Uncaging Bunny/LT Fanfiction

Chapter 25 - Love's Desperate Mission

The following day, Wednesday, the day after Manny gave Larry the ultimatum, was a day much like the day before for Larry and Sofia. A somewhat new routine was started, barely better than the last. They now had their meals outside of their rooms. Larry, with the faithful assistance of Sofia, threw himself into preparing the meals of the day, doing what he considered his only available means of joy and hopefully, an opportunity for their eventual escape.

And like the day before, after each meal, he and Sofia cleaned and cleared away the remnants. As before, and between meals, they otherwise languished watching TV or entertaining themselves with whatever board game was provided, always under the ever watchful eye of Diego, and the occasional drop in of Manny...except for today.  Manny spent much of the day taking business calls so he would duck in and out between calls.  He'd joined Larry and Sofia for breakfast but would take his lunches in his office.

Larry was grateful he didn't have to deal with Manny's presence through lunch where he'd have to suffer his questions and continued ultimatums regarding expectations of their life together, particularly his expectations of a return of intimacy between them. Manny not being there at the moment allowed Larry and Sofia time to emotionally relax, enjoy a reprieve, if even only briefly.

Larry's feelings of helplessness and hopelessness were starting to return, and it showed in his demeanor, much to Sofia's doting observation. She hated seeing Larry look so deflated, and she hated Mr. Manny even more for putting her beloved "son" through this.  Mr. Manny was a selfish man, she mentally declared.  He knew nothing about love, otherwise he couldn't subject the man he claimed to love through such treatment. 

Sofia wished she had the right words to truly comfort Mr. Larry, really give him hope.  All she could do instead is be with him, offer him bits of wisdom, hope, and encouragement as best she could.  She continued to at least try to show strength for him, even though in truth, she too was starting to feel the slow demise of the once hopeful plan of their escape unravel into nothing more than a pipe dream.

Short of taking off running, or just walking out the door and not looking back, Larry was starting to see few options of escape now. He felt more caged than ever. This is how Manny did it. This is how he'd done it all these years.  This was how he broke one's spirit, bent it to his will, and before long, one day turns into one month, then one year, and eventually ten years. Except Larry didn't feel he had another week in him with Manny, and he didn't know how much longer he could take of what was becoming his new normal.

Yet again, by the end of the day, after dinner had been consumed and the kitchen cleaned and closed for the night, Larry and Sofia did what they usually did since being allowed outside their rooms, which was nothing of any real value except entertain themselves with board games and watch TV, as both of them, in their own way, slowly sank into despair.

Manny had joined them for dinner. Afterwards, he sat with them, a little ways off to the side, saying nothing much, but always watching.  He was quieter than the day before, Larry noticed, and he was grateful for the peace, though he knew it would only be temporary. He knew his husband. His...husband, a term he now used very loosely when referring to Manny, whose quiet often spoke volumes, much like a nagging impending cold, waiting to pounce and consume you. It was on those occasions when Larry would become the most fearful, waiting for when and how the proverbial next shoe was going to drop.

After he and Sofia were escorted back to their rooms for the night, Larry had laid in bed fully awake for what felt like hours, unable to sleep, looking up at the ceiling, this time as thoughts of Miguel and Pedro's eventual return flooded him with dread. There would be even more of Manny's loyalists in the house; all the king's men, providing him and Sofia even fewer avenues of escape.