Ten

by Tia Fielding

  Now that there was nothing left to do and everything was quiet again, Makai took a shower and face-planted on his bed. It surprised him that it was only around four in the afternoon. He knew he was tired because of the nightmares he’d been having, too, but luckily he didn’t scream like, apparently, Emil did.

  Instead of screaming, he tensed and woke up gasping for air. He had sore muscles in the morning after the worst nightmares before, and without Mouse coming to wake him up, he would’ve been much worse off now. She was like his own personal alarm clock that reacted to weird behavior, like changing breathing patterns and the tensed-up lines of his body.

  Maybe he was too tired for nightmares, but somehow he managed to avoid them and woke up at five in the morning after thirteen hours of continuous sleep. His bladder was killing him, so he stumbled into the bathroom first, then went to feed a very demanding Mouse.

  He made coffee and sandwiches for breakfast. If he added a couple of Nora’s lemon bars to his plate, nobody was there to see.

  He discovered a couple of texts from Emil in his phone but chose not to reply to them yet in case Emil was asleep, still. Instead, he went online and finally figured out that he wanted to buy a Nintendo Switch, and ordered one with a few games to play on the console.

  In the early-morning hours, he caught up on a few episodes of South Park and then ended up cleaning the house even though it was pretty damn clean already. When he finally deemed it late enough to text Emil, he sat on the couch with another coffee and settled in.

  I fell asleep once everyone left and woke up at five this morning. Oops?

  He waited for a while, petting Mouse, who came to him for affection.

  Wow, I managed to stay up until nine, but I slept for twelve hours too. No nightmares though.

  I think we might be onto something there, none here, either. We need to do more things, I think, to get them to stop? I don’t know. Makai frowned at the text but sent it anyway.

  It only took a minute or so to get a reply. Yeah. We started it, I think we should figure out how to stop them. I like walks, and I’ve been thinking about getting a camera. Maybe go take pictures and stuff?

  Sounds good to me. And there’s painting the house if we get tired of walking. Makai smiled and put a smiley on the end to portray that. Look at him being an all-modern emoji user!

  They texted for a while more, until Emil’s dad needed him for something or other and they said bye.

  Makai went on with his day, rainy as it was, in a comfortable silence except for the music drifting from the various themed Spotify playlists Emil had made him in the last few days.

  THE NEXT week, they met twice. Once was by accident at the grocery store, and they ended up walking together, not side by side because there wasn’t space, but instead they used the same cart, and Makai pushed it while they filled it with groceries for the two households. Emil was doing his best to not get them mixed up, but by the time they arrived at the till, they made Mr. Miller laugh at the mess they’d produced in their cart.

  When they had packed the stuff, Mr. Miller looked at them seriously but with a kind smile on his weathered face. “It’s good to see you happier. Both of you.”

  They got the groceries on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, Emil came by to watch movies with Makai. They decided—together, which surprised Makai because he’d thought Emil would run him over with his opinions—that he needed to see the Hobbit movies, since he’d liked the Lord of the Rings ones back in the day.

  They watched the first one, which Makai felt okay about. The second one he liked but mostly because of Smaug. After those, they made dinner and ate on the couch, side by side, and it didn’t feel weird or claustrophobic at all, not even for Emil who commented on it.

  Sadly, the third film was a bit of a disappointment, but then Emil had warned him it would be, so it was okay. To make up for it, they ended the night watching Zootopia, which made Makai cry. Twice.

  “I can’t believe you did this to me,” he sniffled when the end credits rolled.

  Emil laughed through his own tears. “You just wait until I force you to watch Inside Out.”

  “Ooh, I’ve heard good things about that, too. My nieces said they loved it, but my mom said she really liked it too.”

  “Yeah, I really like these new animations. Maybe it wasn’t as obvious when I was a kid, or maybe they just weren’t as clever and filled with stuff for adults, too, but there are some great ones out there.”

  By then, it was near eleven, and the sheriff called Emil to ask if he wanted a ride home when he’d get off shift. Emil looked at Makai questioningly.

  “You can sleep on the couch,” he said, smiling slightly.

