Open Up Your Heart

Henry often found that his heart reacted in strange ways whenever Randall was near him. His pulse quickened every time he gave him one of those warm, friendly smiles, and it went just crazy when Randall touched his hand, purposely or not. Henry was embarrassed he could perceive it; for him, there was nothing more intimate than his own pulse because it hinted his emotions very easily. It was as if people could look inside him. And Henry Ledore was not a person given to showing his feelings, although he himself didn’t know what these feelings were exactly.

The idea of staying in The Reunion Inn had been his. If Randall had chosen what to do, for sure they would have washed themselves with well water and have rested in a sleeping bag in the depths of a cave, but Henry proposed that they went to stay in the inn; after all, it was very near to the place where they would be performing excavations. Going on an adventure with Randall was something he hadn’t done since almost twenty years ago, so it was like a dream come true.

Henry had already took a shower and was drying his hair, sitting at the edge of the bed. The Emerald suite had always been his favorite, and it was curious that the Masked Gentleman had chosen it to leave clues in that twisted path that led to him. Although now that was left in the past, and it was not worth thinking about it. What really mattered was that Randall, his Randall, had come back to him, and the vision of his perfect torso and his big smile, his wet hair falling over his forehead while he returned from the bathroom, triggered that strange reaction in his heart again. It was as if it was fluttering.

“We’ll rest here for a while” Randall said, putting the rest of his clothes on.

Just as he said that, the room went dark. The redhead gasped in surprise, but he reacted quickly.

 

”Wait, the flashlights-”

The first thing the dim light revealed was a stunned Henry, which made Randall laugh.

“It seems that the suite wants us to live another adventure” he said with a chuckle, then he shone the light onto the ceiling lamps. “I think that lightbulb burned out suddenly, and it has automatically shut down the rest. We will have to change and switch on the emergency lighting”

 

“I’ll take care of it, there is no need to call anybody” Henry said with a smile. “I think there are some light bulbs in that closet over there”

The blonde went to get a ladder, while Randall used the flashlight over him and gave him a new light bulb. It took him just a few seconds to change it, but when Randall went away for a moment to reach the emergency lighting box and switch the rest of the lights on, Henry took a misstep and began to fall backwards. The world seemed to fall with him stop for a moment.

 

“Henry!- I got you”

Randall had grabbed him just in time. There was a dull hum and the light blinked before lighting the whole room again.

Henry suddenly released all the air he had contained, sighing as he finally relaxed in Randall’s arms. Because of the shock, his legs were trembling and his heart pounded inside his chest.

“Hey, are you okay? Randall asked.

Henry nodded, smiling. Suddenly, with an inquisitive expression on his face, the redhead put his hand on his chest. Startled, Henry felt his heart skipped skip a beat so abruptly that it frightened him. Randall had noticed it for sure, because he gasped in surprise; that did not help Henry to calm himself down, neither the strange sparkle he had seen in the eyes of his friend.

“Poor guy, what a shock, your heart is going to burst out of your chest” he joked with a smile “Just relax, you’re safe now! Come on, lie down for a while, it will do good to you. You must be also exhausted for sure, this has been a very long day. I’m dead tired!”

He helped Henry to go to bed, where he laid. Randall also jumped onto the bed, lying down next to him with a deep sigh, like one does after a long day.

“Feeling better?” Randall asked after a few minutes “Wait, I’ll check it-”

Oblivious to the astonishment of his friend, the redhead put his hand again on Henry’s chest and then rested his head there, listening to the heart beating hastily. Randall smiled. That moment brought something back to his mind.

