Dark clouds overshadowed the moon and filled the night sky. The thick humidity that lingered after the thunderstorm gave way to an out of season cool breeze that made it tolerable to sit outside. Several sticks of citronella incense glowed around the couple as they leaned against each other on the damp concrete patio. The tart citrus fragrance, while somewhat annoying, was their only defense against the mosquitos drawn out by the rain.

Fiddling with an orange, Michael explained his day. Like always, he spared no details about the false allegations and cooling cases. In his opinion, unless the organizations buried the hatchet, their investigation would go nowhere until another murder happened. But it was not his place to tell them that, after all, he didn’t know the entire history that stretched between them. All he could do was make observations as a half curious bystander.

Beside him, Alexander listened in silence, watching his partner’s animated expressions of frustration and exasperation. It was a small pleasure he never told Michael about, a secret reason he enjoyed staying in these lower worlds. To see his eyebrows raise, the minor widening of his eyes, the curve of an unsure smile. Everything was more vibrant when he wore another’s face. It was a contradictory selfish indulgence he failed to shake and refused to discuss. Michael’s true form was as complex as it was simple, and Alexander rather liked it. But it was nice being able to observe his emotions.

Michael finished his update and turned to Alexander to gauge his reaction. The troubled expression on his partner’s face gave Michael some peace. He wasn’t overreacting.

“It feels like three days have passed,” Michael sigh turned into a long groan, “Too many revelations.” Theatrically, he threw an arm over his forehead as he fell across Alexander’s lap.

“At least it’s done.” Alexander hummed before playing with the tail end of Michael’s braid.

“It better be.” Deadpan, Michael pulled himself back up and returned to his orange. The fruit did not want to peel, no doubt because of his dulled nails.

“I don’t see why it wouldn’t be.” After watching Michael struggle, Alexander stole the orange and began to peel it with his sharper claws.

“Because I attract trouble,” Michael said dryly.

“Noooo… yes.” Alexander laughed. “Maybe you should stop being so committed.”

With a yawn, Michael rubbed his eyes before fixing the man with a look. “Easy for you to say.”

“How about this, we buy a van tomorrow morning and start backpacking through the states? We need to develop this fragment, anyway. Why not start it now?”

“Neil still doesn’t have any closure.”

Alexander waved off the idea. “He doesn’t need closure. Just a hot boyfriend and the open road. Sounds like a great way to mourn. Better than bar hopping.”

“You’re such a troublemaker.” Michael yawned again, his eyelids drooping as his exhaustion caught up to him. Scratching his arm, he sighed, “I’ll think about it.”

Alexander smiled but didn’t respond. They sat in silence, letting the sounds of bugs and rustling leaves fill the air as the faint jingle of the Easterland theme played in the distance. The park used noise-damping magic to prevent most of the noise from escaping, but they allowed the jubilant song to slip through.

In this peace, Michael dozed off. The light beat of Alexander’s breathing setting a hypnotic rhythm he could not oppose. It was only when a peeled orange appeared in his hand that he woke up.

He looked at the skinless fruit and then the small pile of peels to the side, he chuckled before pulling a piece loose.

“I shouldn’t be so tired.” Michael fiddled with the slice as he picked at the white membrane.

“It’s natural to be tired,” Alexander responded.

“I don’t agree.”

“Why don’t we head in then?”

“There’s something I want to check.” Michael bit into a slice but miscalculated as juice squirted everything. His shoulders sank as he shook his head. “I have no luck.”

“Sorry baby, I stole all of it when I married you.” The fact Alexander said that with a straight face and a wink almost killed Michael as he shoved an orange slice into his partner’s mouth.

“Bastard.” Michael scolded, rolling his eyes.

“What do you want to do?”

“I want to check Hunter’s stability. The memory read concerns me.” Much to his chagrin, it had taken Michael a while to figure out where he had encountered the disturbance before. Though once it clicked, he felt like an idiot. It was close to what he experienced in the unauthorized realm.

“Need me to anchor?” Alexander stole another orange slice.

A simple question, but he was somewhat uncomfortable about it. Anchoring wasn’t new to them. It had been a technique they came up with ages ago.

Most World Developers ran their missions solo, acting as the single stable point for the world to develop from. The bodies they entered, while not important to the initial plot, became necessary for the world’s stability. It was because of this they could not enter their true forms or access large amounts of their natural abilities. It was too destructive for a fledgling form or world. This was why breaking character was devastating. When a Developer broke character, they consumed their host’s body, which destroyed the focal point of development.

