Sex & Mayhem 02 The Devil's Ride (17 page)

Tooth nodded, watching the tight jeans molding to
Lucifer’s little ass as he moved around. He cleared his throat.
“So, will you go to the Vanilla Lounge with Milk? I need to take
Luci
fer
places.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll try to think of something I can do
with him. I suppose it’s not his fault Priest knocked up his mom.”
Bell made a long sigh and got up.

“See you later?” Tooth opened the tiny creamer and
put it in his coffee.

Bell gave him a quick wave and chatted to his sister
for a moment when they met at the door. Despite the early morning
hours, her makeup was dark and heavy. Along with the piercings, her
look always created a funny contrast with the fluffy white Persian
cat she carried around. Tooth couldn’t get his head around it.

She walked up to Luci
fer who straightened up when she said his name,
but the moment he did, Astaroth took a step back. Even her cat
hissed and stirred in her arms. She spoke to Lucifer, but Tooth
didn’t exactly hear from where he sat. He got to his feet,
surprised it was almost time for Lucifer to be relieved of the gag.
That went quick.

“Hi, Asty,” he said, walking over with the key to
the padlock already in hand.

She squinted at him. “Why is he wearing that?”

Tooth sighed. “Club business.”

“
But he’s not one of the Nails.” She raised
her
painted-on eyebrows
almost up to her bangs.

Lucifer waved his hand at her in reassurance.

Tooth exhaled in relief. “See? All fine.” He took
the small padlock and unlocked it gently before helping
Luci
fer out of the
contraption. The poor boy had to be stiff as hell.

Luci
fer
took a deep breath and rubbed his jaw and cheeks, opening and
closing his mouth. “Fucking hell…”

“I brought you the hair straightener.” Astaroth
pulled a box out of her massive studded leather bag and passed it
to Lucifer. His face instantly lit up so bright Tooth almost
thanked Astaroth out of reflex.

“That’s very kind of you,” Tooth said, patting her
on the shoulder.

“I didn’t do it for you.”

Lucifer snorted. “Thanks. My hair is so shitty I
can’t take it.”

It looked nice to Tooth. Soft and shiny. He could
pet it all day.

“
You have to come to the salon some day. I’m only
an apprentice, but I could do something for you for free. If
Mom doesn’t bitch at me.” Asty
laughed and grabbed the ends of Lucifer’s hair. “We have this great
nourishing mask that I could use here.”

Was this the kind of ‘treatment’
Luci
fer intended to find
for Tooth? Ugh, it did sound long, bothersome, and
girly.

“I’ll see what I can afford. I’m supposed to get
paid for some work around the club, but we’ll see how that goes.”
Lucifer stepped closer to stroke the fluffy cat.

Asty smiled. “Oh, you could goatsit for me. I can’t
always be here as much as I want to.”

“Just talk to Priest. It could be arranged,” Tooth
told Asty. He remembered how sweet and innocent Lucifer looked with
Beast. Like a completely normal teenager.

“
Sure, I’ll do that.” Astaroth grinned and poked
Luci
fer’s ribs. “So,
Tooth’s taking care of you? That’s new,” she said, her eyes
glancing to Tooth’s face with unabashed curiosity. Cheeky
girl.

“I’m making sure he adjusts well,” said Tooth as
matter-of-factly as possible.

“
He’s more like my personal warden.”
Luci
fer laughed and
stuck his tongue out at Tooth.

“Pretty much,” mumbled Tooth, scratching his
head.

Astaroth shrugged. “Anyway, I have to go to work.
Hope to see you soon, yeah?”

Lucifer hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded
and waved with the box. “Thanks for remembering about me. Bring the
cat more often.” He gave Behemoth one last scratch behind the
ear.

As soon as Astaroth was out the door, Tooth
looked
at Lucifer again.
“You need to change. We’re going shopping.” He loved the way the
boy’s pupils widened.

“I need it so much! I have, literally, nothing.”

Tooth couldn’t help but smile at that level of
enthusiasm. “Good, I’ll be waiting outside.”

Lucifer walked off without another word, but Tooth
caught a glimpse of him speeding up when he turned the corner,
accompanied by the sound of boots quickly hitting the floor.

