The Sky Is Dead (7 page)

I look up. “You can hold on, but I’m not going bald, okay?” He moans again as I jack him for emphasis. Perhaps I should have spoken first.

I hold his arse with one hand as I wank his cock firmly with the other. I want his first experience to be amazing, to blow his mind. I want him to compare every other blow job he gets to this one for the rest of his life. I want to be remembered for
something
other than being a street kid. I suck in the head, ignoring the taste of the latex. He tightens his hands on my head but doesn’t pull my hair out.

I tease the slit first, and then lick all the way around the head until Harry’s moaning so loud, I pray his neighbors are out. Thank God we didn’t try this in the park. When I feel Harry’s thigh muscles tremble, I sink down on his cock, clenching my throat muscles around the head. His soft pubes tickle my nose. That’s just a taster for what’s to come. I pull back to lick and explore the shaft, until he’s begging me to deep-throat him again. I thank God for all the experience the nameless men have given me as I let him fuck my mouth. His shaft swells in my mouth, and he yells as he comes, filling the condom with his hot jizz.

Harry’s legs wobble and I pull him forward onto my lap. He sinks down against me, resting his head in the crook of my neck. I stroke the back of his neck as his breathing calms.

Eventually Harry raises his head. “Fuck,” he manages.

“Not today.”

He shoves my shoulder and looks down at his limp cock, still covered by the rubber. “Ugh, I think I need to get rid of this.”

“Don’t get rid of your cock. I like it.” I pat it gently.

“Haha!” Harry says sourly, heading for the downstairs loo.

I hear it flush and then he comes back.

“Danny?”

I open my eyes. I hadn’t even realized I’d closed them. “Huh?”

“What about you?” he asks, kneeling at my feet.

“I’m fine.”

“I want to do the same to you.” He tugs on my tracksuit bottoms. I raise my hips and he pulls them down. It’s hard for me not to laugh at the look on his face—horny and petrified at the same time.

“Take your time,” I say, relaxing against the cushions. I hand him a condom. Harry looks as if he’s about to protest, but it’s nonnegotiable. Harry’s hands shake as he fumbles rolling the condom down my dick. I wonder if he’s tried to put one on himself before now.

He pulls a face at the taste of the latex, but he goes back for another try, sucking in my cock as far as he can. He gags and flushes, his cheeks burning, but I stroke his hair.

“Use your hands as well.”

He’s a fast learner, and I don’t take long to come, spilling out into the condom in quick pulses. Harry looks triumphant at his success.

After we clean up and get dressed again, Harry gets two cans of Sprite to wash away the foul taste in our mouths. It’ll be time for me to leave soon. I’m trying not to think about it, but I know once I’m wrapped up in my blankets I’ll be okay. I can’t get afford to get soft or I’ll never survive the winter.

Harry snuggles in my arms again, watching the end of some drama. I don’t pay much attention and doze off toward the end. I wake to a beeping sound, and Harry wriggling forward to get his phone.

“It’s a text from Mum.” A look of glee crosses his face. To my surprise, he holds it out for me to read.

Rain is worse. Danny stays in spare room. 1 night only.

I bite my lip. “Are you sure you want me to stay?”

Harry rolls his eyes. “Don’t be fucking stupid. Course I’m sure. I don’t have to be at school ’til ten, so we can sleep in and get some breakfast.”

We spend the rest of the evening on Harry’s bed, exploring each other’s bodies. I make him come again, a slow hand job that has him whimpering and curling his toes. We’re in separate beds by the time Harry’s mum comes back—just.

He kisses me good night once I’m in the little bed in the spare room and goes back to his own, getting into bed just before his mum opens the front door. It takes me a while to fall asleep. I listen to the rain falling against the window and thank the God I don’t believe in that I’m not out there tonight. I hope Billy is warm and dry, wherever he is, and wish Lil a safe journey, free from pain.

Chapter Six

I
WALK
Harry to school the next morning before I make my way to the shelter. Greg looks up as I arrive, a relieved look on his face.

“Danny, I was worried when you didn’t show yesterday.”

“I’m sorry. I needed some time to deal.”

Greg nods. “I know. You weren’t the only one. Glad you’re okay, though.”