However, anchoring was their workaround. It was an exploit Michael could take advantage of as Alexander took on the principal duty as the world’s focal point. This merged their divided workload temporarily into one. Because of his unique constitution, Michael would then slip out without damaging his host. He had already done a minor version of this earlier, though he had remained within Hunter’s body.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea?” asked Alexander

Michael paused. “I think so.”

“How far do you plan to go? The Boundary?”

“Too far.” Shaking his head, Michael looked to the horizon. The Boundary was the edge of the fragment, the point where everything dropped off into nothingness. “I’ll only go to the entrance of Easter.” This was only a simple stability check.

“Twenty minutes?” Alexander was iffy as Michael was still ashen even after eating, and the dark circles under his eyes had only gotten heavier. “Maybe we should do it tomorrow.”

“No, it’s best to just do it tonight while it’s on my mind.” Slapping his cheeks, Michael energized himself. “At most, I’ll be out ten.”

“Will Hunter be awake or asleep?”

“Awake. I want to check on his personality as well. I only saw memories, I don’t know if he’s able to interact yet.”

“Come on, tomorrow night will be just as nice.” Alexander offered, but Michael shook his head.

“I won’t be long. Entertain the little fledgling for a few minutes. I’m sure he’ll probably nap or something, anyway.”

“Fine, since you’re determined.” Alexander almost gave in when an idea popped into his mind. “Hold on, what’s my reward?”

Almost as if he forgot, Michael coquettishly frowned as he played with the remaining half of orange. Popping in a slice, he tilted his head. “Ahhhh…the joyous satisfaction of helping your loving husband do his job?”

Before Alexander could refute, Michael smothered it with a sneaky kiss.

The incense had burned an inch lower before they broke apart. A bit of juice ran down the corner of Michael’s mouth as he wiped it away with a satisfied smirk.

“Also, Mama Clarke leaves tomorrow.” He added and watched as Alexander’s preverbal tail flicked up.

Unable to keep himself from pursuing a profitable deal, Alexander closed the space that had formed between them. “Baby, I think I should get a little more than that.”

“Like what?” Michael smirked.

Leaning in, Alexander whispered his few ideas into his ears. A blush slowly ran across Michael’s face until he pulled back and stared at his partner.

“Purrvert.” Taking off his bracelet, Michael didn’t give Alexander room to respond as he slipped away.

Hunter’s expression collapsed. With dulled unfocused eyes he continued to stare beyond Alexander until life returned to his features. Scowling, Hunter shook his head then ate the last pieces of orange.

“I still can’t believe it. That mom lied to me.” Hunter kicked at the dirt. “I get it, she had her reasons. But come on. How am I supposed to feel? And everyone else, too. They all knew.” He shrank. “This sucks.”

“At least it’s done.” A flat response, but Hunter didn’t pick up on it. Alexander’s eyes wondered until they picked up on a momentary flash of a form within the darkness at the end of Hunter’s long shadow. But before he could focus, Michael had already moved on, leaving him alone.

“I don’t know if I’m angry or not. No, I don’t think I’m angry. Just, I don’t know, numb? Burnt out maybe? I could do without any more of this, please.” His sigh turned into a dull chuckle as he looked up at the preoccupied Alexander. “At least I have you here Neil. Seriously, thank you for sticking with me through this mess.” A hand snuck around the other man’s waist as he huddled closer.

It took Alexander a moment to respond as he shifted his gaze back onto Hunter. He had promised Michael that he would play along, so he softened his expression with a nod. “Of course, baby. How could I not come and see you?”

“I know you’ve had a lot going on…” Hunter trailed off.

“Don’t mind that.” Alexander waved it away with a half-smile. “It was boring in the Packlands. I like it here better. I’ve never had a shotgun pointed at me before.”

A blush flared up on Hunter’s face. “I’m so sorry about that. Shelly can sometimes be too theatrical.”

“I don’t think she was acting. I wonder what Trisha would have said if I got shot by my boyfriend’s sister.” Alexander thought for a second, raising his head to gaze at the cloudy sky before letting out a bark of laughter. “Probably that I deserved it.” He turned back to Hunter, who had zoned out staring at him.

When Neil smiled, it really was mesmerizing. Like a rogue god who had drifted down from heaven to enjoy the spontaneity of humans, his presence was indulgent, lazy, almost hedonistic with its wild beauty. An inner spark twinkled from within his sharp eyes that grew gentle under thick lashes. Well-shaped lips eased into a flirtatious grin that just hinted at straight white teeth, as if uncertain to give themselves away in a full smile. The orange light of the porch, while harsh on most, created a delicate glow that embraced and highlighted his cat-like face with a soft jaw that looked tender enough to bite.

