The Plot Bunny (6 page)

They fell out of the shower, giggling like children, and collapsing on the bathroom floor. "'M cold," Simon said.

"Yeah," Luc replied. He didn't want to move, but he figured they'd be more comfortable in a bed.

Getting up, he removed the condom and tossed it in the waste basket. After washing his hands, he took his lover in his arms, on impulse deciding on carrying Simon in bridal pose. Simon gave him an affronted look, but Luc stopped any possible protest with a kiss.

He carried Simon out of the bathroom and into the darkened house. "Bedroom is that way," Simon whispered, nodding toward another door.

Luc headed in the indicated direction, carefully navigating around the tasteful ornaments. As he opened the door, he was met with the pleasant sight of a huge, king-size bed. He couldn't help but wonder how many lovers Simon had taken here.

Simon gestured that he wanted to be placed down and Luc regretfully complied. Even as Simon went to turn on the lights, he could already feel his lover's absence in his arms.

"Go on," Simon huskily said. "To the bed."

Luc silently obeyed and climbed on top of the soft mattress. "Why the light?" he asked.

Simon's grin was so wicked it should have been illegal. "I want to see your eyes when I fuck you."

Luc's cock throbbed at the words. "Simon… please. I need you."

In a few instants, Simon joined Luc on the bed. "God, I love how you say my name," the other man said.

After that, words vanished between them. Simon took Luc's lips, their erections already heavy and hard between them. He swept his hands over the expanse of Luc's chest, stopping when he reached Luc's nipples. Luc groaned when his lover tweaked the little nubs, rubbing them, sending shocks of pleasure through Luc's body.

Luc arched against Simon, aching to feel his lover inside him. Distantly, Luc heard the telling sound of a tube being opened. A slick finger invaded his anus, making Luc gasp. Luc wordlessly begged for more, pushing against the digit, and Simon gave it to him. Two more fingers joined the first one, thrusting in and out of Luc's ass. All the while, Simon's mouth remained fused to Luc, occasionally breaking away just to breathe.

Simon retracted his fingers and rolled a condom on. He slicked up his dick and slowly pushed inside Luc. The feeling of being so gently filled humbled and astonished Luc. It was warm, intoxicating, and magical. Luc wanted to push against Simon, to force him deeper, but Simon held him still. Perhaps it was better, because by the time Simon's cock fully penetrated, Luc felt speared open. Not that he was complaining. He loved every second of it, even the slight burn and the edge of pain.

"Simon…" Luc begged again. "Do it. Fuck me."

Simon's aristocratic features contorted in an almost snarl, and with no other warning, he pulled out of Luc and thrust back in. Luc clung to his lover, desperate for some sort of anchor in a world that was quickly fading. Simon fucked him mercilessly, taking what he wanted, much like Luc had done earlier. It felt so perfect, and when Simon's dick hit Luc's prostate, Luc cried out, feeling yet another orgasm approach. Quite amazing, since Luc had long ago stopped being an eighteen year old who could get it up again in five minutes.

Time seemed to slow, no, vanish altogether, and the only thing that remained was the two of them, moving together in tandem. The ecstasy built up more and more, and as Simon buried himself deep into Luc's ass, Luc exploded, without even having to touch himself.

He felt Simon's cock throb inside his ass, and distantly surmised his lover had come as well.

As the buzz of the orgasm flowed through him, Luc clung to his lover, reluctant to let go of the moment. But they were sticky and sweaty, and they couldn't exactly roll over and sleep like that. Simon eventually got up, and Luc let out a groan when his lover's dick left him.

Laughing, Simon left the room, returning with a wet washcloth a minute later. As he cleaned Luc up, he smiled, reminding Luc of the moment they'd spent in the sculpting area.

It occurred to Luc that they'd stopped before Simon could actually finalize his work.

"What about the sculpture?" he asked Simon.

"Oh, it's not finished by far," Simon replied. "You'll have to come again."

Luc grinned. "It'd be my pleasure."

* *

The Present

"And I did," Luc told Dury. "I came to Simon's studio more and more, until the sculpture was finished. And when it was finally done, I didn't stop coming."

