marlowemuses | who could ever learn to love a...

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who could ever learn to love a...

39 Excelsior Place was the oldest house on the road.

In fact, 39 Excelsior Place was the oldest house in the neighborhood. Through the years Henrietta, Virginia had mostly kept up with the times. Old, decrepit homes were replaced with bright white houses and wooden fences. The convenience store went from locally owned to a chain. The schools got better. Wifi was available in almost every pubic place.

39 Excelsior Place did not keep up with the times. Crouching darkly at the end of the road, squatting fiercely in its dead end, the house was every bit the past it came from. Tall with gothic architecture, unwelcoming pointed gates, and black bricks the hollow eyes on its gray and white face. Huge windows were long covered with sheets, as had been most of the furniture. Once upon a time the house had been beautiful. Once upon a time, however, was a long time ago. In 2016, most people stayed away from 39 Excelsior Place. Smartly so. Its resident monster hated everyone.

Everyone except for its sole resident, elderly Mr. Greerish. Greerish said he had a family. Nobody ever game to visit so the monster called him a liar. Greerish placidly made excuses, such as They’re very busy and It’s been a while since we’ve caught up. Apparently Greerish had a favorite nephew: a baby when they last met. It had smiled at him once. No one else in the family smiled at him.

The monster called him an idiot. Greerish laughed and returned to his books. That was how they found the old man dead. With a pleasant smile and a book in his lap.

Fine. The monster didn’t care about Greerish anyway. It had only just begun to tolerate him. With his death, 39 Excelsior Place would be free of pests and the monster could hide away from the rest of the world until it eventually died. That was what happened to monsters. He’d read the old books Greerish kept so neat in the bookcase. They all ended the same. The monster was killed, burned, staked. The handsome prince got the princess. Or, in the monster’s personal interests, prince. Not that it mattered.

What the monster did not know was that there was a Will. A thing that had been executed by the local priest out of pity for old man Greerish. There was only one stipulation.

Everything I own, including 39 Excelsior Place, will be so inherited by my nephew, Adam Parrish.

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Ronan didn't miss that twitch. It made him want to ask what Adam would do if his parents came back, but he didn't. Didn't want to bring Adam there again. Besides—he would protect Adam. If that meant getting into a scuff with his dad, then shit, he would. Bloody noses and bruises were nothing.

"Want to go for a walk?" He asked before even really thinking about it, just instinctively wanting to see Adam beneath a night sky, moonlight kissing his skin.

"Yes," Adam said, smile reappearing. His thoughts of his parents and the real estate agent melted away, replaced by pleasure at the thought of going for a walk with Ronan. He hadn't been sure that Ronan ever willingly left the premises, but a walk implied going further than the garden. "I'd like that."

He put the vacuum in the hall closet, getting a sweatshirt for himself and then returning to Ronan's side. He wound their fingers together, grinning with excitement for the simple pleasure of going for a walk with his boyfriend.

When Adam wound their fingers together Ronan tugged them up so he could press a few light kisses against Adam's knuckles. There was no end for the love he had of Adam's hands, his fingers. Though, he liked every part of Adam.

"Let's go." He gave Chainsaw a nod before heading out the back door into the yard, leading Adam past the old rusting fence and into the woods. It was dark, yet Ronan's eyes were like lights catching the faintest hint of moonlight even in shadow.

There was a trail. Walking slowly, Ronan swung their hands between them.

"This is all part of the property, technically."

Adam was magnetized by everything about Ronan. Those sweet kisses made his heart pound.

As they walked, he grinned to himself, stealing glances often over at Ronan. Everything about him was magical. He shone in the moonlight, eyes silver from reflected moonlight.

The trail made him curious, and he was very happy to explore his property, to find out how far it went. "This is nice."

"Yeah," Ronan agreed, watching Adam, not wanting to take his eyes from him.

The path was lovely. Overgrown weeds and wildflowers, the crunch of stones and dirt beneath their shoes.

"I love it out here. It's quiet. It's untouched." Ronan finally looked down at his feet, at the way the stones brightened with the moonlight. "It's not like the rest of the world."

"Have you ever seen the rest of the world?" Adam asked, squinting suspiciously at Ronan. He'd gotten the impression that Ronan had never left the house.

Adam desperately wanted to see the rest of the world. And yet, he'd never been happier than in this moment, walking through the woods on his own property with his boyfriend.

His heart thudded, and he felt like he was soaring. It had never been like this with Blue. Every inch of Adam's skin felt electric.

Ronan snorted, giving Adam a look. "I've been a few places. Not the whole rest of the world, but places." Like the convenience store. Traveling with Niall, on the occasion when he allowed Ronan and his wife to tag along on business.

"I've been to a few cities. Not in a long time, though. I don't like them. Too crowded."

Being in close quarters to people wasn't Ronan's favorite thing. Adam... was a different story.

