who could ever learn to love a...

[weavers]

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.

Comments

[tenebrarius]

Adam clung, still reeling from the emotional intensity of that. He wanted to never be parted from Ronan, loving the way that they fit together, two halves of a whole.

Over a few minutes, his breathing slowed and his muscles relaxed, hugging rather than clinging, so that their nearness settled into a comfortable intimacy.

"Mm," he murmured, watching Ronan's eyes with perfect trust. "I'm not even sure of what you just did to me, but I loved every second of it. That was amazing."

Licking his lips, Adam smiled up at him, drowsy and content after that orgasm. "Now research?" he asked, admiring the beauty of Ronan's face and his dazzling blue eyes.

[weavers]

"It's called a handjob," Ronan grinned, showing his teeth, "with... a few mods, I guess." Innocently, he held his hand up to show Adam, wiggling his fingers. "I can change the texture of my skin if I want to. So—I tried that, a little. For a few seconds. Just to see if it'd work."

Rolling over onto his back and stretching out as contented as a cat, Ronan waggled his eyebrows, "How's that for research?"

He did manage to glance over at the laptop, which had still woefully not been used.

"What do we do? Browse porn...?"

[tenebrarius]

"They were good mods," Adam said, happily dazed. "Not just your hand, though. Your tongue. The way you kissed me. The way you held me." Sitting up partway, Adam watched him with an adoring smirk. "Sit against the headboard. I want to lean back against you."

Reaching over the side of the bed, Adam fished for his laptop, pulling it onto his lap and settling back against Ronan's chest. "That's one option," Adam said, grinning. "Although honestly I was going to start with how-to articles and techniques. I mean, I kind of want to try anal, but I don't know how you're supposed to--like, you use lube, right? But then do you just... how does it fit?" Opening a browser and starting to type, Adam googled 'how to have gay sex'.

[weavers]

Ronan did as he was told and settled comfortably onto the mattress, sliding his arms around and resting his clasped hands on Adam's belly. Pressing his mouth against the other boy's shoulder, Ronan glowered at the computer as it booted up.

He'd opened his mouth to say something and then clamped it shut when Adam mentioned anal. Blushing, he buried his face in his lover's shoulder again, peeking up just enough to see what Adam was typing. Fuck. He already came, he really didn't need to pop a boner while Adam was sitting on him and wondering how a dick fit in an ass.

"I guess," he finally managed to mumble, nuzzling his warmed face into Adam's neck. "Makes sense. Since going dry would probably be..."

Uncomfortable. At least at first.

Scanning the screen and its results, he snorted, "Tips and advice on how to bottom. Sounds like that might have your answer."

[tenebrarius]

Adam was worried, from the feel of Ronan hiding his face against his neck, that his boyfriend was uncomfortable and didn't want to continue, but then Ronan gave a suggestion over his shoulder and Adam grinned, clicking on the article in question. He read over it, considering what it recommended, and then backed out and found another how-to page, and then a blog post, comparing the similarities and differences in their advice, since Adam didn't like taking anything for granted without cross-checking.

"They all seem pretty insistent about using condoms," Adam said, dragging his teeth over his lip as he processed the information, browsing on to find an article about frotting, and then one on docking. "Oh. Um. Um," he said, and clicked back to the search page. "What was I--what do you think about condoms? I don't have any. Are you even capable of getting human diseases?"

[weavers]

Ronan's eyebrows rose, but before he could really look at the page, Adam had backed out of it. It was a lot of information regardless—his blushing even went away, because it all seemed so technical this way. Articles weren't sexy.

"I don't know," he admitted, also chewing his own lip, a crease forming in his brow. "It's possible. Could also be impossible. You're the first person I'll be swapping any... well, you know, with, so. We could go to the convenience store." He shrugged. "Word about the boyfriend you won't share with anyone's gotten around by now, I bet, so it won't be surprising when gossip says you're getting condoms."

Leaning forward, he pressed the curve of his chin against Adam's shoulder to stare straight at the screen. "Let's worry about that later. Did you see anything about how it's supposed to fit?"

