The boy's just no good. {missedstations x HKitten}

[missedstations]

It was a few hours past dawn, and light had still not reached the depths between skyscrapers. If he had cause to look up, he could have marvelled at the beauties of the universe, but René really wasn't in the mood. The bruises across his ribs hurt too much. It was a risk of his job. Most clients were willing to pay and leave, but sometimes you got an arsehole that equated prostitute with slut, and beat him up to boot.

The beating was worse than just not being paid. If he didn't earn anything one night, he could always count his losses and try again the next one. But if he was covered in bruises, then that attracted the sort of client that would just add more of them. It was better not to work for a week or so than risk broken bones. He had been on the street long enough to learn all those things. He'd had to earn his keep since he was sixteen. It was little surprise he'd left home as soon as he could, disappearing into the city.

His first stop that morning was the tiny apartment he managed to rent, whose chief advantage was that it had a working shower. A shower, then to check his fridge, wincing as he bent over. A boot to his stomach: why was that such a favourite target? His four years of experience told him that humanity was far more thorough in doing a person ill than good. It wasn't that he was cynical. René had simply never seen any evidence to the contrary.

He wondered why he had even bothered to check the fridge. He had known that it was empty in advance. He had enough money to pay the rent, and maybe to get food for a couple of days. Damn, that would mean either being back on the streets sooner than he wanted, or being hungry for a few days. It was hard to decide. For now though, he needed something to eat.

He tied up his still wet hair in a ponytail, and got dressed again. Not in his work clothes, of course. He went for loose jeans and an ancient sweatshirt, with a greatcoat over the top. Warmth, rather than good looks. Good looks only mattered when he needed to pick up a john or two. All the money he could spare went into a back pocket, and then he was out. The sunlight made him blink. He hadn't seen it in quite a while actually – he was surprised at himself. Then again, his clients liked his pale skin, and the way it went with his dark hair.

The nearest supermarket was a small one, and a twenty minute walk away. No one sensible would put any shop in René's district. It was too filthy and crimeridden. So he ended up in a slightly better place, where the street was a little cleaner and the buildings had less broken windows. Even so, the shop was poor. He picked up some painkillers, a couple of cans, and then stopped in front of the vegetable aisle, wondering whether the few sorry greens were worth his money. He couldn't really afford it, but it had been forever since he had eaten anything fresh... It was hard to get much fresh food down here. Too many people lived in the city, and the prices were too high.

Standing indecisively in front of a crate of overpriced and stunted apples, René bit his lip. If he bought some, he would need to be back at work even sooner. But then again, he really wanted to taste them... He wished that the security guard was not watching him so closely, because otherwise he would have tried to shoplift a couple.

 

[iKitten]

Spending a long day at the laboratory today, Nathan had decided that sometimes, working for a big corporation wasnâ??t all too thrilling as it sounded. He had the title of G.W.Câ??s CEO Adviserâ??Global Waste Control being one of the top chemical and technological waste management companies of the worldâ??yet even among that, he wasnâ??t considered wealthy. Not in this economy. Just a few years ago this company had built itself up from the ground, but even still, they had not yet learned to pay their employees the admit that adjusted to the price inflations of the falling economic world.

So here he was, starving for lunch, and shuffling around one of the cheaper stores to buy something edible. It wasnâ??t sound for him to buy food and make some at home for anything other than breakfast and a few simple dinners, since living by himself meant that dining for one would rot the food faster than he could eat it.

Standing at five eleven, he wasnâ??t considered a short male, but certainly not the tallest there was. His English background gifted him with rather bleached skin, with golden blonde hair and crystalline blue eyes. It was such a typical look that he felt he was one of the millions of people without a unique and memorable face. He wouldnâ??t have looked somewhat out of place in the area if he wasnâ??t dressed in his formal business attire at the moment, but then again, his other outfit for work was a lab coat, so he was probably going to stick out either way.

â??Excuse me.â? came an abrupt tone, causing him to jolt out of his daze. Stepping aside for an elder woman to get her yams, he realized he had been standing at the canned aisle for quite some time. In his hand was something that was filled with more sodium than he would have wanted, so ignoring his indecisive moment, he shoved it back to its spot and began to move towards the produce section.

Perhaps a salad would do him good, and being somewhat of a sweet tooth, he thought that placing a few fruits into it would be best. Apples were rather common sweets in salads aside from cranberries, so he decided to make a small stop by there. It was then that he noted the rather beaten down person next to him, while shuffling through the apples to find a good one. Keeping one of them up close to his face to smell it, he gave side-long glances at the other male.

Good looking, wet, rather long hair for a male, a greatcoat, and loose jeansâ?¦ if this wasnâ??t the supermarket, heâ??d have thought that he had walked in some bar and met this dashing male. He looked about the same age, perhaps a bit older, but that might be due to numerous of reasons. Nathanâ??s younger brother looked older than he was, but they blamed it on the younger brotherâ??s career as a police at the nearby cityâ??s bar; something that could roughen the edges if they ran into enough trouble. The cities were all over the place, law enforcement just holding on the edges of civility, what with the people breaking under the pressure of what was now admittedly the second Great Depression. It had been grating at the world for nearly half a century, and even before then, they had only called it an economic downturn.