When they were kids, Henry was often frightened of storms, especially when they made lights go off. Randall knew about it, so he always tried to stay with him during the nights in which the sky seemed to fall over their heads. Otherwise, little Henry would be too scared to even try to close his eyes, and the next day he would fall sleep in the most inopportune moments and places. Those nights they shared a bed, as the rain and wind hit the windows, and Randall clung to his friend tightly in silence, as if trying to give him courage or simply to control his shivers. He always left his hand on Henry’s chest to feel his heart; it was his way to check if he was still scared. At first it was beating very fast, almost twice faster than his, but little Randall closed his eyes and wished with all his might to calm it down, until finally their hearts almost synchronized and the two children drifted into a sweet and gentle slumber. Each one of those nights, with that innocence and tenderness only children possess, Randall thought he had never been so close to his friend.

Now, however, those feelings had given way to something else, something that he had only felt with his fiancee, but a little different. If it was possible to love more than one person, or at least feel a strong attraction towards somebody, that was the case, and in that curious moment of intimacy, his whole body begged him to possess that of his friend’s.

His hand searched for Henry’s and grabbed it, and that seemed to send a signal to his heart to beat harder. To Randall’s surprise, his heart also started to do it.

 

“Are you still scared?” he asked with a whisper.

“No… It… it’s not that-”

 

Randall smirked.

 

“So what is it?”

Henry said nothing, but Randall clearly noticed that his heart seemed to skip a beat, as if to speak for him. The redhead chuckled and squeezed his hand tighter.

“Remember when we were kids and you were scared of storms?” he asked, closing his eyes and drinking in that familiar sound ”I didn’t get to sleep until I felt your heart beating as slow as mine. In those moments I felt we were as one. I think I can try that again…” he concluded, with another laugh.

In another situation, Henry would have been deeply uncomfortable at the prospect that someone would use his heart rate to guess his mood, because for someone as reserved as he was, it was almost a violation of his privacy, as ridiculous as it might sound (and it really was). But it was not “someone”, it was Randall. His Randall. Although it was almost unbelievable to him, to feel the weight and warmth of his friend’s head on his chest was filling him with a great serenity, though his heart would prefer to continue pounding because of a feeling which was very different from discomfort.

Randall let out a soft sigh before he started speaking.

“You know what? Ancient civilizations believed that the soul lies in our heart, and some others even believed it was the origin of the world. It was also considered the Emperor, who rules over the body and spirit. The ancient ones believed the heart was practically everything we are, because they gave him functions which now we know belong to the brain, such as the feelings, even thoughts” he smiled. “That’s why I like to feel your’s beating. It’s like I can see inside you, read your thoughts”

He raised his head and looked at him with a vivacious smile. Then he sat up, joined by Henry. The redhead looked him in the eyes with tenderness.

 

“After all, the heart has always been the main theme in countless poems and love songs. You know what else did the ancient ones believe? They believed that the heart is what gives us the serenity we need to have a purpose in life and the motivation to achieve it. It is also what gives us hope. That’s why I know that you have a very big heart, Henry …” he held his hand again “-because you never stopped believing that I would return someday”

Henry felt an overwhelming heat rushing through him. Randall leaned his head against his chest again, closing his eyes slowly.

“I would like you to open up your heart to me” he whispered. “I desire you, Henry”

Henry thought the heart that his friend longed to know would stop at that very moment.

“Wait …” Randall blurted enthusiastically, before Henry could respond after the shock “I think there is something I could use …”

 

He got out of bed with a jerk, leaving Henry with those words (I desire you, Henry …) ringing in his ears, and began to rummage through their expedition belongings. With a sound of joy, he returned to bed with something in his hands. It was the stethoscope they used to search for hollow cavities in their expeditions.

For Henry Ledore, a person who had nothing that could be considered as his own, there was nothing more intimate than his own heart, in the every sense of the word, because it was the only thing that he had never shared, nor given to anyone. He had shared his wealth, his business instinct, and rarely his opinions, but the steady beat of his heart was all that only he knew and that nobody had ever heard (except maybe a doctor when he was sick, but for him it was just another part of a check up). For eighteen years, his heartbeat had been his only companion during the long, lonely nights. Therefore, the fact of sharing it with Randall, his Randall (I desire you, Henry …), made him feel dizzy; however, it was not an unpleasant feeling, but on the opposite. It made him feel an immense happiness.

