Summary:
A long-awaited confession and reunion.
---
It turns out, Carol and I had both been repressed and in denial of our own feelings. What initially had started out as a one-sided pining situation ended up becoming a formed solidarity between two closeted homosexuals. Her obvious religious upbringing and my lack of romantic experience had resulted in a confusing first meeting, which later made us realize that what we both saw in each other wasn't much of a romance, but more of a friendship between two polar opposites who found a common ground and a mutual understanding of each other's situations.
So naturally, after having a brief confession session with each other about how we felt for our respective persons, we both decided to place bets on who would go confessing first. If Carol confessed to Helen first, I'd give her a 50% discount on whatever item Helen wanted to purchase from me. If I confessed to Sam first, she'd give me more of her confiscated sex toys for me to re-sell.
I wasn't one to back out of a challenge, so right after finishing my food, I hightailed the fuck outa McDonald's in search of a familiar head of ambitious amber hair.
I probably would have found Sam sooner if I hadn't gotten sidetracked by a measly text message.
But then again, it was a text message from my dad.
Who I hadn't heard from in weeks.
So whatever the hell he'd been up to better explain his absence.
_______________________________________
"So uh, long story short, I got kidnapped by two British bozos working for the Queen of England because your mother had some beef with Lizzie over a transaction of orphan hearts but it's all good now thanks to Bryce beating the ever living shit outa her and oh, did I mention we got married a few days ago? Yeah, it finally fucking happened! Not to mention, she's actually growing her own heart now while your good ol' padre is out here strutting around without one hah but anyway how have you been, bud?"
Luxy blinked as he tried to process and digest the information his father had just spilled on him all in one breath. When the old bastard asked if they could meet up at the arcade so he could explain the reason behind his absence, Luxy wasn't exactly expecting all that. He wordlessly motioned for his father to keep going, but instead of elaborating the story like he hoped, the horny terrorist simply stared back at his very confused son with a wide, toothy grin.
"Ugh, okay, as much as I want to question everything else you just said, could you repeat that last part for me again??"
"You mean about me not having a heart?"
"Yeah, that." Luxy nodded before slamming his hands on the table in between them. "The fuck do you mean you don't have a heart anymore?!"
"That I don't... need one.. to survive??"
That barely did anything to answer Luxy's question, which left Bobby no choice but to explain everything that had happened since he got kidnapped. The young salesman listened intently to every word, despite not quite fully believing how all that shit happened in the span of about three weeks.
"Okay... I honestly don't know what's more shocking to me; you not needing a heart to keep you alive or the fact that it took you and Ma this long to tie the knot."
Bobby shrugged. "Ever since the day your mother cut out her heart for me, I knew there was no other woman I'd want to spend the rest of my life with. The only thing marriage did was make it official on a piece of paper. Also, sorry for not inviting you to the ceremony. It was just a spur of the moment kinda thing and we really only had Donovan there to officiate it."
"Eh, it's fine, Pops." Luxy offered him a small smile, "Ma probably wouldn't have wanted me there, anyway."
Bobby's expression softened. "She does miss you, you know?"
Luxy scoffed. "I highly doubt that. She may not be heartless anymore, but she definitely acts more soulless than me!"
Unfazed by his son's sudden outburst, the terrorist tilted his head to the side to try meeting the other's eyes.
"Are you sure you're soulless, kiddo?"
The salesman raised a brow. "Uh, yeah? I literally sold my soul to the fucking devil!"
"Then why do you care so much?"
"I– what?" That managed to catch Luxy off-guard. Bobby continued.
"Why do you feel so strongly for things you otherwise wouldn't even give two shits about if you had no soul?"
Luxy opened up his mouth to speak, but found himself speechless as he thought about what his father meant. His mind slowly reflected back to the past few years he's been living soulless and he realized that things actually started to change ever since he met a certain someone and agreed to be partners with him.
"So you're saying I developed a soul?"
Bobby's lips curled into a half smile. "Possibly. Or perhaps it isn't so much as a how but a who."
It's as though all the pieces of the puzzle finally clicked into place, and the picture it displayed had been the person his heart was yearning for all this time.
