The Cove

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In the previous chapters…

Gerry's heterosexual inclinations and his inhibitions make it hard for him having sex with Rowan, despite the sheer love he feels for him. However, a part of him longs for men's love, and at the Cove he cautiously explores his sexuality.
Kale goes to Hawaii to pay a visit to his dying father and brings back with him his young cousin Laniakea, who struggles to fully explore his sexual inclinations and find his place within the Cove.
Beau understands that he's not the wonderful and generous man he's always believed, and tries his best to overcome his limits.
The sudden appearance of Gerry's female lover causes a fuss in the Cove and leads to a weird three-way between Kale, Gladys and Gerry. Rowan feels inadequate for Gerry, and looks for reassurance into Barry's arms, but this causes a fight between Gerry and Barry, who later on find a common ground (rough sex!) to settle their quarrel.
Barry is arrested and put in jail, where he ties a strong bond with Wade, a barely legal straight boy. At his trial, Barry makes the hot Judge Ricardo Garcia fall for him.
With Kale's help, Laniakea learns how liberating is voicing (or even screaming) his pleasure and reveals to have been raped by two homophobic guys, back home. Gerry takes other steps in his journey into man-sex, sucking Alex' cock for the first time and then making love to Brennan.
Jorell reveals to Kale that his father walked out on him when he was seventeen and never heard from him since. Immediately, the Cove starts searching for Jorell's father, and the traces lead to the infamous San Quentin Prison. There, Jorell finds out how unexpectedly caring and understanding was his father, who unfortunately died in prison.
LaShawn meets Joshua, the supposedly straight jet pilot, and gently brings the uptight and repressed guy into the frightening and delightful world of man-love.

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Synopsys

In this heartbreaking chapter, Death takes a heavy toll on the party flying back home from North Dakota, and the survivors will have to find a way to descend the cold, bare mountain they are stranded on. At the Cove, the guys are desperate, but in the end some good news will come, and Brennan will find a way to sneak into Jorell's bed...

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Additional downloads (PDF)

~ Cast of Characters: the “Who’s Who” of the Cove!
~ Floor Plan of the Cove
~ Book 01: Chapters 01-10 (PDF with bookmarks)
~ Book 02: Chapters 11-20 (PDF with bookmarks)
~ Book 03: Chapters 21-23 (PDF with bookmarks)

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≈ CHAPTER 23 – EROS AND TANATHOS ≈

 

~ Awakening ~

LaShawn closed his lips around Joshua’s cock and brushed his tongue over the wide helmet, enjoying the velvety texture of the sensitive skin. The room resonated with the low moans of the pilot, who lay on the bed with his legs slightly spread and a hand behind his head. He was an erotic sight, an icon of masculinity, and LaShawn worked the blond stud’s cock with all the passion and the skills he was capable of.

LaShawn, in his life, had sucked many a cock, surely more than he wanted to, but that one was special: it wasn’t just a cock, it was the door to Joshua’s intimacy, to his unspoken desires, his fears, his true self.

The boy raised his gaze and saw Joshua looking at him, smiling, and there was no trace of embarrassment or regret in him: his eyes shone with a marveled excitement and a total acceptance of what LaShawn was doing to him.

“This is my gift to you…” – Joshua said at some point, his muscles suddenly stiffening; his cock throbbed wildly into LaShawn’s mouth and erupted like a volcano. Shot after warm shot, Josh let the boy drink his essence to his heart’s content and then sat up on the bed and looked straight into LaShawn’s green eyes: “You’re an amazing guy, LaShawn. You gave me so much! But now, you have to let me go...”

Josh got off the bed and headed to the door, and LaShawn said aloud: “Where are you going like that? You’re naked!”, and the hunky pilot turned around, flashing an urchin grin: “Yeah, it’s exciting, uh?”

LaShawn leapt on his feet and stood in front of Joshua: “Wait! We… we never kissed. I know you’ve never kissed a guy, but… don’t be scared…”

“I’m not scared” – Josh replied, smiling tenderly – “Now I’m not scared anymore of what I feel, thanks to you.”

He placed his hands on LaShawn’s cheeks and lowered his mouth, locking their lips. His kiss was so intense, passionate and joyful that LaShawn couldn’t hold his tears. When Josh recoiled, LaShawn held him by his waist, unwilling to let him go; the handsome pilot smiled tenderly and raised a hand, as if he wanted to caress his cheek; but oddly enough he started giving light, cautious slaps on his face, saying with a weird voice: “Hey, kid… LaShawn… LaShawn!!”

LaShawn opened his eyes and saw Wahkan over him, gently slapping his face and calling him with a worried voice: “Wake up, kid…”. He looked around, at the devastated cabin and everything painfully came back to his clouded mind: the engines failing, the emergency landing, the terrible crash.

