Overworked
#43 of Writing Prompts
This is my take on last week's writing prompt for the writing corner, a place where a few of us writers gather to discuss our plans of world domination, or how to make a story and don't hate it later. The writing prompt was "There is a hole in the universe, and you were clearly meant to fill it."
I wanted to do something light heart and wholesome this time, so here's a bit of good old love.
Daniel looked over his work for the hundredth time that day, the numbers all blurring together in front of his eyes. The big rhino sighed and rubbed his eyes, the beginnings of a head ache were making themselves known after hours of staring at the spreadsheet; the rhino had been hard at work since he had found one error in one of the formulas, which had ended in an endless goose chase for more errors all through the countless tabs. By now, Daniel had lost count of how many errors he had fixed but even after all his work the screen still showed the red cell calling out an error. He grumbled in frustration while his tail flicked angrily behind him, his eyes were tired and his mind could no longer keep focus on any task; a strong huff of air left his nose and, reluctantly, the stubborn rhino finally admitted his defeat for the day. His eyes looked down to the corner of the screen where white bold numbers stood proudly,
"Only thirty more minutes" Daniel mumbled under his breath while his fingers massaged his temples. "Only thirty more minutes and you can leave all this behind."
He repeated the words like a mantra until his budding headache was reduced to a mild discomfort. Once that was dealt with, Daniel spent the last minutes of his work day saving and organizing the files he had been working on, the meddling task helped soothe his nerves greatly and by the time he was logging off his computer the headache was all but gone. He sped through his chatty coworker's latest tale and narrowly avoided the angry glare of his boss, the old bull more than likely to chide whoever caught his attention for hours.
The ride back home was the everyday fare, that is loud, annoying and cramped, his city wasn't precisely famous for its accommodations for larger folks such as himself. This was a thing that many of his fellow passengers were kind enough to remind him with jabs and pushes as they made their way to the door. It was no surprise for Daniel that his head was pounding with a headache by the time he had reached his reddish brown door. Meaty fingers took out his tiny keys, a string of curses and grumbles ran across the room as the rhino struggled to open his damned door. At last, with a victorious click, the door stopped messing with the tired worker and swiftly made way for him. He stepped inside with a tired gait and a quiet curse; a deep soprano voice came from the kitchen, singing an old song that brought a smile to the rhino's face.
Daniel closed the door behind him softly, a playful smile made its way to his face as he delved deeper into the apartment; his heavy steps were muffled by the carpet, his things were thrown on the nearest couch and his tail swung happily behind him. A sweet aroma filled his nose, the scent of honey, raisins and freshly baked cookies, a distinct combination that Daniel knew well and that worked well for his plans. The moment he stepped inside the kitchen, the stiffling heat of the oven and the pots hit his tough skin and made him huff in surprise; the sound went unnoticed however by the tall bear dancing around the kitchen in time with his tune, his body moving with grace and elegance from pot to frying pan, his cute and short tail wriggling from side to side. Daniel remained near the door as the bear danced across the room, moving his wide hips tantalizingly. The moment the bear stepped away from the kitched, the rhino sprung into action; thick arms snaked around the bear's stomach while a horned muzzle nuzzled the bear's back; the bear grew stiff in his hold, his song cut short by the strange attack, a yip left his mouth moments later when he was lifted of his feet and swung around in a circle. A rough laugh came from the rhino as he spun his bear around a couple of time before he let his feet touch the earth again.
The ursine playfully batted away the hands holding him, an easy going smile on his face, and turned around to see his husband.
"I swear, you're going to give me a heart attack one of these days" said the polar bear while his hands caressed the rhino's long face. A soft laugh left the smaller man, his tail tracing lazy arcs behind him, and he leaned into his bear's touch.
"Maybe you'll learn how to use those cute ears of yours for something other than songs." The rhino rose to the tip of his toes, his hands grasped the ursine's apron and brought him down for a quick kiss. "You still taste like honey, you sneaked some of the cookies before they were ready again, didn't you?"
"Maaayyybbbee, I never hear you complaining."
"Complaining that a bear's lips taste like honey? May as well complain about the clouds for raining, or the sun for being hot?"
"Or a rhino being grumpy?" the bear asked with a raised brow, mirth shining in his eyes.
"Ha, ha, you're killing me Omar." Daniel replied in mock anger.
"Only with love, my big rhino" The bear said, plating a big kiss of the rhino's lips, and turned back to stir the frying pan.
"Did you just call me fat?" teased Daniel, a smile appearing on his face moments later.
"Well, I'm not the one that always asks for seconds."
"You know I need fuel to grow."
"Yeah, grow sideways," Omar shot back and gave his husband a coy wink. The rhino answered with a grumpy snort, his hands crossing on his chest before he leaned his weight on one of the counters.
"Grow sideways, and here I thought you liked my muscles" grumbled Daniel, moments before a second snort left his nose.
"Heh heh, I like those too." Omar replied, leaving the pan on the stove before he closed the distance between the two. His meaty hands brought the rhino into a tight hug, his thick fur hot from a day of cooking while his t-shirt was matted with sweat; Omar smiled as he fell the rhino melt into his embrace, the large horn pointed to the side where it would do harm. "Besides, the bigger you get, the more I have to love, isn't that right my big champ?"
The rhino only let a non-committal grunt but his hands sneaked behind large bear and hugged him tight. The two husbands enjoying the quiet moment after a hard day of work. The big bear lowered his head, nuzzling the side of his husband's muzzle before he planted a quick kiss on his neck. With a chuckle, Omar pushed against the rhino's chest, but the gray hands held him close to his husband.
"Let me go you big goof, I need to watch over the food." said the bear with a light tone.
"Five minutes." was all Daniel replied as his arms hugged the ursine tighter. "I missed you."
"I missed you too," Omar leaned down, one finger lifting the rhino's chin, and planted one passionate kiss on his lips, "but one of us has to be the responsible adult."
"Two minutes then?" pleaded the smaller man with a whine.
Omar lifted his chin, his black nose sniffed the air a few times before he let out a defeated sigh. "Fine, two minutes but not one second longer."
A series of thwaps came from behind Daniel, the rhino's tails brushed his legs with vibrant energy as he took the chance nuzzled the side of the bear's muzzle. Rough skin met thick bristle fur, the strange sensation sent shivers down the spines of both men and brought a relaxed smile to their faces.
"I love you" said Daniel as he clutched his mate tightly.
"I love you too my big champ." answered Omar without missing a bit, one hand idly caressing the rhino's mane as he placed a kiss on the side of the rhino's lips.
"You're never letting go of that one, are you?"
"Nope"