Chase was not unfamiliar with men from⦠complicated pasts. Dark worlds. Men who wore leather and ripped denim. Men who smelled like engine oil and musty hotels. Men with hair on their chest and scars on their knuckles.Ā And though Chase had had his fair share of less-than-pleasant experiences where these men were involvedāheād also had some eye opening ones. Some that were memorable for as many good things as they were for bad.Ā
Before working with the agency, heād been taken under theĀ āwingā of Raulāa man who, for all intents and purposes, was Chaseās pimp. But no matter what other people said, what people called him, or how despicably he might have been seen, Chase had cared for the man, because the man had cared for him. Maybe⦠maybe not in the traditional way people might expect or desire. But heād looked out for Chase. Heād protected him, had his back. Given him a roof over his head, a number to call, a place to run to at night when he had nowhere else to go. Heād kept Chase safe, and shown him opportunityāand for that, Chase had been grateful.Ā
And itād been his time working under the watch of Raul that heād encountered the kinds of men whom he was now reminded of with Kit. Men who had edges and dark corners and knives tucked into their boots. Men with dirty hands and bruising gripsābut Chase had found that though theyād never been especiallyĀ friendly⦠many of them had been more than met the eye. It usually came, after the sex, as Chase lied there on his stomach, watching hazily as his John fell asleep on his back. Or as heād listened to the drunken ramblings of a client who couldnāt have been there, laying with Chase, had he been sober. Confessions of wives or dead daughters. Confessions of crimes they regretted, or the ones they didnāt. They were complicated. Dark, maybe. Dangerous, sure. But they were complicated, just like Chase. Had been hurt, just like Chase had been. And it was in that, that he found admiration. There was where he found respectāeven for the most intimidating of men. The ones with the iciest, thickest hides. There was always something more. And call him naive, but Chase liked that.Ā
And later, when he was with the agency, heād conclude that in many cases, those men had really not been any different than the ones with money. With fancy watches and expensive suits. Because as it would turn out. Money didnāt automatically mean class.
āOh, I was born in Leeds, actually,ā he replied easily, finding he liked the chatterāliked that the guard was taking interest enough to ask. It made him feel visible, and there was a comfort in that.Ā āAnd how I ended up here⦠erm. Weird story I reckon,ā he said with a gentle buckle in his delicate brow.Ā āBut basically, my, uh, Doc. Works here and suggested I came here. Got me admitted, basically. And I met him,Ā ācause, well.. he takes a lot oā trips to the UK, see, and erm, sāpose he was takinā on patients while he was there, too or somethinā?ā He shrugged.Ā āDunno, really.āĀ
Talking extensively about the deal with how he got here was usually difficultāmostly because it involved a lot of lying, and so he was eager to change the subject. And the offer from the guard to join him in a smoke back outside was as good of an excuse as any. It was also one that made Chase grin.Ā āYeah? Really? I mean, yeah,Ā ācourse Iām cominā, sir. Aināt gonna say no to that.ā And his grin, as they went back out the doors the way they came, was pleased, almost boyishly so, because the invitation felt like a slant of approval from an authority who ranked far above Chase, and Chase was plenty eager to get as much of that as he could.Ā
Reaching the secluded smoking area, Kit stopped and took a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of his back pocket. For a second he really debated whether he should proceed with what he was doing since it was beyond against the rules. Allowing and offering cigarettes to a patient could get him into a lot of trouble, but part of him did not care. The boy had made him feel better about himself and that is all that mattered. Without further hesitation, Kit placed a cigarette in betwen his lips, lit it and took a long drag blowing the smoke.Ā āHereā he muttered, allowing the boy to take a cigarette out of the half emptied pack.Ā
Kitās actions were rather untypical for himself, but his behaviour had its own loop holes. Even if discipline and following a certain set of rules were always on the top of his priorities, Kit sometimes just completely disregarded that matter when other more important things overshadowed it. In this case, Chase was very successfully giving Kit exactly what he needed right now - respect, appreciation and obedience. Nothing more, nothing less.
āLeeds yeah? Iāve heard itās good there, why did you move to London?ā he asked, hoping to maybe find some further information about the boy. Sure, he would look at his file after they finished their conversation, but he rather wanted to find about details, which were not written in there. Forming a trust relationship with the patients was from huge importance in order for his job to run smoothly.
āHow are you settling here? I bet you miss the good old UKā he stated, taking another drag from his cigarette and flicking the ash on the ground beneath him. Kit had never been outside of the US and talking to Chase made him realise that perhaps he was missing out. There was so much more to be seen, to be experienced. One of his dreams was to go and tour through Europe on his bike. However for now that is all it was - a dream.Ā