“Hey David,” Joe says after Facetime connects. “Hey baby. What’s wrong? You said you needed my opinion.” “Yeah I do. Am I stupid?” “What on Earth brought that up?” “Someone told me that I’m dumb because all my body’s energy went into growing my ass instead of my brain.” David guffaws. “Oh babyboy, I’m sorry, it’s rude to laugh, but what a rude thing to say to someone. Sounds like they’re jealous of your big beautiful ass.” Joe tilts the phone. “This ass?” “Ohh yeah. That big beautiful ass.” “You haven’t answered my question though. Do you think I’m stupid?” “You’re not stupid,” David reassures him. “What was the context of that insult?” Joe leans against the counter of this bathroom. “Well, I was talking with a guy at the bar last night about a Youtube video, and in it there’s a moment where this guy gets stumped because he doesn’t know what flour is made of. And like, I realized I didn’t know either? I thought it was made of flowers. And so this guy at the bar made fun of me, patted me on the shoulder, and walked off.”
David is struggling to hold it together. “Flowers? Why do you think it’s made of flowers?” “Because it’s kind of soft like petals are? I mean, my mom never taught me anything about cooking or baking – that was ‘woman’s work’ as she said.” Joe makes air quotes with one hand. “Well, your kind of deductive reasoning isn’t illogical, based on what you know. You’re not entirely wrong though – flour is made from wheat, which is a plant. It’s ground up into a fine powder.” “Yeah I googled it after. It makes a lot of sense. But like, David that isn’t the only thing – last month, someone made fun of me because I thought ponies were baby horses. And I also thought that the black market was like a real place like Diagon Alley, and I’ve been wrong on so. many. things. about women and pregnancy-” “Joe.” “Yes Daddy?” “God it drives me insane when you call me that.” Joe smiles coyly. “You’re not stupid. You had a really sheltered religious childhood, that’s not your fault. Stupid people doubledown when they realize they’re wrong – you’re curious and open to learning as you go. You are a great student, you taught yourself all about fitness and nutrition, and your quick thinking saved some ducklings last week. Plus, you are great in bed. I adore you, you’re fine as you are.” Joe exhales and his shoulders relax. “Thank you David, I really appreciate you saying that. It’s frustrating though, constantly wondering what my life would have been like if I wasn’t homeschooled for all those years. How much more I’d know.” “Well, then you wouldn’t be my Joe. And in a different life, we might of have never met.”
Joe is silent for a moment. “Woah. I never even thought of that. You’d just be walking around in the world, and I’d never know?” “Probably.” Joe contemplates this. “That’s wild. So I get to date you and have a great big ass and thick body, live in this amazing city, and have great college life with friends who take me to EDM shows – but in return I don’t know some basic shit?” “Essentially.” “You know what, I’m fine with that.” David smiles. “I’m glad you feel that way.” Joe tilts the phone back again. “You wanna come over after dinner and fuck me?” “Oh my god, yes. I have been trying to be respectful of your exams coming up and not asking, but baby I have been dreaming of it.” “I want you to tell me about those dreams.” “Oh I will.” David watches Joe walk to his bedroom. “I’m going to put in a plug to get ready for tonight. You wanna watch or am I keeping you?” “Joe, if you disconnect Facetime now, you’re going to get a spanking.” Joe gulps. “Damn Daddy!” David groans.
Brad: Man, Trevor looks so deep in thought. So contemplative. I bet he’s finally relaxing and realizing what a good idea it was to take a vacation. We both needed some sun and time off. Now we can really work on ourselves as a couple, get some real bonding time. I’ll go make him a drink, see if he wants to take a walk. Have a nice chill evening.
Trevor: Fuck. Marry. Marry. Spank. Reject. Marry. Fuck. Reject. Reject. Definitely fucking him. Marry him…and him. Woah that ass, I’d spank him. Fuck him. Reject. Reject. Ugh reject. Marry. Fuck. Marry. Spank. Fuck. Man, these Miami boys are hot. This vacation was such a good idea. I need to thank Brad for the idea. I was worried it’d be some boring beach trip where we just spend the whole time walking up and down the sand. I bet I’ll see half these boys at the club later. I wonder if I can take one of them home and convince Brad to have a threesome. He seriously has forgotten the kinky shit we used to do in college, I think he needs a reminder.
