Something Like Lightning (48 page)

Kelly nodded numbly, too shocked to respond in words.

Nathaniel appeared less certain. “Is that okay?”

Kelly remembered to breathe and spun around. “Is it okay that I’ve been in love with you for a ridiculously long time?”

A smile tugged at Nathaniel’s lips. “Since when?”

“Gosh,” Kelly said, casting his mind back. “Somewhere between the second and third glass of wine.”

“At the fundraiser?” Nathaniel asked. “That far back? Wow! Must have been some potent moonshine!”

“It was,” Kelly said with a grin. “Honestly, I don’t know when it happened, but I’ve been keeping it a secret because I was worried that

“Kelly,” Nathaniel said gently.

“Yes?”

“I need you to stop talking.”

“Why?”

Nathaniel smirked, then drew him in for a kiss. They kept kissing long enough that Kelly was wondering if his new leg could handle hopping up and wrapping itself around Nathaniel’s waist. Before that could happen, someone cleared her throat. They turned to find an older German woman with arched eyebrows who wore a department store nametag. She nodded meaningfully at the clothes Kelly was dressed in.

“Just doing a quality control test,” Nathaniel said with a smile. “Don’t worry, I plan to take it all home with me tonight.”

The woman looked Kelly over again, and in lightly accented English said, “Would you like me to gift wrap him for you?”

By the time they entered their hotel room, they were both groaning like old men. Nathaniel sat on the edge of the bed, one shoe and sock already off as he wiggled the toes of a massive foot.

“Feels so good,” he said. Looking over at Kelly, he nodded upward. “You said taking off your old socket felt like getting out of your shoes after a long day. Is it the same with this one?”

“Yes,” Kelly said. “It’s definitely more comfortable, but I can’t imagine wearing it to bed.”

Nathaniel took off his other shoe with a gasp. “Then why are you still standing there?”

“Because something occurred to me.” Kelly bent the artificial knee before very carefully lowering himself down, resting his weight on it. Then he matched the position with his natural leg. “You have any idea how long it’s been since I could kneel?”

“Neat, but are you planning to spend the whole night like that?”

Kelly looked at him pointedly.

Nathaniel’s eyebrows shot up. As they came back down, a slow smile appeared. Then he stood and strutted over to Kelly with an exaggerated swagger that made them both laugh. He didn’t stop until his belt was eye-level with Kelly.

Oh how he’d missed these little pleasures! Not that there was anything little about what Kelly was about to unwrap. He worked on the belt, then the button and zipper, revealing bulging underwear. Kelly grasped the cotton briefs and pulled them down in one smooth motion, Nathaniel’s cock pointing at him expectantly. Kelly looked upward and smiled, enjoying this vantage point. He took Nathaniel’s heavy balls in his palm, gently caressing them, then reached forward with just the tip of his tongue to tease the ring of foreskin.

Nathaniel gasped in pleasure, putting a hand on the back of Kelly’s head and drawing him closer. Kelly kept looking upward even as Nathaniel’s cock filled his mouth all the way to his throat. He’d lost touch with his gag reflex ages ago, so this wasn’t a problem. As long as Kelly could still occasionally breathe in, Nathaniel could use him in any way he saw fit. He seemed eager to, eventually lifting up Kelly by the armpits and helping him to his feet so they could kiss.

Kelly took advantage of having his hands free, first by undoing his own pants, and then by pressing their cocks together, gripping them tightly and pumping. Nathaniel’s eyes were half-lidded as he shook his head in awe, as if this was all too good to be true. Kelly agreed. He was happy to stay right where they were, but once again, Nathaniel had his own ideas.

“Get naked,” he said, stepping back to shrug off his remaining clothes.

Kelly was shirtless and sitting on the bed to take off his pants when Nathaniel kneeled to help him. “All of it,” he said, reaching for his socket. Kelly shrugged and leaned back, letting him do the work. Being free from its weight felt good. Both stripped bare, they scooted into bed together, Nathaniel crawling on top of him and kissing Kelly. Then he reached for the side drawer, but paused before opening it.

Kelly nodded. Now was as good a time as any. He toyed with Nathaniel’s nipples as he worked on getting the condom wrapper open. He reached down to stroke those nuts as Nathaniel put it on. Then Kelly was flipped onto his stomach, grinning against the pillow and arching his back when he felt the cold lube between his legs. He closed his eyes as Nathaniel slipped one of his thick fingers inside, already wondering how anything could feel better. But he knew from experience just how much higher they could get together.