“Do you know my name, LaShawn?”

“Wahkan…” – LaShawn slurred.

“Good. And do you know where we are?”

“In the Uinta Mountains. The plane crashed.”

“OK, there is no apparent brain damage…” – Wahkan said – “You’ve been unconscious for almost fifteen minutes. Are you wounded?”

“No… I don’t think so…” – LaShawn replied uncertain, and then gasped, pointing at Wahkan’s leg: “But you are, sir! You’re bleeding!”

“It’s nothing, I’ll wrap the wound when we’re out of here. We have to move quickly, the plane may fall off the cliff any moment.”

The cabin was clearly tilted to the right, as the weight of the right wing, leaning over the void, was slowly pulling the small aircraft towards the precipice.

“Josh…” – LaShawn said with chocked voice, looking at the cockpit door frame, deformed in an impossible shape – “JOSH!!”

LaShawn stood slowly up, standing on unsteady feet, and moved towards the cockpit, but Wahkan held him by his arm, gravely shaking his head.

“No! He can’t be!” – LaShawn screamed, while the blissful vision of Josh moaning in the throes of the pleasure still lingered in his mind – “He was making love to me moments ago! Let me go!!” – he yelled, wriggling out of Wahkan’s grip. He ran to the cockpit and Joshua was there, still tied to his seat, lifeless, amidst a mass of twisted metal and broken controls.

“No! No!! NOOO!!” – LaShawn cried out, and Chayton pulled him by his arm: “Come, buddy, quick, we have to go! The plane is about to fall down!”

“We can’t leave him here! I’m not leaving him here!” – LaShawn screamed, hysterical – “He was alive few minutes ago! He was having a blissful orgasm! Look!!”

LaShawn pointed at Joshua’s trousers, showing an obvious wet mark on the crotch. “Buddy, it’s not what you think” – Chayton said – “When people die they just can’t hold their fluids… He’s gone, LaShawn!”

The black boy started crying hysterically and began hitting Chayton: “Why don’t you want to believe me?? Fuck you! I thought we were friends!!”

 

~ Time to go ~

Wahkan was about to intervene, but Chayton held tight LaShawn’s face into his hands, ignoring his hits, and looked with great intensity into his eyes. Wahkan, looking from aside, saw LaShawn slowly calming down, while Chayton trembled for the effort of taking on himself the overwhelming desperation oppressing LaShawn’s heart.

“LaShawn, he’s gone.” – Chayton then said with strained voice – “He gave his life to save us, he knew he wouldn’t have survived, when he chose this place to land. We can’t do anything for him. Anything but one thing: stay alive! And that’s what we’ll do, or his sacrifice would be vane. Come with me, buddy...”

LaShawn nodded, wiping his tears. Chayton turned around and LaShawn, before following him, leaned over Joshua and gave a tender kiss on his still warm lips. For a brief, wonderful moment, LaShawn felt again like in his dream, with Josh pressing his warm naked body against his, while they kissed passionately.

Then, like in trance, LaShawn recoiled and stepped out of the cockpit following Wahkan and Chayton out of the plane through the rear exit.

As soon as they were out, Wahkan lowered his jeans, revealing a deep wound on his right thigh. He ripped the lower part of his shirt and used it to wrap the wound as tight as possible, and then put his trousers back on. Chayton shot him a worried glance, and Wahkan did his best to minimize: “Don’t worry, kid, it’s nothing…” – he said with his mouth, but his eyes couldn’t conceal to Chayton the pain he was feeling – “Now let’s go!”

LaShawn was still in state of shock and his mind barely registered Wahkan putting in his hands a thermal blanket and a torch; with a blank gaze, he started walking slowly along the narrow flat ledge, following Wahkan, one foot in front of the other. He didn’t stop, nor he turned around when, with a sinister squeak, the right wing broke in half, nor when the mountains resonated with the loud crash of the plane falling down into the precipice.

Wahkan led the way, starting a long, difficult descent, and Chayton closed the group, keeping the shocked LaShawn between them. Every now and then, when there was a fork in the ledges, Wahkan stopped and looked around, smelling the wind and studying the clouds, to then choose the right way. It was like the mountain itself was talking to the wise Sioux, telling him the right spots where to place his feet.

The sun was slowly setting behind the mountain ridges, and the air got chiller. “We have to find a place where to spend the night…” – Wahkan said at some point, concentrated in listening to the whispers of Mother Nature pointing him the way. The wound in his leg hurt a lot, but he hid the pain as best as he could, trying to evade Chayton’s inquisitive glance.

