Raum’s overly dramatic declaration of war planning wasn’t nearly as exciting as Anri secretly hoped it’d be. It made him feel kind of stupid, which made the next part a lot easier, as he could feel Seth’s fatigue like waves. He promptly kicked Raum out, but only after the demon agreed that he could do nothing else to help.
Seth was afraid to go back to sleep. “Anri, what if she’s there, just waiting for me?” he whined, trembling in his arms.
Anri frowned and held him tighter. “I’m here,” was all he could think to say. Anri held him, both of them wrapped around each other until eventually Seth passed out from sheer exhaustion. Seth’s grip never relaxed, even after he was asleep.
Anri woke up alone, feeling strangely normal. It was weird, how last night had felt so intense and important, and now that the sun was streaming into the kitchen window, the world felt normal. Mundane. It made hiw question last night’s drama, and he regretted it instantly, as if he questioning somehow discredited what had happened to his lover.
Seth was already gone to school, he’d sent Anri a text letting him know he’d arrived safely, calming his heart considerably. He frowned, looking through the cupboard for his favorite mug, but it was missing. He accepted his second favorite and poured himself a cup of the already brewed coffee, smiling as he assumed Seth had made it for him before he left.
He frowned again, remembering he had to work tonight, and that Seth wouldn’t be home before he had to leave. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he thought about texting Seth to ask if he might have time for a quick call before Anri had to go to work.
Noise behind him startled him out of his thoughts. He turned and found the demon Raum drinking coffee from an oversized orange mug. His favorite mug. Anri glared at him. “What the fuck, Raum? Where the fuck did you come from? You weren’t there, like five seconds ago! Make more noise, you ass,” he complained, his heart racing from the shock.
“Good morning, Anri Rousseau,” Raum said neutrally.
He glared at the mug longingly and at the demon in his seat. Raum stood up and walked, noisily, to the coffee pot and poured the last cup into Anri’s favorite mug, then replaced the empty carafe on the burner.
The demon wasn’t going to make more? Anri bit his lip, trying not to sound as irritated as he felt. “Morning, Raum. You’re not from here, but, you know, it’s customary to make more coffee if you drink the last of it.”
“I do not know how to use that device,” Raum replied, returning to his seat as he smelled the coffee, his eyes shut as he almost smiled.
“Great.” He was trying not to be completely annoyed, but he couldn’t seem to shake the irritation that Raum made him feel. He moved around the kitchen noisily. “I’m feeling educational today. Come here and learn.” Raum watching him lazily, still seated. He pursed his lips, swallowing his snarky response. Still, what he said wasn’t much calmer. “Come here,” he demanded. “You’re making this pot. I’ll talk you through it.”
As Raum stood up, still looking too smug and amused for Anri’s liking, a wave of exhaustion hit him hard, making him stagger. It wasn’t his, Seth’s weariness leaked into him through their bond. Feeling bad for Seth, he wondered if he could share some of his energy with his lover.
Trying his best not to snap at Raum, because god dammit, he would keep the peace, he forced himself to take a few calming breaths. He walked Raum through the steps for making a pot of coffee, giving instructions as if he were teaching a child, fighting off the urge to just push the demon aside and do it himself. At least treating Raum as if he were simple was mildly satisfying on some level.
Just as the first drips of coffee were collecting in the pot,there was a knock at the door. Both he and Raum turned in the direction of the front door, and then to each other. It was almost comical, and probably would have been if last night hadn’t been so chaotic and stressful. Raum somehow asked him who was at the door with a single glance. He had to admit, the demon was excellent at masking his emotions, and also really good at communicating without words. Anri shrugged, shaking his head no.
Raum took off for the door but Anri somehow beat him to it. He felt really agile today, for some reason. Raum looked mildly surprised at his speed and agility, too. Another small victory. Anri was racking up these tiny victory points this morning.
He looked out of the peephole, but no one was there. Raum pushed him aside and looked too, which was amusing. “I do not understand how this tiny window works,” the demon complained.
“It’s a peephole, let’s you see outside but they can’t see in. There’s no one there, though, so it’s probably a delivery,” he explained. His hand went to the doorknob and Raum surged forward, but the demon wasn’t fast enough.
He opened the door, greeted by a rush of crisp, cold air into the house. Raum fumed, backing off. “Do not compromise your mate’s home, you fool!”
There was a medium-sized brown box leaning against the side of the house on the stoop. Anri leaned over and picked it up, closing the door quickly behind him, a little shiver from the cold concrete on his feet. “Delivery, Raum. It’s fine. It’s nothing crazy. Just a box.”
“What is in the box? Is it some sort of trap? Is it spelled? Is there an explosive? Poisonous or toxic? You have no idea what is going on. Leave it outside!” Raum snapped.
Instead of following Raum’s demands, he retrieved his cell phone and texted Seth. You expecting any packages?
“What are you doing now?” Raum fussed, very obviously irritated. He brought the box into over to the living room area and put it on one of the old lady couches. Raum eyed it warily, giving it plenty of room.
A moment passed and Seth returned his text. Oh, I forgot! It’s a present for you. You can open it.
