French
Italian
German

Their days together were declining steadily yet so very quickly.

Johnny and Mark still wore their swimsuits as they stood in front of the world war 1 memorial for fallen soldiers, the same place where Mark had confessed just weeks ago. Mark crossed the steps and tried to put his arms around it, he stood there spread-eagled.

"It's too big for even two men to get their arms around."

"Let's see." Johnny went up and his arms were flang out, he attacked the "problem" from the other side of the monument. He faced it and put his arms around it in a kind of embrace. Mark and Johnny's extended fingertips almost touched but not quite. They were still several inches apart as they stretched their bodies, exhaling with their effort but the stone gleamed stubbornly in the space between their fingers.

Johnny decided to cheat and moved into Mark's direction until they made contact. Mark yelled in excitement while Johnny had a satisfied smile on his face, he made the boy happy. Johnny then gathered Mark into his arms and kissed him for a while before putting a hand inside Mark's bathing suit but Mark pushed him away. "Not here. Not in all this, not on the stone." Johnny nodded, taking Mark's arm in his own and running back to their bicycles where they then rode off.

[~▪-▪~]

The next day.

Johnny put his suitcase in the open trunk of a waiting coach. He said his goodbyes to the Lees before he and Mark got on it. Mrs. Lee kissed Johnny's cheek with great affection and the professor shook his hand warmly, all formality was gone. "Come back soon!" They both said as the driver closed the trunk. Mark said goodbye to his parents, he was unable to hide his honest smile of happiness.

Wendy arrived driving her bike to salute Johnny but the coach was already leaving. The Lees and Wendy watched the coach drive away as Mark and Johnny took seats inside it. Johnny smiled and waved to Wendy on the half-crowded bus before dozing off and resting his head on Mark's shoulder. Mark looked at him with a gaze filled with unaccountable emotions. Outside the window the summer landscape changed from flat plains into the first alps, the Orobie.

[~▪-▪~]

Mark and Johnny walked on a trail with their backpacks through a forest of beech and fir trees. They crossed a small bridge over a creak and reached a large grass field, they looked towards the mountain patiently awaiting something. Johnny looked at Mark who still stared at the mountain and hugged him, a friendly grab-hug.

Then he moved his hand down to Mark's thigh, his face in the shorter's neck. He breathed in the scent of Mark as his hand softly caressed his thigh. Johnny's sweet smelling hair tickled Mark's neck but he was enjoying this way too much to interrupt him. The explosion of the water in the mountain was violent and unexpected, the river leaped three times on the rocks before it reached the bottom of the valley.

Johnny moved his face from Mark's neck and kissed him, a soft kiss that turned into a heated make out session. Mark laughed as he pulled away from the kiss and tidied up Johnny's messy hair. Mark got up grabbing Johnny's wrist and dragging him into the water where they disappeared into the cascade.

[~▪-▪~]

Mark and Johnny entered their hotel bedroom in Bergamo. They looked around and laughed for no apparent reason, falling onto the bed together.

A little later.

There was a large window looking out over the front entrance of the hotel and the parking lot adjoining it. Johnny stood looking out as Mark came up from behind him and put his arms around Johnny's waist. Johnny turned around and kissed the younger male who stood on his tippy toes for a kiss. Johnny moved their kissing bodies that only wore boxer shorts to the bed and continued their kissing that radiated with desire.

[~▪-▪~]

Johnny had finished all his work that he needed to do and decided to spend his last day in Northern Italy with his lover. Mark and Johnny strolled the streets of the old town drunk, stumbling and laughing. Taking advantage of a deserted alley Johnny pushed Mark against the wall and kissed him but then he suddenly stopped.

"What?"

"Listen!"

"Listen to what?" Mark tried pulling down Johnny to kiss him but he kept pulling away to look at the distance from where the sound was coming from.

"This song!"

"There's no song. You're hallucinating." Mark tried to kiss him again but Johnny grabbed his hand and pulled him away. "Let's go!" Among the soft sounds of the sleeping city was a distant melody.

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(a/n: you know they smashed both times in the hotel room, right? 👀 just had to make sure, I was too lazy to write smut and go through another existential crisis again 😔)