They came to a deep recess carved in the side of the mountain, protected from the chilling Northern wind, and Wahkan said: “Here”. They dropped their loads to the ground and sat in circle, put a thermal blanket on their shoulders and ate three of the eight energy bars found in the emergency kit. The dark was almost complete, and Wahkan gave directions for the night: instead of using a thermal blanket each, he lay down on the dirt, let the boys nest into his arms and covered them with all the three blankets, to ensure a better protection against the chill of the night.

«May the Spirits welcome you into their blissful home, Joshua…» – Wahkan thought, in the complete darkness, a moment before falling asleep.

 

~ No news ~

“What you mean you can’t tell me anything??” – Beau shouted, exasperated, at the phone – “What does it mean that the plane hasn’t arrived? It was due to land two hours ago!”

Beau paced around the room, listening to the answer, and then yelled furious: “I’m Beauregard Rice-Duncan de la Motte! I’m the fucking owner of the jet!! And if you don’t tell me all you know immediately, I swear to God I’ll buy out that crappy airport of yours and first thing I’ll throw you out!!”

He went on pacing nervously, listening the phone, but he suddenly slowed down, to then sit on the sofa, getting pale. “I… I see. Please, keep me informed if you get any news. Thank you… Yes, thank you.”

He hung the phone and looked around at the men sitting around him, in the living room of the Cove. “The plane went off the grid while flying over the Uinta Mountains, almost five hours ago. There are no settlements, there, but a radio station at the refuge on top of King’s Peak recorded disturbed fragments of a May Day, probably coming from the plane. They can’t be sure about the origin of the message but there are no other reports of aviation emergencies...”

“What can we do?” – Kale asked with feeble voice.

Beau shook his head: “There’s nothing we can do. The Oxnard airport alerted the authorities at Salt Lake City, who in turn have alerted the Rangers base at Lake Atwood. They’re sending out a rescue team, but they have only land vehicles.”

“A helicopter would be much more effective” – Stewart said, picking up the phone – “Let me make some phone calls. There should be an Air Force Base near Lake Atwood. I’ll try and make them send a helo squad to join the search team.”

Stewart moved to the dining room, and when he came back, fifteen minute later, he said: “They’re sending out a helicopter with a rescue team, but they can’t do anything while it’s night, they have to wait until dawn.”

“Better than nothing” – Alex said – “But they have to spend the night in the mountains. I’m more than sure that Wahkan and Joshua will take good care of the kids.”

“I shouldn’t have let him go…” – came Jorell’s whine from a dark corner of the living room – “But I just can’t say no to him… He’s always so passionate, so… full of life!”

Jorell was purposely standing in the dark because, though he wanted to stay in the living room in case they got some news, he didn’t want the man to see his cheeks streaked with tears. But his broken voice spoke volumes. Everyone wanted to go to him, to comfort him, but they were afraid to embarrass him, so they just exchanged uncertain glances.

It was Gerry who stood up and moved to Jorell, ignoring his feeble protests; he was old enough to be Jorell’s father, and he did what a father does: comfort his scared kid. He got close to him and held him tight in a warm embrace: “Come here, boy… Don’t worry, LaShawn will soon come back, I’m more than sure of it.”

“Gentlemen, it’s useless to stay up all night, as the rescue teams can’t do much in the dark.” – Beau said, standing up – “Let’s go to bed, but keep your phones turned on: if I get news, I’ll send a general call. Jorell, will you spend the night with me? I can’t leave you alone tonight. And you, Brennan, should sleep with Kale and Laniakea: I don’t want you to stay alone, either.”

The group silently disbanded, wearing worried expressions, and headed to bed, following Beau’s suggestions. They all knew that a long night awaited them…

 

~ Dawn ~

Chayton woke up and realized that LaShawn was kissing him passionately, under the warm thermal blankets. “Now I’m definitely getting jealous…” – he said with a worn out grin, while gently pushing his boyfriend away, still half-asleep – “You were kissing Joshua, weren’t you?”

LaShawn recoiled, suddenly awake, and his eyes got wet: “He’s dead… I know he’s dead. Sorry buddy, I… I was…”

“Don’t say another word, LaShawn” – Chayton said lovingly, brushing his thumb on the boy’s lips – “I understand. And I love you. But… where is Wahkan?”

They emerged from the blankets and looked in astonishment at the amazing sight of the glorious sun rising from behind the distant horizon. Its fulgid light was darkened by the shadow of Wahkan, standing near the very edge of the cliff, facing the abyss extending below him, in apparent meditation.

“Sir… Wahkan…” – Chayton murmured, noticing that the man was keeping most of his weight on the healthy leg – “Is everything OK?”

Wahkan turned around with a tense smile: “The mountain will let us pass and descend from her proud shoulders, but there’s a long and difficult way ahead of us. LaShawn, do you feel better?”

