TYLER WILLIAMS

“Exactly what I was saying,” agreed Zachary. He was glad they were finding common grounds, even when it was ironically in the matters of disagreeing. At Tyler’s openly flirtatious retort, Zachary rolled his eyes, but an accompanying smirk appeared on his face too. He wasn’t blind to the fact that Tyler was a good-looking guy, but as they had been on a rocky road thus far, Zachary wasn’t actively swelling on that fact. At the moment, he was listening to his husband, replying, “You’re welcome,” at the expressed gratitude. It was then that Zachary began to gather up the used and mildly bloodied gauze to pitch in the trash that he heard Tyler’s question. For a moment, his back was to him and Zachary contemplated in a few rapid seconds before turning back around to say, “I wasn’t able to fall asleep before you knocked. Applying first aid to you certainly won’t serve as any sort of lullaby, so…” With his words trailing off, he stepped away into the kitchen long enough to throw the gauze away, and when he returned he plainly stated, “You can ask me some questions.”

Zachary started to open his mouth to protest that he didn’t do those things but he closed his mouth with a chagrined smirk, knowing better than to state that lie. “Alright,” was all he replied with instead, wiping carefully at the fresh marks across Tyler’s back. After listening to him respond and talk out his side of things. “That’s fair. I don’t like the idea of us being at odds about everything, but I also don’t expect you to agree with me and the things that I do all of the time. Frankly, that would be odd and unbelievable to me.” 

When Tyler spoke on, Zachary started to set aside the cleaning materials and switch to the dry gauze and medical tape, covering each mark and sealing it with the tape so they wouldn’t come off easily. The entire time, he was still listening to Tyler’s confession, but the question he posed at the end took the CEO by surprise. His brows raised slightly  while the rest of his face sat blank, taking in the proposal that they try again. It wasn’t until Tyler looked back at him and added another question that his expression changed. Only the slightest of smirks split across his face while he rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you would have enjoyed it under other circumstances.” Smoothing down the last bit of medical tape against his back, he put away what he could and gathered up the used material. “But, I don’t think we’re a lost cause as a couple. And I still would like to get to know you.” Moving to his feet so Tyler wouldn’t have to twist around to look at him, Zachary said, “I’m willing to try again if you are.”

“We’re not going to agree and we both can be a bit stubborn with our views, but we can agree to disagree. It doesn’t have to turn into a big thing,“ Tyler said. They argued, but it didn’t always have to come to blows. Tyler was exhausted from the constant fighting. If they were really going to give this a go, they would both need to make some sort of effort with each other. 

Zachary did chuckle a little at Tyler’s honesty about the scratching. “I’m sure tonight’s thoroughly written off any curiosity you could have ever had before.” He sat down behind Tyler and was attentive, his eyes watching the angry marks clawed down his back. He was listening to his husband, all the while cleaning the scratches with tender pressure on the gauze. Hearing the apologies and the explanation made Zachary’s expression more thoughtful before he responded.

“Thank you,” he replied after another passing moment. “The nickname… I have never liked or been comfortable with many if any nicknames for myself. It might seem odd but it’s just how I was raised. My sister tries, to tease from time to time, but even that is rare. But that’s why it bothers me.” Dampening a new gauze with the peroxide, he continued on cleaning. “It might not seem like it but I am trying to get to know you. Or I would like to. That isn’t why I did the background check per se, but it is why I came to talk to you about it.” He went silent or a moment and then explained, “I have colleagues–others who are… high in the rankings with the company. They don’t know the details of your record, but they know it turned up a criminal record and needless to say, they quickly had strong opinions, along with apologies for pushing me into this experiment.” As he finished up with the cleaning, Zachary rifled through his kit to bandage the wounds, all the while speaking on. “I was angry, because they pushed me into this, but as soon as they conclude my new spouse is a potential risk for business, they immediately backpedal, and I know most of them have been expecting me to forgive them right away. I haven’t, and I hadn’t made my mind up straight away that your record automatically meant an issue. That was the other reason I came to talk to you, to gain more understanding.” Cracking a dry smile, he said, “There’s a reason I’m the CEO and they aren’t. But that aside…. I know I told you before I wouldn’t apologize. I’m still not sorry for knowing about your record now, but I am sorry I hadn’t at least forewarned you. I wasn’t seeking to add to our already strained relationship.”