Just as his mother was the living embodiment of a heart that his father needed to survive, Sam was the soul that converted Luxy's sad, pathetic life into one that was truly worth living.
He gave him purpose.
He gave him direction.
He gave him hope.
Shit. He needed to find Sam.
"I um, I have to go, dad," Luxy shot his father an apologetic look. Bobby just chuckled as he leaned against his chair with a knowing smirk.
"Off to find that blonde twink partner of yours?"
Luxy's cheeks turned red. "How did you know?"
"Just a hunch."
"And you're okay with it?"
Bobby shot his son with a deadpan look. "Luxy, I don't give a fuck what kind of holes you're sticking your dick in so long as you're happy, kay?"
"Yeah, I don't know about tha–"
"Besides, anal is fucking amazing!" The horny terrorist practically moaned. "Your mother is really good at–"
"OKAY OKAY I GET IT! No need to go into detail, dad." Luxy shuddered as he shook away the mental image of his parents going down on each other from his mind.
"I'm just saying, there's no shame in being a bo–"
Luxy was already out the door before his dad could finish his sentence, but he managed to hear his father's faint cackling from inside, which he fondly rolled his eyes at.
Looks like it was time for him to do a bit of soul searching.
—
"Sam! There you are!" Luxy exhaled a relieved sigh as he finally found the person he'd been looking for. It might not have taken as long as it did if he had just started at the last place he saw him. But then again, he had no idea the man would still be there at his mini warehouse.
The tall blonde looked up at his name being called and instantly shot up from his sitting position on the ground at the sight of Luxy.
"Mister Leroy, I can explai–"
"Have you been waiting for me here this whole time, Sam?"
The other man blushed and ducked his head.
"Y-yes...?"
"Since this morning?"
"...yeah."
The salesman felt his heart flutter.
And this time, he knew exactly why.
"Well, I'm here now. Did you want to tell me something?" Luxy watched as Sam shifted on his feet, nervously fiddling with the zipper of his vest.
"I'll only tell you if you promise not to get mad..."
"I could never be mad at you, Sam."
The response only made Sam's blush deepen.
"Okay, well... uh, alrighty then, here goes nothin'..." Sam closed his eyes as the words he's been trying to keep in go stumbling out of his mouth.
"I LIKE YOU!"
After a beat of silence with not a single response from Luxy, Sam honestly thought the man had made a run for it. But when he opened up his eyes, he was surprised to see the salesman still standing there right in front of him, the softest of smiles splayed on his face. And it was directed to him.
"I like you, too blondie."
Sam couldn't believe his ears.
"You're– you're serious?"
"Mhmm. I think I have for some time now."
"Oh."
Well, now that that was out of the bag...
"What does that make us, then?"
Luxy shrugged. "I don't know. I personally don't consider myself gay. But I'm not entirely straight, either. Also, sex isn't my thing–"
"No, no, silly... You and me," Sam shyly gestured to themselves. "What are we?"
The salesman hummed in thought.
"I mean, we've always been business partners, Sam. Frankly, I wouldn't want to change anything between us."
"Oh?"
"I mean, in the sense that we've always acted like we were together." Luxy clarified, which relieved the blonde. "So, what do you say? Business partners?" He lifted up a hand.
Sam smiled and accepted it.
"Business partners."
bzz bzz
The two men jumped from the sudden sound. Luxy pulled out his phone and snorted at the message he received.
It just said:
Too slow, Leroy.
With an attached picture of a smug-looking Helen flipping off the camera, while Carol could be seen in the background trying to hide her kiss-mark covered face.
"Hmm, I think it technically counts as a tie."
"What counts as a tie?" Sam curiously asked.
"Nothing you need to worry about, blondie."
The blonde raised a brow and smirked.
"Alright, whatever you, Luxy."
The salesman's jaw dropped, and Sam giggled at his reaction.
"You– you actually called me by my name..." Luxy exhaled in disbelief. "After three whole years..."
"Well, better get used to it then, partner."
—
Three months went by like a breeze, and they were probably the best three months of Luxy's life so far. Carol and Helen became his two closest friends, he got to see Timmy and his siblings more often now, business was doing pretty good as usual, and for the first time in forever, he was finally in a happy relationship.
