Before The Sun Sets

Adam closes the fridge and turns around to grab the cup of warm milk. He quickly glances at the time and lets out when he sees it's eleven thirty. His husband wasn't home yet. Adam goes up the stairs and turns right, heading straight for his second son's room. The main light was off but the bedside lamp was on, shining light on the face of Adam's little boy.

"Papa?" George whispers. His voice quiet and soft.

Adam walks into the room with the cup of warm milk and sits by the side of George's bed. He watched as George sits up, his back propped against one of his many pillows. He reaches out to the bedside table for his circle- framed glasses and slides it on.

"Come on, Bunny. Have some milk, it will help you sleep." Adam says softly as he hands George the cup of warm milk.

"Thank you, papa."

Adam smiles at his son, he moves closer. He raises his hand and strokes George's head softly. Unlike Jhoni, Bella and Ian, George took after his father more. Instead of having hair as dark as night like Adam, he had blonde hair like his father- Jensen.

"Is daddy back yet?" George asks when he was done with his warm milk. He hands Adam the cup and relaxes on to the bed. Adam places the cup on the floor and helps George pull off his glasses and place it back on the bedside table.

"Daddy has a lot of work to do, bunny."

"That's what you said last week when he didn't show for Jhoni's birthday party." George mutters, his lips pulled tight into a pout as he stares at his papa. Adam took in a deep breath and let it out. He wonders if his child was right. He said the same thing two weeks ago when Jensen didn't show for Jhoni's birthday.

"He's your dad, bunny. He's just busy."

"He doesn't come home anymore, papa and Jhoni is always angry at you." George says, his green eyes focused on Adam.

Adam smiles at his son. He leans down to press a kiss to George's head and lifts the duvet till it was covering George's shoulders. He didn't know George noticed Jhoni's anger towards him and wonders if Bella and baby Ian notice it to. Jhoni was always angry at whatever Adam does, even if it to drop the laundry off at his room and Adam doesn't know why. He sums it all to puberty even though deep down, he knows it's something else.

"Bunny, Jhoni is just going through puberty. You will go through it very soon." Adam chuckles. "Don't think about it, okay? Just go to sleep and have sweet dreams."

"You too, papa."

George turns onto his side, with a hand underneath his face and on top of the pillow. He falls asleep with his mouth open a little and if Adam was with his phone he'd take a picture of this moment. Instead he whispers good night into his son's ears. He picks the empty cup and leaves George's room. He walks to Bella's room which was right beside George's. She was already fast asleep, her dark curls splayed out against the pillow like spilled ink. Adam places the empty cup in his hand on her bedside table and adjusted her duvet till it was up to her shoulders. He grabs the empty cup on his way out of her room and quietly slides into Ian's room to check if the two year old was asleep. The last room Adam checks is Jhoni's room.

Jhoni's light were out and the only light in the room was coming from the boy's phone.

"What do you want?" Jhoni asks, his tone harsh. So harsh that if Adam wasn't his father, he'd have flinched. Adam briefly wonders if his son bully's someone in school because if he's this harsh at home then what was he like in school?

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Adam says, leaning against the door frame as he speaks.

"Well, you've seen me. You can leave."

Adam takes a deep breath and fights the urge to go into Jhoni's room but he remains standing at the door. "Have I done something to upset you lately? You're always angry and if it's something I did, I'd like to know."

Adam doesn't get a reply. Instead, Jhoni locks his phone and closes his eyes. It was his silent way of telling Adam, their discussion was over. Adam just nods and clenched the cup in his hand tight. He walks down the stairs. He glances at the clock on his way to the kitchen and sighs when he sees its 12: 15am.

Jensen wasn't back yet.

Has he had dinner yet? Adam can't help but think to himself. He picks his phone from the table where he had kept it and hit the speed-dial for his husband. It rings for a few minutes before he's connected to Jensen's voicemail. Adam tries three more times and gets the same result.  He slides his phone into his pocket after one more dial. He makes sure Jensen's food was covered properly in the oven. He bites back a yawn as he walks out of the kitchen to the sitting room. He switches on the TV and a rerun of 2 broke girls was on. He bites back yawn after yawn as he watches episode after episode of 2 broke. He looks away from the TV and checks the time again, its 1:30am.  He switches off the TV and takes the stairs to his room. Even though the lights were out, Adam made his way to the bed without any bumps. He falls onto the bed like a sack of potatoes and closes his eyes.

He wants to sleep.

He tries to sleep but he's worried.

Maybe he should call Jensen again, Adam thinks to himself. He didn't get enough time to think it through when his door opens and the lights came on. If it was any other day, Adam would hiss and groan but standing at the door, looking tired and yet still awake was his husband. Jensen blonde hair was ruffled like he had run his finger through it, his eyes were surprisingly bright and his lips were swollen. His shirt was rumpled, haphazardly tucked into his black pants and his socks were mismatched, with one leg pink and the other blue.

Jensen's appearance made Adam tense.

This wasn't how Jensen had left the house this morning. His husband was pristine when he left and had worn black socks. So where did the pink and blue one come from?

Adam just stares at his husband without moving from the bed. Jensen also stares at his husband from his spot by the door and gives him a small smile. Adam tries to smile, he really tries to but he could not will his lips to do it.

"Hi, baby. How was your day?" Jensen speaks as he pulls his clothes off. He throws the clothes on the floor and kicks off his shoes in the same place. Jensen Grey was not the cleanest of men and Adam knows this but right now, as he's staring at his husband of sixteen years, he could not recognise who the man standing in front of him was.

"Did you hear me, baby?"

Instead of the rush that fills him whenever Jensen calls him baby, Adam cringes. The term of endearment sent chill down his back and Adam doesn't know what to do. He knows he should get up and pick the clothes but he doesn't have the will to. Instead he just lays on the bed and doesn't move.

"George asked after you again and so did Bella and Ian." Adam tells his husband who stops in front of the bathroom door. "Can't you come home during dinner?"

"Baby, I was busy wi-"

"Work? You've got a new account? I know and I understand but the kids are too young to understand. They just want to spend time with you." Adam says, his voice soft and it's evident how tired he was cause he slurs the last words.

Jensen walks towards his husband and kneels beside the bed. He presses a kiss to the side of Adam's face, he tucks his husband properly into the bed and covers him with the duvet. He strokes Adam's hair softly and whispers.

"I will make time for the kids tomorrow."

What about me? Adam wants to ask but he's not sure he wants to know the kind of answer he'd get, so instead he settles into the warmth the duvet provided and hums.

"Okay. Your food is in the oven, warm it up for two minutes." Adam falls asleep as soon as he says the last word. Jensen just nods and rise from where he was kneeling. He takes one good looks at his husband and turns around, heading straight for the bathroom.  

If Adam had been awake for a few more seconds he'd have noticed it. He'd have seen the scratch marks lining up his husbands back and the painful part, the one that would make him cry and ask why, is the fact that the scratch marks were fresh. They were made a few hours ago.