Randall sat down beside him, putting the ear pieces in his ears.

 

“It was a good idea to take it to the expedition, because now I can use it for something else, other than to explore caves” he declared. “Now I’m going to explore you. If the ancient ones were right, I will find your most intimate secrets”

Randall laughed as if he had dropped the funniest joke in the world, with no idea about how much it meant to Henry, to whom his words had made him get even more nervous. The fact that the person for who he would probably give his life would be interested in him was like to see fulfilled all his dreams, and the torrent of emotions made his heart rate almost double its pace. While Randall was undoing the top buttons of his shirt, Henry closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm his pulse; he did not want to scare his friend. But it did not seem to be the case. Henry shivered as the cold chest piece finally touched his chest. When it matched to the temperature of his skin, its journey through his chest became almost a tender caress. Randall listened in silence, without taking his eyes from Henry’s. The hand that held the chest piece moved very gently to different parts of his chest, while the other caressed his face with infinite tenderness. Unable to look away, Henry felt as if his friend had penetrated into his depths.

And then, Henry knew that he adored him, that he loved him more than his own life.

 

“Randall… I …”

“There’s no need to say anything, Henry. I’m reading your thoughts now”

Without removing the stethoscope from his ears, Randall bent over his friend, very gently brushing the hair that fell in front of his ears. He closed his eyes and began to approach him. Under the thunderous beating of his heart, which practically was smashing against his eardrums, he could hear Henry’s ragged breathing, which stopped all of a sudden as their lips touched. After a few seconds, Randall parted his lips, slowly; he opened his eyes and met those of his friend, who seemed to be lost in a dream.

Overwhelmed by the unexpected kiss, Henry did not know how to react while Randall pulled out the stethoscope from his ears and placed it carefully on the table. His mind, or rather his heart if he believed what his friend has said, was unable to process what had happened. He could only take a deep breath to try to calm down as Randall held his hands, looking into his eyes. Henry looked away, his cheeks flushing violently.

“You shouldn’t feel invaded or embarrassed, Henry” he whispered, lifting his face tenderly. “The human body is fascinating, and not just in a physical way. I like your body, because it is yours, and I want to continue to explore its secrets…"

 

Suddenly, his eyes flashed.

 

“Know what? I wonder what they would think about the pulse. They really didn’t quite understand how the bloodstream worked, so naturally they should find it fascinating. It’s like the soul is trying to talk through all parts of the body, don’t you think? Let me see what it says to me.”

The nervousness that Henry felt was becoming unbearable, but he trusted his friend, whatever were his peculiar requests, so he tried to relax while Randall slid down his suspenders and trousers and began to search for the pulse, starting with his feet. He couldn’t avoid letting out a soft groan when Randall went from his legs to the space between. Any touch in that area would have made him flee away in other circumstances, but it was Randall, and that fact caused a strange tingling to grow in him. The feeling of being invaded, of being naked in front of another person had vanished, because it was Randall, his Randall, who was doing it. Surprisingly, Henry was also starting to feel something else, a warm and exciting sensation as Randall made his way into his lower belly, making him tremble with desire. His body was reacting on its own. Randall’s heat was so close to him and the tip of his fingers on his skin seemed to caress his heart while searching directly for its echoes in every corner of his body.

Randall ran his hand across his friend’s belly, feeling him shivering. By the time he reached his wrists, the blood flow beneath his fingers had become such a rushed pounding that he couldn’t count its beats without mixing them up. Henry felt his cheeks flush and a gasp escaped from between his parted lips; overwhelmed by all those sensations, he turned his head and Randall could clearly see his neck muscles tensing under his soft skin, and how they sank and dilated with each shallow gasp. Due to his skinny body, the pulse beating in his neck was clearly visible. The redhead’s fingers went slowly up his shoulder to stop on that point, feeling the point jumping beneath his fingers; then they went up his chin, finally stopping in his lips. He let his friend’s warm and choppy breath caress his fingers for a few seconds, then it was Randall’s lips that felt his hurried breathing an instant before sealing his mouth with a fleeting and light kiss. Under his other hand, which he had led to his chest to complete the journey, he felt Henry’s heart seemed to stop for a brief moment and then beat in a great thud. Feeling curious over that reaction, Randall’s kisses became deeper. His tongue sought his excited friend’s, caressing it, and his heartbeat became a frenzied gallop. How easy it was to turn Henry on was very exciting.

