43. Not Sweet

Foxx's face twisted as he read the reply from Alastair a second time.

ALASTAIR

Hey, bestie. Told you it would work out! In recognition of me being right, and due to the untold stress this situation has caused me, I decided that the only rational decision that I could make was to go on holiday. Sadly, I'll be out of touch briefly, so don't come looking for me. And as the signal will likely be bad…don't bother calling. No worries, I'll call you when I'm ready. Love you!! Toodles!

"What bollocks?! Untold stress!?! To HIM?!" Foxx hissed as he tossed his phone on the kitchen island. "The bastard ran!"

Harlow, who was by the stove cooking him fluffy, cheesy scrambled eggs, chuckled. "I mean, if you were in his position, wouldn't you?"

"That's beside the point!" Foxx huffed.

Would he have? Yes. But that wasn't the point at all. The point was, he now had to delay his pettiness! Which was fine…he could hold off. It was only a matter of time before Alastair returned.

Harlow dumped the fluffiest, cheesiest eggs onto a plate and brought it over, setting it down in front of him.

Eyeing the man, he smiled slyly, even as his heart fluttered happily. "So, you have feelings for me, old man?"

Harlow snorted. "Yeah, I feel something besides murderous and a need to fuck you."

Foxx stuck his tongue out, before snagging his fork and taking a bite. He groaned. "Mmm, cheese."

Harlow took the seat across from him, smirking. "I care, and I worry for you. And you know that cabin I have?"

Foxx took another bite before asking, "What about it?"

"Before you, no one besides me had ever stepped foot inside it."

He blinked in shock. "Really? No one else?"

"Really, no one else."

Foxx beamed and giggled, "Old man cares about his brat."

"Mmhmm, I do." Standing, Harlow leaned across the counter and gave him a peck on the lips. "Now, is there anything else you want to eat before I go?"

He frowned. "Go? Go where?"

"I have an appointment this morning. Well, this afternoon, I guess, since it's already three."

An…appointment? "You've…been having a lot of appointments lately."

His stomach dropped. Now that he was thinking about it…Harlow had been going to a LOT of appointments in the last few months.

Licking his suddenly dry lips, he found himself blurting out, "Are you sick?!"

Harlow snorted. "No. I'm not sick. Promise, I'm as healthy as I can be at this age."

"I think your joints would beg to differ." Foxx stared with a brow raised.

The human laughed. "Well, I'm as healthy as I can be after all the shit I put my body through."

Foxx wrinkled his nose. "Maybe you should get a physical to make sure that's true."

"Why would I need one? I just got one after my back issues. It's how I got approved to work again."

How should he spin this to make Harlow agree?

"Well, because you're forty-six, and have been stabbed, blown up, and shot multiple times. Not to mention, you"ve been used as a chew toy by many, many vampires, along with I'm sure plenty of other various paranormals. With our job being so physically demanding, it's only smart to get a physical like every…two… No, every month! Yes, every month."

"Foxx, I'm not getting a physical every month."

"But…at your age, things can change quickly! Wouldn't it be safer to?—"

"Foxx, I'm fine. I'm human, but I am fine."

Foxx huffed. "For how long?"

"Ah…" Harlow rubbed his neck. "I suppose we will have to have a longer discussion about me possibly becoming paranormal..."

"You'll think about it?!"

"Does me being human…worry you?"

It did. It was a worry that seemed to be building at an annoyingly fast pace. If Harlow was his…then in his mind, to not lose what he so desperately had wanted to keep, to not lose all the reasons why he had said yes…well… The only way he could ultimately keep him forever was if Harlow agreed to being changed…or let him de-age him. Which really, if one was going through all that effort, wouldn't it be better to just change species?!

"It…maybe…worries me a little."

"Then I'll think about it."

Foxx smiled. "Thank you."

Harlow grunted.

"So, when will you be back?"

"Not sure, but I shouldn't be too long, I don't think. Maybe an hour to two hours at most."

Not long at all… "Oh! I have an idea! How about when you get back, we go out on a date?! Our first date!"

"Sure…" The man's brow rose. "What do you have in mind?"

What did he have in mind? Hmm… What would both he and Harlow find fun?

"Oh, I know! Laser tag! Did you know that The End Zone bought up the building next door and turned it into an alien laser tag game?! They got it all set up while you were recuperating from your back issues."