"What happened?" Dury asked.

"Before I knew it, we'd been together one year. But then suddenly, I couldn't write anymore. I started getting obsessed with breaking free of the slump, and simply pushed Simon away. A few months later, Simon broke up with me."

"Why didn't you fight it?" Dury asked. "Why didn't you try to keep him?"

"He deserves better," Luc said softly. "I couldn't make him happy."

Dury didn't insist. Instead, he looked at the sky and said, "It's getting dark. The park will be closing soon. Come on."

He got up and Luc followed, wondering why he'd even told Dury about Simon. True enough, Dury knew some things already, but the emotions, the love and desire and pain, they were Luc's. No one could understand it, not like Luc could.

In that moment, Luc realized it. As he'd spoken to Dury, the feelings he'd shut out for two months had emerged, overwhelming him. His books were dead and numb, yes, because he'd been like that, not allowing himself to realize the true extent of his loss. But why had he been unable to write in the first place?

Too much feeling, Luc told himself. So much, Luc couldn't deal with it. He couldn't tell Simon how much their relationship meant to him. He'd been so afraid, without even realizing it. God, it was so clear now. But it was also too late.

"Are you all right?" Dury asked in a soft, gentle tone.

"Fine," Luc replied. He realized he was shaking and his voice trembled with restrained tears.

"Let's go home," Dury said. "You need some sleep."

Chapter Four

The third stage of Dury
'
s plan was named
See
.
By now, Luc expected something traumatizing and em
otional to happen. And as much as he hated to admit it, through Dury, he
'
d understood and felt more in a few days than he had in the past couple of months.
No matter how stupid and corny the plan seemed, Luc would see it to the very end.

He was surprised when Dury took him to an unfamiliar building, a private center for the treatment of the handicapped. Luc had thankfully never needed such medical attention, nor had any of the members of his family or close friends.

They entered the facility, and to Luc's shock, no one stopped them. A couple of nurses even greeted Dury, smiling brightly at him. Dury waved back at them and kept walking.

They took the elevator to an upper floor. All the while, Luc ached to ask what was going on. He got his answer when they walked out of the elevator and stopped in front of a gym.

Through the windows, Dury nodded toward two familiar figures, a redheaded woman and a man in a wheelchair.

Luc recognized the woman at once. After all, she'd thrown his latest manuscript in his face just a few days back. "Dana?"

"You remember her brother, Josh, right?" Dury asked, pointing to the man.

"Yes, of course. The last time I saw him was at the art gallery where I met Simon. He was very excited about playing in front of an audience of a thousand people. I later read that they loved him."

"That's right. He was very popular in the next few shows, as well. A few months back, though, he had an accident. Doctors say he won't ever walk again."

Luc gave Dury a horrified look. "What? That can't be. Dana never told me."

"Josh asked her not to. He didn't want people to know, to see him like this. He still hopes the medics are wrong. They kept the media dogs back with money."

Luc stared at the once happy young violinist and couldn't believe his eyes. He had trouble reconciling the Josh he'd known with this one. Joshua had been so full of life, so happy. He'd had the world at his feet, much like Luc in a way. How could things change so fast, and so drastically?

As they watched, Josh tried to force himself to walk, using two parallel bars as support. Sweat poured down his bare torso, and his sister urged him on, her eyes full of sorrow.

He fell halfway to his destination, and he cursed as he hit his hand in the process. His hands… hands that had once made thousands stand up and applaud.

"What about his music?" Luc asked.

"Dead," Dury replied. "He can't do it. He can't sing."

"Jesus. Why are you showing me this?"

Dury leaned against Luc, his warmth familiar and comforting. "Didn't you want to do the Ghost of Christmas present thing? Well, be careful what you ask for."

The words should have sounded stand-offish, but they came out soft and understanding. Luc wrapped his arms around Dury, trying to make himself speak. "Will he be able to walk again?" he asked.

"I can't tell you that," Dury said. "I don't know. The physiotherapy is never going to be enough, but his will may just help him out the rest of the way."

Luc nodded. He supposed that no one, not even a supernatural creature like Dury, could know the future.

