Lost in London [Completed]

Dix-Neuf

"Your application of residence has been accepted, you are able to move into your apartment (2F) as of January 17th."

That had been when Kay's entire world had felt like it was truly changing. Finally. And in no small part due to London and Ferris, both of whom had been supportive beyond anything Kay had ever expected. It was so much to take in.

When Kay had moved into the apartment, it had been completely unfurnished. Except he didn't care. It didn't matter to him – even an empty apartment was enough. It was his. It was all he'd wanted for months on end. He'd paid two more months of rent upfront, infinitely grateful that he had the money to do so.

That entire week felt absolutely insane to Kay – he'd turned in all of his applications. Most of them had been declined or ignored, but two hadn't been. He'd been invited for actual interviews. That had been terrifying. Going in and standing there, knowing that they would have searched his name before he turned up.

Except, for whatever reason, they'd seemed to like him. Both places, the tattooist and one of the bars. Not a dive, either, it was moderately upscale. And both places had accepted him.

Kay had considered only taking one job, but eventually accepted both offers. The hours didn't conflict and it was so much less than what he'd been doing in New York. Kay almost couldn't believe his luck. He didn't think it could get much better.

He'd pitched in to help Ferris fix his car too and, in return, Ferris had helped him pick up furniture. Nothing elaborate – Kay had found a second hand store and they seemed to have everything; a simple bed-frame, a sofa-bed, several end tables, a stereo and a glass coffee table. The furniture was somewhat mismatched and marked, but once more, it was his.

Ferris had even helped him set everything up. Kay hadn't asked, but he was thankful for the help.

London had stayed in contact, too. More than before. They spoke almost every day, and London seemed genuinely happy for Kay. He wasn't just being nice – when he said that he was glad that Kay had found what he wanted, he meant it. Everything was just so genuine when it came from London.

Kay was currently sitting on the couch, listening to the radio playing quietly. This was what everything had been leading up to. This happiness. This feeling of pure relief. This is what all of the obstacles had led to.

He knew that London was due back soon – sometime tomorrow morning, but Kay could help but feel lonely. It hadn't quite occurred to him how much he didn't want to be alone. London would obviously be moving in with Ferris, and it wasn't like Kay had been expecting to have a roommate, but he hadn't expected this kind of loneliness.

Being alone was nice – he could just be, but some company wouldn't go amiss. It wasn't something Kay had planned on, far from it, but after reading through the lease agreement and finding that the apartment complex allowed animals, Kay had ended up at the local shelter.

After speaking with a woman at the front desk, he was told that there were several dogs who would suit his apartment and the time he had for them. Kay had been shown through into the kennels and had ended up deciding almost right away. There wasn't the bond that some people talked about; he felt no immediate connection to the mongrel sitting in the first kennel on the right. But there could be.

The way the animal was sitting – the sadness it exuded reminded Kay of himself. All of the other dogs, with the odd exception, seemed to want to alert everyone to their presence, but not this one. It seemed so resigned and the pang of pity Kay felt was undeniable.

"What do you need from me? To take him?" Kay had asked.

"Him? Do you not want to know anything else first?"