Chapter Eight

Early Saturday, Rahul leaned back in his office chair, using his palms to massage his temples as he shut his eyes against the dozen or so different reports that reminded him incessantly about memories he thought he"d long put to rest. He had them spread out by correlation, placed on top of, under, and in between his army of frog knick-knacks with their miniature knitted garments.

Grunting, he sat up and reached for his coffee mug, looking inside. Empty. He set the mug back down, then paused.

Hadn"t he already done that twice, now?

"Hey, babe?"

Rahul yawned, covering his mouth with one hand and waving at Tucker with the other. "Hey, pup. What are you doing up so early?"

"It"s after seven." His boyfriend approached him, then bent down to lay his head against Rahul"s chest while he hugged his shoulders. Rahul patted Tucker on his head, then started running his fingers through his short, tousled hair. "What about you?"

"I"m having a good weekend morning," Rahul hedged, trying to sound upbeat and pleasant. When Tucker pulled back sharply away from the head pats—head pats!—he knew he was in trouble.

Tucker sniffed, peering at him searchingly, before at last nodding to himself. "You didn"t sleep, did you."

"Can"t pull the wool over your eyes, huh."

"No." Tucker gave him a quick kiss. "But I won"t pry if you don"t want me to. Just know that I am here if you want to talk. And if you instead need to vent, or have someone just to listen to you, I could also go dog-form."

"Heh. Thanks, puppy, but it"s not as big as all that. Just give me a moment?"

Tucker nodded, then plopped down on the floor, laying his head against Rahul"s thigh while he hugged his thick calf and closed his eyes.

Rahul took a moment to collect his thoughts while absentmindedly running a hand across Tucker"s cheek. "Last week, I know I"d said that everything about Germaine was water under the bridge. But I was going over all these old case files, and I can"t help but remember that this had been my last case with DOMA. Ten years with them, great record, amazing memories, and then it ends in crummy office politics because someone needed a scapegoat."

Tucker just patted him on the leg.

"Thanks. I"m not absolving myself, though, our couples counseling made it clear that I could have handled things differently. Talked things over with you, or Fang, or hell, even Clairmont himself. But anyways, none of that"s the point! I was going over the reports of that last day from all the field agents, and I think some of the things aren"t adding up right. Do you think you could get me the transcripts from all the video debriefings and after-action reports?"

Tucker stood up, tilting his head as he mouthed words, then nodded. "I reckon I can do that, so I"m gonna give you three options. Option one, if it"s that urgent, I can head in to HQ now and procure the copies."

Rahul shook his head. "Nah, it"s not that vital."

"Alrighty. Then option two, I bribe you with getting them later today in exchange for you going back to bed with me now, because you"re looking mighty tired. You were still up when Leif and I got in at three, and I"m betting that you slipped out of the covers the second the two of us fell asleep, right?"

"It was more like fifteen seconds after, but yes, you know me so well, love. I was actually surprised your canine hearing didn"t catch me."

Tucker rolled his eyes, but had a grin on his face. "It was a three-hour ride back with Jamie and her fiancé. I reckon my ears must have shut themselves off in self-defense. Anyways, option three, a compromise. Babe, I know you love your mysteries, but you can get kind of hyperfocused. If you need just a little bit more time, I could do some morning yoga, and you can have yourself another hour to solidify some of your puzzle pieces, and then we both go back to bed for some rest before the afternoon spa."

Rahul looked at the mess of papers around his computer desk, at his multiple monitors with their open browsers and documents, at a stack of sticky notes on the arm of his chair, and then back at Tucker, who without a second thought was willing to put off his own sleep in order to give Rahul an easy excuse to keep working."

Rahul stood up, then grabbed his boyfriend around his waist, gently running his hands up and down his torso. "Give me five minutes to put things away, then we"ll go to bed together."

"Alright," he drawled, then came in for a hug before stepping back and out of Rahul"s way. "I figure we"ll all get up at around eleven, so that gives us another four hours or so.I"ll see you upstairs soon, don"t keep me waiting."

Rahul watched him as he left with a bounce and a look back, then started gathering the reports up in a hurry.

◆◆◆

After making sure the door to the Luna Room was firmly shut behind him, Rahul ran a thumb over the sauna"s digital timer, activating its twenty minute countdown. He then joined Sebastian Whitetail at one end of the semi-circular bench, sitting across from Tucker, Leif, and Rickert.

"I think you"ll like this one better than the last one, cub," Rahul said, unwrapping the towel from around his waist and spreading it over the wooden bench.

"It wasn"t that bad," Leif hedged, his hands folded neatly in his lap, and his knees nearly pressed together to avoid bumping into Rickert and Tucker who had found seats on either side of him.

Tucker barked a laugh, and Leif ducked his head.

"Okay, fine. It was just so hot! How do people stand being in it for the whole time? Hang on, before you answer, I mean people who aren"t djinn or gargoyles or sun-loving shifters."

"I think it"s something you just get used to over time," Sebastian offered, who"d joined Leif in a premature escape from one of the spa"s hotter sauna rooms. He ran his fingers through his bushy auburn chops, then adjusted his loose cotton boxers; out of the five of them, he was the only one not taking part in the facility"s clothing-optional policy.