"You didn't want to travel with your friends?" He asked his question in a soft voice.

"No." Adam shrugged. "Not with them. Not like that. I love them, but they're kind of... very lively, and all together, and I'd just feel--again, and even more--like I didn't belong."

He gave Ronan's hand a squeeze. "I'd like to see Paris, I think. Ireland. Iceland. Tibet. Would you consider coming with me, one day?"

Traveling around the world wasn't really something Ronan cared about. His dreams were mainly to settle down and live happily, maybe with some farm animals and a thick garden. Dreams that had always seemed too impossible to achieve. With Adam, they seemed possible.

And with Adam, he'd travel, if that was what Adam wanted. Ronan would follow Adam no matter where he went.

It was too embarrassing to admit that. So he shrugged, "Sure. I'd like to see Ireland. I'm Irish, or supposed to be. Why Paris?" He cocked his head. "You gonna stand there and gape at the Eiffel Tower?"

"My..." Adam ducked his head, brow creasing with pain. "My mom had a framed print of the Eiffel Tower in the kitchen. At dawn, dark gray against a pink and orange sky. I promised myself that one day I'd go there. That's all I wanted for so long. To go there. To get far, far away from this town."

He stopped, tugging Ronan close and sliding his arms around Ronan's waist, resting his head against Ronan's shoulder. "Now that I can have anything, I'm starting to realize what it is that I actually want in life."

It was interesting, how they were so different in how they dealt with their pain. Ronan couldn't leave the house that his father had dreamed. Adam couldn't get away from his father's house fast enough. But their demons were very, very different.

Adam tugged Ronan close and Ronan's heart began to sputter again. Pressing one hand against the back of Adam's hand, he laid the other to rest on his back. Warm. Adam was warm.

"To travel?"

"No. Well, yes. But I told you already. A home of my own. People who care about me. Enough food and money to be comfortable. A hot boyfriend."

Adam smiled and kissed the side of Ronan's throat. "What I want is to stay here. And be yours. And have our house, and our garden, and be happy together. Traveling once or twice a year would be nice, but most of all I want to have a home. With you."

Jesus Christ, Adam was unfair. Those were the sort of words that made Ronan's knees go weak, not that he'd ever admit it. It was everything he ever wanted. A family.

"You're not fair," he muttered, closing his eyes and holding onto Adam tight. It was still hard to believe that Adam wanted to be with him. The thought almost made his chest hurt.

Unable to keep that match from burning up everything, Ronan tugged Adam's chin up so he could plant a hot, wanting kiss on his mouth.

Adam moaned into the kiss, hugging possessively tight to his boyfriend. He refused to ever let go. His desire for Ronan burned inside him, making him yearn like he never had before. He wanted Ronan more than he'd ever known he could want. It was an urgent, maddening feeling, but it was also so soothing and warm, making him feel safe.

His tongue flicked against Ronan's mouth, greedy and also wanting to give all of himself, to be possessed utterly by his lover.

The feeling of tongue flicking against his lips made Ronan's cock throb. Opening his mouth, he welcomed Adam in, returning the gesture by tentatively reaching out with his own tongue. Teasing it over Adam's front teeth and meeting his tongue.

It was too hard to keep complete control. His nails sharpened as he lost his grip but he didn't even notice; they were like the beginnings of claws or talons, curling gently against Adam's back as he held fast.

Adam gasped softly at the feeling of claws against his back, reminded again that Ronan was something else, something more. Magic, monster, demon.

Adam wanted him. He opened his mouth wider, kissing Ronan like he was starved for him, moaning shamelessly into Ronan's mouth as they kissed. His Ronan. His boyfriend. Finally, finally he had someone who was his.

Everything charged him more and more. It was like electricity. The sound of Adam moaning into his mouth, the feeling of it. His body responded, starved for affection. Starved for Adam. His cock continued to ache and his blood boiled.

Ronan only broke the kiss when he felt hi, forearms beginning to ripple with a small trail of glossy feathers, starting from the wrist and working up to his elbows. Shit. Panting, lips red and swollen and eyes unfocused, he swallowed thickly. Adam was addictive. It was bad. It was good.

Slowly, Ronan licked his lips. The taste of his boyfriend was still strong on them. His boyfriend. The thought alone threatened to unravel him.

"Let's... let's head back," he finally managed to say, eyes still lingering on Adam's lips.

Adam felt a tickling something against his back, against where those arms were wrapped around him. He turned as the kiss broke, wanting to know, and saw a shadow of feathers before they vanished again. Fascinated, he skimmed his fingertips down Ronan's arm, curious and admiring.

"Okay," he said, kissing Ronan's cheek with a smile. "Any thoughts on the lock yet? I'm incredibly curious."

Ronan was relieved that he'd caught it before Adam had a real chance to see. Fingers slid down his forearms but they were clear again—it was a little baffling, however, that Adam wasn't disgusted. The touches were more... inquisitive.