“Hunter? You all right there?” For a second, Alexander worried that the new being had crashed as the human remained frozen for longer than expected. Maybe he should call back Michael, but Hunter soon broke out of his trance and turned away, red-faced.

“I’m—” Hunter cleared his throat and slightly adjusted himself, “I’m fine. Jus—Just a little hot out here.”

“I see.” An internal debate began in Alexander’s mind on whether to tease the kid, but he wrangled it in. “It is humid, but I like the breeze.” As he said that a powerful gust picked up, cutting through the thick air. He then leaned in, “I also like being out here, alone, with you.”

“Same!” Too loud, Hunter quickly caught himself. “Yea, same.” He fiddled with the end of his braid as he finally calmed himself. “We’ll have the house to ourselves for a few days too. With Mom at the council and I’m sure Peter and his family will be heading back to Orlando. Also, Shelly’s gotta start work again. She can’t just take two weeks off. It will just be you and me, alone, for the first time in a while.” As he said that he edged his way into his boyfriend’s lap.

Alexander chuckled. This little rabbit did not know who he was playing with and, since Michael had asked him to play along, he turned up the charm as he pulled Hunter properly into his lap. Snaking an arm around his waist, he hummed. “I’ve been thinking about that.”

 

Hidden in the darkness cast by the bright lights of downtown, Michael snaked his way through the night. A flicker of shadow ignored by all, he enjoyed his travel free of his host body. It was liberating as he curved around buildings and over rooftops, a liquid form unrestrained by the limitations of flesh.

At first, when he pulled free, he lingered close by just in case that bolt of excitement or fear appeared again. But as the seconds passed and nothing happened, Michael carefully inched his way away until he was sure everything was stable. Now he couldn’t stop as he danced through the shade of an old-growth tree on the other side of town before sliding into a passer-by’s shadow.

Michael lingered there for a few minutes as he checked once more on his connection. It was as steady as he could hope for, unchanging even with the growing miles between them.

Finally, as he slithered his way to the edge of Easter, he climbed up the giant carved bunny that marked the entrance into town and sat upon its dull pink ears.

From the top of the sculpture, Michael saw most of downtown as Easterland poked out over top the houses and buildings. While later in the evening, the town was lively, but that didn’t mean there weren’t spots of darkness. Residential streets stuck out against the bright lights, pockets of peace within this odd tourist town.

As he sat and watched, Michael remained alert. He was waiting. Waiting for something to happen. For some uncomfortable feeling to rear its head and dig up memories of a past he kept buried. Nothing came, though. It was so mundane that if Michael hadn’t experienced it before, he would have doubted the feelings ever happened. Relief washed through him, but there was still a hint of worry. It didn’t occur this time, but what had triggered it the last two times? He remembered Dandelion’s report but there was hardly anything to go off of. If he was more daring, he would have exposed himself farther, try to make a beacon to call out what had gone after him twice in the past. But today was not the day for that.

Time was hard to judge in this form, so Michael waited until he felt the first tremble from Hunter. A sign that he was at his limit, which meant it was time to go home.

Falling from the rabbit, he merged with the night. This time skipping the scenic route, he directly slid through the dark community streets where barely anyone was out.

The shadow at Hunter’s feet slowly retracted until it was normal length as the man froze in the middle of a kiss.

A beat passed before the loose arms around Alexander’s neck tightened, drawing him deeper into a formerly chaste kiss.

Their movements grew heated as Alexander eagerly invaded Michael’s mouth and he drew them closer to get in his lap. Their breathing intertwined and created an unbearable heat that the cool breeze could not suppress.

Ultimately, Michael broke free first. His face flushed, he pushed back his now loose hair and fixed Alexander with a look.

Alexander just smiled and placed a small kiss on the corner of his eye. “Took you long enough.” His voice was husky as he gave a satisfied grin.

“Have some fun while I was away?”

“Hardly.”

“Are you sure? You were quite into that kiss.” Michael teased.

“Only because you arrived. How did it go?” Fixing their positions, Alexander found a more comfortable spot for Michael to sit in his lap and then rested his chin on his husband’s shoulder.

“Perfect. Everything was about as standard as you can get.”

Alexander nodded before giving a teasing smile. “Must be because I’m here.”

Michael laughed, “Maybe.” Raising a hand, he ran it through Alexander’s short hair. “I guess that means for the next few days you can’t leave my side.”

“Of course, baby. Where else would I ever want to be?”

A/N

Split this chapter in half because I'm running behind on editing but I still wanted to get something up this week. I'm gonna try and have the next half out either Monday or Tuesday followed by Ch 26 on Fri or Sat.