Josh stayed awake for the entire massage. A part of him was happy and another part a little sad. If his partner had drifted off to sleep then he would have gently tucked him in and then crawled in beside him. That would have been nice, knowing that his partner was so relaxed that he drifted off to sleep beneath his hands.
But since Josh was awake then it meant that he could snuggle close and get a few kisses before they both went to bed. Maybe some sleepy chatting and an endearment or two.
His partner pulled a pillow down for him and held up his arms. Gris smiled and shook his head when Josh asked if there was anything else he could do for him. "No, just what you already want to do.†He leaned down and gave his partner a kiss.
"I will be right back. I think I want another glass of water. I will bring it back full for you if you want it, or we can set it on the nightstand for later.†He went back into the bathroom, filled the glass he had left on the counter with cold water and then drank the entire thing down. Feeling more refreshed, he filled the cup again.
Gris returned to Josh, setting the cup on the nightstand. Crawling into bed, he snuggled close in Josh's arms. For the moment he didn't need the pillow. Josh was the pillow. Gris laid his head on his partner's broad shoulder and sighed happily. "This is exactly what I wanted. I love you.
He rubbed his cheek against his partner's skin and smiled. "Perhaps tomorrow we can go for a walk and you can show me the sights in the daylight. That's probably better, for seeing them anyway.†He could see just fine in the dark but Gris suspected that no matter where they went tonight that it would have ended up with intimacy. Josh just had that effect on him, among other effects which included happiness, calm and good humor. Everything was better when his boyfriend was around; a bad day went toward good in the blink of an eye as soon as Josh was present. But tame seemingly unremarkable settings did get looked at and rated according to their potential for privacy when they were both together.
Gris didn't think that was a bad thing.
Bells and Whistles (invite only)
Josh stood in the doorway of the spacious room in Alpha Xephier's house that served as a playroom for his and Nikhila's children as well as any of the other Kadzait children who were temporarily parent-less. It wasn't a full moon, so tonight the only kids present were the Alpha couple's four. Noah and Avery, of course, who seemed to grow bigger every day, as well as the two most recent arrivals, twin boys Justin and Ian. According to Nikhila, these four would be it for a while as her reproductive system was officially on vacation.
Josh had noted the word 'vacation.' How many children did they plan to have? Of course, the more the merrier. He had four siblings himself and he loved his sisters like crazy.
Tonight he wasn't alone. He turned his cool grey eyes to his boyfriend and they warmed immediately. His hand stole over to clasp Gris's gently, fingers twining. "You sure you don't want to run with the others?" he asked softly. "I don't mind."
Gris had been invited to go with Lily, Xephier, Nikhila, and whoever else was running tonight. Josh didn't think for a second that Gris would go along, but he had to make sure he knew Josh wouldn't blame him if he did. Privately he wanted Gris's company. And when everyone returned he wanted to take his lover somewhere where they could be alone and kiss him until he got that adorable, sexy, I-need-you-now look on his face.
They had been living together for several months now, since shortly after they'd come out to each other at the Pack gathering. Josh had never been happier, and he hoped Gris felt the same. Waking up next to him, going to bed next to him, having their things together in the closet, on the counter, those were the things Josh loved. He was a simple person, he supposed. The closeness he shared with Gris was something he would die to preserve. He lived with his partner, his boyfriend, his best friend and every day he was thankful for having fallen off a bridge and on top of an angel.
They both had very busy schedules, still, but living together meant they had time to spend with each other. Aside from the nights of the moon they shared so much, and even then Josh made sure to get up very early when he knew Gris would be returning from a run and meet his partner at the door with coffee, a bath drawn, a back rub, or just a kiss and a gentle caress. If he knew where Gris was running, he would simply meet him there. He didn't begrudge him any of it, although he wouldn't deny wishing he could experience it himself. Someday he would.
Noah came over to them and offered Josh a toy truck. Upon taking it, the thing immediately erupted in a gale of bells, whistles, honks, and engine noises. Josh winced.
"This your favorite toy tonight?" He asked Noah.
The toddler nodded solemnly. Josh sighed and rolled his eyes, but the faintest hint of a smile touched his lips. Noah loved sounds. Anything that made noise, he wanted to have. It was cute for about five minutes, usually, and then it became obnoxious as hell. Josh had plenty of patience, but he had noticed recently that certain annoying toys had gone suspiciously missing. Xephier looked far too innocent when questioned about it. Josh wasn't going to speculate. Or try to figure out where the Alpha had hidden them.
Greer Grayson
10 years ago