Marshal was starving when he came home. It was almost 2 am at this point and he really wanted to sleep, but his grumbling stomach came first. He winced in discomfort as he bent over to untie his work boots. The stage load-out for that show had been a bitch. Too much truss. Too many over-sized cases. Why did a band playing a venue that size need so many goddamn risers anyway? Gross. Marshal knew his whole body was gonna ache tomorrow. It was a good ache, considering he hadn’t worked a real concert in 18 months due to the Covid-related shut downs, but it was going to take time to get used to the physical labor again.
Marshal shuffled into the kitchen and set his bag on the bar counter. The light over the stove had been left on. Marshal pulled a glass out of the cabinet, and when he went to open the fridge he noticed the note on the handle:
Hey love, figured you’d be hungry. I made some cold ice tea for you, and you have a choice of ramen, a sandwich, or a frozen meal. Sleep well <3 J
“Awwww,” Marshal cooed. He smiled and put the note in his pocket. Inside he fridge he found a picture-perfect ham sandwich saran-wrapped on a plate. Marshal took it out. He turned back to the fridge to pour himself a glass of iced tea. It was only when he went to put the iced tea back in, did he realize something was slightly off. He stared at the fridge and waited for his sleep deprived brain to catch up.
The bento box wasn’t there. Jaime always put his lunch in this special tupperware he used and it always sat in the upper left hand corner of the fridge. Why had he not packed a lunch? Marshal furrowed his brow. Whatever the reason, he decided to return the favor by packing Jaime lunch.
His plans were thwarted upon opening the fridge drawer containing sandwich stuff. It was empty besides a half opened package of sliced cheese. They’d forgotten to get more deli meat when shopping yesterday. Marshal groaned. “Ah crap,” he muttered. He glanced at the sandwich on the counter and had a revelation. Jaime had used the last of the ham for him. The realization made Marshal’s heart feel warm and full. Such a sweet man, his Jaime.
Even though Marshal’s body was begging for rest, he had to set this right. Jaime was really trying to eat out less so he could lose weight, and Marshal didn’t want him to break the streak at work. So Marshal popped a frozen meal into the microwave and set out to make Jaime his lunch.
He found the bento box thing in the drying rack of the dishwasher. In it went the perfect sandwich, some grapes, and some of that bean salad they’d taken home from their friends pool party. He also whipped out the cutting board to chop up some celery sticks which he dumped into another little container, along with peanut butter. The bento box went into the fridge, where it belonged, with the celery container on top.
Marshal also positioned its carrier bag on the counter and added some pretzels and two cookies from the jar.
The only thing missing now was a note. Marshal stirred up the half-defrosted frozen meal and shoved it back into the microwave as he thought about what to write for a moment. His eyelids were struggling to stay open and poetry wasn’t his strong suit. So, Marshall simply wrote: I love you, you can hit your weight goal for sure <3 -M, and stuck it to the carrier bag.
Marshal shoveled the warm meal into his face, drank the whole glass of iced tea in one go, and stumbled to bed. The shower would have to come tomorrow. He was crashing. Marshal slid between the sheets and adhered himself to Jaime’s back. Jaime made a soft noise Marshal nuzzled the back of his neck and fell asleep in less than a minute.
When Marshal awoke the next morning, he was alone in bed. It was inevitable, but a bit lonely. His emotions were buoyed by a new note waiting for him the kitchen: Oh my god, you’re so sweet, I actually kind of cried a little. This lunch looks amazing. Thank you so much. Love you so much too. Can’t wait until I get off to work tonight and I can see you. Let’s fuck <3″
Marshal laughed. Jaime had a way of making the most vulgar thoughts sounds adorable. And Jaime was not a shy man. Jaime liked his sex. Marshal was pretty smug that he was the one Jaime picked to receive it.
Marshal decided a run to the grocery store was going to be a priority today. He made a mental note to make sure they had enough lube and condoms before he went out. Lord knows they didn’t want to open that drawer and find it empty tonight! Not like they could use sliced cheese instead!
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Captions are fictional.