Work Text:
Loudmouth sits on the couch in their apartment, his hands shaking as he reads the page over and over, the paper rattling a little with his trembling. He can hardly believe it’s real, but it is, and he can’t stop smiling. This is it, this is why he’s worked so hard to become who he is, to become an artist - he wants to give back to them all the safety and security they’ve given him for so many years.
He’s nervous too. What if they don’t like it? What if- what if they don’t want this? Fuck, he hopes they aren’t mad. He knows Rabble and Ruckus and Mischief aren’t like that, but… what if?
The sound of the door opening makes him jump, and he quickly folds the paper and tucks it away.
“Loudmouth?” Of course it’s Rabble looking for him - they’ve always been the closest.
“I’m here,” he calls back, standing up, “I- I have a surprise for you.” He takes a deep breath, trying to stop his voice from shaking.
They all hurry in, and he smiles shyly as Rabble beams and heads over to wrap his arms around him, leaning up for a kiss. “Is everything okay?” he asks, his brows furrowing a little.
“Yeah, I, uh, I have something - here.” He hands the envelope to Mischief, who opens it, reads the paper, and hands it to Ruckus.
Ruckus reads it quickly. “This is a deed.” He reads it again. “An apartment and a shop? Lud’ika, you bought this?”
“Yeah… after we talked about it the other day, and toured that place… It just felt right, and I’ve been saving up money from the paintings I’ve sold, and… it’s ours, if- if you want that. I know I should have talked about it with you, and I’m sorry, but… I wanted it to be a surprise, and now you don’t have to work so much, Chief, you can be with us, and there’s even space for a real greenhouse in the back, and you can have all the plants you want-” He’s stuttering and tripping over his words, and Mischief doesn’t say anything, just wraps him in his arms, gathering Ruckus and Rabble as well.
“ Thank you , Lud’ika,” he says softly, and Rabble cheers.
They finally have a home to call their own, and they couldn’t be happier.