8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

L A woke up the next morning with Cass snuggled all around him.

He smiled.

This was nice.

Last night had been pretty damn wonderful too.

They'd binged Firefly , feasted on Chinese food, and when it was time for bed, Cass had carried LA upstairs to tuck him in. LA had protested that he wasn't even that tired, but he'd fallen asleep within seconds of Cass draping his wings around him.

Waking up with said wings plus Cass's arm and tail hugging him was even better.

Even though his back hurt and he could feel a familiar spike of pain stabbing down his leg, he couldn't remember the last time he'd woken up in such a good mood. As much as he hated to pull away from the wonderful cuddling, he needed to head to the bathroom.

He lightly swatted at Cass's various limbs. "Mmm, get off me."

Cass growled softly and hugged LA tighter.

LA laughed. "Come on. I gotta fuckin' piss."

Cass whined, letting go reluctantly. "If you must."

"Yeah, going to the bathroom is kind of a must." LA yawned as he limped that way to use the toilet and clean up. He brushed his teeth, shaved, and took a long look in the mirror.

Nothing had changed, not really, but he thought something was different now.

Maybe it was the hint of a smile curling the corners of his mouth or the spark in his gaze he hadn't seen there in quite a while.

Maybe…

It was because he was happy.

Hopeful, even.

He left the bathroom to find the bed empty but made, and then he headed downstairs, certain that he'd run into Cass in the kitchen. He smelled something cooking and smirked as he saw Cass bent over, checking on a pan in the oven. "Good morning."

"Oh! Good morning!" Cass slammed the oven shut.

"What are you making?"

"Making? Mmm? Nothing."

LA crossed his arms, leaning against the doorway. "Right."

"It's a surprise," Cass whispered loudly. He resumed a normal tone as he waved LA in. "I already have your coffee waiting for you! Today is a big day!"

"Oh?" LA paused as he walked by Cass, glancing up at him.

Should he kiss him?

Was that allowed?

LA knew they were supposed to be taking things slow, but whatever this thing was definitely made him want to kiss Cass right now.

Fuck it.

LA touched Cass's cheek, bringing him down for a soft kiss.

Cass squeaked and purred, and he wrapped his arms around LA in a crushing hug.

"Ugh. Cass." LA grunted. "Spine."

"Oh! Sorry!" Cass grinned sheepishly. "I got excited."

"I can tell." LA chuckled a bit on his way to the kitchen table. "Thank you for the coffee."

"Of course! You need your caffeine so you'll be ready to face the day!" Cass said cheerfully. "Today is your date with Brandon!"

"It's not a date." LA laughed. "Dates are, you know, romantic."

"Oh. A rendezvous then?"

"No. That just sounds dirty. We're just gonna hang out for a little bit. That's all."

"And talk about your wonderful paintings!" Cass kissed the top of LA's head.

"Yeah, yeah." LA grumbled but he was still smiling. He slurped his coffee. "Just let me wake up a little more and I'll start getting ready."

"We still have plenty of time. You did say you would be meeting him for lunch, yes?"

"Yeah, but I know that's also, like, the busiest time for the coffee shop too." LA shrugged. "I figured I'd pop in a bit early. Just so I'm not bothering him or whatever."

Cass nodded as he headed back to the oven to peek in. "I'm happy to leave whenever you are."

"It's not like I could leave you here if I wanted to." LA snorted as he lined up his pill bottles to dose out his morning regimen. "Right? Stuck together until you, uh, you do whatever?"

"Oh, well, yes." Cass's tail twitched. "The bond is eternal until, uh, your strength is regained."

"And… after that?"

"Well, then I'll only be here to annoy you if you choose to let me." Cass smiled gently.

"Guess we'll just have to see." LA could feel warmth creeping into his cheeks as he took his medicine. "So. Uh, what's for breakfast? Smells good. And hey, you didn't even wreck my kitchen this time."

The air filled with bubbles as Cass squealed. "It's a peach crumb cake! With fresh peaches!" He frowned suddenly. "Is that all right?" He gasped. "Do you actually hate peaches?"

"No, no." LA sipped his coffee, his heart skipping a beat. "Peaches are fucking perfect."

Freshly dressed and full of delicious peach crumb cake, LA parked around the side of the Expresso Yourself coffee shop. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been here, and he was pleased to see how full the parking lot was even before the lunch rush.

The building was brick with colorful awnings, a small patio area, and was completely decked out in Pride decor. The side facing the parking lot was painted with a colorful mural of rainbows and important queer figures of history like Harvey Milk, Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and more.