â??You look like you are about to steal those apples.â? he spoke up, smirking behind his own, as he wondered what caused him to speak out to the complete stranger.

 

[missedstations]

Well, there was really no point in lying if a – he had to look twice at Nathan – lab geek could tell what was on his mind. 'And I would, but the last time I tried that man almost broke my wrist,' he replied, flicking his eyes in the direction of the security guard.

René felt insanely jealous of anyone who was able to hold a real job, who had a wage and a proper salary. Who could afford enough to eat, to be able to smirk at him while he was considering whether he could afford it, run fast enough, or if he should just leave it. The first option was not really on the table. Really, enjoying a couple of apples now was not worth the hole in his budget later. And if he was any good at stealing, he wouldn't be a whore.

As for a real job, he was barely literate. Who would employ him? As a child, he'd been thrown from foster home to foster home, until one day he just disappeared, and no one much cared to look for him. He had learned valuable lessons from his life: René may have difficulty with a book, but he could read what a person wanted in a second. He'd kept himself alive for five years now. And he was pretty damn good at sucking cock.

Maybe he'd replied the way he did to shock the man. Sometimes he just couldn't resist, especially when they looked at him like that. (Perhaps he was too quick to judge, but it was better than to make the call too late.) Yes, he knew he was a pretty boy. It would really be preferred if all those measuring looks didn't get sent his way when he wasn't working.

'Quite nice of him to still let me come in, I s'pose,' he continued rather conversationally, deliberately meeting Nathan's blue eyes. He was definitely trying to make the man uncomfortable, but that didn't make his words any less true.

 

[iKitten]

Tilting his head to the side, Nathan didnâ??t lose his smirk as he wasnâ??t exactly ignored, but the reply was rather generic. Then again, he supposed that was how strangers met. â??Well, certainly a way to get your food, though Iâ??d have to say, thatâ??s more expensive in the long run if he did break your wrist.â? the blonde replied in turn, like he found stealing an everday conversation. Placing the apple he held down to pick up another one. This one was rather sweet, but instead of placing it into his basket he held, he held it out to the stranger, almost as a peace offering.

A hopefully dashing smile took the place of the smirk, as he didnâ??t want to appear like a complete jack-ass to someone. They were all in hard times, the infrastructure of the city was already falling apart as they spoke, and he figured that there was no need to destroy the social structure if he could help it. â??Instead of stealing those apples there, how about you save a few pounds and join me for lunch? My treat.â?

It had been a spur of the moment offering, something people didnâ??t give out freely these days. Money had always been the center of many things, but even more so nowadays, it wasnâ??t something that could be used like spare change could. But this person was attractive, and though heâ??d say it was partially due to his looks, it was also because the aura around him seemed alluring.

As he waited for a reply, other customers gathered around the produce area, fetching what they needed for themselves. The same elderly women had been rather exhausted from going around buying things, so one of the security guards had been asked to escort her around for the remainder of her shopping trip. It was there that the guard gave a sharp glance to René, as if he knew what could happen with the previous offender.

 

[missedstations]

Nathan could hardly be surprised that René's first reaction was suspicion. Generally people just didn't offer him anything. But a relatively free lunch, he really couldn't say no to that. Of course there may be subsequent conditions, but that didn't really matter. Food was food. That and René's entire job was based on getting inappropriate situations with perfect strangers. Picking up john in the middle of the night on a dirty street was far more dangerous than being picked up in a supermarket.

'I have nothing better to do,' René replied. It was as much of an acceptance speech as anyone was ever going to get out of him. He considered his own words valuable, and his more positive sentiments were rarely expressed. Not that they were never expressed: a few very privileged people had woken up in his bed, to the smell of cooking.

He didn't reach across for the apple. It felt distinctly inappropriate with the security guard still looking at him. Half-mockingly, he bowed to Nathan and motioned in the direction of the checkout. It would be nice to actually take some painkillers at this point. He distinctly doubted that the other man had ever needed to beg for food, but things were different only a few metres down the street. It was really kinda novel for him to actually be having something that could be considered a conversation with someone who was at least slightly richer than him. It was a distinct problem of Western capitalism – stratification of society and low social mobility. Not that those words actually meant much to René.

 

[iKitten]

At Renéâ??s reply, his grin widened. Truly, he hadnâ??t expected the other male to pick up on the offer, because nothing was tackier than picking up a lunch date at the supermarketâ?¦ was there? Well, whatever the case was, he wasnâ??t going to back down now that he had an abrupt date.

