Archive of Our Own

Gwil slings his arm over Ben’s shoulders, tugging him in as they walk along the River Lee. “Do you want to kiss the Blarney Stone?”

They’re in Cork, staying for a couple days. Ben had a job interview a short drive away from the city, and instead of flying in and immediately flying out, they’ve stayed to see a bit more of the small city and the surrounding area. Ben’s still working on his dissertation, though it’s almost done and ready to be presented, and they could use the break. Well, he could use the break. Gwil’s life is still pretty quiet, even with his volunteering.

Ben shakes his head. “I think I’m alright.”

“Isn’t it for good luck?” Gwil asks. “It could help in your job search.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Gwil smiles. “Not that you need any extra help, love. I know you’re smart and talented enough to get a job all on your own.”

“Thank you,” Ben says. “And anyway, no. It’s not for good luck. It’s for the gift of the gab.”

“Oh, well.” Gwil leans in, brushing his lips over Ben’s temple. “Maybe you could talk yourself into a job, then.”

Ben scoffs and tries pulling away from Gwil, but Gwil laughs and pulls him back in.

“Now, now, love,” Gwil says.

“I won’t stand around here and let you insult me.”

“Just teasing.” Gwil kisses Ben’s temple again, and Ben murmurs softly. “You know that.”

“Oh, I do,” Ben says, sounding playfully exasperated. “So clingy.”

Gwil chuckles. “Well, I know what I’ve got in my gorgeously sexy partner. I’d be a fool to let you get too far away.” He squeezes Ben’s shoulders, then drops his arm down, thinking of Ben’s past. “But of course, you know I’d let you go, if you wanted.”

“I know.” Ben smiles gratefully at him. He reaches out to take Gwil’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Do you want to kiss the Blarney Stone?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Gwil says. “What would I need the gift of gab for?”

“Chatty enough already, you mean?”

“Exactly.”

“Let’s just keep Joe as far away from that thing as possible.”

Gwil chuckles again. “I assumed he’d already snogged that thing ages ago. Seemed like the only explanation.” He hums softly. “They do have a poison garden, though. At the castle.”

“Oh, you’ve done your research then,” Ben says. “You know, if you want to go to Blarney, we can go. Just say.”

“Well, we really don’t have to make a huge fuss, love,” Gwil says. “I just don’t know when we’ll get back to the Emerald Isle.”

“It’s only an hour flight,” Ben says. “We can come back any time you’d like.” He looks down at his feet, kicking a small pebble in front of him. “Does that mean you think I won’t get the job?”

“Love.” Gwil stops walking and turns to stand in front of Ben, looking down at him. “I swear that’s not what I meant. Of course I don’t know if you’ll get the job, but I’m certainly not saying that you won’t. You know that.”

Ben sighs. “I do,” he admits softly. “I’m just nervous.”

“I know.” Gwil gently presses his fingers under Ben’s chin, tilting his head up so that he can give him a kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Ben inhales deeply, then steps forward, wrapping his arms around Gwil.

“Oh, love,” Gwil says, rubbing Ben’s back. “What do you need?”

“Nothing,” Ben says, voice muffled by Gwil’s shirt. “Just a hug.”

“Well, I’m very good at those.” Gwil tightens his hold on Ben, and sways side to side, humming again. “I feel good about this.”

“About Cobh?”

“About any of them,” Gwil says. The interview in Cobh was Ben’s third, and he has another one back in Wales in a couple days. “I’d wager…twenty quid—”

“Oh, big money,” Ben says, stepping back to look up at him. “Considering you’re a millionaire.”

Gwil grins. “Twenty quid,” he says again. “That you either get the job here, or one of the others. There won’t be any more job searching after this, I can tell. You’ve already found it.”

“Gwil, do you know how lucky I’d have to be to get a job at one of the first places I interviewed at?” Especially considering he maybe got one of the interviews on his own talent; his supervisor certainly helped with him the others. “I— the odds—”

“Well, you're a very lucky bloke,” Gwil says. “Why should this be any different?”

Ben rolls his eyes. “When have I ever been lucky?”

Gwil’s mouth falls open, and he takes a step back, sputtering in surprise. “I— excuse you,” he says, and Ben grins. “Well, if that’s how you feel about things, perhaps I’ll just— I will go to Blarney, on my own. Not lucky? Love, you’re one of the luckiest people I know.”

“I am only sort of teasing,” Ben says. “Part of me just wanted to see what you’d say. But I do also think you’re overestimating me. Getting a job isn’t the same as it was a hundred years ago.”

“Well, that’s true,” Gwil says. “I didn’t even apply for the BIS.”

Ben scoffs. “See!”

“They just sent me a letter in Cardiff and asked if I wanted to sign up,” Gwil continues.

“That’s—” Ben shakes his head. “That’s ridiculous. Just— just be sent a letter asking if you want a job. Bloody hell. That’s not happening these days. Although—” He narrows his eyes at Gwil. “It probably will for you. Again. And Rami too, if he doesn’t want to go back to the IIS. The power of celebrity.”

“Hmm, we'll see.” Gwil takes Ben's hand, and they start slowly walking again. “It will happen for you. I refuse to believe it won’t.”

“You have too much hope, Gwil,” Ben says.

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“It should’ve been sucked out of you like the rest of us.”

“Well, if that’s my reward for missing a hundred years, then I’ll take it.” Gwil smiles, gently rubbing Ben’s hand with his thumb. “But if it doesn’t—”

“Oh, what happened to being so sure?” Ben asks. “You bet me twenty quid, don’t forget.”

“Oh, I won’t,” Gwil says. “I’m just saying, if you don’t get a job right way, that’s alright too. You know I’ll take care of you, and it certainly doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with you.”

Ben makes a soft sound. “I’m really good at making all of our conversations so depressing, aren’t I?”

“Oh, the best,” Gwil says, chuckling. “Have you kissed the Blarney Stone before? Is this the gift of the gab at work?”

“Whatever,” Ben says, rolling his eyes. They take a few more steps, and he groans loudly, stopping. “Ugh, let’s go back and get the car. Let’s go see your poison garden.”

“Oh, love,” Gwil says, “how you spoil me.”

Ben smiles, kissing Gwil. “And don’t you forget it.”

Ben wishes they’d paused for a moment before they went past security; they should have caught their breath and maybe had a coffee. Though he knows it’d be quite rude, considering Joe and Rami have come all the way to Cardiff to meet them at the airport. But Ben also knows there’s a distinct possibility they’re about to meet up with a crying baby and a very excitable Joe. He needs a minute to shake off their quiet time in Ireland and get back into spending time with your mates mode.

Based on how quickly Rami and Joe hurry over once they see them, Ben was right— he did need more caffeine to deal with this. Oh well, he’s still chuffed to see them.

“Do you guys ever think about how most of our friendship is just dropping each other off at train stations, or picking each other up at airports?”

Ben and Gwil look at each other, and Rami sighs, rolling his eyes. “Ignore him,” he says, hugging Gwil. “I don’t know what he’s on about.” Rami steps back, smiling at Ben. “So?”

“Hello to you too,” Ben says, hugging him as well.

“So?” Rami asks again, bouncing in Ben’s arms.

