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Felinus had found a “Tiger-sized” blanket on the initial journey in one of the closets. It had been draped over the two, carefully tucked over their shoulders to keep them warm.
“I bet they’re holding hands under there,” he mused.
“Thomas is technically dating someone,” Brutus growled at him quietly, popping the espresso pod out of the machine and putting a new one in.
“We both know that it’s dead in the water after this,” Bat argued, still watching the two sleeping men, smiling as Thomas snuggled closer.
Brutus shifted next to him, reaching for something near Bat’s head. He jumped when Brutus’s palm slammed into the cabinet instead. His head snapped around, his breath catching in his chest as Brutus glared at him just a few inches away.
“Do not,” he said, his hazel eyes locked on Bat’s, “interfere, Zeno. I fucking mean it. You stay quiet.”
Bat swallowed, the heat of Brutus washing over him as his fingers itched to touch him, that desperate need to be as close as he possibly could to one of his oldest friends, his former lover, the only one- “Okay, Brutus,” he breathed, the hollow feeling threatening to overwhelm him. He hated this. He hated being this close to Brutus and not allowed to give him the affection he desperately wanted to share. It was same feeling he had seen mirrored in Seong when it came to Thomas. “Not a word.”
“Well that’s a position,” Felinus commented as he seemed to materialize next to them. “I thought we agreed you’d give me a heads up if you started being ‘more than friends’ this time so I can stock up on eye bleach and know to knock?”
Brutus pushed away, leaving Bat feeling colder than he had been, to glare at Felinus. “For the number of times I’ve seen your or Issac’s bare ass in the last nine months, I don’t think I have to warn you about anything.”
“Stop showing up unannounced,” Felinus said bluntly, picking up a latte and taking a sip of it.
“Learn how to fucking cook,” Brutus countered, taking the latte from Felinus. “And that’s mine!”
“You need a nap, fratellino,” Felinus commented, taking Bat’s latte instead. He took a sip, made a face, and put it back down. “How do you still have teeth?”
“I brush after every meal,” Bat told him, smirking as he picked up his drink and walked away to leave the brothers to their bickering.
To Be Seen
Thomas woke up warm in a soft bed. Someone was behind him, their arm wrapped around his waist to hold him close. Something soft and fuzzy was under his jaw, pressed into his chest.
That’s… different, he thought, shifting the soft thing enough to recognize a stuffed animal of some sort. He didn’t have a stuffed animal. Slowly, his thoughts cleared and he remembered. He had fallen asleep on the plane next to Seong. They had woken him up to get through customs and he and Seong had fallen back asleep in the car.
He had been too exhausted to ask where they were going, just wanting to sleep uninterrupted. He thought he remembered Issac’s voice, an argument of some sort, then being tucked into a bed full of things to cuddle against.
Opening one crusty eye, he looked at the tiger in his hands. It stared back at him with the neutral face of most stuffed toys.
Seong groaned softly, pulling Thomas tighter against him. Then he seemed to stiffen and Thomas felt his head lift from their shared pillow. “Thomas?”
Thomas’s heart fluttered at how confused and sleepy Seong’s voice was. Swallowing, he looked back to see the man blinking down at him, a bit of crust in his own eyes. “I’m just as surprised as you are,” he breathed, his voice hoarse with sleep as he offered him the tiger.
Seong took the toy, frowning at it then laughed softly. “That’s right,” he said, dropping back onto his back with a groan. “Tiger insisted we sleep in his room because he has the biggest bed.” He held the tiger up in the air as Thomas rolled to his back as well, giving it a shake. “You were suppose to form a wall, you naughty toys.”
Thomas glanced around the bed, surprised to see quite a few animal-shaped pillows scattered across what was easily the biggest bed he’d ever seen. “He has a collection of stuffies.”
Seong hummed, tossing the tiger behind them on the pillow. “He likes them. I’ll admit, I didn’t get it until I took a nap in his bed one day and… well, there’s something to being cuddled by a mob of stuffed animals.” He sighed slowly, rubbing at his face. “I’m sorry-”
Thomas rolled over again, his chest pressing against Seong’s stomach so he could look down at him. “You have nothing to apologize for,” he told him. “We were both asleep. Hardly your fault or my fault that the stuffed animals fled the area.” He smiled as Seong smiled, resting his chin against Seong’s chest. Then it faded. “I haven’t asked you, in everything that’s happened, are you okay?”
Seong’s chest rose sharply at the question, his eyes staring into Thomas’s. Then he reached up, touching his face and Thomas leaned into the warmth of it. “I am now,” he murmured. “You’re safe. That’s all I cared about.”
“You had to face him,” Thomas murmured. “My mistake led him to finding you.”
Seong shook his head. “No, he knew where I was,” he breathed. “He didn’t know my full situation but he knew my location.” His fingertips pressed into Thomas’s hair. “It wasn’t your fault. You did everything right. You handled it all better than anyone else could have.” A sad smile quirked his lips. “You’re pretty damn amazing, Thomas O’Malley. We should all be happy that you like the idea of making videos games more than joining our world.”
Thomas huffed, resting his head against Seong’s chest, listening to his heart beat a little faster. “Who knew being honest would be this difficult?”
“Hm, I never even tried so couldn’t be me,” Seong murmured, his chest vibrating. His lips pressed against Thomas’s hair. “Come on. Let’s see about some breakfast.”
“Hm,” Thomas hummed, his eyes closing. “Do we have to?”