He shook his head and went to his bike, waving to
Blitz on the way. The guy was chatting to that dark-haired girl
from yesterday. Maybe she’d stay for a while.

The day was peaceful, even if chilly, and Tooth
was looking forward to getting to know Luci
fer better, but there was one more stop
they needed to make before they went shopping.

Luci’s jaw still ached after wearing the gag for
so long, but the thing was actually strangely well fitted, and
he
’d gotten used to it.
His hands still stung after yesterday. He wouldn’t complain about
it though. Not to mention that having his arms wrapped around
Tooth’s waist helped soothe any pain. Tooth made a most unusual
guardian with his wild, dangerous look. No one would mess with
him.

He wondered what he would be allowed to get because
he didn’t have any money of his own, and no one talked to him about
it. Best not to raise any questions too soon, maybe Tooth would
lend him some.

They sped through downtown, but for the most part,
Luci kept his eyes closed, savoring the firmness of Tooth’s back
and the way the powerful machine worked between his thighs. It was
only when they changed direction and slowed down almost entirely
that he took a proper look around.
They went off the highway and were now in the
parking lot of a medical clinic. Nowhere near a mall.

He looked around, ungluing himself from Tooth. “Are
we walking there or something?”

Tooth parked the bike and kicked the support into
place before pulling off his helmet to reveal a mess of coarse hair
that just wouldn’t fall into place easily. “We need to have you
checked out.”

Luci backed off from the man he wanted to hug just
seconds ago. “The fuck?”

Tooth got off the bike and looked at him with a
slight frown. “Everyone needs to visit a doctor once in a while.
What’s the big deal?”

“Why now?” Luci moaned and got off on the opposite
side of the bike. The last thing he wanted was a fucking needle in
him. “I’ll go when I feel like it.”

The staring contest lasted for much longer than
necessary, and Luci eventually looked down
at his bruised hands.

“Come on,” said Tooth.

“
I’m not a dog that you just take for a
check-up.” Luci gritted his
teeth. To think that he was so excited to go shopping, only to be
tricked into coming
here
.

“Did you use condoms with Milk?”

Luci pursed his lips and hugged himself. “It was
just a blow job,” he muttered, watching Tooth’s motorcycle boots
approach him over the asphalt.

“Blow jobs can leave you with some nasty stuff. And
that guy is a manwhore.”

“I got tested, like, half a year ago. I don’t
wanna.” Luci inched away, his anxiety levels going through the
roof. The last thing he needed was to find out he had something
nasty parasite that would eat him from the inside. He would just
die. Literally, it would eat him, and he would die.

Tooth sighed and put his hand on Luci’s shoulder. “I
could get one too if that makes you feel better.”

“Yeah, like that helps. You’re probably Mr. Safe and
Proper.” Luci couldn’t get himself to look up into Tooth’s eyes. If
there was anyone around, they were probably staring as well.

Tooth’s low sigh was something Luci was already
recognizing as a pattern. “You need to learn caution when your
partner’s HIV-positive.”

Luci blinked, unsure if he understood correctly.
“What do you mean?” He finally forced himself to look up.

Tooth pulled on his beard gently. “I used to be with
a HIV-positive girl.”

Lucifer swallowed and played with the zipper of his
hoodie, unsure what to say. “Did she die?” he whispered, uselessly
attempting to control his panic. When Tooth’s eyes darkened and his
neck moved as he swallowed, it became clear the answer was yes.
“I’m so sorry. That was such a stupid fucking question.” Luci put a
hand over his face. He shouldn’t have asked, he should have kept
his big mouth shut.

“That’s all right. It’s been some time.” Tooth
cleared his throat but wouldn’t touch Luci again. “But she didn’t
die from AIDS. It can be managed if it’s discovered early, and
that’s one of the reasons why we’re here.”

Luci’s breathing was getting erratic despite his
attempts at controlling it. “I probably have it. I’m so fucking
unlucky. My case would probably be really bad, and after a horrible
illness I would die. Sometimes I have these dreams that I have a
parasite somewhere inside, like this hookworm, eating me from the
inside. Maybe it’s my body telling me something’s wrong. Your
subconscious can do that in your dreams.”