Placing the apple in his basket and grabbing a few more, he followed the other male towards the checkout and brought his items. The security guard didnâ??t stop them, as he wasnâ??t about to go cause trouble from an actual customer. If the brunette made any move to mug the blonde, then other guards would be on the previous offenderâ??s form faster than a john to a whore. â??My nameâ??s Nathan, but you may call me Nate. May I inquire the name of my date?â? he asked, paying the clerk his pounds before waiting for the brunette.

While waiting, he wondered where they could go for lunch. It wasnâ??t as if he was some rich business owner, with enough money to throw around, but he wasnâ??t someone who would bring their date to a junky restaurant. Heading outwards with light conversation, he decided to take his date to a local restaurant that served Italian food; one of the slightly fancy, but moderate expense range.

The supermarket might have been rather crisp for its type of business, especially in the less â??richerâ?? area of the city, but its surrounding was trashed. Infrastructure was truly failing, as he could clearly see buildings not look as kept as they had once been. He could almost smell the pollution in the air, and wondered if the Clean Air Act for the global scale had finally ran its course and was no long relevant, now that they were all probably choking on their own smoke and breath.

â??Sooner or later, the world will suffocate itselfâ?¦â?? he thought to himself, pulling out an apple and offering it to René once more, now that they were out of the supermarket. â??For you?â? he had noticed that the other male wanted one, but had been rather hesitant.

 

[missedstations]

It was funny, but he actually had to think about how he should answer Nate's question. He had given out so many false names that he had to stop before replying and consider his answer. He wasn't working so he might as well go with his real one. 'I'm... René.' He had no idea what idiot had given him that stupid name, rather than something normal. And no, he really wasn't French, and he had never been to France. Most of it was underwater, right? And René couldn't really afford to get a passport, let alone a fare out of the country.

He paid for his purchases in exact change, putting them in a cloth bag he pulled out of his pocket. That recycling thing had just made it cheaper to have reusable bags, and with the store's bags ten pence each... He really did count every penny. At least he was bloody good at mental arithmetic.

The security guards still let him come because even thought occasionally he did get away with lifting an item or two, he generally paid for most of his purchases. René was not the sort to upset the status quo too much. He never tried to steal anything expensive, so in the long run, why did it really matter? Nor did he get involved in any other crime, and occasionally all they had to do was twist his arm a bit to make him temporarily give up.

As soon as they were outside, he popped a couple of the painkillers. They were a luxury to him. Usually he'd just go to sleep with a hot water bottle over his bruises, but sometimes it was just so good to be able to not feel the pain at all for a while. That bastard from last night... Goddamn arsehole. Why did some idiots think it was fine to beat the shit out of him for trying to make a living? But this was not really the time to feel pissed off.

Outside, he accepted the apple with a muttered 'Thanks' and polished it against his coat. 'Don't mind if I save it for later?' he said, adding it to the contents of his bag.

 

[iKitten]

Upon hearing the name, he tilted his head in observation of his date. Brunette hair, rather attractive green eyesâ?¦ it wasnâ??t like there was a set image to someone that was considered a Frenchmen, and while the name and face matched up well, it sent him wondering. France was underwater, but so was most of Europe after the tsunami that swept from the Atlantic. There were few places on Earth that wasnâ??t wrecked with some sort of natural disaster, but even fewer places werenâ??t heavily affected by the economic depression that the world has come to.

â??Go right ahead.â? he rolled his shoulders, not caring what the other male did with the gifted apple. â??So, are you from France?â? it was possible, since after the flood, people had hurried to escape the area and were given passports to another, nearby land.

As they continued to wander down the streets, it became more apparent to the eye that wasnâ??t used to Londonâ??s changes. Monuments of various things had been destroyed in earthquakes, land was sometimes uneven in certain areas. Among all of that, there were patches of the city that looked like it hadnâ??t been touched whatsoever, which was a strange contrast to the fallen areas just sometimes inches away from the said site.

It wasnâ??t far, but it took a few moments to walk to the Italian restaurant. This type of food was considered an inexpensive type of dinner. But it was something that wasnâ??t common any longer, since the Italians were spread out, and Italy was nothing more than the next Venice among many. After a few short moments, they rounded the corner and with a walk across smooth concrete that showed no signs of wear or tear.

â??Iâ??ve been to here once or twice before; itâ??s rather a treat if you enjoy this type of meal.â? Nathan spoke conversationally, nodding to the waiter there to hint that there were just two of them. The place had, at max, ten small groups of people dining at the moment, and in these days, that was considered bustling with customers in the restaurant business.

 

[missedstations]

'Eh, no. My birth certificate says I was born in London, but I have no idea who my parents were. I suppose they could have been...' He had never bothered trying to find out. A woman who had just left him in the hospital, a man whose name wasn't listed at all. Why care? They hadn't really given him anything. 'Everyone I meet asks that. It's getting irritating.'

