Charles pushed the baby carriage inside, followed by Erik who slammed the door. Anya was wailing.
"Maybe you should take a walk or something. We don't need an angry man here," Charles said while taking the baby in his arms. He cradled her, dried her eyes and cheeks and whispered a sweet lullaby in her ear.
Erik threw his keys on the sofa, as well as his coat. "I was happy to spend some time with you and Anya on my day off." He frowned. "Could you, at least, understand how frustrated I am ?"
Anya was starting to calm down, sobbing loudly in Charles's arms. The man sighed. "I do understand, Erik. Really." He headed down the hall to Anya's room. "But she didn't sleep well last night. She was tired. It happens. Don't take it out on her."
Erik followed Charles and stopped him in his tracks, wrapping his arms around the two most precious persons in his life. "I don't. I'm sorry." He kissed Charles's shoulder.
"It's okay. Why don't you help me put her to bed ? She deserves a nice long nap."
As soon as she lay in her bed, Anya fell asleep, snoring a little. That made Erik smile. He sent her a kiss, and took Charles's hand and walked him out of the bedroom. After one last check on their daughter, they headed to the living-room. There, Erik stole Charles's lips with a passionate kiss, doing penance for his earlier anger.
After a while, Charles pushed him away. "Do you really want to waste your day off kissing me ?" he asked, grinning.
"As if it could be a waste of time." Erik pecked Charles's mouth. "But you're right. What time is it ?"
Not leaving Erik's embrace, Charles checked his watch. "Almost 3."
"What do you say to some TV and ice-cream ? It's so hot inside." To prove his point, he wiped his brow with the back of his hand.
Charles slapped Erik's ass affectionately. "Go sit in the sofa, I'll bring ice-cream." He walked to the kitchen. "And choose a good program, please !" he called from the doorway.
In the freezer, he took a box of mint ice-cream with chocolate chips but it was almost empty. He scooped what was left and put it in a bowl. There was barely enough for one person. "That will not do," he hissed between his teeth. He checked the bottom of the freezer and found a box of strawberry ice-cream. He filled a second bowl.
He stared at both of the bowls intently. Should he choose his favorite flavor – mint – or leave it to Erik and take the strawberry ice-cream ? He talked with himself for a short while. "After all, he ruined our day out. He doesn't deserve the good one," he finally decided, and he took a spoonful of the preparation. Delicious !
He joined Erik in the living-room. The man was fumbling with the remote, trying to find a decent program. "Found nothing," he told Charles, dejected.
Charles held out the bowl of strawberry ice-cream to him. "Maybe a DVD then ?" He sat and plunged his spoon in his own bowl.
Erik was about to stand up when he noticed the different colors in the bowl. He looked at his own, then at Charles's, and came back to his bowl, frowning. "I like mint ice-cream," he said.
"I know, dear," Charles replied. "But you were an asshole earlier and don't deserve it."
The frown on Erik's brow intensified. "You could have shared." His eyes never left Charles's bowl.
Charles ate another spoonful. "I could have, but I didn't." He smiled triumphantly, his mouth full of green ice-cream. "The mint is mine !"
He lost his grin when a chunk of freezing pink ice-cream ended up on the tip of his nose. "Hey !" And suddenly Erik was close to his face. The man leaned into him and licked the ice-cream from his nose. Charles blushed furiously. "What do you think you are doing ?"
"I'm eating up ice-cream," Erik answered. He smeared the next spoon of ice-cream on Charles's lips. "Strawberry is much better that way."
The kiss was sweet, strawberry mixed with mint – it tasted of love and ice-cream.