Page 9 of Natural-Born Cullers

Monday to Friday, for the past two years, he ran the same hamster wheel to Barclays Bank. It never stopped, but Cane made it bearable, even if he did have his earbuds in most of the time. A wink came Alec’s way, then true to form, as they left the bus rush behind, out came Cane’s Bluetooth headphones and his escapism from the London scene.

No one passed by them as they walked, not on a Monday. Tuesday to Friday saw some commuters Alec recognised but never spoke to. He’d offer a smile, sometimes get one back, but mostly kept the walk to work a world away from Friday nights, movie nights with Cane, his body all tucked in close. Cane didn’t bother acknowledging anyone at all on the street, period: he had his mask on with its dark theme, which meant few smiles ever came his way, just an occasional shake of head. Which was kind of all right with Cane, and that made it kind of all right with Alec too.

From their reflections in the shop windows, they couldn’t have been more yin and yang in their oddI’ve wanted to kiss you since high school but still can’t pluck up the courageways. Wearing a light grey suit and leather shoes, Alec melted in the morning heat, but Cane wore ripped jeans, with more styled rips on his T-shirt showing his abs as Dr. Martens leather boots kept the heat off his feet. Alec kept his blond hair short, all family friendly with work at the bank. Cane went full red mohawk with black tips. Added to his makeup and hand-drawn skull art on black-painted nails, they couldn’t have been more badly paired in life if they’d tried, and over the years, all of Cane’s colour and flare had earned him the nickname Candy Cane. Even career-wise, Alec had left sixth form and gone into life as a bank cashier. But Cane, his way with hand-drawn nail art and a talented ability to set up a YouTube channel and transform any queen into drag, he studied at the London School of Beauty & Make-up. Both buildings offered shade down the same street they walked, Alec’s bank being the closest.

Seemed they’d swapped walking through school gates for revolving work doors. Their path was set. It had been for all these years they’d known each other.

It just needed one of them to make the last goddamn move and exchange walking for… something more than a damn cuddle on the settee.

Alec hid a smile as he looked down at his feet.

Neither had family to mention beyond cards at Christmas. They’d both had boyfriends over the years so were happy in their sexuality. There was nothing to complicate the issue… so what was the hold up? What was the fear over taking the final step? Losing how they’d grown into each other as friends or—

“Tainted Love.”

“Huh?” Alec threw Cane a startled look. “What?”

An earbud came out, a grin came his way, and Cane danced a little. “Soft Cell. They’ve got me in the mood for an Eighties night. You up for it? This Saturday, maybe?”

Alec’s panicked heart slowed its hard beat a little, and he shook his head with a smile. “You gonna go all ‘Shake That’ on me?”

Cane winced. “Wasn’t Eminem more Nineties?”

“Fuck knows.” Alec stepped out of the way of a traffic light that looked set to split them up. “Just a damn good sexy bass beat to it that gets you in the mood.”

“Yeah?” Cane looked him up and down. “What mood would that be, then, bud?”

Alec raised a brow, loving the quiet of the streets that he found on Mondays. “Well, I—”

“Oh… fuck—”

Hearing the shout, Alec looked back over his shoulder at pretty much the same time as Cane. Mostly because a clatter of steel piping cut the cry short.

The pitch-size complex for Smithfield General Market stood boarded up behind them, the huge orange boards making sure people kept walking by. Alec hadn’t really paid it that much attention over the years. It was just big-ass derelict buildings that had homed meat and cheese markets many moons ago. But on the whole, work on it didn’t usually start this early.

The fall of rubble filtered through, followed by a groan, and Alec headed over to where a portion of the orange boards split open. Maybe the illegal rag-and-boners were out to see what steel was inside to pilfer and had touched something they shouldn’t have. The place had stored railway parts during its lifetime as the railway still ran close to it, so it wouldn’t surprise Alec.

A hand pulled him to a stop, and Alec sighed as Cane shifted over to the broken board first.

“Watch your suit, bro.” Cane glanced back. “I can get away with wearing a few cobwebs, and I also don’t scream like a baby with playing host to a few hairy-legged spiders either.”

“That you calling me a wuss?”

“Gotta own those labels, luv.”

“Ass.” Alec thumped his shoulder, although his stomach twisted in all the right ways at being called Cane’s… love.

“Ouch,” mouthed Cane, rubbing at the thump, and Alec bit back a grin. Yeah, Cane was definitely more cuddler than fighter too.

It stayed quiet behind the barricade, but something had Cane narrowing his eyes as he leaned in a little. “Fuck.” He pushed on through a second later, and Alec found himself taking in a breath to squeeze through the gap. Dust met him first, and he waved it away, wishing he had a mask. Open space met him, with huge metal beams acting like place settings for market stall holders. But other than that?

Alec looked around him. He couldn’t see where the shout had come from, but Cane seemed to see something he couldn’t as he bolted away. Alec caught on a moment later. A stack of scaffolding laid itself out on the floor, and at the edge of one, a dust-filled hand gave the only life to the place as fingers spasmed from the edge of the metal tube.

“Christ.” Cane skidded to a halt. “Hey… hey you all right, bro? You need help?”

Alec made it over a second later.

Looking like he’d slept in a little too late, a young lad in his late teens wiped blood from his mouth as he tried to get up. Dust covered his clothing, and a few pieces of scaffolding weighted his legs down. Cane started to move them, then crouched down when the lad tried to sit up again and help with blind fumbles going the tubing’s way.

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