“Yes, sir…” – the boy replied, shyly – “I’m ashamed for what I said and did yesterday…”

“Don’t be ashamed. I understand you were… particularly close to Joshua. Come here. You too, Chayton.”

The boys got closer, and Wahkan took an ancient knife from under his shirt. He used it to cut a lock of his own hair, and then did the same with the boys. “When a friend walks on, we lose a part of ourselves” – he said, handing the cut hair to Chayton, who got near the edge of the precipice, waited in silence for a moment, and then scattered the hair in the wind.

“Joshua has a four-day journey ahead of him, to get to the Spirits’ house, and he needs all the help he can get” – Wahkan said, handing the knife to LaShawn. The boy shot a questioning glance, and Wahkan silently nodded toward the deep ravine just out of the ledge. LaShawn took a deep breath, held the knife by its blade and threw it as far as he could. They all watched the knife glistening in the rising sun, whirling in the air, to then disappear into the mist filling the deep gorge.

After a meaningful silence, Wahkan inhaled deeply and said: “Time to go. Let’s pick up everything, don’t leave anything behind: show the due respect to the mountain, and she will forgive us for disturbing her peace.”

They resumed the hard descent, and every time Wahkan was in doubt which trail to follow, he closed his eyes, listening to the whispers of the wind, the sunrays and the clouds and never failed to take the right route.

“Do really Sioux do things like smelling the wind and placing their ears to the ground?” – Chayton asked at some point, and Wahkan smiled: “My grandfather taught me to pay attention to the feeble signs of Nature. It’s not magic. The sun gives me the direction, the ascending wind alerts me when the path will become too steep, and you can smell the fresh water even before hearing it flowing between the rocks.”

“Sir…” – Chayton asked, trying to hide his fear – “Will you teach me to do that… if we’re back home?”

“Yes, my boy” – the man replied with a comforting grin – “I will teach you, when we’re back.”

The descent was slow and grueling. Every now and then Wahkan stopped to catch his breath, steadying himself on the rocks, as the wounded leg hurt very much; but every time, after few moments, he took a deep breath and set his reluctant leg back in motion.

The boys were tired and hungry, but they bravely soldiered on, and followed Wahkan’s steps along the rocky path. At some point Wahkan said: “Look!”, pointing to some tufts of grass and some low bushes; and when the boys asked him what was so special in a bush and some grass, he explained: “There’s water nearby… Over there!”

They came to a small stream of water emerging from a rock and falling again into the depths of the mountains few feet further on, but in that point it created a small pool that looked like a dream for the thirsty group.

They drank and ate an energy bar each, looking with worried eyes the emergency kit, where only two bars were left. With an obvious effort, Wahkan stood up and urged the boys to do the same; they resumed their descent, and went on until the sun descended behind the tall mountains, casting long shadows on their path and on the distant valley below them. They came to a tall rock step, and Wahkan, climbing down, put too much weight on his wounded leg and cried out for the pain, falling to the ground.

Chayton ran to him, and saw in horror that the trousers’ leg was soaked with blood. “Sir… Sir, you can’t go on like this!” – he said, extremely worried. He ripped part of his own shirt and freshened the wrap on the wound, but looking into his master’s eyes he read the truth: Wahkan was not in condition to walk anymore. The darkness of the night was falling over them, and there wasn’t even space enough, on the narrow ledge, to sleep on the ground.

The young Sioux slowly slipped to the ground, next to Wahkan, and put his face into his hands. “We’ll die here…” – he whined, desperate, feeling physically and mentally exhausted. Wahkan held tight his arm: “No, we won’t die here, Falcon. But you and LaShawn have to go on without me.”

“Sir… No… You can’t ask me that…” – Chayton replied, trying hard to repress his tears – “You taught me to never leave a fallen friend behind, and you are much more than a friend…”

 

~ A fallen friend ~

“You have a responsibility toward LaShawn” – Wahkan insisted gravely – “Only you can lead the way down the mountain…”

Chayton shook his head and averted his gaze, too exhausted and emotionally drained to even talk. He let his tired gaze wander absentmindedly over the almost completely dark valley below them, while his mind ran in circles. He loved LaShawn and wanted to save him, but he could never leave there the man who had been his father, his mentor, his friend!

«There are times when a man feels he can’t make a single step more…» – Wahkan’s teaching resounded in Chayton’s memory – «…but he must find the strength inside him to pick up his fallen friend and bring him home».