“I don’t know, Rami,” Ben says, smiling at Gwil and Joe over Rami’s shoulder. “They didn’t say a thing.”

“Oh, I’m sure it went well,” Rami says, stepping back. “I really am.”

“Thank you,” Ben says, “I appreciate that.”

Joe makes a soft sound as he squeezes Gwil tightly. He pulls back, stepping away from the pram to let Gwil get a look at Sami.

“Oh, hello old chap,” Gwil says, gently grasping onto Sami’s foot, chuckling when he kicks.

“Benny,” Joe says, holding his arms open. “Hi.”

Ben playfully sighs, then laughs as he hugs Joe next. “You do realize that it’s only been a few days since we saw you, right?”

“No!” Joe exclaims. “It’s been—” He blinks as he thinks. “No, it’s been like a week. How was Ireland?”

“It was really nice,” Ben says.

“The Heritage Centre is right on the harbour,” Gwil says, gently rocking the pram back and forth. “And I mean it. Maybe three feet from the water.”

“Does a town like that have a lot of places to live?” Rami asks. “Joe showed it to me on the Internet, it looks so small. So quaint!”

“Babe, you’ve seen where they currently live,” Joe says. “I don’t think they have a problem with small towns.”

“Well, I suppose that’s true,” Rami says softly, as if the idea hadn’t occurred to him and he’d never realized how tiny Aber was.

“Besides,” Ben says, “we’d probably live in Cork. I wouldn’t mind the drive.” After a moment, he quickly says, “but! We don’t know that I got the job. Or any job. We’re not thinking about that right now, alright? We’re here to spend time in Cardiff with our mates.”

“You’re have another job interview in two days,” Joe says.

“Yes, but I’m trying to ignore that part,” Ben says. His next interview is in Swansea, and Rami and Joe will be coming with them there as well, before they all head back to Aber. It’s a sort of vacation for them too, along with Gwil, while Ben is just trying to not be nervous. “I don’t think I’m very good at them. Every time I’m sitting there, waiting, or— god, when they ask me to tell them about myself…I just start to think, you know what? I don’t mind if Gwil takes care of me forever, I should just show myself out.”

Joe laughs, and Rami shakes his head. “Oh, you don’t mean that,” Rami says, reaching out to Ben. “I’m sure it you did brilliantly, just like you did at your other interviews, and just like you will in Swansea.”

“Gwil’s bet me twenty quid I’ve got one of them,” Ben says.

“I did,” Gwil says.

Joe rolls his eyes. “Wow, Gwil, twenty pounds? Aren’t you a billionaire or something?” He scoffs, then smirks. “Anyway! If Ben doesn’t want to talk about job interviews, we’re going to stop. That’s not why we’re here.”

“We could have met you in the city,” Ben says, grasping onto the handle of his suitcase.

“What? No! Of course not,” Joe says. “We had to meet you here. By the way, aren’t you even going to say hello to your nephew?”

Ben groans. “I— you barely let me step foot off the plane before you accosted me, no, I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to say hello to him yet.” He walks over to the stroller, looking down at Sami, who’s kicking and wiggling all over the place. “Bonjour, mon petit chou, bonjour.” He reaches in, brushing his fingers over Sami’s hair, smiling when his big blue eyes watch Ben’s hand move. “Oui, c’est ma main, mes doigts.” He wiggles his fingers in front of Sami’s face, chuckling as Sami keeps wiggling. “Take just after your parents, nice to see nothing’s changed this week.”

“Have you been to the hotel?” Gwil asks, looking at Rami and Joe.

“Yes, we couldn’t check in,” Rami says, “but they let us leave our things there. I think they saw Sami and felt bad for us.”

Gwil chuckles. “I’m sure they would have let you otherwise, it’s just polite.”

“Did you know that our hotel is just across the street from Cardiff Castle?” Rami asks.

“Oh,” Gwil says, “is it?” He winks at him.

Rami grins. “You and your castles,” he says, looking at Ben.

“Seriously,” Joe says, “we better not be spending our entire day there.”

“You and Rami are free to do whatever you want,” Ben says. “And so are Gwil and I. Don’t let us hold you back.” He looks around for signs leading towards the taxi queue, then starts pushing Sami down the hall.

“Let me,” Rami says, grabbing Ben’s bag, when Gwil picks up his own. “So?”

“Hmm?”

“What did you think?” Rami asks. “Of Cobh? And Cork? Would you want to live there?”

“If it would make Ben happy, absolutely,” Gwil says.

Rami sighs. “You keep saying that. You said that after he interviewed in London—”

“Well, that was a silly question,” Gwil says. “Of course I’d want to live in London. We know it so well. Though if he gets hired there, I don’t think he’ll be very pleased he gave up his flat.”

“You said it when he interviewed in Edinburgh too,” Rami continues.

“And I meant it,” Gwil says. “Rami, you’re so worried I’m going to end up living in some hellhole.” Rami’s mouth falls open in surprise. “When really, I swear, I swear— I’ll be chuffed wherever he gets a job.”

“Ugh, fine,” Rami mutters. “Whatever you say.”

Gwil laughs. “Thank you for trusting me so much.”

It’s a very tight fit in the taxi, even though they’ve managed to snag one of the larger ones. But Joe insists that they all ride back into the city together, he can’t dare to split them up. Joe keeps asking Ben about how his job interview went, and Ben snuggles against Gwil, closing his eyes, hoping that Gwil will get the message.

“Well,” Gwil says, leaning forwards in his seat to talk to Joe. “Did you know in Blarney they have a poison garden?”

“Oh, I think I’ve heard of it,” Rami says. “But I’m always surprised when that sort of thing is still around.”

“You’re not allowed to even smell any plant,” Gwil says, “it’s that dangerous. We could have died.”

Ben smiles, snuggling closer to Gwil.

“Yeah, you’re a real risk taker, aren’t you, Gwil,” Joe says.

“Well, what kinds were there?” Rami asks. “Was it as nice as the poison garden in Torquay?”

“Some of the plants were kept behind cages,” Gwil says. “It was all very fascinating. They also have a Carnivorous Courtyard.”

“Oh yeah?” Joe asks. “Anything bite?”

“Well, Ben was almost attacked,” Gwil says with a cheeky grin, and Ben makes a quiet sound. “But don’t worry, I protected him.”

“Wow,” Rami says, and he rests his hand on Sami’s stomach, gently rubbing it. “Did you hear that, habibi? Your Uncle Gwil is a hero.”

“Oh, really, Ben?” Joe asks. “Is that the story you’re going to let him tell? That you almost got eaten by a shrub?”

“That’s how you remember it, isn’t it, love?”

Ben makes a soft noise, lifting his head up from Gwil’s arm. Gwil’s grinning down at him, and Ben can’t help but smile back. “Oh, it all sounds vaguely familiar,” he says. “I think I’m still reeling from the trauma.”

Joe scoffs, rolling his eyes. “You guys are idiots,” he says.

“Don’t be mean around the baby,” Rami says. “Sami doesn’t need to hear that.”

“Yeah, Joe,” Ben says, teasing him, “don’t be mean to me. I’m still recovering from my near-death experience.”

Joe narrows his eyes at them. “Whatever,” he says. “Anyway. Cork. I haven’t spent much time there. Would we want to live there?”

