Call Me Sir - Part 9

All characters are 18+ 

Liam wasn't particularly bothered that the only clothing he had found was stained with sweat and puke. It had taken every ounce of strength he had to even get them on, and now he had only one thing in mind.

He had no idea where he was, but years on the street had given him a certain instinct when it came to finding drugs. Sure, it was dangerous, but so was letting his mind and body decay back in that hell hole with fucking Gideon.

The night was cold and sharp. The aches had dwindled slightly, and if he was being honest with himself, he knew that he'd probably gotten over the worst of the withdrawals. He had considered staying sober, but for what? The man had all but told him that as soon as he was clean he'd be kicked back out onto the streets and left to rot.

He turned down a lane, crossed a street and found himself on a road that looked like it could be downtown. It was certainly fancier than where he'd come from. People hurried up and down with shopping bags. Little kids with rosy cheeks chased after their parents, most of them looking at Liam like he was some type of sewer creature.

He remembered when he was a little kid, and what he would have given for a life like theirs.

"Hey mister!" He turned around to find a boy of six or seven gawping up at him, "you look like Peter Parker from No Way Home!"

The name rang a bell, but before Liam could respond, the boy's mother grabbed the child and glared at Liam.

"Don't speak to him, honey" she spat, and ushered the boy away.

He continued shuffling through the busy streets until he found what he was looking for. The dark lanes always afforded enough privacy for those who needed it. He stole a glance up and down before hurrying down the wet, eerie alleyway.

"You lost, kid?" Someone cackled, but they were too submerged in the shadows for Liam to see them.

He continued further until the sound of the shoppers faded and now he was truly alone.

"I'll suck your cock for twenty bucks" a middle aged woman slithered, appearing from the corner. She was hideous, with open sores covering most of her grey flesh.

"You can suck mine for twenty" another voice oozed, and Liam turned to find a very gaunt man who towered over him.

"I... I'm uh... I'm looking for stuff" Liam stuttered, his heart thumping, "you know where I can get some?"

The tall man scoffed.

"You got money?" He asked, and Liam nodded.

He pulled Gideon's wallet from his pocket. He'd swiped it earlier in the day when he fainted on the porch. Liam was a good actor, and when the man had held him in his arms, it had been the perfect opportunity to grab the keys and the wallet.

The man was quick. Much quicker than Liam had expected him to be. He grabbed the wallet out of his hands, and before Liam had a chance to take it back, the woman drove her foot between his legs and he crumpled to the ground, groaning.

He watched as they ran. They weren't fast, but the pain was burning through his kidneys already.

"Fuck!" He spat, struggling to his feet and following.

There was at least three hundred dollars in the wallet, among other things that he could have probably sold, and he wasn't about to let two junkies take off with it.

He hurried down another lane, watched as they turned at the end, and ran faster. His lungs burned, his balls ached, and suddenly he was struck hard in the face and now he was looking at the stars.

"What do we have here?" Someone hissed, and he felt hands searching through his pockets.

People were standing over him. More people than he had expected to encounter in the darkness of the damp laneway.

"Take his shoes" someone said, and he felt both of them being yanked from his feet.

"You reckon he's got family?" Someone else asked.

"Look at the state of him" the reply came as Liam tried to breathe, "if he has, they don't give a fuck about him".

His entire body was searched, but when they couldn't find anything worth robbing, he was flipped over.

"I ain't fucked an ass in a hot minute!" A male voice coughed, "lemme' have a shot!"

"I'm going first" the gaunt man growled, "I found em'!"

"Fuck you both" another one hissed, "I'ma' loosen him up".

Liam squirmed as more hands reached for him. He felt the back of his pants slide down and the cold night air on his backside. He groaned, clawed at the concrete and just as he felt himself being straddled, a blast of light illuminated the entire laneway.

"POLICE!"

The creatures scurried off like rats, leaving Liam gasping on the ground with his pants around his ankles. He watched two figures run toward him and waited for the handcuffs to wrap around his wrists.

Instead, he felt his pants being pulled up, and a moment later he was dragged to his feet.

"I know, I know" he sighed, still expecting to be thrown against the wall, "it's my own fault".

"I wouldn't go that far" Gideon said, buttoning his trousers.

Liam's eyes widened.

"H... How? W... What?"

"I'll deal with you later" the man said sternly, grasping his chin and jerking his head up.

"Have you used?"

"No"

"Don't lie to me, boy!" He snapped, staring intently into Liam's eyes.

"How did you find me!?" The teen barked, and his eyes widened even further when an actual police officer stood beside them.

"I lived with an addict, kid" Gideon said, "you learn a thing or two from that".

He flipped his phone around to show Liam a perfect map with his name flashing in that exact spot.

"The wallet" Liam sighed.

"This your son?" The officer asked, eyeing Liam incredulously.

Liam opened his mouth to correct the man, but Gideon got their first.

"Yes" he said sternly, and took the boy by the arm, "thank you officer".

"Hold on just a moment" he said, "before you go and whoop the kid's ass, you might want to take a taste of your own medicine".

Gideon stopped and turned back to him.

"Excuse me?"

"I can smell the alcohol from here" the man said, shaking his head, and Gideon and Liam watched as he strolled back toward his cruiser.

"Don't say a word" Gideon growled, yanking Liam up the lane.

He didn't, but a smile lit his face as they began their journey home.

"So what now?" Liam asked, "you're gonna lock me back in the room? Starve me? Beat me up?"

