Writing on a tiny section of the vast mirror proved more challenging than Brad had hoped.
With his wings buzzing constantly, he dragged his furry abdomen across the steamed glass, fashioning his letters one at a time.
H…E…
His furry form soaked up the condensation moisture, adding weight to his body that challenged his wings, but he kept struggling to form the lines. Thankfully, his next letter was simpler.
He added an L to the H and E. He hovered in place to admire his progress when he heard the roar of the water from the shower cut off abruptly.
“I’ve got to finish!” Brad buzzed, tackling the next letter. Even as he completed the little loop needed for fashioning a passable P to complete the first word, he knew HELP was not enough.
Mark stepped from the shower, bringing a rain of water droplets to the tiles under his feet as he wrapped a massive white towel around his waist as he made his way, not to the sink, but to the hamper.
Brad counted it as a reprieve that his husband wanted to do the laundry, giving him more time to complete a coherent message that might convey his dilemma to the only person who could possibly help.
He soon added the words “I am Brad” following the word “Help.”
As he worked he heard thumps and bangs from the adjacent utility room, noises as Mark loaded the machine with a load of laundry as his transformed husband detected a most lamentable setback.
Mark, having left the bathroom door wide open, admitted the colder air from the air-conditioned house, causing the rapid evaporation of the condensation that provided a canvas for his words brushed across the steamed glass of the mirror.
“No, please,” Brad buzzed as he saw all his work vanishing before his strange faceted eyes. “No! No! No!”
In the midst of Brad’s emotional breakdown, Mark returned, naked again, having tossed his towel in with the rest of the wash.
A desperate Brad hovered and buzzed, uncertain of what to do as the colossus strode across the room and approached the toilet. Soon enough, a golden cascade that looked like it could match the force of Niagara was splashing into the bowl.
Brad zipped past the golden arc as he flew in tight circles, working to gain altitude for a kamikaze buzzing of Mark’s head and shoulders. Still devastated by the disappearance of his message as the steam evaporated, he had been made reckless by the blow of that setback. He had been so convinced he had found a way out of his dilemma.
“Mark! Babe!” Brad buzzed. “Please! Help…”
His buzzing got cut short when a hand slapped out by reflex at the buzzing sound and this time managed to connect with a forceful insect that sent the insect plummeting.
Brad made another dive into the bowl, but this time his descent was out of control, although he tried valiantly to reach the zone of slimy film again. Instead, he plopped into the middle of the bay-sized basin, barely making any ripples in the process.
Before he could orient himself and plot his next move, a warm, golden torrent smashed into his tiny fly form and drove him deeper into the water.
“Fuck! Mark! Stop!” Brad buzzed as he felt the pressure of Mark’s stream pushing him deeper.
Stunned, he squirmed in the water and felt his body float buoyantly back to the surface only to get slammed again by the weakening torrent.
“Mark! Please!” Brad buzzed in humiliation.