The night had been long and cold. It had been cold on the nights leading up to our meeting with Drake but last night was almost unbearable. If Peter hadn’t allowed us to use those jackets we would have likely frozen to death but the work was easy enough.

Well, it was easy after we figured out where the hell we were going. Neither of us had so much as visited this city given that everyone knew it was gang territory so the first several hours were spent with us trying to figure out how the hell to get to whatever meet-up spot Peter had set up.

After we got a better understanding of the town it got better but the cold was still a problem. The later we stayed out the worse it got until we finally were done with our last run and were able to go back to the supply house.

Peter had been there with the same wide smile on his face when we came back, the door notably fixed now. He let us keep the jackets for now but I knew the first thing I was going to do with our money tonight was to get better coats that we could layer. 

The second we got back to the apartment, both of us face-planted onto the bed and slept for the rest of the night without bothering to take off the weed jackets or our shoes. The amount of walking mixed with the cold had made both of us hurt more the next morning than we expected to and as such we stayed in bed for as long as we could stand it.

My legs were sore from the miles we had walked while Dev’s nose switched between running like a river and being so stuffed up he couldn’t breathe but we were together and that’s what mattered I supposed.

My arms wrapped around him as we lay in the bed. His back was at my chest and I held him as tight as I could manage without hurting his tender ribs. He breathed deeply as I played with his hair and I was thankful for this moment. Despite everything; my father kicking me out, him running away, our shared homelessness, the starvation, the gang we were now in, we were still together.

“I love you,” I whispered in his ear before placing a gentle kiss on the shell. He leaned into the touch and if either of us would have felt any better I would have deepened the simple kiss into something more sinful.

“I love you too,” he whispered back as he turned to face me. A light smile was gracing his lips as I soothed a bruise on his cheek. “How are you feeling?”

“Cold,” I admitted. Despite being bundled under every amount of blankets we could find I hadn’t been able to chase the chill away. “I think I lost a toe somewhere on Mayse Avenue. Might want to go look for that sometime tonight if we have time.”

“I meant more about the fact that we just had our first day of working with a gang.”

“I don’t love it but money is money and considering we didn’t have any and now we do, I think I can live with it. Anything is better than a dumpster, even if you happened to be in that dumpster beside me.”

It wasn’t entirely true but what Dev didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. I had never had sympathy for gangs or dealers or addicts for that matter. I had seen firsthand with my parents what drugs did to a person and I didn’t like it. Dealers were just a bunch of assholes trying to get you to pay big money for shit that would kill you in a few years. They didn’t care that you were a person who lived and breathed. The second you overdosed they would find someone else to spend the money you couldn’t give them anymore. And gangs were just a bunch of stupid idiots who would rather play mafia than go out and get a real job. 

I never wanted this to be the way my life turned out and I was still going to try my best to make sure we would get out of it the second we could safely do so. I prayed that it wouldn’t take long before we got to that point but for now, we had an apartment, and money was coming in.

“How do you feel about it,” I asked after a while of Dev staring at me. He shrugged but his smile slipped away.

“I think as long as we don’t get beat again I don’t care where the money comes from. I just want to be with you and if this place is what allows that to happen then this is all just a necessary evil.”

The hand on his cheek tightened as I brought his face to mine. His lips were soft against mine and the soft moan he gives me sends a shiver down my spine. I sigh into his mouth as I played with his bottom lip. My teeth ran across it gentle biting and sucking it into my mouth. His breath hitched and I decided I didn’t care about how sore I was anymore.

I pulled away just long enough to push him down on the bed and crawl onto of him. He smirks up at me as he throws his shirt across the room and I don’t waste time in brushing my lips across his body. Every brush of tongue, every flash of teeth, every kiss, every touch, his body relaxes farther against the bed. His hands tangle in my blonde hair and I love the feeling. 

My tongue played with his nipple and it isn’t long before he’s dying for more pleasure. His moans are sinful and if we had lube I would already be balls deep in his ass, planning how to make him beg for his release.

I laughed against his skin as my hand slipped down to grip his dick in a painful hold that he craved. His moan echoed through the room as his head slammed back against the pillow.

“Fuck James,” and I loved the way he moaned my name. “Please.”

“What? Did you want something?”

“Don’t be a tease,” he whined as he pushed my head down, my mouth directly above his clothed dick. 

“Aw, but you love my teasing.”

My fingers had just wrapped around the hem of his jeans before a knock came from the front door.

“Leave it,” Dev demanded, shoving my mouth against his clothes. “Maybe they’ll go away.”

I pulled his pants down to his ankles. My lips lightly pressed against his tip as more knocking sounded off but the words that followed had me pause.

“Room service.”

My eyes trailed up to Dev and he was already glaring at me.

“Don’t you fucking dare.”

I left Dev, pantless, on the bed.

He cussed me out with every step away from him I took but conveniently shut up when the door was opened.

A short woman stood there, brown hair pulled into a bun with a cart of food in front of her. I was starving and the burgers we had bought days ago were long gone. Still-,

“We didn’t order room service,” I sighed even though I wanted nothing more than to take the cart and eat it all before anyone realized the mistake. Drake said he owned the building and if this was some sort of sick test, I wasn’t going to fail it just because I was hungry. 

“Well, someone did,” the woman said with a small smile. “It’s all paid for so you might as well have at it.”

“Who paid for it?” I was not taking any more handouts from Drake after he fucking choked me last night.

“The card says Peter Fair so if you know anyone by that name then that’s your guy,” she said as he turned to leave. “Leave the cart in the hall when you’re done.”

I frowned down at the trey as she left before picking up the card.

‘You guys did great last night,’ it said in loopy handwriting that I wouldn’t expect to come from a guy like him. ‘Eat up and take a shower. Tonight will be better. Keep this up and you’ll have a better route in no time.- Drug Peter. (Just in case you know of any other Peter’s who would be sending you food.)

A weight lifted off my chest.

Drake may have been a dick that I never wanted to see again but our direct boss seemed to be a decent man as long as you did what you were told.

We could do this. We could beat the odds.

I smiled as I pulled the cart inside and drove it to the bedroom.

Dev still lay on his back, dick on full display and cum painting his stomach. He was panting lightly and smirked when he saw me staring.

“Missed your chance,” he teased. 

“Fine,” I scoffed as I sat down in my usual spot with a plate of waffles in hand. “I call these, you can have the pancakes and fruit like one of the prissy rich boy breakfasts you’re used to.” He lightly punched my arm, the word ‘prick’ being mumbled under his breath but I didn’t miss the way he savored his favorite breakfast. 

“I love you,” I said again because I needed him to know that. I needed him to know that he was the only thing I couldn’t live without. I needed him to know I would do anything for him but words were never my strong suit and these words seemed to do enough.

No matter how many times I said those three little words, his eyes lit up at them and a shy smile covered his face.

“I love you too,” he said, and no matter how many times he said them, my shoulders relaxed in the knowledge that I hadn’t messed up so bad that those words weren’t true anymore.

“Give me 10 minutes and we’re going back to sexy time,” I said as I shoveled as much food into my mouth as possible but Devon only scoffed.

“After you leave me for food? Use your fucking hand like I did you ass.”

“Your hand feels so much better though.”

“It’s not happening. Fuck off.”

It happened. Three more times in fact.