Four AM Sandwiches

Mason groggily padded down the hallway, scrubbing a hand down his tired face. The blond had once again been unceremoniously startled awake at a god-awful hour by yet another nightmare.

Since coming home from the war, it had been difficult to adjust back to civilian life. It seemed as if his brain had decided that everything that used to be a normal thing -like a car honking a horn at ass o’clock in the morning- was turned into a potential threat. But his therapist said that PTSD is completely understandable with the things he’d seen and he’s not alone with his struggle, then handed him a card detailing a therapy group.

Which just so happened to be where he met the love of his life. He’d opted to attend a group meeting with other discharged soldiers turned civilians and immediately saw her upon walking in. She had cropped purple hair with one side of her head shaved down to soft looking black fuzz. Her eyes were distant, cold, and she regarded the room with a distrustful gaze.

Mason watched her take note of the several different exits in the building, her thick hands crossed in front of her chest. The woman was huge, with bigger biceps than even Mason, and the blond was immediately enraptured.

When he sat next to her, she spared him a glare before completely ignoring his existence. Every time that he’d try to initiate a conversation, she’d just give monosyllabic replies or pretend that she didn’t hear him, but he didn’t give up. He was determined to get to know her.

He knew how annoying and rude he was by not taking the hint right away, but the way she looked when he took the podium and told his story was his driving force behind his mission. There was just some kind of connection, of understanding in her gaze as they briefly made eye-contact through the sparse crowd.

That was the day that she’d finally talked to him. Two months into going to the group therapy every other week and Mason was finally given her name: Chris, short for Christina. After chatting for a bit, she agreed to have coffee with him and the rest was history. Once Mason got to know her, she came out of her shell. Chris was sweet and playful and funny. She was also relaxed and down to Earth which was something that helped him balance out his own chaotic mind.

Mason slowed his pace when he heard talking in the kitchen, his brows creasing at the familiar drone of Derek's voice. He sounded unsure but curious, prompting Mason to creep closer to the kitchen. He paused just outside the open doorway, valiantly resisting the urge to poke his head in and see what the brunette was doing and who he was chatting with.

He’d met Derek at a bar. He and Chris had been dating for about four months when they began discussing the addition of a third member to their relationship. While Mason had heard of polyamorous relationships, he had ever been in one. On the other hand, Chris had been a part of several while on tour and began telling him about the logistics. After several days of debate and laying down rules, Mason and Chris were finally ready to pursue a new kind of relationship.

That’s when the uptight brunette came into their lives.

Derek was quiet and kind of intimidating, but Mason saw through the tough guy exterior and took note of the softy within. Once talking their options over with Chris, Derek came up and she offered to go over with Mason to chat with the guy. Though, looking back on it now, Chris was most likely tagging along more for back up than anything else.

After a long conversation to see if the three of them were compatible, it became abundantly clear that they just...worked. They interacted like long lost friends and soon bar hopping turned into breakfast, which turned into a relationship. Sure, they had their ups and downs, but what couple didn’t?

"So, Mason likes mayo and mustard on his sandwich, but no cheese because he's a freak." The blond would recognize that tone anywhere, Derek must've not been able to sleep again and needed something to distract him. Since Chris was already a night-owl, Mason had no doubt that she had already been up. Derek had a severe case of insomnia, to the point where sometimes even his medication didn’t work, and it made sleep for the man very difficult.

"Skylar, on the other hand, has a weak spot for roast beef and provolone. Especially when I go out of my way to make some sauce to go with it." He could hear the smile in Chris' voice, and couldn’t stop a grin spreading across his own. Skylar. He was the fourth and newest addition to their poly, he’d spotted Mason at a club and began hitting on him.

At first the blond wasn’t sure how to react, but then Derek came to the rescue in all his terrifying glory and Skylar had backed off. But something about the pastel goth was enticing, so after a quiet conversation with Derek and Chris, Mason decided to pursue the colorful man. After a long and serious talk, the four went back to their -now shared- house and had a good night.

After that, Skylar just...stayed, slowly bringing his stuff over in increments until he was fully moved in. It was gradual and felt natural, so no one had any objections. Besides, Skylar was good with all three of them and often felt like the glue keeping the poly relationship stable. Like something had been missing until he wormed his way into their lives.

He had the sudden pressing need to see Chris and Derek, so he slowly inched around the frame to look in. "What sandwich is your favorite, Chris?" Mason almost snorted at Derek’s question, they all knew Chris didn’t usually have any specific foods she favored and it had been a bit startling to discover that she wasn’t picky since she was always so set on perfection when it came to cooking.

But, to the blonde's surprise, her dark brows dipped low in thought. She propped her hip against the counter as she turned to face Derek, the brunette’s head tilted as he observed her. Derek was patient, waiting for the purple-haired female to fess-up to a preference.

"I myself like a ham and cheese melt." She nodded, as if satisfied with her own answer before pushing off the counter. Chris then proceeded to throw an arm over the brunette’s shoulders, her toothy smile both unsettling and genuine. Derek himself seemed to be thinking, crystal blue eyes aimlessly staring at the mess they'd made of the kitchen. There were slices of bread, cheese and deli meat carelessly stacked on the counter along with every condiment that'd been in the fridge.

