"This is fucking bullshit!" Michael was beyond furious, to say the least. He'd spent the day with Ryan, working on building a large shelf for their new house between stolen kisses, but Michael was becoming more annoyed with each failed attempt at connecting pieces.
"How are my lovely boys doing in here?" Jack hummed as he entered the room, a beer in each hand. Ryan chuckled, accepting it and placing a thankful kiss to Jack's lips.
"Not too good. These instructions are ridiculous, and I have no idea where part C twenty-four is." He admitted as Michael gritted his teeth before taking a hearty swig of his own beer.
"On the bright side, Ray and Gavin are distracted running a couple errands, so you don't have to worry about them coming in here and breaking anything." Jack teased, resting criss-cross on the bed. "I'd help you, but I don't want to get in the way."
"It's nice of you to stick around, though." Ryan quipped, handing a hammer to Michael, who took it with a jerky motion.
"This fucking piece just WON'T CONNECT!" He hissed, glaring at the wood as if it would help. "WHO EVEN MADE THIS?" He slammed his fist down and the other two laughed.
"Calm down, babe. Maybe you guys should take a break. Geoff is making cookies. Besides, we still have some painting to do, and that's loads less stressful." Jack suggested, giggling when Michael shook his head angrily, curly hair flipping.
"No. I'm going to finish this fucking thing if it kills me!" He growled, holding the hammer above his head. He slammed it down, screaming in pain. "FUCK!" He cursed, holding up his bleeding hand. Jack rushed towards him, cradling his hand and checking the injury.
"Shit. Ryan, can you go get the first aid kit?" He asked and Ryan leaped to his feet just as Geoff shuffled into the room, his usually-lazy blue eyes wide in alarm and an apron emblazoned with 'Kiss the Cook' still tied around his waist.
"What's going on!? Is everyone okay!?" His eyes focused onto the blood and he knelt down, wrapping his tattoo'd arms around Michael's waist. "Michael, baby, are you okay?"
"Fuck, I'm fine, Geoff. I just hit my fucking hand with the hammer on accident. Stupid fucking shelf and it's fucking tiny nails." He grumbled and Geoff snickered, running a hand through Michael's curls to calm him.
"I got the kit!" Ryan announced proudly, popping it open and wiping Michael's wound with a wet cloth. Michael's breath hitched and Jack kissed his forehead as Ryan wrapped bandages around his hand.
"It's not that bad, just a little cut." Geoff remarked, squeezing his free hand lovingly. "Just relax, baby."
Michael took a deep breath, huffing over his hand. "I might've overreacted a bit." He finally admitted, face flushing.
That's why I hired you in the first place." Geoff remarked, laughing as Jack snuggled closer. "Kept you around because you were cute, but I technically hired you for the rage."
"Shut up." Michael scrunched up his face, accepting Geoff's kiss. "You guys are assholes."
"Yeah," Ryan teased, twining fingers with Jack's. "But we're YOUR assholes."
"Y'know, if you wanted to NOT watch a movie, I would have just put on something stupid like Rubber." Jack teased, but his voice was breathy and strained as Gavin palmed him, moving to straddle his hips.
"Some of us are actually trying to watch it." Michael grumbled, but his eyes were glued to the scene, as were the gazes of the three other Achievement Hunter men on the huge couch. It was obvious Gavin had been getting bored with the movie, having first resorted to tossing bits of popcorn at his boyfriends; after receiving a rather hard elbow to the side from Michael, that game had ended and begun the solid ten minutes of over-exaggerated sighs. When they had all ignored that as well, he'd taken to a more touchy tactic.
"The movie's rubbish. I have a much better idea in mind." Gavin whispered, nibbling on Jack's earlobe as his fingers traced the outline of the older man's hardening cock. Jack grunted, hips jerking forward slightly at the feather light touch, yearning for more friction.
Ray began nipping at Ryan's neck as Geoff's hands found the hem of Michael's shirt, snaking up to tweak his nipple, and soon the room was hot and heavy with the scent of arousal.
Ryan gasped as Ray worked to unbutton his jeans, fingers teasing the area where his happy trail of hair became more coarse and wild. "M-maybe we should go to th-" He was cut off by a shrill ringing, stifling a whimper when Ray's warmth disappeared from behind him.
"Hullo?" The youngest answered his phone, clearing his throat to remove the gruff undertone. "Mom? Are you crying?"
The others stopped their various petting, turning concerned eyes to the lad, his thick brow furrowed as the conversation continued.
"Oh…. O-okay…. Yeah, I'll see if… Yeah, you're right, I guess that makes sense… Um, I mean, that seems the best option…" His voice was beginning to waver with each word, lips pulled into a tight line while he listened. "Thanks for telling me, mom. Yeah… Okay…. I love you, too… Yes, I'm fine…. Yeah, they're right here…. I will…. Bye, mom."
He pressed a finger to his phone before calmly shoving it into his pocket, his dark eyes falling on the couch were his boyfriends still sat; they waited for him to speak first, apprehensive and holding their breath as Ray dropped onto the center of the couch, the men parting to make room for him. He cradled his head in his hands for a moment before he broke, the smallest and most heartbreaking of squeaks escaping his chest.
"So.. Mom says hi." He let out a laugh that sounded much more like a choked sob.
Five pairs of hands were on him in an instant, gently stroking his back and sides as his shoulders began to shake with quiet sobs. "My… my cat died." The words seemed silly leaving his mouth, like they didn't properly justify how terrible it felt to lose such a good friend.
"Ray, baby, I'm so sorry." Geoff spoke up first, placing a soft kiss to Ray's temple. "Do you need to go up there? You could take a couple days off of work."
"No, no… Mom and I both agreed that it'd be a waste of money to go all the way up there for him. Besides, they've already buried him." His voice cracked on the last word, another wave of realization hitting him that his childhood friend and family member was now nothing but a corpse in a hole.
"I…" Gavin started but faded out, simply touching Ray's face gently. Ray placed a soft, watery kiss to his lips, smiling softly.
"Here's an idea; let's all go to bed and cuddle the fuck out of our little Ray?" Jack suggested and the others hummed their approval, Ryan picking the young man up and holding him bridal-style despite his squeal of protest.
"You guys! I'm not a baby!" He groaned, but his lips tugged up at their corners despite himself as he was gently placed on the bed, the others piling around him and attaching to various parts of his thin body.
"We know that, dumbass. But you're upset, and we'll be damned if we'll let you go through this alone." Michael cooed lovingly and Ray laced their fingers together, his other hand entwined with Geoff's.
"I love you so much." He mumbled to them all, his eyes already red and puffy as hot tears stung at them.
"We love you too, Ray." Gavin nuzzled him, his arm tightening around the small torso.
They held Ray as the tears left him periodically, an occasional feeling of dread ripping through him as a memory drifted through his mind, whispering words of love and pressing sweet kisses to his skin.
And maybe the position was a little uncomfortable, and maybe Ray was embarrassed to cry in front of his boyfriends, and MAYBE he'd cry in the morning as he sifted through old photos on his phone, but he'd have them there, and he wouldn't trade any of it for the world.