Chapter 17
Arthur
The telescope arrives on a Friday afternoon. Willard helps me bring it into the observatory, the room no longer the barren, dusty space it was once. Over the past many months, we’ve brought it to life. Charlie and me, but also the staff.
Ruby, as it turns out, is an expert climber. The outside glass is sparkling thanks to her. Although poor Willard nearly had a heart attack the first time she scaled the roof.
Charlie shoos me away from the telescope as soon as it’s unboxed. I watch raptly as he adjusts the focus and positioning of the device, looking through it occasionally despite it being daylight still.
I suppose the stars are always there, even if we can’t see their light.
I leave Charlie to his machinations, checking in on him every so often. He doesn’t stop to eat the snack cakes I bring in, simply takes a bite and keeps moving.
He only stills once it turns dark.
The window at the south end of the room is open, Charlie positioned in front of it, the telescope giving him a clear, unobstructed view of the sky. The breeze blows in gently, but he doesn’t seem to notice nor mind.
Despite my own view being limited by the power of my sight, I lie on my back in the middle of the floor and take it all in.
The star-littered sky above is beautiful.
So much of it is visible from within this room, an endless swath of black filled with tiny bursts of light.
I imagine how far away the stars must be, but it’s hard to grasp.
“Arthur.” It’s the first word Charlie has spoken in hours. I wasn’t even sure he realized I was here in the room with him.
I hop up immediately. “Yes?”
“Come look at this.”
I walk over, the outline of him and the telescope only lightly illuminated by the moonlight. He grabs my arm once I’m near and pulls me in front of the telescope’s eyepiece.
“Close one eye, and look through here.”
I do as he instructs, blinking a few times to acclimate my eyesight. “Charlie,” I breathe. “There are so many stars.”
“Yes.” He sounds nearly giddy.
“This is…this is stunning. What am I looking at?”
“It’s our universe, Arthur. The Milky Way.”
I back away from the telescope, blinking again and looking out through the open window. The band of stars is visible to the naked eye, a hazy streak of light in the dark, but it’s nowhere near as defined as what I can see through Charlie’s telescope.
I never knew so many stars made up our sky.
Charlie eases in front of the telescope again, his voice soft. “The Romans called it the Via Galactica . The ‘road made of milk.’ They didn’t have a way to see it as we do now. ”
“Did they know of the stars?”
“Oh, yes. They associated many constellations with their myths.”
“Such as Canis Major,” I realize, thinking of the dog-shaped constellation that comes out in the winter.
Charlie’s voice is excited in a way that doesn’t happen often. “Precisely. There are so very many constellations.”
“Do you have a favorite?”
He hums, backing away from the telescope. I join him in the center of the room, Charlie lying on the blanket I set out earlier. I lie down beside him such that our shoulders are pressed together.
Charlie takes my hand, guiding it upwards, aiming my pointer finger at the northern sky. He draws a shape with it, up and then down again. “There. The Sword of Leandros.”
I find the sword in the sky, the star at the bottom of it brightest. It seems to flicker, the shape ever so slightly obscured in the glass. Charlie returns our hands to the floor, fingers intertwined.
“What’s the myth?” I ask. “I haven’t heard it.”
Charlie lets out the softest of sighs. “It’s not a happy story.”
“No? Are any myths happy?”
He snorts at that. “Not many. But this… It’s quite the tragedy.”
“And yet it’s your favorite?”
His answer is quiet. “Yes.”
“Will you tell me?”
He nods, his head settling beside my own. “It’s said Leandros was the fiercest warrior there was. He bested every foe he encountered. He never failed. Never fell. One day, a deity decided she wanted Leandros for her own. She went to him, asking for him to join her. ”
“I take it he wasn’t keen.”
Sadness is evident in Charlie’s tone. “No, he wasn’t. He was already in love.”
His fingers play with my own as he collects his words.
“Leandros refused the deity. Time and time again. She was livid, so when she returned one day to discover Leandros’s love with him at his home, she fell into a rage. They were killed, both of them.”
