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The smell of breakfast food flows through the apartment as Hunter cooks in the kitchen, humming as he works. He doesn’t know what tune he’s singing along to, but he had heard it in the background while Ally had gamed yesterday, so it had gotten stuck in his head. Now he taps his foot to his own beat as he divides the freshly cooked scrambled eggs amongst three plates, alongside some bacon he had whipped up.
Carrying them to the dining table, he sets each plate down at their designated spots. Hunter stands back and observes his work, dusting his hands off. Everything is almost ready; the forks and knives are already out, as are the salt and pepper shakers, drinking glasses filled with orange juice, and napkins. All that is missing are his girlfriends.
“Ally! Tess! Breakfast time!” Hunter shouts. He looks down at his phone, seeing that it’s almost 12:00. “Oops. I guess it’s lunch.”
Ally walks out of the nearby laundry room, holding a basket full of clothes. “That's actually quite early, seeing how much we did around the house. We swept, dusted, did laundry, cleaned the bathrooms, took out the trash…” She looks thoughtfully off to the direction of their room. “All we have to do is wash the sheets! Tess should be waking up for breakfast any minute now.”
Every other Sunday was a chore day for them. Hunter, Ally, and Tess would dedicate themselves to the upkeep of their shared apartment, and relax the rest of the day. Even though they were doing mundane things, it was actually quite fun. They would listen to music, talk about things, and even though it took much longer than it should have due to them joking around, it was a delight. Spending time at home, just the three of them, was a real treat.
Since Tess didn’t work at home, unlike Hunter and Ally, they liked to let her sleep in on chore days. She loved her job, working at a gaming studio as a concept artist, but the studio was a fair bit away and the job was tiring. She often had to deal with rushed deadlines from her higher ups, and it could get very frustrating for her. Therefore, Ally and Hunter liked to let her get her rest on the weekends.
“Let’s go check on her. The food will get cold otherwise.” Hunter follows behind Ally as they walk towards their bedroom.
Ally gently opens the door and sets down the laundry basket on the inside. It’s a bit messy on the floor, miscellaneous items surrounding their extra large bed. The room is still dark, indicating that Tess hasn’t woken up yet; which was a little odd, but Hunter figures that she is just really tired from work.
“Babe, breakfast!” Ally goes over to the window and slides open the curtains, light flooding into the room. Now that the room is visible, Hunter’s eyes lock in on the lump on the bed that must be Tess. She’s almost completely covered, with only the tip of her head poking out.
“We have scrambled eggs and bacon.” Hunter goes over to sit on the right side of the bed, rubbing where he thinks Tess’s shoulder is. She shifts a bit, but doesn’t move to get up. Hunter frowns. “Sweetie?” He asks as he gently peels back the top layer of the blanket.
Underneath, Tess is clearly awake. However, she doesn’t look like she woke up peacefully. Her eyes have bags under them, and she seems to be staring into the distance, spacing out. She shuts her eyes tight.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I- I can’t do it today.”
Hunter’s heart sinks. Tess must be having one of those days, where the worst of her feelings and thoughts get the better of her, and her depression doesn’t allow her to function as normal.
Her depression had improved a lot since they met; though still taking medicine, the dose was a lot lower, and through therapy and hard work she had gotten better at coping with difficult feelings. However, healing wasn’t linear, and she still had those extreme lows that left her feeling so sad and overwhelmed that it was impossible to do even the most simple things. On these days, though Tess insists they don’t have to, Ally and Hunter make sure to take care of her.
“Hey, hey, no, don’t apologize,” Hunter dips down to press his forehead against her cheek, rushing to comfort her. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”
“He’s right.” Ally rubs Tess’s back. “We all have bad days.”
“But, but I…” Tess starts to speak, but trails off with a sigh, clearly exhausted. Hunter aches seeing her like this; it’s hard knowing that she’s hurting and that he can’t take the pain away from her, can’t make it leave her alone forever.
Ally clearly feels the same way judging by the pained expression on her face. They both turn to look at each other. They can’t make her better, but they can help her cope with her pain.
“Let’s get you some things so you can spend the day in bed resting.” Hunter stands up.
“Stay here babe.” Ally nods and walks out of the room quickly. Hunter gives Tess one last soft look before following behind her.
When he gets into the living room, Ally is hurriedly shuffling around grabbing things. She is currently in the kitchen, juggling a water bottle and a book while trying to grab a portable gaming console.
“Slow down babe,” Hunter grabs the items from her. “Tess isn’t going anywhere.”
“I know she isn’t, but I just-“ Ally sighs in frustration, clenching her fists. “I just want to help her.”
Hunter smiles, leaning in to press a kiss to Ally’s cheek. The look of determination on Ally’s face is apartment, and Hunter knows she won’t relax until they help Tess through this. As much as her strong will could get her in trouble, it was a testament to how much Ally cared.
“We can do that. Let’s get her some light food. She probably doesn’t want to eat too much right now.” He grabs her hands and squeezes them. Ally’s face softens, and she gives him a smile and nods.
Hunter and Ally gather up some basic things for Tess as quickly as possible. Though Tess usually manages her depression very well, there had been many days before where it became too much for her. On these days, Ally and Hunter make sure to take really good care of their girlfriend, helping her fulfill her self care needs and then relaxing with her the rest of the day.
Tess is on her side watching the door when they come back in with everything. They set some things down on the bed while others go on the nightstand.
Ally kneels down by the side of the bed, a banana in her right hand. She begins to peel it gently.
“Hey, I know you probably aren’t hungry right now, but you need to eat.”
