The Royal Series 0 - A Royal Archive

Chapter 5

August 25th, 2093

† Finnegan †

Gazing into the mirror, Finnegan wiped a tissue beneath his eyes.

He had not seen Gustavo for three weeks and his heart was broken. He feared he would never see him again. But, worse than that, he was scared that it would not matter. That Anthony had so turned his head with loving words and caresses that the feelings Gustavo had brought out in him would never compare.

What should he do?

Soft hands landed on his shoulders, just as he contemplated cowering in his bed for the remainder of his night.

"What is wrong, lovely?" Spencer's voice asked sweetly.

Finnegan smiled and reached up to grasp his wrist, in gratitude for his visit. He adored being called lovely by his dear friend, who only gave nicknames to the most important people in his life. "It is nothing," he lied, making sure that his lips could be seen in the reflection of the mirror.

"Do not lie to me." Spencer scolded him tenderly, before kissing his cheek. Then he slid to the side and perched on the dressing table. Penetrating green eyes bore into him. "I know you better than I know myself and there is a great sadness in your eyes. What has happened and who must I punish for it?" he asked.

Tempted to laugh, he did not. It would only draw attention and Spencer could not hear it, regardless. He contained himself to a smile and attempted to curb the flood of tears that had not stopped for nearly an hour.

Resolved, Finnegan began to explain. "It has been a long night and I am troubled by my own thoughts. Those, at least, I cannot escape," he lamented. "Gustavo has not returned since our last visit, a client was...unpleasant...and Anthony has cancelled his appointment with me, due to an unexpected raid that he must attend tonight." He explained the pitiful circumstances of his night and could not help but begin crying again. "It is a night of one disaster after another."

Spencer leaned forward and hugged him tight. And, as though the force of his hug squeezed them from his tear ducts, more tears began to stream over Finnegan's cheeks. "I love you, Finn. Whenever you need me, just send me a note and I will be here, no matter when or why," he whispered.

Knowing he could not see his words, Finnegan kept his gratitude for those words to himself and merely returned the much needed hug. Though he longed for the comfort Anthony could offer, with his stronger, muscled arms, a broad chest and the scent of a hard working man to soothe his soul, he would never forget how lucky he was to have Spencer. He had never thought he would see the day that a young, sixteen-year-old boy would bring such a calmness over him that no other man could compete with.

There was nothing sexual about their relationship, no power struggles and no need for a mask. He could simply be Finnegan, the older boy who had rescued an innocent child from bullies. He could be the naïve boy, unaware that his spoken reprimand to Spencer, for being in dark alleys late at night, had gone unheard due to the boy's deafness.

Yet, the difficulties of maintaining their friendship had never affected them. When others had teased and mocked Spencer's deafness, Finnegan had found a soul mate, in a boy with a heart of gold.

Parting from their hug, he wiped away his tears and gazed up at those emotive green eyes, unmarked by all that he had seen in his short life. How many times had Spencer hidden in his closet when a client arrived too early for an appointment and seen things that his innocent eyes should not have seen?

"What did your client do?" Spencer asked, so perceptive that he could not avoid admitting the truth.

"He did not hurt me...in that way," he hinted, not wishing to speak of the more delicate aspects of his work with him. "In fact, he did not touch me in that way at all. He was an old client, someone I have not seen in a long time," he explained, though thinking about that did not help his emotional state.