[tenebrarius]

"Yeah," Adam said, whose blushing certainly hadn't gone away, since he was very colorfully imagining doing all of it with Ronan. He navigated back to one of the pages and pointed at the description of fingering someone open. "I liked this explanation best. It explains how you..." Clearing his throat and blushing, Adam fidgeted slightly. "We're," he said, "we haven't done this with anyone else before, and we already swapped come with the blowjobs, so it might be a bit of a moot point. But I guess it's, uh, tidier with condoms? Oh god."

Deeply embarrassed by the awkwardness of the moment, Adam hid his face in his hand, rubbing at the bridge of his nose.

[weavers]

"I like it messy."

The words escape him before he could hold them back, hanging in their air and making his face heat up again. Shit, why did he have to go and blurt that out? It was his turn to fidget, curling his fingers and shifting beneath his lover.

"Fuck. Anyway." Fingering. Feeling warm, Ronan leaned back, eyes still scanning the screen as he read the instructions. Then he tried to picture himself doing it to Adam, and—

"Fuck," he cursed again, though softer, a bit shy. He was half-hard again and there was no way Adam was not going to notice. "I can dream up lube. That works, right? Since we'll need it for sure."

[tenebrarius]

Adam shivered and pressed back against him at the statement, words lingering in his mind. I like it messy. Ronan's voice, saying things like that, instantly turned his embarrassment into lust.

"You should," Adam said, writhing slightly back against him, feeling more turned on by the second at the feeling of Ronan pressing against his back like that. Like a promise. "That sounds amazing. Better than any kind of lube they'd sell in the store."

He shivered, mind crumbling quickly into fragments of lust and yearning, images of Ronan above him again, tongue filling his mouth, fingers working inside of him. Panting softly, Adam arched against him, turned on by just the thought of it. "Fuck."

[weavers]

And every noise Adam made turned Ronan on more. Between them his cock twitched, the now-familiar throb of arousal making him shiver. They weren't even so much as frotting and he was already crawling in his skin, wanting Adam, wanting to be on top of him again. Kissing. With the added new idea of fingering. Having Adam open up for him and him alone, like he had for no one else.

"I... can't now," he murmured against the shell of Adam's ear, eyes closed. "There's no way I can sleep like this." Adam had liked that, huh...? Curious, he continued, letting his voice get low and husky with want, "I really want to try it. Or maybe there's something else...?"

Something they could do without lube. That would, ideally, include Adam's ass.

[tenebrarius]

"Fuck," Adam yelped, keening and pressing back against Ronan, squirming in his arms because he wanted, desperately, but he didn't have any idea what he wanted or how to get it. "Really want it, too," he breathed, cheeks flushed as he tried desperately to focus on Ronan's question when most of his mind and body preferred focusing on Ronan's voice, Ronan's hands, Ronan's mouth, Ronan's cock...

"We could... we could," Adam said, clicking through to an array of cartoon pictures involved in various sex acts. "You could fuck between my thighs. Oh, no, that requires lube. There's rimming, but I don't know if you want to..." Blushing bright red, Adam cleared his throat, squirming at the feeling of Ronan's breath on his neck.

[weavers]

Ronan could feel Adam warming up against him. Fuck. His body responded on its own, pushing up, desperate for friction. And he couldn't help getting a little handsy, sliding his palms up Adam's chest while splaying his fingers. Passing the pad of his thumb over a nipple and rubbing down on it.

God, fucking between Adam's thighs sounded good, but they didn't have any damn lube. He'd be tempted to try and sleep if he thought he could. Maybe later—after they fooled around he'd probably want to take a nap, and then he could better prepare for next time. Having constant kinky sex with a boyfriend was one thing Ronan never thought he'd do, so he wasn't exactly prepared. And it wasn't like Greerish was getting laid before he kicked it.

Then Adam mentioned rimming and Ronan paused, a smile spreading across his lips. "I want to do everything with you." he muttered, catching Adam's earlobe between his teeth and tugging, flicking his tongue quick against it.