When he was finally ready, Nathaniel poised himself above Kelly and very carefully lowered himself, pressing against him until he was inside. He took it slow, just as he always did, watching Kelly so carefully that he never had to speak or give instruction. Once he was hilt deep and Kelly wasn’t hissing in warning, Nathaniel lowered his weight. Then, still inside Kelly, he rolled them onto their sides.

This was different. Nathaniel had one arm wrapped around him as if they were spooning, which felt sweet and tender, at least until his hips started pumping. Then all the intense sensations—both physical and emotional—rose up inside Kelly, delivering him to euphoria. He grabbed Nathaniel’s arm, clutching it to him, desperate to be closer than they already were. Nathaniel responded, tightening his grip so much that Kelly almost couldn’t breathe, but he didn’t care. Kelly would gladly give up oxygen to continue squirming against that muscled chest, for those hips to keep slapping his ass, to prolong the ragged breaths panted into his ear.

“I love you,” Nathaniel was saying. “I love you. Ung. I love you so much!”

Part of Kelly felt like laughing, since his words sounded like someone had dubbed over the typical trash talk of a porno movie with the sappiest dialogue possible. But he also understood. He’d waited so long to hear those words, to be free to speak them aloud, that he felt like doing the same. At the moment though, he really was having trouble catching his breath. It wasn’t just the toned bicep and forearm squeezing his torso like a python, or the way they both had to stretch their necks to kiss. Something else was building inside Kelly. Nathaniel was hitting him just right. Kelly wasn’t even touching himself, and as he began to whimper, he realized he wouldn’t need to.

“Yeah?” Nathaniel asked.

Kelly nodded, no other signal needed. Nathaniel started thrusting harder, slamming himself against his rump, which was all it took to send them both over the edge. Thought shut down completely as pleasure permeated Kelly’s body, causing him to convulse. Nathaniel held on tight, lost in his own throes. Then they both exhaled long breaths and relaxed. Kelly’s muscles melted like butter in sunlight. From the heaviness of Nathaniel’s arm, he could tell he felt the same way. Eventually he glanced down at the sheets and saw multiple streaks of moisture in the fabric.

“When the maid sees the bed tomorrow,” Kelly said, “she’s going to flip.”

“It’s a guy,” Nathaniel murmured, “and from the way he was checking you out in the hallway this morning, he’ll probably ask you to autograph the bedspread so he can frame it.”

“In that case, I’m glad I forgot to put up the ‘do not disturb’ sign.”

Nathaniel raised his head. “I don’t do threesomes.”

“Which is why I’ll wake up early and hide in the maid’s laundry cart. Won’t that be a nice surprise for him?”

A pillow thwacked Kelly in the head. After he pushed it away, he said, “Don’t worry. You’re the only one for me. And just for the record... I love you too.”

Nathaniel squeezed him closer, tangled up their legs together, and celebrated this news by falling asleep. Kelly lay still a moment, basking in the wonderfulness of it all, before closing his eyes and giving chase.

The wind whips around me, welcoming me back, inviting me to race off into infinity again. I pick up the pace, gyrating my hips to compensate, the artificial leg jutting off to the right. I’m tottering at high speed, bouncing along the track like a rubber ball, and the wind 
laughs... but not mockingly. The sound is joyful, because we are together again, the wind and I, rushing through space. I laugh too as a dog cuts across my path, nearly tripping me. I watch as he zips down the lane ahead, skidding to a halt before racing back toward us. And that’s the best part.
Us.
Not just me and my elemental friend, but a real companion, jogging beside me and scowling at his dog. Then he looks over at me, wipes the sweat from his brow, and smiles.

Kelly’s foot landed wrong—the biological one, ironically—causing him to stumble and tumble to the ground. Rolling to a stop, Kelly ended up on his back. Then he started laughing. Zero rushed up to give him a few sloppy licks before tearing off again. Soon after, a large form blocked out the sun.

“You all right?” Nathaniel asked.

“I think I skinned my knee,” Kelly said, pointing at the artificial limb.

Nathaniel shook his head. “You better hope not, because we’re not going back to Germany to get another one. Not until the snow melts there.”

