Written by Brad
Raven lay listless on the bed. This is where he was spending most his time since Conrad’s passing less than a month ago. He still had not reopened his shop and lacked the motivation to even bother despite Brandon’s badgering.
He thought of all the things he could and should be doing. Things he really wanted to do, truth be known. But he felt so lost and helpless. Hell, he’d taken care of himself, albeit somewhat haphazardly, before he ever met Conrad so why couldn’t he do so again?
“The million dollar question,” he muttered to the four walls.
He glanced around the room, taking in the changes they had made. Well, really only one major change. Gone was all the medical paraphernalia required to care for an ailing man, but everything else remained as it had been; sort of.
Raven stared at the empty spot where Conrad’s wheelchair had stood and tears came unbidden to his dark eyes. He knew he had to pull himself out of this funk he found himself in, but didn’t know how. So he took the way of least resistance and sinking a little bit deeper into despair every day.
The room was becoming a pigsty according to Brandon and beginning to smell as was its’ occupant. Dirty clothing littered the floor, half-empty plates of rotting food were scattered about and several glasses had God-knows-what floating in them.
Raven was startled out of his semi-dreamlike state but a sharp rapping on his bedroom door.
“Raven!” Brandon barked when he stuck his head around the framework. “You’ve got company.”
The young man hauled himself off the bed and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He wasn’t too impressed by what he saw. “To hell with it,” he grumbled as he all but staggered into the main room of the loft he now shared with Brandon, only to find himself face to face with Mr. Flynn Sr.
If Raven was surprised to see Conrad’s father, he didn’t show it as he made his way over to one of the sofas and dropped down on it.
“I’ll leave you two alone to talk,” Brandon offered as he left via one of the patio doors to sit on the deck.
Mr. Flynn lowered himself onto the sofa facing Raven and leaning forward slightly, began speaking. “I’ve come to make you a proposition, young man. The death of my son has left me without any family members. I understand that you are also without a family. I was wondering if you’d consider becoming part of mine by allowing me to adopt you. I am a very wealthy man and willing to make you my heir. You can have anything money can buy. You’ll never have to work another day in your life or ever go without as you have in the past.”
The older gentleman sat back and waited for an answer. Dark, brooding eyes stared back at him. They seemed unfathomable and as the time clicked by, he found himself getting tense under their scrutiny.
He cleared his throat and continued. “I’d of course expect you to move into my home and live up to certain social obligations as a man in my position would expect of his son. An example of which would be to cut your hair and dress appropriately.” The man seemed unaware of just how offensive Raven found his remarks.
It was on the tip of his tongue to insult the obnoxious man in return but instead, Raven sighed deeply and looked down at his hands for minute or two before looking back at Mr. Flynn’s face. “Thanks, but no thanks. It would never work out. Besides, because of your son I already have a home. I also have a job I really enjoy.” He glanced out the big glass doors to where Brandon was sitting and pretending to be immersed in a book. He silently pleaded to the man to notice his discomfort and smiled shyly when Brandon raised his head to look back at him.
Raven signalled for him to come inside and felt a sense of relieve when Brandon got up, walked into the room and sat down next to him.
“And I do have a family, Mr. Flynn. I’m not alone. I have Brandon and I’m content to be right where I am.”
The young man was shocked at the final words to come out of his mouth. He was content? He gave his head a shake and suddenly realized the truthfulness behind that statement. Yes, he was desperately missing Conrad, but he wasn’t alone and it was damn well time he let Brandon know how much he needed him in his life. The weight of his pain began to lift when Brandon’s strong fingers curled around his own.
Mr. Flynn’s eyes narrowed. “Did my son tell you falsehoods to insure your dislike of me?”
Raven blinked and for a moment was at a loss for words, but only for a moment. “Actually, Mr. Flynn, Conrad rarely spoke of you.” Raven frown as he thought how strange that was. “I guess that kind of says it all, doesn’t it?” he softly asked.
He briefly wondered if Brandon would consider his response as being rude. Apparently their guest did as they watched his face turn red with anger.
Mr. Flynn abruptly got to his feet and stormed towards the elevator. “I can see my coming here was a grievous error on my part. You’re as insufferable as my son was and you can consider my very generous offer withdrawn.” He swung around to face the two other men who had stood up to bid him farewell. “I’d rather leave all my money to various charities than to the likes of you. Good day to you both.”
