Tag: LGTBA

Flash: Daylight Regrets

Erin Penn

Daylight came too soon, pushing back the magic of night. Julian pulled the crumpled bedsheeets around him wondering … wondering if he could continue, wondering if he could stop.

Joseph had been his world from the moment they met at the recreation center. Joe, blond, sculptured, and popular was the pool attendant. Surrounded by the teenage crowd of beauty, where he reigned supreme.

Julian debated pretending to drown to get his attention … for weeks. Instead, for the first time of his life, he crushed his shyness and asked the guy out. He expected to be shot down. Joe could have any guy or girl in the pace. Instead he said yes. Yes to a dweeb, yes to a guy in a homophobe town, yes to him.

They swam daily during lunch. They ate breakfast and dinner together. From the first date, they saw each other every day. The high school Julian had been certain would turn against them in their senior year, supported them – their star quarterback, swimmer, pitcher and the new guy who stole his heart and won the county science fair and took the chess team to national finals.

They changed the town. Gave hope to other kids who came out to their parents. Joe still won prom king, and the crowd cheered when Joe and Julian took the dance floor beside the prom queen and her college boyfriend.

Five years of bliss. Joe supported him through college. Cleaned house, cooked meals, massaged aching shoulders. They started talking about adoption after Julian got his first full-time job.

They were suppose to have forever.

Julian rubbed the goosebumps on his arms as he watched the sun climb in the sky.

The problem is Joe thought so too. So much, so hard, he continued to visit Julian every night since he died. And Julian couldn’t say no. He never had been able to turn Joe away.

And he needed to.

Needed to.

Needed to send Joe to the light. Instead Joe left before the dawn every morning. And Julian relived Joe’s betrayal every day – Joe dying while Julian had to keep living. The moment Julian was told Joe would never …

He needed to stop this cycle before it destroyed him. He needed it to continue so he would always be loved. Never seeing Joe again would kill him. Keeping seeing Joe would break him.

He couldn’t keep living like this. He couldn’t stop living like this.

(words 408 – originally appearing at Breathless Press 10/10/2013 for the 5/6/12 Sunday Fun – See the picture that inspired the story! – As I do not know the copyright permissions, I have not copied it here; republished new blog format 9/8/2019)

Flash: Medical Treatment

Erin Penn

Rating: Mature

“Hey, come here. I’ve something to tell you. A secret. ” The male half-grin was perfect.

Beatrix looked over at the others in the stark white room. She couldn’t deny the appeal of what they were showing her. She started to move around the hardened body. Every muscle was perfect, textbook though her understanding was. The black shirt clung to his exceptionally broad shoulders, swept over muscular breasts, and teased her with hints of a defined abdomen.

His electric blue eyes caught hers. “Come closer! I won’t bite.”

His baritone chuckle sent sexual tingles through her. She never experienced anything similar in her life.

“Unless you like it.” He offered, the intense eyes smoldering.

“Virginia Woolfe’s Landing.” Beatrix cursed. Her hands gripped into fists and pressed tightly against her hospital overalls.

One of the other women, all three wearing medical staff mesh suits, pressed a few icons on a console. The male froze midstep, shoulders tilted towards the patient, a half-smile remaining in place. Beatrix relaxed as life left the robot’s eyes.

“I am so sorry to upset you.” Dr. Kahlo, Beatrix’s psychologist, soothed. The nurse, who was really a bodyguard for the doctor against her psych ward patients, and an intern followed the doctor from the opposite side of the room where they had been observing her reactions to the robot. Beatrix’s long-time mental illness was so unique, dozens of students fought for time to study her. She was thankful the normal pod had been locked out for the experiment.

“No, no. It’s okay doc.” Beatrix opened her hands and smoothed her sweaty palms against the fabric covering her. “You told me exactly how it would act. I just didn’t expect how I would RE-act.”

The doctor touched her bracelet highlighting the importance of this part of the recording. “And did we react strongly?”

“I pretty sure you didn’t react at all.” Beatrix hated the constant plural the brain doctors used. They did not have her problem. “But I about creamed myself when it chuckled.”

The intern looked away in disgust at her crudity.

Because she could – Dr. Kahlo wanted absolute honesty in order to provide better treatment – and the intern annoyed her earlier today with a barrage of questions, Beatrix continued, “That deep voice made me want to drop to my knees and slurp his stick.”

“The appropriate term is penis.” Dr. Kahlo corrected, unfazed. “Should you want something less formal, historical documents indicate terms such as prick, cock, and dick were used.”

Chastised, Beatrix felt like an uneducated hick from a canyon clan. A feeling she was used to having around Dr. Kahlo.

“So do we believe this treatment might be beneficial?”