  The thought of Emil staying over filled him with excitement, and something about it felt a lot like when a friend had gotten the permission to stay overnight after all, when he was a kid.

  “It’s okay, the couch is comfy. Makai has to go tomorrow to get the stitches out, so I’ll ride with him then.” Then he was quiet and listened, frowning a little. “Dad, I’m sure he remembered you have a meeting tomorrow.” Emil widened his eyes at Makai.

  Makai flinched, he hadn’t remembered that. How had he only been in town for two weeks? It felt like so much longer. So much had happened. Emil read his expression like an open book.

  “He needs the stitches out tomorrow, so do you think you could maybe skip the meeting? Okay, I’ll tell him, thanks. Bye, Dad.” Emil put his cell on the table looked at Makai shyly. “I’ll have to borrow a T-shirt to sleep in, but on the plus side, Dad said you don’t need to go to the station tomorrow.”

  “Thanks. I completely forgot. So damn much has happened that I didn’t even realize it was tomorrow. And sure, at least you’re tall enough so it won’t quite look like a nightgown,” Makai teased, and Emil rolled his eyes.

  Makai hadn’t bought any spare toothbrushes, so Emil couldn’t brush his teeth and seemed annoyed about that. He knew the value in routines while you were recovering, though, and made a mental note to buy extra stuff just in case it would be needed later.

  “I’d offer you mine, but that’s just weird,” Makai said, grinning.

  “Thanks for the thought…?” Emil looked cute as hell in Makai’s T-shirt, especially with the pout he had going on.

  Makai found Emil the extra pillow and blanket he’d need, and once the couch was set, they left a light on in the living room and went into the bedroom together.

  They took the kittens and placed them on Makai’s bed, then sat there with the babies and a very affectionate Mouse, for a while, just chatting.

  The kittens were at that shaky bit where their eyes were opened, and they were trying to look around but couldn’t see much at all. Their coloring hadn’t quite solidified yet, and while they could see the faint stripes on the orange ones, there was no telling if they’d stick.

  “They’ll look different once they grow a bit and then when the baby fur changes to more adult fur much later,” Emil said as he gently petted the darker orange kitten.

  “It’s weird how that thing they do when they’re trying to figure out where they are in relation to everything else reminds me of some insects,” Makai mused.

  “Oh yeah, like the weaving thing because they have no balance yet,” Emil agreed and smiled. “These are cuter, though.”

  “Definitely take these over bugs any day.”

  “You could just ask Doc Donovan to take out the stitches for you. No need to drive to another clinic? Or did they say your back needed to be checked by a human doctor?” Emil settled on the bed, stretched over the foot of it. He looked sleepy already.

  “No, just that they can be taken out about now. You know, I might actually call Doc Donovan in the morning, ask if he wants to see the babies and maybe take the stitches out for me.” Makai thought it was a solid idea. He would’ve had to go to Mercer at least to get someone to deal with them. If they hadn’t been on his back, he’d have done it himself.

  “Mm-hmm….” Emil hu
mmed, and Makai realized he was about to fall asleep.

  “Hey, Emil. You gotta go to the couch. I’ll move the babies, okay?” Makai got off the bed and easily fit all four kittens inside his cupped hands. Then he transferred them into the box while Mouse supervised the ordeal. “There you go, mama. All accounted for.” He gave her some pats and turned to the bed.

  Emil was asleep. Great.

  Makai thought for a couple of moments, then covered Emil with one of his blankets and left only the lamp on the bedside table on. Then he went into the living area and made himself somewhat comfortable on the couch.

  He was much too big and tall to sleep there comfortably, but it wasn’t too bad. He’d rather not wake Emil up.

  MAKAI WOKE at some point in the night, when the toilet flushed. Apparently Emil had woken up. He didn’t come to check on Makai, though, which Makai hoped meant that he was half-asleep and went right back to bed.

  Makai fell asleep soon after, only to wake up around eight thirty when Mouse patted his face.

  “Nnng…. Hungry?” he asked her, and she gave him the feline version of a “duh” expression in response.

