could think about was how dark the circles were under his eyes,” Jack said.
“Honey, I don’t think he’s been sleeping,” Damien said sadly.
“I shouldn’t have bothered him about borrowing a sword, but I wanted to use a real example to create origami from and not just a picture.”
“I don’t think you were bothering Dragon. Anastasia’s death is something he’s going to have to work through. I’m sorry to say it, but there’s nothing we can or can’t do to change that. And anyway, you had an excellent idea. Your origami is looking very realistic.”
Jack wriggled with pleasure. “Oooh! Do you really think so?”
Damien put his arm around him and held him close. “Absolutely. You’re a gifted decorator, Jack.”
Jack snuggled into him. “Thank you. You’re the best boyfriend ever.”
Damien laughed. “That’s not hard to be with you. Hey, do you need some help with folding the swords?”
It was Jack’s turn to laugh. “No. You’re not even good at present wrapping, so I’m guessing origami is not one of your many talents. But I could use your help with something else.” Jack shot Duchess a pointed look, then leaned closer to Damien and whispered into his ear. “You could take Duch for a walk. She won’t leave me alone and she keeps messing up my paper.”
“Okay, no problem. I was going to go for a jog. You know what they say: a chubby gay is not a happy gay. Duch can take some laps with me. She’ll be too exhausted to obsess over you.”
“It’s so cute that you jog.”
“You don’t say that when I’m hot and sweaty afterward,” Damien said as he stood up and fished Duchess’s leash from the winter-browned grass.
“Hey, sometimes I like you hot and sweaty,” Jack said, smiling up at him.
“Then maybe I won’t take a shower afterward,” Damien said.
“Maybe that’s a really good idea,” Jack said.
“Or maybe you should take the shower with me.”
Jack’s grin widened. “Now
that’s
more than
maybe
a really good idea.”
“Tart,” Damien said, bending to kiss Jack deeply.
“Linguist,” Jack said before kissing him back.
Duchess wriggled her way between them, huffing and wagging and licking both of them.
“Oh, pretty girl! We love you, too!” Jack said, kissing Duchess on her soft muzzle.
“Come on, let’s go get some exercise so we stay properly svelte and attractive for Jack,” Damien said, pulling on the big dog’s leash. She followed him, but with obvious hesitance.
“It’s okay. He’ll bring you back soon,” Jack said.
“Yep, we’ll see Jack soon, Duch.”
“Hey,” Jack called after the two of them. “I love you two!”
Damien turned, picked up Duchess’s paw, waved it at Jack, and yelled, “We love you, too!” Then they jogged away, Duchess barking excitedly as Damien pretended to chase her.
Jack watched them go. “They’re the best, ever,” he said softly.
The sword he’d just put the final fold on was the last of the five he’d made.
One for each of the elements,
Jack told himself.
I’ll hang these five and let them be the testers.
As he cut the fishing line and threaded it through the last of the five, Jack’s eyes kept going upward, seeking the right spots from which to hang the decorations. But he didn’t need to look long. The tree seemed to be showing him where he needed to go. The thick trunk had been split almost in two, causing the sides of the massive old oak to tilt so that the thick branches leaned precariously close to the ground. Where before Kalona had escaped from the earth, the lowest branches couldn’t have been reached with a twenty-foot ladder, now his eight-foot ladder gave Jack more than enough height.
“Up there. Right up there is where the first one should go.” Jack gazed straight up from where he’d been sitting beside the little table at one of the major limbs of the tree that hung directly above him like a sheltering arm. “It’s perfect because it’ll hang over where I made all
“Honey, I don’t think he’s been sleeping,” Damien said sadly.
“I shouldn’t have bothered him about borrowing a sword, but I wanted to use a real example to create origami from and not just a picture.”
“I don’t think you were bothering Dragon. Anastasia’s death is something he’s going to have to work through. I’m sorry to say it, but there’s nothing we can or can’t do to change that. And anyway, you had an excellent idea. Your origami is looking very realistic.”
Jack wriggled with pleasure. “Oooh! Do you really think so?”
Damien put his arm around him and held him close. “Absolutely. You’re a gifted decorator, Jack.”
Jack snuggled into him. “Thank you. You’re the best boyfriend ever.”
Damien laughed. “That’s not hard to be with you. Hey, do you need some help with folding the swords?”
It was Jack’s turn to laugh. “No. You’re not even good at present wrapping, so I’m guessing origami is not one of your many talents. But I could use your help with something else.” Jack shot Duchess a pointed look, then leaned closer to Damien and whispered into his ear. “You could take Duch for a walk. She won’t leave me alone and she keeps messing up my paper.”
“Okay, no problem. I was going to go for a jog. You know what they say: a chubby gay is not a happy gay. Duch can take some laps with me. She’ll be too exhausted to obsess over you.”
“It’s so cute that you jog.”
“You don’t say that when I’m hot and sweaty afterward,” Damien said as he stood up and fished Duchess’s leash from the winter-browned grass.
“Hey, sometimes I like you hot and sweaty,” Jack said, smiling up at him.
“Then maybe I won’t take a shower afterward,” Damien said.
“Maybe that’s a really good idea,” Jack said.
“Or maybe you should take the shower with me.”
Jack’s grin widened. “Now
that’s
more than
maybe
a really good idea.”
“Tart,” Damien said, bending to kiss Jack deeply.
“Linguist,” Jack said before kissing him back.
Duchess wriggled her way between them, huffing and wagging and licking both of them.
“Oh, pretty girl! We love you, too!” Jack said, kissing Duchess on her soft muzzle.
“Come on, let’s go get some exercise so we stay properly svelte and attractive for Jack,” Damien said, pulling on the big dog’s leash. She followed him, but with obvious hesitance.
“It’s okay. He’ll bring you back soon,” Jack said.
“Yep, we’ll see Jack soon, Duch.”
“Hey,” Jack called after the two of them. “I love you two!”
Damien turned, picked up Duchess’s paw, waved it at Jack, and yelled, “We love you, too!” Then they jogged away, Duchess barking excitedly as Damien pretended to chase her.
Jack watched them go. “They’re the best, ever,” he said softly.
The sword he’d just put the final fold on was the last of the five he’d made.
One for each of the elements,
Jack told himself.
I’ll hang these five and let them be the testers.
As he cut the fishing line and threaded it through the last of the five, Jack’s eyes kept going upward, seeking the right spots from which to hang the decorations. But he didn’t need to look long. The tree seemed to be showing him where he needed to go. The thick trunk had been split almost in two, causing the sides of the massive old oak to tilt so that the thick branches leaned precariously close to the ground. Where before Kalona had escaped from the earth, the lowest branches couldn’t have been reached with a twenty-foot ladder, now his eight-foot ladder gave Jack more than enough height.
“Up there. Right up there is where the first one should go.” Jack gazed straight up from where he’d been sitting beside the little table at one of the major limbs of the tree that hung directly above him like a sheltering arm. “It’s perfect because it’ll hang over where I made all
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