TREVOR
After spending all that time together on Skyler’s tour last year—after being confined with each other night after night on planes and buses and in hotel rooms—you’d think Skyler would be cool with having some space and a few days apart.
But the truth is, they both loved every minute of the time they got to spend together on the tour.
They reveled in the freedom that came from coming out publicly as a couple, from no longer having to hide.
And while the reporters following them like vultures got tiring, they never got sick of each other.
He certainly doesn’t like being reminded of that miserable time in his life without Skyler.
But he firmly believes they wouldn’t have the relationship they have now if they hadn’t been through that hard part in the past. And he knows their love will survive anything now, including sleeping in different beds for a few nights.
He wishes he could join Skyler in New York, but since he can’t, the least he can do is crawl his ass out of bed at this ungodly hour to say goodbye.
“Not a very good one,” Skyler mutters. “I don’t wanna go.”
“Come on.” Trevor squeezes him tighter. “You know you want to be a part of the benefit show. It’s for a good cause.”
Skyler huffs. “Fine. I want to go. I just don’t want to go alone.”
“You’ll have Mike with you,” Trevor counters, which earns him a dark look.
“Not what I mean.”
“I know. But you’ll get to see Layla too, won’t you? And hang out with Jermaine?”
Jermaine is also performing tonight, and he and Skyler already made plans to go out together after the show. Skyler got Layla on the guest list, so she’ll be there to watch him, but she probably won’t be able to hang out with them afterward, since she has to work early in the morning.
Skyler winds his arms around Trevor’s neck and says, “Yeah, okay. That’ll be fun. I’m just being dramatic.”
Trevor pretends to gasp. “I’m shocked.”
“Shut up,” Skyler says, reaching down to smack his ass and then leaving his hand there, just cupping Trevor’s ass cheek over his joggers.
Trevor carefully runs his fingers through Skyler’s long hair, which is all the way down today, while Skyler lets him know he made a full pot of coffee in case Trevor wanted some. After thanking him with a kiss, Trevor tells him he’s going to miss him.
This prompts a petulant, “Oh sure, you’re gonna miss me, but you won’t come with me.”
It’s Trevor’s turn to fix Skyler with a look until Skyler relents.
“I’m sorry. You can ignore me. I know I’m being selfish. I’m happy that stuff with your label is going so well, even if it keeps you really busy lately.”
“Well, pretty soon you’ll be busy again with putting out another album, and you won’t even notice if I’m not around,” Trevor reminds him.
“Not true,” Skyler says. Then his phone beeps, and he takes it out of the pocket of his sweatpants to check it. “Mike pulled the car up. I’ve gotta go.”
Trevor cradles his face in one hand, rubbing his thumb along Skyler’s cheekbone before kissing him one more time. “You’re going to have so much fun at the show tonight. And I’ll be watching from here.”
The station is airing it live, so when it starts at nine p.m. in New York, it’ll be six here. And Trevor is absolutely going to make sure he gets home from work in time to not miss anything.
“I’m gonna call you when it’s done,” Skyler tells him.
“You’ll be too busy.”
Skyler shakes his head. “Nonsense.”
“Okay, baby.” Trevor smiles fondly as he follows Skyler out of the kitchen.
At the front door, Trevor starts grabbing the bags Skyler left there, even though he knows Mike will be coming up to the door to take them. After stepping outside and handing them off, Trevor pulls Skyler in for just one more kiss. For real this time. Last one.
“I’ll be waiting for your call. I love you.”
Skyler tells him he loves him too, and he looks slightly more upbeat as he jogs to the car.
Trevor watches Mike loop it around and head off in the dark down the winding driveway.
Then Trevor tries not to groan as he turns back inside, still unsure if he should bother trying to get a few more hours of sleep.
The show was great. It’s not the first year the channel has hosted it, and not Skyler’s first year participating. But it was Trevor’s first year getting to watch Skyler in it without his heart breaking and being weighed down with regret. So that was nice.
He figures it’ll take Skyler quite a bit of time to call him once the show goes off the air, but fifteen minutes after he turned off his TV, Trevor’s phone rings.
“Hey,” he answers.
There’s a lot of noise in the background, but he can still hear the smile in Skyler’s voice when he replies, “Hey, husband.”
“You were great tonight,” Trevor tells him.
“Thanks! Everyone was so good. I had so much fun!”
Trevor smiles, glad to hear Skyler sounding a lot happier than he was when he left this morning. “I’m glad, baby. Are you with Jermaine?”
