by G. R. Lyons
“Colby.” Vic grimaced. “I don't want to hurt you.”
“You have to.”
Vic shook his head. “I wanted this for you–”
“And this is what I need,” Colby demanded. He held Vic's gaze. “Please, Vic. I need you to come inside me.”
Vic groaned as his cock slid home again. “Fuck.” He took a deep breath. “Are you sure?”
Colby nodded emphatically, holding on to Vic even tighter.
“Colby–”
“Please, Vic. Come inside me. Make me yours.”
Vic's hips pulled back and slammed forward as temptation began to win over his better judgment. He went still, checking Colby's face for any sign of uncertainty, then thrust again. Gasping out a breath, Vic gave in, pounding into the boy and clutching that little body in his arms as he raced toward orgasm.
“Colby–”
Colby held on, even going so far as to tighten his muscles around Vic's cock, sending him over the edge.
“Oh gods…”
Vic stared into Colby's eyes, panting, heart racing, as his cock pulsed, shooting deep inside his beautiful boy's body. Through the haze of pleasure, Vic braced himself for the panic.
But it never came. Amazingly, as Vic stilled after the last pulse of his cock, Colby smiled.
Vic stared at the boy as he slowly caught his breath. He'd never seen Colby look quite so serene.
The sight made him smile back. “Now you're mine,” he said, the words coming out as more growl than murmur as he leaned down to kiss the boy. “All mine.”
Colby gave him a smile, though it trembled as tears started to form in his eyes.
“Sweetheart…” Vic carefully pulled out, gathered the boy in his arms, and dragged the comforter over them, wrapping Colby up as tight as he could manage.
“I'm alright,” Colby choked out, snuggling in closer. “Just…overwhelmed.”
“I've got you,” Vic murmured, pressing a kiss to Colby's forehead.
Vic felt a few tears drip onto his chest and run over his shoulder.
“My sweet boy,” he whispered.
Colby breathed a laugh.
“Although,” Vic went on, chuckling to himself, “I really should stop calling you that.”
Colby tipped his head back to look up at him.
“You're a man,” Vic explained. “I have trouble remembering that sometimes.”
“Vic.” Colby trailed his fingertips down Vic's face. “I told you before. I like being your sweet boy.”
Vic smiled. “Yeah?”
Colby nodded.
Vic chuckled and kissed his forehead again. “Good. Because I like you being my sweet boy, too.”
Colby smiled and snuggled in closer.
They lay like that for a long while, warm and silent. Vic was determined to hold on to the moment as long as he could, just waiting for Colby to decide that he'd had enough of touching, of being naked, of being exposed. He wasn't going to let go until Colby decided.
Finally, Colby wriggled in his grasp. “Vic?”
Vic loosened his hold. “Sorry, sweetheart.” He carefully brushed Colby's hair out of his eyes. “You wanna go take a shower and go to bed?”
Colby nodded slowly, then whispered, “Can I stay with you?”
“Yeah, of course, if you want.”
Colby nodded again.
Vic pushed the comforter away and slid off the bed, Colby sticking close to his side as they headed for the washroom. He started the shower, and nudged the boy in under the hot water, holding him close as they took a few moments to just absorb the heat.
They washed themselves and each other, then stood under the spray again, neither one of them seemingly ready to leave that warm cocoon.
“Vic?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
Colby tensed in his arms. “What if I can't ever do that again?”
“Hey,” Vic murmured, hooking a finger under Colby's chin and gently tilting his head back. “Don't you even worry about that.”
“But–”
“Nothing like that ever has to happen again if you don't want it to.”
Colby frowned. “But you want it.”
“I do,” Vic admitted, “but that doesn't matter if you don't want it, too.”
“Oh.” Colby's frown deepened. “You won't be mad?”
“Of course not, sweetheart. I won't be mad. Or disappointed. Nothing is as important as you feeling safe.”
Colby started to smile, then put his arms around Vic's waist and hugged him close. “I feel safe with you.”