Tooth stared at him. “I don’t believe in a
subconscious. You either know something or you don’t. Let’s just
find out and stop worrying, huh?”

Luci took a step back. His whole being told him to
run, but he had promised not to. “And you stayed with that girl
even though she had it?” He already imagined how no one would ever
want him if he were diseased.

Tooth stroked the seat of his bike, without looking
at Luci. His shoulders hunched ever-so-slightly as he spoke, “Yeah.
I was scared, but it didn’t matter in the end.”

Luci went silent. The last thing he’d expect of
Tooth was hearing him admit that he was scared of something. A part
of him wanted to ask about this mysterious girl, but then he
thought of the tattoo on Tooth’s arm. A cross, a date, and the name
‘Tracy’.

“Can I call Rick? He’s been with me last time…”

Tooth shook his head and urged Luci on with a gentle
tug on his shoulder. “Are you saying he’s better than me?” he asked
with a small smile.

Luci let himself be led along to the dreadful place,
but his heart wouldn’t stop thudding. “Well, you’re not gonna sit
there and hold my hand,” he uttered, still remembering how horrible
it was last time. But Rick was there for him and pulled him
through.

“Why? Is that what you want?” asked Tooth, clearly
interested.

The moment the doors to the clinic automatically
opened for them, Luci wanted to throw up. The medical stench had
him gagging. His whole body screamed to be out of here no matter
how smiley and friendly the receptionist was. “I… I just don’t want
to be alone,” he uttered, hugging himself.

“You’re not. It’s okay.” Tooth put his hand on
Luci’s arm and pulled him closer to the counter. The corridors to
both sides seemed endless, he could get lost in them and never get
to leave.

Even as he registered, Luci felt like a lamb led to
the slaughter. He probably had some horrible illness that only
matured with time and would show up now. His dad would find out,
and he’d be disgusted, put him in a separate room, just to keep him
away from everyone.

When they walked toward the designated room, he
hoped there would be a
line, but there was no one there, and Tooth went straight
for the door, giving it a vigorous knock. He entered as soon as
someone answered from inside. Luci took a step back. It was all
happening too fast, he wasn’t ready. When they went with Rick, he
knew the visit was approaching a week in advance. Tooth just put
him on the spot, and on top of that, they had barely arrived and
were already walking in for the test. He took deep breaths and hid
his hands in his sleeves. What if the doctor asked him about the
bruises? What would he say then?

Tooth looked back and held the door for him.
Inside a small office with white walls and furniture sat an elderly
lady with the smile of a Care Bear. She waved at Luci, inviting him
to come in. He’d rather have stayed at the clubhouse and not
gone shopping at all. He should
have known good things don’t happen to him and that this outing was
one big trap.

Luci gave her a faint smile and walked in, hoping he
wasn’t trembling. His knees sure felt as soft as marshmallows.

“So, gentlemen, who wants to go first?” asked the
nurse with a brilliant smile, and just as Luci felt his head go
lighter, Tooth hurried to sit down in the chair, which left Luci
standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

“It might be quicker with me,” said Tooth and gave
Luci an encouraging smile.

At least it would give Luci a few more minutes to
try
to calm the fuck
down. He sat on a treatment table by the wall.

The nurse had a vacutainer in hand, and the moment
she started probing the inner side of Tooth’s elbow with her
finger, Lucifer looked away, focusing on his hands, hidden deep in
the sleeves of his hoodie. His whole body was screaming at him to
run, but there was no way he could flee from Tooth. The guy would
most likely chase him down with the needle still in.

“
Is there a way to test without a blood sample?”
Luci uttered and closed his eyes to fight the
dizziness.

“I’m sorry, honey,” said the nurse, “Only blood
tests are conclusive. Are you hemophobic?”

Luci rubbed his face feeling hot and cold all at the
same time. “I don’t know. I just really don’t like blood.”

“
Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, honey. I’ll make it
quick and painless.
Lots
of people don’t like blood tests.” She then explained to Tooth how
to hold his hand, and the unstoppable sound of footsteps told Luci
the chair was now ready for him. The nurse smiled at him again.
“You know, in some places people believe blood is an indicator of
character. It’s even used in matchmaking,” she said, clearly to
distract him, but he went with it anyway.