Boots

Thirty Two

Christmas had been rough, but Matthew had managed. Everything has been so emotional but Matthew had still found the time to open Gilbert's gift to him.
It was a dog collar, just like the one he always wore for Gil, except this one had a tag with his name on it and another etched phrase that sent Matthew's groins into a frenzy.
Property of Gilbert Bielshmidt.
Gil really knew how to treat a man.
"Did you like it?" Gilbert asked as Matthew climbed into his car on New Year's Eve.
"The gift?"
"Ja."
"I did." Matthew pursed his lips, eyes drifting away from Gilbert to the window on his right. "Thank you."
"We should totally try it out soon."
"Yeah. We should."
This made Gilbert beam.
"So, what are we doing tonight, exactly? Going to that club again?"
"Nah. We're going to party at my place."
"Ah."
"It's gonna be a few hours before guests show up, but Luddy and Feli are still there."
"What about Lovino and Antonio?"
"They're coming later."
"Ah."
"So...how have you been? Are you doing okay?"
"I'm...I'm doing better I guess."
"How was your Christmas?"
"The turkey was good. Dad didn't get near it this year."
"That's great!"
"Oh...and..."
"Ja?"
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Everything. I treated you so badly."
"Ja. You did sometimes. But I forgive you. We're still friends, right?"
"Uh...yeah. We are." Matthew smiled. "Friends who occasionally help each other get their Dick wet."
Gilbert smiled back.
"So...I didn't get laid off from my job...I was fired."
"What?"
"My job...before coming here. I was fired from it."
"Oh shit. What did you do?"
"Well..." Matthew took a deep breath, "I fell for my supervisor."
"Oh fuck, Mattie. I'm sorry."
"His name was Lars...I was afraid to tell him how I felt for years. But he was so nice to me...I figured he would accept if I asked him out." Matthew paused for a breath.
"I kept asking to hang out after work and he did sometimes but not a lot. And then one day...we were out at a bar and really drunk. I kissed him and he seemed to be really into it but then he forgot it happened the next day."
"Mhm?" Gilbert's eyes were on the road but he seemed very much invested in the story.
"And then...a few months later...we had an office party. He brought...a date. Some dude from Portugal. Honestly I would have just kept my jealousy to myself, but Lar's introduced him as his fiancé. HIS FIANCÉ! We had been friends for years and he didn't even tell me..." Matthew wiped at his eyes, clearing tears he hadn't known were there. "I'm sorry..."
"No. Go on."
"I kinda snapped. I beat Alfonso up. It's all a blur honestly."
"Alfonso...I think I know an Alfonso from Portugal."
"There's probably a lot of Alfonsos in Portugal."
"True."
"So...anyway...I got fired. My boss was pissed and it's a bad smudge on my record. I doubt I'll ever get a job in that industry again."
"Did you like that job?"
"Apart from Lars? No. It was the same thing every day and I always came home to an empty house."
"What did you want to do?"
"Play hockey, but that's impossible. I'm too old to just pop into the league now. I'd bust a hip."
"I'm thinking of starting a business."
"Oh?"
"Ja. Something to do with...matching Doms to their Subs."
"Kinky eharmony. Nice."
"Do you wanna help? I've never done any business stuff before so..."
"I don't know what my parents would say if I came home and said I was setting up couples like that."
"We could have a front..."
"Hmmm..."
"Or it could be an app. That would be a good app."
"It would..."
"It would match people by their kinks and location...oh and there could be a group function for orgies and shit."
"Alfred does tech. It'd be weird to ask him for that though."
"Antonio can do it just fine."
"Thank god. My brother is the last person I want to discuss the birds and bees and whips and chains with."
"So...you're in??"
Matthew smiled the first truly genuine smile he had made in a while. "Yeah. I am."