He didn't really seem irritated though. He could enjoy this, he supposed. Nathan may not have thought of himself as good looking, but René rather liked blondes. He had used his real name, he wasn't trying to earn anything more than a meal. He could pretend to be a normal person, whatever that meant. It was rare that he could just enjoy someone's company.

'Whoa, nice.' A real restaurant! He never mostly went to those with clients who wanted to pretend they wanted more than just a fuck. It was good that Nathan was going to be paying for the meal. As René's monetary situation went, he probably wouldn't be able to afford a starter. He wasn't always quite so broke, of course, but when it happened it really wasn't pretty. It was just simply he could never really afford to save anything up. There was rent to pay, gangs to pay off, food, condoms, occasional STD tests, clothes to replace.

He followed the waiter to their table, taking off his coat and draping it across the back off the chair before he sat down. A nice table towards the back of the restaurant, with a nice landscape painting above it. It was better than sitting next to the window and looking out onto the grim street. 'I think I am going to enjoy this,' René said with a rather disarming and genuine smile.

 

[iKitten]

Once they were inside of the restaurant, they were shown to their table and were seated without delay. He would have held out the chair for his date, but thought better about it. René wasnâ??t some female that needed heavy courting. In fact, he wasnâ??t sure this was courting, since he had asked this person for a lunch date; nothing more. He wasnâ??t all that into males, but he had never thought about it beyond the fact that he supposed anyone with a personality that matched his would work well as a significant other.

Pulling his chair inwards so that he wasnâ??t uncomfortable at the table, Nathan returned the brunetteâ??s smile with one genuine as well. â??Iâ??m glad you approve. The last time I was here, they had suggested many pasta dishes and the likeâ?¦ I suppose Iâ??d have to try one with chicken this time.â? picking up the menu to browse through, he absentmindedly thanked the waiter for the waters that he had brought to them.

â??Feel free to choose whatever you desire, René. Just got my check today, so why not splurge on a handsome bloke as you?â? Nathan teased. His grin wasnâ??t visible, but over the edge of the menu he held up, René might be able to see the mirth in his eyes.

When the waiter came back, he held a small notepad and pen in each hand, politely asking for their orders in a strong accent that wasnâ??t English, nor was it Italian. Perhaps Russian, but who knew how many Russians had survived the earthquake there. â??... and may I suggest our house wine, Fleur de Lis? It goes quite well with all pastas and poultry.â? the waiter offered after they ordered.

 

[missedstations]

Handsome? Oh dear. Were they at that point already? Then again, he was going to lunch in a restaurant with someone he met in a supermarket: there were few avenues that this could lead to. Not that he really minded. He never really got to play at romance, so he smiled back. 'Maybe you should have got me some flowers too,' he said jokingly.

'Admittedly, today I am flat broke.' Because I had to pay off my pimp last week. Of course he could not possibly say that part out loud. These days, good reasons to have no money were manifold: laid off, can't find a job, government handouts too small, wage cut. Nathan could pick any of those as a reason. 'So I have no trouble at all with someone like you buying me lunch.' There was a compliment in there somewhere.

If he was actually going to read the menu, they might have been there for at least an hour, so instead René simply asked the waiter what he recommended for today and went with that. Squid ink risotto. It sounded interesting at least. And he did like squid, the few times he had it.

'I'm fine with water, thanks,' René replied. It was simply habit now to neither drink nor take drugs: it was a secret of long term survival in the oldest profession: better not to have an addiction that people could take advantage off, and never take anything which affected either motor function or judgement. Whenever his johns had offered him anything, René had always been out of the door.

As soon as the waiter disappeared, René leant his elbows on the table, then his chin on his interlaced fingers, with a not-quite-smile around his lips. Nathan could court him as much as he liked. He rather felt like playing along.

 

[iKitten]

There was a compliment in there somewhereâ?¦ Nathan just couldnâ??t outright find it. However, he didnâ??t take offense to the wording, and he found that it was true that money was an issue among London these long years. Being part of the British Empire had only sustained them so long, and now, even the once proud empire was falling into the wreck that was the worldâ??s fall.

The blonde didnâ??t speak about it for a moment though, as he waited for the waiter to get their orders. â??Iâ??d like a small amount of it; not too much though, as I must return to work later, old chap.â? he half joked to the waiter, before receiving a bow. Soon, they were left alone again, which made his focus rivet back to the brunette before him. â??So, broke you say? How would you pay rent then? Surely living in these areas can be expensive if one doesnâ??t have a flat-mate.â? he absentmindedly noted, taking a sip of his water.

In the back of his mind, he wondered if he should delay tea-time later on, as he knew that after Italian food, he would have no desire for tea. It was a strange habit, but having such foods never failed to stray him from his English upbringing. Not that there was a reason for the excuse. Plenty of people couldnâ??t even afford tea any longer, as the export and import of it has been cut down drastically since Chinaâ??s downfall. The Asian country had suffered a drought that destroyed the land for years to come, leaving it no better than wastelands that were livable upon, but any growth of food was useless.