"Oh! This place looks fun!" Cass was in his teddy bear version, peeking up from the passenger seat. "I love the rainbows!"

"Yeah, it's nice." LA turned off the engine and then tucked the keys into his pocket. "Brandon has done really well for himself."

"I'm excited!" Cass wiggled.

"Okay, but you're not gonna do that thing where you talk to me and I can't talk back because I'd look crazy, right?"

"I will try to resist." Cass squirmed.

LA snorted as he tried to get out of the car, wincing. He loved his car, but it wasn't easy to maneuver in and out of since it was so low to the ground. He grunted with effort, surprised when a full-sized Cass was magically at his elbow to help him. "Oh. Thanks."

"Of course." Cass patted his shoulder. "Do you want to get your paintings now or later?"

"Later is fine. He may not even have a spot for them, you know?"

"Understood. Let us go, Elly!"

LA didn't mind the nickname so much now.

It was sort of cute.

He headed inside with Cass in tow, breathing in the warm scent of coffee and sweet baked goods. The decor was a mix of warm woods and splashes of bright colors with an array of Pride flags hanging from the counter and draped across the packed bakery case next to it. Most of the tables and chairs were mixed and matched from different sets, and the far-right wall was lit with studio lighting to illuminate the current display of paintings.

"That's where the art goes, huh?" Cass asked curiously as he gravitated toward the wall of paintings. "Hmm. I like yours much better."

LA nodded and smiled a bit as he walked up to the counter, waiting patiently behind a couple ordering some muffins.

"It's so cozy in here." Cass walked ahead to check out the bakery case. "It's very nice and friendly. Mmm, though their baked good selection leaves much to be desired."

LA cleared his throat.

He couldn't exactly respond.

"Right! Sorry. Got it." Cass giggled, hurrying back over to stand beside LA. "I'll be quiet! Promise!"

LA reached out to subtly brush his fingers over Cass's arm, shooting him a quick smile.

"Hey! LA!" Brandon called out.

LA turned toward the voice, recognizing his friend immediately.

Brandon was behind the counter beside the cashier, waving. He was short and tan with blond hair and a bright smile. "I can't believe it. You actually came!"

"Yeah." LA's smile dipped. "Hey!"

Brandon came around to greet LA and give him a big hug. "How the hell are you? You look great!"

"Good to know you still can't lie for shit," LA teased as he clapped his hand on Brandon's back. "I look like crap, but thanks."

"I was trying to be nice." Brandon chuckled. "I've seen better looking roadkill if you want me to be honest."

"Thanks." LA laughed. "Much better."

Cass squealed frantically. "Oh my God! Yes! The big hug! The camaraderie! The ribbing! Oh, I'm tearing up."

LA ignored him and how his own eyes burned. "Got a minute to catch up?"

"Yeah, yeah! Come on." Brandon waved LA to follow, leading him over to a table near the art gallery.

LA sat, hating the hard wooden chair immediately. He shifted his weight so he was sitting mostly on his left ass cheek to help alleviate the pain. "Place looks nice. Staying busy?"

"Yeah, we've been doing really well." Brandon grinned. "Been lucky. What about you?" His brow furrowed. "Still on leave or whatever it is from Barrie-Lucas?"

"No." LA sighed. "They fired me."

"What? Over getting hurt? What the fuck?"

"Yeah." LA rubbed the back of his neck. "It's bullshit. Talking to a lawyer about it, see if I can get it back."

Brandon frowned. "Back? What? You wanna go back to the place that fired you?"

"It's the only funeral home I've ever worked at. I don't want to go anywhere else. I want to go back there and—"

"Let me guess." Brandon crossed his arms, smirking. "You've got everything the way you like it there and you don't want to change."

LA bristled. "What are you talking about?"

"C'mon, man. Still drinking rum and Dr Pepper?"

"Yeah, so? What's wrong with having a favorite drink?"

"Uh, it's been your favorite drink since high school." Brandon raised a brow. "You're still driving the same car too, right? That Chevy Cobalt? I bet—"

"Yeah, because it's paid off." LA tensed.

"I bet you still have the same CD book with everything in the same whack ass order as you did when you first bought it, an order that only makes sense to you. You take the longest route to go fucking anywhere because it's just the way you know to go." Brandon chuckled. "You are literally the most stubborn person I know. Fuck yes, you don't want to change."

Cass put his paw on LA's shoulder and squeezed gently.

LA shifted in his seat. "Have I really always been like that?"

"Uh, yes." Brandon chuckled. "But hey, it's not a bad thing. Not all the time, anyway. You were also the first one to pop off when someone was picking on me or any of our friends. If you said you'd be there at ten, you were there at nine-fifty. You were the most reliable guy I know."

