In Which It's No Fun To Be The Odd Man Out And Trust Has To Be Earned
Being with Kevin isn't like he might have guessed it would be; even if had guessed that he'd end up falling for a courtesan with a day job as an avenging angel (or, as Ryan says sometimes, 'a whore with a death-wish'), he'd never have imagined it would involve more lying on the roof of Kevin's building in the morning sun, slumped together while Kevin sleeps off the night, than epic throes of passion.
More breakfasts taking place at all hours of the day with too many people clustered around that little kitchen table, with impassioned political orations, and gossip from all over the city. (Seriously. Sometimes he'd get the rundown on the juciest gossip from his friends uptown and have to force the appropriate shock, despite having heard it all from Brendon two days before.) Less holding hands and gazing longingly into each others' eyes. More laughing. More teasing. More knife fights.
So Mike's getting a look at Kevin's world, hanging out with Kevin's friends, and he's happy. How could he not be? He's seeing a world he never knew existed, and he gets to be a part of it because this gorgeous, sweet, ridiculously honorable guy is completely crazy about him. It's just--it's just that Kevin's so wary still. And he gets it, Mike gets that it isn't personal, that sleeping so light is a habit, that Kevin's insecure for perfectly valid reasons and his suspicion when Mike shows up later than he said he would one night has very little to do with Mike himself, that Kevin takes a knife to bed in case of an attack by someone else, but it's hard to remember sometimes.
It's hard because no matter how much Kevin cares about him, no matter how much that counts for with Kevin's friends, it's impossible to ignore the fact that Mike's the outsider here. And that's to be expected; he doesn't live here, doesn't live the way they do. It's expected, but it's still never fun to be the odd man out, so when Mike feels that even Kevin doesn't completely trust him, it's kind of upsetting.
It's upsetting, but Mike gets over it. Trust needs to be earned and that takes time, so Mike waits. He waits until he forgets what he's even waiting for, but one evening when Joe's been called out on a house call with Gerard and it's getting dark and Nick's already gone to work and Kevin really needs to get going, he turns to Mike and says, "I hate to ask, but-"
"Anything," Mike says, mentally cursing himself for his unintentional sappiness.
Kevin stops for a second, surprised, before continuing, "Could you maybe stay a bit longer--just stay with Frankie until Joe gets back?"
"Sure."
"I wouldn't ask, only I don't want to leave him alone so young, and I know it's getting late--"
"Of course I'll stay, Kevin,"
"It's just--I don't know how long Joe'll be gone, and I know you had plans tonight--"
Mike catches the frantic fingers between his own, reels Kevin in, kisses him once and says, "Of course I'll stay."
Kevin takes his leave, clumsy in his rush not to be late, and Mike glances at the door as it swings shut, at the sleeping boy in his charge, and cannot imagine feeling more trusted, more valued