Ben shrugs. “Might be too small to contain your…large personality.”

Gwil snorts, and even Rami smiles, looking back down at Sami. “Did you hear that, habibi? Did you? Oh, I know.”

“You say that like it’s an insult,” Joe says, “but I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“You do that,” Ben says.

It’s a thirty minute drive from the airport to their hotel in the Castle Quarter of Cardiff. Ben helps Rami with Sami, while Joe and Gwil grab their bags. Their rooms are ready this time, so they check in, and take the elevator up to their floor. Gwil and Ben decided to splurge on a room with the castle view, and Rami and Joe are a few rooms down from them, with just a regular view of the city. Gwil hurries over to the window, looking out, and Ben smiles, walking up behind him to wrap his arms around Gwil’s waist.

“Look at it, love,” Gwil says, resting his hands on Ben’s arms.

Ben murmurs softly, pressing a kiss to Gwil’s back. “Welcome home,” he says, and Gwil smiles.

Since none of them are hungry for supper just yet, and the castle really is right there…

Joe shakes his head, looking around. “I can’t believe I got roped into another castle.”

“I know,” Rami says, squeezing Joe’s hand. “But I think they make Ben happy.”

“But it’s not fair.”

Rami frowns. “Fair? What’s not fair? Was there something else you wanted to do before supper? Joe, you should have said.”

“No, there’s nothing else,” Joe says, “but it’s like, they’re rubbing it in.”

“Rubbing what in?”

“That they’re going to buy a castle without me,” Joe says.

“Oh god.”

“You know Gwil was looking!”

Gwil and Ben are walking ahead with Sami; Ben’s pushing an empty stroller, and Gwil has Sami in his arms, humming softly and rubbing his back. “It really is the most interesting thing about living in Britain.”

“What’s that?” Ben asks.

“We have a castle right here, built by— who?”

“Oh, this is a William the Conquerer original,” Ben says.

“Amazing,” Gwil says, kissing Sami’s cheek. “And then you turn around and on the other side of the road, there’s a Pizza Hut.”

Ben chuckles. “Modern conveniences and all that.”

“It really is,” Gwil says. He looks around, glancing behind them. “I remember, right there.” He shifts Sami in his arms so that he can point to the east. “George V’s Silver Jubilee. They built an arch, right there on the Kingsway. And there was a festival down there, at the Cardiff Arms Park.” Gwil gently bounces Sami in his arms, smiling. “It’s just odd sometimes, love.”

“I can’t even imagine,” Ben says. He looks around, smiling at Joe and Rami walking a few feet away from them. “Sami will be lucky to have you and Rami teach him so much.”

“What do you think?” Gwil asks, nuzzling Sami. “Do you want to hear about George V? Gosh, I bet you’re tired today. Took the train in to Cardiff, what a big lad you are. And drooling a bit, that’s alright.” He kisses Sami’s cheek, then points up at the castle. “What’s that? Can you say castle?”

“I don’t think his first word is going to be castle.”

“Sadly.” Gwil makes a softly noise as they keep slowly walking around the castle grounds. “What about Uncle Gwil? Can you say Uncle Gwil?”

Ben snorts. “Wow. Those are high expectations for any child, let alone one who is five months old.”

“He’s almost six months!”

Ben reaches up, smoothing his hand carefully over Sami’s hair, smiling. “Don’t listen to him, Sami. You don’t have to say a single thing you don’t want to say.” He gently grasps onto Sami’s hand, waving it. “We’ll patiently wait. Don’t worry.”

“You’re just hoping he says your name first,” Gwil says, and Ben grins, rubbing Sami’s hand with his thumb.

“Well, that wouldn’t be too bad,” Ben says. “Besides, Ben is a lot easier than Gwil.”

“Tsk, terrible. More anti-Welsh sentiment from the English over here.”

Rami and Joe walk over to them, and Rami takes out his camera. “I’d like some photos of Sami at the castle, please,” he says cheerily. “If you would.”

“Pose us however you’d like,” Gwil says. “We’re your models for the day.”

“I think Gwil means, of course, let us take photos of you and Joe,” Ben says.

“All of us!” Rami says, smiling, holding his camera up. “Habibi, can you look at me?

“Look at Baba,” Gwil says softly, pointing at Rami. “Look at Baba, he’s right there.” He shifts on his feet so that Sami’s facing more towards Rami, but then Sami turns to reach up to Gwil’s face.

“Work in progress,” Ben says, and Rami takes the photo anyway.

“That’s alright,” Rami says. “He’s still cute, even if he’s not looking at me. Habibi, hi.” He waves, and Sami squeals, reaching his hands out to Joe.

“I’ve got you, buddy,” Joe says, taking him from Gwil as Rami takes a couple more photos. “Oh, what a big guy.” Joe bounces Sami in his arms, kissing his cheek. “Say Cardiff Castle!”

Ben groans loudly. “I think you guys gotta start giving him easier options,” he says, and Gwil laughs.

They don’t venture too far from the castle or the hotel for supper; Joe leads them to a restaurant that he’d seen online, and called for a reservation earlier.

“Did you pick for this me?” Gwil asks, looking at the name of the restaurant. The Botanist.

“Oh wow,” Rami says. “That’s so nice. Joey, you didn’t say!”

“No, I picked it for one of my other botanist friends that’s meeting us here tonight,” Joe says.

“Wow, I’d love to meet them,” Gwil says, smiling at Ben, who rolls his eyes. “I wonder what their favourite flower is.”

They walk inside, and immediately stop, looking around the restaurant. There are plants everywhere, which makes sense given the name. In combination with the dark wood of the floor and the furniture, and the gazebo in the middle of the room, it gives the impression that they’re outside. Like in a jungle. Or at least a very nice garden.

“Wow,” Ben says, nudging Joe. “You picked this? For us? Gosh, are we posh enough to be allowed in here?”

"Maybe if you worked on your accent a bit, Eliza Doolittle, sure,” Joe says, and he grins when Ben makes a face.

“Joe, this is really nice,” Rami says. “Are you sure Sami's allowed in here?”

“Oh my gosh, guys,” Joe says, “it’s just a restaurant. And don’t worry, I said we need a table big enough to fit his stroller.” He smiles and walks over to the host, giving his name. They’re led over to a large table in the corner, which is actually designed to fit something closer to eight people.

But it’s out of the way, and they take a couple chairs away to easily make room for Sami’s stroller. Rami and Joe sit on either side of Sami, and Ben and Gwil sit across from them.

“So?” Joe asks. “Do you like it?”

“It looks brilliant,” Gwil says. “Thank you for choosing it.”

“I thought we all deserve a nice supper,” Joe says.

Ben smiles. “Like you lot don’t eat nice every other day of the week?”

“We’re on vacation,” Joe says, “so sue me. I wanted to eat fancy food.”

“Couple starters to share?” Gwil asks, looking around the table as he picks up the menu. He smiles at Sami, waving. “Still no food for you?”

“No,” Rami says, “just the bottle still. He’s alright.”

“I’m sure he is,” Gwil says. “I don’t hear any complaints. Neater too, less mess.”

“Speaking of starters,” Joe says, “can salt and pepper onion petals be one of them?”

“Mm, absolutely,” Gwil says.