" Were ," LA noted.

Brandon's expression softened. "Since Gavin… Yeah. Not so much." He leaned across the table. "You're really done with him?"

"Yes."

"Like, really really done?" Brandon stared.

"I said yes!"

"You've said that before."

"I'm here, aren't I?" LA scowled. "Look, I get it. I'm an asshole who's stuck in his fuckin' ways and I've fucked up so much being a stubborn bastard. I get it. I fucking suck. Message fucking received." He paused to take a breath. "But I'm sorry. And… I'm trying to be better."

Brandon studied him for a long moment. "You met someone else, didn't you?"

"What?" LA blushed furiously. "No!"

"You met someone else, someone who might actually be good for you, and he's helping you, huh?"

Cass whistled innocently and turned around, as if giving LA some semblance of privacy.

"Okay, yes." LA narrowed his eyes. "It's still very new, we're takin' shit slow, but he's… Yeah, he's good for me. He's shown me that maybe change isn't so bad, all right? That maybe, just maybe, I need to readjust some stuff."

Brandon beamed. "Name?"

"Cass."

"It's short for Cassander," Cass whispered.

"Cassander," LA echoed. "Cass for short."

"Last name?" Brandon asked curiously. "He has one of those, right?"

Cass whispered something, but LA couldn't understand him.

Uckey? Gucky?

LA hissed. "Shit."

"Huh?" Brandon blinked. "His last name is what now?"

LA cleared his throat. "Uh, Imp. His last name is Imp."

Cass facepalmed.

"Cassander Imp? Okay." Brandon smiled. "Well, you tell Cassander Imp thank you for me. I really didn't think I was gonna see you again unless it was at the wedding."

"Wedding?" LA froze.

"Uh, yeah." Brandon arched his brow. "Me and Kevin are getting married next month?"

"Fuck! Congratulations!" LA had no idea.

Wait, did he?

Did he know about that?

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Brandon snorted. "You forgot, didn't you?"

"What? No!" LA hesitated. "Okay, yeah, I did."

"Sent an invite, you never RSVPed, and uh, when I texted you, you said you had to talk to Gavin about it."

"Shit." LA grimaced. "I'm sorry. I—"

"Hey, hey, it's okay. We're not going anywhere, man. I'm proud of you."

LA's heart clenched. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Brandon confirmed. "I know you don't like change. You never have. But sometimes it's a damn good thing."

"Maybe." LA mulled those words over and let himself smile, sparing a quick glance back at Cass. "Sometimes."

"Look, I'm sorry for busting your balls about your little quirks." Brandon smiled kindly. "They're all part of who you are. They're special. They're just part of what makes you, well, you . But changing your relationship? Maybe changing jobs? Getting out of toxic situations is hard, okay? Finally saying fuck it and being done? That takes a lot of strength."

LA nodded, his eyes a bit hot. "I, uh… Yeah. Thank you. I appreciate that."

"You're bringing Cass to the wedding, right?"

"What?"

"Cass. Your new fellow?" Brandon wagged his brows. "We wanna meet him before then too, of course. But I gotta meet the guy who finally got you away from fuckin' Gavin."

Cass squeaked.

"Uh, yeah, we'll, uh, we'll see." LA forced a smile. "Baby steps."

"We'll figure it out, okay?" Brandon chuckled. "Oh, hey, you want some coffee or something?" He winked. "On the house."

"You don't have to do that. I can buy a fuckin' cup of coffee."

"Hey, come on. Think of it as a reward for completing an epic quest. You left your house and came on a strange journey to see a wise old man." Brandon wiggled his fingers dramatically.

LA scoffed, but he couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, fine."

"So. Still four sugars and a splash of milk?"

"Yeah, how did—"

"I kinda figured." Brandon grinned. "Just wait right here. Want anything else?"

"Nah, I'm good. Thank you." LA smiled as Brandon got up to walk back behind the counter. This was honestly going better than he'd expected, though it was clear he still had a lot to repair between them. He wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve Brandon's willingness to fix their friendship, but—

"I think it's going swell! Don't you?" Cass gushed, suddenly right beside him.

"Yes, it's great," LA mumbled, trying to hide a smile.

"He seems very kind." Cass nuzzled the side of LA's neck. "How do you feel? Are you all right?"

"Fine." LA casually reached up as if he was scratching at his ear but instead ran his fingers through Cass's fur. "Guess I gotta figure out how to explain you to my friends, huh?"

"Well, you know, I can assume a human form."

