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“Hey, wait a second. Where’s my sword?”
“Safely tucked down in the floorboards.”
“You’re the fucking best.”
“I know.”
Kevin leaned in for a kiss, and he squeezed Percy’s hip.
They were home, safe and sound, and yet…
Kevin didn’t feel much better.
Waves of depression were washing back over him, threatening to drown him, and he wasn’t sure what to do. Not only was he worried about what shape the shop was in, he was struggling to contain a thousand more conflicting emotions and thoughts swirling in his brain. He didn’t want to upset Percy, but Kevin desperately wanted a few minutes alone in his quiet arcade apartment to get cleaned up, take some deep breaths, and probably have a small meltdown.
“I should probably check to make sure Julie hasn’t actually killed everyone.” Kevin chuckled, trying for a small smile. “I… I kinda need a second. Alone. Can I bring some pizza over in a few hours or so?”
Percy was visibly stung, but he smiled all the same. “Of course. Whatever you need.” He kissed him again. “I expect an extra large, steaming hot, stuffed pie. And some pizza with cheese packed into it would be nice as well.”
“You got it.” Kevin hugged him tight. “I’ll bring that pepperoni you love so much too.” He took Percy’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I love you, princess. I won’t be too long. Promise.”
“I…” Percy stammered. “I love you too, sweet peaches. Do hurry.” He smirked. “I don’t like to be kept waiting.” He vanished.
Cher barked, sitting in front of Kevin and staring up at him with a low whine.
“Hey, it’s okay. We’ll see your other daddy in just a little while.” Kevin booped her nose. He was surprised by how Cher was fading now from his vision, like a fuzzy image on a TV screen. He figured the demon blood was wearing off and made a mental note to get some more from Percy. The thought made him smile, and he tugged his keys out from his wet pants pocket. “Come on, let’s go inside.”
He unlocked the door, and Cher bolted right in. He followed her, chuckling as he dropped the keys on the table beside the door. He shut it behind them, saying, “Make yourself at home.”
Cher zoomed through the apartment, sniffing and nosing at everything. She jumped on the couch and rolled around, and then she took off to jump on Kevin’s bed. She apparently liked that spot the best, curling up and panting happily.
Kevin laughed at her antics, still in disbelief that he had his very own hellhound now.
And that wasn’t even the craziest part of his day.
Kevin walked into the bathroom and flipped on the light, getting a look at himself for the first time since the battle. He was a mess. While a lot of the smaller cuts had healed, the bigger wounds were still closing up. His shirt was shredded, he was covered in blood, and he looked like the sole survivor of a horror movie.
Wanting to check on his wings, he focused on letting them free. Instead of a graceful unfurling, however, they shot out from his back and cleared everything off the shelves. “Son of a bitch!”
Kevin turned to pick the items up, but his giant wings crashed into the mirror, knocking it off the wall and into the sink where it shattered. “Fucking of course! Why wouldn’t that happen?”
Groaning in frustration, he left the bathroom to find a broom for the broken glass. His wings tipped over a stack of DVDs, sending them tumbling across the floor. “Goddammit!” he shouted angrily, tears stinging his eyes. Every emotion from the roller coaster of a road trip crashed into him like the waves of that damn beach, and he slumped down onto his couch with a sigh.
There had been a lot of good but also some not so good mixed in.
He genuinely thought finding his wings would restore some semblance of who he once was.
Instead, he’d almost gotten killed, almost gotten Percy killed, and now his giant wings were wrecking his apartment. He’d come so close to losing the few things in his life that were real, and he hadn’t even realized he’d started crying until Cher was licking the tears from his face.
“Thanks, sweetheart.” Kevin wiped at his face and then kissed the hellhound’s face. “Let’s get this cleaned up, huh? Before your other daddy thinks we bailed on him.” He sniffed as he stood again, staggering into the bathroom.
After cleaning up the broken mirror, he stripped down to take a hot shower. He washed away the blood and sand, letting himself soak until the hot water ran out. When he stepped out, his injuries already looked better than before.
He made quick work to bandage what was still healing, like the wound in his shoulder and his hand. Confident now that he wouldn’t terrify anyone, he tapped out the starting beats to “Shave and a Haircut” on the wall.
There was no answer.
Weird.
