“What’s wrong with the sheets?” Zane asked.
Ty barked a laugh and shook his head.
They remade the bed quickly, Ty’s corners still somehow perfect even on an air mattress on the floor. He stood to grab the heavy quilt and laid it out over the bed, then tossed the two pillows back onto the head of it.
He toed off his shoes and unbuckled his belt, then slid his jeans off and folded them neatly to set them on the couch. “You want couch side or floor side?” he asked Zane before pulling his shirt over his head.
“Floor side.” If he wasn’t going to be sitting up, he wanted to at least be able to move immediately. All he really wanted was to hold Ty to him.
Ty moved closer to him, sliding his hand against Zane’s face before he bent and crawled onto the bed. Zane’s eyes followed Ty’s every movement; he didn’t notice any hitches or winces that would indicate hidden injuries. It was rare enough for Ty to admit to being scared; Zane didn’t know if he’d be hiding injuries now. He simply looked exhausted, just like the rest of them.
He stretched out under the covers and rolled onto one side, curling up again and facing the couch next to the mattress.
Zane had already stripped down to his boxers before the commotion. He turned off the light and stood in place to let his eyes adjust, watching the lump in the dark that was Ty as he waited.
Even in the darkness, Zane could tell Ty was still tense as he lay there. He had every right to be; he’d just learned that his brother was going to be a father, the same brother he could possibly have put in danger simply by coming here.
Zane finally moved and knelt next to the mattress before climbing onto it carefully, trying not to rock Ty too much.
Ty immediately reached back for him, resting his hand on whatever was closest as Zane moved behind him. The gesture settled Zane, and he scooted close enough to spoon up against him, sliding one arm under Ty’s neck and draping the other over his waist. Ty scooted back into him, fitting against him perfectly. Calm began to seep through Zane’s mind and body.
“I love you,” he whispered, intending to say it as much as possible, at every opportunity, for the rest of his life.
Ty patted his hip a few times in response; then he was still and quiet. He wasn’t rocking or jiggling a leg or tossing and turning like he often did when he was lying in bed before sleep overtook him. He was just still and calm as his breathing evened out. It was a little disconcerting.
Zane kissed his shoulder again before letting his head settle on the pillow. He sank into the darkness as he listened to Ty’s breathing and the quiet sounds of the condo at night. He hoped the next day could be even half this peaceful.
THE distant ringing of a phone rousted Ty, but he was still lying in the warm cocoon of blankets and Zane’s arms, staring at the ceiling, when Deuce skidded into the living room.
“Get up,” Deuce said in a panicked voice.
Ty shot up, rolling over Zane and clambering to his feet gracelessly, spurred on by the tone of Deuce’s words. Zane flailed and wound up rolling off the bed with him. Ty left him on the floor as he stood. “What’s wrong?”
“Livi’s on her way, you have to fix that doorknob.”
“How close is she?”
“In the lobby, Ty!”
Ty sprinted for the kitchen, almost dreading what sort of contraption he would see attached to the doorknob. “Why didn’t you tell her not to come up?”
“It was the doorman, she didn’t call ahead.”
“Well, call her and tell her to wait in the hall!” Ty said as he knelt in front of the doorknob. “What the shit is this?” It was so innocuous that he almost reached up to touch it. A row of connected straws wrapped around the base of the knob and led to the nearby coffee maker like a string. The knob itself was covered in tin foil, and Ty could see foil sticking out from inside several of the straws. “I….”
“Ty, come on, take it off.”
“I’m not even sure where to begin.”
“Ty!”
“Did you call her?”
“Her phone’s not picking up, she must be in the elevator.”
“What’s going on?” Zane asked from the doorway to the kitchen. His hair was mussed, and he still looked half-asleep. A moment later Julian joined them.
“Cross! How do we dismantle this thing?”
“Carefully,” Julian answered, voice calm and quiet. “The current’s in the foil.”
“What if we cut it?” Ty asked.
Julian hummed, not sounding optimistic.
“Ground yourself,” Zane said as he brought his boots over and clunked them down beside Ty’s knee.
In the moment of calm while Ty was sliding his feet into the boots, they heard the elevator ding in the hallway outside.
“Oh God,” Deuce said as he held the phone to his ear. “Come on, baby, answer the phone.”
“Give me some oven mitts.”
“You’re going to shock the shit out of yourself,” Julian murmured. “I want to take this moment to thank you profusely for letting me watch.”
“Shut up!” Ty and Zane both shouted at him.
Zane handed Ty the kitchen shears, and Ty tapped the end of one of the straws with the blade. Sparks flew, and he could feel the current running through the straws.
“Holy shit!” Zane cried, as if he hadn’t really thought it would work.
“You’re not helping!” Ty told him, his voice wavering.
“That was incredible!”
“Zane!”
“I’m sorry, that was just really… I’m sorry.”
“Can we bask in its glory after we dismantle it?” Deuce growled as he dialed Livi’s number again. “It’s going straight to voice mail.”
“I….” Ty winced as he pulled the oven mitts on.
“Ty! You’re about to electrocute my girlfriend!”
They heard keys jingle outside the door.
“Livi, don’t touch the door!” Deuce called.
“Deacon?” a dainty voice said on the other side of the door.
“Answer your goddamn phone! Ty, cut it.”
The hair on Ty’s arms rose as he held the scissors up to the straws. “Oh, God, this is gonna hurt.”
“What is going on in there?” Livi asked, and the keys jangled again.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ty saw Cameron dart through the kitchen to the coffee maker on the counter. He reached behind it and yanked the plug out of the wall. The buzzing sensation on Ty’s arms ceased, and then he heard Livi’s key slide into the lock on the other side.