“Look at your bulge. Such a nice bulge…damn, your cock is so perfect for your body size.” “Thank you, Ryan, I appreciate that.” “Mmn. Can I touch it?” Ryan pulled at the waistband of his shorts. “Yeah you can.” Ryan slid his hands down Mark’s underwear. He moaned as skin and skin made contact. “This always gives me goosebumps. Your cock is so huge and long, and somehow it’s loose in here, untamed. Unrestrained. I don’t know how to manage it. Fuck, feeling it is making me so horny.” “If you want to give lip service, get on your knees and do it properly, Ryan. Do it well, and I’ll help you squirt a little to relieve the pressure. But you won’t cum, remember.” “No Sir. Not without permission,” Ryan said in a hurry. “I need you nice and horny in lock up for when I need your ass.” “Yes sir, of course. I love soothing your needs.” “You’re such a good boy Ryan, you please me so much. Come kneel here, take your time with it.” “Yes Mark! Thank you!” Ryan rushed to kneel before his boyfriend. He returned to rubbing the curved shape in Mark’s shorts. “Oh your bulge is getting hard now.” He nuzzled it with his cheek. “I love it so much,” he murmured. “It’s so erotic.” Mark chuckled. “It loves you too. Come on, service it properly please.” “Ah, sorry, yes Mark. I will. It’s just sooo distracting.” “I think you’re going to need some time with a dildo after this.” “A dildo would definitely make me squirt!” “You think you can make yourself squirt, using a dildo on yourself?” Ryan thought. “I don’t know, but I can squirt with your cock in me. So I should be able to.” Ryan bit his lower lip and pulled down Mark’s shorts. “Fuck, goddamn. So much to reveal. Can I use a dildo and service you at the same time?” “You’re not quite ready to multi-task yet, you keep neglecting one task or another. One thing at a time, boy.” “Yes Mark. Thank you, you always know best when my head is foggy!” “That’s why I’m here, to look out for you, love.” Ryan gazed up at Mark with adoration before returning to his task of serving Mark’s increasingly erect cock. Mark lovingly stroked his hair as he worked. Ryan was such a good pet.
Pierce and Gunther share a moment on the bridge over the creek, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Pierce snuggles up against Gunther, feeling content in his arms. “Thanks for suggesting this nature preserve, I’m really enjoying our date, even though it’s cold,” Pierce says. “Something nice about fresh air and sunshine, even in winter right?” “I think it’s even nicer, because it’s so rare. It gets dark so early!” “It does. We haven’t left the house much,” Gunther agrees. “Or had a lot of exercise. It feels like to walk around.” “Mmhmm. Nice to have a change of scenery.” “Yeah, I agree.” Gunther watches a small bird jump onto the railing of the bridge, look around, and fly off. They stand for a moment in silence. “So like, I’m fucking you when we get home right? “Uh, I’d be disappointed if you weren’t.” “No disappointment. I was thinking of doing what we did last week, where you kneel on that padded bench near the front door, and I fuck you on your spread knees in front of the window so the whole neighborhood can see how beautiful you are taking my cock?” “Fuck,” Pierce groans. “It was so embarrassing but so hot knowing anyone could see us at any time. My cock was straining, and I came all over the glass!” “You were so sexy, so pent up.” Gunther halts for the beat of a step before regaining his steady pace. “Fuck, I’m sorry Pierce, I haven’t been giving you enough physical attention at home have I? Maybe I’m too distracted with working from home. We should go on more dates, despite the fact it’s winter.” “I’d like that. I think the Vitamin D will help with our energy levels a lot.” “I am trying sooo hard to not make a “D is for dick’ joke right now.” Pierce chuckles. “I thought the same thing.” Gunther drops his embrace and the two continue walking down the nature path hand in hand. “Do you wanna try using the warming lube this time?” Pierce asks.
“I think my ass is a block of ice.”
