hounded (hounded) wrote in qaf_drabbles, @ 2009-12-02 10:49:00 |
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Entry tags: | author: hounded/rebel, gusmas 2009 |
The 37 Days of Gusmas: Rage the kitten grows up, parts 9-14
Title: Rage the kitten grows up, parts 9-14
Author: Rebel
Prompts: Image of gift and credit cards; Fireplace; Our gay apparel; No such thing as angels; Christmas tree image; Frost
Notes: Part 1 is here. Part 2 (Hungry!) is here. Parts 3-8 are here.
9.
Michael stared at the bills piled on the desk at Red Cape. He'd sorted them into order of urgency, but the most urgent thing of all at the moment was finding the money to pay any of them. Just making his rent had wiped out everything the website had made in November, plus the little he'd made at the store.
He heard the door jingle, so he went back out to the front of the shop. It was two kids, heading straight for the rack of new releases.
His first customers of the day – and it was almost 4 pm.
10.
It had been sleeting all day, and the roads were hell on the way home. But when he got there, Ben was kneeling in front of the fireplace, poking it into a roaring blaze.
Michael hung his coat in the hall, and let Ben pull him into a hug. He stood there for a long time, listening to the fire crackling and the rain on the roof, warm inside Ben's arms. Then he moved away, hands still resting on Ben's shoulders. "Thanks, honey. I had a rough day at the office."
Ben ran a hand through Michael's hair. "I figured."
11.
They didn't talk about it at first. They drank wine in front of the fire, and made dinner, and ate. And when dinner was over, Ben gently put his big hand on Michael's. "So, did you decide?"
Michael got up. "There's nothing to decide. I make nearly all my income on web sales, and I don't need a shop to do that. I can't afford to buy Hunter a new sweater for Christmas, let alone pay my rent."
Ben followed him into the kitchen, and for the second time that night, wrapped his arms around Michael and held him tight.
12.
One of the officers cleared his throat. "Is this Justin Taylor's residence?"
Brian couldn't answer, but Daphne could. "Yes. What's wrong?"
"There's been an accident…"
Brian hoped Daphne was listening, because all he could hear was some kind of weird static in his ears.
The next thing he knew, Daphne was pulling him towards the garage, babbling about a hospital. He resisted, and she stopped and grabbed his chin. Christ, he thought, she's turning into Deb.
"Brian. Snap out of it."
And then she finished pulling him out to his car.
Rage sat there, staring at the closed door.
13.
There was a Christmas tree in the ER waiting room. Brian supposed it was comforting to kids getting their fucking tonsils out, but he wanted to tear it down and throw it under the wheels of a truck.
The doctor had said Justin was in radiology and he'd get them when he came back. Brian had expected a fight when he said he was Justin's partner, a demand for the power of attorney papers that were at home in the safe, a note from Justin's mommy… something. But the doctor had just nodded and made a note in the chart.
14.
Rage wanted to take a nap, but every place felt wrong. The window sill wasn't warm and sunny, and there was some kind of wet cold on the glass.
The cushions on the sofa were all messed up, and smelled a little bit like coffee.
He stalked upstairs, and sniffed at the pillows. Sometimes they took away the ones that smelled the best and replaced them with horrid ones that didn't smell like anything, but these still had the Justin smell on them.
His tail wrapped firmly around his hindquarters, Rage settled deeply into Justin's ink-black pillow, and fell asleep.
Continued here...