Vic grinned. “I'm glad. Thank you.”
Colby shook his head and pulled back, looking up at Vic's face. “No. Thank you. For everything. For saving me.” He paused, glancing in the direction of the bedroom, and blushed. “For making it beautiful.”
Vic bent down and kissed him. “You made it beautiful for me, too.”
Colby smiled shyly and hid his face as he hugged Vic again.
Vic held the boy until he felt his cock twitch with interest, and knew he had to pull back before Colby felt it. They'd had enough for one night. If there was any chance of any sort of intimacy ever happening again, Vic would have to take it slowly and be patient.
“You stay here for a moment,” he said, kissing the top of Colby's head. “I'll dry off and go get you some clothes for bed.”
Colby nodded, then hugged himself when Vic drew away.
Vic quickly dried off, retrieved his discarded clothes from the bedroom, and hurried down the hall, gathering up all of Colby's layers, just in case the boy needed them, and took them back to the washroom, setting it all on the counter. He tidied the bed, turned down the sheets, and settled in to wait.
Colby came out just a few minutes later, wearing only a t-shirt and flannel pants.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Vic eyed him carefully. “How are you feeling?”
Colby hid a yawn behind his hand. “Tired.”
Vic smiled. “Come lie down.”
Colby climbed up on the bed and snuggled down at Vic's side with his head on Vic's shoulder. Vic held him close, smiling to himself. He'd fully expected the boy to go hide out in the dark, but instead he was there.
Vic reached for the lamp on the nightstand, but before he could switch it off, his phone lit up with an incoming call.
Colby lifted his head. “Vic? What's wrong?”
Vic grabbed his phone. “It's Hunter.”
Colby gasped. “Is he alright?”
“I don't know,” Vic said, and answered the call. “Hunter?”
A sob and a sniff greeted him. “Vic?”
Vic sat up. “Yeah, kiddo. I'm here.”
Hunter sniffed again. “I…Um…I need help.”
Vic looked at Colby. The boy's eyes were wide, and he nodded insistently. Putting the phone on speaker, Vic set it down and grabbed a tablet off the nightstand, pulling up the site for the local airport. “Where are you?”
“The next town north of where you found me,” Hunter said, his voice unsteady. “I think. I don't know. I don't know what it's called. I–”
“Hunter, shhh. It's alright. Take a breath for me, champ.”
A shaky breath came over the line.
“Good,” Vic murmured. “Now, look around you. Tell me what you see.”
“Um…” Hunter paused. “There's…a bakery. On the corner of Magnolia and Bennett.”
“Magnolia and Bennett,” Vic muttered to himself, typing that into a mapping app on his tablet. The image zoomed in on a bakery storefront. “Got it.” He tapped an icon that found the nearest airport, and linked that address over to the site where he could buy a ticket, then covered the mouthpiece on his phone and looked at Colby. “There's a flight out tomorrow.”
Colby nodded rapidly. “Go.”
“Are you sure?”
“You have to save him, Vic.”
Vic smiled as he sighed, then quickly kissed the boy and uncovered the phone. “Hunter?” He bought the plane ticket, then swit
ched back to the map to do a quick search.
“Yeah?” Hunter sniffed again.
“There's a shelter four blocks from where you are. I want you to go there, tell them I sent you. They'll give you a bed and food for the night, and I'll find you there tomorrow. Can you do that for me, champ?”
“I– I don't–”
“You've got this, kiddo. Just head north on Bennett. I'll stay on the phone with you until you get there.”
Hunter gasped out a cry, then sniffed again before he said, “Alright.”
Vic waited, and Colby grabbed his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“My sweet boy,” he mouthed.
Colby smiled.
Vic smiled back, and held on to Colby's hand as they listened to Hunter's rapid breathing.
“Where are you, kiddo?” Vic asked.
“Um…Bennett and Rosemary.”
Vic checked the map. “Good. One more block, then turn right.”
