Page 125 of Second Chance

It takes them an hour and a half. As he suspected, when they get back, all five of Tony’s boxes are still in his car, and his friends all sit around the living room eating pizza and drinking the case of beer Blake G brought along.

“It wouldn’t be a move without pizza and beer,” Blake W points out.

“I don’t see any of you doing any moving,” Tony tells him.

“Your boyfriend has it handled.” Charlie gestures easily toward the door, where Daniel and Meredith are, in fact, handling two of the five boxes, Colette close behind them with a third.

Much like her stalemate with Emilio, Colette hasn’t said a thing about whether or not Meredith’s continued presence in her guest room is welcome or not. Nor has Meredith mentioned how her husband and children feel about her not heading home after two weeks in the Hudson Valley. Daniel tried asking and was stonewalled so efficiently he’s decided to give up. Knowing Daniel, what this means is that he won’t be asking directly again, but he will be snooping.

Daniel and Colette have been treading delicately around each other since Sean’s arrest. She hasn’t said much more about Sean and how betrayed she must feel; after all, he lied to her and threatened her. Daniel also hasn’t mentioned his own struggle with feeling responsible for everything, and neither of them have talked about how tied up with Mario it all is. Instead, Colette’s been talking about taking an extended trip to France this winter. It hasn’t made Daniel any less tense, but it’s not something he can solve, and he seems to have accepted that.

Tony has a list of therapists in the Hudson Valley area bookmarked on his phone. He hasn’t gotten around to calling any offices yet, but he’ll find the time eventually, and when he does, maybe he’ll forward the link to both of them.

It only takes one more trip to get everything moved in. The remaining home improvement plans Tony wants to spring on Daniel can wait for tomorrow.

With a sigh, Tony settles on the floor with his back against the couch. From under the couch, Worf rubs his wet nose on the hand Tony’s using for balance.

Lisa hands Tony a pizza box. Blake G hands him a beer. Daniel ruffles his hair from above him on the couch.

“If it makes you feel better,” Daniel offers, “we can call this a housewarming rather than a move.”

Colette boos. “Absolutely not. You get gifts for a housewarming. Don’t shortchange yourselves.”

“She makes a good point,” Emilio says.

Lively discussion breaks out on whether this constitutes a move-in party, which Blake W argues vehemently against, given he paid for the pizza. Pretty much everyone else agrees it should be a housewarming to save money on a gift. Gianna and Colette are the only other holdouts, Gianna because she enjoys making Tony uncomfortable and possibly because she feels bad for Blake W, and Colette because she wants to profit from the gifts.

It’s a senseless debate; they should all know by now neither Tony nor Daniel is especially interested in throwing a whole party to celebrate the fact that they’ve been living together for what amounts to several months at this point. They just want Tony to cook for them some more.

Still, warmth suffuses Tony. They’re surrounded by friends and family who love them enough to heckle them mercilessly.After it’s all been said and done, they can look at him in the apartment he shares with his boyfriend, a man he’s kissed and held close and been stupidly in love with right where they can all witness, and nothing much about what they think of him has changed. It feels like a new lease, a second chance at learning how to be himself out loud.

Tony leans his head back against Daniel’s knee, craning up to look at him.

Daniel smiles down at him. “I’m glad you’re here,” he says.

“I’m glad I’m here, too,” Tony tells him.

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