“Yeah. I don’t know how many lives I’ve got left in that place, though.”
“Your clients would follow you.”
“I know, but to where? I don’t think another place would take me.”
“Come here,” said Hassan, holding his arms open.
Kieran welcomed the hug from his best friend. He gave the best hugs. Not something he’d experienced much as a child. He wasn’t sure what he’d do without Hassan in his life. Kieran was grateful the man was married to his job and had no interest in romance. He still had fun, though. They’d even fucked a few times in their first year, but they were better offas friends, which was a view they thankfully shared. It would be awkward if one of them were harbouring a secret yearning for the other.
“Do you want to go out for a drink or something?” asked Hassan, still hugging Kieran.
“Nah.”
“Takeaway?”
“Go on, then!”
They both laughed as they broke the hug. Hassan smiled at him, and Kieran wiped his eyes. How lucky it was they’d found each other in that first week of uni and bonded over their shit families. They both had siblings they weren’t allowed to see, and although it had been a decade since he’d left home and never gone back, it still hurt when he thought about it. His sister would be twenty now. She might even be at university. He wondered why she’d never tried to contact him. Kelly had doted on Kieran as her older brother, but who knew what toxic crap his mum had put in her head.
“How about pizza?” asked Hassan.
“Fine, but let’s share one, because I want sides, and not all of us burn off thousands of calories a day just from doing our job.”
Hassan was an A&E doctor, so he was on his feet for twelve hours a shift, plus he worked in urgent care at a private hospital. How he had the time and energy for all that was a mystery. Kieran sat on his arse all day, tattooing people. Thankfully, he had decent definition on his chest and arms from the gym, but his stomach was softer than he’d like.
“The usual?” asked Hassan.
“Yeah. Just all the carbs, and some chicken wings as protein.”
Hassan smiled and pulled out his phone to order. Kieran was supposed to have been working until eight o’clock tonight, so was happy to be home early. Hassan did shift work, as did Sarah, so it was unusual for all three of them tobe home at the same time. Kieran worked from ten until eight four days a week, but it varied each week. The only day he always had off was a Sunday, as they didn’t open.
He was lucky he’d found this job, and he’d been there a year now. The shop was opposite the cheese grater building on Leadenhall. They got a lot of city types, who were suited and booted when they walked in, but as soon as that shirt came off they were covered in ink. Many of the guys were hot, but they weren’t what did it for Kieran. He had a particular type, and he knew it was pretty messed up, which is why he kept the reasons to himself. Hassan just thought he liked older guys who gave off daddy vibes. No need to unpack all that, though. Some things were better kept to himself!
Kieran used the time while they were waiting for their food to be delivered to have a shower. His body was almost fully covered in ink now, and it had taken him ten years to get it looking the way he wanted it to. Some of his earliest work he’d tattooed himself, but those had since been covered up with better designs. His first tattoo had been a way to take back control of his choices, and since then, he’d not been able to go a month without getting inked. Kieran had always been artistic, so it was a natural career for him. He’d never really wanted to be a doctor, but it’s what his mum had wanted, so he’d done as he was told. At least he’d gotten Hassan out of the experience. The rest he was happy to leave in the past.
They only had one bathroom in this flat, whereas they’d had two in the last one. But there had been four of them then, and all gay guys. One bathroom would have been a disaster.
Milo and Liam had lived with Kieran and Hassan for six years, after a queer company that matched potential flatmates had connected them. But in the last six months, they’d both found love. Milo had caused a scandal by shacking up with the deputy prime minister, and Liam had moved back home after his mum died and ended up with a lumber snack, which was very much his friend’s type. Their tenancy had been upat the end of April, so they’d parted ways. Two-bedroom flats were not much less expensive to rent than a three-bed, so it made sense to bring in a third. Luckily, they already knew Sarah and she’d stayed a friend since uni, so they didn’t have to bring in a stranger. She was more of a workaholic than Hassan and had a wild side too. They’d gone out the weekend they’d all moved in, and she’d drunk them both under the table several times.
Dinner had been delicious, but then you couldn’t go wrong with pizza. It was hard to mess it up, and they’d lived in Camden for years so knew all the best places to order from. Hassan had gone to bed, as he was heading into a double shift tomorrow, which was twenty-four hours. Kieran wanted to fall asleep just hearing about it. The guy was a machine.
It was ten o’clock, but Kieran was feeling restless. His brain was too wired to sleep, so he opened one of the apps to see who was about. Kieran had a few fuck buddies who scratched different itches, and a couple of them were online, but he was more in the mood for the unknown rather than something familiar.
Within ten minutes, he was getting into a cab and heading to Tufnell Park. Thankfully, it wasn’t too far away, but Kieran didn’t walk for dick. He just needed to cum so he could sleep, and his right hand wouldn’t do it for him tonight. He needed to be degraded and bossed around by an older man.
It only took another ten minutes, and he was getting out of the cab and walking up to the door of a Victorian townhouse. The guy hadn’t given a flat number, so he must own the entire building. It wasn’t unusual for the older men Kieran went with to have money. He didn’t give a fuck, though. This wasn’t a date. The door opened, and Kieran was pleased to see he looked like his pictures had been taken in the last year.
The guy was shirtless, apart from wearing a harness. His hairy chest was on display, and he had ink on his arms. A quick glance and Kieran knew he’d have done a better job, but that’s something he’d keep to himself. Kieran realised he didn’t know what the guy’s name was, other than the highly original Domtop69. The lack of creativity would have been a turnoff if Kieran hadn’t seen the guy had the goods to back up the claims he’d made in his messages.
“Safe word?” he asked as soon as the door was shut.
“Tomatoes.”
The guy nodded. “On your knees, boy.”
Kieran snorted.
“You got a problem with me calling youboy?”