«I will bring Wahkan home…» – Chayton thought, resolutely – «I can’t leave him here. One way or another, I’ll bring hi…»

A sudden sparkle flashed in Chayton’s eyes, and he looked more attentively at the dark valley. Under Wahkan’s and LaShawn’s questioning gaze, he painstakingly stood up, feeling all his muscles ache; he stood close to the edge of the path, felt the wind on his face and then said: “Wait here…”

Resorting to his last ounces of strength, and then to the force of his desperation, he arduously climbed on a tall boulder and stood up on top of it, heaving for the exertion, looking at the valley below him. In the almost complete darkness, Wahkan and LaShawn watched him taking something from his pocket, and then raising his arm up in the air, as far as he could.

For a long moment he stood there, as still as possible, with the wind coming from the valley blowing through his hair and his right arm pointing to the sky; in LaShawn’s loving eyes he looked like a noble warrior leading the attack to an invisible enemy.

And then there was a short beep and Chayton cheered loud: “I did it! I did it!!”

He quickly went back down and proudly showed his phone to Wahkan and LaShawn: “Look! He received it! I managed to send out our geolocation to Beau! Our coordinates! And look here, sir, this mark means he received my message!”

“What kind of magic have you done, kid?? There is no signal whatsoever here!”

“It’s not magic, sir…” – the boy replied with an affectionate smile – “But it wasn’t my grandfather to teach me: it was an old Nokia, my first busted-up mobile. If you look attentively, there’s a town or something over there, in the distance, and the wind is blowing strong towards us. And at sunset the signal is always a bit stronger…”

Wahkan looked at his boy with shining eyes; his voice exuded a great respect and pride when he said: “Will you teach me, when we’re back home?”, and then gave a long, intense kiss to the guy who had just saved their lives.

“OK, we have to stay here for rescue” – Wahkan then said – “or they won’t find us. Keep your torches ready, as it’s getting darker by the minute, and they may miss us.”

They sat on the narrow ledge, with their back on the rock wall, and waited, finally taking a sigh of relief. Their nightmare was about to end.

With his heart full of pride for his strong, resourceful Falcon, Wahkan rested his head on the hard stone and closed his eyes, feeling deadly tired; and there, in the darkness, unseen by the boys, he welcomed the soothing embrace of unconsciousness.

 

~ Bittersweet news ~

When Beau looked at the message on the screen of his phone, he was about to cry for the relief. In less than five minutes the message had been forwarded to Stewart, who sent it to the Air Force Base at Lake Atwood, who routed it to the rescue team.

Beau sent out a general call, and in seconds the entire Cove was in the living room, looking at Beau’s shining eyes: “They’re alive! Chayton sent me their coordinates!” – he exclaimed, excited – “Look! Look!”

There was an explosion of joyful cheers, hugs and pats on the shoulders, and the relief in everyone’s eyes was immense. The lost guys had been missing for more than twenty-four hours, the longest of their lives.

They sat on the chairs and the sofas, all talking at once, unable to contain their happiness. At some point, Stewart’s phone rang, and everybody stopped talking, to let him hear.

“Hey, buddy! Have you rescued them?” – the airman said joyfully to his contact at the Base, but slowly his happy smile faded – “Uhm… OK… Yes… Thank you so much, buddy. Tell the rescue team they’ve been great. OK, as soon as you know something, inform me, please.”

He hung up and said: “Joshua didn’t make it. He died in the crash. Wahkan is seriously wounded, and lost a lot of blood; when they found them, he was unconscious. Unfortunately, at the infirmary they don’t keep plasma bags, it’s a small secluded base, they’re not equipped for such emergencies, but they’re doing their best. The doctor just said that there are… good chances that Wahkan will survive. ‘Good chances’, they said...”

“What about LaShawn?” – Jorell murmured, with a great tension in his voice.

“Chayton and LaShawn are fine, just some minor bruises and a mild post-traumatic shock. They’re going to keep them all at the Base infirmary for a few days and then they’ll transport them to Oxnard with a military flight. In the meantime, they’ll try and recover the plane and Joshua’s body, but the area is impervious, and it will take several days.”

There were many sighs of relief, but no one felt to cheer, as Wahkan was seriously injured and the pilot had died. Truth to be told, almost no one knew Joshua, except Beau and Jorell, but nevertheless one life had gone, a young man with all his future ahead of him would’ve never come back. As for Wahkan, everyone tried to think positive, but they couldn’t ignore that there was a chance that Wahkan, too, wouldn’t make it.

Jorell leapt on his feet and quickly moved to the dining room, to hide his deep emotions; Beau went to him, but Jorell evaded his friendly hug: “I’m a monster, I’m a bad person…” – he said with wet eyes – “Joshua is dead, and Wahkan is seriously wounded, and I’m the most selfish man in the world, because… I feel happy. I feel happy that it was not LaShawn the one who died! I feel happy that it was Wahkan to be wounded, and not LaShawn!”

