The Magic Of Mateo

Comforts

"Don't forget the movie. This is turning into a very busy night. Let's attempt this insane trip to the hot tub and have tea and salve when we get back, okay? You can prepare your magic while I try to set up the projector."

"Very efficient. Okay, let me take the chair outside. Wear your coat and we can put the sleeping bag just over your legs."

He throws his hands up in a sort of 'why the hell not' and we somehow manage to get him downstairs, wrapped, and on the chair. Now for the crazy part. The chair wants to spin and go in all sorts of directions other than forward and I nearly toss him off at least once. He is gripping the seat of the chair with his hands and laughing as I tug, push and pray our way down the lane. "This is the most fun I've had since Disneyworld" he tells me as we speed up going down the small hill. I pretend to tip him on purpose but he just yells 'Wheee'. I can't help but smile. A real one.

When we enter, the warmth of the laundry room and the running dryers greets us. He shows me a door that isn't marked and we go inside. It's steamy and wonderful and I am really mad that he didn't tell me about this before. Then I realize that we didn't bring swim trunks. "Shit. I can not go back out there, it is freezing." I'm warming up but I still can't feel my nose.

Harris locks the door behind us and starts stripping. "Oh." He pauses once his shirt is off. "I didn't think, you want a swimsuit?"

I'm very confused. Very. "Did you bring yours?"

"Nope. I used to shower under a hose outside before coming into the house and then the army is communal showers so I don't have any issues. You've seen my leg and that's the worst of it but I should have thought about you, sorry. Maybe we can leave our underwear on?"

Fuck that. I start stripping. "No, naked is fine and for you, it's free." Then I wink. He panics for half a second before giving me a look that I've learned means he thinks I'm being a smart ass. I see it a lot. "I can help you in?"

"If you get in and sit, I can use your shoulder. Thank you."

We spend a glorious hour melting. We don't say much, a rarity for me, but I don't feel the need to fill the empty spaces. He hoists himself up and sits on the edge, putting a towel over his lap and leaving his legs dangling in the water. "I can't handle the heat like you can. Don't overheat though."

"This is the best. I might sleep here. You may never see me again."

"I'm pretty sure someone would notice eventually. They do come in and clean it."

"Fine, but I may stop in every day after work. It's amazing."

"It is. I love having it and the pool here. I float a lot during the summer to help with pain and swimming has helped me regain some strength." He slips back down into the water. "I was hoping the solutions to all my problems might come to me while being pummeled to death but at least my leg has stopped throbbing. Or maybe I just can't tell right now. Either way it's a win."

"I don't want you to have problems. Tell me. My mother says that a burden shared is a burden halved."

That takes him a second to translate, I can see his brain working. I'm about to attempt to not butcher it in English when he says 'Ah, yes. Okay, sure. There aren't any answers though so don't feel bad about not coming up with one."

"But you feel bad."

He does a half smile, half grimace and nods. "You're right. That helps, actually. Okay so I know Kade, Darren, Dare? What do you call him? Smokey?"

"Dare and smokey, yes. I know who you mean."

"So we're on the board of a Veterans charity, All for Veterans. I've been trying to find some money to develop a tiny home community here. There are a lot of homeless Vets in LA, Mateo, and that kills me." He wipes his face and tilts his head back and I give him a moment to compose himself. "Dare and I worked for a month on a grant to give us enough to get started. It fell through, we didn't get it. I really thought this might be the year and now with Nixon... it's frustrating. I spend all day trying to help people and I do, and I try to remind myself of that, but it never feels like enough. There are always more people who need services."

I can't imagine. I only let myself down, well me and Mario and my mother and Alex and almost everyone else I know. Maybe I can imagine. His work is important and I hate that he feels bad. His phone beeps and he wipes his hands before grabbing it. He types, then puts it down. He looks happy. "Good news?"

"Yes! We're starting the new D&D campaign, we're going to play at Ka-, shit, Dare's. Since I have to haul my ass over there anyway, want to come? Alex says he'll do some last minute GED review with you. Of course you could play, too. I'd be more than happy to teach you."

"I have no desire to roll dice all night and pretend to be a goblin but more studying can't hurt, right?" This way I'll be able to keep an eye on him and if I'm coming, Dare will get us an Uber and take some strain off Harris' leg. He'd do it for Harris of course, but he wouldn't ask or accept. "I have a pretty flexible work schedule, it's not on Saturday right?" That's when I make most of my money.

"No, during the week. I think they're still debating between Tuesday and Wednesday. I'll let you know."

Eventually we agree that we really are becoming prunes and need to get back home. We dry off as thoroughly as we can with the crappy towels they provide, then retrace our epic trek back into the trailer. I am exhausted by the time I haul the chair back in. "Aye, I must work out more."

"Do you work out?"

I'm not sure if he's being a jerk or not, honestly. "My mouth and ass, do they count?"

He looks up from the projector contraption, reaches over and throws a pillow at me. "No. Can you grab a sheet from underneath my bed? Let's see if this thing actually works. Oh, and the pillow." I throw it back over and then hang a sheet. "Do you have Netflix or anything?"

"I can steal it, one sec." I pull up some 'free' movies and let him choose while I make us each a cup of tea. Then we finagle all the tent pillows and I grab the ones from the bed as well so we can mostly sit up. "We could make it back into a couch soon since I'm sleeping in your bed now." I will miss my tent but once it warms up my plants won't need it and I would rather sleep with Harris.

"Oh you are, are you?"

"Mmm hmmm. Did you see your present?"

"The donuts?"

Crap, I forgot them. I climb out and grab the bag. "No, I fixed your bed. You will see it after the movie. Now quiet, I can't hear."

"I'm not the one talking, Teo."

"Are too." Lying in my magical tent with Harris next to me is a great way to spend an evening. I am still boneless from the hot tub and I'm comfortable. The movie is funny and we laugh at the same parts. Even better, we are watching it in Spanish with English subtitles. I would feel bad but he chose it; who am I to argue? When it ends, we're both tired and I know he has to get up early in the morning. I climb out first and then help him out. While he gets ready for bed in the bathroom, I put the plants back into the tent and cover them back up. I follow him into his room, suddenly nervous about his reaction. "We can take it down, it might not work. I just..."

He turns and pulls me into a hug. He isn't grabby, simply offers and I take him up on it. He whispers against my ear "Are you fucking serious, Teo?" Maybe? He releases me and looks back towards the foot of his bed and the blanket that is raised up in an arch over the footboard and again about two feet up. "It is two pool noodles from the dollar store. I taped it so we can remove it. If the blanket does not touch you it won't get tangled, right? You were so cold last night." His blanket wasn't quite long enough to cover the new length so I taped a towel to the end and draped that over the bottom.

He inhales and bites his lip. "Why didn't I think of this?"

"I am magic, Harris, do not blame yourself. No one can keep up with me. Hair witch, tea witch, plant witch and now bed witch." That sounded better in my head. "If it works we can come up with a better system."

"I only really need it on cold nights and this looks perfect. I think it just might work, Teo. Thank you."

*** I love these two so, so, so freaking much!  Any ideas for chaos I should get them into?  Is there anything you'd like to see more of? They're sooooo cute!  Squeeeee