Wednesday Briefs - Did You Ever Love Him

This week the prompts were

"It was a dark and stormy night"  (so it's Bulmer-Lytton, sue me lol)

or the alternative prompts are:

candy, crow, a length of rope

or

"When I saw his/her eyes, I just knew that..."

or

French kiss, French fry, third French object of your choice

or

penguin, ventriloquist, rapier

or

"Are you glad to see me or is that a (fill in the blank) in  your pocket?"

“Fucking HELL,” Luke yelled, leaping off Rio, who also scrambled to his feet, this time not running but standing, cowering.

Luke knelt beside Rune, afraid to touch him. This time, there were no fluttering eyelashes. There was nothing at all. Terrified, Luke pressed his fingers to Rune’s wrist. He had no idea how to take a pulse and could find nothing.

Desperate, he pressed his ear to Rune’s chest. He almost passed out when he heard the thump of his heart. To him, it seemed faint and far away, but he didn’t know if that was normal or not.

“Rune,” he called, softly, brushing the pale hair out of his face. “Rune, please, you’re scaring the fuck out of me. Please just have fainted. Please wake up now. For fuck sake, Rune – please,” he moaned in anguish, but he may as well have been talking to the chair. “Don’t just stand there,” he screamed at Rio. “DO something.”

“What the hell am I supposed to do?”

“I don’t know. Phone an ambulance, or something.”

“Look, there’s no need for that. He’ll be alright. The little bitch is probably faking anyway – he’s like that.”

Luke gaped. “Are you real? Look at him. He’s right out of it. If you think you can wake him, by all means give it your best shot.” Rio shrank back, eyeing Rune as if he expected him to spit poison. “Just ring for the fucking ambulance, Rio. I swear to God, if he— if anything happens to him, I’ll rip your heart out.”

“Yeah, right,” Rio sneered.

“Just fucking do it.” Luke was blazing mad and itching to lay hands on Rio, but he had more important things to think about. He was afraid to move Rune, so he knelt on the floor, talking to him, begging him, holding his hand, which seemed to be getting colder and colder. Or maybe that was Luke’s.

“You’re off your rocker,” Rio sneered, “talking to him. As if he’d know.”

“Five minutes ago you were saying he’s faking it.”

“Yeah… well.”

They lapsed into silence. Rio lounged against the sideboard and watched in silence, while Luke remained kneeling on the floor

“Make the most of it,” Rio said after a time, “because you won’t be doing it for long.”

“What?” Luke was startled. He’d been stroking Rune’s hair, still talking to him softly.

“You won’t be getting anywhere near him once we’re at the hospital.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Think about it,” Rio said, with a smirk. “I’m his husband and what are you? Nothing. Not even a friend. You’ve only known him for a couple of days. Who do you think is going to be getting all the news and sitting at the bedside?” He narrowed his eyes, a nasty little smile on his face. “And who do you think-- won’t be?”

“You wouldn’t,” Luke gasped, his eyes wide, incredulous.

Rio’s smiled widened, happy that he’d nettled Luke. “Watch me. My face is the first think poor little Rune is going to see when he wakes up and he’s going to be so sad that his new best friend couldn’t be bothered to stick around.”

Luke stared at him for a few minutes, anger flooding him – then he sighed and shook his head. “Tell me… Do you care about him at all? Did you ever?”

“What?” Now it was Rio’s turn to look confused.

“Did you ever care for him, or was it all about possession and control?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rio said defensively, shuffling his feet. “I married him, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did. You also broke his ankle. You though it would mean he wouldn’t be able to dance anymore. When you found out that, despite your best efforts he’d pulled himself up and was making a new life and a new career, you just couldn’t leave him alone. You had to spoil it for him. You took away his friends, his career, his dancing, everything that meant anything to him… and you hurt him. You made him believe no one else would want him, and you abused him.”

“That fucking bitch!” Rio spat, looking as if he was about to kick Rune. “I don’t know what the fuck he’s been telling you, but…”

“He hasn’t been telling me anything, at least not about that. He’s so bloody naïve, it never crossed his mind you were doing any of it. I think he still loves you in some kind of twisted way – at least he wants to. And he wants to believe you love him. But I don’t think you do. I don’t think you ever did. You just wanted to possess him, to spoil everything for him.”

Rio glared for a moment, then turned his eyes away, looking uncomfortably. “That’s not true. I did love him. I do.”

“Then why are you trying so hard to hurt him?”

“I’m not.”

“Oh come on. I know you’re not naïve and I’m sure as hell not. I saw you do it and I’m not blind and I’m not stupid. I know he’s scared of you. Is that what you really want? Someone who stays with you because they’re scared of you? Someone you love?”

“He’s not…” Rio said, fading to a halt. He actually looked shocked, a sad expression creeping into his eyes, as he looked at Rune. It was the first honest expression Luke had seen on his face.

As the sound of sirens sliced the air outside, however, Rio sneered. “So what? It doesn’t change a thing.”

“Rio, please don’t hurt him anymore. You know it’s me he wants. You know…”

“I know one thing.”

“What?”

“He’s mine. When I first saw his eyes I just knew I had to have him, and I do; I do have him. He’s always been mine and he always will be mine and it’ll take more than a snivelling fool, who’s only known him for five minutes, to take him away from me.”

Now, don't forget to go check out the rest of our flashers. You've got a great choice this week

Ashlynn Monroe    m/f Michael Mandrake    m/m Nephylim     m/m Lily Sawyer      m/m  Sara York     m/m MA Church   m/m  Victoria Blisse    m/f AJ Jarrett    m/m Elyzabeth VaLey     m/f Julie Lynn Hayes  m/m

MC Houle     m/m