CHAPTER 22

Aprons Don't Suit You

The Moss house was pristine when Mars walked back through the door. She walked a little slower, Ahmir and Ineas wouldn't do that, would they? Well, Ahmir for sure wouldn't.

"Aje? Ness?" Mars called out into the house, the smell of cigarettes, pot, and booze still lingered a little- but the smoke was gone.

Stiles ran out of the kitchen, waving at her with big yellow rubber gloves going about halfway up his forearm and a silly panda apron tied over his hoodie. "What. The fuck. Are you doing?" Mars held the bridge of her nose.

"To be fair, I objected." Stiles pointed at the kitchen, his face desperately trying to hide the joy his eyes gave away.

"Objected?" Mars raised an eyebrow and looked up from her hand.

"Boy, did I say stop scrubbing?" Mars heard a familiar thick Bedouin accent laced with years and years of rasp from smoking a pack a day.

Mars burst out into a smile, a real one. "Teta!" she shouted, dropping her keys and running into the kitchen, she wrapped her arms around the plump elderly woman, being overwhelmed by the lovingly familiar scent of mhur and tobacco.

"Habibti, you're late." Teta held Mars at arm's length.

"'ana 'asfa." Mars slipped back into Arabic with ease, "I missed you."

"Tera, darling, it's been two weeks, surely you didn't miss me that much." Stiles had followed Mars in, he almost cringed when she was called Tera. It just didn't sound right at all. Mars. She was Mars. The only Mars… well, other than the planet and the war god.

"Well, I- I missed you, Teta." Stiles tried, maybe he'd get out of more chores that way.

Teta stared at him at him for a moment; "Dishes, Mieczysław."

"On it." He saluted with a sigh, leaving the two ladies with the shared name to talk.

"How are you doing, lovely?" Teta, cupped Mars's face, not really giving her much wiggle room. "You look stressed." Mars nearly groaned. If Maes was blunt… Teta was just in a class of her own. "And you smell terrible. Like sex and vomit."

"I'm fine." Mars feigned a smile. Trying to ignore the comment. "What about y-"

"Bull shit, tell the truth." Teta cut her off, liking to think she had a radar for these things.

"So, when did you get in?" Mars changed subjects.

"Three hours ago, and where have you been?" The once stunning beauty crossed her arms.

"At my boyfriends." Mars lied. Maybe not entirely, she wasn't sure where she stood with good old Donald.

They heard a pot clank into the sink. Stiles cleared his throat; "I'm good." He announced, he really needed to be less obvious with his eavesdropping.

"Then why'd I find Mieczysław sleeping in your bed? Remember what I told you?" That explained it, why he'd been cleaning.

"Never in the same town." Mars smirked. "But, alas, Stiles is my brother."

"Were you gone overnight?"

"Is Da back, too?"

"No, he's not, don't change the subject."

"Yeah, I was gone overnight." Mars glared over at Stiles, who suddenly began to try and make himself look busy. "But you knew that already, didn't you?"