Special Needs (42 page)

“Ah... I’m in accounting,” said Mike, awkwardly hugging a massive, square watermelon he was holding under his arm. “And you?”

“I run a hotel, so I know more than I would like to about accounting.” Ryan laughed, shifting in the wheelchair. “I still need to take classes on it. I’m just shopping for Halloween stuff with my boyfriend now. We’re gonna have a party at the hotel. By the way, Liam, Mike. Mike, Liam.” He introduced them as if it was necessary for some reason. Liam believed that if Ryan hasn’t seen this guy since high school, he didn’t even have to remember his name, but he shook his hand with a curt nod. “Hi.”

“Hiya.” Mike smiled and his shoulders relaxed. “That’s cool, is that what all the duct tape is for? Decorations and stuff?”

“Some of it. The rest is for sex,” Ryan said so casually as if he was talking about buying cucumbers.

Wait... what?
Liam blinked and shot him a surprised look, wondering if he heard it right. Judging from the look on Mike’s face yeah, he did. The fuck? What the hell was Ryan thinking?

“Oh... okay.” Mike smiled, but it was one of those fake, cringe-worthy facial expressions.

“Yeah, we’re kind of a fresh couple. You must know how it is, it’s like a non-stop fuck fest.” Ryan snorted. Liam had no idea where this was going, but he was sure it was nowhere pretty.

“Uhm, yeah. I suppose.” Mike didn’t seem to know either, but he just stood there with his watermelon, scratching his chin in quick, jerky movements of his finger.

“Ryan, we’ve got some stuff to pick up. Maybe you could have a chat another time?” Liam suggested, leaning over the cart. He hated being uncomfortable, and now, he was feeling like some sort of prized bull.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know I was keeping you guys. I better get going.” Mike replied before Ryan could.
Yes, Mike. Take this escape door.
“See you next year at the reunion, yeah?”

“Yeah, see you,” Ryan said with a smile, watching his ex rush out. He was moving fast, like his feet were on fire. Liam could hardly blame him.

“What the fuck was that?” he asked as soon as Mike was out of their voice range.

“Huh?” Ryan turned to him with eyes as innocent as a kitten’s.

“Stop with the Puss in Boots act right now. I’m not captivated.” Liam sighed and shook his head, squeezing the handle of their cart to make his hands busy.

“I told you, he was my ex...”

“And you told him about the tape why exactly?” Especially that they didn’t so far use any tape. Or had full-on ‘fuck-fests’ for that matter. This whole conversation made him look like some kind of bed accessory, a fucking diamond-encrusted vibrator worth showing around.

Ryan opened his mouth, but then closed it again with a sigh, before finally managing to speak. “It slipped.”

“Right." Liam shook his head, hoping the tone would be enough for Ryan to realize he didn't believe him.

“I kinda-- okay, so maybe it didn’t!” Ryan rolled his eyes.

“Am I some trophy boyfriend or something? Because I’m kinda allergic to the idea,” he confessed, and this was one thought he wanted to ingrain in that blue head.

“Oh... I...”
Red handed.
“So he dumped me, all right? Can’t I do a bit of boasting? Jeez.”

“Should have been enough to tell him we’re together. He was kinda freaked out if you didn’t notice.” Liam sighed. He was aching for a cigarette.

“N--no. He was
so
jealous.” Ryan stroked Liam’s forearm, looking proud as a boy scout after selling tons of cookies.

Liam shook his head in disbelief. He couldn’t comprehend how anyone could be that clueless. It was like talking to a monkey. “Ryan, he was uncomfortable. Maybe he feels stupid about something he did at the time you knew each other?”

“Yeah, like dumping me after my accident.” He pouted. “And now I’m all successful and shit, with a handsome boyfriend, and he’s buying freaking square watermelons!”

Liam’s breath hitched and he looked at Ryan in sympathy, no longer angry with him all of a sudden. “Oh, sweetie...” He walked over to Ryan and ran his hands through his blue hair.

Ryan bit his lip, playing with the hem of his t-shirt. “I know it’s stupid, but I never got to do that before.”

“And he dumped you because you... shit! What an asshole.” Heat started building up in Liam’s chest when he thought about Ryan being left by his first boyfriend after the accident.

“Yeah, he didn’t put it that way, but he couldn’t cope with it. The hospitals and rehab...” Ryan shook his head.

Liam swallowed. “I could have showed off my abs if I knew.”

That brought a smile to Ryan’s face. He clung to Liam’s arm and kissed his wrist. “See?”

Liam bit his lip, petting Ryan’s head with his free hand. “Thought that was some random boyfriend. Was he your first?” It would only make sense, since Ryan had his accident at sixteen.

“Yeah, my first boyfriend.” He sighed and looked away.

Liam was itching to know if watermelon-Mike popped Ryan’s cherry, but he wouldn’t dare ask at a moment like this. He groaned when he saw that their cart blocked the aisle. He quickly pulled it to stand along the rack and shifted his attention back to Ryan. “Were you together long?”

“Nah, like a month, but we were friends before, so you know, it wasn’t random.” Ryan kissed Liam’s hand again, uncaring of who might be looking. The touch was soft and surprisingly pleasing. Having no experience with anyone caressing the inner side of his wrist, Liam let himself enjoy the peculiar sensation.

Liam bowed to kiss the top of the blue head and let go to get the cart. “Forget him. I’m much better.”

“Duh! I can really be myself around you.” Ryan gave him that look of awe again. Liam couldn’t help feeling smug.

“What’s with the tape though? A fantasy of yours he didn’t want to fulfill?” he asked with a wide grin.

“Oh no, no. It wasn’t like that with us. But I kinda wanted him to know what he’s missing.”

Liam frowned. “How was it? Was he so vanilla?”