"Will you teach me how to make it the way you like?" Mason's breath hitched as Derek’s blunt inquiry, a smile curling onto the blonde’s lips when Chris nodded with a laugh. Mason chose then to step out of his hiding spot, not really seeing a point in lurking about anymore. Derek was the first to notice him, his body relaxing once he realized that it was just Mason.

"Good morning, baby." Chris looked up from her ham melt assembly at Derek’s soft greeting, and Mason smiled, happily welcoming the brunette’s sweet kiss. When he pulled away, he spotted a turkey sandwich that was expertly wrapped and placed in one of the two black, heavy-duty lunch boxes that Chris had purchased for them.

"Hey handsome, didn't expect you to be up for another few hours. Why don't you go fetch me a few carrots and cucumbers. I'll get started on the ranch dressing in a minute." Mason's lips twitched under her own when Chris pressed them together. He’d always been thankful that she didn’t ever push about why he was up way earlier than usual. She’d normally wait until he felt like talking about it.

He popped open the fridge and barked out a laugh upon seeing the organized fresh food. Leave it to Chris to clean out and fully restock their fridge while everyone else was asleep. "Okay, then you butter up one side on each slice so it gets nice and crispy golden. Then you put the slice, buttered side down, in the warm pan and then the cheese, followed by the ham. And to wrap it all up you plop the other slice on there, buttered side up." Mason shook his head with a snort of amusement, you'd think Derek was being taught how to defuse a bomb with how intense his stare was.

"There, ham and cheese melt." Chris flipped the sandwich so the other side could brown, shrugging her shoulders as she did so. Mason deposited the chosen vegetables onto the cutting board that'd been placed on the counter, stepping aside to assure he wouldn't be in her way. He lingered near the pantry door, watching as Chris navigated their kitchen with ease.

"Alright, time to put your training to the test. Make some sandwiches, Derek. I can always bring the leftovers to the neighbors so don't feel like you need to hold back." The brunette nodded, like he was a soldier who'd just been ordered to race across no-man's-land and Mason fought a smile as Derek turned to the sandwich ingredients with a look of determination, the brunette snagging two slices of white bread for his first sandwich.

"So Mason, I saw that you bought tickets for the football game this Friday." Chris stated casually as she plated the melt and went to chop the vegetables, the carrots being sliced into sticks while the cucumbers were cut into chips. Mason sighed, wondering if he had just left the browser open or if she voluntarily went snooping, either way, he didn’t really mind. He hummed in confirmation and Chris nodded absent-mindedly as she packed away the veggies into long containers to tuck next to the prepared sandwiches.

"Sorry if it was supposed to be a surprise. I’d love to go." Mason's lips quirked at her attempt to cheer him up. It never failed to make something flutter in his stomach, making him lightheaded with something dangerously close to gratification. He liked having Chris' approval, the feeling he got when she’d agree to his plans for a date had always been nice.

"What are you guys up to so early?" Mason startled at the sound of Skylar’s voice cutting across the quiet kitchen, still rough with sleep. Chris herself didn't seem caught off guard by his entrance, she merely gestured to the filled coffee pot that was still steaming where it sat in the machine. Mason himself hadn't even noticed she'd made any, too distracted by Chris and Derek’s adorable exchange.

"Morning sexy." Mason snorted at Skylar’s flirtatious greeting, the pastel goth’s lips curling into one of his rarely seen lopsided grins that he usually reserved for his three partners. Mason's chest clenched at the sight of such a care-free smile, it made him look years younger. That grin washed away years of jagged scars and tough choices, fanning the flame in his eyes into a burning light that was warmer than the sun. Mason loved it, the way the greens and browns of his eyes swirled and sparked with life.

"Skylar, I made sandwiches." Mason couldn't help but smile when Derek suddenly appeared next to the pastel goth, who jumped nearly two feet into the air with a high-pitched curse. Chris had no qualms about laughing at Skylar’s expense, her howling turning into outright wheezing when Derek proceeded to offer the disgruntled male a roast beef sandwich. Skylar shot Chris a half-hearted glare, but took the plate that the brunette was practically shoving into his face.

"Sandwiches? You?" Skylar sounded skeptical, and rightfully so considering the fact that Derek had yet to make anything edible. Chris made a 'go ahead' motion with her hand when Skylar side-eyed her, her shoulders still lightly shaking with laughter. Her eyes were alight with mirth when the small, colorful male steeled his expression, it was the same look he'd seen Skylar wear when he soldiered through one of Mason's green smoothies because of a lost bet.

Mason was a little surprised when he was the next person to receive a sandwich, but he took it without pause. Chris had talked Derek through the steps, so it would either taste like Chris made it...or it would taste just as good as a sandwich Mason himself would’ve made. His eyes dared Skylar to take the first bite, and never being the one to back down from a challenge, he did.

"Oh...oh damn, that's good." Skylar blurted out through his stuffed mouth while he chewed. Chris was already chewing on her own melt. Mason hadn't even seen Derek make hers, but Chris looked immensely proud of what she was tasting so the blond bit into his own. It really was delicious, and all three of them murmured praise to make sure the brunette was aware of his accomplishment.

Derek preened.