  Makai got up, fed her, and put the coffee maker on, then walked carefully to the bedroom on his way to the bathroom. There was an Emil-shaped mound under the covers in his bed, and he smiled at the thought of Emil sleeping there. He felt even better when he remembered neither of them had had nightmares. The fact that Emil had seemingly had a nice night’s sleep in Makai’s space seemed amazing and a little flattering.

  He really wanted a shower but didn’t want to take one before Emil had woken up, as not to wake him. He knew Emil tried to sleep as much as possible when he managed to get a full night of rest, so he started breakfast and tried to be quiet about it.

  Sipping his coffee, he made a pancake batter from scratch—his mom had taught both of her boys to make one, because it wasn’t even hard to do—and added some chocolate chips, because why not? In between flipping the pancakes, he cut up some fruit and wondered if Emil would eat them with his favorite yogurt.

  He was about at the end of the batter when quiet shuffling came from the bedroom and a sleep-rumpled Emil appeared.

  “Morning.” Makai smiled at him.

  “Yeah,” Emil managed, then rubbed his eyes like a little kid and hummed. “Your bed is really comfy.”

  “I know,” Makai deadpanned.

  “Shit, yeah, sorry about that.” Emil tried his best to look contrite, but he just didn’t seem to have it in him. Either he really wasn’t that sorry, or it was too early in the morning for him.

  “It’s fine. I didn’t want to disturb you when I moved the babies. The couch wasn’t that bad. Too short, but otherwise it’s pretty okay.”

  “Well, most things might be too short for you,” Emil pointed out cheekily.

  “You ain’t wrong there.” Makai flipped the last pancake. “Breakfast is almost ready. If you want to use the bathroom first, now would be the time.”

  “Oh, right. Be right back.” Emil shuffled away, and Makai caught a glimpse of long, pale legs and the backs of Emil’s knees.

  He swallowed hard and tried not to think what his brain—and dick—were hinting at. Emil was gorgeous. There was something alluring about him. It didn’t mean it was or would be anytime soon the time or the place. Well, maybe the place, but…. Makai shut the door on his thoughts and concentrated on pouring them both some coffee.

  He had bacon, so he fried some of it. The scent lured Mouse back into the kitchen.

  “No, this is way too salty for you, lady,” he told her.

  “You need to get her actual cat treats to give her when she begs for people food,” Emil, who had luckily changed back into his own shirt, said.

  “Yeah, might want to order those online while I order the cat tree.”

  “It’s sad we didn’t find a good one in Woodruff.” Emil wandered into the kitchen and looked at the spread. “This looks great.”

  “Thanks. Do you want bacon?” Makai gestured at the pan.

  “No, the pancakes, fruit, and yogurt are just fine. Mmm, coffee….” Emil made a happy sound as he took a sip from his mug.

  “Okay, well you can take yours and go sit at the table, then. I’ll be right with you. Unless you want eggs?”

  “Oh, no thanks, but thanks for offering.” Emil flashed him a smile that warmed Makai right to his toes.

  Once he’d fried enough bacon and put the rest away, and Mouse had gone back to her babies, Makai joined Emil at the table.

  “No nightmares?” Emil asked carefully, avoiding Makai’s gaze just in case.

  “Nope. None.”

  “I think I started one, but Mouse woke me up,” Emil admitted.

  “She’s great with that. I didn’t hear a thing, so she must’ve gotten you early.” Makai would buy the cat premium cat treats just for this.

  “Yeah. I wish I could have some sort of pet that does that for me, it’s just that Mom’s allergic.” Emil frowned.

  That did suck. Makai could see how much Emil would benefit from having a pet, especially one he could take outside with him too.

  They ate and talked about the different kinds of service animals they’d seen online and tried to come up with more possible ones.

  “Emotional support snake would be nice. It would keep everyone away from my bubble,” Emil mused, grinning.

  “Tarantula!” Makai exclaimed. “Think about it. Anyone gets too close, and suddenly this palm-size spider crawls out of the hood of your hoodie, or something.” Emil did a full-body trembly thing, and Makai laughed. “Not a fan of spiders?”

