Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
MATEO
There was something about waking up wrapped in Dax’s embrace that made it so incredibly hard for Mateo to make himself get out of bed.
He was wrapped not just in arms but tentacles as well, warm and comfy under the blankets, and sharing a pillow with Dax, with his head tucked under Dax’s chin.
It was the kind of situation that encouraged him to close his eyes and go back to sleep.
And he would’ve if his alarm wasn’t going off on the nightstand.
“Mm… No…” Dax complained when Mateo tried to wriggle free to turn it off.
“But the alarm–” Mateo began, only to watch in horror as one of Dax’s tentacles released him to go after his phone instead. Not to poke at it to turn off the alarm, no. It wrapped around it and looked perilously close to chucking it across the room. “Dax, don’t!”
He lunged for his phone, taking Dax with him since his boyfriend hadn’t released him aside from the one tentacle, and they both tumbled off the edge of the bed with a loud thud.
The shock was enough that Mateo managed to snatch his phone out of the tentacle’s hold, thumbing the button to turn off the alarm before the half-asleep kraken started murdering electronics.
When the room went quiet again, he looked down at his boyfriend with wide eyes, ready to ream him for trying to throw his phone, only to freeze when he saw the dazed expression on Dax’s face.
“What just happened?” Dax slurred, still looking half-asleep and bleary eyed where he laid on the floor.
Mateo didn’t miss that a few tentacles were still wrapped tightly around him, protecting him from the fall.
He hadn’t even felt a twinge, and they’d landed hard.
It was impossible to stay made when he thought about the sweetness of the gesture.
“You tried to throw my phone,” Mateo accused without any venom in his voice. He was too busy trying not to laugh. He was not mentally or emotionally prepared for that kind of rollercoaster so early in the morning.
“What?” Dax asked, confused. He looked around, taking in their position, then the phone clutched to Mateo’s chest. “When did that happen?”
Snorting, Mateo carefully reached to slide the phone back onto the nightstand, making a mental note to get a case for it sometime soon. If Dax was quicker to destroy electronics when only partially awake than turn them off, then Mateo needed to prepare for that.
Dax sat up with a frown, scrubbing his hands over his face. He looked tired, which Mateo felt a little guilty about. He’d been the one to wake the man in the middle of the night. Granted, they’d fallen asleep in the tub, but still.
“What time is it?”
“Uh, just before seven,” Mateo answered almost sheepishly. He wasn’t at all surprised by the incredulous expression on Dax’s face when his hands dropped.
“Why are we awake so early? The condo is only ten blocks from Spellbound!”
Grimacing, Mateo admitted, “I get up early to avoid running into my roommates in the morning. It’s just easier to get out early and not see the mess at all.”
Dax’s expression softened and he reached for Mateo, pulling him in for a cuddle. “We really need to work on communicating with your roommates. There’s nothing wrong with saying something if there’s a problem. It’s not like a college dorm or something. You’re all adults.”
Maybe. But Mateo hadn’t lived in the dorms in college.
He hadn’t thought he’d do well in a dorm environment.
He worked on campus and did some part time computer work on the side to earn enough for his shitty apartment on the human side of town and just commuted from there.
It was cheaper than paying to live in the dorms anyway.
When Dax finally sat up, he yawned and stretched, captivating Mateo as each tentacle stretched as well.
He released Mateo, running his fingers through his hair and looking around again with a more relaxed expression.
Goddess, he was cute first thing in the morning.
All soft features and sleepy smiles. Mateo almost wanted to ask him to move in just so he could get to see that every morning.
It was way too early for that kind of thing, of course, but the thought did cross his mind.
Dax stood, offering a hand to Mateo and smacking a quick kiss on his lips. “I need a soak in the morning unless I plan to go to the gym for lunch. Which would you prefer?”
Mateo felt his mouth twitch as he fought off a grin. It was nice that Dax didn’t even question if they’d be together or not. “Uh, shower soak now, pool after work? That way we can take our time?”
Dax’s smile grew, and he nodded once. “I like the sound of that. Come on. I think I deserve more cuddles since you so rudely pushed me out of bed.”
Mateo’s jaw dropped. “It was an accident! And you were trying to break my phone!”
“I don’t remember that happening,” Dax replied innocently. “Maybe you were dreaming.”
He was trying to rile Mateo up, and his grin turned wicked when Mateo pounced on him in a sad attempt at getting Dax into a headlock.
The thing about wrestling with a kraken?
They had significantly more limbs to work with.
He had Mateo wrapped up in seconds, toting him along as he turned on the shower while whistling to himself like he wasn’t holding a full grown man aloft like it was nothing.
