Rage Fire - The General Way he loves his Husband. 21.

Holding Tatsumi against him, Maki wondered how he’d survived being on base and going home to an empty bed. Two nights in a row and all thoughts of staying home at the base were gone. He didn’t care if he had to drag himself home physically from exhaustion, home was where he should be and that home was in the arms of Tatsumi in apartment he, Li, and his husband rented.

Camping had been blissful. Molly took the brunt and stayed on the mining base, while he’d walked off base to meet up with his husband down the road… it might have been a few kilometres, and the delivery process over the diff was annoying, yet when he’d arrived Tatsumi had set everything up and actually waited up for him. Turning it into a special little date for him, they’d talked and watched the stars, then had sex right there under the night sky… Yes, he’d definitely broken more than a few rules, but he’d broken Tatsumi’s heart so it was only right that he start mending it again.

Kissing Tatsumi’s sweaty hair, his omega snorted lightly

“You couldn’t wait, could you. I told you to let me shower”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t want to continue what we started in there”

“Maybe. It only took a month to get you into my bed”

“Our bed. I still have to go back to base tomorrow, but I’m coming back”

“Don’t make promises. You need to write your report and make sure that diff is examined properly”

“And I can’t do that here?”

“It’ll be easier there… and I think maybe I can be pursued to help…”

Sliding his hands up from Tatsumi’s hips, Maki wrapped his arms around him. He got that Tatsumi wanted to make friends outside of the military and have a more “normal” life, but that led to his husband suffering all alone. He’d been so dumb to think that Tatsumi had easily made friends because he was used to his husband being surrounded by people he knew

“I don’t deserve you”

Tatsumi raised his head, bringing up his right pointer finger to bop Maki on the top of his nose 

“If you keep knotting me like that you might end up regretting it when I get greedy”

“You didn’t complain this much in the shower. How else are we gonna make our little Yingtao if we don’t practice?”

Tatsumi sighed at him, Maki trying to bite the omega’s finger until he pulled his hand back

“We need to take the brakes off to practice that”

“You’re the one who looked so enticing… I barely remembered”

“I noticed in the shower. Anyway, you need sleep”

“Is that your way of telling me no more practicing tonight?”

“Only with your hand. Be gentle on this old grandpa”

“Give it a couple of decades and you’ll actually mean that”

Lifting himself up, Maki planted half a dozen kisses on his husband’s lips. He’d wanted to keep going in the bathroom, but Tatsumi’s legs started shaking while he had him up against the bathroom wall, forcing him to behave long enough to carrying his sinful omega out the bathroom and to their bed. The comfort of his husband left him sated, and warm beneath his weight, and not just because he’d knotted him more than once for the day

“If you want to nap, you can. I’ll clean you up”

“I feel like you do that nine times out of ten as it is”

“Maybe? Maybe I don’t mind at all? My sexy husband is all mine so I should be able to look all I like”

“Your sexy husband thinks you need to do the sleep. Your bullshit is setting my meter off”

“Shut up. You love me and my bullshit”

“You have no idea. My alarm will go off at six. Is that too late for you?”

“Nope. We can walk to work, or I can walk to work and come back and get you in a car?”

“I’ll walk. If you’re not supervised who says you’ll be able to escape back?”

“Me… but I wouldn’t listen to me”

“I won’t then. And tomorrow, if you want me to go, tell me. I won’t be mad”

“Nope, you’re not going. If they can put me in the fast track with no promotion I can have my damn husband in the same room as me”

Tatsumi was too handsome. His sleepy face too cute. Maki taking critical damage staring at him as his husband laughed

“Oh, now you want a promotion? Isn’t the wage good enough?”

“You and Yingtao deserve the best. A little extra wouldn’t hurt”

“Yingtao and I can wait. I think maybe we should wait”

“We’re already waiting until my shot wears off”

“And then you have work. I don’t want to be going through it all alone. We can pull the brakes, but I think maybe we should be realistic. It can take some time”

“Then I’ll wait with you until it takes. I won’t even tell Li until we’re in the clear”

“Then who’s going to be supporting you?”

