Raiden
Saturday night,Raiden found himself at Revolutionary Disco. Standing in the shadows and nursing a slow beer wasn’t bad, even if the music sucked. But just like he thought, the temptation was pure torture.
The men who kept cruising him were one thing. Although there were more than a few fashionable twinks like Lawrence scattered around the club, the prime clientele were burly men in denim, and not a one of them was shy. They pressed their thick fingers to Raiden’s chest and scorched him with their eyes and whispered the obscenest things in his ear when they passed.
It was hard enough to say no to a quick, hard fuck. But the real torture was watching Lawrence, writhing and flirting in the middle of the dance floor, and knowing that one of those men were going to do unspeakable things to his guy that night.
Raiden adjusted his jeans and pushed his stiff cock to the side. For the past two hours, he’d been watching Lawrence practically glow on the other side of the club. He was wearing another midriff shirt, and when he climbed up onto a platform, Raiden could see the V of his hips while he swayed. His curls were pushed back with a slim pink headband, making his face even brighter than usual, and every now and then he turned Raiden’s way with a wide smile and a wink.
Was Raiden falling for the guy? They barely knew each other, but the more he watched Lawrence from afar, the more he felt like he needed to know the kid’s story. Hell, Raiden spent years flailing around like Lawrence did, like he was trying to self-destruct before anything good could come his way.
Had Lawrence been rejected and hurt like Raiden had? Or was Raiden just lonely in a city where he didn’t know a damn person and looking for someone to look out for him the way his friends used to back in Albany?
Either way, it didn’t mean he should cross any professional lines with Lawrence. And when the kid pulled some stranger up onto the dance platform and took him into a deep, slow kiss, the jealousy and frustration that reared up inside of Raiden just proved how bad of an idea that would truly be. He gritted his teeth, and his muscles knotted as he watched Lawrence, rubbing his soft body all over some total stranger.
“Fucking hell,” Raiden cursed, then turned his eyes away. At least he could tell himself now that the flirtations Lawrence kept throwing his way didn’t mean anything special.
Raiden steeled himself and kept his expression calm as emotions stormed. An hour passed, then another, and finally, a bubbly, stumbling Lawrence appeared at his side, ready to leave. They had worked out an easy routine, and Raiden kept his distance while he followed Lawrence out of the club, then trailed him from a block behind on the walk home.
On some nights, once they were a couple blocks away and safe from the eyes of the club, Lawrence would gesture for Raiden to join him, and the two would chat on the walk home. Raiden was hoping the evening would end that way. Even if it meant Raiden had to turn down a few more come-ons from the guy, Lawrence just had a way of making him laugh that he craved.
Ahead, Lawrence rounded a corner, and Raiden picked up his step. When he turned at the intersection, his heart jumped as he saw two large men emerge from the alley, then rush toward Lawrence.
Immediately, Raiden’s brain lit on fire, and his instincts kicked into gear. He charged forward, his boots pounding the concrete as he pumped his arms. He didn’t stop to think why there were suddenly men, grabbing Lawrence by the shoulders. He just knew he had to get there.
He just knew that Lawrence needed him.
One of the men turned as Raiden plowed ahead. He had a baseball cap pulled down, shadowing his face, but Raiden could see the gasp of surprise as his mouth flew open. Raiden’s shoulder did all the work to send the man flying, but he stumbled to the sidewalk when a fist exploded against his cheek from the side.
The other man was on top of him. Raiden couldn’t get a look as they wrestled side to side, punching and kicking, until finally, he was able to throw the man off. He turned his attention back to the guy in the cap. Raiden blocked his fist and then came at him hard, pounding the attacker’s face and chest until he collapsed backward.
There was a pause in the night. Raiden risked a glance at Lawrence, who looked terrified as he clung to a lamp post. Terrified but safe. And when he turned back to the attackers, they were helping each other to scurry away.
Raiden jerked forward, ready to lurch after them and to keep throwing punches until they learned to never come after his guy again. It surprised even him, how primal and raw the feeling was.
He licked his teeth and realized he could literally taste blood.
But then Lawrence placed a hand on Raiden’s bicep, startling Raiden to attention. He fought his instincts and let the men escape, needing instead to turn his attention to his charge.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?”
Lawrence blinked. His eyes were wide and watery, and after a moment, he threw his arms around Raiden.
Raiden softened. He held Lawrence like that, counting his heartbeats as he tried to feel less awkward. He wanted to bend forward and squeeze Lawrence, to pull him close and lift him up and hold him like they meant something to each other. But too nervous, he instead just stood there, hoping he could at least give the kid something to hold onto.
Lawrence finally pulled back, then wiped his eye. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“What was that was all about?”
Lawrence winced, then turned away.
“Oh?” Raiden asked. He placed his fingers on his aching jaw, fingering the spot where the fist had landed. “Don’t think I’ll be mad at you just because I took a punch. This was nothing, trust me.”
Sighing, Lawrence nodded. “I saw one of those guys the other night when I was out with my friend Tyler,” he admitted. “I kind of stole his cocaine.”
Raiden snorted a laugh. “Kind of?”
“He was being very loud and very racist. I didn’t do any of it, though. I just flushed it down the toilet.”
