Mr. Thick

Gay Middleman Kathleen Hope Chapter 1: Missing Home Troy drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, eager to get home. Business was going well, but the near constant travel was starting to wear. Right now all he wanted was his own house, a cup of his husband’s coffee and possibly to pass out in his own bed for three days. Moving away from the city had been for Adrian’s art, to give him more space to work than the condo they’d shared for the first few years of their marriage, but it also meant a longer commute for Troy. Even more so, now that he’d been traveling so much his promotion last year. But, it was looking like he could finally breathe for a bit. Or at least breathe as much as he could when stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic after a week away from home. Troy turned up the radio in an attempt to reduce his growing frustration at the lack of movement. “Advertisements, damnit, not even music,” Troy groaned. A breathy, young woman was attempting to seduce him to Italy. The woman aside, it sounded lovely; rolling hills, rich history and the Mediterranean. Troy’s minor in college had been history, and reading books on airplanes and in airports was one way to keep that interest up, but a nice trip would be even better. The cars crawled forward and Troy let himself remember the European history class where he’d first met Adrian. It was only eight years earlier, but it felt like another lifetime since they’d lay together in the grass of the quad or snuck into one another’s rooms late at night. It was a wonder they hadn’t got into trouble, but maybe fate had been content to let them share some small joys. Eight years gone and now they were both rapidly approaching thirty. Troy had been lucky enough to land a good job out of college, and had somehow managed to keep it despite the ups and downs of the economy. Adrian was an artist, and it had been Troy’s privilege to take care of him, to make sure that he could focus on his art, not on his next meal or keeping a roof over his head. The cars finally started moving a bit faster. Troy changed lanes as he approached his exit. He was running a bit late, but Adrian knew how the traffic could be and that sometimes there were delays at the airport. Hopefully the bouquet of violets, lavender and tulips in the passenger seat would make up for any frustration. If nothing else, they smelled amazing. It was with a sigh of relief that Troy finally pulled off the highway. Four traffic lights and he’d be turning into his own driveway. The first two were green, the third turned red as he approached. Troy stared up at it, trying to mentally encourage it to change faster. A bit of excitement sizzled down his spine as it finally went green and he made his turn. Even after all this time, just seeing Adrian’s smile was enough for his heart to leap, especially after a week away. It felt longer than that, truly, but it seemed he’d hardly been home at all over the last six months. But now his first big project was launching and it was in other people’s hands. He’d proven himself, and his worth in his new position, and he knew the pressure would drop now. The last stoplight turned green as he approached, as if giving its blessing. Troy turned into their neighborhood, barely stopping at the stop sign a few blocks down, made one more turn, and finally pulled into his own driveway. He looked up at the Spanish-style house a moment, tempted to pinch himself and see if he was dreaming. At least he wasn’t getting home at four in the morning this time. He picked up the flowers and got out, grabbing his suitcase and wheeling it up the short walk to the front door. Before he could reach for the handle, it opened in front of him, Adrian all but grabbing him by the tie and pulling him inside. Troy kissed him, letting go of the suitcase to wrap an arm around his waist. Adrian took the flowers from his hand and laid them on the entry table, opening his mouth to him and humming softly into the kiss. Troy smiled as they finally broke apart. “Missed you,” he grinned. “Missed you too.” Adrian kissed him again, then reached for his luggage. “Nothing but laundry?” “Mostly,” chuckled Troy, picking up the flowers and taking them to the kitchen so he could put them in water, listening to Adrian take the suitcase to the laundry room. He was just arranging the flowers in a vase when Adrian came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Love you,” he said softly. “They’ll keep for a few minutes.” “Almost done.” Troy got them settled and turned in Adrian’s arms. “Love you too.” He kissed him again, sliding his tongue along the seam of his lips. Adrian sighed softly. “Come to bed. Unless you’re hungry.” “Hungry, tired… mostly though, I just want you,” Troy pressed him against the opposite counter. Adrian took his hand and led him through the brightly lit house and up the stairs. Troy didn’t realize just how tired he was until he saw the bed. Adrian must have realized because he steered Troy to a seat and knelt to pull off his shoes. Smiling down at him, Troy ran his fingers through Adrian’s hair. Adrian kissed his knee, then leaned up and kissed his covered c**k, making him twitch. “Not now,” Adrian said. “Nap first, you can f**k my brains out later.” Troy chuckled. “It’s so romantic when you put it that way.” He pulled off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. “I know you. If you don’t nap now you’ll be unreasonably cranky as soon as the excitement of being home wears off. I’ve kept for a week, a few more hours to get the best of you is worth it,” said Adrian with amusement. Troy picked up his hand and kissed the back of it. “You shouldn’t have to keep. I should be able to take care of you.” Adrian gave him a fond smile. “You do take care of me. All the time.” He helped get Troy’s shirt off, then his trousers and socks. “But you deserve it,” said Troy softly, cupping his cheek and kissing him again. “You deserve to be taken care of too,” said Adrian fondly as Troy pulled away again. “Come on, under the