“No, we just made out a few times.” Ryan slouched in his chair.

Liam stared at him, the sound of some new pop hit ringing in his ears as it came from the speakers.

“You look upset.” Ryan pulled at his arm.

“No, it’s just... you weren’t, like, really dating?”

“What do you mean? I even jerked him off once.” Ryan lowered his voice.

Even.

“Oh, okay. Whatever you say.” Liam cleared his throat, trying not to give his boyfriend another reason to sulk.

“You want to say something.”

“No.” Liam shrugged. “Let’s just move our asses and get the job done.”

“Are you mad I said the thing about the duct tape? Spoiling your reputation and stuff.”

They took a turn into the next aisle to cross out a few positions from their 'to buy' list. Liam sighed and looked at Ryan over his shoulder with a broadening smile. “No, not one bit.”

It was time for a late lunch, so Liam proposed they could check out a new restaurant in town. It was serving organic foods, something Ryan knew his heavily-smoking boyfriend approved off. It was so funny how he went out running every morning and then Ryan would see him on the pier, polluting the air.

He was worried he overstepped some boundaries in the supermarket, but seeing Mike got him so angry, he couldn’t help himself. He wasn’t very good at this dating thing apparently. Liam seemed unusually quiet, absent mindedly smoking yet another cigarette. He easily went through half a pack per day.

They left the car in a small parking lot in front of a pharmacy and instead of walking down the main street, they went right into a small alley that Liam insisted was a shortcut. Ryan didn’t mind which way they were taking, with the weather being sunny and mild. He leveled with Liam and smiled at him.

“Is it one of those concealed places with three tables?”

“Nah, it’s real cool. And I heard their desserts are mind blowing.” Liam winked and led him into a narrow passage between two larger buildings. It looked like it had been recently tidied up, as it only contained two closed containers. Liam stepped to the side, allowing Ryan go first.

“Like what? I have to be careful about desserts.”

“You should go to the gym with me, that would burn out some of that fat.”

“Don’t call me fat,” Ryan whined. “Just because my stomach isn’t freakishly muscular like yours.”

“I didn’t. It’s you who’s worried about delicious brownies, or an apple pie, or a pecan tart,” Liam teased before going completely silent. It was so unusual for him, that Ryan turned around to see if anything happened. He opened his lips, but before he could say a word, Liam clasped his large hand over Ryan's mouth from behind. Ryan opened his eyes wider and tried to say something, but all he managed was a mumble. He instinctively grabbed the thick arm, but it was like trying to pull away a slab of steel.

“What are you doing all alone in this part of town, boy?” Liam’s hoarse whisper curling against his ear set his nerves on edge.

Ryan breathed rapidly through his nose and the intense smell of cigarettes tingled his senses. Was this really happening?

He heard a plastic snap and just like that, Liam replaced his hand with duct tape over Ryan’s mouth. Disoriented and breathless, Ryan rolled his head back, searching for his boyfriend's face. His heart was thumping like a bunch of metalheads running down the stairs. The tight grip of the braces on his thighs got his cock to twitch. Liam remembered the fantasy he'd told him about!

“Have you no one to take care of you? Pity,” Liam said as he yanked Ryan’s hands back and pressed them together, securing his wrists to one another with the tape. “Looks like I have to take over.”

Ryan’s chest was heaving with excitement. They hadn’t arranged it, yet still, with Liam he felt safe, taken care of. He fantasized about encounters like this for years. Being in the wheelchair, without the possibility to move his legs, hands clasped with duct tape and unable to utter a word, was like a real life wet dream. He could still smell the cigarette smoke from the fingers that covered his lips seconds ago, and the only thing that could make the experience better was to have his cock out, as it was pressing against his fly already.

Liam licked a wet trail over Ryan’s neck and into his ear, flicking the soft lobe with his tongue, and all the way to the tunnel in it. “Crook your head to both sides if you want me to stop,” he whispered and gently sucked Ryan’s pierced earlobe into his mouth.

Ryan swallowed and didn’t move an inch, unless the hairs standing up on his arms could be counted. Liam’s hands ran up and down Ryan’s twisted arms, his mouth biting and sucking at the back of his neck. Ryan was on fire, and the heat became scorching when Liam caught his septum piercing and gave it a gentle tug.

“I have a special treat for you, lost boy. It tastes like cotton candy,” Liam told him, letting him know he would get to suck Liam off and as always, there would be condoms involved. Ryan didn’t really mind them as much as his lover seemed to, but he too couldn't wait to have a proper taste of the skin of that hot, pulsing cock.

“Has anyone ever touched you like that?” Liam bit on Ryan’s ear and felt his chest up, kneading his pecs. He then slid both of his hands south.

Ryan just whimpered and shook his head, his hips arching on their own accord.

“And you cannot do anything to stop me from fucking you in this dirty alley.” Liam squeezed Ryan’s crotch with a grunt of approval, massaging his hardness.

The words could be considered ridiculous, but they still got his cheeks burning. He looked down at Liam’s hands, which were now slowly opening the buttons of his jeans.

Ryan closed his eyes, reveling in the touch, but with a sharp cry, the touch was gone. His eyes opened wide. With his wheelchair being pushed forward into a running speed, Ryan only caught a glimpse of Liam’s leg stretched over the concrete. All the blood in his body ran screaming down to his useless legs. He wanted to grab at the person behind him, but with his hands tied together, is was useless and even staying in the chair was a struggle when it was suddenly pulled to a halt. He yelped into the tape when a pair of male arms pulled him back, pressing his neck into a scratchy face.

“I’m here Ryan, he won’t hurt you. We’ll clear up the misunderstanding we had, yes?” Ryan’s heart came all the way up to his throat as he froze, mind going blank when he recognized Stuart’s voice.