“Yeah I’m freezing. I like the idea of heating you from the inside out though. Going from shivering to sweating.” Pierce looks at him. “You think you can make me sweat?” “I know you can make me sweat.” Pierce smirks. “Good. I’m going to hold you to that.” “Next time we go on one of these walks, you want to try it with a plug in?” Pierce’s eyebrows go into hairline. “You know how horny those things make me! I’d be hard in minutes!” “You’ll just have to wear your tight jeans. And my long coat. Well if that’s the case, you won’t need underwear at all.” Gunther gives his boyfriend a wicked grin. “Oh lord, you’re getting ideas now.” “Oh many many ideas…I quite like the idea of finding a quiet place in the woods and gently teasing you through your tight jeans until you cum in them, and then you having to feel it cool as you walk home. Yeah, that’s making my pants feel quite tight.” Pierce stares at him with wide eyes. “Fuck, I’m glad we’re not women, I’d be pregnant by spring.” “Trust me Pierce, if you were a woman, I would have definitely gotten you pregnant already. Would have timed your cycle and bred you on the bed during your most fertile period.” Pierce blushes hard. “My goodness,” he stammers. “You know-” “Oh god,” Pierce groans. Gunther chuckles. Pierce is red up to his ears, and he has a feeling it’s not just cause of the cold. “We could still do that anyway. I read somewhere that guys have a fertility cycle. I know m-preg weirds you out.” “Yeeeaah…that one fic I read in high school. Ugh.” Pierce shudders. “Yeah, not that. But there’s no reason we couldn’t roleplay that you have like, a heat, for some reason. Like you’re half demon or something.” “Demon? You think I’m demonic?” Pierce replies. “You can be demonic sometimes. Like what you do with your fingers when I’m still waking up in the morning,” Gunther replies. Pierce looks smug. “Guilty of that.”
Gunther glances at his partner. “So you’re down try some new stuff? Get out of the house more, and see what kind of fun we can have on our ~dates~.” “Yeah. I’m down, but tou’re still fucking me over the bench when we get home right?” “Oh yeah, definitely. I don’t have any lube now.” Pierce snorts. “And if you did?” Gunther looks behind him and gestures. “Didn’t see anyone around that bridge did I? Could of had you over the railing.” “It’s in plain view! We can still see it from here!” Gunther wiggles his eyebrows. “Guess we’d just have to go into the bushes.” “Oh lord. You can go into the bushes!” Pierce gives him a playful shove, and they antagonize each-other all the way back to the car.
I wipe my hand on a towel and check my phone. “Oh, my boyfriend is stopping by to bring us the cooler I left upstairs before he goes out.” “Oh? I finally get to meet the Slutty Wonder?” Rob asks. “Yep. He’s a gift, I tell you. A little unusual, but man…” I let out a low whistle. “This is all new for me, and I’m obsessed. I’ve never wanted someone so bad, so often. I feel like my dick is out all the time. Well half the time he’s pulling out, but man. He’s a treasure.” “I can’t wait to see this.” I grin. We hang out in the corner of the pool for minute until I see the gate open. “Oh there he is. Mikey! Over here.” I watch Rob. “What the…” Rob puts his hands on the edge of the pool and leans forward. “Mikey~” I step up and wave. “Hey sweetie! Where do you want the cooler?” “You can bring it here.” Mikey trots over in his pumps to where our stuff is. He sets the cooler in reach. “Yep, thank you. May I get a kiss before I go?” “Sure thing, babe.” I step up on the ledge of the pool so I can rise to meet his lips. We exchange a soft kiss. Mikey pulls back. “Oh good I didn’t get any lipstick on you. It really is waterproof!” “I told you to pay a little extra for the good stuff. Oh, Mikey, this is Rob.” Mikey waves. “Hi darling. Heard a lot about you.” “Uh hi. Nice to meet you.” Mikey blinks. “You should come over for dinner sometime. For now though, I left you guys some fruit salad and some chicken pasta salad in the fridge for when you’re done in the pool.” Mikey moves his purse from his elbow up to his shoulder. “Thank you sweetheart. Very kind.” “Of course! The watermelon so good, you’ll love it. Well, I’ll be out with Grace for a couple hours, we’re gonna grab lunch, do a bit of shopping, take her dog to the spa. If you want me to pick up anything on the way home let me know.” “Will do. Have a fun afternoon with Grace.” “Should be fun! See you later darling, remember to reapply sunscreen.” “Yes honey. Take care now. Bye~” “Byyee. Nice to meet you Rob.” MIkey winks at us along with wave of manicured fingers and leaves us be.
