Chapter 7 - Home is Good, Home is Bad, Home Could Be Better
Earlier…
"Well, um, bye," Mae said, shutting the door of Bea's car. She turned around, frowning, and started walking to the front door of her house. Why did Angus have to be so mad at Gregg? I mean, maybe he did go against Angus' will, again… But Gregg had a ton of shit happen to him and he's hurt, so you'd think Angus would be merciful. I thought boyfriends were supposed to make you feel better…She dug in her pockets for her key. I hope everything will be okay between them. Angus is too nice to do anything that extreme, right? Plus, all that stuff about "God never found me, but Gregg did" is full proof they will be together forever. Shit, where is it?
Bea's car was still there. She knew because she hadn't heard it drive off. That meant everyone was watching her, and that made her feel awkward. But her exhaustion beat her feelings of awkwardness.
She lifted her paw to bang on the door and shout to her parents how much she needed her bed or she was going to collapse and die, but Stan opened the door and saw his wreck of a daughter standing there.
"Margaret Borowski, get your tail in here right- Oh my goodness, are you okay? Get in here! Go sit on the couch and I'll make you some tea and get you a nice blanket." He said, already starting to move.
"Thanks, mom." Mae joked. Good. She wasn't close to dead yet. The cat slowly walked in and reached the couch, collapsing onto it. "Mmmph…" She mumbled that it felt so good, but it was inaudible to anyone but herself.
She heard the creak of one of the steps on the stairs (It had always annoyed her, so she stepped over it every time). She had had a talk with her parents specifically about not stepping on that step, but it seems like they didn't get the memo. But right now, it was a comforting noise. She was home.
Mae heard some talking from the kitchen, recognizing the voices of her parents. She smiled a bit, never wanting to move. This feeling increased when the softest blanket they owned was thrown over her.
"Mae, honey, we were worried sick! Remember the deal we made after the incident?" Candy Borowski, Mae's mother, asked after tossing the blanket over her daughter. It was just a baby blue blanket they've had ever since Mae was little, but it was the softest thing they owned.
"I know, mom. Can we talk about it later?" Mae asked, her eyes closed. Mae's mom sat on the other side of the couch, seeing as Mae was small enough to fit only one.
"Can we talk about it now? Remember the other deal we made after the incident?" Candy said, looking at her husband make tea in the kitchen. She felt bad for Mae because bad tea is not what she needed. Stan can make tea, but that's it. He can physically make tea. She took a moment to ask herself, why the hell isn't she making the tea? Oh well. Suffer more, poor daughter.
"Yeah…" Mae said. "But it's a long story and I'm too exhausted to even think right now," Mae said.
Candy sighed. "Are you dying?"
"No."
"Are you bleeding out?"
"No…"
"Do you need a doctor?"
"I don't think so. Mom, I'm fine, I just need rest." Mae said. "It's been a really long day. Seven chapters worth."
"What?" Candy asked.
"Nothing," Mae said. Her mom just assumed it was Mae being Mae. Which means she was indeed fine.
"Alright. We'll talk more tomorrow morning. Get some rest." She got up and kissed Mae's head, and then left back to her room. In the short time between her mother leaving and the tea being ready, Mae had fallen asleep. Her last thought before passing out was if Angus and Gregg were doing okay.
Earlier…
Gregg was not doing okay. He thought he was a piece of shit before? Well, he really thought so now. It was like depression times ten. He was very much doubting that he was the guy for Angus at the moment. You should never make your boyfriend so mad that he doesn't talk to you.
It was moments like this that made Gregg feel the most real. Like a reality check. Everything with Angus seemed so surreal and imaginary, like one of those dreams where you finally get that cake you've been craving, but you wake up and, poof, cake gone. Of course, Gregg hadn't woken up, but he was afraid he would at any time.
The more and more he effed up, the more and more he felt like Angus was closer to leaving him. He believed Angus would do it if he messed up a certain amount of times.
Gregg hated himself right now. What was wrong with him!? Why did he have to want to go to that stupid glass factory so badly? It was pointless! There was literally nothing there for him but spending time with Mae. Is that what made it worth it? Mae? She was his best friend. He really loved hanging out. Plus, he always felt like he owed her for coming out as gay when they started dating back then…
He shuddered. Why did he ever ask her out? Was it because he was so sure of how straight he was, denying the feelings he felt for another one of their friends? Was it because he genuinely liked her at the time? Was it because teenage hormones are a bitch? Whatever the reason, it happened. And she said yes? He didn't believe Mae was capable of those kinds of feelings until then. Ugh, serious thoughts. He shook his head and tried thinking of something else, like Angus. It sort of helped. Also, why hadn't the car moved yet? Gregg wasn't looking out the window, he was just looking down at nothing in particular.
"Why are you mad at her? I can see why you're mad at Gregg, but you shouldn't be mad at Mae. You know she's easily convinced." He heard Bea say to Angus.
"I'm not mad at her, Bea. I'm mad at the situation." Angus said, causing Gregg's ears to perk. Maybe everything would be okay! "And Gregg." He added. The fox deflated. Maybe not. "Also, I'm really tired." He finished. That didn't help the fox's feelings, though. Things were not going to be okay.