Joe reaches over, resting his hand on Rami’s shoulder. “They have olives, babe. Do you want those?”

“Oh, that sounds delicious,” Rami says, “yes please.”

“And how about a baked camembert?” Gwil asks.

“How we aren’t all flat broke,” Ben says, and the others smile.

Later, when their drinks and starters have arrived, and they’ve started digging in, Ben pops an olive in his mouth. He looks around the restaurant as he chews, then he has a sip of water. “Thank you for coming to meet us at the airport,” he says.

Joe and Rami look over at him. “Of course,” Rami says. “You know that we don’t mind.”

“Yeah, Benny,” Joe says, “it’s what we do.”

“I know,” Ben says. “But we still appreciate it. It’s always nice to see you both after it’s been a few days. And especially with—” He waves his hand between them. “My dissertation and these bloody interviews, I’m a bit…” He bites his lip. “It’s just lovely, is all. And thank you for choosing the restaurant.”

Joe glances around, then looks back at Ben. “Are you dying?”

“Joe!” Rami exclaims, and Gwil snorts.

“No, Joe,” Ben says. “Just trying to be nice.”

“Hmm…” Joe trails off, narrowing his eyes. “Okay. I guess.”

“You’re welcome,” Rami says. “We love it. You know that. And Sami gets to see all sorts of new places too.” He grins at Sami, then looks back at Ben. “He just doesn’t know it.”

Ben chuckles, then takes another drink. “Well, we enjoy his presence nonetheless.”

“And all the food is delicious,” Gwil says, “so kudos to you, Joe.”

“Aw, shucks, guys,” Joe says. "And yeah, I like being here too. It’s nice to know that we didn’t have a kid just for you guys to abandon us.”

“Yet,” Ben says, and Gwil grins.

“Gee, thanks,” Joe says, then laughs. “Don’t worry, we know you’re stuck with us.”

Gwil and Ben look at each other, still smiling. “We do,” Ben says.

“And we love it,” Gwil says, reaching out to take a drink.

They say goodnight in the hallway, and Rami and Joe continue down to their room, pushing Sami along. Rami unlocks the door and holds it open for Joe, smiling down at Sami as they walk by. “I think he’s out.”

“Oh, not surprising,” Joe says. “I would be too, geez.”

“Should we just put him down like that?” Rami asks. “Wait until he wakes up to change him?” He laughs when Joe face-plants on the bed. “Joey, that doesn’t really answer my question.”

“Doesn’t it?” Joe asks, voice muffled. “Is it too early for me to go to bed too?”

“We hardly even did anything today!” Rami exclaims, climbing onto the bed alongside him. “You’re just being silly.”

Joe groans as he rolls onto his side, stretching out. “I say, we put him in the crib. If he wakes up in the process, we put him in his jammies. If he doesn’t, we just leave him.”

“Okay,” Rami says, and he lays down next to Joe, curling up beside him.

“Joining me for a nap?” Joe asks. He rests his hand on Rami’s waist, and wiggles closer to him. “I thought we didn’t do anything today, we have no reason to be tired.”

“Well, it’s different for me,” Rami says.

Joe snorts. “Oh is it? What’s different?”

Rami rolls onto his back, dramatically throwing his arm over his eyes. “I’m so old!” he exclaims, and Joe laughs.

“Are you?”

“I tire out much more easily than you.”

“Right.”

Rami’s quiet for a few moments, before he lifts his arm up, peeking out at Joe. He giggles, then rolls back onto his side. “Do you want to put the television on?”

“Is there anything you wanna watch?”

“There’s always something on Channel 4,” Rami says. “Why, what were you thinking we’d do instead?” He glances back at Sami. “Not with him in the room.”

“Ew, gross,” Joe says. “No. I was thinking we put on another podcast, get curled up in bed together, listen to a couple episodes. But we can watch TV.”

“Oh, no, that sounds lovely.” Rami smiles, then kisses Joe. They rest there for a few moments longer, neither of them eager to move or change or even take out their mobiles.

“You alright?” Joe asks, slipping his hand up under Rami’s shirt, gently rubbing his side. “We can just go to bed, if you’re tired.”

“We’ve gotten boring,” Rami says softly.

“Oh! Babe, no!” Joe pushes himself up, so that he can look down at Rami. “We’re not boring. We’re tired, there’s a difference.”

“Are you sure?” Rami asks. “I know we can’t do all the same things we used to do before Sami was born, but it’s not even eight o’clock and we’re back in our hotel room. Talking about going to bed.”

“Because bed is great,” Joe says. “And I like listening to podcasts. Especially with my hubby.” He leans down, nuzzling Rami’s nose, laughing when Rami starts to whine. “We’re not boring. We are so fucking cool, I can’t even believe it. Who’s cooler than us?”

“Ben and Gwil.”

“Well, now I know you’ve lost your mind,” Joe says. “Because those two are losers. What do you think they’re doing right now? Maybe having sex, but other than that, the exact same thing as us.” Rami doesn’t say anything, so Joe gives him a quick kiss, smiling as he starts to play with Rami’s hair. “Look at us, we’re in Cardiff. On vacation. We’re cool.” He kisses him again. “So cool. Should I wake Sami up and ask if he thinks we’re cool? Hey, buddy—”

“No, don’t!” Rami reaches up, covering Joe’s mouth with his hand. “Let him sleep.”

“But I need validation,” Joe says, voice muffled by Rami’s hand.

“Stop it.” Rami slowly removes his hand, giving Joe a tiny smile. “I just wanted to make sure that you’re not wishing we were— out doing wonderful, wild things.”

“Babe, you are my wonderful, wild thing,” Joe says, and Rami smiles bashfully. “But hey, how about we ask them to babysit tomorrow night? We could go out.”

“That might be nice,” Rami says. “If you think they’d be up for it.”

“Oh, I’ll make sure they’re up for it,” Joe says. “Don’t worry about that.” He kisses Rami, smiling against his mouth. “Now come on,” he says, patting Rami’s hip. “Let’s change into something comfy, get Sami in his crib, and listen to something funny.”

“Okay,” Rami says softly.

“Okay?” Joe echoes, and Rami nods. “Good.” Joe rolls off the bed and walks over to his suitcase.

Rami climbs off the bed as well, and walks over to Sami, still asleep in his stroller. He smiles, watching him for a moment before he carefully picks him up. The hotel provided them with a crib for Sami to sleep in, so he carefully puts him down, and watches him to see if he wakes up. Sami makes a couple soft noises, but stays asleep. “Tisbah ala khair, habibi,” Rami murmurs, then he walks over to Joe, wrapping his arms around him.

“All good?” Joe asks, bending down to push off his shorts.

Rami bends with him, smiling. “All good.” They straighten up, and Rami presses a kiss to Joe’s back. He snuggles him until Joe pulls away to pull his t-shirt on, and then Rami gets changed as well.

They curl up in bed together, Joe with one AirPod, Rami with the other, so as to not disturb Sami. “Ready?” Joe asks softly, and Rami nods. Joe hits play, then snuggles into Rami’s chest, smiling.

They meet up for breakfast in the hotel, and Gwil asks what the two of them got up to the night before.

“We put Sami to bed and listened to a couple podcast episodes,” Joe says, resting his hand on Rami’s leg.

