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frogs_of_warI had written all the way up to Wednesday morning and then worked for a few days while keeping my mind open to new things for my guys to do. Then out of nowhere, I got a flash that Keith wouldn’t be sitting around. He would visit the youth shelter the day after he met the boys to understand the logistics of adopting them. But the only way Peregrine et al. would know this is if Peregrine was at the youth shelter. That’s when I realized that Peregrine was supposed to be at the youth shelter (Tuesdays and Fridays). And so I had to rewrite…
Title: Just less than Perfection
Series: A Balance of Harmonies (Three)
Status: Chapter forty of a bundle
Genre: m/m romance, drama, city life, businessmen
Rating: R
Content: yawns, a sleeping baby, talk of family, an unexpected touch, an invitation, a sappy texted, musings, talking, asking and receiving
Length: about 1,000 words
Summary: Emil sleeps, Peregrine lets go, and Kurt enjoys the result.
Master list
Peregrine looked up from his sketch book. Lavender was blinking hard. He leaned back. “Sorry. I can go.”
“No,” Lavender shifted the sleeping baby. “I’m all right.”
Peregrine shook his head. “I forget that not every sleeps as erratically as I do. Diego, put your wife to bed.”
Diego pulled himself off the couch, but then couldn’t figure out how to deal with a sleepy wife and a baby too tired to hold on. Peregrine put out his arms. “Give Piper to me.”
Diego looked him over.
Despite what he might look like now, Peregrine knew about babies. “I am the oldest of seven. I had babysitting duty every day since I was six years old. Brush your sister’s hair. Put your brother to bed. Change the baby’s diaper. Get a glass of water. Read a story. My just younger sister got kitchen duty. I envied her setting the table when I had to make sure all the little hands were washed. I traded her once, cleaning the table for washing up the kids, but she refused to do it again.”
He took Piper. She wiggled in her sleep. She couldn’t have been much more than a year old, given her size. Her dark hair was matted against her head where she’d been leaning on her mother. She was so tiny and precious and adorable. He could fill canvases with depictions of her. Diego came down the hall, his hands outstretched. Peregrine set the little one in her father’s arms. “Does this make me an uncle?”
Diego looked up from studying Piper’s face.
“If Emil and Lavender are like siblings…”
Diego glance down the hall. “If you want to be.”
Peregrine touched Diego’s shoulder, which seemed to startle Diego more than it should have. It wasn’t like Peregrine never touched anyone. “Emil would be overjoyed to have a niece that looks like him. He takes his family seriously. Once we move in, we would like you to come to dinner.”
“Thanks.” Diego paused. “Move in?”
Peregrine told him all about the new condo. Diego laughed at how lucky they were to find a place so close to Kurt’s job. Peregrine agreed. He nodded to Piper. “And we’ll keep the living room childproof.”
“Don’t do that just for us.”
But Peregrine wanted Diego and Lavender to feel at home, which they couldn’t do if they had to watch out for things that Piper could break or could break Piper. “It’s kind of automatic. All those years of training. Plus we made friends yesterday with two guys Kurt knows from work, Noah Zawadzki and Ezra Glass, and unless I’m really off, they’ll be seeing their first in a year or two.”
Diego nodded. “Let me put her to bed.”
Maybe he didn’t recognize the names. How big was Kurt’s company anyway? Maybe huge. The building was.
Peregrine packed all his stuff in his bags and flipped through the pages in his sketch book. He wanted to get started right away, but all his art stuff was still at the old apartment and he’d told the guys to sleep at the new place. He needed to get everything moved over. He couldn’t wait to paint without sweating like a fiend.
His phone buzzed. Kurt had sent two texts. One hours ago, saying they were going to pick up clothes from the apartment, and the second saying they were back, would Peregrine be home soon.
Peregrine sent back that he was on his way, but that Kurt should put Emil to bed. Kurt responded with a text too sappy to even think about. Peregrine was saved having to reply by Diego picking up his car keys. “Ready?”
Peregrine took a moment to show Diego the sketches and judge the one he liked best. Diego said it was the second, with Piper’s face silhouetted against Lavender’s dress, but he responded best to Lavender with much more breast showing. Maybe Peregrine could talk her into something on the sexy side, once he had her babies painted. A painting that showed nothing but promised everything, like he’d done of Emil and then Kurt.
He needed one of himself. But later, once he was confident he could see himself through his men’s’ eyes.
--
Kurt got up from the couch when he heard Peregrine’s keys in the lock. Peregrine rolled his eyes. “I thought I told you to go to bed.”
Kurt grinned. “You told me to put Emil to bed, which I took to mean sleep, so I couldn’t ever well stay in there and keep him awake.”
Peregrine turned away, but too late because Kurt has seen his grin. He turned back and sat on the couch. “Do you… Do you like the little present I got you?”
Kurt walked to the back of the couch and massaged Peregrine’s shoulders. “Emil?”
“You don’t mind I brought him along?”
“No.” Kurt couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “I don’t mind at all.”
“You always were frisky.” Peregrine’s tone said he was rolling his eyes.
“I like to say energetic.” Kurt was pretty sure they were talking about sex. “He can keep up with me.”
Peregrine looked pointedly into the bedroom. “That doesn’t look like he’s keeping up.”
“No, that just because every time I come, I sleep for a few minutes and he doesn’t.”
“So how many times did you come tonight?”
Kurt knew he was pushing it, but he couldn’t help himself. “One less that perfection.”
Peregrine growled and pulled Kurt down onto the couch. Kurt tried to be gentle, but Peregrine refused to allow that. He had some sort of secret plan Kurt couldn’t yet uncoded, but Peregrine’s hands were warm and eager and commanding, pushing Kurt ever closer to that perfect edge, but never over until Peregrine decreed it so.