"Come," Dury said. "He'd be uncomfortable if he saw us."

They left the private center in silence and took a cab once again. This time, it left them in one of the most eclectic neighborhoods in town. There were beautiful new houses built right next to rundown buildings and apartment complexes, some old, some new. "Where are we?"

Dury pointed to a tall structure in the distance. "That's where Chance Summers lives."

"Josh's fiancé?" Luc asked, recognizing the name.

"Former fiancé. They broke up."

"No way," Luc said. "I don't know much about them, but I've seen them together. They were in love."

"Even people in love can be torn apart by circumstances," Dury answered.

Instead of heading toward the apartment complex, they walked down the winding streets until they reached a sort of shopping area. Next to a library store and a tiny barber's shop, he saw a small gallery. There were several names mentioned on the posters, but Luc only recognized Chance's.

"Hurry. Let's sneak inside before anyone sees us."

Luc nodded, already used to Dury's peculiar ways. He distantly thought that Dury should have been able to use some sort of magic, to mask their approach at least.

"Fuck!" a voice said from a room in front of them. A string of more curses followed, and Dury gestured Luc to be quiet. They slipped through the gallery, following the sound as guide. They finally reached their destination and Luc sneaked a peek through the open door. Predictably, the person there was Chance Summers.

"I can't do this," Chance said, shaking his head. "I just can't."

He tossed his brush to the floor and pushed the unfinished canvas away from him in disgust. As the canvas fell, he kicked at it in desperate fury. "Fuck you. Fuck you. Why? Why?"

He repeated the words over and over, until finally, the anger seemed to drain out of him. He fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands. "Why…" he whispered brokenly.

Luc felt uncomfortable with seeing the handsome artist in such a vulnerable posture. Thankfully, Dury pulled him away and they left the gallery. "He doesn't know about what happened to Josh," Dury explained. "Josh dumped him with no explanation and refuses to see him."

"I don't understand," Luc said. "If he didn't want Chance to wait and waste his life, he should've just told him the truth. Why act like that?"

"Why do we all act the way we do, I wonder. Why do we hurt the ones we love?"

Luc didn't reply. He thought he knew where Dury was going with all this. He opened his mouth to tell Dury enough, that he wanted it to stop. He couldn't take it any longer. Dury hailed a cab and said, "One more time. Keep it together."

Luc gritted his teeth and got inside without comment. He almost jumped out when Dury gave the driver the address to Café Mont Blanc. "What are you doing, Dury? Are you trying to torture me or what?"

Dury cupped Luc's cheek and gave him a sad smile. "No. Never. I just want what's best for you. Surely you believe that."

Yes, Luc believed. Somehow, this no longer seemed only about the books. Dury wanted him happy, and Luc couldn't push the young man away, not while knowing that.

Luc crossed his arms against his chest and stared out the window. The drive was silent and uncomfortable. When the car stopped, Dury paid and opened the door. He hesitated before stepping out. "We can go back to the house if you like," he told Luc.

Luc didn't answer. Did he want to go back? No. Something told him this needed to be done.

"Come on, people," the driver growled at him. "Get in or get out."

Luc glared at the man, then turned to Dury. "Let's go. One more time."

Dury nodded, green eyes shining with pride and concern. They stepped out in front of the café and for a few seconds, Luc experienced an incredible sensation of déjà vu. In this same place, he and Simon had met for the shortest first date in history. Like back then, the sun shone brightly and there were several couples sitting at the tables in front of the café.

Luc's gaze was immediately drawn to a particular one. An auburn-haired man dressed in a business suit sipped his coffee, and across from him, a woman gestured wildly at him.

"What's wrong with you, Simon?" the woman said. "Why are you doing this? Sculpture used to be your life. Why have you suddenly turned corporate?"

"Art consumes you whole, Susie," Simon replied. "One day, I'll wake up and realize I am old, all alone and with no one to hold my hand on my deathbed. Sculpture is beautiful, but I have to choose between it and having a real life. I choose life."

"Oh, Simon," Susanne said. "Don't make such a radical decision. I know you were hurt when Luc broke up with you, but he's just one guy. He wasn't the right one. You'll meet someone else."