“C’mon babe, let him get dressed.”
Chase blushed at the endearment but followed Brown out of the room, waving goodbye to Lilith, who of course paid him no attention whatsoever as she ate her food.
Brown shut the door and Ezra heaved himself out of bed, heading for the bathroom.
Ezra
When he steppedout of the bedroom after a shower and getting dressed, his two keepers were flirting quietly at the end of the hallway. Chase was cozied up to Brown, who had both hands around his waist, nuzzling behind his ear while Chase grinned like a cat in the cream.
Chase saw Ezra first, and he blushed hot, turning to whisper in Brown’s ear as the bigger man kissed down his neck. Ezra felt like a perv watching something so intimate, and he looked away, making sure to carefully close the door after Lilith joined him in the hall.
Ezra had his workbag, which was nothing but a small rucksack he could sling over his shoulder, which held supplies for Lilith, including a tiny pet first-aid kit, a small water bottle with a silicone portable bowl that could flatten when not in use, and some kitty snacks.
“Got your phones?” Brown asked casually, like he hadn’t just been romancing his man while waiting on Ezra.
Ezra dropped his head and sighed. “No. One sec.”
He went back into the room, tossing stuff willy-nilly as he attempted to recall where he put the phone Grendel gave him, and his own phone, which was probably dead and needed to charge. If he didn’t pay most of his bills online through his phone, he would never use it. He got job offers through the business email attached to his website, and he could check that from anywhere with a cell signal. Remembering to carry his phone was both necessary and annoyingly difficult.
He found his own phone first, tucked into the bag that held his passport and wallet, and he was surprised when he turned it on and it still had a full battery. He slipped that into his shoulder bag along with his wallet and passport, and then went rummaging for the phone Grendel gave him. It wasn’t until he heard the chime from a text that he found it on the floor, just under the bed, next to a pair of yesterday’s socks. It was attachedto the charger still, so it had a full battery as well. He grunted in annoyance as he went to the floor and grabbed it, wishing he'd thought to check the charger first. He opened the text.
I’m right here, can’t miss me! Love, Your Phone—Sergeant Owens
Ezra snorted, and then almost fell on his ass from laughing. He wiped his eyes and stood, slipping the phone into his bag and heading back into the hall where Lilith was cleaning herself, not at all concerned about her human making noise and taking too long. Losing things was common enough for him, and usually he was swearing the whole time instead of laughing.
Thankfully, he’d remembered to take his meds when he got cleaned up.
When Ezra got back out to the hallway and shut the bedroom door again, Chase was snickering, and Brown was shaking his head fondly at his partner. Lover? Boyfriend? Were they married?
“Are you married?” The thought escaped before Ezra even finished thinking it, and he sighed heavily, dropping his head and rubbing his face. Lilith made a narrow-eyed expression of cat disgust, and he figured it was well-deserved. “That was rude and intrusive. Sorry.”
Chase huffed, coming to stand next to Ezra, minding his feet so he didn’t step on Lilith.
“Harlan hasn’t asked me yet.” It was said teasingly, and Brown—Harlan—rolled his eyes, coming over to Chase and gently gripping the back of his neck, making the smaller man grin with a hint of deviltry in his eyes.
“Such a brat,” Harlan whispered loudly to Chase. He spoke in a normal tone to Ezra. “Chase is a bit wild out of uniform, so if he gets to be too much for you, let me know and I’ll distract him with something shiny.”
Chase gasped and crossed his arms, lips twitching as he tried not to smile. “I’m not a brat, or a crow. You can’t treat me like one.”
“You are a brat and a spoiled house cat,” Brown retorted with a teasing smile.
He’d never experienced couples acting like this with each other—his last attempt at a relationship ended the moment he turned his back on his whole family, leaving with nothing but his last name and a lifetime of bad memories and pain—so Harlan and Chase were both incredibly interesting to watch, and a bit discomforting. Like he was in the middle of something he didn’t deserve to see or hear. They clearly cared for each other deeply. Gods knew his own parents never acted so affectionately with each other, in private or public.
Ezra was used to men in bars and clubs who appreciated his blunt declarations of what he was after and what he was willing to do. Ezra found dating to be too difficult to decipher and trying it always left him anxious and confused. Sex was so much easier to figure out, even if the initial volley of innuendos and come-ons left him a bit flabbergasted. He enjoyed sex, but he only went looking for it when the loneliness grew too much to ignore.
He lived alone with Lilith, spending his time reading, binge-watching old sci-fi shows, working on his gear, and working out both his magic and body between contracts. It was easier to stay home instead of dealing with people—he was very much an introvert, and while he could pretend to be put together when working an emergency, it was as if his brain dropped into a maze of offbeat social cues, missed hints, and random obliviousness whenever he was in a relaxed, social environment. A past therapist once said he sucked at masking, and he tended to agree most days.
Masking was easier when he had a mission to focus on, even if it left him drained and depressed at the end of every contract.
When he was on a job, it helped to know that most of the people he interacted with were strangers, and they only knew he was the famous—or infamous—curse-breaker who lived a dangerous and mysterious life. He was likely to never see any of the people he interacted with again, so leaning on that reputation, using it like armor and not worrying about doing or saying the wrong thing in a social situation was his normal.
No one ever hit on the guy who disarmed cursed objects and worked in creepy, terrifying situations, at least not when they knew who he was. It was as if people were afraid he carried curses around like a contagious disease. Or they were worried he would destroy beloved magical family heirlooms if he got too close.
MERS was the exception, not the rule, when it came to how he was treated while on a contract.
“Is she coming with us?” Chase asked from where he knelt, petting Lilith. She was thrilled to have a new fan.
“Um, yeah,” Ezra answered, hoping no one complained. She really did go with him everywhere unless it wasn’t safe for her, or he was going out looking for a certain type of human company. Chase and Harlan didn’t seem at all bothered by the idea, and he made a tiny overture, hoping it went well. “You can carry her if you want.”
