The rest of that day passed with the ease of a lazy Saturday, if an adult one.
Once Molly had made her peace with the others, which she found each apology easier than the last as she realized no one was going to blow up at her, everything settled right down. Mae disappeared into the basement for awhile, as she was running the most intensive thing she'd ever tried for her channel, what she was calling her Month of Mayday. The rest of them ordered a lot of food, got baked, and alternated between watching cartoons and playing video games.
It was a little harder managing everything with two extra people present, but they managed. It was then that Trent decided he was going to, at some point in the near future, get a bigger couch. He was glad to see Molly actually relaxing as the day wore on. He could tell by her body language that she was still somewhat tense, and imagined that she must be expecting something bad to happen, another shoe to drop.
He wondered how many times she'd been fucked over, or how many times she thought something was okay only to learn later that no, it wasn't, it was very not okay, and it blew up in her face unexpectedly.
He could understand her trust issues.
That day wound down and ended somewhat like the previous one, although this time Molly didn't get shitfaced and freak out.
When the next day came, Molly and Tabby were both feeling a little restless, and Tabby had a specific desire she wanted to act on. So that was how Trent found himself packed in his Jeep with a group of woman, headed for a supermarket.
"So what is it you're looking for, exactly?" he asked.
"We don't have Ham Panthers in my part of the country," Tabby replied from the backseat where she sat with Molly and Claire. He'd asked her if she wanted to join them since he intended to make a proper shopping trip out of it and figured she might want to get something, either for herself or maybe for Mae's parents. "But there was one in my aunt and uncle's town, and we used to visit them, and I found this awesome Ham Panther original bag of chips. It's like barbecue blend or something-"
"Oh! Yeah, the BBQ Twist," Bea said from the front seat. "They still have it."
"Awesome! That shit was like cocaine to me. I'd eat bags of it. I don't know what it was, just something in the way they blended the spices that made is so good…"
"I know exactly how you feel, still waiting on fucking Gamer Fuel to make a comeback," Trent said.
"Isn't there Gamer Fuel still around?" Claire asked.
"Yes and no. Yes, they bring it back every few years, and just recently they finally gave up and made it, like, an energy drink version? Those are hit or miss for me, but this honestly just tastes like shit," he replied. "I want the real thing. The authentic red and blue versions they had for Halo 3 and World of WarCraft and Call of Duty way back in the day."
"Those were fucking good," Tabby murmured.
"I don't know if they ever got out here," Bea said.
"What's Mae up to?" Molly asked. "She tried to explain it to me but I think something got lost in translation because she was like...really hyper. And almost fell down the stairs."
Trent laughed "She's decided to do her Month of Mayday, given it's May now, and her name is Mae. Basically, she's going to be uploading twice a day, every single day, to her channel, for the entire month, with her first ever livestream on the fifth."
"Why the fifth?" Molly asked.
"Cinco de Mayo," Bea said.
"Oh. Makes sense, I guess." Molly paused, considered it. "It makes a lot more sense when you consider how much she loves tacos. I've only known Mae, like, a few days and I already know how much she fucking loves tacos." She smirked suddenly. "Of all kinds."
Trent chuckled. "Yes. A love we both share."
"Apparently. Honestly, I'm amazed you haven't gotten someone pregnant yet with the rate at which you fill tacos with your...sour cream," Molly said.
Bea and Tabby giggled at that.
"Can we not talk about this?" Trent groaned as he pulled into the parking lot of the Ham Panther.
"Why, you gonna get too horny and crash?" Tabby asked, making Bea and Claire giggle.
"Shut up," he growled, hunting for a parking spot.
"Wait, is that like, a thing with you?" Molly asked. "Getting girls pregnant makes you horny?"
"Oh, she didn't know?" Tabby asked. "Oops…"
"You aren't even pretending to sound sorry," Trent replied. He parked and killed the engine, then twisted around in his seat and stared at Tabby. "And I would appreciate it if no further people knew."
She stared back at him, chewing on her lower lip, apparently taken back by how intensely he was looking at her.
"Maybe someone already is pregnant and you just don't know it," Bea murmured.
He snapped to facing her and she jerked in her seat a little, starting to breathe more heavily. "And you shut the fuck up or I'll fucking knock you up."
"You wouldn't dare," she replied.
"You'd let me," Trent replied.
"Bullshit!"
"If I asked, you'd cave immediately and say 'yes master' and stop taking your birth control right away," Trent replied, getting out of the car.
"Shut your fucking mouth I would not!" she growled.
"Sure, Bea," Trent replied.
"I mean it!"
"I love how they fight," Molly said as they all got out.
"We all do," Claire murmured.
"Oh shut up," Bea growled.
"You're being rude to our friends and guests," Trent replied, reaching out running a finger slowly along her jawline. "You should reconsider that."
She stared at him intently, then swallowed.
"Holy crap, she looks like she's in heat or something," Molly whispered.
He laughed. "She pretty much is."
"Oh my God, what the fuck ever," Bea muttered. "Let's just do this."
"Behave yourself," he replied, and then slapped her ass, hard, when she turned towards the store.
"Wow, dude," Claire said.
