A/N: picture of the new guy, Finn (Sebastian Stan), on the sidee --->
I rolled over stiffly, the tight sleeping bag restricting my movements. Tyler was still asleep across from me. His mouth wide open, drooling all over his pillow. The jacket I'd laid over him, was now crumpled up by his side, one arm stretched across it.
Tony was missing from his sleeping bag. He never slept for too long, though. Always wanted to be up and about. He had more energy than he could handle. Alex was fast asleep on the sofa, arms crossed over his chest in an effort to keep warm. He'd clearly been too tired to wrestle with his sleeping bag.
The sun was bright, lighting up the room in a warm, orange glow. The heat on my face almost lulled me back to sleep, but I pushed myself upright and pressed my back against the cold wall.
I wondered where Tony had disappeared off to, and when. It had to be mid-afternoon at least, by now. Knowing him, he was probably in a café somewhere, wolfing down as much food his stomach could handle.
My own stomach rumbled at the thought, prompting me to get up. I headed straight for the shower, desperate to wash away every remnant of last night from my body.
Once I was out the shower, the search for relatively clean clothes began. I really needed to take a trip down to the launderette some time soon. I managed to find a clean-enough hoodie that belonged to Ash, and some of my old jeans that were slightly dirty but would do for now.
I hadn't seen Ash for ages now, but most of his stuff was still here. I heard from Tyler that he wasn't planning on coming back. It was going to be a little weird not having him around, even though I wasn't close friends with him. He always kept Tyler in check, but I guess that job was left up to me now.
“Ty,” I kicked him in the side with my foot. “I'm going for some food, you coming?” I said once he'd stirred in his sleep. His eyes had flickered open for the shortest time.
“Mm,” he groaned, shifting until his face was fully pressed into the pillow.
“Tyler,” I kicked him again.
“What?” He shouted, but it was muffled by the pillow.
“Get up.” I may have phrased it as a question, but he didn't really have a choice, he was definitely coming with me.
“Oh fo' fucks sake, can ye not go down t' th' fucken store on yer own?” He exclaimed, tossing his pillow aside and standing up in a huff. He wavered on his feet for a few moments, not fully awake just yet. “God damn it.”
He stumbled around the room, exchanging his shirt for a sweater and his jeans for some fresher-looking ones. He hopped around noisily, trying to tie his shoelaces and then disappeared into the bathroom for a good twenty minutes.
I loved watching him get ready. Sometimes he'd leave the door open and I'd watch as he brushed his teeth and washed his face. The concentration in his eyes when he was shaving, was simply beautiful.
“You ready?” I asked him. He scowled at me.
“Let's jus' fucken go,” he stomped out the flat, kicking the floor with his heels as he walked, trying to make a point that he wasn't at all happy that I'd woken him up. I was surprised he wasn't more hungover. But then, he never really got hungover any more.
We wandered through the central part of town, to our usual café. The streets were pretty quiet, with it being a Sunday evening. The sun was already beginning to set, so we'd been asleep for practically the whole day. That wasn't much of a shocker.
Another less-than-shocking discovery was that Tony was still sat in the café, shoving a plate of bacon and eggs down his throat.
We were lucky enough to be good friends with the owner of the place, having spent the better part of the last three years coming here every day. So even though it was almost closing time, we were still welcomed in and served.
Tyler slumped down into the space by Tony, tapping his hand on the table impatiently. I stood there waiting with my hands in my pockets, until finally Tyler looked up at me. There was the obvious question of what are you still standing there for? in his eyes.
“Well?”
“Well, wha'?” He shot back, squaring his shoulders. Tony looked between us with innocent eyes as he shovelled another mouthful in.
“Well what are you wanting to eat?”
“I dunno jus' get me a san'wich or somethin'. I don' care.”
“Jesus,” I muttered, walking towards the counter. I rubbed my forehead to try and push back the tired ache across my forehead, as I waited for Donna to appear from the kitchen.
“Oh, hi love! You don't look a bit happy, what's wrong?” She said, smiling. She was like a mother to the three of us. You'd honestly think she was Santa's wife or something, she was that jolly and kind.
I sat myself down on one of the stools, settling in for a conversation. “I'm so exhausted. These nights feel like they're getting longer.” I struggled to keep my eyes open.
Donna slid a cup of coffee towards me. I thanked her with a smile. “I don' see why you can't just go get yourself a nice job. This one you boys have now, ain't gonna do nothing good for you!” She tucked a stray ginger curl behind her ear. The rest of her hair was pulled back into a tight, frizzy bun.
“No one would want to take on a school drop-out, Donna. Especially whose only talent is, well, you know." I pressed my lips together to hold in the sigh of despair. "Anyway, can I get a bacon sandwich and a bowl of cornflakes, please.”