Rob watches us go. “Woah. That – that’s Mikey?” “Yep?” “I could see up his skirt. That was a tiny thong stretched over everything. Was it silk?” “Yep.” “You get to fuck that sweet piece of ass all the time?” “Yep.” “God you lucky son of a bitch. He’s so cute.” I can’t help but squeal a little. “He’s IS. And dainty. I mean, for being nearly six feet tall in heels. And he’s always puttering around in the condo in these cute outfits, doing all this domestic stuff, listening to his vinyl…I could just watch him all day. I could watch the paint dry on his nails even. I’m totally smitten.” “I’ve never thought I’d be rethinking my opinion of boys in skirts but here I am,” Rob mutters and sat on the step of the pool. “Yeah, me neither. I love being able to grab his ass and feel skin, or just like, push the fabric up, pull the thong aside, and get access right to that pussy. Once I made him go out with any underwear on as a punishment for something.” Rob gasps. “No one noticed?” “It was a longer skirt. But he got hard very quickly. It was a lot of fun. I finished him off in the parking lot with my hand. He’d never had an orgasm in a semi-public space before. Very sexy.” Rob lets out a low whistle. “I’m starting to get some ideas of new ways to torment my houseboy.” “I could write you a novel, Rob. But I will tell you that as long as you want to keep your boy interested and happy, you’ll easily find an opportunity to do so.”
Rob just nods. “Does he go to work, like that?” "Sort of. Men’s slacks, women’s blouses, mostly. A lot of colors and patterns. They get a lot of clients who are sort of unsure how to react to him, so he tones it down so it’s not distracting.” “Ah, makes sense. Sucks it’s still like that.” I sigh. “Yeah.But if I get home before he does, he lets me watch as he changes. It’s got upsides.” “You are such an optimist.” “I have a lot of reasons to be.”
Rob smirks and we share a fist pump. “Beer time? I feel warm all of a sudden…” I reach for the cooler and sigh. “Yeah me too. Beer time for sure.” I pass him a can and we pop ours open. I raise mine. “Cheers to the Slutty Wonder?” “Cheers.” We clink them together and drink. Rob glances at his can. “Oh this is from a local brewery too! He has good taste in beer? Is Mikey real or did I hallucinate him?” “Well Rob, if I am hallucinating Mikey, don’t wake me up!
Taylor stopped making out with Derrick. “Woah.” “W-what?” Derrick stammered. Taylor pushed his hands down Derrick’s jeans and squeezed with both hands. “You’re not underwear.” “Um. No. I’m not.” Derrick smiled. “You haven’t been wearing underwear the whole time? Like during our whole date?” “Nope. Left the house without em on.” “Why?” Derrick looked amused. “A reward for you to find if things went well on our date.” Taylor worked his mouth once or twice. “Wow. That is so hot. And I – I am so hard right now, it’s incredible.” Derrick grinned. “Where’s your bed?” Taylor made a gesture to his left. “Can’t we just – right here?” “Your knees are going to give out with what I’m going to do to you, so I want you on the bed.” Taylor whimpered and he flushed. “I – um. I think I came a little.” Derrick cupped Taylor between the legs. “You’re still hard. Fuck, that is so hot. Come on, show me where the bedroom is.” “Yeah uh, right, right this way,” Taylor stammered.
______________________________ Captions are fictional.
The automatic timer went off just at the right second, which was good because a moment later James and Ryan were wrestling on the floor like children in their silly matching Christmas pajamas over who wanted the other to open their presents first. They eventually wore themselves out, and Ryan won the right to make James open his presents first.
The presents didn’t really matter to Ryan after all. James was his gift, and always would be. Two years ago, Ryan was stuck at home on Christmas with a broken leg from a skiing incident. He ordered some groceries to be delivered, but when James arrived to drop them off, he noticed something was wrong. The pain pills Ryan were given were affecting his appetite and he hadn’t been eating well; his blood sugar levels were showing dangerous numbers. James called 911 and the medics got Ryan’s diabetes under control before taking him the hospital.
Ryan begged the delivery company to put him in contact with James and sent him flowers and a card. James visited him in the hospital. He’d even delivered more groceries. They’d kept in touch, and by spring, romance had blossomed. In Ryan’s opinion, he was given a second chance at life, and he was going to use it to love James and spoil him. James was his guardian angel after all. And that meant a lot of presents.
