Corpse in the Cupboard

***** Chapter 8 *****


Kiros stared at the sleeping form of the man he loved. Well, he hadn’t planned on that happening. A grin slowly spread across his face. Wow. Many times he’s imagined what sex with Laguna would be like. Of all the different scenarios that had run through his mind, none had been anywhere near as intense as the real thing. Mostly, his mind had conjured up romantic images of tender love scenes. He definitely had to stop watching those late night Hallmark movies. The smile fell from his face when Laguna began to stir in his sleep and mumbled a name.

Vincent.

Fuck.

He’d forgotten all about him.

Fuck.

The gunman was going to kill him.

Laguna’s eyes fluttered open and he slowly sat up, looking around the room, before his eyes found Kiros’. The expression on the President’s face was heartbreaking. He didn’t need to ask him what was wrong.

“Laguna. I’m…..I mean I didn’t….,” he stammered out, trying to find words that his mind refused to supply.

“What have I done?” the President whispered, his eyes closing as he covered his face with his hands. Kiros stood up and approached him, laying a hand on his shoulder in a vain attempt at comfort. Laguna flinched away from his touch and something inside of Kiros began to crack.

“It never happened,” he said flatly.

“What?” Laguna asked, looking up with a bewildered expression.

“It never happened,” Kiros repeated, turning away to hide the pain written across his face.

“I……I can’t just pretend that didn’t happen! Kiros, you’re not some stranger that I had a fling with. You’re extremely important to me! And besides, I can’t hide this from Vincent. Every time I look at him, I’ll be reminded that I betrayed him. I’ll be reminded that ……oh fuck, what am I going to do?!” Tears flowed down Laguna’s face and he rubbed them away roughly as he continued. “I have to tell him the truth.”

“Are you insane?” Kiros muttered, as he stared out the window. “Do you realize he’ll probably kill the both of us? Well, he’ll definitely kill me at least. What if one of those demons he’s carrying around inside his head makes an appearance? It’d probably destroy the whole city.”

“Damn it, Kiros, he’s not some mindless beast! Do you realize how much this is going to hurt him? I’m all he’s got right now. He’s been torn away from his home, his friends, his whole damn world was snatched away from him!” Laguna stood up and started pacing, running his fingers through his hair.

“You really do love him, don’t you?” Kiros said softly, turning to face the President. Laguna had stopped pacing and was looking at him again. “So, what about you and I? How do you feel about me?”

“I don’t know,” Laguna responded, his eyes falling to the floor. “This was all so unexpected. You never told me you felt that way about me.” The frown on his face deepened as he looked back at his friend. “Why didn’t you say something about your feelings for me before?” Kiros looked at him blankly. Good question. Laguna’s eyes held his, demanding an answer.

“I suppose I didn’t realize what I had until it was taken away from me,” he finally responded. Laguna stared at him, before sighing and turning away.

“Honestly Kiros…….I don’t understand you at all sometimes,” he mumbled. Kiros stared at his back in desperation. What could he say? That it wasn’t until he saw him in the arms of another that he’d discovered how much he needed him? It sounded pathetic, even to him. “I need time to work this out in my head. The whole ‘you and I’ issue is just too much…..I….I just can’t deal with all of this at once. First, I have to tell Vincent what happened. After that….well, I just don’t know.” Laguna walked out of the conference room without looking back. Kiros stood there staring after him as his heart crumbled.

*****

Something was definitely wrong. Laguna was quiet. The quietest Vincent had ever seen him. They were sharing dinner in the President’s quarters and usually this meant Laguna would be prattling on while Vincent listened intently. The gunman loved the way his lover became so animated, waving his arms around and over-emphasizing every point. Tonight though, there was just an uncomfortable silence. Laguna glanced up at him and back down at his untouched meal for the hundredth time, pushing his food around the plate absent mindedly.

“Laguna, what is wrong?” Vincent asked, reaching across the table to take the President’s hand in his. Laguna froze and cautiously glanced up at his lover. The gunman was shocked to see fear in those beautiful blue eyes. What the hell was going on?

“Um…..I…..I have to tell you something,” Laguna stuttered out nervously. Vincent felt his pulse increase despite his effort to stay calm.

“You can tell me anything,” Vincent said softly, as fear began creeping up his spine. “I love you. Nothing you could ever say can change that.”

“I know you love me, Vin. It’s just that this…..well…..it’s just…..,” Laguna muttered, pulling his hand away from his lover. “This is something that…..well you’ll....oh fuck.” Tears filled the President’s eyes and Vincent swallowed. Was this it? Had his lover decided that he was unworthy of him? That he didn’t deserve the happiness they’d shared?

“You don’t want me anymore,” Vincent whispered.

“No!” Laguna exclaimed, standing up suddenly and knocking over his chair. “I love you. I truly do! I’ve just…..I fucked up. I fucked up big. What I’ve done…..you’ll leave. You’ll never want to see me again and I don’t want that!” Tears were flowing down his face as he stood looking at Vincent, his eyes pleading with his lover. Vincent felt his blood run cold. He’d fucked up? What he’d done would make Vincent never want to see him again? The gunman forced his voice out, fighting the urge to panic.

“What have you done?” he whispered, his voice so soft, the President only just heard it. Laguna took a deep breath, steadying himself and ploughing on.

“I went to see Kiros today to try and convince him to stay.” Vincent closed his eyes. Oh, god, he didn’t want to hear this. “We argued and then…..he and I….we….,” Vincent stood up suddenly, silencing Laguna.

“I don’t want to hear this,” he said flatly, turning and striding towards the door.

“Vincent, please! Just let me finish,” Laguna begged, starting after his lover. Vincent ignored him, slamming the door in his face as he left.