“Oh, really?” Gwil asks. “Brilliant! We did the same!”

Ben snorts. “No, we did not.”

“I did the same,” Gwil corrects himself. “I listened to one about aspirin.”

“Oh, wow,” Joe says. He looks at Rami, raising his eyebrows like, see?

Rami smiles, ignoring Joe to look at Ben. “What did you do last night then, Ben?”

“I just read,” Ben says. “Gwil had his headphones in.”

“That sounds nice.”

“Yeah, it is,” Ben says. “Lucky that I like spending time with him.”

Rami’s smile grows. “Good. I like spending time with Joe, too. But it’s nice for all of us to be together too.”

Ben leans over, playfully bumping his head against Rami’s shoulder. “It really is.”

When they head back up to their rooms to finish getting ready, Joe slings his arm over Rami’s shoulders, pulling him in. “And you thought they were cool.”

It’s a short walk to the National Museum, and they all want to see some art and learn about some history. Or, at least, Ben and Gwil do, and Rami and Joe are perfectly fine to go with them.

When they walk into the museum, Rami looks around, pushing Sami back and forth. “Bit of a tight fit, no? I don’t want to accidentally knock a vase over or something.”

“We can take him out,” Joe says. “They must have a place to keep it.”

There’s a buggy park near the entrance, so Joe lifts Sami out so Rami can help the security guard roll it out of the way.

“We can take turns carrying him,” Gwil says, reaching out to gently smooth his fingers over Sami’s shirt “Show him the art of the world.”

“All set?” Ben asks, and Rami nods, reaching out to take a pamphlet.

“They have a special exhibition on,” Rami reads. “Becoming Richard Burton. Who’s that?”

“A Welsh actor,” Ben says.

“Ah.”

“Did a lot of Shakespeare, didn’t he?” Joe asks, winking at Ben.

“Oh, is that why we’re here?” Gwil asks.

“No, of course not.”

“Doesn’t hurt though, love, does it?”

Ben smiles cheekily, and they head towards the Burton exhibition.

“Oh, they have virtual reality!” Rami exclaims excitedly. “I’d like to do that. Can we? Someone will have to take Sami, but I’d really like to go in.”

“Don’t worry, babe,” Joe says, reaching out to rub his back. “We’ll get you in there.”

Rami bounces with excitement, reading over the rest of the pamphlet. “Thank you.” Then suddenly he looks at Ben. “You should work here!”

Ben smiles, and Gwil glances over at them, grinning as well. “It’s on the list,” Ben says. “They’re just not hiring yet.”

“Oh, too bad,” Rami says. “Well, teach me about Richard Burton, would you?” He reaches his hand out to Ben, and Ben takes it, letting Rami lead him along.

“My pleasure.”

Joe gently bounces his knees, kissing the top of Sami’s head as they look at the painting. “What does this say? What does this say, Sami? Cima da Conegliano. This painting is called Virgin and Child. Look.” He steps closer to the painting, shifting Sami in his arms so that he can point at it. “See, look. Look at the baby.” He kisses Sami’s head again, smiling. “Look at that baby. A baby just like you.” He murmurs softly, and he stands in front of the painting for a few more moments before he moves onto the next one. “Oh, look Sami, a Boticelli, wow. Another little baby boy, just like you. Aww.”

“Remarkably well-behaved for someone so young,” Gwil says, smirking.

“I know that you’re making fun of Joe,” Rami says, “so I’m going to choose to ignore it.”

“Me?” Gwil’s mouth falls open and he looks around in shock. “Make fun of Joe? My best mate! Never.”

“Mm-hmm.” They step in unison to look at the next painting, and Gwil playfully bumps his shoulder against Rami’s. “Yes?”

“You have a beautiful family,” Gwil says, and Rami beams up at him. “That’s your husband, and your son.”

“I know,” Rami says, and they both turn to watch Joe pointing at another painting, speaking softly to Sami. “I love them.” He makes a soft sound, watching Joe and Sami for a few more moments, before he blinks and looks around. “Where’s your family?” he asks.

“Hmm? Oh...” Gwil looks around the gallery. “I think we left him in Welsh ceramics. I’m sure he’s alright.”

Rami giggles, looking back at the painting. After a few moments, he looks back over at Gwil. “How are you?”

“Fine, thank you.”

“No, but really.”

Gwil looks over at Rami in surprise. “But really, I…I’m fine. What do you mean?”

“We’re in Cardiff,” Rami says. “I just want to make sure you’re alright. Especially with all the changes going on.”

Gwil reaches up, scratching his beard. “I really am fine,” he says. “I was telling Ben, it’s odd, but…you live in London. You know what it’s like to see a building from a hundred years ago and have it look the exact same. Or have it be totally different.”

“Sometimes I’m surprised we’re still learning things,” Rami says. “I know it’s only been three years, but it feels like— well, we’ve learned it all. We know all there is to know.”

“Not even close,” Gwil says.

“I know,” Rami says. “I hadn’t heard of Richard Burton before today.”

Gwil shrugs. “He’s quite old. I’m surprised Joe and Ben knew who he was.”

Rami wraps his arm around Gwil’s waist, snuggling against him. In surprise, Gwil lifts his arm up, resting it around Rami’s shoulders. “I just wanted to make sure being in Cardiff wasn’t some terrible thing.”

“Thank you,” Gwil says. “It’s not.”

“Alright.” Rami squeezes Gwil tightly, and they stand there together in front of the painting, looking at it but not really taking it in. Then a loud shriek pierces the air, and they both look over to see Sami fussing in Joe’s arms.

“Oh, poor chap,” Gwil says.

“I should go help him,” Rami says, letting go of Gwil. “But we’re not done talking!”

Gwil chuckles. “Of course not,” he says. “We’re never done!”

“Is he alright?” Rami asks, resting against Joe, watching Sami.

“Just getting excited,” Joe says, rubbing Sami’s back. “He must love art. Right, Sami, that was an excited noise?”

“Oh.” Rami smiles, leaning in to kiss Sami’s forehead. “Good. That’s so good, habibi!”

“He may also be annoyed by art,” Joe says, smiling. “It’s pretty hard to tell before he can talk.”

“Oh, well. That’s alright too!” Rami says. “Whatever you think about art, Sami, that’s okay. Are you alright with him? Do you want me to take him?”

“I’ve got him,” Joe says, “but you’re more than welcome if you want.”

“I’m going to go back and bother Gwil again,” Rami says, and Joe snorts.

“Have fun.”

Rami skips back over to Gwil, wrapping his arm around his waist again. “Joe’s got him.”

“I’m sure he does,” Gwil says, looking over his shoulder. They move onto the next painting, and and a few moments later, Ben walks into the gallery. He walks by Gwil and Rami, gently bumping Gwil’s back with his shoulder. “Hello, love.”

“Hi.” Ben grins, then keeps on walking over to Joe and Sami. “Bonjour.”

“God, I thought you were lost.”

“I was appreciating the art,” Ben says. Joe rolls his eyes. “What?”

“The worst part is, I know you mean it,” Joe says. “But it sounds like a euphemism.”

“Ugh, yes, Joe.” Ben shakes his head, reaching out to gently pat Sami on the back. “Your father is a filthy perv, Sami, remember that.”

