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“I still think this whole thing is unfair,” mutters Rose as she plunks a dry mop into an empty bucket. “Mr. Hartford owns the movie studio, and everyone knows we’re Rangers. Why couldn’t he just extend the production schedule for a day or two to accommodate Dax?”
That’s an excellent question, and Mack has no answer that he wants to give or that the others will want to hear. If it were about him, Mack would argue the overprotective dad angle. But Dax? “Budget issues?”
Next to Rose, Ronny snorts.
Rose narrows her eyes, one eyebrow arched high. “Twenty-seven bathrooms in a single house. I think he can spare a day or two of money for a film production.”
“It’s okay, Rose,” says Dax, shrugging as he holds a bottle of cleaning solution out to her. “I shouldn’t be auditioning right now anyway. Saving the world is more important.”
Rose takes the bottle and sighs. “I’m not sorry I encouraged you.”
“It won’t be so bad,” says Ronny. Taking the mop and bucket from Rose, she grins. “I’ll help. We’ll been done with your half in no time!”
“Hey! What about my half?”
Mack dives right into that. “I’ve got your back.”
Her eyes glittering, Ronny grins. “Last ones done get stuck cleaning the team bathrooms for a month?”
“Now that’s unfair, Ms. Super Speed,” says Dax.
“Fine,” Ronny relents. “Come on, Rose. Let’s get this over with.”
Mack and Dax watch the girls carry their cleaning supplies and head off to their assigned half of the house.
“They’ll be done in an hour,” Dax laments, “and we’ll barely be three bathrooms in.”
“Aw, come on.” Mack grabs a bucket full of supplies and shoots Dax a grin. “It’ll be fun!”
“Um, Mack, have you ever cleaned a bathroom before?”
“No,” Mack admits, “but most of the bathrooms in the house don’t get used anyway.” His smile darkens a little, saucy but still playful. His father probably expects this will take them hours, which means he won’t call them anywhere unless there’s an emergency. Hours of uninterrupted time together. Hours.
But Dax doesn’t seem to notice the implication of just how fun this could be, sighing as he grabs a mop and shuts the supply closet. “Let’s go. The sooner we start, the better.”
Mack nods and follows behind him, shaking his head. He’ll make sure Dax sees the light.
By the fourth bathroom, Mack is convinced Dax is so bummed about this whole movie thing that he’s forgotten they’re dating. That’s understandable, Mack guesses, so he tells himself he’s well within his rights to remind him.
“Makes things easier, at least,” Dax murmurs. He plucks a spray bottle of diluted cleaner from the bucket Mack sets on the floor. Sighing, he starts for the sink.
Mack ventures further into the bathroom, a sponge and another spray bottle in his gloved hands. “I’m pretty sure we’re allowed to take a break.”
“I know,” Dax says, shrugging as he starts to spray the sink down. “But I’m actually having fun.”
“Fun?”
“Yeah!” Dax beams. “No training, but still working out the ol’ muscles, getting to know the house—not a bad deal overall!”
Shrugging, Mack turns his attention to the enormous bathtub. “I guess so.”
For a while, only the sounds of cleaning fill the room—scrubbing, spraying, the occasional sigh. Mack bites back the grumbling he’d like to do, instead channeling that energy into devising a plan to make Dax take a break. He’s thinking, maybe he can ask for a hand with the tub, then casually pretend to fall in, and grab Dax’s arm on the way down—
“Mack? I said—”
Mack jumps from his daydream, loses his balance, and falls into the tub. Dax reaches out to try and grab him, and ends up falling in atop Mack.
With the air knocked out of him twice over, it takes Mack a few seconds to realize what’s happened. Once he does, he grabs Dax by the shoulders and lifts him far enough up that he can see Dax’s face. “Are you okay? Are you crying right now?”
Dax shakes his head, his eyes squeezed shut, his shoulders moving in a way that Mack is pretty sure is crying until he listens. It’s suppressed, somewhat pained laughing. “I’m— This is—”
“What?” Mack prompts. “What’s—”
Dax laughs harder, and fight it back though he might, Mack chuckles, hushes at first, then louder as he relaxes his arms, lowering Dax a little.
After what feels like a solid five minutes, Dax says, “I’ve been trying to figure out how to get us this close since bathroom number one.”
“You do a great job hiding it,” Mack half huffs, half praises, before he lets Dax down all the way, and kisses him.
They’re both still smiling as they kiss, Dax snickering now and again when he pauses for a deeper breath, but overall it’s smooth sailing. The tub is large enough for Mack to fit lengthwise, but small enough that there’s almost nowhere they aren’t touching. Mack thinks of all the fun they could have in this largely unused bathroom, sneaking off, their uniforms cast aside, warm water and each other’s hands helping them relax after a mission.
Mack reaches for the edge of the tub, to shift them both so they’re lying on their side, and knocks over a bottle of cleaning solution. He and Dax jolt at the sound, scrambling to sit up in case one of the others should come in to check in.
No one comes, thank goodness, but their moment seems gone anyway.
“Well, since we’re here,” starts Dax, “we can do a really thorough job with this tub.”
Mack grins. “Funny, that’s exactly what I was thinking.” He pulls Dax towards him again and lies down in the tub, where the two go back to thoroughly kissing.