I look over my shoulder to the window seat, unreasonably angry when I see Liam, one of the old-timers, sitting there. “Any sign of Billy?”

“No, and I don’t expect him to come back, at least not for a while.”

I look at the window seat again, feeling a pang of loss. “Have you called the police?”

“Waste of time,” he says sadly. “He’ll come back if he wants to.” He gives me a tight smile, and I wonder how many Billys have come and gone over the years.

I look at the seat one last time and make my peace with it. Lil’s gone, Billy’s gone—life moves on.

Greg hands me a cup of hot chocolate and says, “Someone called yesterday evening, asking for you.”

“For me?” Who the fuck would be looking for me?

“They wouldn’t leave a name. It was a woman.”

My first thought is my mum is finally looking for me, but then I realize how stupid that sounds. My parents would have no clue where I am now.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. I asked them to leave a message, and they put the phone down.”

“Bizarre. I wonder if it was Harry’s mum, checking up on me.”

“Harry’s mum?” Greg raises his eyebrow.

“Uh… someone I know.” I will my rising blush away. I fail. It isn’t helped by the glee on Greg’s face.

“Have you got a boyfriend, Danny?”

“No.”

“No?” He sounds disbelieving.

“Maybe,” I mutter.

“Good for you.”

I expect more questions, but he just ruffles my hair and goes back to his paperwork. I’m not sure whether I’m disappointed or not. It would be nice to have someone interested in what I’m doing.

I spend the day at the center. It’s raining and my bed is saturated; I checked it this morning. I’m going to need to check the bins behind the shops for more packing cases. I could do with another sleeping bag, as well. Harry made me bring my old one to his house to dry it out, but his mother took one look at it and dumped it.

I doze in the armchair by the radiator until it’s time to meet to Harry. The rain’s stopped and Harry’s really happy when we meet. Makes my day brighter. Sunshine and a fucking gorgeous boyfriend. I keep wanting to touch him, unable to believe he’s all mine. He grins when he sees me and pulls me behind a tree to kiss me. We’re both grinning at each other when we pull apart. I’ve got another problem as well, not helped by Harry’s hand brushing it.

I grab at his wrist. “Don’t do that or I’ve lost my only clean clothes.”

He looks disappointed, but then a mischievous grin spreads across his face. “Mum is out ’til seven. Want to come and watch TV? Make out for a while? You can take a shower if you want. I could scrub your back,” he adds helpfully.

“Are you sure your mum won’t mind?”

He nods and for a moment the smile slides off his face. “She offered. There’s dinner there for you as well. If you want, you can stay the night.”

I bite my lip. “I can’t do that, Harry.”

“Why not? It’s going to rain again tonight.”

“Because it’s taking advantage of her, and that’s not right.” I hesitate and he notices.

“What? Why won’t you accept her help? It’s only a bed and a few meals.”

“What happens if I get used to being looked after, and then you don’t want to see me anymore? Then I’m back as I was before, only this time with no nice food and no soft bed. I need to be independent, Harry. You’ve been great and all, but I’m getting soft.”

“Bollocks!” he says, and he drags me through the park.

“It’s not bollocks.”

“If the hostel was offering the same thing, a couple of nights’ free food and a bed, would you take that?”

“Well, yeah. But that’s different.”

“No, it’s not. The weather is crap and you have the chance to sleep in a bed. Take it and shut up.”

I protest again, but Harry ignores me. He does that a lot, I’ve noticed, when he doesn’t get his way.

He makes me strip when we get home and hands me what I wore yesterday, already washed and dried. “Go in the shower. Don’t rush. There’s plenty of hot water.” I open my mouth to protest, and he places one finger across my lips. “Shut up, Danny. Just get clean.”

I stand under the shower for a long, long time, letting the warmth seep through until I’m wrinkled. When I get out, Harry has heated up the dinner, and we sit and watch kids’ programs. Harry starts fidgeting next to me after a while. I look at him to discover the reason for his fidgets. I bite back a grin. “Want me to do something about it?”

He’s caught the zip of his jeans in his boxers. It’s at half-mast and there’s nothing he can do about it. Harry’s glowing bright red, but he nods, placing his hands by his side. He hisses when I slide one hand in and graze his dick with my knuckles.

“Careful!”