Seeing how the other male leaned closer onto the table with a pleasant smile, he returned it, but with less bold moves such as coming closer. Instead, he leaned back against the back of his chair and allowed his smile to mellow out with his posture. For a moment, he felt at a lost at what to do with René, as he had no idea why he even wanted to spend this extra amount of money on a pretty looking guy, rather than some hot bird.

Making light conversations, he didnâ??t stay on one topic too long, incase it seemed like he was prying; which if he did, he didnâ??t mean to. The waiter soon came back with their meals and the small glass of wine he had asked for.

 

[missedstations]

'Oh, rent I managed to pay. It's just everything else... It's possible to live alone, y'know. My place is pretty damn small. Then again, you probably wouldn't even want to set foot in the area I live in.' A tiny studio flat, with everything in one room and a bathroom attached. It wasn't like he did much there. Just slept, ate, and sometimes spent an evening in front of the entertainment channels. He preferred to be out. Even a filthy city with a few rare trees and a concrete grey sky was preferable to four walls.

It really was hard to not steer the conversation into a minefield. He wanted to ask what Nathan's job was, but knew that question would probably be turned on him after he got an answer, and he really didn't feel like lying. He preferred to just avoid those sorts of questions instead.

In contrast to Nathan, René had no real daily routine. His tea brews were more local: nettle and peppermint, camomile, so on. Occasionally he bought coffee. He liked the smell and the taste, but the price had sky-rocketed with the civil war in South America and the droughts in Africa. He would get up in the afternoons, lounge aimlessly, and then end up in a bar or on a street corner in the evening. It wasn't a particularly healthy way to do things, but he only ate when he was hungry. The waiter had pretty good timing with bringing the food, actually. By then he was pretty damn hungry. (Not quite close enough to want to eat his shoes, but getting there.)

At least he knew how to use cutlery properly, even if he did eat rather quickly, with obvious enjoyment. It was good quality and surprisingly tasty. It was as if he had not eaten something so good in years. Of course he managed to finish before Nathan, and then watched him leaning back in the chair.

'D'you often pick up guys?' he asked idly.

 

[iKitten]

The blonde half hummed at certain times as he sipped at his drink, listening to René and half wondering what the other male did for a living. Living alone was possible, but it was entirely painful and draining. Well, thatâ??s the view that he had of living alone for others. For himself, it wasnâ??t so much that he couldnâ??t afford it and still have these nice little days, but it was more on the side that he was just at the edge of the middle-class.

Over the years, the monetary classes had been driven so far apart that it was ridiculous. There was the small rich class that were mainly employers, then the middle-class that took up another small portion and then nearly 90% of the world was considered the lower-class now. They had barely enough to eat at times, they had crappy jobs, and sometimes, it wasnâ??t even enough if two lived together, but needed three or four.

â??You should look for a roommate, it mightâ??.â? he started, tone soft. But his words were cut off, as the other male asked if he often picked up guys. That caused Nathan to pause and blink at his date, as if he hadnâ??t realized that he had done something as â??pick up a guyâ??. â??Wellâ?¦ Iâ??ve rarely picked up anyone, I suppose. Youâ??re the first since Iâ??ve started working at my new company, now that I think about it.â? he tilted his head and took a small bite from his pasta, chewing it slowly.

It was creamy alfredo, with chicken strips grilled on top. The thick cream had a slightly golden tint to it, hinting that the cheese had been darkened to bring out the flavor. Such a wonderful aroma that made his taste buds hum, while the bittersweet flavor of the swiss cheese drifted even into his breath.

â??Oh, I work at G.W.C. Completely missed my mind. Where do you do, if you donâ??t mind me asking?â? Nathan felt silly, since asking about work was usually the first thing that many people did these days. It wasnâ??t even casual conversation, it was curiosity about opportunities.

 

[missedstations]

René really did prefer being a little poorer than he could be for the luxury of living alone. He needed to be able to get away from people. He needed his own space to unwind, to relax, to realise he didn't actually hate the human race as much as he thought. So Nathan's advice he didn't hear at all. If he did actually listen to it, no doubt he would be really annoyed: someone richer than him was telling him how to order his life without knowing anything about it? Goddamit, the government did that all the time.

'I should feel special then,' René replied lightly, almost with a smile. Nathan really did not look like the type to pick up whores, or to pay for sex at all. He wondered what would happen if he knew what René did for a living. The thoughts almost made him smirk, and then Nathan actually asked. Of course he wasn't actually going to say, especially not in a place like this!

'I see what I can get.' It was true enough. He hoped that Nathan wouldn't ask for more details, and most people would consider it to be rude to. If someone avoided that question, it was better to not keep asking. Ask me no questions and I will tell you no lies.

'I generally work at night though, this is encroaching on my sleep, hah.' By his expression he considered it worthwhile. He was no longer hungry, the company was pretty good, and he was feeling relatively content. The last one was rare enough.