Foxx wasn't sure who they hired, or what city official they bribed to push the permits through so fast, but construction had completed, and they were open for laser tag fun. And since The End Zone also happened to be a twenty-four hour restaurant, they didn't have to worry about what time they went.

When Harlow got up and walked around the counter, Foxx turned on his chair towards him. Smirking, the human came right up to him, his hands sliding along his waist. "We may scare or scar whatever children we end up playing against."

"They'll be fine!" Foxx giggled, gasping when those large hands slid back and downward to cup his ass.

"Will they though?" Harlow leaned down, his face just inches from his now.

"Mmhmmm." He closed the distance, giving the man a little peck before pulling away with a laugh.

His laugh cut off, and he was moaning as Harlow took his lips in a heated kiss. When the man pulled away, he glared and started to pout.

"Later," Harlow rumbled thickly. "I have to go." The man gave him one last peck and released his ass.

"Come home quickly," Foxx yelled, even as he continued to pout. But when Harlow disappeared into the hall, followed by the sound of the door opening and closing, Foxx's pout was quickly replaced by a smile.

Foxx let out a happy squeal. Ahh—he had a boyfriend who careeddd…in some capacity! Foxx giggled. "Some capacity is better than none!"

Eyeing his phone, his smile grew as he grabbed it and went to his texts. Typing fast, he giggled again as he hit send.

FOXX

My boyfriend CARES!! And he had nightmares of me dying that freaked him out so much he thought he was having a heart attack. That's how much MY boyfriend cares!!

ALASTAIR

Are you seriously bragging right now?

Foxx frowned. Was he not allowed to brag?! His psycho boyfriend maybe liked him. Wasn't that something to brag about?! Typing, he hmphed after hitting send.

FOXX

I'm not bragging, I was just telling you how happy I am. As my best friend, shouldn't you want to know?!

ALASTAIR

Tell me in a less show-offy manner and maybe I will want to listen.

Was Foxx not allowed to even breathe?! Why shouldn"t he brag about his good fortune! But fine, he could tone it down!

FOXX

Fine. He grabbed my hand as I tried to run away with my eyes full of tears, and told me that I'm not alone, that he feels things too.

ALASTAIR

Trying to write a movie now, huh? Well, I am happy that the psycho is, unbelievably, somehow working out for you.

FOXX

It's not THAT unbelievable. Harlow can be…sweet. Very sweet, in fact.

Foxx startled, almost flinging his phone when it started to ring. Face pinching, he eyed Alastair's name, and he debated it for like a second before slowly sliding his finger across the screen to answer.

"Foxx, we are talking about the same man, aren't we?" Alastair said, without even a hello.

Foxx frowned. "What other Harlow do either of us know?"

"I would like to know that as well, because you just called a man who definitely wanted to kill me over eating some of his pie, sweet!"

Well, if he hadn't wanted to get a death glare, maybe the vampire should have kept his sugar thieving hands off someone else's pie?!

"I mean, he likely wouldn't have actually killed you. Maybe just maimed you a little."

"Ahh, yes, maiming really does scream sweet," Alastair deadpanned.

"Well, he is sweet! He even had someone remake the bunny hat I lost when those priests kidnapped me! It was in the same baby pink and blue colors as before, and the man hates those colors! How is that not sweet?!"

Alastair sighed. "Are you seriously trying to make me say, out loud, that your psychopath of a boyfriend is sweet?"

"Well, you should say it, because he is!"

"I refuse."

"Refuse to see the truth, that is," Foxx huffed. "Oh, by the way, what happened to being on holiday?! Hmm?!! Thought you didn't have any signal?!"

"What happened to, ‘I'm scared'?!"

Foxx gasped. "How could you bring that up?!"

"Well, you did a one-eighty on your emotions pretty fucking fast, Foxx."

"Well, he cleared things up!"

"Thanks to me."

"You know what, go back to your fake holiday," Foxx snapped. Hanging up, he tossed his phone back onto the counter.

Was it that hard to believe that Harlow was sweet?! It was the truth! It was! Stupid Alastair.

He glared at his phone when it buzzed. Rolling his eyes, Foxx picked it up and checked the new message.

ALASTAIR

He is decidedly NOT sweet. :P

"OHH!!" Foxx hissed angrily, tossing his phone back down again. Ohh, just you wait, Alastair, he thought. Foxx's love life may be complicated, but his wasn't the only one!

Smiling evilly, he grabbed his phone and sent a quick text off to Daydric.