“You have my back and I have yours”

“You need someone to talk to that isn’t me. I’ve got Eve”

“If you told Eve before me I think I’d cry. I want to be there for it all. And as I was saying, I wouldn’t mind the extra money. I want my children to have things and I want them to know I worked hard before they came so I can be there with them”

Tatsumi lowered his head and nuzzled into his chest

“You really do beat them all. Go on then, one more round of practice then bed”

“Not if you’re not up for it”

“My omega’s too excited from you saying everything right”

“Oh? So your omega is keeping you up? I guess I can drive all your thoughts away”

“Roll me over and have at it”

Laughing at his husband, Maki rolled over and pulled out as he tickled Tatsumi’s sides

“Have at it? I’ll have at you all I want”

Laughing, his husband grabbed him

“Come down here and show me”

“You asked for it! Don’t blame me if the neighbours start yelling”

“Let them. We’ll tell them to fuck off”

“Good. No one messes with my man”

***

Holding Tatsumi’s hand, Maki also held his arm as they walked to the base. He’d had a dozen “urgent” messages on his comms when he’d woken up, and saved them all for when he was actually there. Tatsumi had packed his marking, Maki had found himself cleaning up the apartment around his husband, then swept outside before he knew what was happening. Their apartment showed the signs of Tatsumi’s depression. Everything that wasn’t Li’s had been unpacked and put it in its place, including Samara’s safe in the office, but then there was the coffee table and that bore the brunt of Tatsumi’s mind with half filled coffee cups, crumpled cigarettes in different lengths, and his data pad paused mid-documentary about mechs… as well as a pack of unopened suppressants that disappeared under the couch before Tatsumi could get any more ideas about them.

Reaching the guard station, Maki signed them both in. The guard on duty giving him a weird look the whole time, leaving the alpha annoyed. Did everyone think he’d made his husband up? They shouldn’t seeing Tatsumi had visited the base before. Huffing as they walked into the compound, he wasn’t amused

“Did you get that guy’s name? He was acting strange”

Tatsumi laughed softly 

“He’s probably not used to you smiling, babe. You’ve been doing that thing with your lips since we left home”

“It’s not that unusual”

“Hey, I’m not saying it is, but you’re clearly happy and who gets happy about coming to work on the weekend?”

“You?”

“I’m not the best example. I’m flattered that walking around with me makes you so happy”

“Of course it fucking does. There’s finally someone on the base who I can hold an intelligent conversation with”

“Babe… you’re letting your anti-people feelings out”

“I’m not anti-people, I’m anti-those-with-sticks-up-there-arses”

“So you don’t like your husband?”

Maki needed a long moment to get the joke

“Fucking Skylark. I would have bet a whole fucking years worth of wages that Tatsuma was your damn name”

“You should have come to me first and we could have split the money. If you’d gotten him riled up enough he would have slipped”

“I’m still recovering from those emotional scars. He’s not meeting our baby. He’ll take one look and be like “The poor bastard takes after you, Sato””

Tatsumi pulled him close and kissed his hair

“I’m going to be incredibly lucky if it does. I’m going to be incredibly lucky if it sticks”

“Don’t say that. You deserve this. I promised we’d try when my two years were up and then I went and signed on again. Don’t think I don’t know how lucky I am that you’re so supportive”

“Breaking up wasn’t an option. I love you too much for that and I knew you’d do well. I just need to be a better teacher”

“You’re six month… eight months out of your degree and just over a month into teaching a whole different type of class out in the Desolate Belt. Give yourself a fucking break. What are you supposed to do? Magically be absolutely perfect like an android? You’re better for those kids than the school system as a whole has been”

Tatsumi stopped walking, Maki jerked back. He didn’t know why his omega had stopped, but he didn’t think he’d said anything wrong 

“Babe?”

“Thanks. I know you spent the last two days telling me that, but I needed to hear someone say it. This isn’t our planet or our rules, but I don’t get how people let this happen”

“I don’t know either. You never met your predecessor so we can’t ask them. Just keep doing what you’re doing and it’ll work out”

“Arguing with the school? I don’t think they’ll want to renew my contract”

“So? I’ll support you. Even if the kids don’t get on with you, parents are always there to attempt to shove higher grades down their kids’ throats. Or, I can see that we totally sneak you in and hire you as my personal assistant?”

“We can’t do that. You bent the rules far too much as it was”

“Bullshit. All we did was pick up the pace… and I think the pace liked being picked up”

Leaning in, Tatsumi kissed him

“The pace needed to be picked up. The pace admits he was wrong to hide things, but the pace also admits he is stubborn”

“The pace is right. Now, shall I pick up the pace and carry him over the threshold?”

“The pace is too much of an old grandpa”

“The pace is fucking fit if he’s a grandpa and this damn hot”

“Think about my grandson. He’s got them trailing after them”

Maki ducked his head as he started laughing

“Babe, we’re terrible”

“Mhmm, but I like it. I’m also a bit nervous”

“I’m always nervous… There’s this really cool trick too. Once you get in the door count to five. As soon as they know you’re here someone comes rushing saying they need something”

“Ah. Yes. Those days…”

“Does it bother you now that I do what you used to?”

