Lost in London [Completed]

Treize

Kay couldn't help but cringe as he passed a pile of paperwork on the kitchen island counter. His name was plastered across several different headlines and it made him feel sick to see his lies in print. It had only been one interview, they'd said, which had turned into three, which was now up to twelve. None of them corroborated one another, and that had been noticed, and questioned.

But Kay wasn't concerned about that. It was his father that had been questioned about that, and he'd shrugged it off as 'kids being kids', but the interview requests had stopped. Journalists must have figured out that Kay wasn't worth their time if he didn't tell them the truth. It was a relief to not be forced to also worry about being asked more intrusive questions.

New York was a big place, though, and Kay was able to go about his life almost as normal. Most of the time, though, he was ignored. People didn't recognise him, which was a relief. Kay was even able to return to school. Only temporarily as he finished studying for his exams and diploma, but it was a step in the right direction.

Two nights a week, he was able to sneak out of the house and work. Actually work. His family wouldn't approve, that much had been made obvious over and over. It was either the family firm or nothing. Kay didn't want either of those options. He wanted to be self-sufficient, like London was. And this was the first step. It was a dive bar, in a rough part of the city, and it was a long walk from home, but he enjoyed it. More than the restaurant.

"Catch!" Cody caught Kay's attention just in time for Kay to catch the pint glass tossed across the bar to him.

Kay grinned, wiping off the glass and putting it up on the shelf, just in time to catch another. "You can slow down, you know?" He asked, catching a third smaller glass, "You're the only one here who can juggle."

Cody shrugged and watched Kay tidy up, catching a glimpse of a faded bruise on his cheek.

"You get into a fight? Difficult customer?" He asked, spraying some disinfectant onto the bar and carelessly running a cloth over it.

"No, no, nothing like that," Kay shook his head. Thank god it was past closing – this was not a discussion he'd like to have in front of anyone else. "You know how my mom is. I asked if I could spend a couple nights away from home because, you know, I'm twenty-three, but she went on this tangent about wanting to keep me safe. I get it, after everything, but she decided that some good punctuation for that would a slap."

He shrugged as if it was nothing to him, and it wasn't. Instead of looking for any sympathy, Kay continued to clean, tidying everything up and correcting the position of various tables and chairs.

"That bitch," Cody scoffed, "Why haven't you moved out yet?"

"I don't know, it's just easier to do as I'm told, I guess. At least until I'm sure I can afford to move away. There would be nothing more embarrassing than ending up halfway across the country homeless and broke because I was too stubborn to save up."

And Kay meant that. It seemed to kill the conversation, and for that, Kay was thankful. If he'd been stronger, he would have been able to argue back – maybe get his way. Hell, even Primrose, barely fourteen, stayed with friends. And Kay didn't have that luxury. Even that was humiliating in itself.

On the walk home, Kay took as many detours as possible. It was a nice night, even at four in the morning and he wanted to make the most of the fresh air. He could remember walking similar routes with Halden, not that long ago, but that was out of the question.

He'd tried to track Halden down – Kay really had. But how was he supposed to do that? His phone had been disconnected, he had no social media, Kay had never met his family. Everything went against Halden wanting to be found. Which sounded absolutely insane. But what else was Kay supposed to think?

It was the smart thing to do – to go off radar for a while. Or forever. With all that had happened to Kay, it was only common sense for Halden to stay underground for as long as possible. It did little to quell Kay's worry, but it was something to cling to.

That was when he had an irresistible urge to call London. Instead of thinking it through, that was exactly what Kay did. Forget the charges, forget the time – he just wanted to speak to London for a while. About everything. And nothing. The phone rang for what felt like forever before London picked up the other end.

"Hey, Kay? Everything alright? It's –" London paused, "It's got to be almost five in the morning for you, you're up early."

"Yeah, yeah, it's all fine. Everything's good. And I know, I shouldn't be calling, I'm still up. I finished work and wanted to talk to you. I miss talking to you so often," he admitted. "How's university going?"

"Good, it's going well. It won't be long now until I move back home to take the bar, but we talked about that before. Are you sure everything's alright? It's not like you to call me so late."

"I mean, well, yes and no. It's been hard to adjust back in, you know? I thought I'd get back home and everything would be good. I'd finish my high school diploma, get a job, find my own apartment. And just – things haven't gone like that," Kay sighed and slowed his pace, now only a couple of blocks away from home. Whenever else London had asked, Kay had told him that things were going amazingly. And he couldn't lie now. "I'm stuck living with my parents, working a secret job and I still haven't found Halden. I'm going to fall apart, London. I can't take much more of this."

"Calm down, things are fine, why don't we pull it apart? You told me that you graduated recently, that's one thing done," London reasoned. "And you've got a job, I know you probably want something more, but you've got something at least."

His words didn't come as a comfort. They weren't warm and inviting like Kay had expected them to be. Instead? Instead, they felt cold and dismissive.

"Besides, Kay, it means that you have time to look for somewhere good. You get to take your time and find somewhere that you're going to want to live. Don't panic about it taking a little while."

And that was when Kay spoke again, stumbling over his words.

"London, is your couch occupied?"

"What?"

"Your couch? Is it occupied?"

"No, what are you thinking?"

"I've kept learning French – what if I came back? I've got a passport now. I was just thinking, I could move back in with you. I miss the town, and you and I just –"

"Kay, listen," London cut him off. "They're your family, they want the best for you, yeah? And it's also really late, don't make any decisions right now. You can think it over, but it's not a good idea. They're your family, you'll feel different, don't make any stupid decisions."

"Yeah... alright, yeah, I guess you're right," Kay mumbled, stopping on the steps outside the house and sitting down. "I get it, you just got rid of me."

"That isn't what I mean, I just want you to be sure. Are you home? You should get some sleep. Call me when you wake up, yeah?"

"I've just gotten back," Kay said softly, "I'm sorry I bothered you."

"Don't apologise, it's fine, really, I just want you to be sure that you're making the right decision. I'll talk to you later, okay? Please get some sleep."

"Okay, I will, talk to you soon," Kay took the phone away from his ear and hung up, staring at the device in his hand for a long time. He could go now. Just leave. He wouldn't be missed until morning. Except that's not what he did. Before he could change his mind, Kay forced himself up to his feet and inside.