"No," he said, giving Adam a look. "I've been distracted. By you." His mock-stern expression broke into a stupid grin. "I don't mind this kind of distraction."

Threading their fingers back together, Ronan lead the way back to the house. It was dark and quiet when they got back.

"So, pizza?"

"I very much enjoy distracting you," Adam said. He swung their hands lightly as they walked, enjoying the simple pleasure of a moonlit walk with his boyfriend.

As he glanced over to admire Ronan again, he got a glimpse of Ronan's tattoo. All at once, he knew. The tattoo of a monster on Ronan's back with feathers and claws. And Ronan was a monster with feathers and claws. It was impossible that the tattoo could be unrelated or representative of anything but Ronan. The coincidence was too implausible.

His grip tightened for a moment on Ronan's hand, looking up at the leaves as he tried to reconstruct the memory of what he'd seen in the full tattoo.

"Yeah," he agreed, flipping on a light and stealing a kiss. "Pizza." Letting go, he went to the kitchen to put a frozen pizza in the oven.

Ronan remained blissfully unaware of Adam's epiphany. With the pizza cooking in the oven, Ronan went to check on Chainsaw and bring her into the kitchen, feeding her some scraps from the cold cuts and some berries. She cawed affectionately at the man who had raised her and fluffed her feathers prettily. Ronan laughed and stole a strip of the meat for himself after hanging it in front of her like he was going to feed her. She made an indignant squawk at the teasing.

This was what he wanted. The feeling of family. He hadn't felt this way since his father was murdered and his mother vanished. They said that she probably ran off and committed suicide out of grief, but Ronan knew better. She had been a dream thing. Either she vanished altogether, or... something else like that.

"What do you want to work on next?" he asked, curious about what Adam had planned for the house. While he was still against cleaning it, Ronan didn't want Adam to live in discomfort, either. "The floors aren't that bad. It's mostly just old and dusty."

"Yeah," Adam said, glancing over at him. "Hard to tell. Just kind of... whatever seems highest priority. More sweeping. Beat the dust from those rugs. Wash the curtains to get some of the grime out. Continue scrubbing pretty much every surface. Go through the shit in the basement to separate the treasures from the crap from the scrap wood for the fireplace. Do you chop wood? I saw the fireplace but I didn't see much in the woodpile."

Chainsaw wandered off, full, and Adam reached for Ronan while the pizza cooked, hauling him in by the belt for a kiss, playful and flirtatious. "You know," he murmured, grinning against Ronan's lips, "I never knew I had a type until I saw you. Turns out that tough guys with soft hearts get me hot like nothing else."

"I can," he answered, grinning still and helping himself to some more of the cold cuts, "if you want. I haven't used it in decades. The old man never used it either." Which probably meant that there was some seriously scary stuff living up in that chimney. Maybe a bat. Ronan wouldn't mind adopting a bat.

He was very distracted from the thought of having a bat child when Adam tugged him sharply by the belt. Fuck. His heart jumped into his throat and his cheeks and ears reddened, surprised by the gesture and—turned on. Really turned on. He liked it when Adam was aggressive.

The words murmured against his lips were even more damning. Warmth flooded through his body and his cock twitched in his pants, much to his deep embarrassment. Shit. He hoped Adam didn't feel it, even though their bodies were very, very close to each other. Thinking about Adam getting hot was making Ronan even hotter.

"Yeah?" he finally managed to say, eyebrow arching and a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. Snaking his arm around Adam's waist, he closed the distance between them briefly by giving Adam a short kiss. "I've known that I have a thing for stubborn assholes for a while."

"Yeah?" Adam murmured, smiling happily at the kiss and watching Ronan's eyes. He loved being held. Loved being touched. He'd never known that before, either. "There some other stubborn assholes out there I'm going to have to kill? Because I kind of want you all to myself."

He brushed the tip of his nose against Ronan's cheek, following it with a kiss. "I'm completely addicted to you," he murmured, kissing Ronan's cheek again and again, trailing down from there to kiss at his jaw and throat, lingering on a kiss behind his ear. "Ronan."

A breathless laugh escaped his lips. "Nah. You're the only stubborn asshole I want." His body was focusing in on every touch Adam offered him. Every kiss sent a shiver through his system, a twinge of arousal, stacking on top of each other every time Adam's lips pressed against his skin.

When Adam reached his throat Ronan lifted his chin just slightly, eyes closing as his other arm wrapped around Adam's waist to hold him close. God, Jesus Christ, fuck—the sound of his own name at his ear had him near trembling.

A low moan escaped him, a soft, almost keening noise. Adam was fucking hot. So, so, so fucking hot. "Fuck," he groaned, fingers curling into Adam's back possessively. Pulling Adam flush against his body, he turned his head so he could meet Adam's lips again, desperate for him.

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