Perhaps the very highlight of the past three months for him was when an unexpected visitor came by his mini warehouse as he was shooting a pride themed advertisement for his sex toys. It had been so long since he'd last seen him, but the moment the teen mentioned the importance of money, he knew that the young homosexual before him was really his biological son. The boy had apparently been found and adopted by two men named Harold and Uriah, and they had raised Leslie as if he were their own. Luxy seriously couldn't be more grateful that his son had grown up in a healthy and caring household of two kind gentlemen. Leslie had even convinced him to reconcile with Cathy, which had unfortunately gotten him a slap on the cheek and a good scolding once he finally agreed, but thankfully, they managed to come to a mutual understanding and agreement for them to start co-parenting Timmy and his siblings.
So yeah, things were going great for him.
But his story wasn't over yet, no.
There was still one more thing he needed to do.
He needed to talk to his mother.
—
"Really appreciate you trying to help, Pops, but are you sure Ma is ready to see me again?"
"Relax, Luxy." Bobby said as he stared at his son through the car's front view mirror. "Your mother doesn't even know I'm bringing you to her as we speak."
"The fuck?! Dad!"
"What? She can't refuse to see you if you're already there!"
Luxy looked over to the driver's seat, where a certain humanoid robot assistant was manning the wheel. "And you agree with him??"
Donovan kept his eyes on the road as he answered. "She needs to face you eventually, not-so-little boss."
Welp, that's two against one.
"Ugh, fine." Luxy slumped into his seat as he stared out the car's tinted window. "But you really think she'd have the time to talk to me?"
"She doesn't work for The Board anymore, bud. Her schedule is lighter than ever now that she's the main big bad boss."
"Huh, we'll see about that..."
—
By the time they arrived at Bryce's main company building, there were barely any cars left in the parking lot. Given, it was almost eight o'clock in the evening, but unlike most corporate bosses, Bryce was nice enough not to overwork her employees and made sure they were paid fairly if they performed their jobs well. After all, she of all people knew what it was like to not get paid the amount they deserved for their effort and hard work.
"She's probably in her office on the 20th floor. Come on, bud."
Luxy couldn't help but feel slightly insecure as they walked into the building and towards the elevator. He had always envied his mother's success since he began his career as a salesman, and boy did he feel intimidated now that he was stepping foot into her domain.
When the elevator doors opened, both Bobby and Donovan accompanied him towards the big red doors at the end of the hallway.
Holy shit. The bitch even had the whole floor to herself!
The trio stopped at the foot of the door, where Bobby and Donovan each took hold of a door handle as Luxy stood in between them.
"Are you ready, bud?"
Luxy gulped.
Well, no better time like the present.
"Let's just get this over wi–"
BANG!
All three men froze before hurriedly barging into the CEO's office.
"BOSS!/BRYCE!" Donovan and Bobby cried out in unison.
A body fell face first right in front of the three men, with blood heavily oozing out of the bullet wound from the back of their head.
"Ah, just in time, boys."
Luxy, Bobby, and Donovan all sighed in relief as they caught sight of a very much alive Bryce sitting at her desk with her back turned to them, a half-smoked cigarette in one hand and a golden pistol grasped in the other.
"Kindly dispose of that body for me, will you?"
"Geez, what did this guy want from you, sweetheart?" Bobby asked as he kicked the limp man's body with his foot.
"Oh, just another idiot who thinks they can run my whole empire better than me. Seriously, this is the third one this week!" She complained, putting out her cigarette as she let out an exhausted sigh. "Frankly, I'm getting tired of all these stupid fucking wannabes."
"Good to know you haven't changed at all, Ma."
Bryce stiffened at the sound of Luxy's voice. Her heartbeat only quickened as she finally turned to face the three men standing by the door. On the left was her best friend and loyal assistant, on the right was her first love and husband, and standing right in the middle was her sweet, beloved and only son.
"Luxy..." The mother exhaled under her breath.
And despite his best efforts to compose himself, the salesman couldn't stop his voice from cracking as he finally got to face his mother again.
"Long time no see, Momma."