Joe grins. “I think he’s accepted it already.”

“Mm, I bet.”

“Sami and I are appreciating art too,” Joe says. “But in the normal way. Join us?”

Ben smiles. “Absolutely, thank you.”

Cathays Park includes the National Museum, but it also includes the Cardiff School of Biosciences, just a couple minutes away.

“Do you want to go in?” Ben asks, looking up at Gwil.

“In?” Gwil echoes. “No, I— heavens no. It wouldn’t be the same now. But we can certainly walk by, I wouldn’t mind that. Just to see.”

They start walking down the tree-lined road towards the building, and Gwil looks up at the name. “Sir Martin Evans?” he asks.

“Let me see.” Ben takes out his phone, going to Wikipedia. “He was a British biologist. Won a Nobel Prize.”

“For what?”

“Uh…” Ben huffs a soft laugh, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. “I honestly am not sure. His biography is very heavy on the science talk. Something to do with stem cells and genetically modified mice. You might have to read it and translate it for me. Anyway, he was president and chancellor of the uni.”

“Not as cool as these guys,” Joe says. “I mean, great, thanks for all your help, Evans. But they went to space. I bet if we asked around, we could get them bump his name off the building, throw Gwil’s up.”

“That’s really alright,” Gwil says. “Sutton Coldfield is enough.” They turn down a small laneway between buildings, and are met with a a large display of brightly coloured glass hexagons over the entrance to the building. “It certainly didn’t look like that when I was here,” Gwil says.

“I can’t imagine,” Ben says.

“No, there was nothing like this back then,” Rami says, looking up at it. “It’s pretty. So modern.”

“Very.” Gwil scratches his beard, looking up at it.

Joe looks at Ben with a smile, then he looks back at Gwil. “You don’t like it, do you.”

“Hmm, no.”

Joe laughs. “Too modern?”

“Not my taste.” Gwil scratches his beard again, shaking his head. “But that’s alright. I don’t have to like it, it’s not for me.”

“I bet if you walked back in there right now, they’d give you a job,” Joe says.

“Maybe,” Gwil says. “Luckily, we’re not here to get me a job.” He reaches out, wrapping his arm around Ben, pulling him in. “Just this lovely fellow.”

“Gee, thanks.” Ben snuggles against Gwil, looking around the campus. “Did you spend much time here?” he asks, looking over at Rami.

“Me? Oh, no. My family and I were firmly planted in London. Coming to Wales for no reason would have been an extravagance.”

“And I’ve told you,” Gwil says, “the English didn’t like the Welsh, love.”

“Well, I know that,” Ben says. “But Rami is certainly the kindest of all the English, so I thought he’d give you a chance at least.”

“It’s true, people said terrible things,” Rami says. “But we did have a Welsh prime minister during the Great War!”

“We really should be teaching Sami Welsh too,” Joe says. “Five languages, can you imagine?”

“Who?” Rami asks. “Who’s going to teach him that? Certainly not us.”

“I don’t know, schools,” Joe says. “I bet it’d be great.” He looks down at Sami pushing him back and forth. “What do you think, Sami? Do you want to be…pentalingual? Is that the word?”

“I’ve got no clue,” Ben says. “It’s hard enough being bi—”

“You’re right, it is,” Joe says quickly, laughing happily when he realizes that yes, he did get the timing perfect. “Come on, Ben, admit it—”

“It was good, love,” Gwil says, smiling.

“I’m chuffed you two have the same sense of humour,” Ben says. “Let me when you want to swap partners.”

“Ooh, don’t think I won’t,” Joe says, and then Rami looks at him. “I mean, uh…that’s not what I meant.”

“Why don’t we keep walking?” Rami asks. “Maybe there’s a path along the river.”

“Are you going to push me in?” Joe asks.

Rami smiles at him. “Ooh, don’t think I won’t,” he echoes, and Ben and Gwil both laugh.

As they walk back in the direction of the hotel, Ben looks around at them. “What’s the plan for supper?” he asks.

Rami frowns, looking at Joe. “Uh…Joe?”

“Oh! Whoops.” Joe laughs. “I was supposed to ask if you guys would be up for babysitting tonight.”

“Ooh, hot date?” Ben asks.

“The hottest,” Joe says.

Gwil chuckles. “Anybody we know? Oh, is it me? Are we swapping?”

“Oh, stop it,” Rami says, playfully swatting Gwil’s arm. “But if you would, if you’re free. Do you mind?”

“Not one bit,” Gwil says. “We didn’t have any big plans for the evening, did we, love?”

“Only all the sex, drugs, and alcohol Cardiff has to offer us,” Ben says.

“See?” Gwil says, smiling at Rami. “We’re free.”

“What will we do for food?” Ben asks, reaching out to touch Gwil’s arm.

“There’s a restaurant in the hotel,” Gwil says. “We can take Sami. Or stay upstairs and order in. Either sounds good to me.”

“Mm.” Ben stretches his arms up above his head, shirt riding up just a bit. “Let’s get cozy and order in.”

“Should we leave Sami with some headphones?” Joe asks. “Try to keep it down.”

“Ew, gross,” Ben says, making a face.

They walk into the hotel, crowding into the elevator. They walk down the hall to Rami and Joe’s room. Ben and Gwil both collapse onto the bed. Rami goes to the bathroom, and Joe takes Sami out of his stroller and puts him down on the floor, where they’d left out his toys for tummy time.

“So what are you actually doing?” Ben asks, stretching out, watching Joe.

“Dinner and a movie, I think,” Joe says. “You know, the usual date night. Don’t worry, we haven’t suddenly gotten interesting.”

“Oh thank god,” Ben murmurs. “I’d be terribly jealous.”

“You sure you guys are good to watch him?” Joe asks.

“Of course,” Gwil asks. He rolls on the mattress, looking down at Sami on the floor. He stretches his arm out, running his fingertips down Sami’s back. “What do you think? You’ll have so much fun with us, won’t you?”

“He probably won’t even notice we’re here,” Ben says.

Joe sits down on the floor next to Sami, smiling as he watches him. “He is pretty self-centred, I gotta say.” He gets down, making a face at Sami, and then he moves a toy a little further away from him so that Sami has to stretch to get it. “Gotta get your workout in, buddy.” Sami gasps and wiggles, grabbing a toy to put in his mouth.

Rami comes out of the bathroom, then goes over to his suitcase, finding something clean to wear. “Are you changing?”

“Oh, I suppose I should,” Joe says. “Since we walked around so much.” He pushes himself up and goes to his suitcase as well. They each grab something new to wear, and then go into the bathroom together to get changed and get ready. Ben stays curled up on the bed, arm thrown over his eyes, while Gwil keeps his arm stretched out, gently patting Sami, watching him on his stomach.

After a few minutes, Rami and Joe walk out of the bathroom. Rami reaches down, picking Sami up, bouncing him a couple times. “The cinema’s just a fifteen minute walk,” Rami says, rubbing Sami’s back.

“Right,” Gwil says.

“So, you know,” Rami says, “if anything happens—”

“You mean like all the other terrible things that have happened every other time we’ve watched him?” Ben asks.

