‘Mike! Lunch is ready, sweetie!’

Eric was adding the finishing touches to the small table set for the couple to eat. He got distracted clearing the condensed water from the pan lids and didn’t notice he was still alone at the kitchen.

‘Mike?’ Eric called to the flat, but no sound greeted him back.

With a sigh, Eric checked to see there was no fire burning on the stove anymore, closed all the pans one more time and left their small kitchen towards the flat’s single bedroom. Three steps from the door, he glanced at the small bookshelf and his eyes met the clock on the upmost shelf. It had no numbers, but small pictures of him and his husband taken during each of their first anniversaries. The brand-new device told Eric he still had enough time to comfortably eat, get ready, and leave if they were to meet his father-in-law in time. What Eric didn’t have time, though, was for delays.

With a second sigh, a much smaller one, so subtle no one could even hear, he turned the doorknob to the bedroom and took a step into total darkness before announcing himself.

‘Mike?’ Eric called with a soft voice as his eyes adjusted themselves to the lack of light. It was during times like this that he hated how effective the shades on the window were. His hand didn’t have any trouble, though, to find his special light switch, which was right behind his nightstand. Slowly, a dim light came from the corners of the ceiling. The bundle of blankets to his left groaned in protest, but Eric was certain that Mike was reacting more to the click of the switch than to the small light. Eric had many mixed emotions. He hated seeing his husband like that, but he had already enough experience by now and there was also a certain sense of pride for knowing how to proceed.

‘Can I come in?’ He asked, sitting on the bed.’

‘Just go.’ Mike’s words were somewhat expected, but Eric didn’t like them regardless. It was always easier to cast Mike’s dark clouds away when he was allowed under the blankets.

‘Go where?’ Eric asked. ‘If you’re here, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. In such case, I have already arrived.’

‘I’m not going,’ Mike’s muffled voice came from underneath the mess of blankets. Eric could see he had retrieved another one, to a total of seven sheets, blankets, and duvets on their bed.

‘I won’t make you go anywhere you don’t want, Mike. But I want to come in. Can I?’

A small bargain: offer what he wants in exchange for something he feels he’s got nothing to do with. With a small grunt, Mike started to open up a little bit.

‘Oh boy!’ Eric exclaimed as he made his way inside the stuffy protections his husband was hiding underneath. ‘You also got the weighted blanket!’ Much with so many layers, Eric found himself in total darkness one more time. Trying to keep his voice light, he went on, ‘I’m coming, babe. Wait for me. Don’t go anywhere.’

Eric wanted to complain that he couldn’t see anything. He wanted to remind Mike of the importance of actual light when we’re trying to fight away the darkness within. But Mike knew all that already, rendering repetition pointless. Pretending to catch his breath, Eric let out another sigh while he tried to come up with a plan. With care, he finally reached Mike’s mane of auburn curly hair. He worked his way underneath it until he was lightly holding his husband by the neck.

‘Hello, gorgeous,’ Eric said with a nasal voice. He knew Mike would give out a small laugh if he had the strength, but he already knew it wasn’t the case.

‘Do you know why we are supposed to go meet your father?’ Eric asked.

‘So that he can bully you and say how disappointed in me he is?’

‘Any other ideas?’ Eric asked, not taking harm by words that were once truth.

‘He said he has something for us,’ Mike exhaled and went on, ‘but the only thing I want from him is distance.’

‘And what do you want from me?’ Eric asked.

‘You know it.’

‘There’s no shame in asking for it, sweetie. This is not about ego or pride. This is about showing how strong I know you are.’

‘I still don’t want to say it.’ Mike answered.

‘But can I, though?’

Mike nodded on Eric’s hand.

‘We’ll start with only our heads, okay?’ Eric said as he started peeling off the covers as layers from an onion. When the last one was gone from the top of their heads, Mike winced lightly at the difference in air and luminosity.

‘I must have a terrible memory’, Eric said. ‘For every time I see you, it feels like I’ve never seen you before and I feel mesmerised like I did the first time.’

‘Does flirting help?’ Mike asked, his voice still too low.

‘It got you interested,’ Eric answered. This time, Mike was strong enough to let out a small chuckle.

‘I made one of your favourites,’ Eric changed the subject, but he knew he was reaching too far, because Mike went right back to it when he said, ‘Trying to bribe me with food?’

‘That’s for later,’ Eric said with a smile, ‘for when I ask you to do the laundry all by yourself.’ Mike let out another sad breath.

‘Aren’t I a bit old to still hide under the blankets? What am I hiding from?’

‘Why ask questions you already have the answers to?’ Eric said. ‘And you know there’s no judging each other in this house. We are judgemental bitches when it comes to strangers, not each other.

Mike suddenly got out of bed, his curls going everywhere around his face. In Eric’s eyes, he had never looked more handsome, even when he scratched his naked crotch.

‘That’s how far you went, then?’ Eric asked. ‘Enough energy to get out of the shower and dry your hair. I’m proud of you. Do you feel strong enough to put on some comfortable clothes and come have lunch with me? We’ll ignore any calls and take the day for ourselves.’

‘I can do that,’ Mike said and Eric could have sworn there was the slightest hint of a smile. ‘Stay with me, though.’

‘Now that’s something you don’t need to ask.’