Disclaimer: the author of this story is NOT deaf or hard of hearing. There is a deaf/hard of hearing character in this story. No fetishization or appropriation is intended by the inclusion of this character.
___
Abner hated holidays. He saw them as a capitalistic scam to get more money and to feed the egregoric machine that is Consumerism. He had to work a cog job to support his family. And he did it well. No one starved or wore clothes so threadbare to incite shame and jeering from others. He considered himself doing well. A good provider, a good father. He was doing everything right. He had a loving and supportive polycule and many children that were functional and contributing members to society.
Society was fucked, But he liked to think he was doing his best to not fall under the sway of that. He went to community circles every sabbat and esbat to honor his gods. Everything was good. Life was good. But that didn't change the sense of loneliness he felt every night returning home to find everyone already asleep. Dinner kept warm for him in the microwave. And he only had the companionship of a good book, some music in his headphones and two fingers of bourbon to help him get to sleep every night.
To say life was good was bittersweet when he added that small detail. He didn't want to make waves. He didn't want to suggest something wild like booking a vacation, because once it was over he had to return to this. And just this one drop of dissatisfaction was enough to deal with on its own. No need to make it bigger by taking a break from it all just to come back more dissatisfied.
____
Quynh was sitting at the table, eating cereal while two of the other spouses in the polycule were talking about something in hushed tones over mugs of coffee. Abner walked into the room and it went silent.
"Don't stop talking on my account."
"Sleep well, Ab?"
"Of course. And you all?"
"Yep." Mercedes said with a long slurp of coffee.
"Yes, weird flying dream again, but I think it's the new dragon fantasy book series I'm editing that's influencing my dreamscape, This really prolific author has been working on this series for four years, and sends a book to our publishing company every eight months like clockwork, Other editors on the team suspect that he's using ChatGPT to write the books so fast but I think he's just one of those unmedicated manic episode types" Michael rambled a reply as he glanced at Quynh. He knocked twice on the table and Quynh looked up, brow furrowed. Michael translated the question to him in sign language. Quynh shrugged loosely.
"Slept fine, yes." he spoke aloud to Abner.
"Good." Abner said awkwardly and poured himself some coffee, then out of habit moved to refill the pot, since he'd emptied the last of the one that he'd guessed Mercedes made.
"Vaughn and Karson are still asleep?"
"Always. Karson doesn't wake up til it is at least noon. And Vaughn has been clinging to his ass a bit more than usual. I think because February is a bit of a traumatic month for Karson." Michael replied.
"What month isn't traumatic for Karson?" Mercedes commented flatly. Then held her hands up in surrender when Abner and Michael glared at her in unison. "Hey, I'm just saying, if he'd go to my therapist, he'd be doing a lot better."
"Therapy isn't for everyone, Mercedes." Quynh said, from having read her lips at the tail end of her comment.
"I know that. I was well over forty before I even tried it myself. That's why I thought he'd take my word for it. But he's not budging. If he wants to rock the brooding heart throb vibe, who am I to stop him?"
"Brooding heart throb vibe? I thought that was my role?" Abner said as he approached and leaned down to kiss Mercedes on the lips.
"Y-Yeah well, there can be multiple for the same role."
"Whatever you say, leading lady."
"Oh I'm far from leading lady material, I'm definitely the quirky comic relief character. Speaking of which, I'm late, I'll take my exit." Mercedes turned to kiss Michael quickly then got up, rinsing her mug out and setting it down in the sink before grabbing a thermos from the fridge, waving bye as she made her way out of the kitchen and into the front room, grabbing a set of keys and slipping on her shoes, "I'm taking the jeep!" she called out before there was the sound of the door opening and closing behind her with a slam.
Quynh felt the vibrations in the floor and jumped slightly, turning his head to look over his shoulder, then frowning as he got up to put his bowl in the sink also. Turning to look back at the other two men in the kitchen nook with their coffee. "Is she always that heavy handed?" he asked idly.
"Mm, yes, yes she is." Abner answered after a moment. Michael smirked at the lust in his voice.
"You know she had an idea, but if you're not into it, then you have to promise not to bring it up to Mercedes that I mentioned it to you, She wanted it to be a surprise but... I didn't feel right without at least letting you know we're plotting something for you, for Valentine's day."