Tatsumi sighed at him

“I miss piloting every day. If they had a system for someone like me then I’d be back in the field in a heartbeat… so yes… and at the same time no. I’ve got my husband and thanks to my past skills I can useful to him for now… though it won’t be long until he knows more than I do. It’s my damn pride that makes it hurt, then I think about you and I feel better because having been where I was I can see you doing the right thing and working your hardest and not taking the easy ride. I’m nervous today because I don’t want people thinking I’m trying to cling to past glory”

There Tatsumi went again worrying about the useless stuff. Maki had proudly told everyone who would listen about his down to earth teacher husband who was ex military and incredibly smart… Half the time he didn’t know he was doing it, and the other half it happened when someone “made the mistake” of asking about either his tattoo or his husband 

“They won’t. I mean, I can’t stop them if they do, and I may have sort of talked about you a lot. They should know you’re not that kind of man because I told them that”

“I wouldn’t expect otherwise. At least now I can put faces to names and I’ll know who you’re talking about”

“Don’t bother with their names, you only have to remember mine”

“Yes, dear”

Heading into the admin building, Maki had a spring in his step. Holding up his fingers, he counted down, Li coming running as he hit his little finger in the countdown

“There you are! Fuck, man. Hurry up, we’re in trouble. Hi, Tatsumi. Bye, Tatsumi”

Before his best friend could take off, Maki grabbed Li by the collar, accidentally choking him

“What was that? Did you just brush off my husband?”

Li’s words were double timed

“I said hello. You’re late, we’ve started the briefing without you. They’re sending people off planet”

“Li, slow down. What’s happened?”

“C3 has started a rebellion against the Empire. The base is in danger and they’re sending reinforcements. I’ve been sending urgent messages all morning”

Ah. Fuck. One simple morning of peace was too much to hope for. Yet he had Tatsumi with him, he’d promised…

“What’s your office number? I’ll wait there while you go to your briefing”

Maki could have kissed his husband. There he was, putting Maki before all

“I don’t deserve you… the door says 141. Have them bring whatever you need. Apparently I need to be in this briefing”

“Go on. I’ll be fine on my own… but maybe don’t forget me?”

“I’ll let you know when I know…”

“Just remember Yingtao”

Remember they were trying for a baby? How could he forget. Still, Maki wasn’t sure why Tatsumi would bring them up now 

“Yingtao?”

“Be safe”

Ah! He got it. If he wasn’t safe then there would be no Yingtao in the future. Maki gave a nod

“Yingtao”

“Yingtao. Go on now, I’ve got my marking for company”

Heading off with Li, Maki cast a couple of glances back at his husband. He hoped the briefing wouldn’t be too long, yet he couldn’t help feeling he’d be sent to C3 soon. Li holding back until they were half way to the briefing room

“Yingtao? That’s new”

“It’s our new code word”

“You guys have a code word now?”

“Yeah. It’s our hope for the future. Something only we get”

“Oh… I suppose someone got some too while he was at it”

Maki smacked Li upside the back of the head 

“Don’t ask unless you want all the details”

“So stingy. You didn’t even tell me you weren’t coming back. I thought they’d made you stay all night again”

“I think it’s time to move out of the base. We are renting an apartment and it would be nice to actually be there for a change”

“You’re leaving me behind?!”

Maki hung his head 

“Your name is on the lease, if you stay here then I can’t stop you, but if you want home cooked food and a nice bed… You do know you’re allowed to come home too?”

“I forgot! Why have we been living on base?!”

“Because they work us far too hard. Think about it, if we don’t live on base we can plead our case and leave early”

“I want to go home! I want Tatsumi’s home cooking”

“We’ll discuss it after the briefing. I’m going to be pissed if we’re being sent out”

“But we are…? We’re going to help with peacekeeping”

Sometimes Maki wondered what went through Li’s head. If they were being deployed then he should have told him in front of Tatsumi. And why did Li sound like he was questioning himself about being deployed?

“Why didn’t you tell Tatsumi that?! I’ve got him waiting in my office and now you’re saying we’re being sent out”

“I didn’t know he’d be here! He never comes here. I thought he was busy being friendly with his new friends”

“Don’t even go there. When we get out let me explain. It’s the least I can fucking do”

“Hey, don’t get mad at me. I’ve been doing what your message said all yesterday and this morning. Have you seen what it’s done to my skin? I have a blemish, Maki. A blemish. My face is too handsome for a blemish”

Li pointed out where the invisible blemish was supposed to be. Maki saw nothing, so questioned what had led to said blemish 

“My message?”

“You know, about organising the mine data more practically”

Tatsumi’s message. His husband was so sneaky…

“Good work. Show me the results after the briefing”

“Thanks, man. I tried so hard. You could pack our whole apartment into these eye bags”

“You’re as handsome as I remember. Turn your comms to record, I want to replay the briefing later”

“Alright… um… stay in the back. We’re in trouble as it is”

Maki send a silent plea out to the universe. If it couldn’t be today, then one damn day soon he’d like for their not to be some kind of emergency. Just one damn day.