“I’m not disturbing your work, am I?”
“Nope! I just sent off the last pages of the issue I was working on to my editor. She usually has only light modifications for me. I’ll be able to knock those out tomorrow and be all caught up at last.”
Baer glanced around the room to find a handful of action figures placed on the desk and several cat toys spread around the room. “It looks like you’ve gotten settled okay.”
“Queenie and I are perfectly cozy in the room. We even spend some time in the morning sitting on the balcony, enjoying the early morning sun and getting some inspiration to start the day.”
“Are you going to be comfortable enough?”
“Oh, yeah. This room is way bigger than the bedroom in my apartment, and Queenie has plenty of new places to explore. After meeting Ruby, she’s sticking close to our room for now. I think she got a little overwhelmed by all the newness.”
Baer glanced over to the cat who yawned at him, flashing perfect little fangs. Yeah, the rotund princess is super stressed over her new surroundings. But Baer kept his thoughts to himself.
“I know you sent a message to your grandmother, but did you need to check in with a girlfriend…or maybe a boyfriend? You know, just so they didn’t worry.” Baer held his breath for a second. That didn’t sound suspicious, right? Just concerned. Like a good friend.
Wiley blushed a little. “Um…it’d be a boyfriend, actually, and no. I don’t date much. Never been really good at it. I think I’m kind of high-maintenance.”
“I doubt that,” Baer quickly said while something inside of him soared with relief and joy. “And I’ve got no room to judge. My dating track record is epically bad.” And he truly doubted it was going to get any better, with the whole powers and pestilents thing.
Their conversation ground to an awkward silence with Wiley staring down at his feet and Baer scratching his head, trying to figure out how to get them back on track. Oh! That’s right! He was checking on Wiley’s comfort.
“What about the desk?” Baer asked suddenly, making Wiley jump. “I noticed you had a drafting table in the apartment.”
“Oh, that’s for my larger projects. I do all my work for the comic books digitally now. The desk is just fine.”
“And the light?”
“Light is all good.”
“If it’s not, you can always take over the game room. You’ve got your own private door to that room right here.”
Baer walked over and opened a door on the far side of the room that led into a larger room that separated their bedrooms. Wiley followed Baer over to the game room that currently housed just an old couch and a TV.
“Dane hasn’t tried to renovate this room yet because the other main rooms are a bigger priority,” Baer explained. He waved his arm to encompass the room, suddenly feeling like one of the models displaying carpet cleaner on The Price Is Right. “You’d have total privacy here if you needed the space. I’m sure we could get a drafting table for you and set it up in here.”
Wiley’s hand landed on Baer’s arm, and Baer swore his heart gave the strangest flutter. “I’m good. I swear. The bedroom…well, the whole suite is just perfect. It’s nicer than the basic thrift-store stuff I’ve got in my apartment. I feel like I’m staying in a fancy hotel with a bunch of friends.”
Baer smiled at Wiley, some of the tension easing from his chest. “Okay. Good. I just…this is all my fault and if I’d been more careful, you’d be in your own place, living a normal life.”
“Yeah, but is that really a good thing?” Wiley lifted his shoulders in a little shrug as he dropped his hand to his side. “My life was good but so boring. Now, I’m living in a comic book. Surrounded by superheroes. Helping them fight villains determined to destroy the world. If this is a dream, please don’t wake me up!”
“Okay, I won’t,” Baer murmured, wishing Wiley would put his hand on his arm again.
“But you know…” Wiley drawled as he walked deeper into the room. “I’ve been too busy with work recently and haven’t had a chance to set up my Xbox. We could set it up in here, if you wanted.”
“You mean, secretly get some practice in before we tell the others? Though none of them play.”
Wiley placed both hands to his chest. “I don’t need any practice, but if you do, I’m happy to give you some tips.”
A high-pitched squeal left Wiley as Baer lunged at him, picking up, and tossing him onto his shoulder. The guy was lighter than he’d expected. Were they not feeding him enough? That wasn’t going to be a problem tonight.
“Hey!” Wiley said around a mouthful of laughter.