"Wait, huh?"

Cass blinked. "Didn't I mention it before? Hmm. Maybe I forgot."

"We are so talking about this—"

"Here!" Brandon presented LA with a drink in a to-go cup. "Four sugars and a little baby splash of milk."

"Thanks, man." LA drew the cup in close.

"So, what's going on with your job then?" Brandon sat back down. "Just waiting for the lawyer, right?"

"Yeah. See what I have to do to get it back."

"Or?"

"Or what?"

"You don't have any kind of backup plan?" Brandon frowned. "What if your lawyer can't get it back?"

"Well…" LA paused.

He'd been working under the assumption that he'd be able to return to his job once he spoke to the lawyer. His career meant everything to him and thinking about a future without it was discouraging, to say the least.

LA deflated a bit. "I guess I figure out somethin' else to do with my life." He sipped at the coffee. "Your coffee fuckin' sucks."

"Thank you. I appreciate that." Brandon laughed. "Asshole."

LA tried to smile.

"You know, my mom might actually want to talk to you." Brandon fished out his phone. "Is it okay if I send her your contact info?"

"Your mom?" LA strained to remember. "Isn't she… a nurse?"

"Yeah. They've put her in charge of creating some new department at the hospital she works at."

"Duraleigh General, right?"

"Right. They want to create a decedent care office."

"Oh, like what they have up at the university hospital?"

"I guess?"

"They handle the death certificates, contacting the doctors, reaching out to the funeral home, and oh yeah, fielding the organ donation vultures." LA gestured vaguely. "Streamlines the process, especially for funeral homes. See, depending on the hospital, it could be security calling in the death, might be a family member, or even a nurse on the floor who wants us to come right fucking then to pick up the body before they ever go to the morgue."

"And that's… bad?"

"It can be, yeah. Take Rex Hospital, for example. Only security can release a body to us, but that nurse up on the floor would call us and say the body was ready to go just 'cause they didn't want to go to the morgue. So, we'd show up to pick up the body only to get stopped by security, who wouldn't let us leave. Or get a pissed off family member wanting to know why we hadn't left with their loved one."

"Because security should have been the one to call in the first place."

"Right." LA nodded. "Every hospital around here is a little different, except for the ones that have decedent care offices."

"Like the university one?"

"Yeah, and the Johnston Medical network. They have one office for all their hospitals."

"So, is it okay if I pass your info over?" Brandon grinned. "Because I am literally going to forget everything you just told me."

LA chuckled. "Yeah, go for it. I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but I'm happy to chat with her."

"Hey, you already know more than me." Brandon typed a bit on his phone. "Thank you, man. I appreciate it." He kept typing, his eyes glued to the screen. "You know, I got an invite to your brother's wedding."

LA picked at the seam of his coffee cup. "Uh-huh."

"I take it that means you're not going."

"No," LA said firmly.

"Does your mother know that?"

"I've told her."

"So." Brandon put his phone back in his pocket. "She still thinks you're coming?"

"Fuck yes." LA groaned sharply and grumbled into his coffee. "She's fucking psychotic . I've been avoiding her fuckin' calls. Literally cannot deal with her shit right now."

"You could just block her number. You know, we have that kind of technology now. You just beep boop and no more."

"I wish it was that easy…"

"You know how you broke up with Gavin? You can break up with your mom too."

LA made a face. "Don't say it like that."

"I'm just saying! You know I stopped talking to my dad, right? Once he got remarried and—"

"Look, it's not that easy for me, okay?" LA snapped, his temper flaring. "It's my fucking mother. What the fuck am I supposed to do, huh? Just break her fuckin' heart and—"

"Hey, hey." Brandon held up his hands. "I didn't mean to piss in your cornflakes. One toxic relationship at a time, right?"

LA flipped Brandon off.

Brandon flipped him off too, smiling.

"Is that normal?" Cass whispered. "I'm pretty sure that means to F off."

"So." LA took a deep breath. "Not that I'm totally trying to change the subject or anything, but I did actually bring some of my paintings."

"Oh fuck yeah! So!" Brandon waved to the gallery. "Well, as you can see, obviously, we display a bunch of stuff from local artists. I rotate it out once a month and we have a little shindig on the first Saturday of each month to spotlight the new artist."

"Do you charge a commission fee or anything?"

"Nah. It drums up some business and keeps me connected to the community. Make sure you slap some price tags on your stuff too, okay? If anything sells, every penny goes to you."

"You don't already have anyone else lined up?"

"Hey." Brandon shrugged, cracking a little grin. "What are friends for?"

"Thank you, that's—"

"As long as you bring Cass."