  “I guess that’s where I draw the line, yes.” Emil grinned.

  Emil ate slowly, and Makai, having gotten used to eating fast in prison, was done way before him. “I’ll call the doc and take a shower. I doubt it matters if I get the stitches wet at this point.”

  “I wouldn’t think it does.”

  Makai went to his bedroom and sat on the bed to make the call.

  “Good morning, Makai, everything good with the cats?” Doc Donovan answered, sounding worried.

  “They’re all good as far as I can tell. Listen, Emil said you might be able to help me out?”

  “Oh, do tell?”

  “I have stitches in my back from the accident”—he was sure Doc Donovan knew about it like the rest of the town—“and I need to get them out. Could you help me if you’re not busy?”

  “Absolutely. Do you want me to drop by, take a look at the kittens while I’m there?”

  Makai thought for a moment. “Yeah, I was prepared to come over to the clinic, but you can come here too.”

  “I don’t have any appointments this morning, so I can drop by. Besides, I think it’s better for the momma if we don’t move her and the babies yet.”

  “Okay, sounds fine. I’ll be here all morning. I was supposed to take Emil to town with me, but I doubt he’s in a rush.”

  “He can ride back with me if he needs to go by then,” Doc Donovan promised.

  “That’s great. See you soon?”

  “Yes, I’ll be there within an hour.”

  “Great, thanks!”

  Makai put the phone on the bedside table and went to tell Emil.

  “That’s fine by me. I don’t have anywhere to go really.”

  “Oh…,” Makai breathed when something occurred to him. “He’ll know you spent the night. I hope that’s okay?”

  Emil smiled. “I don’t care. Besides, he’s gay. It’s not like he’ll be disgusted or anything.”

  “No, I know that, just… I don’t know how you want to spin this?”

  “Makai, I stayed over because it was too late to go home after watching movies. It’s pretty innocent, and if it wasn’t, who cares? I like you and you like me, right?” He waited until Makai nodded slowly. “We’re adults, and last I checked, adults get to have sleepovers too.” And then Emil blushed.

  “I’m gonna go take that shower now,” Makai said and hoped i
t didn’t sound like he was going there to think of a possible future sleepover. However, when he glanced at Emil, he could tell that was exactly what he had thought too.

  For two seconds, they stared at each other, then burst out laughing. Yeah, they were pretty in tune with each other. It wasn’t a bad thing, amusing as it was in this particular case.

  BY THE time Makai came out of the shower and pulled on some underwear and sweats, he decided to go without a shirt. He couldn’t rub his back dry anyway with the stitches there, so he might as well air-dry the area. What he hadn’t thought about was Emil’s reaction.

  “Uh….” Emil gawked at him when he came out of the bedroom.

  Makai frowned in confusion at first, not understanding why Emil stared at him with a blush spreading on his cheeks, then—“Oh….”

  “It’s… it’s okay. I’m just—you’re just….” And then he ducked his head and looked really uncomfortable.

  “Hey, if you want me to put a shirt on—”

  “No! No, I don’t mind like that. It’s just….” Makai stood still, waiting for Emil to put together the words he wanted to say. “You’re hot, okay. My body seems to like yours a bit more than I expected it to.”

  Oh. Oh.

  “What do you want to do?” Makai asked, gesturing at the space around them.

  “I… I think I’d like to watch something? Until the doc gets here?” Emil sounded hesitant, and he seemed truly conflicted and uncomfortable with his body’s reaction to Makai.

  “Sure. Go ahead and figure out what you want to watch. Then tell me where I should sit.” He went to get water from the kitchen, just to be far enough so that Emil didn’t see—and then it hit him. He couldn’t hide this from Emil, even though he wanted to. He took the water bottle and walked back to the living space where he could look at Emil sat on the couch. “Emil?”

  “Yeah?” Emil turned to look at him with a slight blush still smudging his pale cheeks.

  “The thought of you wanting me like that, even if it’s sort of involuntary, it… I feel it too. It’s not just your body that reacts, and I think you should know.” There, he said it.