Matthias froze. The wooden spoon slid from his limp grasp to land with a wet 'plop' in the pot of . . .of . . .whatever Matty had been cooking. The blond youth turned with glacial slowness.
Standing in the doorway to the kitchen - his kitchen! In his house! - was a man that haunted Matty's nightmares.
"How's my little minnow?"
Matty's heart sped up sharply and his breathing started to labor even though he simply stood in place. The intruder looked so ordinary; like any other slightly attractive mild aged man. It was hard to believe he'd been imprisoned for prostituting his ten-year-old stepson.
"Y-You can't be here. You aren't allowed to be here! You're supposed to be in jail!" Matty wailed.
"Yeah. I guess there was some problem with a cop contaminating evidence. So here I am." The man held his arms open. "No hug for Daddy Rob?"
"Don't you touch me! Don't you dare touch me! After what you did! You're the reason I'm screwed up in the head! You're the reason I'll never be normal!"
Though Matty shrieked protests, Daddy Rob was beside him suddenly, twining strong arms around the teenager's waist. The blond youth immediately began to thrash and fight the grip.
"No! You can't do this! I'm not a child anymore!"
"That's right. You aren't a child, Matthias. You're nineteen and legal. It's not molestation now, Matty; it's just two men enjoying each other. Don't you remember how we used to enjoy each other?"
"No!"
"Don't lie to yourself, Matty. You were only ten when I caught you in the dugout of the junior high baseball diamond, sucking off half of the starting lineup." Rob's voice dropped dangerously low.
"T-There were only three of them." Matty protested weakly.
"Oh, Excuse me. However, instead of turning you over to a physiatrist, I took you back to my bed and showed you how good it could be. You loved it. Don't lie," Rob snarled as Matty opened his mouth to protest. ⌠Every night your mother worked late you'd climb into my bed and beg to be fucked. Wouldn't you? Wouldn't you, Matty?!" The older man shook the blond youth roughly.
"Y-Yes."
"Does that sound like a victim to you? Do victims enjoy the pleasure they get? Do victims come asking for more? You were a whore long before I ever got a hold of you."
Matty whimpered, tears sliding down his cheeks.
"What I don't understand is how a kid who loved dick so much could rat out his stepfather for giving him what he wanted."
"You rented me out by the hour!" Matty screamed. "To men who didn't even know how to have anal sex safely, much less how to handle a kid! They hurt me! They just kept hurting me! And you just kept handing me over!"
"Hurt you? Matthias, you don't know the meaning of the word 'pain' until you've been gang-raped by a group of jail-yard thugs. Let me show you what that's like." The older man threw all of his weight onto the blonde youth, dragging Matty to the floor.
"No! No, get off of me!" Matty screamed, beating his fists against his ex-stepfather's shoulders.
Rob ignored the blows, tearing off the teen's clothes with practiced ease.
"Ready for real pain, Matty?"
"No! Don't touch me!" The blonde wailed as his slender body was forced into position.
"PHOOOOOOOOOKAAAAAAA!"
"Hush, I'm right here." The kelpie muttered.
Matty blinked at the dark ceiling of his bedroom. Phooka was in bed beside him, watching the mortal youth through barely open eyes. Matty's heart was beating so fast it felt like it was trying to escape his ribcage.
"Phooka . . ." Matty breathed, relief obvious in his voice.
"You were having a nightmare." The fairy said gruffly. He stroked Matthias' arm under the covers. "Hush now, it was only a dream."
Matty tried to fake a brave smile for the kelpie, but the hot, fat tears that suddenly poured from his eyes would have given him away. The blond youth turned his head into the pillow and started to sob softly.
There was an exasperated noise and Matty squeaked as he was yanked tightly against Phooka. The mortal youth's head was pillowed on the elf's bicep, while Phooka's other arm curled around Matty's shoulders. The kelpie even lifted one leg and draped it across the blonde's thighs. The overall effect was one of being wrapped in warm, protective muscle.
"Tell me what you dreamed." Phooka said softly.
Matty hesitated.
He had enough counseling to realize the prostitution wasn't his fault, but sometimes he wondered about his other childhood sexual escapades. What about that thing with the baseball players? Why did he seek out his stepfather's abuse? Had he really enjoyed it as much as he thought, or was it just his mind trying to justify his actions, like his shrink claimed? Was he a born whore?
"T-There's something wrong with me," Matty whispered. "I'm screwed up in the head. I'll never be all right. I'll always be weird inside." The teen screwed his eyes tightly shut.
Phooka studied Matty for a moment.
The kelpie didn't know much about humans. He still considered the vast majority of them useful only as entrees.
Matty was starting to grow on him.
Still, it was possible that the things a man-eating fairy found endearing would be considered major character flaws by the rest of humanity.
"I like you the way you are." Phooka said simply.
Huge blue eyes blinked incredulously.
"You were calling for me. Tell me what you dreamed."
"I-I dreamed someone . . .from my past was returning to hurt me," Matty whispered.
He didn't mention the certified letter in his desk drawer from the state prosecutor's office outlining the forensic glitch that had caused his stepfather's case to be overturned and cited the exact date of the man's release.
"Hhhhmmph. Let them come," Phooka grunted, snuggling Matty closer. "I'm here."
Matthias Conway went very still.
Since Binding the stubborn elf, Matty had been careful to give Phooka his space, allow him his regular habits and show the kelpie the respect he deserved, unless it was in the face of outright defiance.
After a few initial rebellions, Phooka has settled into his role as adored but spoiled boyfriend. However, he never did more than what he was ordered to do. Sex was given under command and cajoling the elf into kissing outside of the sexual sessions was like pulling teeth.
But now Phooka was cuddling him and comforting him after a nightmare and -
Matty nearly swallowed his tongue in shock as the immortal's lips pressed to his forehead in a sweet, soothing kiss.
"Go back to sleep, Matty," Phooka crooned.
The blond youth snuggled up to his immortal lover as tightly as humanly possible, giggling softly when Phooka stuck his nose in one of Matty's ears. The teen drifted off to sleep secure in the knowledge that no matter what, Phooka would protect him.