“I know,” Rami says softly, nuzzling his nose against Sami’s head. “But he’s still so small. I— I worry. Don’t I, habibi, yes.” He kisses his temple. “But we trust your Uncle Gwil and your Uncle Ben, they’re both very smart, capable men.”

“Wow,” Joe says, “high compliments coming from this guy.”

“I wonder if he means it,” Gwil says, chuckling.

“Of course I do,” Rami says. “Do one of you want to take him?”

“I will,” Ben says, pushing himself up off the bed. He walks over to Rami, grinning and sticking his tongue out at Sami. “Come here, come play with your uncles. Oof, what a big boy you are already!” He hums, starting to walk around the room. “Say goodbye to Baba, and say goodbye to Daddy. Bye!”

“Goodbye,” Rami says. “We’ll be back, and we love you.”

“Bye guys,” Joe says, waving back at them. “I left a key on the desk, in case you need to go out for your sex and drugs.”

Ben laughs. “Thank you!”

Joe opens the door, and rests his hand on Rami’s back as they walk out of the room. “Love you,” he says, pressing a quick kiss to the nearest part of Rami that he can reach, which happens to the back of his head.

Rami turns, smiling at him. “I love you too.”

“Good.” Joe kisses him on the lips this time, then takes his hand. “There are lots of restaurants closer to the theatre, we’ll probably pass a bunch. You in the mood for anything in particular?”

“I am, but I don’t want you to judge me.”

“Babe? When have I ever?”

“Fish and chips?” Rami asks hopefully, rocking back and forth on his feet as they wait for the elevator.

“Sounds delicious. Let me find one along the way.” Joe takes out his phone, and Rami keeps smiling at him. The elevator doors open and they step inside, and a few seconds later, Joe says, “ooh, right by the theatre, five minute walk.”

Rami snuggles against him, and Joe kisses his forehead. “Do we know what’s playing at the cinema?”

“Not yet,” Joe says. “Check showtimes while we eat?”

“Okay, that sounds good.”

They walk out of the elevator, and cross the lobby. When they step outside, Joe glances left and right, then starts leading Rami to the left. They walk along the castle wall, and Joe keeps looking at his phone while Rami looks around. “I like it here.”

“Oh yeah?” Joe looks up. “What do you like about it?”

“I like that it’s a proper city,” Rami says. “But it’s still smaller than home. I like being right on the water.”

“We’re not doing anything water-related, though,” Joe says.

“It’s still nice.” Rami inhales deeply. “Fresh sea air, and not just the Thames. If we did come back and do a boat tour, it would be infinitely more interesting.”

“Once Sami can swim,” Joe says. He sighs, looking over at Rami. “No IIS office though. Here or in Swansea.”

“No,” Rami says. “Hmm.” He bites on his lip as he thinks. “We’ll have to think about that.”

“Yeah,” Joe says softly. He gently clears his throat, then squeezes Rami’s hand. “But for tonight!” Rami looks over at him. “Fish and chips and a date with my husband. How does that sound?”

“Really lovely.”

“Good!” They kiss, and keep smiling at each other as they keep walking in the direction of the restaurant.

Rami and Joe walk back towards the hotel together, chatting about the movie, and what time they need to be up tomorrow to catch the train.

They’re almost at the hotel— well, they’re actually at the hotel, it’s right there on their left. They just haven’t gotten to the entrance yet. But when Joe glances over to the right, he smiles with an idea. Why does their night have to end? “Are you thirsty?”

“Hmm?” Rami looks at Joe. “Not really, I just had a lot of Pepsi.”

Joe chuckles. “Not Pepsi, babe. Come on, look.” He points at the building they’re in front of, a cocktail bar. He gently tugs Rami’s hand. “It might be fun.”

“Oh, Joe, no. We’re late enough as it is.”

Joe chuckles, leaning in to kiss him. “Some people might say you worry too much,” he says softly.

“Well, you knew that when you married me,” Rami says, “so that’s your fault.”

Joe laughs again. “Come on, babe. We’re not late. We’re literally ten feet away from the hotel. And we deserve a nice night. One drink. It doesn’t even have to be alcoholic, we can just sit.” He starts swinging their arms between them. “I can look into your eyes, tell you how much I love you, whisper sweet nothings…” He hums softly. “Whatever you want.”

Rami glances up at the hotel, then looks back at Joe. “Well, I do like the sounds of that,” he says.

“Me complimenting you?” Joe asks, and Rami nods. “Well then, my beautiful, intelligent, talented husband.”

Rami laughs. “Well, that might be laying it on a bit thick, but I appreciate the thought. Let’s go.”

They walk into the cocktail bar, and Rami asks if they can be seated outside, so they’re still in view of the hotel. The weather’s lovely, so it’s nice to be outside regardless. Joe starts looking over the menu, pointing at something. “Ooh, it’s too bad Ben’s not here.”

“Just what every man wants to hear when he’s spending a romantic night with his husband.”

“They have a Coke Zero cocktail, babe,” Joe says, showing him the menu. “Come on.”

“Well, I suppose that’s fair enough,” Rami says.

“Good, because there’s also one in here called Botanist and Tonic, and all I can think about is Gwil. They must really like botanist stuff here in Cardiff, geez.”

Rami smiles. “Well, they are our best mates, and those do seem very fitting.” He leans in to kiss Joe. “And I was mostly teasing. I don’t mind if you mention Ben. Or Gwil, or anyone else.”

“Not the jealous type?” Joe asks.

“Hmm, not anymore,” Rami says.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning…” Rami shifts in his chair. “Now that I know you’re not going to run off to London without me—”

“Okay, yup, I got ya.” Joe lifts the menu back up to cover his face, and Rami laughs, reaching out to push it down.

“That was a long time ago, Joe,” Rami says. “I haven’t held it against you since.” He kisses Joe again, reaching up to push his hair back. “There, as handsome as ever.”

“Thank you.” They smile at each other for a few moments longer, until Joe breaks the silence. “I know you might not want any alcohol, but there is one drink in here that I think you’d really like.”

“What is it?”

“It’s called a Resting Peach Face.”

Rami makes a soft noise of amusement. “Well, it sounds lovely. And what is in a Resting Peach Face?”

“Rum, Malibu, peach liquor, blue Curaçao, lemon juice, and soda.”

“Goodness, Joe, I— what— that’s the whole bar! Surely I don’t need that much. And why do you think I’d like that?”

“Because it comes with cott— sorry, candy floss on it,” Joe says.

“Oh, that does sound lovely.”

“I thought so.”

Rami smiles, reaching his hand out, resting it on Joe’s thigh. “That’s because you know me so well,” he says. “You always have.”

Joe smiles back, leaning in to kiss him. “I love you,” he says softly.

“I love you too,” Rami whispers back. He makes a soft noise, then sits back. “And what will you get to drink?”

“Mango and Orange Fizz, I think,” Joe says, setting the menu down. He stretches out his neck, looking around.

“What?” Rami asks.

“Nothing,” Joe says, looking back at him. “Just…seeing what I can see. Just being observant, don’t worry. I’m not doing anything wrong.”

“Yet.”

“How could I?” Joe asks. “You keep too good an eye on me. My bad boy days are done.”

Rami snorts, stifling a laugh. “You never had a bad boy day.”