Beau held Jorell at arm’s length and looked straight into his eyes, with an understanding smile on his face: “You have any reason to be happy. I would feel the same if there was Brennan on that plane…”

Reluctantly, Jorell let Beau push him back to the living room and then took a deep breath: “Hendrick, Laniakea, I understand you are shaken up just like us, but can you rustle a quick dinner? And… open a bottle of my special wine.”

“OK, sir…”, “No problem, sir…” – the two guys replied, and moved to the kitchen. In less than half an hour they were all sitting around the big dining table, picking at the cold dinner that the ‘kitchen brigade’ had hurriedly prepared.

Beau stood up and said gravely: “I knew well Joshua, and he was a wonderful man and an excellent pilot. An excellent pilot. It mustn’t have been by chance that he was the only one to lose his life in the crash: I could bet my own life that when he realized he couldn’t save them all, he risked his life to save, at least, his passengers.”

The blond boss looked around the table, and many men nodded in agreement, especially Stewart, who was an airman and knew all too well that Beau had guessed right.

“I propose a toast” – Beau then said, raising his glass – “to a brave, selfless man who sacrificed his own life to let our loved ones come back home. We all owe him our deepest respect and imperishable gratitude. To Joshua!”

“To Joshua!” – all the men replied in unison, some with stronger voices, some too moved to keep a firm tone. The dinner didn’t last long, and in the end Kale recommended to everyone to go bed: “I know that your hearts go out to Wahkan, and mine, too. Hopefully tomorrow morning we’ll get good news.”

Kale went close to Beau and said: “May I sleep with you, tonight? I… I don’t feel to stay alone…”

“If you didn’t ask me, I would’ve asked you…” – Beau replied, with a loving glance, and they climbed to the attic. Brennan scampered behind them, and when they were in the ample bedroom the boy whispered something into Beau’s ear.

Beau smiled faintly and said: “You’re such a nice boy, Brennan! I agree, Jorell shouldn’t stay alone tonight, and I can’t think to a more caring guy to help him relax. But if Jorell wants to be left alone, don’t insist. And… well… be careful, kid. No stunts.”

“Don’t worry, sir” – Brennan replied – “I know that Jorell is not… an average man.”

“Why am I thinking that this is precisely the reason why you want to spend the night with him?” – Beau giggled – “Just keep in mind that Jorell is quite shaken. Be… respectful to him”. Brennan smiled and went away, leaving Beau and Kale alone.

 

~ The triumph of life over death ~

“I’m afraid that Brennan won’t get what he wants, tonight…” – Kale said, sitting on the small sofa – “I guess that in this situation we’re all too tense to think about sex.”

“I’m not that sure…” – Beau replied – “Jorell confessed me that, while he was sad for Joshua and Wahkan, he felt an irrepressible joy, knowing that LaShawn is safe and sound. I don’t blame him.”

“Neither do I” – the counselor said, pensively – “Human beings have the unhealthy tendency of giving more importance to the sad events than to the happy ones. After all, whatever we think and feel, in this moment, we can’t change the fact that Joshua’s gone, and Wahkan is risking his life, nor that Chayton and LaShawn are safe; but our concern is always greater than our happiness.”

“I’ve never seen things under this perspective…” – Beau replied, sitting next to Kale – “You’re right, and Jorell, too: being happy for LaShawn and Chayton is not a lack of respect for Joshua and Wahkan. I really believe in what I said at dinner: Joshua has given his life to save the boys, so, if he was here, why should he be angry if we’re happy they’re safe?”

“And yet, a young life has been broken, all of the sudden…” – Kale said, looking straight at Beau and placing a hand over his chest – “And that’s something that makes you think. One day he’s here, enjoying his life, and the next day, in a finger snap, everything’s over, and we won’t see him ever again…”

Almost absentmindedly, Kale started unbuttoning Beau’s shirt, revealing his wide muscular chest covered with a thin layer of blond body hair. He slowly opened the shirt and leaned over, to give tender kisses at the pecs and the nipples.

When Kale’s hand moved down to grope Beau’s bulge and started manhandling it with increasing urgency, Beau caressed Kale’s hair and said: “I thought you weren’t inclined to have sex, tonight…”

Kale looked at him with shining, almost feverish eyes: “Today it happened to Joshua, but it may happen anytime to any of us, Beau… It’s all too clear… I know it’s unlikely to happen, but in the end we don’t know what will happen the next week, tomorrow or in an hour. Every minute can be our last minute together… and I don’t want to waste it, Beau. Tonight, of all the nights, I need you like never before!”