“Make sure you give it to reliable organizations so it actually gets to people who need it most,” Raven suggested as the elevator doors closed on their departing guest. “Like maybe to the paraplegic society in memory of your son,” he shouted.
Raven looked up at Brandon with a hint of amusement on his face. “If I never see him again, it will be too soon.”
“You really can be insufferable sometimes, you know,” Brandon softly chuckled. “I’m only thrilled to see his visit accomplished something I’ve been unable to for almost a month now. He’s got you stirred up and hopefully ready to get on with your life.”
He gently caressed Raven’s face when he saw the pain in the young man’s eyes. “I know you’re missing Conrad, so am I. But he’d want us to put our grief behind us and move on, not wallow in self-pity indefinitely. And if he had ever seen the room that once was his in its’ present state, his hand would be making his displeasure known. I’m right, aren’t I?”
Raven nodded shamefully. “I’ll always love him, Brandon, and have a special place in my heart for him. But I can still love someone else too, can’t I?”
“You most certainly can, Raven. I’ve loved someone else while loving Conrad. I still do,” Brandon whispered as he bent his head and tenderly kissed Raven’s parted lips. Then he drew back before he lost control. He had waited for so long for this young man to be his and didn’t want to make any sudden moves that might scare him off.
Raven had leaned into the kiss and was disappointed when it ended so very much sooner than he would have liked. “Can you give me fifteen minutes and then come to my bed, Brandon?” he whispered his invitation.
“Fifteen minutes, it is.”
Raven scurried around his room, gathering up soiled clothing and cramming it all into the laundry hamper. He had to sit on the lid in order to get it closed. Next he rounded up all the dirty dishes, glassware and cutlery, placed them in a carton and set it just outside the patio door to be washed later. He left the glass doors wide open to air out the room and rid it of the stale odor that permeated it. Then he changed the sheets on the large king-size bed.
Finally done, he took a shower, making sure he cleaned himself thoroughly inside and out.
When finished, he stepped out of the tub, dried off and braided his long black hair. He walked out of the en suite and stood for a moment staring down at the big bed where he had spent so many nights alone and crying himself to sleep.
“Maybe that’s about to change,” he murmured hopefully as he stretched out on the bed to wait for….what? He wasn’t exactly sure. “I’ll just leave it up to fate,” he quietly vowed.
He heard the door open and closed his eyes as he slowly released the breath he’d been fully conscious of holding in. He felt tears forming behind his eyelids, caused by the knowledge that his life was about to transform and he worked at regulating his breathing.
Brandon stood for several moments gazing down at the naked beauty before him. He instinctively knew once he touched the tanned skin, he’d be lost. He slowly laid his own naked body next to Raven’s, allowing first their arms and then their legs to touch. He turned on his side and ran his hand lightly over the smooth flesh, causing them both to tingle with excitement.
He was already panting and his cock was pulsing. He smiled when he spotted the bottle of lube on the night stand and reached for it. He slid a lubed finger into Raven’s body. “God, you’re tight.”
“It’s been a while, but don’t worry. I’m more than ready for you. Pleeease, Brandon, don’t keep me waiting,” Raven breathlessly pleaded, his hips rising off the bed in an effort to grind his harden cock against his lover.
Brandon lifted Raven legs onto his shoulders and exercising as much care as humanly possible at this point in time, slowly pushed in until he was completely entrenched.
There was nothing slow or tender about their first time together. Their love-making was frantic as they quickly established a rhythm. Then it was slam, bam, thank-you man, and within minutes they were simultaneously shouting out their climax.
Raven’s legs slid down to the bed and Brandon collapsed on top of him, both of them fighting to catch their breath.
“God, that was good!” Raven gasped, his head still spinning in the aftermath. “Sure beats doing it myself,” he smirked.
“Next time will be even better. Now that we got some of our pent up frustration out of our systems, we can take our time. I want to get to know every inch of your delectable body, my love.” Brandon pushed himself up on his elbows and gazed down into the glazed-over, black eyes of this man he was about to pledge himself to for the rest of his life. He took his time undoing the long braid so he could card his fingers through the damp black hair.
“I love you, Raven, with all my heart. I want to walk beside you. I want to make your dreams come true. I want to take care of you and be there for you always. Will you let me?”
Raven reached up to lovingly touch the older man’s cheek as tears of happiness slowly made their way down his own cheeks. “I love you too, Brandon. Just take my hand and never let go,” he softly beseeched.
The End
