Mary and Halley (sequel to When Mary Met Halley)

nine

Leif showed up at the breakfast table with more bruises on his neck the next morning. 

"Seriously?" I asked, exasperated and uneasy. "Not to make it about me but that's some, like, triggery shit right there, you know?" I'd seen him hurt so many times by his father and there had been nothing either of us could do about it. I was super uncomfortable with seeing marks on him now, regardless of their S&M orientation.

"Oops, sorry, meant to cover those up," he said, unconcerned. He glanced up at me and put his fork down at my expression. "Really? It really bothers you? It's totally harmless, I swear. Jeez, your inner freak is embarrassed for you right now." He shook his head and began eating his scrambled eggs again, which he had made, and which were more cheese than egg. The big kids were at school, Hank playing with Halley in the living room. "But okay, I hear you, I hear you. No more fun. Got it."

"You're an ass," I assured him. It was eleven and he was fresh out of the shower though still half asleep. He'd come in at five, when I was up with Jasper because he peed the bed. He usually wore a nighttime Pull-Ups, but had insisted he was ready to sleep without one anymore. Not quite so, as it turned out.

Paramjeet emerged from the garage, hair tousled, yawning. She gave us a wave and went into the bathroom. 

I wasn't letting Leif off the hook that easily. I pointed the knife I was holding at him. "Don't let people hurt you enough to leave marks, that's all I'm asking. Maybe date someone who's less of a dom."

He laughed. "Listen to you! Did you watch a TED talk on doms and subs?" He put sausage in his biscuit and dipped it in ketchup before taking a bite. "I'm so proud." Crumbs sprayed out.

"Gross, eat and then talk." I went to reset the dishwasher because it was stuck in rinse mode, which kept happening though it was only a year old. 

"He didn't mean to do it, anyway. Kinda gets carried away," he said with a leer.

"Stop." 

"He has to banish his inhibitions with lubrication," he went on. "Heh, so to speak."

I didn't like that either. "So he drinks?"

He made a dismissive sound as he folded a piece of bacon into his mouth. "I'm not going to drink, so don't even start that. It's been over a year. If I were going to, I would have already."

When Sagira left the month before, he meant. He'd been close to it, I knew. They'd been together eight months before she suddenly yanked the rug out from under him by falling for another guy.

I gave up. "I wish you'd find someone else to hang out with, that's all." 

"I'm fiiiiine. And besides, I am not giving up sex that good, sorry." He grinned.

"Wow," I said. "TMI."

"I'm just sayin'," he said shrugging nonchalantly. 

"Well don't," I retorted. I finished cutting up Hank's banana and took it in to where he was stacking blocks with Halley.

"Sanks, Annie May," he said with satisfaction, cramming a piece into his mouth. "Mmm, das 'licious."

Halley wrapped her arms around my legs and kissed my knee through my track pants, tugging until I was down on the floor with them. "C'mon, Annie May, we're making fairy treehouses," she told me, kissing the back of my hand and sending shivers down my spine. 

My brother came out of his room, tried to go into the locked bathroom where Paramjeet was, and headed for the other bathroom with his eyes mostly closed. Charlotte had gotten over his stunt and they'd both been home by midnight as requested since then, though he grumbled about it a little.