“Sure thing, hon.” She bustled off into the kitchen after handing me my cereal. I waited until she gave me Tyler's sandwich before pouring the milk in, and then joined the other two at the table.
“So where we going tonight?” Tony asked, glancing between me and Tyler. I shrugged my shoulders and sprinkled a bit too much sugar over my cornflakes.
“Sea front,” I think was what Tyler said. I couldn't tell due to the fact that he had a mouth full of bread and bacon. I threw him a napkin, indicating to the side of his mouth. He had a dollop of ketchup just sitting there, and it was making me feel sick.
He ignored the napkin and instead used his tongue, staring at me the whole time as if to make a point. “Sea front cause we ain't been down ther' fo' a while.” He said after he'd swallowed.
“Jeez, tonight's gonna be a long one. I just know it.” I scrunched my nose up at Tony's words. I wished more than anything to be able to go back and collapse into my bed. Even if it was only for a few more hours. “Bet it'll be slow business as well. Sunday's always are.”
I left the two of them to finish off their food while I paid for it, and by the time I'd finished they were already up and ready to get going. We left the café, saying goodbye to Donna as she locked up behind us. The sky had turned into a navy-blue now and the wind had picked up, turning my cheeks a cold pink.
“Ey, Mitch, ye got a light?” Tyler grabbed my jacket and jerked me past Tony, over to his side. I swallowed nervously, something I couldn't control whenever I was in close contact with Tyler.
I dug into my jean's pockets, rummaging around for the lighter. I normally always had one, in every pair of jeans. It was a necessity we couldn't live without.
Once I'd found it, I handed it over quite proudly, always eager to please. He pursed his lips around the cigarette, the paper rolled a little too loose around the tobacco, and used his hands as a shield against the wind.
When he couldn't get it lit, he grabbed me by the jacket again and positioned me so my back was blocking the strong gusts of air. He leaned in close, his fringe brushing against my forehead. I watched as he flicked his thumb over and over again, trying to get it to light, but it just wasn't working.
“Here,” I took the cigarette between my two fingers. “You gotta hold it down and roll your thumb, it's a little awkward,” I murmured as Tyler's eyes found mine, lips still holding onto the roll up. He slowly released it, bottom lip dragging against the dry paper, leaving it balanced between my index and middle finger.
I placed it between my own lips, watching Tyler the entire time. He handed me the lighter and my fingers brushed over his purposefully as I took it. His eyes didn't dare wander from my hands as I lit the tip of it on my first try.
I took a deep inhale and blew the smoke over the end of the roll up, before handing it back. Tyler accepted it swiftly, eyes lingering on mine for a short moment as the cloud of smoke drifted away in the wind. The strong smell of tobacco clung to the air around us.
“Yo, we going or what?” Tony shouted from over my shoulder, a few feet away. I swallowed again, harder this time. The back of my throat had turned dry.
Tyler broke eye contact first – hell, I could have stood there all day staring into his eyes, and I had the feeling he knew that, too – he shouldered past me gently, joining Tony's side and offering him a drag of the cigarette. I followed, staying a few paces behind them the rest of the way.
The sea front greeted us with brisk winds and the chirping of seagulls that were just starting to settle down for the night. The clubs along the front were already beginning to fill with party-goers. It wasn't nearly half as busy as it was last night.
The sky had fallen darker, the lights of the clubs flooded the streets, brightening the surrounding areas, leaving shadowed places here and there that would be perfect blind spots to take tricks for their quick fixes.
“I need a drink firs' 'fore I start,” Tyler muttered, heading inside the nearest pub. I sighed, turning to see Tony giving me an exhausted look of frustration.
“I know, Tony, I know. Got to remember he recently lost his mum, yeah? He'll be fine, just give him some time.”
“He's wasting money – money that we need – on booze. He's destroying himself. Jesus, he's gonna end up like his mother if he doesn't stop.” He balled his fists up in his pockets and looked out at the sea in the distance.
“One drink turns into twenty in no time with that lad,” he muttered, shaking his head.
I threw an arm around his shoulder. “I know, mate. We just gotta look out for him, for now.” I rubbed my hand up and down his arm in comfort.
Tony nodded and then said, “Right, I'm gonna go scout. I'll see you in an hour or so, alright?”
“Yeah, sure.” We smiled at each other, and then Tony broke away and disappeared further up the street, to the other clubs. I was tempted to nip inside for a drink of my own, but my mind wouldn't let me after what Tony had just said about Tyler.
I wandered around for a good half an hour, lingering at the corners of alleys and the back doors of pubs, where a lot of our tricks were usually picked up. No one seemed remotely interested tonight so far, but it was still early.
As I was making my way back to the front of a small club that led underground, I caught sight of Tyler, disappearing down the side of a building with another guy. I was quite shocked, actually. I thought it was going to be another night of him getting drunk and leaving me and Tony to do all the work.