The playful teasing was fun and distracting enough that it wasn’t until they were in the shower and Dax was busy basking under the spray that Mateo thought about the day prior.
It was the pretty colorful swirls on Dax’s skin that reminded him of the way Dax had actually blended in with the wall when he was upset last night.
He’d intended on talking about it when they got back upstairs, but then he’d gotten distracted with Nylian’s mess and they’d forgotten about it.
“Hey, Dax?”
“Mm?” Dax hummed happily, head still tipped back as he let the water run through his hair and down his face.
Mateo almost felt bad for ruining the mood, but it felt wrong to ignore what had happened. He didn’t want Dax to think he didn’t care.
“What happened yesterday?”
Dax stilled, hands comically frozen in his hair, his eyes flying open in surprise. He looked almost panicked when he asked, “What do you mean?”
“Yesterday, after our dinner with Miles. You ran off after—” He felt his cheeks flush, purposely skipping over the heavy makeout session that was nearly intense enough to have him dropping his pants in public.
With how dexterous those tentacles were, it was possible he wouldn’t have even needed to fully drop them.
Just make enough room for Dax to get inside and have his wicked way with him.
Mateo mentally shoved the thought away before it could get any traction. He wasn’t going to let himself get distracted a second time.
“When I found you in the station, you looked close to a panic attack.”
Blinking, Dax looked anywhere but at him. “I-I wasn’t–”
“You looked like you were,” Mateo challenged. “Believe me, I’ve had a few in my lifetime. I know what to look for. Did I do something?”
That finally got Dax to look at him, his eyes wide. “No! You didn’t do anything! I promise!”
He wanted to feel relieved, but he still wasn’t sure what the hell happened.
It felt a little like Dax freaked out because Mateo pushed him away while they were making out.
If that were true, then Mateo wanted to set matters straight.
It had nothing to do with Dax. If they were anywhere with real privacy and not right next to a dumpster, he wouldn’t have pushed him away.
He waited for Dax to explain, but Dax looked almost like he wanted to do anything else.
Like the idea of sharing his struggles was the last thing he wanted to do.
His mouth opened and closed like a fish, and his eyes darted around, looking for answers like they’d somehow be written on the shower walls. Mateo felt his heart sink.
Granted, he hadn’t been a very good boyfriend thus far.
He’d been needy and exhausted and struggling with the whole roommate situation.
That didn’t exactly give Dax the impression that he could rely on Mateo if things got hard.
Why would he want to talk through his problems with Mateo when Mateo was so easily distracted by his own problems that he forgot completely that Dax was struggling until the following morning?
And they weren’t even that big of a deal.
He hadn’t needed to drop everything and push Dax’s issues aside just because there was a little dirt on the ground. He could handle a little dirt.
Okay, it was a lot of dirt and it was everywhere, but still. Dax was more important than dirt.
“It was nothing,” Dax finally answered with a forced smile. “I got a little overzealous, and when I realized what I was doing, I freaked out a little. It wasn’t something you needed to worry about. I promise I’m fine.”
The answer was vague as hell and only made Mateo feel more certain that he was right.
Dax didn’t trust him enough to share his struggles with him.
He made a silent vow right then and there that he’d do better from then on.
He wouldn’t let stupid things like dirt or messy kitchens or whatever else popped up in the condo bother him.
He was an adult. He could handle the mess.
He’d prioritize Dax instead and give him the comfort and support he deserved.
Dax was the best boyfriend Mateo could’ve asked for.
The least he could do was give him the same kind of love and care Dax gave him.
Starting with breakfast. If he made time for breakfast, he normally ate at the office since at least when he arrived early, the cleaning staff had already been in and the breakroom was always clean and empty.
But this morning, he was going to make something for Dax at the condo as an apology for waking him up so early.
Dax was right that he didn’t have to get up so early to make it to work on time.
Walking ten blocks, even during the early morning rush, never took more than ten to fifteen minutes max.
He could roll out of bed, shower, dress, eat, and get to work in probably thirty minutes or less.
He didn’t have to get up almost two hours before he needed to be in the office at eight thirty.
With that in mind, he forced a smile, waving his hand at the door. “I’m gonna get started on breakfast. You stay in here and soak, okay?”
Dax’s brows furrowed and he looked uncertain as he asked, “Are you sure? I can help if you need–”
“Nope. You need to soak to get through the day, right? You stay here,” Mateo rushed out, already grabbing a towel to dry off. “I can handle breakfast.”
And prove to Dax and to himself that he could prioritize what was important when it mattered.