Carlos ran to grab the phone. “Hello?” “Hey babe.” “Hiii Johnny. How’s work?” “I swear the view is the only reason I stay here.” “Not good huh.” Carlos moved the bag on the chair and sat down. “So annoying. But like, my co-worker’s girlfriend came to pick him up for lunch, and the receptionist was like confused because another girl came two days ago, and she let that slip, and there was a huge fight. And I’m just calling to let you know I love you a lot, and I’m feeling really smug that it’s not us.” Carlos laughed. “Smug that your secret homosexual love life is better than the straights as theirs goes down in flames?” “Exactly. Especially because my co-worker has made some snide comments about our ~lifestyle~. He deserves getting caught.” “Being attracted to you definitely isn’t a lifestyle, Johnny. I had no choice in the matter. I was completely helpless.” “You poor thing,” Johnny said dryly. “Must be hard being under duress.” “Well,” Carlos said, “The hard thing is definitely true. I was out shopping – I finally found a tie to match that odd colored shirt I found at the thrift store, but the salesman at the store was so hot that I’ve been just like turned on since then. I’m really impatient for you to get home. I’m just pacing around in my underwear.” Johnny made a frustrated noise into his hand. “How can you say things like that casually when I’m stuck here for the afternoon, Carlos.” “Why don’t you take a long lunch?” Carlos asked with eagerness in his voice. “I’ll send a taxi. Tell your boss the fight was disruptive to your focus and you’re taking a break until the air is cleared.” There was silence on the phone. When Johnny spoke his voice was in a low whisper. “Are you suggesting I skip out on work to come home and have sex”? “That is exactly what I’m suggesting. Selfishly, of course.” Carlos was now pacing with the phone cord wrapped around his fingers. “Is that in line with our lifestyle?” Johnny asked. “Absolutely it is. We must keep up with the standards.” Johnny giggled. “We must. I shouldn’t have a problem grabbing a taxi on 5th ave this time of day. Be home soon. And be ready.” “Goddamn do I love you.” “Love you more.”
Carlos hung up the phone. “Holy crap I can’t believe that worked. I am a lucky man.”
As bizarre as it was to see Johnny show up to their condo mid-day in his work clothes, it was even stranger to send him back to work freshly showered and freshly fucked. Carlos got nothing done for the rest of the day thinking about it – tossing Johnny’s jacket over the chair, yanking down his slacks, doing it right there over the dining room table. Redressing him after a quick shower. Sending him back to work with an interesting gait to his step and kiss swollen lips. Carlos didn’t even mind having to do the clean up himself. Having a secret homosexual love life could be a blast.
__________________________ Captions are fictional.
I closed the door to the sun porch. “Marc. What the hell? This – this is supposed to be you meeting my parents. Like, you know, the next serious step in our relationship.” Marc folded himself on the sofa and propped his head up with his hand. “He was disrespecting you.” “But that doesn’t give you the authority to punch my father!” “Well I had to do something!” Marc nearly shouted. “No one was going to do anything. You think by just saying ‘dad’ between your teeth has any repercussion?” I was pacing at this point. “My dad is an old boomer who is getting older, Marc. He’s not going to magically change his boomer thinking, and he’s not going to magically see the light of day. I told you my dad has some conservative ideas.” “But those weren’t conservative ideas!” Marc retorts. “That was negging. He was putting you down. Passively aggressively. You look hurt. It upset me.”
I paused my pacing at the tone in his voice. “I looked hurt?” “Yeah, you looked wounded. You pulled back a little.” “Oh.” “Yeah,” Marc gestured. “See that’s the thing. If some hot guy dissed you at a bar like that? I’d punch him. Hands down.” “There are other ways to react than violence, Marc.” Marc sighed. He looked at his red knuckles. “I’ve made Thanksgiving a little awkward haven’t I?” “A little.” I crossed my arms. “Listen, I don’t mind you standing up for me. But this cannot be a trend. Cause if we are going to stay together, we’re gonna run into my parents sometimes. They’re not cool and liberal like your parents.” “You think my parents are cool?” Marc asked with one eyebrow up. “Um yeah, your dad’s got that Corvette and all those birds. He’s super cool.” Marc chuckled. “He’ll be happy to hear that.”
