Uncaging Bunny/LT Fanfiction

Chapter 34 - Raid!

Laurent arrived at his bedroom to find the door closed.  When he slowly opened it, he found Larry curled up on their bed, a blanket pulled over his fetal-positioned body, his back facing the door. He was softly weeping, and it broke Laurent's heart to see his bunny like this.  Laurent entered the room, closing the door behind him.  He slowly walked over to the bed and gently sat down on the side opposite Larry.  He reached over touching Larry's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.  "Larry, baby, please talk to me."

Larry sniffed.  "Laurent, I...I'm sorry.  You mind please, I want to be alone.  O..o...kay?  I...I'm alright."

"No, baby, I can't do that," Laurent uttered, indulgently.  "I'm sorry too, but I don't want to leave you alone right now.  You're not alright, and it's okay.  Please, look at me?"

After a while, Larry slowly turned to face Laurent.  His eyes and face were flooded with tears, his full lips trembling when he faced Laurent.   

It tore at Laurent to see Larry like this.  He reached for a handful of tissues and began gently mopping the tears from Larry's eyes.  He handed more tissues to Larry who assisted in drying his face, but more tears flowed.

"I'm so sorry.  I wish you hadn't seen all that like this," Laurent said.  "I should have told you about the raids but I wasn't sure when they would start.  I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Laurent, it's Manny's. (sniff) So, what Pedro said was true then.  I...didn't want to believe the things he'd said.  Now I know.  Now it makes sense.  When I was brought there and I met Manny, I realize now how naive I was.  I just thought Manny was poor.  I'd been poor too.  I understood being poor.  But, I thought Manny was protecting me the best way he could, that he didn't have much but he was protecting me.  I thought he was my friend.  I knew Manny did some bad things, but I never imagined this. I should have known.  I should have said something, asked questions, tried harder to get away, but I...I was too afraid of what I would find out.  I didn't really want to know anything.  I had nothing."

"No, baby, don't do this to yourself.  Please don't do this to yourself.  You're not responsible for his actions.  In a way, it's good you didn't know anything.  He might have hurt you, threatened you.  It was probably that innocence that helped protect you."  Laurent moved up closer to Larry on the bed, taking him in his arms.

Larry melted against Laurent, wrapping an arm across his waist, his head resting on Laurent's chest.  "I was stupid, Laurent, I--"

"No," Laurent chastised.  "No, and I never want to hear you refer to yourself with that word ever again."  Laurent took his finger, lifting Larry's chin so that he was looking directly at him.  "Never again.  Okay?  You're not stupid."

Larry nodded, meeting Laurent's intent eyes.  "It's just that, I can't believe the man I'm...married to could do such things, could be this...evil.  I was in deep denial.  I knew Manny wasn't perfect, but I didn't imagine this.  I thought, when I was brought to Nicaragua, and I met Manny, I thought he had been brought there too, that we had both been victims of, whatever I thought that was.  He was nice to me.  I was so scared, so far from home.  I'd never been out of New York, let alone another country. I was so alone.  I didn't know anybody. I thought he was trying to take care of me, to take care of himself so that we could leave there some day."

"That's what he wanted you to believe."

"Yeah," Larry uttered, looking away.  "It was so bad there.  I didn't really know what was going on.  When he got us from that camp, I thought he was a good guy.  I thought he was strong, so he...he (sniff) was going to get us out of there.  I never imagined...."

Laurent leaned down, planting a soft kiss on Larry's forehead.  "I know, baby.  I know."

Larry pointedly look up into Laurent's eyes.  "I recognized that place, Laurent.  The place on the TV.  I was there, Laurent, at one of those camps."  New tears started to form in Larry's already red eyes.  "I was there.  (sniff). It was horrible.  When I saw that, it brought it all back to me.  I feel so bad for those people."