Free Special Needs by K.A. Merikan

hip.
    Liam’s brows shot up. “Thought you’ve already started. And you’re safe in Lizzy’s hands”
    “He wouldn’t let me do anything more without you.” Lizzy crooked his head at Ryan and Liam’s stomach got queasy, as if someone poked him with a vibrator. Should he feel guilty for making Ryan wait because of a cig?
    “You can still change your mind,” Lizzy said to Ryan, picking up the tattoo machine. Liam frowned, surprised by the warm smile tugging on the corners of Lizzy's mouth.
    “He can’t change his mind.” Liam parked his ass in Ryan's wheelchair. He liked how comfy it was. “That’s what you get for losing dares. I do know a lot about that.”
    “Oh yeah? Which of your tats were a dare?” Ryan sighed and pushed his pants down a bit to give Lizzy some extra space.
    “The Sex Feet Under one, obviously.” Liam let out a laugh. “Then, the Chinese take away box and the ‘You’re heavy’ on my foot.” He lifted his left leg, dropping the flip flop and there it was, on the outer side of the foot. “Behold.”
    Lizzy shot him a half-smile, but didn’t say a word. Liam knew very well about his friend’s policy on random tattoos, but he was grateful to him for not bringing it up in Ryan’s presence. He could bet though, his boss-slash-friend got the talk when he was away.
    Ryan snorted. “I give up, let’s get going. It could always be something worse.”
    “A pack of sad French fries isn’t that bad considering what you’re wearing.” Lizzy let out a low chuckle. “What was the dare anyway?”
    “He dared me that I’ll like seven of his dishes in a row better than fries. You can imagine he went all out.” Ryan shook his head as the tattoo machine started buzzing.
    Lizzy darted a look at Liam and smiled in a way that made Liam's blood drain from his face. “He your boyfriend or something?” That fucking dick! Liam specifically told him not to mention anything gay-related!
    “No, no!” Ryan said right away, a blush creeping up his neck. “More like my personal chef.”
    Liam stretched in the wheelchair, sipping coke as if nothing happened, but deep down, he knew he had to kick Lizzy's treacherous ass. But hey, revenge is a dish best served cold. He could wait and then embarrass the guy in front of his girlfriend. Or something. “I am a chef by profession, but now I’m his personal caretaker. Best job ever, Lizzy.”
    “That’s what they all say until they quit.” Ryan winked at him, but tensed up a bit when the tattooing actually started.
    Liam grinned, savoring the prickling in his mouth. He should have taken a mango shake, it would go better with the fruity gum he was still chewing. The taste reminded him of Ryan’s shampoo. His raging (and very inappropriate) hard ons around the boy were now less frequent as they got into a pleasant routine. And he wasn’t lying, the job was a dream.
    Cooking had been an unexpected pleasure he discovered after taking up that career to get back at his parents and in his new job, he could do it for someone whom he actually spoke to. He lived in a great house by the beach, with cool people, and he even fucked one of the hotel clients last week. It had been quite epic, and the guy paid for the room, even though his visit was intended to be a movie location search.
    Life was good, Liam couldn’t remember ever having this much fun while earning money. Even if Ryan didn’t invite him into the shower anymore. The salary wasn’t as great as he had imagined, but considering the whole deal, it was still pretty decent. The time-off was flexible, depending on what they were doing. Sometimes, they would go out and do something in town, so they spent the whole day together; but other days, Ryan would just sit at the computer all day, so Liam could go surfing. Or have sex. Both very enjoyable.
    “Those other guys weren’t as cool as me,” Liam remarked, pinching his t-shirt to get some attention for the print: an ostrich in leather undies. It