Need

Need

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: nothing tech-tent, or anymore of that creepy shit…

Author’s note: So, yah about the reviews. I want them. Very much do I want them. Give them to me. I demand it. No, I will not hold this story for ransom; I have my issues with that kind of behavior. But in any case, give me reviews. Tell me if you want this story turned into a graphic novel, and I will post a special treat, a very special treat. My roommate has drawn a character sketch of Gareth; I will post a link to our maybe title page, but only if I get a few new reviews.
Now I digress, on with the show.

In all of his life had never been so awkward. He couldn’t understand why he had said yes to Leandre’s offer. This was not actually the truth, Gareth knew the answer. He had been confounded by Leandre’s actions and his own responses to it; he had been too befuddled to think, and had said yes out of reflex.

That truth actually angered Gareth. He was a businessman. He had a cool head. How in the Hell was he going to live this one down. No, there was no real reason to be worried about that. It wasn’t like Gareth was planning to tell anyone. What Gareth actually should have been doing at this point would have been giving an apology and then making his way home.

“It’s really quite a nice restaurant if you ignore the décor,” Leandre interrupted Gareth’s thoughts.
“The décor?” Gareth asked plainly.
“Yes,” Leandre explained. “It’s very plain and boring, more like a cafeteria than a restaurant. But the food is authentic old-Earth Chinese.”
“What is different about authentic and inauthentic?” Gareth asked with genuine curiosity.
“For one thing,” Leandre chuckled and smiled at Gareth. “You don’t use forks.”

The Red Moon Palace was as plain as Leandre had described. The walls were beige, the tables were simple steel. The only real colour came from the red cushions on the metal chairs, and the occasional fan, or painting on the walls. The place was pack though, no one in the crowd seemed to be from the area of Gomorrah where Gareth resided, but any number would have been living in the middle class segments of the city. Apparently something in this red light restaurant was appealing enough to draw distant people into the recessive of Gomorrah.
Leandre had been right about the lack of forks. The pair had just been seated when Gareth had realized that the only utensils were these thin sticks. This did not bode well. Gareth was not clumsy as a general rule, but he certainly preferred to stab his food, rather than fight with sticks, sticks? What had these people been thinking?

Since Gareth had never been to the Red Moon, moreover had never tried authentic Chinese food, it was decided
without argument that Leandre would order. Mr. Rapture’s employee did not want to scare the twitchy businessman; he kept the food non-threatening. Very quickly after the food had ordered, it arrived. Steamed spareribs with black beans, kung pow pork, chicken low mein, and Shanghai braised meatball. All this dishes were set in the middle of the tables; both men had their own plates.

The thinner, taller man had no problems using his chop sticks to serve himself his dinner. The dinner’s entertainment came from watching Gareth. It was official; the man really suited his hair colour. Gareth had watched Leandre carefully as the attendant had served himself, but some how the sticks were not staying in Gareth’s hand right and they kept slipping around. Leandre had to suppress a laugh. If he wanted to get in Gareth’s pants, humiliating him was probably not the way to go.

“Let me help,” Leandre offered. He leaned across the table and positioned the chopsticks properly in Gareth’s hands. A brief demonstration on how to move the utensils and Gareth manage to actually grab some low mein, not neatly but success doesn’t mean perfection.

“Your right,” Gareth said suddenly.
“I am?” Leandre asked after he swallowed a bite.
“Yes,” Gareth nodded smiled very slightly. “This place is good.”
“If the Red light district has to offer something wholesome,” Leandre offered his assessment, “just to make everything else look all that worse.”

Gareth laughed, more that just a little genuinely. So the raven-haired employee of Mr. Rapture had a few good qualities. Having good taste in food and humour definitely appealed to Gareth. Leandre smiled gently at him. It occurred suddenly to the businessman that Leandre worked for Mr. Rapture, and although he had only seen him in the Perfect Pleasure room, that didn’t mean the guy didn’t have other jobs. Gareth stomach clenched, considering how forward Leandre had been to him, it wasn’t an unreasonable concern.

“What exactly is your job at House of Rapture?” Gareth asked dryly.
“First off, you don’t need to worry,” Leandre reassured Gareth quickly before he explained. “I’m not a whore. I’m a mechanic; my job is to make sure that tentacle monster keeps working.”
“How the Hell did you get to working at that place?” Gareth asked with bewilderment. Mechanics were valued if Leandre was any good he was wasting his life at the House.
“I came to Eden looking for an adventure when I was eighteen,” Leandre explained. “I happened to have ended up in Gomorrah right about when I ran out of money. Since I don’t have a certification here proving that I am proficient at my trade, I had to get a job were certification wasn’t a concern.”
“Oh,” Gareth couldn’t think of anything else to say. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Leandre brushed off Gareth’s concern. “I’ve never been up to the floors where the whores work, and I never plan too. The machine might be creepy as all Hell but Mr. Rapture pays well.”

