Vin allowed Aaron to pull him toward the car. They were heading into town."We need more condoms," David had said.
Vin wasn't certain how this had all happened, how his life had seemed within his grasp, within a hair's breadth of being his own to command. Now those feelings were like the tantalizing, vague remembrances of a sweet dream.
It was still several weeks before Aaron had to leave for Stanford and Vin was to report for basic training. He wondered if David would let him go; if he would let either of them go. It didn't seem right, not any of it. He'd left Wirral, Texas, telling everyone who cared — both his foster parents, his social worker, and the high school's guidance counselor — that he had enlisted. He was eighteen now and that's all the information they needed. No one would think to look for him here, in David's house beside the lake some hundred miles north.
But Aaron ... Vin wondered about him, though he never asked. If he would have taken the time to admit it to himself, Vin would have realized that he was afraid to know the truth. Aaron was meant to do great things; he was incredibly smart, talented, funny, good-looking ... and Vin knew his parents loved him. So, why wasn't anyone worried about him? Why weren't his parents up here, prying him away from David, dragging him home?
When they reached town, Vin soon found out.
"You two head over to the drug store. I'll meet you there. And don't do anything stupid," David warned as he pulled to a stop at the corner. The light was green, but he didn't seem to care; the guy in the car behind them honked, but all David did was flip him off.
They'd been into town before. Vin had thought about running away, but the truth was there was no place to go. David had the car. Vin would never evade David long enough to catch the bus. There wasn't a train station within at least fifty miles, maybe more, let alone an airport. Not that Vin had money for any of those things. If he were to leave, he'd have to walk, and he knew he wouldn't get far.
As he and Aaron headed down the sidewalk, Vin fought the urge to take his hand. He wanted the physical contact; he craved it like he never had before. Maybe because, after all those months of being together in high school, he'd gotten used to it. For the first time in his life, someone wanted to touch him and wanted to keep on touching him — not to hurt him, but to make him feel good and special. Or maybe it was because he felt like he and Aaron were in this together. He couldn't leave Aaron behind. He just couldn't. He'd tried, but he couldn't.
He just wanted things to go back to the way they had been. Vin never thought he'd want things to be like they'd been in high school, but he found it was the truth. He wanted things with Aaron to go back to the way they had been. He wanted to just walk with him, talk, hold his hand, kiss him.... But they didn't do those things any more.
He was only with Aaron when David felt like watching them, and David always liked a show ... he always wanted to see them doing things that made Vin feel like taking a shower, though he knew soap and water could never scrub the filth from his body. He hated David for making him feel that way with Aaron.
When they entered the drug store, Aaron headed straight for the display of condoms. Vin didn't go with him. He hated this part of their life perhaps more than anything else, because it made him feel like he was doing this by choice. Should we get the ones with ribs? Should we get the colors, the flavors? It made Vin sick to his stomach.
He headed for the candy aisle instead. He wanted everything he saw, but only because he knew David wouldn't buy him anything. He had no money of his own. Maybe he could convince David to buy him an ICEE if he promised to drizzle the sweet, cherry liquid over Aaron when they got home. He wondered how mad David would be when he drank the whole thing during the ride back. He didn't like it when David got mad, because then David hurt Vin ... by hurting Aaron.
Vin swallowed hard as he left the candy aisle. He wandered around the store, glancing at the small assortment of toys. He wished he were young enough to want some of them. He walked passed the shelves of diapers and feminine hygiene products with a small amount of embarrassment, which ought to have surprised him, but didn't. Then he stared at the rows and rows of drugs: cold medicines, vitamins, antacids, aspirins, and sleeping pills. He wondered if any of them were strong enough to make him feel better.
He left that aisle as well, but as he turned the corner, he spotted Aaron. He was standing in the very back of the store, talking on the pay phone. Vin wondered where he'd gotten the money, or if he was calling collect. Vin didn't move. He hoped Aaron wouldn't see him, wouldn't realize he was listening. Aaron hadn't told him he was going to make a phone call, which meant that Aaron didn't want him to know, for whatever reason.
"No, really," Vin heard Aaron say. "Everything's still fine ... yeah, honest, Mom...." This was why Aaron's parents hadn't come looking for him. Vin wondered how many other times Aaron had managed to call home. "No, everything's good ... hiking some and camping ... oh, yeah, that, too. I caught a really big fish that we had for dinner...."
Fish? They hadn't had fish. They hadn't gone fishing once in the lake since they'd arrived. David didn't like fish.
"No, it's okay ... don't worry ... I don't want you to worry about me ... okay ... I love you, too ... say hi to Dad for me...."
