“Hey, were you expecting a package?” Michael calls from the hall where he’s just closing the front door.
Oh fuck. He’d meant to intercept that particular delivery before Michael saw it. “Um, yeah,” he answers. “That’s, uh, it’s for me.”
“It says ‘personal care products’ on the outside. Did you get us some new, fancy lube?” Michael asks, and when he rounds the corner to the living room, he has his pocket knife out and is about to open the box.
“No!” Alex says, and Michael whips his head up at the sharp tone. Alex takes a breath and modulates his voice to something more reasonable. “I mean, it’s just something for me. Not us. But I guess you could use it, too, if you want. You don’t have to. I don’t know if I’m even going to. It seems kind of pointless…”
Michael folds his knife closed and sets it and the package aside before stepping in to rest his hands on Alex’s shoulders. Michael’s giving him a little space, and Alex sighs inwardly, wondering what stay back vibes he’s giving off.
“Hey, Alex? You know how you don’t come down into my lair without checking it’s okay first?” Michael asks, squeezing his shoulders briefly when he nods. “I can give you space around stuff, too. You just gotta let me know. If this is something private that you don’t want to share, I can respect that.”
Alex scrubs a hand over his face and steps in to close the distance between them, staring pointedly at Michael’s chest through the open collar of his shirt. “It’s not like that. It’s not a secret, it’s just embarrassing. I–” he hesitates and then finishes in a rush, “bought one of those calming face masks.”
And what does it say about Alex that he’s more embarrassed about buying skincare products than sex supplies?
“Okay,” Michael says slowly, dragging out the word. “I’m a little disappointed it’s not fancy lube, but you’re gonna have to explain what’s embarrassing about one of those facial mask thingies.”
Alex sighs and sinks down onto the couch, pulling Michael to sit next to him. “It was a–I guess you’d call it a homework assignment, from my therapist. She’s been encouraging me to stretch beyond my comfort zone, small steps, and this was her suggestion. It’s something totally frivolous and self-indulgent. And my dad,” Alex swallows and gives himself a moment before continuing. “My dad is still in my head more than I like to admit. He would have said something like this was girly and used it as further proof that I’d never be a real Manes Man. So we thought this could be a good fuck you to dear old dad. Something that pushed me a bit, but still felt doable.”
Michael cups his face, thumb brushing over his cheekbone, before he leans in and presses a gentle kiss to Alex’s lips. “I’m proud of you. And it sounds like we have an at-home spa day in our future. I’m sure Iz has candles or essential oils or whatever that she’ll be more than happy to tell me how to use. I can give you a massage, you can show me how to use the mask without it getting caked in my stubble…” Michael trails off.
Alex lets the silence sit between them, lets his mind wander to what a spa day with Michael might be like. What a massage from Michael might be like. And when he flushes, it’s not from embarrassment. “I know you’re disappointed I didn’t buy us any lavish sex supplies, but we do have that Gun Oil that Max gave us when he realized what he bought wasn’t actually oil for his gun–”
“We don’t know it was from Max. It just showed up on our doorstep one day, in its plain, discreet packaging,” Michael interrupts, laughing.
“Its previously opened and resealed with duct tape discreet packaging. It was Max,” Alex says. “But, regardless of the source, I was thinking we could add a bath into our spa day?”
“That can probably be arranged,” Michael agrees, leaning in to kiss Alex again. This time, there’s nothing gentle about it.
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