He offered Kelly a hand out of courtesy more than need. He knew Kelly could get up on his own these days. Once he was standing, Kelly shifted to the right, letting the sun warm him again. Being back in Austin felt good, especially now. They were standing on the track of his old high school, which had seemed a practical choice since the material was softer and would hurt him less if he fell. But running here again had another unexpected advantage. Kelly felt like he’d returned to a place of despair to conquer it with triumph.

“Keep grinning like that and people will think you’ve gone insane,” Nathaniel said.

“I don’t care,” Kelly replied. “That felt too damn good. Ready for more? I’ll race you!”

Nathaniel ran his fingers through damp hair. “Only if you promise to slow down.”

“That was nothing. Just wait until I get my running blade. Then you’ll really see fast.”

“I’d rather see fast food.” Nathaniel checked his watch. “It’s past lunch time.”

“Save your appetite,” Kelly said, reluctantly heading off the track to where he had set up a tripod and camera. “The party will have plenty of food.”

“Isn’t that tonight?”

“No, in just a few hours.” The camera took one more automatic photo before he turned it off.

“Kind of early for a party,” Nathaniel said, watching him work.

“It’s a birthday.”

“For who? A little kid?”

Kelly handed him the folded tripod. “Geez, chill out Mr. Nightlife! Things happen during the day too, you know. And for the record, it’s Layne’s birthday. He’s a friend of mine from the youth group.”

“Youth group. As in teenagers.”

“Yes. Tons and tons of teenagers who are eager to meet you for the first time. Prepare yourself. You’ll probably have to give everyone piggyback rides.”

“Sounds like a real cool party,” Nathaniel grumbled. “Super neato.”

He was sure it would be. Once back at Nathaniel’s apartment, they showered and dressed, Kelly eager to head out again. He pictured the party taking place in a finished basement with low lighting and pumping music. But when they arrived at the house and were guided to the backyard by Layne’s parents—what he saw there made his jaw drop. Tables, benches, and an impressive buffet were set up to one side. That was fine, but the rest of the yard was taken up by an inflatable monstrosity, the kind for kids to jump around inside of. This one was industrial-sized, multi-colored, and shaped like a cartoon castle. Kelly glanced over at Nathaniel, who shook his head and snorted.

“Welcome, welcome!” Layne said, approaching them with arms spread wide. “How kind of you to be here on my special day. My
very 
special day.”

“Eighteen is quite the milestone,” Kelly said.

But Layne was no longer paying attention to him. Instead he noticed Nathaniel, pausing to look him up and down before stepping forward for a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you at last! We’ve heard so many wonderful things, some of them about you. What’s your name again? Oh, it doesn’t matter. You’re so warm!”

“Okay,” Kelly said, tugging on one of his arms. “Let go. Seriously.”

“Fine,” Layne said. He turned to Kelly for a hug before it finally clicked. “Oh. My. God!”

Kelly did a little jig. “No more crutches!”

Layne covered his mouth with both hands. Then he grabbed Kelly by the arm and dragged him forward. “Everyone, look who’s standing on his own two feet!”

Almost everyone present was from the youth group, meaning they were practically family. Kelly hadn’t attended a meeting in months, but seeing everyone felt good, as did their reaction. Most were smiling, a few looked emotional, and when Layne started clapping, everyone joined in.

“Thank you,” Kelly said, waving them into silence. “I just want you all to know that it’s incredibly insensitive to draw attention to my handicap like this, even if I do have an amazing bionic leg now. You are all horrible people.”

He was assaulted by groans, turned backs, and a few middle fingers. Ah, they knew him so well!

“I think it’s fabulous,” Layne said, looping arms with him and Nathaniel, steering them toward the party. “Speaking of which, did you bring my present?”

Nathaniel held up a long gift-wrapped box. “You mean the bottle you’re still three years too young to drink from?”

“That’s the one!” Layne said, releasing them and snatching the present away. “This should liven things up!”

Kelly nodded toward the inflatable castle. “You might want to think twice about getting people drunk and shoving them in your ball pit.”

“It’s not a ball pit,” Layne said, eyelashes fluttering. “It’s a bounce house, and it happens to be my most ingenious plan yet. Just imagine me and a handsome boy jumping around in that thing, bumping into each other and getting all handsy until he falls on top of me and... well, paint your own picture.”