Devil's House

Chinese Food and Glittery Lipstick Pt. 1

For the first time in a long time, Mike was alone at home. Well, almost alone, he reminded himself as he put the coffee pot back on the warmer and glanced down the hall toward Talinda's room. When he'd checked on her earlier, she was grumpy and miserable, and he'd left a glass of ice water and one of Chester's homemade brownies on her nightstand before retreating quietly. She hadn't wanted to be bothered, and that had left him with an entire afternoon to himself.

Jason had taken Julien over to Brad's for a visit, and for some reason Mike couldn't remember, Ryan hadn't gone with him. Chester had been called to Score on a rhinestone emergency, and even though he'd told Mike he wouldn't be gone long, Mike knew better. Fashion emergencies never seemed to be resolved quickly. So he'd filled his afternoon with a lazy swim after painting in the garage, and now he was going to lay on the couch and read while he drank coffee. His book had been abandoned since Monday, when he'd stopped reading to get naked in the pool with Ryan and Jason.

That didn't end the way I thought it would, he thought to himself as he picked up his coffee mug and the book with its bookmark in the same place it had been five days ago. He thought about the warm, unexpected intimacy with the other couple in the pool, and how that had immediately turned on its head the moment Chester walked out onto the patio looking like a fantasy he'd had more than once. Mike hadn't looked back once he'd gotten Chester to their room, and even though it had been fun in the pool, he'd been thrilled to get his husband naked instead. There hadn't been any time to get back to Jason after their moment in the pool, and Mike sighed at how busy they'd all been all week. It was good to have a little quiet time while he waited for everyone else to get home.

There won't be many days like this after the girls are here. If any. Mike headed into the living room with both hands full. It could be any day now. Last time she went to the doctor, that's what he said. Any day now. He plopped down on the couch and stretched out his legs, briefly pondering the question of what he would do if Talinda went into labor while he was home alone before shoving that idea from his head. He wasn't trying to manifest such a thing. This was his time.

Mike snuggled into the cushions, setting his coffee cup perfectly within reach on the side table. His hair was damp from the shower he'd just taken, feet bare at the bottom of plaid pajama pants, and he had dragged one of his oldest and softest t-shirts over his head after he'd toweled off. It didn't match and he didn't care. He was clean and comfortable, and ready to enjoy his hot coffee and latest sci-fi novel in the odd silence of the house. Even Cheese was motionless and asleep, taking an afternoon nap, and Blue was nowhere to be found. It was just Mike and he smiled before he opened up his book and began to read with no thoughts of responsibilities, of the homework or practicing he should be doing instead of relaxing.

He was a fast reader, and he'd already drained his coffee cup and was well into chapter fifteen when he heard the door from the garage open. Mike hoped it would be Chester, but he knew it could be any one of the three men he shared his life with. He hurried to finish the paragraph he was in as he reached for his bookmark, ready to keep his place while he greeted whoever had come home first.

Outside, Ryan was relieved to not see Jason's car in the garage. That meant he had time to get inside and get cleaned up, hopefully before his husband and son made it home. He looked down at his gray muscle shirt and the rip on one side and the splatter of dried blood on his knuckles.

It was a heavy sigh as he headed into the house. What had started out as a straightforward mission had turned into more of a scuffle than he figured. The last thing he wanted was for Jason - or Chester - to see him with blood on his hands. He knew Mike and Talinda were home, but he was counting on going unnoticed at least until he could ditch his clothes and grab a shower.