by
Trevor Carson’s life changed the day his father died. After working as a small-animal vet in the big city, Trevor’s now back in his remote hometown, trying to keep his dad’s practice afloat while he figures out his next step.
He expected he’d want to sell up and flee back to civilization as fast as possible, but the town is beginning to feel like where he belongs. Except every day he spends there is a day away from his partner Michael, back in the city. As Christmas approaches, with a much-anticipated visit from Mike, Trevor’s going to have to decide what “home” really means.
(This warm, established-couple holiday romance is a lightly-edited rerelease of the 2011 story. Content warning for veterinary-related pet loss. 14,000 words.)
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- 7 Read lists
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Publisher: Independently Published
Editors:
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 3
Romantic Content: 4
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 26-35
Protagonist 2 Age: 26-35
Tropes: Coming Home, Coming Out / Closeted
Word Count: 14000
Languages Available: English
...Michael Reynolds hunted around the unfamiliar kitchen for the garlic salt. Surely Trevor had some garlic salt. Wait, this is Trevor we’re talking about, remember? If Mike hadn’t put it specifically on his “Buy this for when I come” list, odds were Trevor didn’t have it. Mike turned the steaks in their wine marinade and sighed. It wouldn’t be perfect.
READ MOREBut it wouldn’t be half bad, and Trevor would be here. They’d been apart for a month this time, with Trev living up here getting his dad’s clinic under new management and Mike working back in the city. So anything at all, plus Trevor, would be just about perfection. Mike missed the guy so bad, it was like an ache in his gut. The little time they’d had together driving home from the minuscule airport had done almost nothing to take the edge off that ache. A twenty minute winding drive with Trev’s hands occupied on the steering wheel, and then a few hot kisses before Trev had to run back for his afternoon appointments, couldn’t touch the sheer need Mike had built up over the last thirty-nine days.
Mike rearranged the salad, and glanced at his watch. Eight- fifteen. He knew better than to put the steaks in the pan until Trevor was actually walking in the door. Even back in the city working at a regular clinic, his hours had been unpredictable. Judging by the stories he told of a country vet’s life, it would be even worse here. Trevor had said home by seven-thirty. Working with zero pre-existing data points, Mike was betting on eight... twenty-three. He was trying to guess within ten minutes of Trev’s actual arrival time. It was a game he’d played ever since their first date.
He smiled helplessly at the memory. He’d been waiting at his table in the coffee shop, tapping his foot and wondering if he’d been stood up, when the gorgeous young vet with the wild dark hair had practically burst in the door.
“Sorry. God, so sorry!” The rapid breathing had been distracting. Mike had found himself watching the man’s soft mouth and heaving chest, losing track of his irritation.
“I would have been here earlier, really I would, I meant to.” Trevor had dropped into the seat across from Mike, an adorable sheepish look on his face. “But I have this thing. I mean, I can’t seem to walk away when someone calls me up with a problem. Even if I should send them to the emergency clinic, because we were about to close, except she’s a really good client of ours. And she said she trusted me more than some strange vet. How cool is that? And I just love her dog, Candy, she’s adorable...”
By the end of the convoluted story about a bulldog in labor and a crosswise puppy, or maybe a puppy in labor and a cross bulldog, Mike had been halfway in love. A few weeks later there was no halfway about it...
COLLAPSE