[tenebrarius]

Adam keened as Ronan's hands roamed over him, writhing in Ronan's arms. He hooked one hand up behind Ronan's head to hold him close, pressing the other hand down against Ronan's thigh to give himself leverage. He ground back against Ronan's cock as best he could, shameless in his desire.

"Fuck, Ronan," he breathed, whining desperately at the feeling of teeth and tongue against the sensitive skin of his earlobe. "Ronan."

[weavers]

Gasping when he felt that push back against him, Ronan shivered, biting harder and pushing his face in so that his teeth scraped harder against his lover's ear. He was just as shameless, panting, wanting Adam so fucking bad.

"I wish I could fuck you now," he murmured, his voice gone husky from how turned on he was. Pressing his fingers down, he kept teasing Adam's chest, stealing another bite at the shell of his ear.

"Want you so much."

Oral was good, oral was great. But there was something intimate about being inside of Adam, with either his fingers or his cock. Fingers first. Baby steps.

Or... tongue first. Gently pulling his hands away, he slid down, "Move onto your knees?" There had been a lot of positions in the pictures and he wasn't sure which was going to be the best one, so he'd just leave that up to Adam. Whatever position, he'd work with it.

[tenebrarius]

Adam shivered as he was released, already painfully aroused. Everything about Ronan turned him on, and that low voice, the certainty and command, it all was irresistible to him, melting away all his composure and filling him with yearning and trust.

Falling forward onto his elbows, Adam settled onto his arms and knees, knotting his fingers around the sheets. He was nervous, but he trusted Ronan, wanting to find out what Ronan had in mind.

[weavers]

"You're beautiful."

The words escape him before he has the chance to curb himself. Flushing, he bit his lip, reaching out so he could push his palms up against the back of Adam's thighs onto he reached his ass. He may have fallen in love with Adam's knuckles first, his hands, but now there was no inch of his body that didn't fascinate him. He was strong, nothing waifish about him—it was superbly attractive.

Sitting up again, Ronan trailed his mouth along the back of Adam's legs, kissing up along their shape. There were two Gods he worshiped now, and this one he would worship in the bedroom with everything he had.

Once his face was high enough, Ronan squeezed Adam's cheeks and spread them, admiring him again before licking him. It was a strong taste but so deeply, inherently Adam that within moments he was flicking his tongue again and again, rolling it against his lover in different ways to see how he responded.

[tenebrarius]

Adam dipped his head at the praise, blushing. He wasn't used to praise. Or affection, or touch, or love.

He gasped at the kisses along his thighs. His skin prickled, goosebumps scattering over his arms and legs. Adam tightened his grip in the sheets, hyper-aware of everything Ronan did, every puff of breath, every brush of lips.

And then Ronan's tongue was warm and wet against the cleft of his ass, and Adam cried out with pleasure and surprise. He'd never anticipated how it would feel, never believed--not even in fantasies--that anyone would ever want to do such a thing for him. He'd never known how sensitive he was there, how unbelievably good it could feel to have Ronan's mouth exploring him, playing with the tight, sensitive skin of his hole. Whimpering and gasping at each lick, Adam made no effort to quiet himself, surrendering himself entirely to Ronan's mouth.

[weavers]

Every one of those delectable noises encouraged Ronan to keep going. It sounded like Adam was enjoying it; that alone turned him on, made his cock twitch and breath grow shallow as he rolled his tongue with more confidence.

Having Adam's taste so heavily in his mouth was almost maddening. Swallowing, Ronan gripped the other man tighter and tugged him on, pushing the tip of his tongue against Adam's hole and swirling it. The texture was new and intriguing, as was every inch of Adam, and a groan built in his throat.

What else could he do...? What else would Adam like?

It was a complete guess, but he pushed his tongue in just enough for Adam to know what he was doing. Thrusting in and out, licking and gently fucking with his tongue, he lost himself in trying to please Adam.

[tenebrarius]

"Ronan," Adam gasped, keening and panting. His body bucked, back arching and hair tossing as he ground his hips back against Ronan's grip, Ronan's tongue. It was the best thing he'd ever felt, and he wanted more, wanted to be filled with Ronan.

