Lovely Bastards (BxB) (MxM)

Chapter 22 - His Boyfriend

"What is going on here?" a voice asked, low and dangerous, behind them.

Kit turned around and spotted a tall man with gleaming brown hair, expensive clothes, and an expression that said he was better than everyone else and they better realise it too. 

"Mind your own fucking business," Kit snapped. "Who are you?"

The man looked him up and down, scanning over his clothes, his face, his shoes and bag. He smirked, and with two long strides he put himself between Kit and his uncle, kneeling by his side. 

"I'm his boyfriend," the man answered smoothly, startling both Kit and Charlie.

He put his hand's on Charlie's shoulders, curling long fingers over them and squeezing.

"So I think this is my business."

"You're not."

But Charlie wasn't shaking him off. He looked confused, but he was still shrinking back from Kit, leaning into this man's touch. Letting him shield him. 

"We work together so we obviously can't be conspicuous, but we've been close since college. Haven't we, Charles?" 

His fingers dug in again and Charlie startled, nodded before stopping, looking with pleading eyes between the two of them.

"Hunter...you..."

"Hush."

Kit narrowed his eyes. The guy - Hunter - turned his condescending smile back to him.

"And who, may I ask, are you?"

Who are you?

Kit wasn't sure what to believe, thoughts spinning. He narrowed his eyes. His instincts told him to get between this guy and his uncle, to bare his teeth and growl. 

But Charlie had admitted to engineering drugs, all this time, and after his own sister had... He'd been supporting Kit, buying his clothes, paying his school fees with money from that.

In this world, you did what you had to do to survive. Kit knew that. 

He'd know addicts, and he'd known dealers. Some were jerks, others were just trying to survive. Feed their families. Manage their addictions. Keep their creditors at bay.

Charlie wasn't like that. He had a degree in engineering. He had options.

In the end, he was just a highly paid, well-educated, sheltered guy using his skills to discover new substances to sell to those already poor, sick, and vulnerable. And he chose to do it. 

And for one second the thought crossed Kit's mind that maybe it was worth it. 

Maybe other people could suffer as long as he never had to go hungry again, never be alone and afraid again. Maybe he should shut up, smile at Charlie, and accept that exchange. Let his uncle pay for everything and ignore where it came from. 

Then his mother's face rose before his eyes and blinding fury flared in his chest, enough to choke on.

Kit felt sick to his stomach, like he was part of it. Like he was guilty, trapped. He felt a tidal wave building inside him, ready to break, white noise crackling in his ears. 

And on top of that, Charlie had a boyfriend he'd never told him about? One who worked here?And he'd been screwing around with Amos too? Had lied to him too, or strung him along at least, and all along, Kit had been stupid, and blind...

Sleeping with both of them, when he'd offered – promised Kit – to stop?

He didn't know what to think. But he knew he was pissed. Clenching his fists, he wasn't surprised to find half-formed claws digging into his palms.