Gunner snorted and dared to entwine their hands in public even though the only person to see them was a nurse behind the desk close to a double door. “Is it ‘cause I’m real cute?” Something that would end as soon as they swapped back.
“Yeah, that could have something to do with it. Though I might use those pierced nipples to punish you once we’re home,” Caspian said with a small smile before segwaying to the desk in order to deal with a few formalities.
They were already in the dark parking lot when Gunner’s phone rang, and he stilled, knowing no one called in the middle of the night, unless it was important, but his shoulders relaxed when he saw Noah’s name on the screen.
“Hey, didn’t Cas tell you I’m fine? You can’t take my stuff,” Gunner said as he picked up the call.
The silence alarmed him, sending visions of his brother beaten up and held hostage by the Brown brothers, but Noah finally spoke. “There’s nothing left to take, Gun. They set your trailer on fire. I woke up to sirens. The fire is still going, but there’s… there’s nothing left. I’ve got Fluffer,” he added quickly. “I’m so sorry.”
Reality kept hitting Gunner’s skull again and again, yet didn’t seem to land a punch. He couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t comprehend it. He didn’t have much, but the trailer had been his home for years. He had nowhere to go.
Caspian grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the truck. “Let’s go!”
Chapter 27 – Gunner
Barely anything was left of Gunner’s old life by the time they reached the trailer park. All the residents were up, frantically packing, in case the fire spread, or watching the firefighters deal with the damage. Gunner’s place had been ground zero, but the flames had taken over several homes around it. It was over by the time the sky started to brighten.
The air still smelled of the fumes, and Gunner doubted anyone would get any sleep after waking up to face the fragility of their existence, but the reality that had burnt down didn’t feel like his own anymore. His and Caspian’s identities had been entangled so tightly he couldn’t tell where one began and the other ended. At times, he wasn’t even sure what to call himself.
But he knew for sure that Caspian was the one who’d have to live in the ruins of Gunner’s life now—homeless. While Gunner could support him with the money earned on the sale of the Southfield, it wasn’t his money to spend. For all they knew, Alex could call the transaction off come tomorrow, and then Caspian would be fucked.
Once it was clear that there was nothing left to salvage from Gunner’s home, they’d ended up resting on a log set up in front of an old, charred barbeque grill by a neighbor’s trailer. Deep in his self-punishing thoughts, Gunner hadn’t noticed Noah’s approach and flinched when a blanket dropped to his shoulders.
“I took Fluffer to my mom’s,” Noah said, rubbing his eyes.
It was such a relief to know that at least the cat survived. The fluffball had been with Gunner for over two years now, and Todd would find out the meaning of war if the pet had suffered.
Because he had no doubt that his ex-friends were behind the fire. Furious that the pair of them hadn’t managed to intimidate and beat up a gay man, the arson was an expression of fury, homophobia, and a big fuck-you for the years they’d spent together. A voice at the back of Gunner’s head told him that Caspian should have known some actions had bitter consequences, but the truth was that Caspian had no point of reference for this kind of situation. And while he shouldn’t have outed Gunner in the first place, there was no turning back time.
Without a job or a roof over his head, Caspian was vulnerable in ways he didn’t seem to understand, and if Gunner cared for him, he needed to do the right thing.
“Caspian said you had an idea for the swap? That you spoke with Madge?” Gunner said, looking up at his kid brother. It was still night time, but the horizon had already turned pink and blue.
Noah opened his mouth but didn’t speak, his eyes fixed on a stretcher carried by two of the firefighters. There was a black bag on it, shaped like a person, and all three of them stilled, watching the dead body being carried away.
“Yeah. Just before—” Noah uttered and gestured at the stretcher.
Smoke filled Gunner’s lungs and scratched his throat. “No…”
“Everyone else got away in time. But there was so much stuff in her trailer. She might have gotten blocked and couldn’t get out.”
Caspian exhaled and rubbed his face. “Shit.”
Gunner had liked Madge. Sure, she was the wacky neighbor who asked uncomfortable questions and often listened to music too loudly, but she didn’t deserve a death like this, through no fault of her own.