Taron leaned against the cage and looked at Colin from above. This past week had been tough on both of them. Colin was surely fearing for his life, and Taron found him difficult to ignore, no matter how hard he tried to pretend Colin was just a feral bobcat he kept downstairs.
Taron lied, to keep more of his cards.
Colin flinched as if Taron had struck him, and as he hugged the bars in front of him, his face twisted into a grimace of pain. “You want me to rot here,” he whispered, shaking his head.
Taron groaned. His life had been fine without a little fly buzzing in his bunker all day long. No one was even supposed to know about this place, so that Taron’s future safety wasn’t compromised when shit hit the fan. Still, he was too curious not to ask his next question.
Colin licked his lips, watching Taron as if it were an intrusive question, but once a moment passed, he spoke. “I’m gay.”
Heat slapped Taron’s face, and he wouldn’t even blink, but that was exactly what Colin wanted. This was a game they could both play. Colin lying about being gay, Taron pretending to believe him. They would fuck, and once that urge was sated, all would be good in the world again.
Colin snorted and leaned against the bars. “No. But it’s why I learned the sign language. I had a crush on this guy who worked with deaf people, and I volunteered to be around him.” He then signed,
Taron couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such an in depth conversation with anyone. It must have been years. Even his signing felt rusty. he teased, cocking his head.
Colin rolled his eyes. “I lied, okay?” When Taron didn’t react, Colin raised his hands in frustration and groaned. “You have a fucking cage in your cellar and I saw you kill a guy! What would you have done in my place, seeing all those porn mags?”
Taron gave that some thought. Was it possible that the boy wasn’t lying? It seemed too good to be true, but had Taron really snatched himself an ASL-speaking pretty boy who was also gay? He wasn’t sure if it was a fucked up gift from God or irony, because with how they met, Colin would never be his.
Taron tapped the bars.
Colin scowled. “Jesus Christ, what’s wrong with you?”
Taron let out a soundless laugh. He hadn’t been this amused by a human being in ages.
Colin spread his arms as much as the cage allowed. “He would have left you to starve. What’s the point? For petty revenge?”
Taron wanted to make sure he put this point across before voicing his offer.
The expression of absolute joy on Colin’s face made him look younger, for a brief moment, almost childlike. He reached out to Taron, as if he really wanted to take his hand and Taron was happy to grant that wish to the soft fingers. “Please. And may I take a shower?”
he signed after a while, because he found it hard to let go of the fingers.
Colin smiled, and either he was that good of an actor, or the promise truly made him joyful. “You will not regret this. I promise to stay put.”
Taron walked over to the chest of gear he’d bought at a junkyard but hadn’t yet gotten the chance to sort through. He had just the thing to make the whole endeavor easier. He grabbed the thick metal collar and attached a chain to it.
He did not miss the sudden intake of breath from the cage. “Please don’t tell me you’re a pervert after all,” Colin asked, the moment Taron turned around.
Taron rolled his eyes but approached the cage, wary of items Colin could use as weapons. But since there was nothing sharp around, Colin could hardly do much damage with those delicate hands.
Colin snorted. “The cat collars have padding. What about this one?” he asked, shifting so that Taron could open the cage. He was cooperating, and his long limbs were even more of a temptation now that Taron knew his touch wouldn’t be as unwanted as he used to believe.