"What?"

"Bring Cass to the show this weekend." Brandon smirked. "I wanna meet him."

Cass squeaked. "Oh! This is going to be exciting!"

"Right." LA cleared his throat. "I just have to, uh, make sure he's free or whatever."

And that he can actually take on a human form .

"Text me, okay?" Brandon smiled.

While they had been chatting, customers had steadily streamed in. The counter was packed, and the line was now going out the door. The cashier appeared slightly panicked and shot Brandon an imploring stare.

"Oh. Right." Brandon cleared his throat. "Uh, just text me, okay? Let me give you a hand unloading the paintings. We can put them in the back."

"Yeah, sure." LA stood with a wince, waiting for the stabbing pain in his back to stop so he could step forward. He smiled when Cass held his hips to steady him, and he turned his head to mouth thank you .

Brandon led the way outside, weaving through the crowd and then holding the door open for LA.

"Place is really doing great, huh?" LA headed to his car, glancing back at the line going around the side of the building. "Wow."

"Yeah." Brandon grinned. "The secret is to put crack in the coffee."

"That'll do it." LA chuckled as he popped open the trunk of his car. "So, I just brought a few. I wasn't sure how many…?"

"You saw that wall. You can definitely bring more." Brandon grinned, pulling out the one with intestines made of buttons. "Damn, this was always my favorite. I love the colors."

"Thanks."

"Have you done anything new?"

"No. Not for a while."

"Well, you should! You seriously got a gift. You shouldn't be—"

"Excuse me!" An older woman with neon pink hair approached them. She was smiling, her eyes fixed on the painting in Brandon's hands. "Is that for a new exhibition?"

"Yes, ma'am." Brandon nodded. "LA, this is Georgina Plum. Longtime patron. Mrs. Plum, this is my friend, LA Holmes. He's also the artist."

LA offered his hand out to her. "Hi, nice to meet you."

"A pleasure!" Georgina gushed. "May I?" She gestured to the other paintings.

"Oh, sure." LA pulled the rest out to show her.

"These are deliciously macabre." Georgina gasped. "The mixture of mediums gives them all such presence . They're just stunning. Stunning!" She eyed Brandon. "Is he going to be the next featured artist?"

"Yup!" Brandon nodded. "We'll have his show this Saturday, but I'm probably gonna hang some of these up after the lunch rush. Which I really need to get back to!" He grabbed a big stack of the paintings, only leaving one for LA to tote.

"It was nice to meet you," LA said to Georgina, offering a friendly smile.

"A pleasure! An absolute pleasure!" Georgina wiggled her fingers in a little wave. "I'll see you at the showing!"

"Bye!" LA followed Brandon into the coffee shop to the back hallway. It was cluttered with extra chairs and big stacks of soda syrup, and LA nearly tripped over a box of paper straws as Brandon ushered him in his office.

"They'll be safe in here until I can get 'em up on the wall." Brandon carefully stacked each painting on his messy desk. He turned to get the one LA was carrying to add it to the pile. "Here we go! I know it looks crazy in here, but nobody will mess with 'em."

"Thank you, man. Seriously." LA gave Brandon a quick hug.

"Of course!" Brandon patted LA's back. "Sorry to rush off like this, but duty calls and all that. Oh, and hey, Georgina? Don't be surprised if she snatches up all your work."

"What?"

"She's, like, this kooky art chick and she's always looking for new stuff." Brandon let LA leave the office first and then turned to lock the door. "Last time she was really into one of the artists here, she literally bought the entire gallery out."

"Wow. Okay." LA smiled a little. "Cool."

Brandon brought LA out of the cramped hallway and back into the crowded dining room. He gave him another quick hug. "Hey! Gotta go. But text me! Me, you, Kevin, Cass. Saturday!"

"Yup! Got it!" LA waved as Brandon hurried back toward the counter. "Later, man!"

Brandon gave one last wave and then jumped back in to help the cashier wrangle the crowd.

"Wow," Cass gushed.

LA jumped. He'd almost forgotten about the giant monster shadowing him. He smiled up at Cass and made a beeline to the car so they could actually talk without him looking like a crazy person.

"He is just wonderful! Oh my gosh! This is so exciting! An actual art show! A wedding!" Cass squealed loudly and then cleared his throat. "I, I don't mean to assume about being your date. Or it being a date. The show, I meant. I—"

"Can you really turn into a human?"

"Yes?"

"Then it sounds like you're going to be my date."

"Oh goody!" Cass's wings flapped. "So! What do we do now?"

"We go home and you watch me drink while we celebrate."