"Pretty much that," Rahul said. He laid a hand on Sebastian"s shoulder, giving it a nudge. "Seb, let me know afterwards if this is something you like, we could come back every now and then and build up your tolerance."

"I do like the pools, at least," he admitted. "Jury"s still out on the whole sweating to death part."

Rahul gave his shoulder another rub, then rested his hand on the bench behind him.

"So, the Luna Room," Rahul began, reciting what he remembered from the website and the sign posted outside the door, "is meant to provide you with the sacred energy of the moon, which you can tell by the blue lighting and all the moonstones lining the walls. Supposedly it"s ideal for the artistic and spiritual soul. Anyone feeling particularly inspired?"

"Rahul bro, I"m actually inspired as fuck," Rickert said, staring at the ceiling. "These gemstones are kinda cool. I mean, I love my sleek obsidian look when I"m in my stone form, but I haven"t changed it up in years. What do you think about me with some lustrous stripes, or maybe some moonstone claws?"

"Moonstone nipples," Tucker stated, standing up just long enough to spread his towel out so that he could lay down on the bench with his head on Leif"s thigh.

"Aw, hell yeah! Can you imagine?" Rickert scooted closer to Leif, reaching over him to scratch Tucker at his jaw, which got the shifter"s leg shaking. He left his muscular arm resting on Leif"s leg as he started petting Tucker"s head."I"ll look into it and run it by Jamie, she"s great with color theory."

"Do these rooms actually provide all the things they say they do?" Leif asked, clearly fidgeting as he looked around the room at anywhere that wasn"t his lap.

"There"s some evidence towards different kinds and colors of light affecting brain chemistry," Rahul said as he subtly tapped Sebastian on the arm and then pointed across the room at Leif"s growing hardon, currently trapped by his inner thigh but unlikely to remain so. "But unless you happen to run across one of the rare natural healing saunas, or an expensively enchanted one, no, it"s all placebo apart from the normal positive effects of a sauna."

"Ah, got it.

"It could be something you might be able to do one day with your spirit magic, though."

"Mmhmm."

Yeah, the cub was definitely distracted. Should only be a few more seconds, though, before—

"Oho, hey bro! I"m happy to see you, too."

Rahul grinned.

He watched as Leif sighed, and if his cub weren"t already red from the heat, he"d be blushing hard enough to match Rickert"s leathery hide. As the gargoyle pulled his arm back, Leif"s cock sprang free.

"It"s cool, little bro. I should have been more careful, I know the effect I have on ya", heh."

"Darlin"," Tucker said accusingly, "did I just lose my head scratches because you got hard?"

"Oh, dang, sorry puppy bro! Let me fix that."

Laughing, Rickert rested his arm back on Leif"s leg, his forearm bouncing against Leif"s shaft with every exaggerated motion of his hand. Leif kept his arms held hovering in front of himself, apparently not knowing what to do with them at first, before settling one up on Rickert"s upper arm and the other on Tucker"s chest.

"It"s a pity Sakari couldn"t make it," Rahul said quietly to Sebastian, leaning in and laying an arm lightly on his shoulder.

"Even if she weren"t spending the day with our son, she"d have found another excuse. The heat just isn"t her thing. It"s part of why we moved up to Minnesota."

"No shit? That"s good to know, thanks. The sauna might have been all puppy"s idea, but I like planning social outings with different friends a few times a month, and I"d hate for anyone to miss out because I picked a bad location."

"We"ve noticed, and we"re grateful. Kari loves to make new friends, and you and she seem to be getting along like two peas in a pod." He looked down at where Rahul"s hand was making idle circles on his chest, then returned to staring at the antics across the room. "By which I mean you"re both capital "T" Trouble."

"Since you voluntarily married a kitsune, I"ll take it as a compliment." Rahul let his fingertips lazily trail down Sebastian"s dad bod—Tucker would describe it as him having a "father figure"—then indicated the tenting of his boxers where a pink shaft could be partially seen through the front slit. "You know those things haven"t hidden anything since the first room, right? When they"re wet, they cling to your every delectable feature. Might as well go nude like the rest of us."

"I couldn"t possibly," he said gruffly. "Bad enough you and Kari got me belly-dancing in silks and a midriff. It"s embarrassing!"

"Hey now, you"re dead sexy, and everyone loves you in the class. Besides, it beats running on a treadmill."

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry, Rahul, I"m venting. Just, you know, compared to these three…"

Sebastian gestured at the rest of their group. Rickert was now standing with one foot on the bench, leaning over Leif in order to present a flexed bicep in front of his face, which had the expected result of Tucker leaping up to mirror his gym buddy on Leif"s other side, growling playfully. The two of them then began taking turns encouraging Leif to try to wrap his hands around their sizable muscles, which Leif"s twitching cock said he was more than fine with—and, of course, the attention to his muscles was having a noticeable effect on Rickert"s own member, which was now hard and prodding Leif"s shoulder.