I look over at Charlie, his face difficult to make out in the dark. His voice, however, is steeped in such strong melancholy that I bring his hand to my lips, kissing the back of it gently in hopes of soothing his distress.
He sucks in a small, shuddering breath. “Of all the battles he faced, all the adversaries and trials and monsters, not a single one could fell him. Not a one except for love.”
“Charlie. My dear.”
“I know it’s sad. Terribly sad. But that sword reminds me of how powerful love can be. It’s a weapon far greater than any steel. And no one, not even a vengeful god, can take it away.”
The pain in my chest at Charlie’s words is visceral, an ache that has me clutching his hand tight. “And what of our love, dear heart?”
Charlie’s head turns my way, his eyes specks of light in the dark. “It will outlast all the stars, Arthur. Every last one of them.”
When Charlie and I wake, we’re in the observatory still. The window is open, sun streaming into the room but the air around us cool. Charlie lets out a groan before tucking his face against my chest.
“Oh Lord, Arthur. What have we done?”
I laugh quietly, even as my back twinges. “You, my love, have youth on your side. I fear I may be stiff all day.”
Proving my point about his youthfulness, Charlie rolls swiftly to his knees and holds out his hands. His hair is disheveled, falling from its pins, but there’s a soft smile on his face that has my heart tripping over itself as I accept his aid in standing.
I only wince some. “Why, thank you, kind sir.”
Charlie rubs a hand over my lower back, trying to soothe the ache away. “Come. Let’s set ourselves to rights.”
After closing the window, Charlie and I make our way down to the second floor, taking our turns on both the toilet and at the sink. Charlie pins his hair in front of the vanity in our chamber as I re-dress, my clothes from yesterday wrinkled after their time on the floor.
“I wonder what Ella will have prepared for breakfast,” I say, tucking my shirt beneath my trousers. “I would happily clean the dishes again in exchange for some apple tart.”
Charlie remains quiet, not answering, so I turn his way.
“Charlie?”
“Arthur… What is this?”
The box I placed on the vanity yesterday is open now, the contents held in Charlie’s hand. Ah . I’d forgotten about it in Charlie’s excitement over his telescope arriving.
“That,” I say slowly, heading his way, “is a fake cock.”
His eyes swing to me, wide. The cock is made from ivory, surprisingly lifelike in its appearance yet smooth to the touch. At the base is a set of straps I had specially commissioned .
“These,” I explain to Charlie, running my fingers over the straps, “would go around your hips. You’d wear it, my dear, if that is something you’d have interest in trying.”
His chest rises and falls as he looks at the smooth ivory, his thumb close to the flared head. I can’t yet gauge his opinion, but he hasn’t tossed it away.
“It’s…erect. Would that not draw attention?”
A smile tugs at my lips. “It’s for intercourse, my love.”
His eyes widen further, an aborted sound leaving his lips. “I would use it with you?”
“If you’d like,” I tell him, running my finger along the ivory as Charlie swallows. “Do you wish to try it?”
His voice comes out at a whisper. “Will it not hurt?”
“I don’t quite know,” I tell him truthfully. “I have…oil…that was suggested for easing the way.”
“Arthur…”
“If it’s too much—”
“No.” The word is quick. “I…I want to try. Desperately.”
“Whenever you’re ready,” I assure him.
“Now.”
“Now?” I repeat on a laugh. The look in Charlie’s eye has my laughter dissolving, abandoning me as heat flares low in my belly. I take a deep breath, and then two. “Let me wash up.”
Charlie nods in a quick jerk, and I retreat to the bathroom, my own cock starting to strain my trousers. I make quick use of the wash basin, cleaning as well as I can manage, before returning to Charlie. He’s waiting on our bed, starkly naked, the ivory cock on the linens in front of him.
“I don’t know what to do.”
The urgency in Charlie’s tone has me stepping forward quickly.
I stop for the oil, stashed in my wardrobe, before removing my trousers.
Charlie watches me approach the bed, his chest heaving, his hand moving slowly between his legs in a way that has me groaning.
Seeing the man I love pleasure himself is second to very little.
