Later, Matt stood at the kitchen sink, washing off his breakfast dishes, when Vic finally stumbled in. Anyone else might have mistaken the scowl on his face for a mean streak, but Matt knew his lover intimately—this was Vic’s “morning face,” and would linger for a half hour or so, however long it took the man to fully wake up. Matt thought it cute, and loved to tease Vic when he first woke, if he could, because Vic was so unresponsive then. Just because he was standing upright and out of bed didn’t in any way indicate that he was awake, a fact Matt found amusing. Since his lover normally slept in long after Matt left for work, he didn’t get much opportunity to pick at him, and seized every chance he could. So as Vic poured himself a cup of coffee, Matt nudged him playfully and joked, “Was