'So what do you do for GWC?' he asked before Nathan could ask anything else about his work. Even someone like René knew some details about that particular company. It came up often enough in the news, and admittedly he did have the cocks of few of its employees up his arse. He knew that if anything else, jobs there were relatively secure. Not that he was looking, of course. He was distictly lacking in a résumé.

 

[iKitten]

Tilting his wine glass back and forth, Nathan swirled his drink as he nodded slightly. People had all sorts of jobs, and while he couldnâ??t pinpoint what the other male did, it was enough that he was given some sort of response. When he thought about it, he had been jumping jobs before the job he had now, so it wasnâ??t uncommon for someone to state that they â??saw what they could getâ??. Any job was a job in nowadays economy.

â??I apologize for taking up your sleeping hours then. But I do appreciate your company.â? he smiled pleasantly, hoping that this didnâ??t effect Renéâ??s work later tonight. â??Me? Iâ??m the CEOâ??s adviser. Thrilling, no?â? the sarcasm in his voice was obvious, as he didnâ??t have much to do but talk to the CEO, let the guy bounce off ideas on him, and point out any flaws he could see from another point of view.

It wasnâ??t an exciting job, not the best paying, but it was something. It allowed the CEO to not make as many flaws, and overall, the company had seen fit to have an adviser, so they had hired him. Nathan wasnâ??t the best person for it either, but he had a strong résumé on advising, as well as counseling; both of which came hand in hand.

Taking a bite of the chicken, he was grateful that it was chicken. The sweet taste of the chicken was unique, along with the juices that showed that it was still tender, but not to the point that it was undercooked. The swiss cheese of the alfredo sauce made the flavor mouthwatering, and he thought that if he did come back, heâ??d have to get this again. Moving to sip another bit of his wine, he cleared his throat a bit to move onto another subject. The blonde wasnâ??t a fan of talking about his own work, as it wasnâ??t much to boast about, nor was it entertaining.

â??Are you enjoying your meal?â? he asked, motioning towards Renéâ??s dish. â??It seems like youâ??re well mannered in places like this.â? another hint that Nathan thought of René as someone in the same financial situation as himself. He wasnâ??t rich, but being at the bottom of the middle class was a jump from the top of the lower class.

 

[missedstations]

‘I won’t be working the next few days anyway,’ René replied. ‘So don’t worry about it.’ He needed the bruises to heal at least a little. To be fairly honest, he needed a break. He just didn’t entirely like one with no money at all. Maybe he’d see if one of his regulars wanted anything nice. There were a few who liked him whatever state he was in.

‘Sounds rather dull, really.’ Not many could say that they had jobs they genuinely enjoyed. The majority worked at whatever they could, just to get by. The unemployment rate was eighteen percent, after all. Even the meanest job had a whole set of applicants. At least René had his looks. With his face, he sometimes earned significantly more than some of his... acquaintances?

‘It was excellent,’ he replied. ‘This is a really nice place. I would consider coming again if I, y’know.’ Had the money was the obvious end of that sentence. And what the hell did Nathan mean well-mannered? Of course he was going to be polite in a social situation! He was good at learning mannerisms by observation, and he could innately sense the appropriate code of behaviour. It tended to avoid a fist to the face in less civilised quarters. Obviously, Nathan was over-estimating his origins, and that was rather interesting.

‘So why did you take me here?’ he asked, purely out of curiosity, but also to better judge where the situation was likely to go. Nathan must be interested in something else than scintillating conversation, of course.

 

[iKitten]

â??Well, might as well enjoy your days off then, I suppose.â? he teased back, jokingly though, as they both knew that days off were sometimes feared. No one asked for vacation time any longer, even if they wanted it, or if it was offered. Who would, when they needed the money desperately, and companies no longer paid for vacation time? Overtime? That was another thing of the past, because no company could afford such things.

Finishing off his meal, he leaned back in his chair and sipped at his wine, allowing himself to relax and digest what he just ate. Nathan had to think about why he had brought René to this place, and while he could have said many reasonsâ??most liesâ??he couldnâ??t think of a truthful answer that had just reason. â??I guess itâ??s no reason then.â? he said out loud, more to himself than to the brunette. â??Now, Iâ??m by no reason someone who has money to flaunt around, nor do I help everyone I meet butâ?¦â?

His crystalline blue eyes gazed up and down his companion, just soaking in the other maleâ??s appearances. â??â?¦ but you looked like you needed company. Or rather, it might have brightened your day?â? he really didnâ??t know what the hell he was talking about, but so far, his instincts hadnâ??t led him astray. Just to strange positions and situations in life, such as his current workâ?¦ and this one.

â??Besides questioning me why I took you here, why did you come with me? Iâ??m sure a guy like you has plenty of others that want to be with you, and yet you give time to some stranger, thatâ??s not only a guy, but has absolutely nothing in his life but work?â? Nathan jabbed at himself, knowing that it was true. The knowledge of going home later with nothing there but the bare necessities made him mentally sigh. Perhaps he should really take his own advice and find a roommate.