“Okay, I’ll lay off the nicknames and if I call you Zach by accident, just give me that hooded eyes and growly voice thing you do to remind me,“ Tyler smirked. Even though they hadn’t been getting along, Tyler still had eyes, he knew Zachary was hot.  He clenched his fists as Zachary continued to clean his wounds, they were stinging a bit, but it was helping. At least one good thing had come out of the bar fight tonight, they were making friends. Talking for the first time in a long time. It was progress, slow, but still, progress. “I get that, and I know why you did it but I probably won’t ever agree. Thanks for explaining ti to me though. I can see your side. I’m not sure if I ever would have told you about my history. If we’d gotten along from the start, I would have over time. Made sure you knew me before I told you.“ Zachary had done it for a business reason, Tyler wasn’t a business, he was supposed to be Zachary’s husband. Still, he couldn’t be mad forever about it. This would just be a barrier for them to move on. He didn’t want that. 

He and Tyler might not have interacted much outside of their past arguments but Zachary hadn’t seen him look so pained, uncomfortably so before. When Tyler turned around to show his back, the older man’s eyes widened a fraction. It really did look like a cat used his back for a scratching post. “It’s a nice feeling when blood’s not drawn,” Zachary coolly admitted, unashamed of a kink of his. But he looked right to the bench when Tyler spoke of antiseptics and went to retrieve it. 

“Sure,” he replied, having mostly recovered from his shock of seeing Tyler’s injuries. “Wait here a moment.” Still holding the bottle of peroxide, Zachary strode into his room and the attached bathroom, only to return with a first aid kit.  He dampened some gauze with the antiseptic, preparing to gently dab it along the tracks on Tyler’s back. As he began, to try and distract from the inevitable sting, he said, “You didn’t wake me by the way. I haven’t been sleeping well lately…”

Tyler had never been with a woman so the sensation of being clawed was new to him. All the men he’d been within the past had short nails. “I’ve never had the experience before, it's not on my list to try again any time soon,” Tyler replied. Watching as Zach went to get the things for his back. Despite the troubles between them, he was still helping and that meant a lot to Tyler. 

“Yes, seven. Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Apollo, Artemis, Athena, and Aphrodite.  I have pictures of them if you want to see them,” Addie excitedly listed, knowing of all the topics that she could talk about, her cats were probably her favorite, “And I understand that I’ve sort of been that way with Sophia too, but I did meet her family.  So that was interesting.”

“Oh…” she said in response to his qustion, not really sure how to answer itin a way that didn’t make her seem completely lame, “I don’t really meet people.  Ever.  I work out of my house and then stay home, and so I don’t really have many friends as a result.  And I haven’t dated like….ever.”

“So you like the gods, huh?“ Tyler smiled. “Definitely, I’ve always wanted a bet when I get myself in a better position. So loyal, better than people sometimes.“ Tyler raised his eyebrows, surprised, he hadn’t even gotten a hello from his husband. “Wow, you two are doing so much better than us. I’m thinking of ending things early.“

Zachary sat near the edge of the master bedroom’s bed in a pair of dark pajama pants and a thin cotton, fitted v-neck. His contact lenses were out for the night and under typical circumstances, he would have been asleep already. However, he had trouble quieting his mind for sleep ever since his and Tyler’s last fight. Their avoidance of one another when the two of them were at the apartment seemed like it was just thickening tension, so rather than subject himself to it, Zachary would extend his work days at the office or at his permanent estate, if he wasn’t in the mood to deal with his colleagues. 