Vin headed back down the aisle before Aaron hung up the phone. He didn't understand why Aaron hadn't told his parents to come get him. Vin knew Aaron didn't hate this place as much as he did, but he also knew Aaron was homesick and tired of doing whatever David told him to do.
Aaron was a smart guy; why hadn't he figured out that they needed help getting out of here? Or was it arrogance — did he believe he could think his way out of this, that given enough time he'd finally work out the answer as if it were a math problem? Or was he just too afraid to face his parents? He'd never told them he was gay, though he said he thought they'd probably be supportive. Still, it's one thing to find out your son is gay, but it's something else entirely to have to pull him from beneath another man.
Vin suddenly found himself staring at the long rack of magazines — glossy pictures of impossibly pretty girls and even prettier boys. He'd never met anyone that looked like they could be on the cover of a magazine, except maybe Aaron, back when they were in high school; he didn't look that way anymore, not with the dark circles under his eyes and the weight he'd lost since they'd come here.
Vin heard the bell on the door jingle. He walked quickly down the aisle to see who had entered. He wasn't ready for David to take them back to the house, to break open the new box of condoms Aaron had picked out. He wondered who would be getting fucked tonight, and who would be watching. Vin hated being the one to watch, because he hated it when David fucked the guy who was his first, the guy who used to be his boyfriend and his alone.
At least when David was pounding into Vin, he could tune it all out; he didn't even have to close his eyes anymore. He could just sink into the sensations, the sparks that would shoot up his spine; just live for the moment his balls would tighten and his dick would grow diamond hard. He dreaded the come, the end, when it was over, when he couldn't stop himself from thinking again, from knowing where he was and whom he was with. It wasn't the dick being pulled from his ass that made him feel empty; it was that return to awareness.
He glanced at the front door, but saw no one. Vin headed over to the aisle with the condoms, but Aaron wasn't there. Next he checked the aisle with the greeting cards, because he knew Aaron could spend hours reading the cover and inside of each card in the humor section. But Aaron wasn't there either, nor was he at the front counter. Then he heard a crash. Vin ran toward the back of the store.
Aaron was on the ground, surrounded by cans of baby formula. Above him stood three of the local boys. They'd had minor run-ins with them before.
"You little faggot!" one of them spat.
Aaron looked at Vin as he came around the corner and Vin could see the question in his eyes. "Why me? Why is it always me?" Vin wanted to tell him, but knew Aaron would take it wrong.
Vin stepped between Aaron and the three yokels. "Leave him alone."
"You wanna piece of this, ass-licker?"
Vin just stared at them. He couldn't take them all. He wasn't anywhere near that big of a guy; maybe he could have given them each a little hurt to take home had he still been on the high school football team, but it had been over six months since he'd played any sports at all.
"Come on, cocksucker. Let's see if you hit like a girl." The heaviest of them rushed forward and Vin managed to step aside just in time, to let the guy's momentum carry him into the shelf of baby shampoos and lotions. Vin looked back at the other two, then took a step forward. The taller one raised his fists, and then took a swing at Vin, landing a clumsy blow to his shoulder.
Vin didn't take the time to play fair; he'd learned early on that it was more important to just end these things as quickly as possible. He kicked the guy in the crotch, and then swung up, catching him hard enough in the jaw that Vin heard his teeth chatter. The guy stumbled away, leaving two down and one to go. Vin stood his ground, waiting to see what the last one would do — the guy rushed, head down. Vin almost lost his footing on a can, trying to get out of the way. He managed to clobber the guy on the back, sending him straight to the floor.
The manager and pharmacist appeared just as Vin was giving Aaron a hand up. "What's goin' on here? Look at what you've done!"
"It wasn't his fault, sir," Aaron said, quickly letting go of Vin's hand. "Those boys attacked us. We didn't do anything."
"That's not what it looks like ta me," the manager said. "Looks like you two were the ones startin' trouble. You're gonna pay for this here mess."
"We, uh...." Vin felt his throat go dry. "We don't have any money."
"Verne, go call the sheriff," the manager told the pharmacist.
They were going to be thrown in jail. Vin had never been in jail. He wondered if David would bail them out, or if he would just let them rot in there. Then he wondered which would be worse: going to jail or going back to the house with David.
David arrived before Vin could decide. "What the hell did ya two do?" were the first words out of his mouth. "Ya Goddamned stupid fucks!"
"Hey, there's no call fer language like that, young man," the manager told him. David just glared. With his attention turned, he didn't see the biggest of the three local boys get up off the floor and rush him. He and David crashed into the pharmacy counter and Vin heard a sickening crack. Suddenly, there was blood everywhere. The yokel rolled away with a groan, but David slumped limply to the floor as blood gushed down his face.
Aaron made a sound that Vin knew meant he was going to throw up in another few moments. "Aaron. Go out to the car — wherever David parked it — just go find it!" Aaron nodded, but Vin had to push him toward the door to get him to move.