“He says he was expecting it. Calm the fuck down.” Anri picked up the package, rolling his eyes as Raum continued to watch it as if it could explode any minute.
Raum’s attention was fixed on the box, his whole body so tense it was making him tense. He peeled back the paper tape as slow as possible, drawing it out intentionally. He was would force Raum to endure the suspense, and while he did, he added one more tiny victory point to his mental tally. By his count the score was now three to nothing.
Inspection of the contents put a big dumb grin on his face. He knew he must look stupid but he didn’t care. Inside was a beautiful french press and a hand-held coffee grinder. Seth was the best. The absolute best. HIs phone buzzed from his pocket.
I take it you like your gift? Seth texted, responding to his emotions.
Anri’s grin widened even more. Raum snorted. “You look like an idiot.”
“You look like an idiot,” he retorted.
“I-what?” Raum scoffed, confused at his childish response. “Whatever.”
After texting back you’re the best!, he took the items out of the box. He carefully carried them into the kitchen, reverently setting them on the counter.
“Now, now we just need some fresh beans. Oh, I can’t wait to use this,” he said, rubbing feeling giddy as he rubbed his hands together.
He looked over at the coffee pot, sputtering it’s last few steamy breaths over the full pot. “Can’t waste this, though,” he said to himself, only a tiny shadow of a frown on his face at the thought of drinking drip coffee when he could have pressed coffee. He poured himself a cup and let it cool on the counter, taking the french press out of the box and thoroughly washing the pieces.
Raum watched him from the doorway. He sighed heavily then sauntered slowly back in the kitchen. Anri could feel him rolling his eyes, that was how hard he was doing it. Still he didn’t care. His Seth had gotten him a present, and a perfect one, at that. Nothing could bring him down right now. When he was finished washing his present he sipped at his coffee, leaning against the countertop.
“Where’s Simone?” he asked, trying to sound casual.
“She is in her room, working,” Raum said, a little pout in his voice.
“She told you to go away, eh?” he guessed, raising one eyebrow knowingly.
Raum bristled.
“Eh, don’t take it personal, she gets like that. You could bring her some coffee. That might put you in her good graces,” he suggested, unsure why he was being helpful. He still didn’t like Raum, but Raum didn’t like Lance, which made him sort of okay in his book. The enemy of my enemy was a friend, indeed. Actually…Raum wasn’t so bad, now that he knew Lance.
Raum snorted. “I am not sure why you deem it important to me that I am in her good graces.”
Anri tried to give him his best ‘are you kidding me’ look with a shrug. “You just seem like you might.”
“I care not of her regard for me,” Raum sniffed. He shook his head once, as if clearing the current line of thinking. “We need to discuss and plan to get your mate’s soul shard back. The elf will attend us tonight,” Raum said, changing the topic.
“I’m working tonight, so I guess I’m off of your little war council.” Anri sipped his coffee, unconcerned.
“That is unacceptable,” Raum said with authority.
They both heard Simone’s door open. Raum’s head turned towards the sound, and then back to Anri. He raised his eyebrow knowingly. “For not caring for her regard, someone sure is jumpy…”
Raum’s body language changed dramatically, and he was a wild horse, ready to bolt. Simone walked into the kitchen, empty coffee mug in hand. She barely glanced at them as she made a beeline to the coffee pot.
“I thought I smelled fresh coffee,” she said, pouring herself a cup. “Morning Anni. How’s Sethy?”
“He’s already at school. He’s fine. Look, Simone, he got me a present!” he beamed, pointing to the disassembled french press drying in the dishrack.
She smiled, blowing on her coffee. “See, Anni, I told you that you two were meant to be. He already knows you so well.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “You two are sweet.”
He looked away shyly, saying nothing. He thought he saw jealousy glint in Raum’s eyes, but then his mask was back in place. Maybe he was just imagining it.
Raum snorted. “He appeared idiotic as he opened the box, which he retrieved without regard to our safety.”
His cheeks flushed. “That’s because he’s in love,” she said with a smile. “And, last time I checked, the postal service was not out to get us. But, it’s cute, how much he loves Sethy.”
“I, um…Raum wants to talk about tonight,” he stuttered, changing the subject, blushing despite his best attempts not to.
“The elf will come here tonight and we will plan our next steps,” Raum reiterated, returning instantly to the matter at hand.
“Anni has to work tonight,” Simone said.
“It was discussed. He will forgo working tonight. This is more important,” Raum said in a tone that implied he would broker no argument.
“It was discussed? Like hell.” He rolled his eyes at Raum. “You know, everything costs money here, right? That coffee you’re drinking, food, all that. So, no, I won’t be skipping out on work. Besides, I’m the only one on shift tonight, so I can’t call off.”
“You are worried about your job when Vephar has a piece of your mate’s soul?” the demon asked.
