**
“Shhhh. Shut the fuck up.” A voice hisses and then there’s asmacksound echoing off the walls. I peel my eyes open, the blinding overhead light burns my retinas, but I push past the pain.
Connor is sitting on the chair with Hollis perched precariously on his lap, with his hand covering Hollis’ mouth.
They both look ashamed when I raise a disapprovingeyebrow towards them. Raiden’s chest underneath my head moves with his laughter.
“Oh good! You’re both awake!” Hollis exclaims, excitement lighting his eyes.
“Watching people sleep is weird, you know that, right? I’m sure in some places it's probably considered a crime.” Raiden's abdomen rises and lowers with every word out of his mouth and I can feel his lungs filling with the oxygen needed to speak.
“Jericho would have already been locked up. I think his obsession with watching you sleep went way past legal months ago.” Connor chirps, but then Hollis leans back and he and Connor share a secret conversation with their lowered voices. I eye them skeptically, wondering what tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum are up to now, but before I get the chance to ask, more people are filing in the doorway.
My parents, Raiden’s parents, and Sophie with Damon perched on her hip. His brown eyes are wide as he stares at me and Raiden. He starts squirming, wanting to be let down. His mother obliges, carefully setting him down on his two feet before Damon breaks out into a run to the edge of the bed where my ass is barely hanging on.
“Uncle Rai!” Damon says, excitedly, opening his arms. I’m in the way, because duh. So I carefully maneuver myself off the bed, out of the way of Damon so he can love on his uncle who he’s missed so much.
I help Damon on the bed, lifting him up and setting him on my vacant position.
“Be careful with him, Damon. He’s still fragile.” Sophie calls out.
“Jericho doesn’t think I’m fragile,” Raiden says, smirking and my face burns hot. I’m sure the tips of my ears are pink by his suggestive words.
“You’re not, uncle Raiden! You’re strong. Like Superman.”
Raiden looks at him confused, the stumped look on his face is cute. He’s thinking about when Damon was all about spiderman. Spiderman this, Spiderman that. But he’s grown out of that phase, and he’s onto the next superhero now. Superman.
“And uncle Jer is strong like Batman. He doesn’t have any superpowers but he does have money. He bought me a bike for my birthday. A BIKE.” Damon updates Raiden about everything he’s missed, from his time on the playground to what he does after school, to his mom’s dating life. Which is hilarious, even if Sophie doesn’t think so.
Raiden’s eyes start to slowly drift shut, and Damon slowly quiets his words until Raiden is sleeping,
“I think he’s tired, buddy. Why don’t you come back tomorrow after school? If it’s okay with your mom I can pick you up and take you to get ice cream.”
Damon bounces in his spot, a sunshine bright smile on his face. “Yes please! Yes please!”
“Don’t forget about me, don’t skimp me just because I’m in the hospital.”
I chuckle as I help Damon off the bed.
“I’ll never forget you, tiny dancer.”
41
JERICHO
Today is the day. Today is the day we’ve been waiting for. The day Raiden gets to come home.
He’s been impatiently waiting and complaining everyday. His bed is too hard, he hates wearing a nightgown, the sight of the needles make him feel woozy. The last one is understandable, I remember when I was in the hospital after my surgery and the IV needles always freaked me out, until I finally adjusted to them. I don’t think Raiden has hit theacceptancephase yet.
But after today, he won’t have to worry about needles anymore. Hopefully. Knock on wood.
“Thank god you’re here, I was getting worried this was all a lie so I would quit asking when I get to leave,” Raiden says as I push open the door, holding a box of donuts.
His eyes light up when he sees the box. “Gimme gimme,” he extends his arms and makes grabby hands for the box. I set them down on the table beside him, leaning close to give him a kiss on his forehead. The smooth skin is cool under my lips and I breathe in the smell of him mixed withsterile hospital,gratefulhe’ll be out of here today and there will be nothing to mask his scent from me.
There’s still so much we need to talk about. Plans to discuss, but as the glaze of the donut flakes off and lands around his mouth, they can all wait. The happiness on his face is worth any heartbreak I have to suffer. As long as I have him to come back to, I’ll be the happiest man in the world.
Our parents are waiting at our house, with all of our friends. It wasn’t easy getting in contact with some of the other dancers that Raiden traveled with- but after a quick sweep on his instagram I found a few that were on board with the idea to celebrate him coming home. This is a big moment for him, to see the support and love he has behind him. And a big moment for me as he sees the house I built for us, which was a little presumptuous on my part without having his advice, but if there’s anything he doesn’t like we can change it. Fuck, we could scrap the whole house and start new and I wouldn’t complain. As long as it's up to Raiden’s standards,it’s fine with me.
