Sepia

Chad wasn’t too familiar with his kitchen. Aside from smoothies, the best he could do was scrambled eggs and coffee in the mornings -- and the coffee was a stretch. But the coffee maker was heating up now, at Scott’s trembly request. This time, it was making hot chocolate.

He wasn’t sure about how much water went into this instant hot chocolate mix, but it didn’t matter. Right now, Chad needed to be at Scott’s side.

This hunt had been rough on his boyfriend’s psyche, to say the least. Scott wasn’t the kind to freeze up during fights; in fact, he was usually the one to act first, just to be sure it ended in a humane kill. This time, though, he had stood as rigid as a stone, staring in horror, shaking in his sneakers.

Chad had to take down the half-transformed werewolf girl by himself, but he hadn’t minded. It was almost muscle memory at this point. What concerned him, however, was Scott. He had completely shut down, not even saying a word. He had barely managed to beg for hot chocolate in a safe place.

What had happened?

“Hot chocolate’s almost ready, brah,” he called out.

Scott didn’t reply. Chad’s heart sank.

Maybe he should add mini-marshmallows to the hot chocolate. That was something people did, right? Scott had said he liked them before, so maybe it would cheer him up. Chad opened the pantry and grabbed the lone bag of mini marshmallows, and rushed over to the coffee maker once it went quiet.

There was too much room in the mug, and the marshmallows were shaped more like a butt than a heart. But Scott was a gracious man; this would be more than enough. Chad grabbed the mug and rushed to Scott, holding out the hot chocolate. Scott took it and took a sip.

“... Thanks,” he choked out.

Chad sat right next to Scott and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. Scott simply sank into the embrace.

“What’s goin’ on, man?” Chad asked gently. “Talk to me.”

“That girl from the hunt tonight ...” Scott swallowed dryly and took another sip of the hot chocolate. His hands trembled as he did so. “She looked so much like my girlfriend.”

So that’s what happened. Chad frowned deeply as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say. He had to be careful with his words; the last thing he wanted to do was make it worse. Eventually, he took a deep breath, and then planted a kiss on his lover’s forehead.

“What happened to you and her was messed up.” Chad rubbed Scott’s arm. “You saved her, man. You helped her move on. And that’s a big thing. I’m proud of you, dude.”

Scott rubbed at his eyes before sipping at the watered-down hot chocolate one more time. “Just seeing someone like her, it just ... I still don’t know how it happened,” he choked out. It was the most he’d said since the hunt.

“You helped someone else.” Chad smiled softly. “Think about it, bro. Because you helped end her suffering, you made it so they didn’t have to. They didn’t have to face what you did. And every time you hunt with me, you’re helpin’ with that, brah. It’s huge.”

Scott looked up to Chad, eyes shining with tears and uncertainty. After a few moments, he smiled, wiping at his eyes one more time.

“Your hot chocolate’s not great,” he said with a weak laugh. “And the marshmallows sort of looked like a butt.”

Chad snorted and kissed Scott’s cheek, pulling him closer for cuddles. “Still got you talkin’, though.”

Scott would have to sleep close to him tonight, and he would probably have a nightmare. It wasn’t the first time, though -- and Chad knew to drag out the weighted blanket for these nights. And have water next to the bed. And maybe keep the phones away for the night. All of it was worth it, though.

Scott would always be worth it.