Beau was touched by Kale’s passion and took his face in his hands, to better look at his eyes: “I envy you… You have so much passion in you, and you’re not scared of letting it out. I love you so much…! I wish I could be like you, and I sometimes hate myself for being so restrained, and even selfish! Yes, Kale, I’m selfish, because I always wait for you to come to me, like you did earlier, asking me to spend the night together; and like you’re doing now, making me feel desired, loved, the center of the universe…”

He brushed his fingers over Kale’s exotic features and smiled tenderly, with a faraway look, as if new horizons were opening in front of him: “But you are the center of my universe, Kale. You are the sparkle that puts my heart on fire, the light of my soul. And you’re right, we can’t know what will happen in the future, but I know for sure what will happen in the next hour… or maybe two…”

Their warm lips locked in a churning kiss, each of them living the moment of passion as if it was the last one. Hurried hands unbuttoned, pulled and even ripped their clothes, while they stood up, still kissing, and got naked.

They both felt on fire, and while they rolled on the bed, kissing and caressing each other, they were not forgetting that Joshua had died, nor that Wahkan was fighting for his life; but they were celebrating life, the forceful torrent of life that barrels over everything in its path. Grief, worries and sorrow couldn’t do anything against the power of love.

Kale worshipped Beau’s glorious body, kissing, licking and biting his sensitive flesh; and Beau serviced with passion Kale’s manhood, something he rarely did, but that night everything was different, and for the first time Beau truly felt to orbit around Kale, and not the other way around, as he always thought.

With a sort of tender wrestle move, Beau pinned Kale down on the mattress, pressing his big hands over Kale’s wrists and blocking him straddling his waist; he looked down at his exotic lover with sparkling eyes and murmured: “You’re the center of my life, Kale, and I want you to be in the very center of me… Literally…”

Much to Kale’s surprise, Beau lowered his muscled body onto his lover’s stiff member and with a swift move he impaled himself, taking Kale’s manhood inside him to the last throbbing inch. The marvel, the excitement and the pleasure he spotted into Kale’s eyes were priceless, and Beau felt good, felt alive like never before, and started bouncing up and down the hot meat rod.

“You… nnngghh… you never did that, before…” – Kale said, feeling waves after waves of pleasure washing his body and mind. He’d always been the submissive side of the couple, and he was perfectly fine with that, but Beau’s sudden and unexpected move had thrown him into another dimension of his relationship with his wonderful lover.

“Get used to surprises, Kale…” – Beau said quizzically – “…because you don’t know what the future holds in store for us…”

“What… nnngghh… what you mean? What surprises…?”

“Don’t ask, or I’ll have to do to you… this!” – Beau said, lasciviously, pacing up his ride and slamming his muscled ass on Kale’s throbbing cock, over and over, leaving his lover breathless.

Kale looked at Beau’s stiff member bouncing up and down and he took hold of it, curling his fingers around it. “Tonight you’re giving me all of you, Beau…” – Kale said with the most loving voice, while his hand sped up – “But I want more… I want your very essence… Aaahh… I’m so close, my love… Give it to me… Nnngghh… I want it… I want it… Now! NGGGGHH!!!”

Beau felt Kale’s warm seed shoot deep inside him and he leaned backwards, feeling his balls about to burst, offering himself in the most vulnerable position to Kale’s loving hands: “Here it is, my love… I’m yours… I’m… AAAAGGHH!!”

They slowed down, in the throes of the pleasure, enjoying every single moment of the blissful orgasm like it was the last one, celebrating the miracle of life and sharing their deep love.

From the tragedy and the grief, that night had blossomed a beautiful flower, whose sweet scent had tightened the bonds between the two lovers like never before…

 

~ Tiptoeing around a snake ~

In that moment, in Jorell’s room the situation was much more… understated than in the attic. Brennan had gone to Jorell with the best intentions to help him relax, knowing that there would’ve been no sex that night; but when he entered the room and saw Jorell on the bed, suddenly all his confidence vanished.

The man was lying on back, with the bedsheets barely covering just one leg and his groin: despite the easiness ruling at the Cove, Jorell had always had a high sense of decency, and when he heard a knock on the door he’d quickly covered himself.

But not enough, apparently, judging from Brennan’s excited gaze lingering over the wide chest and the long leg left out of the sheets. The boy spotted the naked side of Jorell’s hips and there was no sign of underwear: he was clearly stark naked, under the covers.

He gulped down and he couldn’t help but explore with his eyes the space between the spread legs, and he was sure to guess, under the thin fabric, the shape of Jorell’s long black snake.

“Hey, kid!” – Jorell said with a friendly tone – “What’s up? May I help you?”

Brennan was about to reply something like “I actually wish to help you”, but he realized it sounded too… sexual, so he toned it down: “I was thinking… that maybe you didn’t want to stay alone tonight, sir… I mean, with everything that happened…”

Jorell flashed a friendly, tender smile: “All the boys here call me ‘sir’, but you say it in a special way, it’s… elegant, so upper-class!”