He directed the boy all the way to the shelter, then listened as Hunter spoke to the shelter's director and got settled in for the night.
“Hunter? I'll be there tomorrow, alright? You've just gotta sit tight and I'll be there, I promise.”
Hunter let out a shaky breath. “Thanks, Vic.”
“Get some sleep, kiddo. It'll be better in the morning.”
They said their goodbyes and rang off. Vic set his phone aside, then kissed Colby on the top of his head and got up to pack.
Colby followed him to the closet. “Can I help?”
Vic stopped, turned to look at him, and smiled. “If you want, thank you.” He picked out a suit to wear the next day, then another for packing in case he needed to stay down south overnight.
“Vic?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
“Where is Hunter gonna go?”
Vic paused in going through his ties, and blew out a breath. “I have no idea. I might have to do some research on the plane.”
“Oh.”
Vic went back to packing.
“Vic?”
Vic chuckled. “Yeah, sweetheart?”
“What if you bring him here?”
Vic stopped again. “Here?”
Colby nodded, then took a step forward. “He could have my room. I can sleep in the basement and–”
“Whoa, slow down,” Vic said, holding up a hand. Colby snapped his mouth shut. “Why would you sleep in the basement?”
Colby fidgeted, tucking his hands up under his chin. “Because I'm braver now, but Hunter is new and scared, so he should be up here where he's close to you, and–”
“That's very thoughtful of you, sweetheart, but…you are not sleeping in the basement.”
Colby's expression fell. “Oh.” He swallowed hard and gave a slow nod. “So you are gonna send me away,” he whispered.
“What? No!” Vic threw down the pair of socks he was holding and stepped around to pull the boy into his arms. “No. You're not going anywhere.”
“But…Vic…Hunter can't sleep in the basement! He'll be scared, and–”
“Neither one of you is sleeping in the basement,” Vic told him, “not even if it were finished, which it isn't yet.”
Colby frowned. “I don't understand.”
Vic looked around, smiling to himself as an idea took shape. “Tell you what: How about, tomorrow morning, before I go, you help me rearrange all this,” he said, gesturing at the walk-in closet, “to make some room, and we move your things in here?” Vic turned away, zipped up his bag, and took Colby's hand, pulling him back out to the bedroom. “That way,” he went on, “Hunter can have your room…and this can be our room.”
Colby's whole face lit up. “Really?”
Vic nodded, then looked over the room and pointed when another idea came to him. “And that odd corner over there? I was never really sure what to do with it, but…I'll build you a little nest there. We'll call it a reading nook, I suppose, but if you ever need to sleep alone—if there's ever a time when you can't even stand to let me hold your hand or kiss you—you can hide away there and I won't disturb you. And I'll get some blackout shades for the windows. How does that sound?”
Colby's lower lip trembled. “Does that mean I can stay?” he whispered.
“Of course, sweetheart. For as long as you want.”
Colby glanced away for a moment, then looked up at Vic from under his eyelashes. “Forever?”
Vic smiled, and had to swallow down emotion before he could answer, “Forever.”
As the boy surged up to kiss him, Vic saw Colby's eyes bright with happiness, and when they curled up together under the blankets, his boy safe in his arms, Vic felt all the weight of his past failures melt away.
Epilogue
Twelve months later…
VIC LUGGED his cello out to the car, then headed back inside, adjusting his tie as he went. Treble had been playing at Sapphire Lounge—owned by Asher's uncle, Gregor Arden—every other weekend for the past several months, slowly but surely regaining their old following. And then some. The administration at Denmer University found out Treble had made a comeback, and invited them to play at the Founder's Day celebration, an event that the whole city seemed to get involved in every year, held in honor of the man who'd made the university—and, thus, the entire, beautiful city—possible.
With so many other music acts out there, being invited to play was a huge honor. Treble couldn't pass it up. And when Vic had told Colby about the gig, the boy had insisted on coming to watch. He hadn't yet seen Treble play in public—he didn't often leave the house, and certainly never alone—but he wanted to support Vic as well as continue his work in facing strangers, so he was determined to go.