Henry moaned, bursting with excitement, savoring every corner of his friend’s mouth. When those delicious lips parted, the blond tried to call Randall to himself again, longing for another kiss. But the plans of his friend seemed to be quite different. He slid to his stomach, covering it with kisses. From top to bottom, Henry’s body was trembling with desire. The intense heat and the throbbing he felt in the lower abdomen had moved to his most intimate area and moved his hips, slowly, trying to touch his friend’s chest with them. The pressure of Randall’s body over his was delicious, and his heat seemed to increase his own body’s temperature. Randall’s hands caressed the soft skin just above his underwear, before sliding it down. The sudden touch of the cold air on his exposed sex made him shudder.

“Randall… What are you …?” he asked in a breathless whisper, barely able to hear his own voice above the thunderous pounding of his heart.

 

Randall’s voice caused a furious spasm of pleasure to surge into him.

 

“Just relax. Let yourself be carried away-”

Henry was feeling uncomfortable again. It was not that he did not want to do what he pretended, but he did not know if he would be able to return his attentions … whatever those were. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on every sensation, in Randall’s exciting caresses, in his lips closing around him and the small jolts of pleasure that shook his body. He felt the gentle pressure of his friend’s hand and his heart pounding against it like crazy, which increased the feeling that it was going to escape from his chest at any moment. Without realizing it, as if he really feared it could happen, he squeezed his friend’s hand even tighter against his chest, arching his back in pleasure when another spasm held him. His other hand was grasping over the sheets. The warmth of his friend’s mouth on his member going up and down, faster at every second, was causing more spasms of pleasure, each one more intense than the last. His chest fell and rose quickly with each harsh gasp, his head was like a whirl. A strange tingling began to emerge between his legs, and also the feeling that something was going to explode inside him, like ripples on the water surface. He let out a deep, choppy groan. The heat in his head increased, almost burning him, his heart was pounding wildly… As if that had acted as a sort of alarm, Randall stopped. Henry took a deep breath that ended in a groan; the feeling of something willing to explode soon left him, leaving him numb and sweaty.

Randall heaved a sigh of relief.

 

“That was close, huh?” he said nonchalantly.

The redhead climbed near to Henry’s head, with a smile on his face. Then he gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek and leaned on his chest in silent, leaving him time to recover.

His heartbeat had become a steady but hard thumping when Randall decided to continue giving his friend the most intense attentions. Wrapping his legs around Henry’s waist, the redhead grabbed his head with both hands and leaned over him, kissing him with relish. They did that for a while, every kiss sending waves of pleasure to every corner of their bodies, but fortunately for them any one threatened to explode at any moment. Randall wanted to do him with all his might, and he did not know for how much longer would be he able to restrain himself, the area between his legs was throbbing and had become so hard that it hurt. Suddenly, Henry moved away.

“Wait … Please, wait” he gasped.

“What is it? Don’t you want …?”

“No. .. it’s not that” he sat up, moving away a lock of his messy hair from his forehead. His cheeks were flushing. “Please … open the drawer.”

Looking at him in amazement, the redhead moved to the table and did what Henry had asked. With a chuckle, he looked up at a cardboard box full of condoms and a small bottle of lubricant. Even more flushed, Henry had lowered his gaze, his voice was barely a whisper.

“I … asked the inn workers to put them in all suites, in case there were staying couples who wanted to… You know.”