“Just so we are riding parallel on this.” Beatrix winced as she followed the psychologist speech patterns. “I get to use the medical device under supervision here. If it works, I get to take it home and go back to real life.”

“If the medical device works, we will continue to see each other regularly and continue to search for a real cure.” The doctor frowned. “Remember we are using this as a stop-gap measure only to return to functional integration. We don’t want it to be permanent, any more than we would want to use a cane for the rest of our lives.”

“But if it works, I get to use it until something else is found.”

“Of course, Miss Bentley, since you have not responded to either chemical treatment or biological restructuring, we will suffer through the temporary inconvenience of a medical device.”

Hardly an inconvenience if it worked. She would be able to return to her home. Beatrix already imagined conducting vibalettes and nigaloons again. She knew her mothers and sisters would throw a high-pressure-explosion for her coming home party. She had been in and out of hospital care since they discovered her issue as a teenager.

During her musings about returning to ordinary life, the doctor and her shadows had returned to the console. They reactivated the robot.

The male finished his step and reached for her. Beatrix saw the pity in the intern’s eyes as she lifted her face up eagerly to be kissed. A shudder shook her body as the medical device lightly bit her ear as promised before placing his lips on hers.

The student didn’t understand.

None of them truly did. How could they? She was the only heterosexual woman born in the Amazon colony since landing.

(words 741 – originally appearing at Breathless Press 9/12/2013 for the 7/22/12 Sunday Fun – See the picture that inspired the story! – As I do not know the copyright permissions, I have not copied it here; Republished in new blog format on 12/23/18)

Flash: Anything but an Aggie

Erin Penn

Battle of the Brazos

College Logos – copyright unknown, but seems to have de facto entered public domain.
These logos were downloaded from a gambling site.

“Wow, I can’t believe how nervous I am.” Lucas said looking at his parents on the couch. “Is this how you guys felt every time we had a family meeting?”

His father gave his soft smile, and his mom replied, “Public speaking is always nerve-racking, even with … no let me correct that … especially with family members in the audience. You might like to try a debate class at Baylor; mine really helped me.” She then scooted a little further forward on the cushion and brought her knees firmly together. After twitching her skirt to cover her knees, his mom’s long fingers crossed as her hands met. The clasped hands settled without wrinkling her black linen A-line. She looked up, waiting expectantly for her eldest to continue.

Lucas glanced over to his sister slumped in the recliner, one leg hanging over the armrest. The game on her tablet was making plenty of bubble popping and gun blast sounds from whatever she was playing. One of the two earbuds was out which meant Cindy was paying attention as well.

“All right then. I really don’t know how to say this, so I am going just to say it.” The nineteen year old paused to take a deep breath before blurting out. “I’m gay.”

Lucas didn’t realized he closed his eyes when he took the deep breath until he wanted to see his parent’s reactions. He pried his lids open to see no appreciable change. No dropped mouths, pale faces, or red faces working towards eruption. His dad’s soft smile was still in place and his mom nodded as though waiting for something else to follow.

Expecting a bigger reaction from his two very Baptist parents, he added. “That’s it. Just thought you should know.”

“Thank you for informing us.” His mother said, starting to stand. His father reached for his crossword.

“Umm, you’re not upset?” Lucas asked timidly.

“We decided long ago to only get upset about things we can control. Things we don’t have a choice about,” standing on tiptoe, she gave him a peck on the check, “or our children don’t have a choice about, we can only accept.”

His mom went to finish getting ready for the Sunday evening service.

Somewhat shell-shocked, Lucas turned to Cindy, “You okay with this?”

Cindy put her game on pause. “I figured it out last time we went to Galveston, Bro. Anytime your head swiveled it was for a totally hot guy. After that I just watched you watch guys and then scoped them out myself. You were so much better than me picking them out of crowds.”

Lucas looked at his father who snapped the paper to tighten it for writing. “I thought you were going to announce something ghastly like plans to transfer to A&M.”

“Oh Heavens, he is not switching to A&M, is he?!?” His mother shrieked when walking back in the living room with her dress suit jacket.

“No, Mom, not changing into an Aggie.”

“Good.” Giving them all airkisses with her freshly lipsticked mouth, she made for the front door. “Oh, and sweetheart, don’t think just because you are gay, you get out of giving me grandchildren.”

“Of course not, Mom.” He responded to the closing door.

(word 541; originally published 3/20/2013; republished 11/4/2018)

Flash: Ending Forever

Erin Penn

freedigitalphotos.net

Julian sat in his driveway reluctant to leave the car. Lights blazed welcome from the windows, pushing back the night. Maybe he should just go to an impersonal hotel.

Unable to decide which was more cowardly, habit kicked him off the fence and into the house.