Abner glanced at Michael with raised brows. "What sort of something?"
Glancing at Quynh, Michael took a breath. "Some sort of polycule gangbang bukkake special? We've all been busy and having crazy conflicting schedules that the only ones that reliably have intimate time together is Karson and Vaughn, but Vaughn has let it slip that it's mostly been Karson giving him head to help him get to sleep. So, Mercedes thought, if we did some sort of gangbang polydate night, get all sexy and then, well, since you're the most bottom identified person in the polycule and the only Aquarius. We all...kind of take turns fucking you, in any hole we want, And you can't cum til you make the whole polycule cum as much as we want to. And then when it's your turn you can either jerk it with a full polycule audience, or you choose one of the polycule you want to make you cum."
Abner set his mug down on the table. "I won't say no to that. But have you checked with everyone else? I'm not sexually intimate with everyone in the polycule."
Michael looked at Quynh. "We asked everyone, and everyone is open to it, if you are."
This time Abner looked at Quynh, one of the few in the polycule he hadn't had direct sexual contact with. The other man looked back at him. There was a kind of brittle blankness to his expression. It was almost a challenge and yet there was a tiny spark of hope that he was trying to hide.
"I don't have any objections," Abner said after a moment. Still looking at Quynh so that the other man could 'hear' him. And after he said that, Quynh's eyes looked away, and he nodded and seemed to relax, like he was holding a breath, preparing to be rejected and having to accept it.
Abner got up and went over to Quynh, tapping his arm, so he had the other man's attention again. "In fact. I think I want you to be the one that makes me cum. The dessert portion to the bukkake buffet, as it were. Would you be okay with that?"
Quynh's eyes widened; Adam's apple slowly bobbed in his throat. "Yes." he whispered. Abner gave a slight smile, squeezing Quynh's bicep fondly. "Good."
"Great! I'll let Vaughn, Karson, Jean-Michel and Delphina know that we're a go!" Michael beamed.
"Jean-Michel?"
"You forgot about him didn't you?"
"I don't think it's possible to forget about Jean-Michel. I didn't know he was interested in me that way. We've been metamours for years."
Michael smirked at Abner's shock, "You can still veto who gets to fuck you. Are you vetoing Jean-Michel?"
"No. Not at all!! He's hung like... well I've heard stories that Vaughn and Karson say about him, and I think I caught a glance of him in the shower once. I am definitely fine letting him keep his hat in the ring. Wh-Who else is on the list?"
"Me, Mercedes, Quynh, Vaughn, Karson, Delphina, Jean-Michel, And that sweet little piece of ass you picked up in Edmonton that keeps drawing you into their webcomic, Lourdes, who is dating your ex, if I recall correctly,."
"Oh. Heh. Yeah. That's still weird." Abner said, then tilted his head at Michael. "Is Graz' on the roster too?"
"Do you want him to be?"
Abner got quiet for a small moment, his expression went so pensive it almost looked grim or pained. "Did he express interest in wanting to join in on this? I guess that's a better question."
Michael opened his mouth to speak then closed it and frowned, "I don't think he said, and I'm not sure if anyone asked. I can text Lourdes about it, but I don't talk to Graziano directly. He doesn't speak very fluent English and my Italian is about the same speed as my attempts at Spanish."
"You want his number? I could probably give it to you."
"No, if I need it, I'll get it from Lourdes. Besides, you're not supposed to know about this officially. So when we abduct you to take you to some sexy location, act surprised, okay?"
Michael got up from the table, and placed his mug in the sink with the others. He ran a hand along Quynh's back and leaned in to kiss him full on the mouth. Quynh's eyes closed and he moaned a low bass note of a sound that made Michael kiss him deeper, but then had to break the kiss abruptly. " Fuck I could get lost in your lips for hours." he murmured
"You're going to make me nostalgic with talk like that," Quynh replied, biting his lip while staring at Michael's, wondering if he was going to say anything else. then shaking his head, "Go on, get out of here, before I pin you to this counter..."
"You dangle kitchen counter sex in my face and then tell me to leave, such a tease you are, Quynh Battlewright."
With that Michael made his way out of the kitchen nook, "Taking the van." he called out and then the door opened and shut and the house was suddenly silent without his boisterous and cheery energy diffusing the gauzy, sleepy, silence that hung over the house when he wasn't around.
____