With a shy smile, he looked at him again. Randall found him so adorable that he felt the overwhelming desire to posses him become unbearable. He left the objects over the bed and leaned forward to Henry, whispering in his ear:

“Will you help me to put it on?”

Henry said nothing, but his heart seemed to answer for him skipping a beat again, though at that time Randall was not witnessing what it would say with its peculiar language. In response, Henry buried his nose in Randall’s neck and let the redhead draw him towards his body.

While Henry’s trembling hands took Randall’s jumper and tried to undo his shirt clumsily, the redhead went over his friend’s neck with his warm and wet lips, ripping from his throat soft moans that Randall silenced with a kiss. Henry was out of control. His heart was pounding so fast again that he was sure that Randall could feel it without putting his hand to his chest this time. The redhead had took his shirt away and then he did the same with Henry’s, who undid his trousers’ lover with clumsy fingers and slid his hand down his underwear.

Impatiently, Randall finished the job, getting rid of the only piece of clothing that the blond was still wearing. Straddling over him, his legs swrapping around Henry’s thighs, their hardness pressed, together and Randall caught both with one hand; the wave of pleasure that burst inside them made both groan at the same time, although Henry’s moan was much more audible. The blond shivered and bit his lower lip as he felt the hot member of his friend against his, surrounded by the delicious rubbing of Randall’s hand, going up and down slowly.

“Ah … Ran … Randall” … he whimpered.

With his free hand, the redhead slid his palm across the inner side of his friend’s thighs, reaching his entrance. Henry stifled a shriek and tried to close his legs almost instinctively, but he relaxed when Randall kissed him gently, leaving kiss after kiss on his lips as his naughty fingers drew circles on that intimate area. Clumsily, he reached out his hand to get the lubricant, smearing his fingers with the oily substance before trying again with that area. Henry’s back arched and a moan echoed in his throat as he felt the first wet finger invading him, but Randall’s intense kisses made everything much easier and the discomfort gave way to an unexpected pleasure.

Soon, the redhead noticed that the muscles in that area were relaxing, while his friend’s breathing became deeper. Henry’s hand took the cardboard box and pulled out one of the little plastic wrappers. He started to open it, releasing intense groans whenever those warm fingers moved and touched any particularly sensitive area inside him. He slid carefully the condom from the apex to the base of his lover’s member, making him gasp. He took his manhood in his hand and rubbed it to fix the condom properly, getting pleasure in the moans Randall released when the hand started moving up and down.

“Ah … Henry … That’s so … Don’t- don’t stop-”

Henry never imagined that seeing his friend leaning back with his eyes closed in pure pleasure could excite him like that; if Randall had been listening to his heart at that time, he probably would have been alarmed. He continued moving his hand up and down for a few seconds, feeling the heat given off by his friend’s member through the thin material that covered it, and the soft throbbing of the network of veins that roamed under his fingertips.

Letting out a sound of impatience, the redhead moved aside Henry’s hand and bent over him. With all the care he could, he lifted his legs and grabbed him at the hips. Clinging to Randall’s back, Henry held his breath when he noticed that his friend was starting to get inside him, and let the air out with a long moan as he felt completely invaded.

“Ah … Randall!-”

Randall put a deep kiss to Henry’s lips again, drowning his voice the second time he tried to say his name in the midst of ecstasy. Then he began to move, slowly, shifting in and out of that tight warmth; Henry was clinging firmly to his back again and sighing with a groan with each thrust. Henry never imagined that something like that could be so enjoyable. It was more than pleasant, it was delicious.

“Wait - I want- I want to-”

Randall smiled gently, pressing his forehead to his friend’s. He had to catch his breath before he spoke.

“What is it?” he asked, putting gentle kisses all over his face.

Despite everything they were doing, Henry seemed terribly ashamed and unable to say it out loud, and he whispered it in Randall’s ear. The redhead seemed to be glad at the idea, because he smiled with a glint of mischief in his eyes. He sat on the bed and drew Henry near him, placing him on his lap. Grabbing his waist with his hands, he felt him shuddering when he went inside him again.

