“Wow. Do I even want to know what you’re thinking about to put such a look on your face?” Wiley asked as he shuffled into the kitchen. The young man’s blond hair was sticking up in every direction, and there was a significant amount of beard burn on his cheeks and neck. That or the man was developing a rash. Cort’s money was on beard burn. His dark-green T-shirt looked too big for him, likely making it Baer’s, but he had on an adorable pair of Superman pajama pants.
“Coffee. I was daydreaming about coffee.”
“God, yes,” Wiley moaned. He shuffled over to the machine and gave a little whimper to find it was still empty, though it was now making promising gurgling and hissing noises. Soon. Reaching into the upper cabinet, Wiley started grabbing mugs and lining them up. Wonder Woman was first, and Green Lantern was the second one. A much larger white one followed with a quill and the words “Fuck Off. I’m Writing!” The fourth was a giant dark-blue one that looked more like a bowl, while the fifth and sixth were travel mugs.
“I’ve seen Grey use the writing one,” Cort said with a chuckle.
“It’s his favorite. When we don’t see it in the sink, we know he’s on a deadline. The superhero ones are usually mine and Baer’s. Lucien just wants a mug big enough to swim in his coffee. Clay and Dane said something about ordering beds for the last two bedrooms, so I have a feeling they’ll be heading out as soon as they get up. But generally, they’re working on the house, so they like their coffee to be easily mobile.” Wiley reached up into the cabinet and pulled down two more mugs. “I’ve got stripper unicorn and grumpy cat. Which would you prefer?”
Cort snorted. “Give me stripper unicorn. He looks like he’s got his shit together, and I could use the help.”
Wiley laughed as he placed the unicorn mug with the others and put the grumpy cat one back in the cabinet. “We’ll wait to see if the Water Weaver is a coffee drinker.”
A rush of air left Cort’s lungs, and he shook his head. “Water Weaver…geez…I…”
“Yeah, it’s a lot to take in.” Wiley gave a sage nod. “I know what it’s like. I kind of got a crash course like you.” He snorted and smiled at Cort. “I’m actually their first ‘prisoner,’ if you can believe it.”
“What?”
“Yep. Can you grab the creamer?” he asked, pointing to the fridge while turning to pull the carafe off the maker. There was just enough in there to pour two mugs of coffee.
“Sure.” Cort pushed off the counter and walked to the fridge. “What happened?”
“Oh, Baer was on a doughnut run, and we ended up at the same bakery. He claims that he was just about to get his flirt on when pestilents walked in the door. He mistook me for one of his missing brothers and shifted right in front of me before taking out the pestilents.”
“Shifted?” Cort grabbed the creamer and shut the door.
“Into a cougar.”
“Holy shit! You had to have been scared out of your mind!”
Wiley laughed and shook his head as he accepted the bottle. “Not as much as I should have been. It was like watching a superhero come to life. You gotta remember that I’ve been drawing comic books and up to my eyeballs in fantasy for a long time. I loved it.”
Okay, so Wiley was a little crazy, but then it obviously helped him adjust to the world he was now living in.
“But…how did you end up a prisoner?”
Wiley handed the unicorn mug over to Cort and started to doctor his own. “Well, between the mix-up of thinking I was a Weaver and me seeing Baer shift, they thought it was better if I stay here for my own protection. The pestilents don’t really care who they kill so long as it gets them closer to wiping out the Circle. And well, turned out there was way more to it, but it all worked out in the end.”
Cort stared at the mug he was gripping tightly in both hands. The world had suddenly become so much bigger and more complicated. Wasn’t it enough just trying to work a job, pay bills, and find a guy he could spend his life with? Now there were goddesses, magic, and monsters.
A gentle hand landed on his shoulder, and Cort looked over to find Wiley’s worried gaze on him. “Trust me, it gets easier. First few days are really overwhelming, but then you remember that these are also normal guys who argue over who has to load the dishwasher and why they can’t have steak three nights in a row.”
“How long have you and Baer been together?”
“Actually together?” Wiley’s nose scrunched up a little as he stared at the ceiling while digging through his memory. His eyes suddenly widened, and his mouth fell open. “Not quite two months. It feels like so much longer.”