And then commanding, demanding Peregrine wouldn’t let him sleep until Kurt was curled in bed between his two lovers. But that was all right, as long as that dominant Peregrine would come back and play again.
Title: Just less than Perfection
Series: A Balance of Harmonies (Three)
Status: Chapter forty of a bundle
Genre: m/m romance, drama, city life, businessmen
Rating: R
Content: yawns, a sleeping baby, talk of family, an unexpected touch, an invitation, a sappy texted, musings, talking, asking and receiving
Length: about 1,000 words
Summary: Emil sleeps, Peregrine lets go, and Kurt enjoys the result.
Master list
Peregrine looked up from his sketch book. Lavender was blinking hard. He leaned back. “Sorry. I can go.”
“No,” Lavender shifted the sleeping baby. “I’m all right.”
Peregrine shook his head. “I forget that not every sleeps as erratically as I do. Diego, put your wife to bed.”
Diego pulled himself off the couch, but then couldn’t figure out how to deal with a sleepy wife and a baby too tired to hold on. Peregrine put out his arms. “Give Piper to me.”
Diego looked him over.
Despite what he might look like now, Peregrine knew about babies. “I am the oldest of seven. I had babysitting duty every day since I was six years old. Brush your sister’s hair. Put your brother to bed. Change the baby’s diaper. Get a glass of water. Read a story. My just younger sister got kitchen duty. I envied her setting the table when I had to make sure all the little hands were washed. I traded her once, cleaning the table for washing up the kids, but she refused to do it again.”
He took Piper. She wiggled in her sleep. She couldn’t have been much more than a year old, given her size. Her dark hair was matted against her head where she’d been leaning on her mother. She was so tiny and precious and adorable. He could fill canvases with depictions of her. Diego came down the hall, his hands outstretched. Peregrine set the little one in her father’s arms. “Does this make me an uncle?”
Diego looked up from studying Piper’s face.
“If Emil and Lavender are like siblings…”
Diego glance down the hall. “If you want to be.”
Peregrine touched Diego’s shoulder, which seemed to startle Diego more than it should have. It wasn’t like Peregrine never touched anyone. “Emil would be overjoyed to have a niece that looks like him. He takes his family seriously. Once we move in, we would like you to come to dinner.”
“Thanks.” Diego paused. “Move in?”
Peregrine told him all about the new condo. Diego laughed at how lucky they were to find a place so close to Kurt’s job. Peregrine agreed. He nodded to Piper. “And we’ll keep the living room childproof.”
“Don’t do that just for us.”
But Peregrine wanted Diego and Lavender to feel at home, which they couldn’t do if they had to watch out for things that Piper could break or could break Piper. “It’s kind of automatic. All those years of training. Plus we made friends yesterday with two guys Kurt knows from work, Noah Zawadzki and Ezra Glass, and unless I’m really off, they’ll be seeing their first in a year or two.”
Diego nodded. “Let me put her to bed.”
Maybe he didn’t recognize the names. How big was Kurt’s company anyway? Maybe huge. The building was.
Peregrine packed all his stuff in his bags and flipped through the pages in his sketch book. He wanted to get started right away, but all his art stuff was still at the old apartment and he’d told the guys to sleep at the new place. He needed to get everything moved over. He couldn’t wait to paint without sweating like a fiend.
His phone buzzed. Kurt had sent two texts. One hours ago, saying they were going to pick up clothes from the apartment, and the second saying they were back, would Peregrine be home soon.
Peregrine sent back that he was on his way, but that Kurt should put Emil to bed. Kurt responded with a text too sappy to even think about. Peregrine was saved having to reply by Diego picking up his car keys. “Ready?”
Peregrine took a moment to show Diego the sketches and judge the one he liked best. Diego said it was the second, with Piper’s face silhouetted against Lavender’s dress, but he responded best to Lavender with much more breast showing. Maybe Peregrine could talk her into something on the sexy side, once he had her babies painted. A painting that showed nothing but promised everything, like he’d done of Emil and then Kurt.
He needed one of himself. But later, once he was confident he could see himself through his men’s’ eyes.
--
Kurt got up from the couch when he heard Peregrine’s keys in the lock. Peregrine rolled his eyes. “I thought I told you to go to bed.”
Kurt grinned. “You told me to put Emil to bed, which I took to mean sleep, so I couldn’t ever well stay in there and keep him awake.”
Peregrine turned away, but too late because Kurt has seen his grin. He turned back and sat on the couch. “Do you… Do you like the little present I got you?”
Kurt walked to the back of the couch and massaged Peregrine’s shoulders. “Emil?”
“You don’t mind I brought him along?”
“No.” Kurt couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “I don’t mind at all.”
“You always were frisky.” Peregrine’s tone said he was rolling his eyes.
“I like to say energetic.” Kurt was pretty sure they were talking about sex. “He can keep up with me.”
Peregrine looked pointedly into the bedroom. “That doesn’t look like he’s keeping up.”
“No, that just because every time I come, I sleep for a few minutes and he doesn’t.”
“So how many times did you come tonight?”
Kurt knew he was pushing it, but he couldn’t help himself. “One less that perfection.”
Peregrine growled and pulled Kurt down onto the couch. Kurt tried to be gentle, but Peregrine refused to allow that. He had some sort of secret plan Kurt couldn’t yet uncoded, but Peregrine’s hands were warm and eager and commanding, pushing Kurt ever closer to that perfect edge, but never over until Peregrine decreed it so.
And then commanding, demanding Peregrine wouldn’t let him sleep until Kurt was curled in bed between his two lovers. But that was all right, as long as that dominant Peregrine would come back and play again.