 

“Carefully-” he whispered in his ear.

Henry began to move, slowly. Fulfilling his wish, Randall let him to do all the work. The redhead bit his lip to stifle a groan; the warm shifting movements as Henry slowly slid up and down were delicious. He clung to the sheets, carried away by Henry’s energetic movements, which made his lower belly jump with electrifying spasms of pleasure. The blond was breathing heavily as he moved up and down. Randall could not restrain himself any longer and he also began to move, making the pleasure even more intense. He held his friend from behind, pouring gasps of pleasure in his ear, the heat emanating from his bodies merging. In his delirium, Henry leaned forward, resting his hands on the bed, his fingers tightening over the sheets. His moans had practically became screams. He had to swallow before speaking.

“Randall …!” he panted “Ahh… I want to see your face … Please …”

The redhead stopped dead, trying to catch his breath before they moved away to try another exciting position. His chest was stuck with sweat to Henry’s back, feeling his heart thumping against it, while his friend’s heartbeat, due to the sudden interruption, was slowing down under his hand. Randall smiled naughtily when he thought it would not be for very long.

The redhead lay back on the bed and Henry sat astride him, face to face, guiding him inside himself again. This time he did not slide in and out in a frenzy, but he just moved in such a way that Randall had to take a deep breath not to explode in a climax.

“Oh, Henry… The way you move…” he moaned, becoming absorbed by his flushed and sweaty face, their eyes fixed to each other’s.

Lost in Randall’s eyes, Henry felt again those waves ebbing and flowing inside him, in crescendo, as if that sensation which was about to blow moments ago were still building up. Randall’s moans of pleasure got mixed with the thunderous sound of his own heartbeat thumping in his ears. The idea that Randall could feel his heart beat thumping against his palm during that upcoming moment excited him even more; he took one of the redhead’s hands up to his chest, squeezing it tightly. He wanted to continue sharing his heart and everything he was with him, even at the moment of ecstasy, which would soon arrive.

A couple of movements more and Henry’s back arched; Randall took pleasure in his racing heart pounding hard under his palm at an incredible pace, while those muscles inside him closed and relaxed rhythmically around his sex.

Henry felt that he was touching the sky. The orgasm had come upon him so violently that he stopped breathing; the air finally blew out of his lungs with a deep, long moan as the hot liquid stained several times his stomach and his lover’s. Almost simultaneously, Randall arched beneath him, and Henry felt his sex also contracted within him, as he drew on his face an expression of never-ending pleasure.

Exhausted, he fell on Randall, leaning on his chest. The thunderous thumping of his heart echoing in his ears mixed with Randall’s, making it impossible for him to distinguish between them. Their still trembling hands held each other’s as the two tried to catch their breaths.

“Thanks for sharing your heart with me” Randall whispered after a few minutes. “It has been wonderful”

 

Henry smiled, tenderly, leaning closer to him.

 

“You know what?” Randall said suddenly, losing his fingers under Henry’s hair. “I think we better continue tomorrow. With the expedition, I mean.”

His friend chuckled.

 

“Sure.”

Henry sighed softly. Randall’s breathing was no more than a quiet swing that gently rocked his head, but his heart was still beating slightly faster than was normal, like his; it even increased a little more when some words that had formed in his mind did not want to come out.

“Randall, I …”

 

“Hum?”

I love you-

Henry closed his eyes. The exhaustion that numbed every muscle in his body had been replaced by a huge peace.

“It’s nothing”, he said.

 

He smiled. Under his ear, Randall ‘s heartbeat had finally reached a peaceful, steady rhythm. Henry took his free hand to his own chest, counting silently, trying to level his heartbeat to his friend’s until they finally seemed to echo in each other. While he let himself to be drifted to a peaceful sleep, his hand closed tighter around Randall’s, his Randall, feeling that they were as one.