Queer as Muke

1.8.1 Arq-ing Boomerang

"Hope I get that job," muses Vincent, Calum's co-deputy manager as Calum gets ready to leave K-Mart for home.

"What job?"

"Didn't you know? They're making our boss the new district manager, in charge of all the shops in New South Wales."

"Oh shit!" Calum's impressed, he thought he'd be there until he retired. Well good on him for getting a massive promotion.

"And they're letting him pick his own replacement so I thought, fuck, it might as well be me. Right?"

"Right," Calum agrees, without particularly thinking about it. In his head he's trying to decide what to wear at Arq that night.

"Well I'd better go practice my ass kissing. Wish me luck."

"You got it."

Anna accosts him as soon as Vincent's left, catching Calum by the arm and practically jumping up and down on the spot, "So, aren't you going to ask me?'

"Ask you what?!"

"What I think about you becoming store manager? I think you'd fly!" She says, smiling brightly at him in her enthusiasm.

"Thanks, but I like my job. Besides being general manager is a lot of responsibility," Calum says, talking to her as they navigate the endless corridors at the back of the store to the staff car park.

"So? You can handle it. And you're much better qualified than Vince any day. You're a better worker, you've been here longer, people like you better. And then there's the raise. C'mon, if you want to get ahead you're going to have to learn to do a little bit of ass kissing like Vincent. 'Cause something tells me you can kiss ass with the best of them," She tells him, leaving him chuckling at how true her comment is by the exit. 

~~~

"Did I tell you my dad wants to send me to Cadet School?" Luke tells Michael and his friends as they walk down the steps leaving Arq that night. "I said fuck no!"

"I think your Dad might be right, a little cadet school might do you some good," Michael leers at Luke, then grins as Luke takes hold of the front of his leather jacket, walking backwards and leering back at him. Their mood is flirty, it has been all night, and Luke's just hoping that Michael will want to take him back to his penthouse. It hasn't been mentioned but since they've been touchy feely all night, it looks promising.

"I always wanted to go to Cadet School, all the sleek uniforms, the power shoulders..." Purrs Corey.

"All those taking orders, getting punished when you're naughty..." Adds Sam behind them.

"Yes Sir. Sorry Sir!" Corey leans on the wall with his hands, sticking his arse out and the others take full pleasure in giving him a whack as they go past. "Ow!" He complains when they're too hard.

"Don't forget showering with all those cadets!"

"Ooooh!"

Michael puts his hand in the air for silence as he stops by a beige family car in the Arq car park and open his hands, palms upwards in reverence, waiting for everyone's remarks.

"I never thought we'd see the day! Michael Clifford driving an economy compact," Corey exclaims.

"Sub-compact," Sam corrects him, peering in the back to see if it's as bad as he thinks it will be.

"I have to get another car this week," Michael tells them all, he can't wait to get rid of this rental.

"Another fuck mobile?" Asks Calum.

"Well at his age he needs all the help he can get to attract these hot young things!" Corey says as he hugs Luke from behind, wrapping his arms around him and kissing him on the neck. Luke raises his eyebrows, not objecting in the slightest and obligingly bends his neck for Corey giving Michael a full view of Corey's lips wetting his hot young veins.

"I thought after what happened you might consider something more practical," says Sam as Michael jealously pushes Corey's hands off Luke, before grabbing his T shirt between thumb and forefinger to pull Luke towards him which Luke obligingly does, leaning back a little to give Michael the illusion of having to work for him.

"What? Something an accountant might drive?" Michael says scathingly as he begins to ignore his friends, wrapping his arms around Luke to pull him back with him, leaning against the offending car.

"You don't want anymore weirdos ramming into you," Calum says, checking out how Michael's now pushing his groin up into Luke's and how he leans his forehead on Luke's as he stares at his lips.

"Never heard him complain about that before..." comments Corey.

"See you later," Calum calls unheard as he, Corey and Sam walk away, knowing that Michael's forgotten them already.

Michael looks at Luke, his blonde hair shining in the street light, just as it was when they met and he smiles lazily as the boy's body leans more into his, thinking about what they'll get up to tonight.

Taking a second to really look at him, Michael bumps his nose on Luke's before kissing him, a simple kiss, but strong and purposeful. One that tells Luke he's definitely going home with Michael and not to expect much sleep tonight. With a telling grin that he can't keep off his face Luke moves off to go around the car to the passenger side, smiling to himself all the way.

"Hey! You fucking pervert!" A voice shouts to the side of Michael just as he unlocks the car and he gets turned around and punched to the ground in a matter of a seconds.

"Dad!" Shouts Luke as he runs around the front of the car to confront his father who's savagely kicking Michael, laying blow after blow to his body, not allowing him the time to get up and defend himself.

Launching himself at his father Luke locks his arms around him from the side, managing to pull him away but not before his father's beaten Michael up pretty badly, his feet aiming hard kicks at any part of his body he can lay contact on.

The others come running back up, alerted by Luke's shouts and they help to pull Michael up off the street, their concern for him evident in the shock on their faces as Luke confronts his father.

"It's his Dad! Stop it!" Corey cautions Michael, hissing sharply in his ear as Michael tries to pull away from their grip, wanting to beat the shit out of whoever just jumped him.

"That's it Luke. That's it." Andy tells him, breathing hard, his red face full of contempt and hate.

His instinct was right to come all the way over here and find out for himself what his son is up to. Coming out of that gay bar that he's been watching all night, he must have been fraternising with all sorts of characters inside. He's seen the type and their behaviour on the street as he's been waiting and he's had enough.

"You come home with me right now or you never come home again," Andy warns him, giving an ultimatum that he's confident Luke will comply with.

"Fuck!" Michael shouts behind Luke in frustration. He wrenches his arms out of Calum and Corey's grip before walking away a few paces. He's sure that Luke's going to go with him and that'll be that, he'll never see him again. Michael's thoughts race as he tries to come to terms with what's happening.

"Never again," Luke repeats, not taking his eyes off his father. "Did you hear me?" He asks, taking a step towards him. "I said, NEVER AGAIN!" Luke shouts, tears stinging his eyes but not backing down.

Andy takes a step backwards, stung and surprised that Luke would do this.

"GO! Get the fuck out of here!" Luke shouts, his voice near to breaking, not realising that behind him Michael is fighting past his friends, trying to get to him. "GO!"

"I'M NEVER COMING HOME AGAIN!" Luke screams, as his father starts walking away, rebuked and in shock. "NEVER, FUCKING NEVER!"

"Luke! Stop!" Michael takes hold of Luke as he's shouting at his father's back, trying to calm him down but instead Luke takes one look and pulls away from him to get in the car, unable to look at Michael for one minute longer.