“Julian, give me kisses.” His lover, Joseph, demanded while stirring a pot. The kitchen smells sent Julian’s abused empty stomach growling. Salad, steak, a cream sauce for peas, every surface seemed to be covered with food. The quick peck Julian offered wasn’t enough to meet Joe’s requirements. The refrigerator rocked when Joe pressed his swimmer-defined rock-hard body against Julian’s smaller build. Deep kisses woke parts of Julian he rather remain dead.

Needing comfort against the anguish Julian lost himself in the kisses. His cock tightened and pressed against Joseph’s. He pulled the taller man against him, forgetting for a moment.

“Much better.” Barefoot silent on the tile, Joseph returned to the stove. “Missed you.”

“I always miss you.” Julian responded. Freed from his lover’s embrace he opened the refrigerator to keep from staring at the blond. Sculptured from years of swimming and sports, Joseph was the most beautiful man Julian had ever known. The five years they had lived together were the happiest in his life. But that time had ended, Julian needed to end it. And he couldn’t.

“Don’t go ruining your dinner.” Joe barked.

The fridge was empty except for some expired milk. “Not really a problem.” Julian muttered under his breath before closing the door on the escaping cold. “I’ll go change.”

***

Joe controlled the dinner conversation while Julian pushed food around his plate amazed at the heft and scent, the realness when nothing in his life felt real anymore. Having participated in the discussion about the community pool opening for the summer over a hundred times in the past three months, he was able to answer Joseph without thinking. Until he broke.

“I can’t do this.” Julian staggered from his chair and ran toward the bedroom.

Their shared bedroom. Still disheveled from last night

Joe caught his arm as he entered. “What’s wrong? You’ve been quiet all night.”

“So glad you noticed.” Tears pouring from agony-filled eyes prevented Julian from focusing on Joe’s all-American face.

“Hon, what is wrong?”

“You’re dead. Dead!” Julian accused his lover. “Died saving some girl the day the pool opened. Why do you keep coming back?”

 (words 402; first published 10/30/2013; republished new blog format 10/7/2018)

Flash: Unexpected Consequences

Erin Penn

Smoke curled outward from under Mohan’s duster, seeking lungs to fill.

“Who’s there?” yelled the recent vampiric conversion. A silver chain on his ankle limited his movement to the illuminated area of the spotlight. His night vision would not develop for three more nights, granting the watcher effective invisibility. She was impressed he had sensed her entrance, sitting quietly beside the empty rust-stained bowl until she changed shape.

Once the cavern swallowed the last echoing “therrrrre”, the new arrival cautiously drew air to speak. Holding the breath a moment, testing its flavor, she then slowing moved it over her vocal cords to answer, “Emily, Dion’s sire … your grandsire and keeper.”

“Where’s Dion?” Mohan rushed the light’s edge, pacing back and forth with his chain chiming against the stones. He earnestly sought her location, despite the disorienting echo. A useless task as he had not had a chance to develop the skill set; her servants had been under strict order to remain silent during his captivity.  

“Being disciplined.” The vampire elder coldly stated as she moved over the loose overburden and wet tailings, judging the fog’s reach.

Mohan stilled as he processed the information. Living habits clung to him like leeches. His constant movement was distracting, but understandable. Only a week had passed since his removal from the grave; so she forgave him the disgusting habits he was displaying.

“He wasn’t supposed to turn me, was he?” Mohan’s brown curls fell across his forehead as despair hunched his shoulders.

“Awarding our blood to other supernaturals, can have …” Emily paused watching the smoke thicken and reach further into the abandoned mine before completing her thought, “… unexpected consequence.”

Mohan wiped his hands over his face. “Did you destroy him?”

“He is young, less than four decades old. I decided he should be given a chance to learn.” Emily took another breath to continue talking and this time felt the fog fill the corners of her little used lungs. She felt something, a wish to reassure the suffering child, hold him. Crushing the feeling to unfeeling, Emily declared, “You will not see Dion again.”

“But he only did it to save me!” Mohan shouted. “We love each other! Please!”

Whispering a final begging crossed his lips, “please.”

Jealousy, a much more familiar emotion than compassion, ripped through her. She nearly closed to force obsession on the boy. His love should only be for her.

…. Interesting gift, that fog. A little too visible at the moment. But she could already think of a few uses. The fog must be gaining in strength, otherwise her servants would have released him by now.

She would have to take over all care of the youngling. She pushed the bowl of blood she had brought with her across the light’s edge. Again, compassion tried to sneak in as she watched Mohan collapse crying. Tomorrow, after she has cleansed herself and arranged for a means to communicate without breathing his air, she would need to decide if she would let this one live. 

(words 507 – originally appearing at Sunday Fun on Breathless Press 2/3/2013 (copyright of picture inspiring story was unknown); republished in new blog format 1/28/2018)