How To Fall From Grace [MxM]

Step 33: Fall over and over

It didn't come as a surprise that Marius had fallen asleep by the time Frey, Annarósa and Esther got back to his place. He'd placed a swaddled Ingrid on the inner side of the bed to block her from falling out, and the chubby thing had been content enough to snooze away as well.

"He really should be locking his door." Annarósa squinted as she navigated the dark room, only aided by weak moonlight from outside. "Not just because of Ingrid, but anyone could come in here at any time."

"And steal what? His one chair?" Frey gestured to the unmarried piece of furniture, and Annarósa gave it a long look.

"Where are the others?"

"There are no others. It's just one chair."

It did not enlighten Annarósa much.

"So is he some kind of floor person, then? He sits on the floor?"

"No, he only owns one chair. That he sits on." Frey shook his head. "Obviously."

"You're such a hypocrite." Marius turned his head, causing all three of the new arrivals to flinch. "You kept going on and on about the chair at first, too."

"Oh, so you're awake." Frey sat down on the bed while Marius yawned.

"I wasn't, but you're not the quietest of people."

"And we apologise for waking you." Annarósa reached over Marius to carefully scoop up Ingrid. "But it would have been rude to enter without making ourselves known, too."

"No worries at all." Marius dismissed the apology with his hand. "Did you have a good time?"

It was... Uneventful," Esther admitted from behind Annarósa, and even Frey had to agree. Asshole conversations and light Hargreaves family drama aside, it had bored him. People had barely talked ill behind his back and so he couldn't insult them in his head. Well, he certainly could, but it wouldn't be as satisfying.

"Better than a bad time." Marius got up from the bed to grab the bag Annarósa had left for Ingrid. "And hopefully some rest from being on constant baby alert."

"Again, we appreciate you looking after her so much." Annarósa snuggled Ingrid. "It feels better to leave her with someone we know."

"You... know me that well already?" Marius smiled through a surprised look, and Annarósa returned the expression.

"Well of course. You're my brother's... Partner?" She narrowed her eyes in thought. "... Person? Suitor?"

"Something like that." Marius chuckled. "And it's nice to feel accepted."

"But you should still learn to lock your door," Annarósa had to add some criticism. "And buy more chairs since you're not a floor person."

Marius failed to look serious as he nodded.

"I'll do my best."

With that, the Clausdóttir family said their goodbyes before heading back to the mansion and Frey was left alone with Marius.

"I'm exhausted." Frey did his best not to flop backwards onto the bed. "I used to withstand gatherings so much better before. Not great, but better."

Marius gave him a careful, sympathetic pat both for support and to test the current rules of intimacy.

"There's a lot going on. You may have been busy before too, but the stakes are high."

It made Frey release another groan, but he adjusted his position to sit next to Marius.

"So, how bad was it?" Marius lit a candle on the bedside table. "Did someone die?"

He winced immediately after.