"You said it," Bea said. Gregg wanted to cry. "Let's get you guys home."
Gregg felt the car start to move and considered jumping out and running off, but he knew that would just make the situation one hundred times worse. He was so unhappy with how the whole day turned out. He felt sick, honestly. His head was still aching and even the couch sounded okay now.
The fox desperately longed for cups to put on his ears. He just wanted to close his eyes and let the sound of the ocean carry him away to anywhere else. He thought for a moment and wondered how cups would affect Angus' mood...
He had completely forgotten about the papers and images of the residences of Possum Springs that filled his pockets.
They pulled up to Gregg and Angus' apartment, and Gregg, now looking out the window, gulped. He couldn't stand the thought of having to face Angus alone. But in the end, relationships are about communication. Even someone like Gregg knew that. So he got out, not even telling Bea goodbye, and walked to the porch, looking down, thinking of what he'd say to the angry bear he was dating.
He spotted an ant and thought about crushing it, but he didn't have any motivation. Why did everything have to suck so much right now?
He told himself it could be much worse, and that was true. He was still alive and standing, so he would make it. He's Greggory Lee, God damn it! He wouldn't let this terrible night ruin his wonderful relationship. A new wave of confidence surged through him. They can work it out!
He heard the sound of Bea's car drive off, and felt the presence of Angus approaching. He took a breath and sighed. Angus opened the door and they walked into the lobby. Gregg stayed quiet, still in thought. Angus wasn't saying anything either. What was there to say?
They took the elevator up to their apartment and it was no surprise that the door was unlocked. Gregg felt a hint of worry that made things worse, but he was still confident he could patch things up between them. They walked in and Gregg shut the door.
"So Angus…" He started. "I just wanted to tell you—" The bear turned around quickly and Gregg was taken aback.
"I don't want to hear it, Gregg. I'm tired and exhausted and really pissed that you went against my will." Angus explained. "There are some blankets in the closet over there and you can use the pillow from our room."
He said our room. That means it can't be that bad, Gregg thought. "Okay." He said. "But can I please explained what happened?"
Angus sighed. "Fine." He was removing his tie and hat, as he usually did when he got home for the night. Gregg watched, smiling a bit. He knew Angus would at least listen to him.
"So...You know how you told us to hang out like normal people?" Gregg started. Angus nodded. "Well I thought about it and I was positive that it would be boring, so I figured out about this cool treehouse that people hang out in, and I wanted to take Mae there because someone told me the people there are cool. And I was like "they can't be cooler than us, we gotta show these fools," so I planned to take Mae there. I told her that it was the glass factory because I wanted it to be a surprise." He explained.
"Why not just tell her the truth?" Angus asked.
"Because, Angus. Then it wouldn't be a surprise." Gregg said. The bear rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Anyway, we were on my bike on the way over there, but we ended up hitting this rock and falling. Then, this old guy named Don George found us and invited us to his house. So we get there and-"
"Okay, I'm done," Angus said. "Gregg, you literally followed a random stranger to his house. That was such a stupid thing to do!" Gregg's ears flattened.
"I know, but…" He tried to think of something to say. His confidence was fading.
Angus rubbed his eyes and yawned. "I'm going to get some sleep. You know where the blankets and the pillow are."
"I still have to sleep on the couch!?" Gregg blinked. "But, but-"
"Two words, Gregg. Stranger danger. And you nearly gave me a heart attack! I had no idea where you were. That's a punishable offense. One night on the couch." Angus said. "That's all."
"Wait, but don't you wanna hear the rest?" Gregg asked.
"I know you're just going to make this story as convoluted as possible. You always do." Angus said. "I don't want to deal with that right now. Goodnight." Angus said, turning to walk into their room.
As he left, Gregg called out to him. "Wait, but you haven't even heard about all the pictures of us we found in his basement! I have proof!"
"Shut it, Gregg. Get some sleep." Angus replied, shutting the door to the room.
Gregg groaned. "Convoluted? I don't make things convoluted! Whatever." He looked at their old couch. "It's just you and me couch. You're going down. I'm gonna sleep on you so hard you're gonna wish you were never made!"
"Stop talking to the couch and go to sleep!" Angus called.
"Sorry." Gregg frowned. "Can I at least grab my computer?"
"You're grounded," Angus said. "No computer and no bed."
Gregg groaned and fell face first into the cushion of the couch. The upper half of his body was resting on the couch, while the lower half was resting sloppily on the floor. For about ten minutes the fox grumbled and whined about how uncomfortable the couch was, but eventually fell asleep that way.
In the room, Angus got ready for bed. This night would require his comfiest pajamas.
He didn't want to have to sleep without Gregg next to him, but his boyfriend left him no choice. He did stupid shit, he faced the consequences. Otherwise, he'd think it was okay to go into strangers' houses. It was like owning a dog. That was a thought. Angus pushed it away. He took off his glasses and climbed up into bed.
Lying down and looking at the ceiling, he wondered how much Gregg was suffering without him. He had the urge to go get him, but he needed to stay vigilant. Gregg was being punished. Angus hoped he wasn't being too mean. He really wondered if Gregg's story was true, knowing how the fox made so much shit up.
Before long, Angus fell asleep, unaware his night was far from over.