His cock was throbbing painfully. Adam reached between his legs, grasping his length and giving it a few quick tugs, imagining how it would feel to have Ronan thrusting into him. "Ronan," he whimpered, devastated with pleasure, and spilled himself with a gasping cry, muscles locking and body quivering.

[weavers]

Ronan kept working his tongue until he felt Adam finish. God knew how much he wanted to be inside of him, but without lube, it'd just end poorly. So he had to satisfy himself with this, using his tongue to bring Adam over the edge. It wasn't disappointing—the noises Adam made were delectable, and feeling the man unwind beneath his fingers and tongue had Ronan close to the edge himself.

Breathing out and finally letting go, Ronan leaned back on his knees to grab his own cock. Jerking, biting his lip, he stroked quickly to ease the frustration. It was slick and easy, palm wet with the drops of pre that had leaked with his arousal.

"Adam." The name came with grit, with emotion, as he brought himself to climax. It was easy with such a great visual; Adam right there, panting and shaking, pliant and lovely.

[tenebrarius]

Adam melted forward onto the sheets, slightly curled so that he could see his beloved.

When Ronan reached for himself, Adam grinned, pushing his hair out of his face so that he could watch. Radiant with affection and admiration, Adam studied every detail of Ronan's pleasure, committing it all to memory.

As Ronan finished, Adam reached for him, catching his hand and tugging him down to snuggle. Very happily exhausted, Adam slid his hand down Ronan's chest, cupping his hand very gently around Ronan's cock as they both recovered and dozed.

[weavers]

Ronan sighed at Adam's touches, moving in so that he was nestled right up and close to his lover. Listening to the sound of his breath, the gentle beat of his heart, was the most reassuring thing Ronan had ever dozed to in his life. How long... had he been alone for? Before Greerish moved into the house, it'd been years upon years. His relationship with Greerish had been all right, yet always tumultuous, Ronan never really trusting the old man up until he died.

Adam was different. Adam was different. With Adam, he didn't want to dream anymore. Didn't want to wander through nightmares. Wanted to... simply be, love, and be loved. It was frightening. It was exhilarating.

"I love you," he murmured, heavy with sleep, every neuron in his body reaching out and focused on Adam's warmth.

[tenebrarius]

"Mm," Adam replied, sleepy and content. He cuddled close, heart pounding with love. "Good, now dream me some magic lube so you can fuck me senseless," he murmured, grinning against Ronan's skin. "Sweet dreams, beloved."

Kissing Ronan's cheek once, Adam nestled close, letting himself drift into a nap.

[weavers]

Ronan barked out a laugh, grinning like an idiot even when on the cusp of sleep. Beloved. The word softened him and he gently stroked Adam's hair a few times until he, likewise, fell asleep.

For the first time in years, the forest of his dreams felt brighter. Like the sun had risen from perpetual dawn. He wove through the trees and saw them, greener than before, no longer ashy and dark. There were no sign of his demons. Instead, the trees murmured, leaned toward him like old friends. He touched their trunks, tracing fingers along patterns and shapes.

"Can I have something?" he asked them, looking up, and they shook before gently dropping exactly what he wanted in front of him. He wasn't sure how he felt about getting magic lube from ancient and all knowing trees, but it was what it was, and when he woke up he had the bottle curled in his fist.

Blinking away the sleep, he studied the bottle. It was clear, and the liquid inside looked thick, shimmered with blue and purple. No question about it, it was magic lube, looking every inch of what one might expect ... though, admittedly, he didn't know much about regular lube. It probably didn't shimmer.

[tenebrarius]

Nestled into Ronan's arms, Adam dozed contentedly. Since Ronan had woken peacefully, Adam wasn't startled awake by it.

Clingy even in sleep, Adam hugged close to him, face tucked against's Ronan's cheek and legs tangled up with Ronan's. He rested one hand over Ronan's heart, deeply soothed by the soft pulse against his fingertips.

Adam had never been loved before, and thus had never really been hurt before. He threw himself utterly into Ronan's love, trusting deeply and reshaping his entire life to make room for a lover.