 

[missedstations]

No, Nathan did not look like he had money to throw around. Why else should he shop in a supermarket in an area like that? Rich people shopped in far more upmarket areas, so Nathan was obviously watching his budget. Few didn't have to, and he had been honestly surprised that Nathan had chosen to take him out. So his question was not at all facetious as it appeared.

'Well, this sure beats my sofa and a soap opera,' he replied, with a slightly wicked smile. He had been intending to give a compliment there, but it was best not to give some people big heads, yes? That could wait for a better time. And his day was better for this.

'Why shouldn't I have come with you? You are not an unattractive man, and I have no interest in women.' At least one good thing about the virtual apocalypse: no one really cared anymore about such trivial things as sexuality. It was rather suggestive what he was saying though: he was admitting that he had at least a little sexual interest in Nathan. And why should he not? He was a whore. Sex was matter-of-fact for him. Mostly done for money, but sometimes for pleasure. He kept the two quite separate. When he had sex for money, he did not enjoy it, but he did need to enjoy the pleasured of the body sometimes at least.

'It's nice to meet someone new, isn't it?' he added at the end, not really wanting to admit that he just wanted to get out of his life for a bit. 'And you invited me out, so you obviously do want more in your life than work, no?'

 

[iKitten]

Nathan blinked a few times at the answer he was given, almost surprised at the ease of the words. René had a nice voice overall, something he could hear in movies or songs, but the wordsâ?¦ there had been a compliment somewhere, as well as another, stranger, compliment. â??You thinkâ?¦ Iâ??m attractive?â? he chuckled a bit, wondering if the â??no interest in womenâ?? part had any hold on it. The blonde could admit that thinking another male attractive didnâ??t make another gay, but no interest in women could lead to conclusions. Conclusions that may or may not have turned this lunch date into something else.

â??Well, no, I mean,â? because he wasnâ??t as vain to ask for a direct answer if he was attractive or not, since that was a bit strange asking another male. Admittedly, he had to say that he thought the brunette was attractive. In which way, he wasnâ??t sure, but René was very nice to the eyes. â??Yes, itâ??s nice to meet someone new.â? he finished his sentence, falling into a moment of silence as he sipped at his drink and stared at Renéâ??s face.

The other male had followed him without words, not exactly trust, but confidence in his own abilities of escaping a bad situation if one arose. That had to make him wonder what kind of experience René had, because if it was a stranger that asked him to follow him for a lunch date, he would have been suspicious. â??I suppose youâ??re right. Work is rather boring with its repeating routines, day after day.â?

â??Your check, Sirs.â? the waiter appeared, placing a leather booklet between them, before giving a courteous head-bow and left with the dirty dishes.

Picking up the check, he opened the booklet, pressed his thumb against the small pad at the center. The world was going to hell, and yet, even the lower end restaurants had technology such as this. It scanned the thumbprint and directed it to the bank that was associated under the personâ??s name; not taking it as valid if the pulse was not there. Such strange days they lived in, he thought, as he placed it back down onto the table. â??If anything, Iâ??d like to say that we could make thisâ?¦ more than once?â? he asked, feeling like a school-boy asking for them to be friends.

 

[missedstations]

René laughed. 'I wouldn't have come if I didn't find you at least interesting.' Well, that was possibly a lie. He would have come for the free food, but it was more a bonus that he had actually liked Nathan. He was broke, and was going to spend the next few days hungry and in pain.

He almost felt like telling Nathan that he was beaten up and raped last night, to tell him that he was in pain and just wanted some company, that he was lonely and that he was tired, that he wanted someone to talk to him and maybe touch him. He wasn't entirely sure about that last part, but if it came to that he wouldn't really object that much.

He watched Nathan pay, not feeling guilty at all. It was a surprise to him that he didn't feel like he needed to pay something back. He usually felt obliged, whenever people did things for him. Nothing in life was ever free. Some things didn't cost very much, but others... He shifted a little in the chair. René did not even have a bank account.

'You sure you want that?' he asked. That should not really have been the first response, but ugly thoughts had intruded on his mind. It was better to stop his thoughts there before they went too far. 'I mean, sure, if you want to. Want my number?' he asked with false lightness. It was easy to get René into bed, but hard to get to know him. He rarely gave his number, to the point where he was almost always surprised when his phone rang.

 

[iKitten]

â??Thank you, Sirs. Have a nice day and hope to see you one day.â? the waiter thanked, adding in â??one dayâ?? because who knows when someone could come back into a restaurant with financial standings such as the world. It was the polite and trained phrase that they were asked to say though, and no one took offense to itâ??you canâ??t escape the truth, after all.