“I bet. But Marc, seriously. You need to think about how you want to move forward with this. Starting with apologizing to my father for hitting him.” Marc’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not apologizing for that.” “So we’re just never gonna bring this up over Thanksgiving dinner? It’ll just sit on the table, next to the turkey, taking up room?”
Marc sighed again. I walk over to where his bare feet are propped up on the arm of the small sofa and began to rub one of them. When I dug my thumbs into his sole he groaned. “Goddammit,” Marc said. He leaned back. I watched until his shoulders relaxed. I let Marc think. I had moved on to the other foot when he broke his silence.
“I will apologizing for hitting him,” Marc says. I lifted my head. “You will?” “Yeah. Cause this isn’t the hill I want to die on. I don’t want this to be the crack that crumbles this relationship.” I smiled as relief flooded through me. “I’m pleased to hear you say that.”
After a bit more talking, we left the sun room and walked back into the kitchen. My father was sitting at the kitchen table with his ice to his cheek. My mother was stirring gravy. When we came in, they both looked up at us. I felt like a little boy whose friend had thrown a ball in the house and broken a lamp.
“Dad, Marc has something he want to say to you.” “It better be-” My dad started. “Bob. Hush. Let him speak.” I gave a glance of gratitude to my mom.
Marc exhaled. “Sir. I apologize for punching you in the face.” “Damn straight-” “But.” My attention snapped to Marc. Oh no, this wasn’t in the script. I think my mother could see the panic on my face. Marc didn’t waver at all. “I am dating your son. And you did a fine job of raising him. Jeff’s successful, thoughtful, creative, funny, and sweet. I care about him a lot. And he cares about you both, and I understand that as we’re dating, that means sometimes it involves Bob and Helen. But I will not stand by and listen to you disrespect him, unfairly, because he doesn’t confirm to whatever standards you think should define his life. You don’t get to choose who he dates and what either of us does for a living. We do.” My jaw dropped. I must have looked like a fish. “The audacity of you telling me what I can and can’t do in my own house! What I can say or not say to my son is not your decision to make.” Bob stood up from the table, face red.
I was torn between wanting to fling myself into Marc’s arms like a fairy tale princess and jumping between them for damage control.
“It’s not, but I wouldn’t be a good boyfriend if I stood by while someone hurt his feelings.” Marc replied. “It’s constructive criticism. I didn’t hurt his feelings.” “You did, Bob.” Helen said. “You did. You say hurtful things sometimes. You mean well, but you could be nicer. Who cares what Marc or Jeff does for a living? Jeff pays his rent. He bought me that nice Hermes scarf for Christmas last year. He’s fine.” Bob gawked at her. Helen harrumphed. “This is all so silly. It’s Thanksgiving. My son is here, we have company, I’m starving, and the turkey has been sitting enough, Bob. Carve the damn thing so we can eat ok? Please? I don’t feel like mothering three sons tonight. That’s why I only had one.” She slammed the lid back on the gravy, making everyone jump.
Marc met my gaze and mouthed. “I love her.” I smothered a giggle. Bob sighed. “Fine. I’m hungry too. But we’re going to talk about this later.” Bob pointed a finger at Marc. He walked into the kitchen toward the turkey, muttering.
I pulled Marc into the hallway outside of the kitchen. “Sorry, it just kind of came out-” Marc stammered. I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him hard. “Mmnn!” Marc squeaked in surprise, but quickly got with the program. I slid my fingers around the back of his neck to deepen it. We both reluctantly broke for breath. “That. Was amazing. No one has ever stood up for me like that before.” Marc blushed. “Well, I, it kind of just came out….” “When we go to bed tonight, I’m checking the size of your balls because I do not remember them being that huge.” Marc blushed. His stomach grumbled.
I adjusted his shirt and we walked back into the kitchen together. Marc swooped in with helping plate the table, and he complimented my mother on how great everything smelled. When we finally ate, he complimented how juicy the meat was. Even Bob looked pleased about that. I spent most of the meal watching Marc instead of anything else. I think I missed putting the fork in my mouth once, because I was just so utterly smitten with him. How did I get so lucky? A little butterfly started fluttering around my mind. If he could handle Battleax Bob, then …well, maybe there was a chance Marc and I could get married one day.
___________________ Captions are fictional. It turns out if you want to find a photo of a guy in a shirt, just search for “men in shirts” on Tumblr.
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!