Gareth gave Leandre a long look as both men finished the last bites of their dinner. One thing that Gareth had always been proud of was his ability to read when people were lying to him. It was obvious that Leandre was being completely truthful. The most important clue to this was the very fact that Leandre clearly felt no shame. There was no undertone of guilt about his job. But what did that say about his actions earlier.

“Have you ever…” Gareth began and coughed. “Have you ever, like before… Ah, back at the house…”
Leandre gave Garth a light hearted smiled and patted the other man’s hand, he replied: “I’m not a slut either. Although, I will admit, very few customers use that machine, you are by far the only decent one.”
“Ok,” Gareth didn’t really understand but he replied as if he did. “So, why me?”
“You don’t get anything from that machine,” Leandre replied with a certain level of conviction in his tone. “You always come away from it with a look of emptiness. I thought you need a little human affection.”
“And you felt like it was your place to decide this?” Gareth asked, embarrassed by Leandre’s observations.
“No,” Leandre admitted. “I just wanted to be the one to give it to you.”

The pair was silent for a long moment before Leandre got up. He gestured for Gareth to stay, and explained: “I’m going to pay the bill. And before you argue, since you are a businessman, and I’m not, yadda yadda, I asked you here. I pay.”

Gareth was actually too surprised to argue. He sat and watched as Leandre went up to the counter and paid the bill. The taller, thinner man was laughing and joking a bit with the waitress. He was clearly familiar with her. It seemed like Leandre was friendly with most anyone from his general attitude. And apparently he could read Gareth like an open book with extra large print. When Leandre returned to the table he beckoned Gareth to stand.

“I’ll walk you to your car,” Leandre stated, not so much as offered. “I don’t figure that you parked in the district.”
“You would be right,” Gareth acknowledged. He followed Leandre out the door and the pair began walking down the street in silence.

Leandre was trying to plot out his next move. Gareth was a bit more that a little on the frigid and distant side, and Leandre really didn’t want to push him away. “Bloody Hell,” Leandre thought to himself with irritation. “I’m acting like a total sex crazed idiot.” Gareth was eyeing Leandre with some suspicion, whatever he was looking for, Gareth couldn’t find it. Leandre really wasn’t acting like some random slut trying to get laid. Gareth would have been able to handle that with easy. A swift knee to the balls and it would have been all over.

“This is my car,” Gareth finally said when they arrived at a familiar parking lot. “I guess I’ll see you next time.”
“You really shouldn’t go back there,” Leandre said softly. “I’m not trying to seem invasive about your personal life, or anything, but you are obviously hurting, and that thing is probably only exacerbating the issue.”
“Leandre,” Gareth warned. It was the first time the businessman had ever called him by name.
“I know I’m nosing where I’m not wanted,” Leandre shrugged and raised his hands in a non-threatening manner. “But I’m not wrong, and we both know it. I also know you don’t plan on telling me a damn thing, and that’s fine, I’m little more than a stranger but…”
“But?” Gareth asked, feeling a little less hostile.
“But I really want you to feel better,” Leandre finished his explanation and shrugged sheepishly. “I don’t know if I can do anything at all to help you, but I want to try.”

Gareth looked at Leandre with a puzzled expression. The mechanic put took hold of Gareth chin and tilted it up slightly so he could look right into Gareth’s eyes. At the minimal distance, Leandre finally saw the shadows of fear and regret in Gareth’s eyes.

“Hush,” Leandre crooned softly. Gently, he leaned in and brushed his lips softly against Gareth’s before bring the thicker man into a soft kiss.

End Chapter 3.

Author’s note: Yah, I know, not a single racy moment. More shall follow, the relationship does need to evolve a bit, you know. Leandre can only be so forward, and Gareth is only a little bit screwed up. And there you go more fun should be happening in the next chapter. I’ll warn you know this’ll be part of a much longer serious for the sake of the novel. A great plot connecting everything will never be posted on adultfan, I have to save something if I’m going to try and publish this.

Reviews:
Cherry Starburst: Apparently you are my only friend for this chapter, so if you like I will sent you a link to the picture of Gareth before anyone else gets to seem him. I like rewarding people who do as I ask; lol.

More reviews please people. Or not title page for you. And my roomie is an amazing artist.