He didn’t appreciate the tone, or the sentiment of the demon’s statement. “Fuck you, Raum. I don’t know what’s going on with Seth’s dream last night, Raum, and you haven’t even tried to explain it,” he snapped. “Of course I want to help Seth, but what the fuck am I supposed to do? I don’t even know what happened last night. Maybe this little war council might be helpful, but at the same time, we have bills to pay! How worried am I supposed to be? Did Seth have a bad dream, or did he really lose part of his soul? How does that even happen? What the fuck is going on, Raum? I don’t even know where to begin at being upset or not.”
Simone watched calmly, sipping from her coffee cup. She was wearing the typical baggy sweatshirt over comfy yoga pants ensemble she wore when she worked, her hair up in a messy ponytail, glasses pushed up on her forehead. Raum looked at her and she shrugged.
“I…tonight…tonight I will provide the answers you seek, at least the ones I am able to answer, but all at once. I do not understand how can you could even consider employment responsibilities when your Wren is in danger? There is nothing to discuss, you will not go to your job tonight. I promised no harm to you and yours, and even though I was not directly responsible for what happened to Seth Morrigan, I will help him get back what is his.” Raum looked as close to uncomfortable as he’d ever seen, which still, on the demon, had the air of mild boredom.
Anri pushed himself off of the counter and stalked over to Raum. “You son of a bitch. Seriously, all this mysterious conspiracy talk, and yet you never actually say anything, then you fucking try to make it seem like I’m not worried about Seth? Fuck you. I don’t have a goddamn idea what is going on. You know why? It’s because you won’t fucking explain to anyone what we need to know. You know what? I’m so fucking sick and tired of you, ” he fumed, stopping for breath.
Simone looked both surprised and amused as she sipped at her coffee. Raum opened his mouth to say something but he cut him off. “No, no, fuck you, I’m not done! You leave without a word, and you make Simone’s life hell with your ghost. It was your blood, Raum. We aren’t fucking idiots, we at least know that much. Your blood gave her this power, and she had no idea what to do. You left. Poof, gone,” he mimed a small cloud with his hands. “Then, then you have the nerve to come back, and the first thing you dismember some weird wire creature in her kitchen! Not even a ‘Oh, hi guys, long time no see, just here to kill this crazy monster, how’ve you all been?’ No, you hack it to pieces, then you tell us that it’s ‘not safe’ and make us all move into Seth’s house. With no explanation. You didn’t even say please, you pushy asshole.”
Raum sat back in his seat, watching him closely behind his mask. “Are you finished?”
“No, I’m not fucking finished, you arrogant asshole! All this stuff is happening because only you, and now that fucking elf Lance, too, but none of the rest of us are allowed to know. You guys go on, acting like goddamn double-oh-sevens while the rest of us are left wondering about what’s even happening. So, from now on, Raum, Simone, Seth and I are all on a ‘always need to know’ basis. No more half truths. No more avoiding the subject. You will tell us what you are so goddamn afraid of. Now would be a good time to start,” he suggested, his hand trembling with his anger.
Raum was silent for a moment that felt more like ten. He looked at Anri’s favorite coffee cup, empty in front of him, then over at the mostly full pot. Finally he sighed. “That was…fair. I am unfamiliar with what a double-oh-sevens is. I understand you desire explanations. Tonight. I promise it. All together, we must speak of this as one council. It is that important.”
He’d been angry before, but Raum seemed to be able to push him past his limits. Simone jumped up on the countertop, the movement drawing both his and Raum’s attention, probably keeping him from just launching himself at the demon and screaming in his face. “Anni, if he promises not to jet, tonight would be the best. It might be difficult to communicate all of this to Seth second hand. And, if what Raum says is right, and that Vephar chick has a part of Sethy’s soul, he deserves to hear it, too.”
Anri glared at his sister, but she was telling him, in that way that siblings could speak sometimes when they didn’t want their conversations public, to listen to reason. He bit his lip, staring daggers at her, but she didn’t give in. Eventually he sighed. She was probably right. She usually was.
His phone vibrated in his hand. Seth, asking him if everything was fine. He took a deep breath, working to calm himself. He affirmed to Seth that he was, indeed, fine, even if he still felt like punching Raum in his stupid, perfect nose.
“I still have to work tonight,” he said stubbornly.
Simone cocked her head, thinking. “Anni, it’s Tuesday. So, it’ll be super slow, right? We can all just come to the bar,” she suggested.
“You work at a bar?” Raum’s eyes went up.
Anri nodded. “I’m a bartender.” He looked at Simone. “This is a bad idea. I still have to work. How are you guys going to talk about this kind of stuff with my regulars around?”
“Shit, Anni, your regulars won’t pay any attention. We can just say we are larping or something. You’re nerdy enough, they’ll believe it,” she teased. She flipped her hair back as she finished the last of the coffee in her mug, then wandered to the fridge looking for a snack.
“I resent that comment, Simone. I am so above larping,” he fussed.
Raum watched with a quizzical look on his face. “What is larping?” he asked. They both looked at him, then broke out laughing, Simone somehow dissolving his anger. She just had that skill, she’d always been able to cool him.
“Fine,” he relented after he and Simone stopped laughing. “Come by at ten. Bar closes at eleven on weeknights.”
Dreadfully Erotic 