He sat under one foot, gazing at his tablet from behind a pair of glasses few people had ever seen him in, and periodically guided his index finger up one side of the screen to scroll through a web page but he heard the front door shut and glanced up towards his closed bedroom door. Tyler was back. From where, Zachary wasn’t sure, but his reflex was internal tensing across his chest. Neither of them ever disturbed the other from their rooms so he knew it was irrational but eventually he peeled his eyes away from the door and continued with what he was doing. That was, until he heard his name called. Tyler’s voice sounded strange to him, but what puzzled him even more was that he was hearing his name at all. Taking a deep breath, Zachary set the table down on top of the comforter and headed to the door, letting himself be known. Although he could make out Tyler’s silhouette in the dim natural moonlight, he flicked one of the light switches on to assist his poor eyesight, only to flinch. Brows knitting together, he cut through his initial shock and outright asked, “What happened?”

Tyler ran a hand over his face as he heard Zachary coming. He really wasn’t up for another fight, they were at a low point right now and things couldn’t possibly get any worse. He probably should have just tried to deal with it himself. “I’ve got a job at this shitty bar, no background checks and easy money but its just full idiots,” Tyler explained. “Some guys were getting handsy with the waitress so I threw them out. One of the girls with these guys attacked my damn back with her nails trying to stop me.”

Zachary didn’t move other than his eyes following Tyler. He listened to the younger man fire off questions in his fury and began narrowing his eyes, grinding his teeth from behind closed lips at all the remarks and assumptions. Still holding his same expression as Tyler went ahead to explain why he received his charges and sentencing, Zachary listened albeit with something of a struggle. He did want to hear Tyler’s side of all this but hadn’t gotten to explaining ‘why’ before the explosion of a reaction occurred. 

“Are you sure?” he derisively when Tyler proclaimed that they were done. “If you weren’t so quick to assume, again you would know why I did it, even though I thought it was pretty clear after I told you ‘I have them done on any and everyone I’m associated with’. All the assumptions you make and you don’t have one in this case with me being a CEO or attempting to understand what that means for me, nor have you even bothered to ask or try to learn much of anything about me. Not only that, but you haven’t exactly been the most honest and forthcoming person with me thus far, so what makes you think I should have expected that from you now?” Zachary challenged, folding his arms across his chest with a tightening grip on the folder. “Believe me or don’t but no, I don’t think you’re a nut case. I didn’t know what to think yet which is why I came to talk to you about it because I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, but once again, you jump right to your assumptions.” Glowering when Tyler ditched his wedding band, the CEO responded, his voice curt. “I’m not your siblings and them not believing you is something you’ll have to work out with them. You want out of this because of me running a background check on you? Fine. Tell the recruiters you’re done. But if I decide I want out of this marriage, it’s not going to be because of your background.” His voice sharpened as he held up the folder and then dropped it on the nearby counter with a hard slap! “It’d be because of you jumping to conclusions more than anyone I know.” 

Tyler rolled his eyes, not surprised by Zachary’s reaction. He’d expect some kind of apology, but the guy was trying to switch it around like Tyler was in the wrong. Not this time. He was sick of coming out the bad guy. “I get you’re some big company guy, but I’m not some employee,” Tyler groundout. “I don’t care if you’ve done this to people in your life, it's invasive and just fucking... rude. You just don’t go around doing full background checks, it might be normal for you, but it's not for me.”

“Not much, today was a really slow day at work, and because I moved the casts into the apartment my house, which is where I work, was pretty empty, so it was kind of a really boring day,” Addie admitted with a small shrug. “How are you?” she asked as she followed him into the bar. 

“I like quiet, it’s a whole lot better than being crammed full of people,” Addie smiled as she thought about everything, “I think that I just want sprite if that’s okay.  I’d typically get either Coke or Pepsi, I don’t really have a preference, but caffeine makes me jittery.”

“Oh I can imagine, you have like... seven cats, right?“ Tyler asked. He knew there were loads of them, but couldn’t remember the number exactly. “It’s been fine, a little boring to be honest. I’m trying to get out of the house when Mr. Grumpy’s home so we can avoid each other.“