Joel never looked out the window that night. That's how occupied he was. A total of two hours and 56 minutes had been spent scribbling away and highlighting. The hinges in between his bones had begun to grow stale from all the hours of inactivity. His spine would surely let out a cacophony of cracks if it even moved an inch. But it was silent since the only thing moving was Joel's hand. Even the air had grown tired and placid. His LED light illuminated particles of dust as they drifted by.
Every 'tick' of the analog clock coincided with two blinks from the colon of the digital clock. Every 60th "tick" was signaled by the minute hand snapping down a fraction. Every fifth time this happened, the air purifier would switch on and fill the room with its feathery whir, and then switch off again after 7 minutes. And then the analog clock would let out another 'tick' and the whole process would start over again.
Two cycles passed by. Six. Eight. It continued for another four until it was suddenly interrupted. Something new and irregular added itself into the bland mix of sounds.
The noise was small but still audible. It came from outside the room. There was the soft scuffing of sneakers against the carpet. Some stifled panting and a cough from the wooden support beams as a foot landed in a creaky spot. All in all, it sounded like someone trying to be stealthy and doing a pretty bad job of it. Joel knew who it was. He didn't look up.
The *silent* perpetrator nudged open the boy's bedroom door and snuck up behind him.
They stayed that way for a while. There was no need for either to express how much they'd missed the other, or how things were at college, or how they had such amazing stories to tell. There was no need because they already understood each other. And all of that had been expressed in the amount of time it takes for you to pull someone into a hug.
Joel had never forgotten the swept blond hair or the soft blue eyes framed by wire-thin spectacles, or that slightly condescending smile with a small dimple on the left side. All of those had filled his thoughts when Mars was gone. There was a faint scent of crushed herbs as well.
He pulled away after a couple more rounds of squeezing, holding Mars away at arm's length. The condescending smile was right there.
"Idiot", they said. "I thought you were mad at me!"
Joel tried to form a disinterested scowl. He really tried. But halfway through, his face muscles faltered and he ended up with a big stupid grin. He really was happy to see his significant other and they both knew it. "You forgot to take off your shoes again."
It was almost time for dinner. A welcome-back-from-college banquet had been set up in the bistro. Shannon must've outdone herself yet again, cooking the most heavenly and heartwarming meals for eight people every night. With help from the other children, of course. Joel hadn't finished washing up and he could smell it from downstairs. Chatter filled the wafting golden light from below. It was a much welcome change to the colder glow of his LED light.
Mars waited patiently behind him as he lathered up his hands and drenched them in the runnel. Even though the bathroom was spacious enough for them to stand apart, Mars chose to hover behind Joel closely. Like, heart-poundingly closely.
Apparently eighteen months of dating a gorgeous human being still couldn't blunt the effect they had on your composure. Joel tightened his jaw and felt the heat rising up in his face as it came slightly closer to Mars'. It was clear they were just trying to get his attention. And it was working.
"I can't communicate telepathically if that's what you're trying to do. Just tell me in normal English."
The smirk was obvious in their voice when they replied, "Mm. It's just that you're always nagging at me not to waste any water.... but you just spent the past five minutes with the water running while blushing into oblivion. You were thinkin' about something, weren't you!"
Flustered, Joel gave a small grunt and twisted the valve shut. "Says the person who never thinks about anything," he huffed, flicking some loose water droplets back at Mars.
The blonde recoiled, giggling. "Aw, so mean!"
When they got downstairs, they were greeted by the usual chaotic scene of the family before dinner. But this time there were nine seats instead of the usual eight. A new face was in it. Joel turned to Mars with a questioning look.
"I brought a friend home today," was all he got in return. It seemed his bespectacled partner wasn't keen on elaborating, so Joel returned his attention to their guest.
"Uh, hi," he ventured. "Who are you, exactly?"
Every 'tick' of the analog clock coincided with two blinks from the colon of the digital clock. Every 60th "tick" was signaled by the minute hand snapping down a fraction. Every fifth time this happened, the air purifier would switch on and fill the room with its feathery whir, and then switch off again after 7 minutes. And then the analog clock would let out another 'tick' and the whole process would start over again.
Two cycles passed by. Six. Eight. It continued for another four until it was suddenly interrupted. Something new and irregular added itself into the bland mix of sounds.
The noise was small but still audible. It came from outside the room. There was the soft scuffing of sneakers against the carpet. Some stifled panting and a cough from the wooden support beams as a foot landed in a creaky spot. All in all, it sounded like someone trying to be stealthy and doing a pretty bad job of it. Joel knew who it was. He didn't look up.
The *silent* perpetrator nudged open the boy's bedroom door and snuck up behind him.
They stayed that way for a while. There was no need for either to express how much they'd missed the other, or how things were at college, or how they had such amazing stories to tell. There was no need because they already understood each other. And all of that had been expressed in the amount of time it takes for you to pull someone into a hug.
Joel had never forgotten the swept blond hair or the soft blue eyes framed by wire-thin spectacles, or that slightly condescending smile with a small dimple on the left side. All of those had filled his thoughts when Mars was gone. There was a faint scent of crushed herbs as well.
He pulled away after a couple more rounds of squeezing, holding Mars away at arm's length. The condescending smile was right there.
"Idiot", they said. "I thought you were mad at me!"
Joel tried to form a disinterested scowl. He really tried. But halfway through, his face muscles faltered and he ended up with a big stupid grin. He really was happy to see his significant other and they both knew it. "You forgot to take off your shoes again."
It was almost time for dinner. A welcome-back-from-college banquet had been set up in the bistro. Shannon must've outdone herself yet again, cooking the most heavenly and heartwarming meals for eight people every night. With help from the other children, of course. Joel hadn't finished washing up and he could smell it from downstairs. Chatter filled the wafting golden light from below. It was a much welcome change to the colder glow of his LED light.
Mars waited patiently behind him as he lathered up his hands and drenched them in the runnel. Even though the bathroom was spacious enough for them to stand apart, Mars chose to hover behind Joel closely. Like, heart-poundingly closely.
Apparently eighteen months of dating a gorgeous human being still couldn't blunt the effect they had on your composure. Joel tightened his jaw and felt the heat rising up in his face as it came slightly closer to Mars'. It was clear they were just trying to get his attention. And it was working.
"I can't communicate telepathically if that's what you're trying to do. Just tell me in normal English."
The smirk was obvious in their voice when they replied, "Mm. It's just that you're always nagging at me not to waste any water.... but you just spent the past five minutes with the water running while blushing into oblivion. You were thinkin' about something, weren't you!"
Flustered, Joel gave a small grunt and twisted the valve shut. "Says the person who never thinks about anything," he huffed, flicking some loose water droplets back at Mars.
The blonde recoiled, giggling. "Aw, so mean!"
When they got downstairs, they were greeted by the usual chaotic scene of the family before dinner. But this time there were nine seats instead of the usual eight. A new face was in it. Joel turned to Mars with a questioning look.
"I brought a friend home today," was all he got in return. It seemed his bespectacled partner wasn't keen on elaborating, so Joel returned his attention to their guest.
"Uh, hi," he ventured. "Who are you, exactly?"
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