Page 1 of Homecoming

Homecoming day

“Willyousitthefuck down?” The direct snap of his cursory tone makes it perfectly clear Darius is annoyed. The sharp edge to those words slices the tense apprehension that fills the room as if it were a dagger through butter.

Digby immediately stops pacing. He checks his watch and looks at it as if somehow he were expecting it to answer his own question. “Where the fuck are they?”

“They’ll be here soon. Zak already told youtwicewhat Riley said when he called and said they were preparing to leave. It’s a long drive so the best thing you can do is sit your dumb ass down and wait quietly.” Darius snarls impatiently as he lifts the newspaper high and continues to read.

“Ohhhhh no…No, no...No!Bud, what thefuckare you doin’, man?”

There’s a thud as Zak throws his game controller to the floor and turning around, shoves Bud with force from his seat.

“Uh, that wasn’t me. It was you. You let the little asshole get the drop on us. I told you to take out his sniper.”

“I thought you had the sniper covered? Man, this little shit is way too good.”

“Will you two shut the fuck up?” It’s Digby who now snaps. “Geez, I can’t believe the pair of you are gettin’ beat by some thirteen-year-old kid. Here, give me that damn thing.” He gives a loud frustrated sigh and as he wrestles the controller from Bud’s hand, he drops it into the trash can beside the table and goes back to pacing the room.

“Diggs, I already told you to look at the app,” Zak growls as he retrieves the controller from the trash. “The tracker app I put on Riley’s phone—check it and it’ll show you exactly where they are.”

“I can’t get that damn thing to work properly.”

“What?” Zak cocks his brow. “What do you mean, ‘you can’t get it to work’? How dumb can you be? It’s easy. Give me the damn phone and I’ll do it for you.”

As the pair discuss loudly how the phone tracker works, the rustle of newspaper followed by Darius’s long-drawn-out sigh silences their noise. With Zak having lost interest in the game, Bud stands up and wanders the length of the white-clothed table, eyeing up the fresh array of tempting finger foods that have been prepared by the new housekeeper—Helena.

With so many mouths to feed in one living space, retaining a housekeeper seemed the obvious solution to what was becoming a chaotic situation. Besides her cleaning and organizational skills, Helena’s cooking was second to none and with the constant stream of missions keeping the team busy these past few months, Darius took the decision to employ her on a more permanent basis.

“So can we, uh, start on this food now?” Bud licks his lips. “I mean, as they’re running late, can we have some now? My stomach seems to think my throat’s been slashed.” He can feel himself salivate as he continues to stare at the buffet of food laid before him.

Since Helena arrived, the house is constantly filled with a variety of delicious smells and even though Bud still loves to cook, he would be the first to admit that Helena’s cooking is far superior.

“No!” Digby snaps. “The food is for Kat and the pups when they arrive home.”

“But Kat’s not gonna eat all tha—” Bud is silenced by the shake of Oz’s head telling him not to go there and returning to his seat in front of the TV, he sits quietly and focuses his attention back on the game.

Waiting in patient silence, QT sits in the large bay window, and from the curved reading seat, he stares forlornly down the long driveway. He has the perfect view, looking out over the sprawling front lawn that stretches like a green ribbon along the tree-lined track that leads to the house.

Once again, the quiet is interrupted by the shuffling steps of Digby’s pacing and as Zak follows him around the room trying to engage him in the tracking app, he becomes desperately aware of Darius’ continued annoyance.

With no real interest, Digby wafts the phone away and sighs impatiently. “Oh man, where the fuck are they? Hey, do you think somethin’s wrong? I mean, is that why they’re runnin’ so late? I would have thought Kat would be ready and waitin’ to go. What do you think is takin’ so long?”

“Digby, will you sit the—” Darius is cut off by the sound of an engine as a vehicle comes to a stop outside the window.

QT smiles excitedly and gets up from his seat. “T-they’re h-here! Kat she… she…”

“… she’s here!” Zak brushes a kiss against QT’s cheek as they both grin ecstatically and hastily head for the door.

Digby straightens his stance, ruffles his hair, and smooths his tee-shirt before sniffing his arms. “Do I look okay?”

“Diggs…” Zak laughs, “you look great. Anyway, I’m sure Kat’s not going to be lookin’ at your outfit—though she might get knocked out by all that aftershave.” Digby’s cologne is expensive and though Zak likes the way it smells on him, he frowns. “Man, don’t you think you went a little overboard with that?”

“I guess. Yeah, maybe I did. It’s just when I get nervous… You know, my scent… I thought I should… You really think it's too much?”

“It’s a little over the top, yeah. I mean, it’s not like it’s a first date. You have three pups with the woman but… I’m sure she’s gonna think you smell great.” Zak smiles as they stare at each other. “Now go get her, tiger,” he laughs.

“Right… yeah. Here goes…”

Digby takes a deep breath and heads for the door just as Marco arrives and opens it. “Hey, just so you know, Riley’s back.” He stares into the room, seeing the guys all headed towards him.

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