Going Home 2: A Saint's Tale

Chapter 11

Saint was feeling guilty. He glanced again at Perth curled up in the passenger seat. He had fallen asleep before Saint could even start the car. It hadn't even been two days since he told Perth to take it easy on himself.

"Tomorrow has to be a light day for him." A gentle brush of fingers pushed Perth's hair back from his forehead. What was it hiding in his eyes? It wasn't fear. Saint had seen that far too often. It was something else.

A happy sigh. They were home. The thought startled Saint. Home had been the Cabin for the past year. Now, he definitely saw the Little Cabin as their place. A smile. Maybe that was why. It was their place. Or at least it could be in time. The smile got a little bigger.

"Perth? We're here. Let's go in." Saint's voice was soft not wanting to startle the sleeping man.

Perth groggily peered around. "What?" He rubbed at his eyes trying to wake up a bit.

"We're home. Let's go to bed. We'll clean up in the morning. Okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, sure." It was clear Perth was not awake. Saint got out of the car and helped the sleep fuddled Perth out.

They stumbled up the two steps into the one room cabin. With a grunt, Perth managed to get his dirty t-shirt off.

"Hang on a sec. Let me see." Saint looked at Perth's back. A new bruise and some scratches but, other than that, it looked good.

"Sorry about falling on you today." Saint tossed his t-shirt into the make shift dirty clothes pile.

"I'm not." Perth yawned. "You could have been seriously hurt by falling off the deck."

"Thanks. I worry about your back though. You don't need anymore damage there."

"It'll heal. I have a top of the line doctor." Perth smiled sleepily as Saint flushed with a shy grin.

"Get some sleep. Goodnight, Perth."

Perth tossed his pj pants into the dirty clothes and crawled into the bed in his boxers. "Night, Saint." Two seconds later, soft snoring could be heard.

Saint just stared. Well, if Perth could sleep in his boxers, so could he. Dirty jeans off, he crawled into bed and fell asleep in no time.
~~~~~

The next morning was a symphony of sore muscles. Perth sighed. He was tired of rebuilding his body. He wanted to be himself again. Muscles that could wrangle a lifted engine. Enough stamina to work all day then go home and help his Dad work on his latest projects. He wanted to really help.

A frustrated sigh. Both cabins had good possibilities for solar power. Max and Tul's cabin might be hydropower accessible too. Depending on how far to the river, how fast it flowed and if he could find the pieces to create the system.

Fear held him back though. What if someone saw the lights? Heard the music? He didn't think anyone lived in the town below. If they did, Saint hadn't mentioned it but that didn't mean drifters couldn't see it. Blackout curtains maybe?

Perth didn't want a repeat of his experiences to be inflicted on Saint or his family. 'But these three men will help you fight back..." whispered in his thoughts.
"Bring the power back. Give this to Saint and his family. You owe them..."

Perth suddenly realized he had been stroking the hand lying in the middle of his chest. Saint's hand. He smiled. He could at least offer and tell them the risks.

He laced his fingers with Saint's. Yesterday with Saint lying on him, even unable to breath, he had felt the stirrings of desire. He had wanted to lean up and kiss those soft plush lips. That thought had surprised him but it felt good at the same time. A weird combination when trying to breath again but it happened. He would bide his time and see if Saint felt anything for him. How he was going to find that out he had no idea but Saint was worth the effort.