King prided himself in perpetuating a pleasant atmosphere at the shelter. The guys who showed up tended to be scared and at their wits’ end. Many had been disowned by family and were living on the fringes. They needed somewhere safe to exist and sort themselves out. Some needed to dry out, others needed to clean up… King wanted to be sure the guys were safe and had a friendly face at the desk.

Being a friendly face didn’t soothe his loneliness, especially at Christmas.

Kaz, a man King knew from the baths, crooked his brow. “Want to hook up in the changing rooms? Share a little Christmas cheer? I’ve got poppers.”

“Not tonight.” King wasn’t one for drinking, and he’d taken drugs exactly once -- not his thing. The headache from the hangover was a drag, and the lone time he’d gotten high freaked him out too much. He hated losing control, and Kaz tended to fly a little too close to the edge for King. “Have a merry Christmas,” King said. “Happy New Year if I don’t see you before then.”

“You know I will -- on both accounts.” Kaz shrugged. “If you’re interested, I’ll be at the baths until two.”

He didn’t doubt it. Kaz spent all his time looking for someone to fuck. King wasn’t one for casual. He wanted a steady guy. Someone to come home to, fuck, and love. Someone to hold when they slept. That’s what he wanted. Was that guy out there?

He hadn’t found the opportunity to talk to him. What if he could be King’s forever?

Darryl, the new owner of Start Me Up, strode up to King. “I hear you could use this.” He handed King a card. “I don’t know what for, and I don’t want to know. Take it.” He mashed the card into King’s hand. “Trust me.”