"Man, I felt that," Tabby muttered.
Bea stood still, tensing, her tail twitching back and forth. "You...are so lucky," she whispered finally, and then set off towards the store.
Trent laughed. "I am, in fact, very lucky."
They walked in and grabbed carts. He looked at Claire. "Grab whatever you want for yourself and Mae's parents, I'll cover it."
She paused. "...are you sure?"
"Yeah. I know it's, like...this whole weird thing, people spending money on you, for all of us, but you're my friend, you're having a rough patch and I'm not, and I want to help. This is what friends are for."
"I...all right. Thanks," she said.
"You're welcome. And don't hold back, either. You see something you think will make you happy when you can't sleep at three in the morning, grab it."
She laughed. "Fine, all right. See you in the aisles," she said, and headed off.
"That was nice," Molly murmured.
"I am nice," Trent replied.
"I know, it's just...in my world, everything is carefully kept track of, everything is owed. And some of it definitely comes from poverty, to be sure, but a lot of it just comes from...I don't know, paranoia? Pettiness? People pull out the maddest shit to try and hold over you. 'Remember that soda I bought you last year? You owe me'. You know?"
"Yeah, I do," Trent replied.
"Yep. So fucking glad to be out of that. With that in mind, I'll see you in the aisles as well," Tabby said. She gave Trent a quick kiss and then headed off.
"She's something else," Molly said.
"She really is," he agreed, and started walking, Bea and Molly following him. "And that goes for you too, Molly. You see something you want or got a craving for, grab it."
"Well…"
"I promise I won't hold it over you Molly. Ever," he said.
"Yeah, I believe you, it's just weird. I'm...thanks. I really appreciate it." She laughed suddenly as he headed into the first aisle.
"What?" he asked.
"I guess when I first met you, and please don't take this the wrong way, and got an idea of your relationships, I thought to myself: This guy has three girlfriends!? And one of them is Mae Borowski, and another one is this fucking hardcore gothed out chick that looks like she could eat nails? But I get it now. I mean, you're cute enough...I think. Again, sorry, I'm not, like, the greatest at what makes for a hot guy…"
"Oh, trust me, he's cute enough," Bea said.
"I think you might be a little biased," Trent replied.
"Hush," she said.
Molly laughed. "But I mean cute isn't enough. Not for these three supergirls. And now that I've seen it, I know you don't have a monster cock. Not to talk shit."
"It wouldn't help," Bea said. "Much bigger, and it would be hurting. And given how regularly we go at it, it would quickly become a problem. Monsters are way overrated."
"So what is it?" he asked.
"You're thoughtful, and kind. But, like, actively. Like, persistently. Now that I've seen you all interacting for a few days in a row, it's the persistence. You're just...so nice. You're...a caregiver. That's it. You take care of them, and feeling like someone cares about you, that's so good. And normally it fades, but with you all it clearly hasn't. It's been, what, six months now?"
"Getting there," Trent replied.
"Yeah. But I see you. You grab shit for each other. Open cans of soda. Just little things. And the way you all look at each other, touch each other, it's all just so...loving."
"Yeah, that'll do it. Although I would like to be clear, and I say this with all the love in the world, sweetheart, a lot of it was luck," Bea said.
"Oh yeah?" Trent asked, raising an eyebrow. "You sure I wasn't playing six dimensional chess?"
Bea rolled her eyes. "Good lord, give me a break. You tripped into Mae's lap, and she was an awkward, horny virgin who latched onto you because you two clearly had chemistry. And then you convinced Ann to fuck around with you, and then you convinced me to fuck around with you, and it just...fell into place. Probably because you didn't push it. I think it worked because you weren't trying."
"Honestly yeah," he agreed, throwing some cereal into the cart, then some breakfast bars. "Big massive huge luck."
"Okay, but, my point is like, yeah, luck is what got it started, but luck can't keep it going. It's working because of the fact that you all take care of each other. It's...sweet."
"I agree. I like creating an atmosphere of comfort, safety, and relaxation in my home," Trent replied.
"You have succeeded," Molly said. "I would've been kicked out so hard anywhere else."
They walked through the aisles for awhile longer, grabbing whatever caught their eye. And Trent made sure they grabbed things that made sense for the household, the more grownup stuff. He'd told himself at some point recently that he was going to get more serious about actually trying to make more meals and not ordering fucking pizza and Taco Buck all the time.
Fun though it was.
Even with the inheritance and the book deal and the crazy sales, (he was still reeling from that), he knew that he was burning through money faster than he should have. A lot faster. And he wasn't just supporting himself right now, he was supporting three other people, more or less. And yeah, they were also lucky right now, they had no rent or mortgage to deal with and the cost of living in the Rust Belt wasn't too crazy.
But that might not last.
Trent tried to think of other things as they moved through the aisles, Bea and Molly chatting happily about just about everything. But his mind kept coming back to that, to money and the future. However, as he exited an aisle near the other end of the store, closer to the liquor department, he found that this was all tossed very firmly out of his mind by a much more present problem.
Tabby was standing not far from the entrance to the liquor department, holding a bottle of wine, and she was talking with someone.
She was talking with Chris.