As the waiter left though, Nathan just chuckled at Renéâ??s comment. It had been a compliment, because the brunette basically told him that he was interesting enough to spend a few hours of his time with. Admittedly, that shouldnâ??t have made him spark a bit of excitement within himself, but he felt his mood brighten even if only by a little bit more than before. René didnâ??t look like he was in tip-top condition, a bit worn down at least, so it had been a compliment in his eyes.

â??Youâ??re phone number?â? he asked airily, finishing off his wine and licking his lips. Suddenly, it felt like he was hooking up with someone, rather than just making a new friend. Almost as if he was some guy that had hit on some girl, and after a few drinks, she gave him her number. â??Yeah, sounds good. Iâ??ll promise not to call you at ungodly hours of the day.â? he winked teasingly, pulling out the small silver hoop that acted like the sole earring he had on.

Handing it to René, he motioned for the other male to enter in his information. It was the newest technology in the replacement of the phone. Small, combat, and fully functional. â??Just press your thumb and forefinger on it and hold it for a minute; itâ??ll find your information on the database and insert your phone number into it.â? Nathan explained. The EP (Ear Phone) was one of the newer technology of a branching company from GWC, so it was no surprise that he was given one to test out. â??Shall I give you my phone number on paper?â? it hadnâ??t meant to be an insult, be he had assume the general population still had the basic hand-held cellular phone.

 

[missedstations]

It was so strange. It had been so long since he actually hit on someone.

He didn't take the EP. 'I'm not on the database,' René said. He had paid quite a bit to make his entry entirely private: it wouldn't do if someone could use his fingerprints to find out his identity. It would be easy for someone to make him give them up, after all. And he didn't particularly fancy a john to turn up at his door, or to get work calls on his phone. It was purely for his rare friends and lovers. Most never bothered calling again when they found out what he did, so he wasn't likely to tell Nathan at all. It was only the police that could ID René, and they rarely bothered. There wasn't a point, and it was easier to take the bribes than actually try to enforce the law.

He had seen EPs before on a few of his clients: most were significantly richer than he was, if they could waste money on whores. He could, of course, never afford those sort of things, and he wasn't sure he wanted to either. He liked falling off the grid sometimes. It was why he always kept his phone at home. The second part to that was that he had nothing for people to steal.

'You got a pen?' he asked. René was unlikely to call Nathan if it came to that – he didn't really think that it was his place to pursue someone like that. But he realised that he would actually be happy if Nathan called him.

 

[iKitten]

Blinking a few times, Nathan pulled back his hand and stared at his EP for a few moments. It looked like he was confused as to how someone could not be on the database, but then remembered that there was a limited base that had been installed into the EP system anyway. Rolling his shoulders, he hooked it back through his ear-loop and pulled out a pen from his breast pocket.

â??Thatâ??s alright, I guess we will change exchange it manually.â? he wrote down his on one of the spare napkins that they hadnâ??t used, before handing it over to the other male, along with the pen and another blank napkin. The waiter came by once more and gave the customary piece of rather cheap chocolate; a dessert for the customers, so to speak. He picked it up and thanked the man, before popping it into his mouth.

It rolled around his tongue a few times, coating the taste buds with the chalky and sweet taste. When was the last time he had tried good chocolate? He didnâ??t remember. Perhaps he could make cookies or cakes, but he wasnâ??t the type of person to cook or bake, so he didnâ??t know where heâ??d even start. â??Listen, Iâ??ve got to get back to work soon, but it wasâ?¦ a pleasure meeting you.â? more than he had realized, and he almost didnâ??t want to leave and go back into the â??realâ?? world.

Standing up, he waited for René to write his number and hand it to him, before pocketing the pen, and then headed out after a handshake. Nathan fiddled with the napkin, walking back to work without looking back, and planned for when he could, if he could, call René. They were in financial hardship times, but maybe, he could do something else with the other male that didnâ??t require lots of money.

 

[missedstations]

He pocketed Nathan's number and wrote his rather slowly and carefully. It could be that he was just making sure it was impossible to misread, but really it had been quite a while since he actually wrote anything. When he was done, he handed it to Nathan with a smile. It would have been inappropriate to give the man a kiss, so he didn't.

Instead, he picked up his coat and draped it over his shoulders, picked up the bag with his shopping and then shook Nathan's hand. Oh how civilised. He didn't take the chocolate – he always thought it was far too sweet. He far preferred the desserts he sometimes made at home, when he could afford enough ingredients. Recipes were one of the few things he actually put effort into reading. It was simply cheaper to cook every meal, and one did get bored of eating the same thing every day.

'Likewise,' René replied with a smile. 'Look forward to your call.' Well, he hoped that Nathan would call. It would be nice if he did. How remarkably unfamiliar to just have a meal with someone, without finishing it with a fuck.

He did glance back once, see Nathan leaving, and wondered if he was being stupid. Well, he had the right to do something idiotic every so often, no? It was time to go home and sleep, he from the world for a bit. If only the walk back wasn't so long! Not that he would take the bus, of course. When he could walk, he was going to walk.