Tess scrunches up her face. “I’ll be fine.” Ally shakes her head.
“Just a few bites, okay?”
Tess hesitates for a second, then sighs. She sits up and adjusts herself. Ally hands her the banana, and Tess takes a few shy bites. Eventually Tess finishes the whole banana.
“You ate the whole thing! I thought you weren’t hungry.”
Tess raises an eyebrow. “Who eats only half of a banana?”
Hunter takes the chance to sit down and brush Tess’s hair. It’s a bit tangled from sleep, but he easily gets all the knots out, only pulling a little bit. Eventually it’s silky and smooth, just as Tess likes it.
“Thank you,” she mumbles.
“No problem.” Hunter puts the brush to the side. “I know you don’t want to get up right now, and that’s fine, but later we’re going to brush your teeth, alright?”
Tess sighs and lays back down, pulling the sheets up around her. She still has a somber expression on her face; however, Hunter knows her well enough to tell by the slight quirk of her brow that she’s a bit frustrated.
“I hate this.” She says. Ally and Hunter sit in silence, unsure of what to do. There’s nothing they can say about how they understand, or about how she shouldn’t feel sad. They can only be there for here.
After a minute of silence, Ally’s eyes light up.“I know!” Ally claps her hands together. “Let’s watch a TV show. A funny one, like Community or something!”
Tess seems surprised, but smiles. “Okay. Why don’t we watch that comedy anime I’ve been telling you guys about?”
“Sounds good.
Hunter turns on the television while Ally grabs some snacks and some stuffed animals. Together, they arrange the bed so that there’s food on the bedside tables and stuffed animals surrounding the perimeter of the bed. In the middle there’s Tess, cuddled up with a plush cat, with two spaces next to her for Hunter and Ally. The two of them crawl in and pull the covers up, with only Hunter’s arm out to use the remote for the television.
They turn on the show and it’s really enjoyable, making Ally and Hunter audibly laugh several times. The best part is the way Tess looks when watching it- she’s smiling, no longer worried about anything but rather focusing on the show. The hours pass until they finish watching the whole show, and by that point it’s dark out. As the credits roll to an end as Hunter pauses the TV, Tess takes notice of the change in time.
“Oh, it’s dark out.” She says.
“Yeah, we finished the whole thing.” Ally stretches with a sigh. “That show was good Tess! Super funny, and a good plot.”
“Absolutely,” agrees Hunter. “Tess?”
Tess is quiet, just looking at them for a moment. Then, her lip begins to tremble. “You guys wasted your whole day on me. You could have been doing anything else.”
“Oh, Tess.” Ally’s face falls.
Tess begins to cry in an instant, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m crying, I just- I just feel so bad. I feel..” Tess sniffles, two gentle tears running down her face. “I don’t deserve you guys. I can’t take care of myself for one stupid day, and now I’m dragging you guys into it. I’m so sorry.” She sobs violently, burying her head in her hands.
Hunter and Ally rush forward to comfort her, pressing up against her. Though Tess keeps crying, she goes from shaking to a tremble almost instantly.
“Hey now, Tess, it’s okay.” Ally puts her hands on Tess’s shoulders. “You don’t have to be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for.” The brunette buries her face in Tess’s neck, pulling her closer.
“If we couldn’t take care of ourselves for a day, would you be angry? Would you feel inconvenienced?” Hunter asks, stroking Tess’s hair.
Tess shakes her head no. “But that’s-”
“Different?” Ally pulls back to look Tess in the eyes. “Different how?”
“I mean… you guys are… you’re so…”
“Tess,” Hunter pulls Tess into his chest. “We do this for you because we love you. So much. And we know you would do the same for us, at any time. The three of us are a team, okay?”
“Yeah, and that means no one left behind.” Ally squirms her way into the hug under Hunter’s arm and gives Tess a kiss on the cheek. “Not now, not ever.”
Tess pulls back to look Hunter in the eyes. She’s crying harder than ever, but there’s a smile on her face.
“You guys,” Tess’s voice trembles. “Thank you. I’m so lucky to love and be loved by such wonderful people.” She presses a soft kiss to Hunter’s lips, and then turns and kisses Ally.
“We love you, Tess.” Ally giggles.
Hunter smiles. They had all only been together for a few years, but it felt like a lifetime to him. A perfect life. Through ups and downs, he could never imagine a day where he wasn’t with Ally and Tess, the two people he loved the most in this world.
They all curl up and start up another episode of some show. Eventually Hunter and the girls start to zone out a bit, getting caught up in cuddling. Hunter happily pulls the two of them in closer, with Tess in the middle being sandwiched by him and Ally. Tess is definitely in a better mood, judging by the way she giggles as Ally peppers her face with kisses.
Eventually Tess falls asleep, snoring peacefully in between her lovers. Hunter starts to drift off too, drawn to sleep by the warmth of his girlfriends. However, right as he’s about to fall asleep, a poke jerks him awake.
“Hunter!” Ally says quietly.
“What?”
“We left the eggs out.” Ally whispers. Hunter groans. He had completely forgotten about that, too caught up in caring about Tess. Ally laughs.
“We can worry about that tomorrow. For now, let's just sleep, okay?”
“Okay,” Hunter says, smiling. He holds Tess and Ally tighter, and closes his eyes. The lull of Tess and Ally’s breathing make his eyes heavy, and in no time his eyelids are too heavy to keep open. The last thing he thinks about falling into a deep sleep is about Ally and Tess, and about how much he loves them. He wouldn’t change a thing.