Cut and Run 4 - Divide and Conquer

taking in the
    unusually dark circles under Ty‟s eyes.
    Ty met his gaze silently for a long moment, then snaked his arms
    up around Zane‟s neck and hugged him, burrowing his face under
    Zane‟s chin. Zane held him tight, feeling his eyes prickle, determined
    not to move from this spot until Ty was ready.
    When Ty finally spoke, his voice was muffled, with a wry twist to
    it. “I‟m sorry I went ballistic on you.”
    Zane wrinkled his nose. “Could‟ve been worse. Some good did
    come of it,” he replied, opening his eyes, the flood of relief at being
    able to see still fresh.
    “You deserved it.”
    “Not arguing.”
    Ty raised his head to look at him, finally releasing him and
    leaning back against the counter. He looked spent, physically and
    emotionally. “Are you really better?” he asked in sincere concern.
    “Your eyes?”
    Zane relaxed, though the worry for his lover‟s state of mind still
    loomed large. “Still a little bleary, but almost back to normal. Doctor
    said not to be surprised if there was a little more bleeding or blurring.”
    He shrugged as he lifted one hand to cup Ty‟s cheek. “More than
    anything, I needed to see you again,” he whispered.
    Ty rewarded the honesty with a melancholy smile. “I missed you
    too. Jerk,” he tacked on, smile growing.
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    “Yeah, I deserve that,” Zane murmured as he stroked his fingers
    along Ty‟s cheekbone. “I might have left a bruise here.”
    Ty rolled his eyes. “Of course you did.”
    Zane leaned down and brushed his lips gently over the abused
    cheek. Ty‟s eyes fluttered shut, and Zane felt the shiver run through his
    body.
    “That‟s better,” Ty whispered, voice gone rough.
    “Will you let me stay?” Zane murmured, lips brushing Ty‟s skin.
    “I don‟t let you do anything, Zane,” Ty answered, voice low and
    dry. His fingers slid into Zane‟s hair. “But I‟d really love it if you
    stayed.”
    Zane tipped his head to one side. “As long as you want.”
    Amusement flashed through Ty‟s eyes. “You‟re practically
    groveling.”
    Zane hummed in agreement. “Is it working?”
    “I am finding you oddly attractive,” Ty deadpanned.
    “What can I do to make myself irresistibly attractive?”
    Ty glanced up like he was pondering the question. Then he
    started shaking his head. “No, too many memories of horrible puns.”
    Zane huffed, feeling a little more of the tension in the air ease. He
    almost threw back a flippant answer, but instead he said, “I‟ll give them
    up, if you want.”
    “No you won‟t,” Ty said with a bark of laughter.
    “I‟d try,” Zane insisted, lowering his arms to curl them around
    Ty‟s waist.
    Ty rolled his eyes again, grinning now and shaking his head in
    exasperation. “Christ, Zane, just kiss me already.”
    Zane did, thankfully, earnestly, letting it soak in that Ty had
    forgiven him. The unresolved danger still hung over their heads, but for
    now, Zane had Ty in his arms and wasn‟t being sent away or left
    behind.
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    Ty seemed willing to cooperate, returning the languid kiss as his
    hands moved under Zane‟s jacket. It didn‟t last nearly long enough
    before he pulled away and patted Zane‟s hip. “Let me make a phone
    call, okay?”
    Zane nodded and let go, though reluctantly, as Ty sidestepped
    away from him, going around the counter to the corner of the kitchen
    where he kept his phone charger. He unplugged the cell phone and
    turned it on, then dialed and watched Zane as he waited for an answer.
    It was hard to read Ty‟s expression, and Zane suffered a moment‟s
    uncertainty, struck with the feeling that he still needed to make amends
    for something.
    Ty‟s conversation was short. “Hey, man. I need to bail on you
    today.” He looked down as he spoke. “No, everything‟s fine. I just need
    to take care of something. I‟ll catch up with you later, okay? Okay.
    Bye.”
    When he ended the call, he plugged the phone back in, then
    leaned on the counter to look at Zane expectantly.
    Zane resisted the urge to fidget. “Should I… be apologizing
    again?”
    Ty shook his head. “Deuce,” he explained without looking away.
    “He‟s been in town for some shrink thing.”
    Though Zane was surprised and pleased to hear that Ty‟s brother
    was in town, he didn‟t really care at that exact moment. “I don‟t want
    to talk about your brother,” he managed to get out, though not