Especially since Hunter had just moved out on his own, so Colby no longer had his new friend to keep him occupied. Of course, Cam was always there, and they were expecting their first two foster kids tomorrow now that the basement was finished. The whole therapy-office plan was still a work-in-progress, but Colby was helping Vic set up the halfway house part of it in the meantime, rescuing abandoned kids and giving them a place to sleep while they worked toward living life on their own terms.
“Colby?” Vic called, heading down the hallway. “You ready, sweetheart?”
“Um…”
He found Colby by the closet, staring down at himself.
“What's wrong?” Vic asked. “Would you rather stay home?”
Colby slowly shook his head and pointed. Vic glanced down and saw that Colby's jeans stopped about an inch above his ankles.
“Did I do something wrong with the laundry?” Colby asked, tugging at the sleeves of his shirt. Even those were shorter than Vic remembered.
“Huh.” Vic strode forward. “Come here.”
Colby stepped closer, and Vic moved them right up against one another.
“Stand up straight for me.”
Colby did, and Vic rested a hand on top of his head.
Vic chuckled. “Nope. You've actually grown.”
Colby took a step back, looked down at himself, then back up at Vic. “I did?”
Vic nodded. “At least an inch, I'd guess. We'll have to get you some new clothes.”
Colby's eyes went wide. “But–”
“No, hey. That's a good thing.”
“It is?”
Vic nodded again. “It means you're healthy.”
Colby smiled, then got a confused look on his face. “Am I gonna keep growing?”
“Hmmm, probably not much. You're twenty-three now, and men usually stop growing around then.”
“Oh.” Colby nodded. “Good.”
“Good?”
Colby looked up at him from under his eyelashes. “I didn't wanna get too big. I like being your little guy.”
Vic grinned, bent down to kiss him, then steered him into the closet. “Let's find something that still fits.”
They went through Colby's clothes until they found pants and a shirt that were long enough. His shoes were also a bit snug, but
they'd have to make do until they could go shopping. For now, he managed to get Colby dressed so they could head out to the university and set up in time for Treble's show.
“You sure you're up for this?” Vic asked as they climbed into the car.
Colby nodded. He looked slightly anxious, but he really had made tremendous headway over the past several months. He still had days when the memories threw him into a panic, and probably would for some time, but he was fighting back every step of the way, determined to live a normal life.
“If you need to leave, you just tell me,” Vic insisted, reaching for his hand.
Colby squeezed back and nodded.
They got to the university, found a place to park, and headed across campus hand-in-hand. Vic carried his cello, and kept Colby close to his other side. The little guy glanced around nervously at the crowds, but he kept going, determination showing through his anxiety.
Vic found the stage where they'd be playing, and went around to the back of it, where they found Zac, Ryley, Adrian, and Asher. The latter two surrounded Colby and escorted him out to a place on the lawn while Treble ran through some warm-ups, Vic glancing up every few minutes for any sign that his sweet boy might need him.
The announcer called their name, and Treble took the stage to a roaring applause. Vic settled himself in a chair with his cello between his legs while Zac and Ryley worked the crowd, waving at people and leaning down to shake hands before tucking their violins into place and setting their bows at the ready.
As the first notes of a reworked Will Knightley classic filled the air, Vic glanced into the audience. On a blanket, right in front of the stage, Colby sat securely bracketed by the larger figures of Adrian and Asher. All of Treble's lost boys, right there in the light.
No more shadows. No more nightmares.
Vic watched Colby smile as Treble played.
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed Illumined Shadows, reviews on sites such as Amazon.com and Goodreads.com are always welcome!
For more information on the world in which the Treble and the Lost Boys trilogy is set, check out grlyonsauthor.com
And see what becomes of Vic's rescue, Hunter, in a new m/m/m taboo trilogy, The Boy Collector. The trilogy begins with Kacey: