breakfast. The breakfast was mainly followed by a swim every day that gave them a relaxing opportunity to just don't think about anything school-related at all. After swimming they mostly stayed on their towels in the sun, drying off and using the time for some more cuddles and snoozing sessions. For the most part, Sav stuck to reading a book while Joe used his chest or belly as a pillow for a midday nap. The younger man loved the job of being Joe's pillow since Joe looked adorable while he slept and he had an excuse to play with and caress the wild dark curls that way.

When the sun started setting they usually all returned to their small vacation home to shower off the salt, sand, and sunscreen before going to a restaurant by the beachside. Joe loved walking along the seafront while holding his boyfriend's warm hand, it made him feel content and also a bit proud since he knew that Sav was so good-looking that he could probably get anyone as his boyfriend. But he chose him, and Joe felt deeply honored by that fact.

The meal at the restaurant would mostly be filled with happy chats about the day and laughter while either Sav was cuddled into Joe or Joe was cuddled into Sav. The restaurant visit was always followed up by another cuddle session back at the vacation house and sometimes even led into lovemaking. The fact that they constantly slept cuddled up in the same bed each night made them grow almost inseparable and Joe fearfully wondered how he would be able to fall asleep again at home without Sav's warm body cuddled up to him. He was dreading the day they would have to return to Sheffield but he knew it was inevitable so he just pushed those negative thoughts to the back of his mind and enjoyed the time while it lasted.

But as much as he pushed it away, it didn't actually make the day get any further away. All too soon he found himself in the back of his parent's car during their trip from the airport back to their homes with Sav beside him and clinging on to his hand. The younger one had been silent for the most part of the trip and Joe could read in his expression that he was trying to capture everything in silence in order to keep it stored in his memory forever. He was constantly searching for contact with Joe, holding on to his hand or leaning against his shoulder, as he did right at that point in time in the car.

"Alright Sav, I believe we've reached your house, right?", Joe's dad finally spoke the dreaded words, Joe's grip on Sav's hand unconsciously tightening further. Sav turned towards his lover at those words with a sad smile on his face, moving into Joe's arms without another word. Joe pulled the smaller man close to his chest and breathed in the comforting scent of lavender shampoo and sunshine deeply with closed eyes for the last time in three days. When Sav pulled back out of the embrace their heads fell together in another deep and soft kiss filled with love and an unwillingness to let go, both of them refusing to be the first to break away. Sav finally did with regret in his eyes since the kiss had ultimately resulted in a lack of air supply.

"I don't know how I will be able to sleep without you", the smaller man then whispered sadly and Joe smiled comfortingly, pulling one of his sweaters out of his duffel bag to hand it to Sav. Since he had had the same terrifying thought for the last few days he had finally found some kind of solution for the impending problem.

The gesture made Sav's eyes light up and he hurriedly got one of his sweaters out of his bag to hand it to Joe in return, the two of them feel better immediately by knowing that they at least had something that smelled of the other one when they went to bed.

"See you soon then, Savy. Miss you already", Joe then whispered, kissing Sav's forehead and afterward the tip of his freckled perfect nose. Sav smiled even under the given circumstances and gently squeezed Joe's hand which was still entwined with his again.

"Love you, Joe, and I'll miss you, too. And Mr. and Mrs. Elliott, thanks again for inviting me on this trip", Sav replied first to Joe before turning toward his parents who turned in their seats to nod and smile back at him. With a heavy heart, Sav then grabbed the duffel bag sitting at his feet and opened the car door, looking back at Joe for one last time and finally letting go of the warm hand of his boyfriend to be able to close the door behind himself. He could see Joe's sad face through the window and it made his heart even heavier but he forced himself to turn away and make his way over to the front door of the Savage's house to ring the bell.

The door was opened almost immediately by his overjoyed mum which lifted his spirit directly. In the distance, he could faintly hear the sound of the car engine leaving the area but he chose not to dwell on that. Instead, he moved into his mum's outstretched arms for a soothing motherly hug.

"God Richard, you look so handsome! That sun really gave you a nice tan!", she exclaimed when they parted from the hug, Sav immediately starting to blush heavily at the compliment. Bending down shortly he petted Lucy's head that appeared in the doorway next to his mum's leg before following both of them into the house. The rest of the Savage family was gathered in the living room and both of his brothers grinned at him when he walked in with his healthy sun tan on display. Their smile disappeared however when their dad spoke up.

"Jesus, Richard, could you maybe just dress properly for once? You aren't a girl so stop wearing these stupid purple tanktops and, for god's sake, these whore-like shorts. People on the street could think my son's a faggot."

Brian and John took that statement as their cue to leave while Sav stood frozen in the doorway, struck by the harsh homophobic words thrown at him. That wonderful week had made him almost forget how bad his dad's comments hurt and he felt like crying just from those few words alone. The fear came back instantly, too, that fear of his dad finding out about what Joe meant to him and what they did when there were no prying eyes. He was sure that he would die if he lost Joe.

"Kenneth, the boy just came home-"

"I don't care about your opinion, Sally! This is an important matter! I don't want my son to walk around like a gay whore and let people see him like that! God, the Elliotts saw you that way! My reputation is ruined! Why can't you ever think about what you do?", Kenneth Savage spat out, completely ignoring the attempt of interfering made by his wife. Sav sunk in on himself and ducked his head further with each word, almost as if they were physical blows to his slender body.

"Look at me when I talk to you, Richard!"

Scared like a deer in the headlights he raised the gaze of his round, tear-filled blue eyes to meet his father's which was filled to the brim with disgust and hatred. He took a step towards his son who stepped back slightly in obvious fear.

"God, you even look like a girl when you wear something normal. I'm gonna send you to the hairdresser and take your razor blades, you will get a boyish haircut and grow a beard."

Sav froze in shock. His hair? But what about Joe? Would Joe still love him if he lost his thick mass of chocolate curls? And a beard? He wasn't even sure if he could grow one, his face had always been as smooth as baby skin. He had to introduce some kind of argument but only some stammered words came out.

"Dad... I-I... Please no..."

Sav didn't see the open palm flying his way but he sure as hell felt it leaving a burning mark on his cheek when it connected to his face. Shocked he stumbled backwards, looking at the man that was supposed to be his father for some sort of explanation.

"Don't call me 'dad'. You will not address me like that until you finally got your lifestyle and image under control. Now, get out of my sight. You're a disgrace to the Savage name."

Sav's heart broke at those last few words and he turned as fast as he could, leaving down the stairs to the basement as quickly as he could and letting the tears flow down his face. Why was it always him? Why couldn't he just be a normal boyish guy? Why couldn't he just fall in love with a girl, marry her and start a family like people did nowadays?

Throwing his duffel bag down next to his bed he quickly undressed until he was left in only his boxer shorts, pulling Joe's sweater out of the bag and over his head and breathing in the soothing scent of his lover. He quickly crawled under the covers and hugged the hoodie close to his body while letting the sobs pour out of him.

That's exactly how his mum found him when she went down the stairs to look after him a while later. He was just a shivering sobbing lump beneath the sheets, not making any attempt of moving or even acknowledge her presence. Concerned, she walked over to the bed and sat down beside him, carefully caressing his fluffy curls to calm him down somewhat.

"Hey Richard, do you wanna talk to me? You still need to tell me about your trip. Did you have a nice time with Joe?", she tried, keeping up the soothing caress. Sav stilled at the mention of Joe's name and finally turned around, his eyes and nose red and puffy from crying. With a gasp, Sally reached for her son, pulling him upwards from his lying position and into the warm hug only a mother could supply, stroking his back and whispering sweet nothings into his ear until he had calmed back down for the most part, his sobs subsiding into little sniffles here and there.

"The trip was amazing. I wish you could've come with us and seen what we saw. Marseille is truly beautiful", Sav finally replied with a hoarse voice from crying, a wan smile returning to his face though when he thought back to his memories.

"Wait, that isn't one of your sweaters. I never washed a piece of clothing that looked like that before", his mum then stated, Sav's smile widening and a sparkle returning to his eyes at her words. She could tell he had something to say about that.

"It's Joe's. He gave it to me for the times when I was feeling lonely and missing him. God, mum, I really do love him so much."

Sally just smiled at his adorable innocence, comfortingly rubbing his back to encourage him to keep talking to her. And it worked to some degree.

"We had the best time. His parents are so accepting and supportive, they really gave us a lot of space. And Joe, he's just always so caring and loving, he takes such good care of me. He even made love to me and it was the most wonderful thing I've ever experienced in my whole life", Sav said with a shy voice and a blush invading his face at his final sentence. His mum's eyes widened, too, at that information since it was quite rare to share something as special as that with someone else. But it just proved once again, how innocent and loveable her youngest son was. How could someone ever hurt someone so pure-hearted?

Gently placing a hand on the now reddened cheek Kenneth had slapped and looking into her son's fearful, innocent blue eyes, she swore that she would do everything she could to protect him from further harm. Maybe preventing that hairdresser appointment was the first step to improving the situation.