Gideon didn't answer him. They continued back up the street with all the fancy shops and shoppers and suddenly he was being yanked into one of said shops.

It was indeed fancy. The young woman behind the counter was hot and Liam gazed at her as she served a customer.

"Keep your eyes to yourself" Gideon said sharply, grabbing a white t-shirt from a hanger and holding it up to Liam.

"She's hot though, right?" Liam grinned.

Once again, Gideon ignored him.

The man dragged Liam around the store for less than five minutes before shoving him inside a changing room.

"Strip" he said, and Liam wasn't in the mood to argue.

He undressed under the man's watchful eyes until he stood naked.

"Here"

He took the clothes from Gideon, put them on, and admittedly, felt a little better. Ten minutes later they were back on the street and Liam pulled his new jacket tightly around him.

"I'm starving" the boy said as they walked, and Gideon stopped dead.

"Twenty bucks" he said, stuffing the note into Liam's hand. "That's enough for something to eat and bus fare to wherever you want to go".

Liam's smile faltered.

"And a key" he added, sliding it into Liam's pocket, "in case you wake up and realise how fucking stupid you were tonight".

Gideon turned on his heel and continued walking.

"Wait!" The boy yelped, and he turned back around, "you can't just leave me here!"

The man scoffed.

"You left, Liam" he said, shaking his head, "not me".

He walked again.

"What's the key for?!" Liam shouted after him, his heart racing again as he looked around at the street which was now a lot more deserted.

"Home" Gideon called back, and then he was gone.

The man battled tears as the rain began to fall. The boy had done something to him. Something that he wasn't sure he liked. He couldn't remember feeling this way about anybody, let alone a scruffy little street kid.

He wiped his cheeks as he reached the house. The cop's words stuck in his head, too. He was right of course. He was preaching to Liam about staying clean, yet he reached for the bottle every time shit got difficult.

The house felt colder without Liam. He yanked open the cupboard, grabbed the two remaining bottles of wine and watched as the sink turned blood red and they drained away.

The boy had a choice now, and Liam prayed that he'd make the right one. The only problem was, Liam was an addict, just like his sister had been, and addicts rarely made good choices.

He dumped the dinner in the bin. Suddenly, the idea of eating made him feel sick. Was this how parents felt? It was a disturbing thought, yet the second he called the police, his words gushed from him before he could stop them.

"My boy is gone!" He'd said.

He crawled into bed fully dressed. His mind was on Liam. It had been a close call earlier, but would he be stupid enough to find himself back in a situation like that? It didn't bear thinking about, yet it was all he could think about.

Maybe he'd gotten a bus back home, or whatever his version of home was. Perhaps Gideon would see him around the streets again some day, and now he found himself hoping that the clumsy little shit would run into him and douse him in coffee again.

An hour passed by before Gideon couldn't battle the exhaustion anymore. He fell asleep, but it was the lightest sleep that he'd ever had, and as the clock ticked, his ears remained pin sharp for any signs that the boy had returned.

The morning light spilled through the windows, and Gideon woke with a pounding head and a feeling of dread in his stomach. He jumped from the bed a little too quickly, swayed for a moment and hurried toward Liam's bedroom.

He'd never been a religious man, but Gideon prayed as he slowly twisted the knob and pushed open the door.

Part of him thought that for once, this story would have a happy ending, but when his eyes fell on the empty bed, he felt like punching the wall.

He closed his eyes, sighed and then winced as the pain of losing another person to drugs hit him in the chest.

This was the reason. This was why he'd been so damn cold for all these years. Being cruel in a world full of misery was the only way to survive, because this is what happened when he was weak.

He marched toward the kitchen. One coffee and he'd be out of this shit hole and return to the office tomorrow. As he walked, he made a promise to himself.

"Never again, Gideon" he snarled, "never a-fucking-gain".

He kicked the kitchen door open so hard that it punched a hole in the wall, and then he stopped dead and the anger melted away.

Liam sat on the sofa. He looked tired, but not stoned. He looked sheepish, too, but nodded toward the countertop where a mug of steaming coffee sat, waiting.

Not a single word was said. Gideon stared at him, his heart hammering in his chest with a mixture of gratitude and excitement, and slowly he walked toward the coffee.

He sipped it, his eyes not leaving the boy who could barely look at him now, and he waited.

At least a minute elapsed before Liam took a deep breath.

"Sorry" he said, his eyes on the floor, "about your wallet, I'll pay you back".

Gideon didn't reply.

"And for everything" he added, "I just wanted to tell you before I left".

"Left?" He asked sharply.

"I guess you want me to go" Liam sighed, "I don't blame you. I just wanted to say thanks".

The man continued to stare at him as he stood up and placed the twenty dollar note on the coffee table. He had never been so relieved to see twenty bucks in his life. Liam could have used it for anything, but he didn't.

"I don't want you to go" Gideon said, lowering the cup, "but if you stay here, you stay here under my rules".

Liam's eyes lit up and he nodded intently.

"Yes Sir" he replied, and Gideon noticed a look in his eye that he hadn't seen before, "so what happens now?"

Liam walked closer to the man, slowly, seductively. He reached for Gideon's belt, and he stood there, frozen as the boy unbuckled it.

"No sex" Gideon said sternly, though his voice wavered slightly.

Liam smirked as he slid the belt out from his pants.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Sir" he whispered, folding the belt in half and holding it out, "but I guess I need to be punished, huh?"