“I’ll be careful. Don’t want this to get hurt.” I deliberately stroke his cock, feeling it twitch under my fingers.

“Bastard!”

“Do you want me to free you up or not?”

“Only if you suck me off.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Giving me orders now, are you?”

“You have your hand over my dick. I’ll do anything you want.”

I snicker as I gently free the cotton of his boxers from the zip. Okay, so maybe I’m touching him a bit more than I should. By the time I finish, his cock is leaking and hard against the back of my hand.

As soon as the zip is free, he raises his hips and pushes his jeans and boxers down. “Fucking suck it!” he orders, grasping his cock with one hand and pushing it toward my lips.

“Wait, condom.”

He looks around frantically, as if he expects one to miraculously appear. “They’re in my bedroom.”

“I’ll go and get one.”

“In the bedside table. Hurry.”

I run up the stairs and into his bedroom. Fortunately, they’re where he said, and I’m back downstairs and rolling one down his dick in a couple of minutes. He’s virtually shoving his cock into my hands, trying to jack himself off. I can try to control matters or I can just let him do what he wants. Within seconds he’s at the point of coming. I rip off the condom and let him spurt over my hands.

“Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Fuck!” he yells.

“Didn’t realize you were going to be a screamer.”

“Shut up,” he grumbles.

I am prepared as he looks around. “Here.” I offer him the box of tissues I took from his bedroom.

He cleans himself up and looks at me. “Er, sorry?”

I grin at him. “For what?”

“Coming so quickly. Jesus. I thought I was going to burst. Kind of messed up the big ending.”

“Hmm, you did, didn’t you.”

Harry looks mortified, but I just laugh at him and lean forward to give him a kiss. “You’re so hot.”

He stares at me uncertainly. “I am?”

I stroke his soft belly. “Yeah. You’re really hot, and I want to do that again.”

“Fuck me,” he begs, but I shake my head.

“Not yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s a really big deal, and when we do it, it’s got to be right.”

“I don’t see why it’s that big a deal,” he says.

Sighing, I get off my knees to sit next to him on the sofa. “I know you don’t, but believe me when I tell you it is.”

He stares at me uncertainly. “Was it a big deal for you?”

“Yeah. But I loved him, so it was all right.” I can see the jealousy in his eyes. “It was a long time ago.”

“You’re only eighteen,” he points out.

“It was a lifetime ago.” My time with Steve feels like a world away from where I am now. I was naïve, happy, selfish, and self-centered, like all sixteen-year-old kids. Now I’m tired and worn out, but I know what’s important, and I’m going to make sure Harry does as well.

He doesn’t look convinced, but tough. He’ll deal with it.

A noise outside attracts my attention. “Is that your mum?”

Harry snaps his head up. “Shit, she’s home early. Shit shit shit!” He tucks himself away while I dispose of the condom.

When I come back down the stairs, Harry is talking to his mother. She smiles at me as I walk into the lounge.

“Danny, hi.”

“Hi, Mrs. Cooper. Thank you for letting me come back and for the dinner.”

“No need to thank me after all you’ve done for Harry. He told me about that awful boy with the knife and how you saved him.”

“He’s done more for me since then.”

It’s true. Since we met, Harry has fed me and given me clothes, but more than that, he treats me like a human being, rather than some garbage to be ignored on the street.

“Harry told me what happened to you. I can’t believe your parents threw you out because you’re gay.”

I give her a tight smile. No matter how hard I try, I will never get over that moment of betrayal. I think she sees how upset I am because she mutters something about getting changed and leaves us alone.

Harry wraps his arms around me and I rest my head on his shoulder. We stay like that until I hear her coming down the stairs again.

I raise my head and smile at him. “I ought to go.”

He frowns at me. “We’ve had this discussion. You’re staying here tonight. Look, it’s raining now. Don’t be stupid, Danny.”

Mrs. Cooper glances between us as she comes in. “Is there a problem?”

“Danny thinks a couple of nights in a bed will make him soft.” Harry’s holding on to my wrist as if I’m about to burst out of the door.

She nods as if she understands. How can she understand?

“It’s bad out there again, Danny. Sleep here one more night, please?”

I sink down onto the couch. “One more,” I say stubbornly, “and that’s all.”

“Good.” She nods. Then she says to Harry, “You need to do your homework, young man.”