"I get it, we"re not twenty-year olds anymore," Rahul finished, and his fellow middle-aged man nodded. "Can"t just have pizza three meals a day. And then there"s the back problems, and the neck…"

"Don"t forget the knees."

"Those either. But you know what? I wouldn"t trade anything about my life now to get the me back from back then. And you know what else? Two of those guys over there love me for who I am, love handles and all. And I"ll bet Sakari has told you the same, yes?"

Sebastian looked up at him, then relented, smiling. "Yeah, "course she has."

"Good!" Rahul reached up and gave his pecs a firm squeeze. "Because damn, Seb, you"re definitely a sexy beast, and if you need me to repeat it a thousand times, I will."

"Ha! Alright, enough of that. I suppose I can stick with the dancing. Kari did tell me that she likes how it makes me more limber in the bedroom."

"Good for her!" Rahul slid his hand down to Sebastian"s boxers, tugging at the hem and causing his tent to bounce. "And anytime you want to show me those same moves…"

Laughing while shaking his head, Sebastian grabbed Rahul"s hand and set it down on his own thigh, patting it as if to keep it in place, then seemed to change his mind and instead lifted it to put around his shoulder. Rahul pulled him into a hot, sweaty, one-armed hug. "I was right. Trouble, no doubt about it."

As Sebastian leaned against him, his hand resting on his inner thigh, Rahul called out to the others. "Hey now, you three settle down. This isn"t a place to get worked up. Especially you, Tucker, no weredog shifting in here or you"ll instantly overheat."

He was given three different apologies as they sat back down, and silence returned to the chamber.

After a few minutes of basking in the heat, he cleared his throat. "I think we"ll do the cold room next. A few minutes of freezing temperatures should cool those heads."

Four different voices overlapped with questions and protests, which he proceeded to ignore for the moment, leaning back and closing his eyes.

When the timer chimed its twenty minutes, Rahul was quick to usher everyone out. Though neither he nor Rickert would suffer from remaining in the heat, Leif and Sebastian weren"t so blessed, and even Tucker"s shifter stamina would eventually flag. After a short break in the common area spent hydrating and cooling off, their towels wrapped around their waists or slung over their shoulders, Rahul led the way to their next stop with assurances as to the healthy properties of cryothermal therapy.

After another three hours spent availing themselves of the different sauna rooms, spa treatments, and cleansing pools, they took a last shower and water break before calling it quits. Rahul hugged Sebastian goodbye first, and then Rickert, who strapped on a GPS signaling device and took to the skies as he flew back home to his apartment. Leif wobbled his way into the back seat of Rahul"s car, and Tucker took the passenger seat.

"Thank you, pup," Rahul said, reaching across the seat to lay a hand on Tucker"s leg. "This was a perfect cap to the week."

"Yeah, I figured you"d need something a bit more social than yoga or howling at the moon to relax."

"I liked hanging with Sebastian," Leif said. "It was different seeing him without Sakari, though."

"We"ll see plenty of both tomorrow. Deimos and his wife also texted earlier, confirming. Any word on Fang and Alyssa?"

"Um, Alyssa texted me privately, saying that she"s not sure if Fang is feeling it."

"Well, damn. Tucker, is she still avoiding you?"

"Julia and Rickert both think so, but I suspect I finally figured out why. When Clairmont first brought up Germaine, she didn"t want him to tell me about it, and when I was in the records room I saw her handling all the papers, preparing to give them to the weekend crew. I reckon she was concerned about me being put on the exact same case that almost cost me my job. She"s worried about me, but can"t override the executive director"s wishes."

"You did take it pretty hard the first day," Rahul said.

Tucker nodded. "Yeah, but half a year spent with you two and finally letting Dr. Lynn convince me to see an actual therapist helped. I feel steadier than I used to, I just needed to take some time to think it all through."

Rahul spared a quick glance, seeing Tucker staring down at his lap. He kept his tongue, letting his boyfriend work through his thoughts.

"I"m gonna call her," he said finally. A few seconds later, Rahul heard the faint sounds of a phone ringing through Tucker"s cellphone. It rang four times, and then clicked over to voicemail. "Director, hi, it"s Tucker. If you get this message, it"s not an emergency, I just wanted to say that I know why you"ve been avoiding me at work, and it"s fine. I"m not bothered at all, and I hope you can still make tomorrow"s dinner with your girlfriend. I"ll see you at work next week if not, and we can talk things through then. Bye."

"Attaboy, pup, way to communicate."

"Thanks, babe."

They made idle small talk the rest of the drive back home, talking about their favorite sauna rooms. The Luna room was Tucker"s favorite, though Leif preferred their Neptune steam room with its extreme humidity.

"It"s a shame neither of you tried the Sol room with me and Rickert," Rahul said. "It had gorgeous decor, and you sat on woven mats on the ground."

Tucker phone chimed while Rahul was describing the rest of the room"s furnishings, and he paused his story.

"Is that Fang?"

"Yup. Short and to the point, she says she and Alyssa will be there tomorrow."

"Fantastic!Let"s make sure Sunday is a great day all around."