Love is Always Write Anthology Bonus Volume

feeling that story wouldn't hold people off for more than a week or so, but that gave him a week to figure out the next thing. The sun was coming through the small window over the sink and filtering through the little faded yellow curtains. It gave the room a sense of early morning peace, despite the late hour. Since Daren was still asleep and the schedule was shot to hell, Sebastian set about making a pot of proper coffee instead of just boiling water for instant.
    He took a moment to rummage through his fridge, hoping to find something he knew wouldn't be there. One of his earlier memories from his first foster home was living in a house where his bedroom window lined up with the kitchen window of the Mexican family who lived next door. He still associated the smell of fresh coffee and fried chorizos with quiet Saturday mornings. It had taken a decade for him to actually get to taste chorizos, but the smell of them cooking would always be a pleasant one for him.
    Sebastian turned on his laptop while the coffee dripped and some bread toasted. The missing Delaware heir was sinking further and further down the news pages as other scandals and horrors cropped up. A glance over the Comments sections said nothing about Gerald Delaware hiding out in a suburban duplex.
    He poured some coffee, decided that the milk wasn't off yet, buttered up some toast, and quietly sat eating breakfast and reading the news, feeling halfway normal. One of the newer articles on Gerald Delaware, which was really just a cut-and-paste rehash of the old ones, included a recent picture that didn't seem to have been taken by paparazzi. It was taken at some charity event that Grandmother Delaware was hosting. Daren was managing to look casual in a tuxedo and was looking at the camera like he was flirting with it.
    Sebastian wondered if Daren had a girlfriend. There had been no mention of one in any of the articles, but between his looks and money, it was unlikely he'd be short on company. He looked at the picture and remembered the pretty boy he was determined to hit on that night at the Blue Dragon. It felt like that had been months ago.
    Before his mind could linger on the brief memory of an attractive young man, he finished his toast, drained his coffee, and started the business of the day.
    ****
    Sebastian smiled into the dark as he crawled into bed. He slipped in under the blanket but over the sheet, keeping at least a layer of fabric between them, but it had been a good day. It had been a good few days. Shower time was still hard with Daren sitting head down, his every breath carefully controlled to manage the pain. Physiotherapy was still hard, as would be expected, with Daren pushing himself until he was pale and shaking. And there were still nightmares. But in between all of that, things were beginning to get better
    Daren was staying awake long enough to start skimming through the National Geographics . His system was handling more solid food. His dinners included well-cooked veggies now. They'd even gotten the worst of the coughing under control with a careful balance of antihistamines and cough syrup. And Sebastian was feeling far more human after a few nights sleeping in a proper bed.
    He didn't believe the days could keep being that easy. Eventually, they would have to face the elephant in the room, which was the fact that Daren would be in serious danger if he ever surfaced, but that felt like something that could be dealt with later. And for now, Sebastian was just hoping they could keep the good momentum going for as long as possible.
    Sebastian was sure he'd just closed his eyes when Daren cried out in his sleep. Without even opening his eyes, he reached out and stroked Daren's head, as that sometimes settled him down without waking him completely.
    That didn't seem to work this time. Instead, Daren flung his right arm over his head, slamming it against the wall. With another yelp, he sat straight up, cradling it to his chest. Sebastian got up and flicked on the light. Daren was curled up— his wrist to his chest, the muscles in his jaw contracting— with his breath hissing rapidly between his teeth.
    "Here, let me look at it." Sebastian reached out but Daren just pulled away.
    His body was shaking; Sebastian wasn't sure if it was in pain, anger, or just the effort of trying not to cry. Sebastian sat on the edge of the bed and waited. He'd gotten good at that. Daren was smart enough to know that certain things had to be done;