"I told you we didn't start this," Vin said to the manager. He didn't know if the man believed him or not, but he didn't care.
"Verne, call the ambulance! One of these boys is bleedin' somethin' terrible."
Vin kneeled down beside David. He was out cold. His hair was thick with blood; he must have a huge gash where he struck the edge of the counter, Vin thought. David's mouth was slack; thin, bright blood ran in, but it was red drool that oozed out.
Vin grabbed at David's jacket, quickly looking through the pockets. They were empty. When he started on the pockets of David's jeans, he saw that his crotch and thighs were soaked. Vin knew that wasn't a good sign. He'd seen guys hurt on the football field all the time. A few lost consciousness; fewer still wet their pants when it happened — those were the ones who spent days or sometimes weeks in the hospital.
With his fist clenched tight, Vin stood. "Ambulance coming?" he asked the manager who just nodded. Vin turned and noticed two of the three yokels were gone. The third, the one who had tackled David, was still lying on the floor, conscious but dazed. Vin looked over at the manager again. "I have to check on my friend." Again the manager nodded.
Vin didn't waste another minute heading straight outside. He didn't know where Aaron was. He could have gone anywhere, despite what Vin had told him to do. Vin scanned up and down the block, and then he scanned the far side of the street. Aaron was sitting on the curb between two parked cars; Vin almost didn't see him. He was bent forward with his head resting in his hands. Vin wondered if he'd thrown up after all.
He crossed the street right there, not bothering to head the ten feet to the crosswalk. He only had to dodge one car on the way and he didn't care when the man called him a stupid kid.
There was no vomit in the street, so Vin kneeled down in front of Aaron. "You okay? Aaron! Look at me. Are you okay?"
Aaron raised his head. His eyes were red-rimmed, which seemed to be the only color in his face. He nodded. "Is David...."
"He's not dead. Just hurt. There's an ambulance coming for him." In the distance, Vin could already hear the sirens — the sound was quickly becoming louder. "Come on." He grabbed Aaron's arm and pulled him to his feet. To Vin's left was David's car. "Get in."
"We don't have the key. David has the key. David's—"
"Shut up, Aaron. Just shut up." Vin opened his clenched fist and showed Aaron the keys he'd taken from David's pocket. The grooved metal had left deep impressions in Vin's palm, but he didn't notice. He jammed the key in the lock and twisted, then he pulled the door open and pushed Aaron in.
Once Aaron had his feet inside, Vin slammed the door, and then ran around to the driver's side. Aaron normally would have unlocked the door, but today he just sat still, his hands in his lap, his head hung. Vin opened the door and then slid in behind the steering wheel.
A few minutes later, they passed the ambulance as they headed out of town. Vin kept the car a few miles below the speed limit. Now was not the time to make things worse. Besides, he was too busy trying to think to be able to pay that much attention to the road.
"Vin? Where are we going?"
"The house."
"What about David?"
"Pretty sure he's goin' ta the hospital."
"Shouldn't we go there, too?"
"Doubt the doctors and nurses need our help."
"Don't joke! It isn't funny, Vin! There was too much blood for it to be funny!"
"Ain't laughin', Aaron. Just ... just calm down, okay? He's not gonna die. He's gonna be fine. And so are we."
"We should go to the hospital."
"No. We're goin' to the house. We're packin' and then I'm drivin' you to Stanford." Vin could see out of the corner of his eye that Aaron had suddenly looked over at him, was staring hard at him. "I'm not stayin' here. And I'm not leavin' you behind," Vin told him, refusing to argue.
They both fell silent again and Vin watched the road. There wouldn't be much to pack. It wouldn't take them more than fifteen or twenty minutes. He hoped there was some cash laying around the house. He'd forgotten to grab David's wallet. They could have used a credit card. At least they had the car, and they could always sell that (if Vin could find the pink slip) and use the money to hop a bus or even the train. It didn't matter, really, as long as they just got away from here.
After a while, Vin heard Aaron exhale as if he'd been holding his breath. "It wasn't supposed to be like this, Vin."
"I know." Vin reached over and took Aaron's hand. He pulled it into his lap and just held it.
~ fade ~
April 2003Please do NOT repost this story anywhere outside of the Blackraptor Fiction Website.Thanks to my beta reader for her kind attention.Characters from "The Magnificent Seven" were used without permission and this story in no way signifies support of, or affiliation with, The Mirisch Group, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment, or CBS Worldwide, Inc. The M7-ATF universe was created by Mog, and extra thanks go to her for allowing other people to play within it. The story itself and any non-Magnificent Seven characters belong to the author. This story will not be sold for any reason.