“Oh! If you don’t like it, I can call you however you like… ehm… mister” – Brennan hastened to reply, afraid to have embarrassed the simple man, or awaken memories of Rice-Duncan Mansion.

“I like it, Brennan. I feel… pampered when you call me ‘sir’ like that. It’s unusual for me, I’m just a man coming from the wrong side of the tracks, but you… you make me feel important.”

“You are, sir. You’re… sensational!” – Brennan exclaimed, soon realizing how improperly daring had been his comment, so he added a humble: “…if I may say so, sir.”

“Don’t stay there, come here…” – Jorell invited him with a sincere smile, patting on the empty side of the bed.

Brennan sat on the bed, fully clothed, and said: “I’m glad you seem happy, sir. I was afraid you would’ve been tense and worried, and I didn’t want to annoy you.”

Jorell flashed a shy grin: “Is it that obvious? I know, I shouldn’t be this happy, but since the moment Stewart said that LaShawn was safe and sound, I can’t stop smiling…”

“You have such a beautiful smile, sir” – Brennan confessed; and then he hastened to say: “Of course, Beau knows that I’m here, sir… in case you were wondering.”

Jorell giggled, as he knew well that a boy, at the Cove, was supposed to ask permission to his man only to have sex with another man, not just for chatting with him. They stood there for a long moment, in silence, exchanging brief glances, and then the man looked straight at Brennan’s eyes, smiling: “You don’t have to tell me, but I’m wondering what are you thinking in this very moment, kid…”.

“The… truth?” – Brennan replied, blushing – “You won’t be angry with me, right, sir?”

“I could never be angry with you.”

“Well, sir… I was thinking back at when there was that viral disease spreading through the Cove, and Doc Jade came to collect our sperm samples, and I… you know… I helped you provide the sample… [1]”

Jorell roared with laughter: “Ha ha ha! You have a future in the medical career, kid! Best jack… I mean collection ever! And tell me…” – he said, playfully – “…what did you think back then, while… er… collecting my sample?”

“I wished I could be able to take such a massive cock, all of it” – Brennan said under his breath, revealing his most private desires – “But I could never do it, back then, as I was totally unexperienced, I was almost… well… a virgin, sir. But now I’m much more experienced, sir. Now I’m sure I can take it…”

Jorell stiffened a bit, realizing that his playful banter was leading to something he didn’t really want to do. “Listen, kid… I understand you came here, even asking for Beau’s permission, hoping to… keep me company in a special way. But I don’t really feel to have sex, now. I feel mellow and relaxed, now that I know that LaShawn is fine. I’d be very happy if you want to spend the night with me, but just for talk and sleep…”

“Just for talk and sleep, sir, of course…” – Brennan said, a bit disappointed, but then added, with such a tenderness that Jorell smiled wide: “Can we cuddle, at least, sir?”

“Even the entire night, if you want. Now undress and slip under the bedsheets!”

Brennan quickly stripped to the underwear, and Jorell raised the sheets to invite him in, accidentally offering a nice glimpse of his long limp cock. Brennan licked his lips, nervous, and murmured to himself: “Cuddle. Just cuddle. And sleep…”

He slipped under the bedsheets and shot an uncertain glance at Jorell, who smiled and opened his arms: “Come here, kid. You’re such a nice boy, I love you, you know that?”

Brennan placed his head over the wide expanse of Jorell’s chest and enjoyed the warm firmness of the man’s body against his own. Jorell switched off the light and Brennan sighed contented. True, he would’ve liked to have sex with the massive black man, and he felt a pleasurable tingle in his groin, while pressing his bulge against the man’s strong leg; but he felt in heaven just nesting into his muscled arms, and Jorell’s regular heartbeat quickly lulled him to a serene sleep.

He woke up in the middle of the night with Jorell propped on his elbow, watching down on him with a condescending smile. Brennan’s eyes widened: “Sorry, sir, have I woken you up? Was I snoring or something?”

“No, you were not snoring, kid, but it’s hard to sleep when a young buck in your bed grinds his hips over your leg and cums like a fountain…”

Brennan gasped and peeked under the bedsheets, seeing his underwear soaked with sperm. He blushed crimson red and murmured, dismayed: “I’m so sorry sir! I… I didn’t know… Are you angry with me, sir?”

“I’m not angry” – Jorell replied with a wink – “but I’m dying to know what you were dreaming. It must’ve been fucking hot…”

“It was, sir…” – and then he started telling his dream.

 

And while talking, he had a strong feeling that his dream could maybe turn to reality…

* * * * * * * *