“Yeah, we’re leaving now to go to the afterparty,” Skyler says, as Jermaine yells a greeting into the phone.
“Okay, I’ll let you go.”
“But I want to talk to you more,” Skyler insists.
So Trevor tells him he can call again when he gets back to the apartment tonight if he’s not too tired.
Which Trevor fully expects him to be after a six-hour flight, a televised event, and some partying.
But if it’ll make Skyler feel better to know that he can call if he wants to, then Trevor will make sure he knows he can.
Of course, Skyler argues that Trevor will probably already be asleep, since he got up so early this morning. “And I know you’ll need to wake up for work tomorrow too,” he says. “I don’t want to disturb you.”
“Baby, don’t even worry about that, okay?
If I’m already asleep, I’ll wake up for you.
I want to.” Truthfully, Trevor almost certainly will be asleep by the time Skyler’s done hanging out with Jermaine.
It’s only nine now, and he’s already fading fast. But he couldn’t care less about how all this affects his sleep schedule.
He’ll always be there for his husband if he needs him.
And his words seem to make Skyler happy, so Trevor gets off the phone feeling good. What’s one more night of too little sleep? He’ll be fine.
Before he gets in bed, he makes sure to turn his phone’s volume up as loud as it goes, and he just hopes his body’s not so exhausted that he sleeps through the ringing. He doesn’t want to break his promise.
It feels like he falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow, and the next thing he knows, he’s being woken up by an obnoxious sound. He’s groggy as he opens his eyes. It takes him a few more seconds to realize what’s going on, but then he lunges for his phone and sits up in bed.
“Hey,” he mumbles, his voice still coming alive.
“I’m sorry,” is the first thing Skyler says. It’s much quieter on his end of the line than it was earlier. “I knew I should’ve let you sleep instead of waking you.”
“No, it’s okay, baby,” Trevor assures him. “I told you to. How was the rest of your night?”
Skyler proceeds to tell him all about what he and Jermaine got up to and fills him in on news from the other celebrities they hung out with.
Trevor’s happy to listen, though he briefly takes the phone from his ear to check the time.
It’s only a little after eleven. On any other night, he likely wouldn’t have even been asleep yet, but getting up at three this morning did a number on him.
He leans over to pet Stella, who has taken full advantage of Skyler’s absence by lying all sprawled out on the bed with him. Her back leg starts kicking in the air when he scratches the right spot on her belly.
While Skyler continues to talk, Trevor fights off a yawn, not wanting Skyler to hear it. He doesn’t care that his body is pleading with him to go back to sleep. All he cares about is that Skyler had a good time and isn’t going to be too lonely staying in the New York apartment without him.
Of course, as Skyler finishes recounting his night, Trevor catches how his excited tone starts to shift to a more subdued one.
“I’m glad you had fun, baby,” Trevor tells him.
“It was fun while I was out with everyone, but now that I’m here in the apartment alone...” Skyler lets out a sad little sigh as he trails off.
Trevor immediately feels guilty, even though he knows that’s not his husband’s intention. “I know. But it’s only a few nights, and then you’ll be back here with me.”
“Wish you were here with me.”
Trevor sighs this time, but then he gets an idea. “Okay. What if you pretend I’m there with you?”
“Pfft. I know I’m whining, but I’m not a child,” Skyler says. “I don’t think that’s going to work.”
What Trevor has in mind is certainly not fit for a child. “I meant I’ll help you get relaxed and feeling good, and I’ll talk you through it as if I was there touching you,” he explains.
“Talk me through... Ohhh. Yeah. Yes. Let’s do that please.”
Trevor chuckles softly. “So polite, baby. Are you in bed?”
An eager, “Mmhmm,” is the only response he gets.
“Good. Can you sit up a bit? It doesn’t have to be all the way. Just prop yourself up a little with some pillows and get comfortable. Give yourself room to spread your legs.”
That last instruction may seem unnecessary, considering how big the bed is in that apartment. But Trevor has a feeling Skyler’s lying on one side of it, being so used to sharing his beds with Trevor.
“Okay, I’m ready.” Skyler’s voice has gone soft already.
“Perfect,” Trevor tells him. Then he gets himself situated and imagines what he would do if he really were there, with Skyler lounging on the bed looking all gorgeous for him.
“Now I want you to put your thumb over your mouth. Use it to gently push down your bottom lip, then peek your tongue out to get your thumb a little wet for me.”