Intrigued – and slightly jealous, I admit – I jogged over to the corner of the building and peered round. I could just make out the shapes of their bodies in the darkness. Tyler had his back against the wall and his trick had wasted no time in getting on his knees.
“You get off on watching other people?” I jumped at the sudden loud voice, right next to my ear, spinning on my heels to come face to face with cold, blue eyes. They were framed by dark eyebrows and short, scruffy hair that was even darker.
His tongue slowly peeked out to lick his lips, dragging his bottom lip inside momentarily. His teeth chewed the inside of his cheek, forcing his mouth into a mischievous pout as he raised one slender eyebrow.
I cleared my throat. “No, I know him.” I wasn't sure why I was answering him, I guess I just found it really hard to ignore people without reason. And I was practically incapable of telling someone I didn't know, to piss off.
“Which one?” He leaned out past the cover of the wall, eyeing them both out. “The one getting blown or the one doing the blowing?”
“The first one.”
The guy's eyebrows twitched, a smirk slipping into place easily. “You jealous?”
“Are you?”
His expression fell into one of mischief. “Come on,” he jerked his head over his shoulder and started walking across the road, towards the beach. I hesitated for a second, glancing back at Tyler in the alley. Then I sighed and kicked myself off from the wall, jogging to catch up with him.
I tried not to think about how he'd reminded me of Tyler, even in the subtlest of ways. I tried not to let myself think that that was the reason I was following him down the steps and onto the beach, where the tide hadn't yet overpowered the sand.
But I did end up thinking about the way his lips fell into a pout – when he wasn't smirking – just like Tyler's. And how his cheek bones were so pronounced, so sharp in their shape. Just like Tyler's. And that when the guy smiled, two small dimples appeared either side of his mouth. Just like Tyler's.
It wasn't only his looks that reminded me of Ty. It was the way he stood, slouched against the wall with one leg propped up, watching me with a cold gaze that did nothing but warm my insides. And how he had his hands in his jacket pockets, wrapping it around himself to try and keep out the cold.
In the shadows of the alcove, it was easy to pretend I was standing here with Tyler Errand. In the next few seconds he had me pinned against the wall, the stone like ice against my back, bleeding through every layer of my clothes.
His lips worked mine rough and uncoordinated, tongue playful and teasing as it slipped into my mouth. I held my breath for longer than I thought possible, and only let it out when I finally pulled back, unable to get into it with my thoughts still lingering on Tyler.
“You thinking about that guy?” He sighed, after a few seconds of silence.
“I never stop thinking about him.” I confessed, tongue heavy in my mouth with regret. I heard him huff with amusement, hand coming up to scratch at the tip of his nose. It was a movement that was forced out of awkwardness. Despite how confident he seemed, he was still just as nervous as me.
“Does he know that?” I shook my head, looking out at the black sea that was slowly creeping further in, inch by inch. He reached around to cup my cheek, directing my lips back to his in a slow, gentle collision of tongue and teeth.
“Tide is coming in,” I whispered offhandedly against his lips. He lowered his head in resignation. His forehead rested on the bridge of my nose for a moment, before pulling away completely and returning his hands to the pockets of his jacket, a heavy sigh in tow.
I stared back out at the ocean. A sadness had begun to bury itself in my chest. The corners of my lips felt heavier every second, pulling them down into a frown.
“Then I guess that's my cue to get back to work.” He smiled. That peeked my interest.
“You work at one of the clubs?”
He laughed. “Nah, I work the corners. Same as you.”
“You're a rent boy?”
“Well, if you've got the talent for it,” he mocked, running his tongue over his top teeth, grinning devilishly. “Nothing wrong with earning a bit of extra money.”
“Don't tell me you do this for fun,” I dead-panned him.
“I pick and choose my tricks. It's a power thing, I guess.” He shrugged, avoiding my gaze as he did.
“Must be nice to get a choice.”
He fell silent for a long moment, watching me with narrowed eyes. And then he said, “We should do this again sometime.” with a voice that seemed lost in thought.
“Should we?” I responded, eyes curious and searching for a motive behind his actions.
He grinned. “Sure.” I didn't get chance to reply this time, as he had already disappeared just as I thought up a good answer.
I followed my footsteps back up to the club with heavy trudges. Tony had been waiting for me, eyes scanning the crowd with a crease in his brow. His face lit up when he spotted me approaching him from across the road.
“Hey, I was looking for you. Where the hell did you disappear off to?” He threw an arm over my shoulder and pulled me against him clumsily, ruffling my hair. I gave him a forced smile.
“No where, just needed a breather.” I lied as I searched amongst the crowd for familiar blue eyes. I wish I had a name to put to them. I guess it wouldn't be such a bad thing if I ever did meet him again. At least then I could find out what the damn guy was called.