This story began as a dream; in the telling it grew into a novella.
It came from some weirdly channeled muse, as if the take were telling itself to me; it possessed me until I completed it.
It was written in early 2003; I wrote it not with the intent of sharing it, but only to exorcise the demon of it,
Tattooed boy meets tattooed girl, I used to subtitle it; an in indelible romance.
Over the last couple weeks of August 2022, I did a complete revision, removing typos, fixing issues that have long bothered me, but which I just could not face doing.
I finally found the motivation to do it.
The story is the same; no plot details changed. However, multiple places where I found narrative voice off, or awkward phrasing, have been corrected.
I trimmed more than I added, always seeking to tighten narrative.
The “Version 2” is here: Wanton, complete story
trigger warnings: graphic sex, drugs, violence, gun violence
a friend recently pointed out that this story needs the above warnings. Things have changed since 2094 when this was written, so there you go. But remember it’s a love story, even if it’s a strange one.