Chapter 24 Theo #2
“Art,” Peter said. “Come on. There’s no one else there, and we should take the opportunity.”
“Take the opportunity to do what?” Theo asked, but he was summarily ignored. Peter led him along through the darkness, over hills rising like the puckered skin of some primordial monster buried underneath the grass.
Behind the hillock was another installation.
This one worked with both water and light.
The floor of it was a metal rectangle with rows of spouts that shot water upward, set perhaps an inch apart.
Theo guessed there were thirty steps on one side of the rectangle, twenty on the other.
The water shot up about to twice the height of a person, and along with it came colorful light that shifted with the music that played from unseen speakers.
The way the water and light shot up before stopping and resuming again turned it into something like a shifting maze, with walls of brightly lit fountains that moved and reformed as the music flowed.
And Peter kept walking straight for the fountain thingy.
“What are we doing?” Theo wasn’t sure about this, but with Peter holding on to him, he followed.
Peter spun to face him just outside the frame. “Would you like to dance with me?”
Theo eyed him, then the water. “You mean on there?”
“Of course.” He was grinning wickedly. No. Sweetly.
Theo considered it, and after a moment, he shrugged. “You know what, it’s your car.”
Peter chuckled. “I care more about my man right now. Come.”
Like two drunk fools, they stumbled onto the fountain art.
At first, Theo tried staying in the dry areas. Peter let him go to watch the attempt. Peter, of course, had no trouble outrunning the water, but the moment Theo ended up standing right on top of the spouts as they activated and got soaked, Peter broke out laughing.
“Hilarious,” Theo said, but he really couldn’t remain serious. The world looked enchanted from inside the wall of water splitting the colors of the light into rainbows.
“You’re beautiful,” Peter said, all of a sudden right in front of Theo, his arms all around him. “Like Thor when he was about to wed Thrym.”
Theo snorted. “And you look like a big, wet Viking.”
“Viking as modern people use it to sell souvenirs and video games is a made-up word, Theodore. It’s not culturally accurate.”
Peter started moving them to the rhythm. Theo didn’t really dance, but it was easy to follow Peter, step by step, around and through the water and the light.
“It also describes a certain look in a man,” Theo said. “Or should I simply say you have a Viking chest?”
Peter sighed and said something in Norse, or whatever that language really was. “You needn’t say anything, Theodore.”
His shirt was thoroughly soaked, and Theo would’ve liked to comment. Such a shame he couldn’t praise that Viking chest.
“Sure. Whatever you say, Peter.”
“I have fallen in love with you, Theodore Turner.” Peter said it casually. A statement. Not a question. No need for confirmation.
Theo didn’t say anything, though the words reverberated around his mind.
He let Peter sway them as if the water maze were a dance floor and they the dancers following the music.
It was a perfect moment. There was magic in the air.
Theo had no idea if Peter had planned this, or if he’d just brought him here on a whim.
The music changed, and that broke the spell of the moment.
They pulled apart and walked off the piece of art, soaked through and dripping.
Theo was glad Peter didn’t push for conversation, that he just took Theo’s hand and led him away from the music, away from the light, around a hill and toward uncertain darkness.
“I don’t know if I can…if I can love you back.
Like I should,” Theo said when the night was quiet and black again.
He dug his heels in and forced Peter to turn and look at him.
“I mean, yeah, do I… Would I tell you that I love you? Sure. But I don’t know.
I thought I was in love once before, and look how that turned out.
I think my love radar is broken or something.
I do know I want to be with you, and I’m not scared of you, and I know you’ll protect me.
I’d do the same—not that I see what I can do when you have that non-Viking chest and all.
I’m sorry though. I just don’t know what I can give you. ”
“Okay,” Peter said, then turned to walk on.
“Okay?”
“Yes. It’s okay. I want nothing more than to be near you, see that you’re happy, and hopefully no less than every other day make you come undone while we make love. Or while we fuck, as you like to say.”
“But you were doing all that romantic shit,” Theo burst out, pointing back the way they’d come, at the light and water art. He still wasn’t moving, so Peter had to turn around again to face him.
“The actual idea was to force you to enjoy yourself.” When he grinned, Peter’s teeth looked pearly white in the darkness.
“Oh.” Theo cleared his throat. “Well, that was nice of you.”
“Mm-hmm.” Peter put his arm around Theo and dragged him along.
“And I can get behind that,” Theo said after a few more steps.
“Behind what?”
“The, erm, sex every other day or more. And staying with you.”
“And can you get behind being happy also, Theodore? I’d have you happy.”
Theo stopped, and so did Peter. Behind some bushes to their right, Theo saw illuminated waves and a brightly shimmering palm tree.
“You make me happy every day I’m with you.” Theo reached up to dig his hands into the wet strands of Peter’s hair and pulled him close until their lips connected.
No, Theo had no idea if he could love Peter the way he deserved, if love was real, if it meant anything. But he knew that Peter was real, and that he meant happiness. And even though Peter wasn’t addicted to Theo’s blood, these kisses had gotten Theo hooked.
Theo wanted to be right here, wet in a park in the middle of the night, in Peter’s arms, ready to be kissed senseless.
Maybe it wasn’t love, but it was something.
The In Love series will continue with Werewolf in Love.
If you like this story-verse, also check out The Banshee Bartender and The Kelpie Crush.