Perhaps it’s why I have no qualms about what’s to come.
If Charlie enjoys it, little else matters.
I set the oil on the bed and remove my shirt. “The straps run around your hips and between your thighs. May I?”
Charlie nods, and I pick up the fake cock. I’m careful as I maneuver the straps into place, tightening them only as much as necessary. The fabric is soft to the touch, the straps between his legs thinner than those around his hips. I run a finger underneath each, making sure the fit is as directed.
“All right?” I check.
Charlie nods. “Yes, I believe so. You’re hard.”
The observation is given as a statement, yet there’s surprise in his voice.
“Because you desire me, Charlie dear. I require little more than that.”
He blows out a breath, shuffling closer on his knees. “Show me what to do.”
I open the oil, handing it to Charlie before turning onto my hands and knees and dropping to my elbows. “Could you get me wet, my love?”
“Oh, Arthur.” His hand slides slowly over my backside. “If you do not like it—”
“We’ll deal with that possibility if it occurs,” I assure him. “Now… You’ll need to wet me and the cock both.”
Charlie lets out a breath, his hand leaving me for only a moment before it returns, slick with oil.
His touch is gentle, slow as he rubs against me, taking his time.
The sensation is not one I’m used to, but I try my best not to be dissuaded from it.
I’ve been assured this can be pleasurable. If the necessary steps are taken.
Charlie’s voice comes breathless. “Arthur. How will this work? I’m afraid I will hurt you.”
“My body should accept it,” I tell him, breathing out as Charlie’s hand slides down toward my cock. He encircles me, twisting his grip slowly, the glide smooth with the oil on his fingers. “As for the rest, well… I believe you’re aware of the mechanics.”
Charlie’s hand returns to where he started, his thumb pressing against me until my body yields. He stills. “Art?”
“This part is as new to me as it is you,” I say softly. “It doesn’t feel bad, my love. Try the cock. Go slow.”
His hand leaves me before returning, braced near my hip. The next second, the ivory is there. It must be. It’s harder than Charlie’s touch, an entirely different sensation. I keep myself as relaxed as I can manage, but even so, it’s a lot to take in, both physically and mentally.
“Just a moment,” I tell Charlie.
He stills, the end of the cock pressing against me the same way his thumb did, demanding me to yield.
“Arthur.” Charlie’s hand slides up my back and then down again before smoothing over my bottom. “You’re lovely. Do you know that?”
“You think so?”
He hums, his hand journeying underneath me again.
He strokes my cock, and I sink further onto my elbows.
“So very lovely. I’ve never wanted another the way I want you.
You’re charming and handsome, and the sight of you right this instant, down on your knees for me, makes me desperate to see you unraveling at my touch. ”
I realize, as Charlie continues to stroke my cock, that he’s edged further into me.
Not far, but enough to feel distinctly…open for him.
There’s a stretch. A sting. The instinctual rebelling of my body that wars with what Charlie is doing to my cock.
He focuses his attention there, the distraction a welcome reprieve that has my legs beginning to shake.
Charlie sounds awed. “You’ve taken an inch of me, Arthur. Did you realize?”
“No,” I admit, the pressure intense but the sting accompanied by a restlessness I don’t know whether I should lean into or away from.
Charlie decides for me, pressing further inside, his soft moan stoking the fire within me, the burn inescapable.
One way or another, I have no doubt it will consume me, body and soul.
“Arthur, please tell me if I am hurting you. I’m desperate to have you, but I hate the thought of causing you pain. I can slow. Or we can stop altogether.”
The hoarseness in his voice is evidence of both his concern and his desire, but I don’t need him to stop.
“My heart,” I say softly, more than ready to offer every fiber of my being to the person most deserving of it. “Have me as you will. Have my body, my love, and my everlasting soul. For there is not a single other in this universe I wish to share eternity with.”
Charlie hiccups a breath, his hand leaving my cock to brush against the pulse point at my neck. “Arthur Kane. I pray I can show you the stars.”
I turn my head, pressing a kiss to the pad of his finger. “None will ever be as exquisite as you.”
I’m certain of it.