covers. We can talk about that when you wake up.” Troy barely grumbled as Adrian turned down the covers. He pushed off his own jeans and got in next to him. Troy turned and curled up against his chest, breathing him in. Adrian always smelled faintly of acrylic paint and charcoal, his two favorite mediums. It always meant home to Troy now, that particular, peculiar combination. Adrian ran his fingers through Troy’s hair, massaging his scalp, relaxing him further. “Missed you,” mumbled Troy, words slurring as he slipped towards sleep. “Just sleep, Troy, we can talk when you get up.” Troy could hear the fond smile in Adrian’s voice. He closed his eyes and snuggled in, drifting off and knowing he was home. Chapter 2: Promises and Plans Troy woke alone, but he could smell lasagna cooking downstairs. Stretching, he glanced at the clock, realizing he’d slept nearly two hours. Hopefully he wouldn’t be up all night. Rolling to a seat, he grabbed his phone. There were a few new emails, and as he skimmed them he realized there was one from his boss. Time off is approved. You deserve it. I don’t want to see or hear from you for a month. You’ve been working hard and it’s appreciated, so I hope you’re taking this time for yourself and your family. See you in June.> Troy frowned, confused. He looked at the email conversation and realized that an email had been sent about an hour earlier from his phone, asking for a month off. Pulling on a pair of lounge pants, Troy headed downstairs. Adrian was in the kitchen making a dressing. He looked up and smiled as he saw Troy, but the smile slipped as he saw the look on his face. “Have a good nap?” “Did you tell my boss I needed a month off?” demanded Troy, a little angry, but also a little relieved. He hadn’t realized just how much he probably needed it until this moment. He was weary. Product launches took a lot of work. However, he wasn’t exactly thrilled that Adrian had gone behind his back to do so. “It was supposed to be a surprise,” said Adrian, fiddling with the oil. “I’m surprised,” said Troy, taking a breath as he came to him and picked up his hand. “I just wished you’d asked me first.” “That’s not the only thing,” muttered Adrian, not quite looking up at him. “What else, you’re pregnant?” joked Troy, trying to alleviate the tension. Adrian blushed. “No, I sold a painting. For a lot of money. And... I bought us plane tickets.” Troy blinked at him for a moment. “And where are we going?” “Europe. We leave for London in two days,” Adrian replied nervously. “Just when I was thinking I didn’t want to see the inside of another airplane,” groaned Troy, pulling Adrian into his arms, and smiling into his shoulder. Regardless of the impromptu time off, he was thrilled for Adrian. His husband’s works was gorgeous and deserved to be recognized. “Okay, it must have been a very good sale. Which painting?” Adrian pulled out his own phone and showed him. “I deposited the money while you were napping. The plane tickets are on my credit card, but we can pay it off now that you know.” He looked hopefully up at Troy and cupped his cheek. “I’ve missed you, you know. I’ve hardly seen you for months.” Troy felt guilt twist in his stomach. He leaned down to kiss him softly. “I’m not mad. You’re right; we need some time for us. I need some time away from meetings and schedules and I know it’ll be nice for you to have a change of scenery. Is it just London?” “A week in London, four days in France, and four in Florence.” Adrian licked his lips as he looked up at him. Troy brushed the blonde hair from Adrian’s eyes. “Thank you,” he said, honestly, leaning in to kiss him again, one hand dropping down to squeeze his hip. “If I didn’t think you’d burn dinner, I’d show you how grateful I am.” “The oven does turn off,” smiled Adrian, pulling Troy against him. Troy leaned in to nibble at his throat; hand moving from Adrian’s hip to squeeze his ass. Adrian moaned softly, just as the timer went off. Troy chuckled and kissed him again. “I have missed your cooking; then you can show me what else you’ve been working on. Then I can show you just how much I’ve missed you.” Adrian shivered. “It’s never the same around here when you’re gone.” “Not for me either,” said Troy. “I love you.” “Love you too,” Adrian said warmly, taking one last quick kiss. Troy reluctantly let Adrian go and went to set the table. Adrian finished getting everything together and poured them each a glass of wine. As they ate dinner, they chatted about the last week and how both of them had spent their days and lonely nights. Adrian had finished another piece in addition to the one he had sold. Troy had bought him a souvenir shot glass to add to the collection they’d started when he began traveling. Eventually they finished the food and took their wine out to the back porch and settled in to watch the sun set over the mountains. Adrian leaned against Troy, who wrapped an arm around him. Everything felt peaceful and golden. It was one of those moments when Troy took the time to realize he was happy. He felt so lucky, to be with a man he loved, doing a job he enjoyed. And now he was going to have a few weeks of kicking around Europe with that amazing man, reconnecting and hopefully making up for lost time. Finishing his wine, he set the glass aside and nuzzled against Adrian’s hair. Adrian sighed contentedly, resting a hand on his thigh. Troy kissed the top of his head and watched the sun dip lower. It had become a tradition when they were away, to send each other pictures of the sunset, wherever they were. Sometimes, for Troy, he sent sunrises instead, but the idea was the same. No matter how far apart they were, the sun was the same for both of them, and they could both take those few moments a day to appreciate it. Troy knew sometimes that he took Adrian for granted, he was just glad that his husband had never resented it, at least as far as he knew, that Adrian worked with his schedule when there were late hours or crazy travel. This trip was the least of things that Troy owed him, for all of his patience.