“I tried,” Joe says, “but there’s not a lot of bad boy things to do in Hyde Park. I would’ve made the best bad boy.”

“You keep saying that,” Rami says, “and all I can think of is us trying to get Augie off the kitchen counter.”

Joe chuckles. “That reminds me, have we heard anything from Nelly about our firstborn? Sometimes I wish I knew what he thinks of us.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’s alright,” Rami says. “But I’ll message Nelly, she’s usually still up. And I’m guessing he doesn’t think much of us.”

“Well, at least Sami sleeps through the night,” Joe says. “That’s the best we can do.”

“Until he starts crawling,” Rami says.

“Mm, no,” Joe whines, I don’t want him to.”

“I know,” Rami says. “I don’t want him to grow up either.”

“No, it’s not that,” Joe says. “I don’t want him going all over the place and getting into my shit. Imagine how much stuff we’ll have to childproof now. We’ve been living fast and loose with the rules, babe. Uncovered electrical sockets. Cat food on the floor. When he was just a burrito—”

“No.”

“We could leave a knife two feet away from him and we’d be fine.”

“I— are you leaving knives beside our son?”

Joe grins. “Babe, you are so wound up. Thank god you’re getting this drink. You need it.”

“Answer the question.”

“Babe, no! Of course I’m not leaving bladed weapons next to our son.” Joe shakes his head. “I don’t trust Augie. If that guy gets his hands on a knife, we’re done for.”

“Mm, that’s true,” Rami murmurs. Their server comes over and they order their drinks, and Rami smiles over at Joe.

“My my, what’s that handsome smile for?”

“Nothing.” Rami giggles.

“You haven’t even had anything to drink yet,” Joe says.

“I like being on holiday,” Rami says. “I know I haven’t worked in…well. Ages.”

“University sort of counts. That was hard.”

“But I like being on holiday, in some place new, with no responsibilities. Other than Sami. This is like— it’s a family holiday. Think of all the places we can take Sami!”

“I know,” Joe says. “But sadly, and I’ve always been jealous of John and his summer holidays— we have to work year-round. You and Ben and Gwil— this extended vacation is coming to an end.”

“Well, then I'll just quit every summer,” Rami says. “Get hired back in autumn.”

“And what about me?”

Rami shrugs. “You can quit too. What’s your holiday entitlement like?”

“Wow,” Joe says, “hear how good your dirty talk has gotten?”

Rami laughs. “I’ve come so far.”

Joe waggles his eyebrows, and playfully runs his foot up the inside of Rami’s leg. Rami laughs again, and shifts in his seat. Joe pulls back when their server comes back with their drinks. He raises his glass into the air. “A toast?”

“To what?” Rami asks, picking his drink up as well.

“Hmm.” Joe nods his head, thinking. “Well, to us, of course.”

“Always.”

“And to Sami.”

“I love him,” Rami says softly.

“And to just…” Joe shrugs. “Whatever. Our future holidays and vacation policies and whatever else. All the good stuff.”

“Okay, I’ll drink to that.” They clink their glasses, and take a drink. “Oh, Joey.”

“Did I pick the right drink?” Joe asks. Rami nods eagerly, and takes another sip, and Joe smiles.

“You know me so well.”

“Good.”

There’s a gentle knock at the door, and then a beat later, a much more incessant knocking.

Ben and Gwil look at each other. “What— did they forget their key?” Ben asks.

“I’m not sure,” Gwil says. “But I bet I can guess which one of them is making that racket.”

Ben pushes himself off the bed. He walks over to the door, unlocking it and opening it. “Well, hello,” he says. “Get locked out?”

“Sorry about that,” Joe says. “I told Rami not to knock like that—”

“Oh, I’m sure it was him,” Ben says, stepping aside to let them walk by. “And your key?”

“Just wanted to bug you.”

Gwil smirks. “How was the film?”

“Good!” Rami says. “I enjoyed it. It was a bit silly, but— that’s alright. We had fun. How are you?”

“We’re brilliant, thanks,” Ben says, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“Where’s my guy?” Joe walks over to the crib, looking down at Sami. “Hi! Hi, baby,” he whispers. He kisses his fingertips, then reaches down, gently brushing them over Sami’s head. “Wow, look at all that drool. You sure know how to welcome a guy home.”

“He is drooling a lot,” Ben says. “I assume that’s…alright?”

“Was he too fussy?” Rami asks. “He has been for the last few days.”

“He’s just teething,” Joe says. “Or just— evolving into a Saint Bernard.”

“That would be brilliant,” Gwil says. “On a biological level, anyway.”

Ben snorts. “You would say that.”

“Like I’d be the only one who would find that interesting,” Gwil says.

“Did you get up to anything else?” Ben asks.

“We stopped at the cocktail bar across the street,” Rami says. “Just for one drink though, I swear.”

“I trust you,” Ben says, “don’t worry.”

“What about you?” Joe asks, still watching Sami. “How are you?” He waits a moment for Sami to make a soft noise in his sleep, and then he nods. “Fantastic. I bet you had fun, huh?”

“Absolutely,” Gwil says. “We’ve been watching all sorts of good things on the tele. Royal Antiques Revived, and—”

“Oh boy,” Joe says. “You know, I’m so happy you guys found each other. Because I don’t know who else would be putting up with that.”

“It’s a popular show,” Ben says, “otherwise why would it have been on for so long? People like it, alright? If you want to talk about finding somebody to put up with you—”

Gwil looks at Rami, and they both smile. “Good popcorn at the cinema?” Gwil asks.

“Oh, very nice,” Rami says. “Delicious.”

“Good.”

“You two weren’t hoping to also go out, were you?” Rami asks. “I’m sorry, we should have messaged before we stopped at the bar.”

“Oh, no.” Gwil shakes his head. “Not at all. Our only plans for tonight are crawling back into bed and falling asleep.”

“Alright, good. Because if you two wanted to go to the cinema—”

Gwil smiles. “Don’t worry about it. We went in Cork.”

“Oh, how fun!”

“I’m just saying,” Joe continues talking to Ben, “you are somehow the youngest of all of us, not counting Sami, and yet you’re also the oldest?”

“It’s called being mature,” Ben says, “you should try it sometime.”

“Uh, father? Husband?” Joe says. “I’m very mature. Babe, tell Ben how mature I am!”

“Joe, Sami’s sleeping,” Rami says.

“I know, sorry.” Joe says. He rubs Sami’s tummy. “Daddy’s sorry he’s so loud, Sami."

“We should head back to our room,” Ben says, standing up. “It’s past our bedtime anyway.”

“Thank you again for watching him,” Rami says. “We really appreciate it.”

“Our pleasure,” Gwil says, smiling at Ben as they walk towards the door. “Wasn’t it, love?”

“Yeah, of course,” Ben says. “Sami absolutely loves Royal Antiques Revived.” He smirks at Joe. “But goodnight.”

Joe walks over to Ben, kissing the top of his head, fluffing his curls. “I like that you’re so mature,” he says. “It’s what allows me to be so annoying. We balance each other out.”

Ben chuckles, patting Joe on the side. “Alright. Goodnight.”

“We’ll see you in the morning for breakfast,” Rami says, walking over to Sami’s crib, reaching in to smooth his hand over Sami’s hair. “Sleep well.”

“Goodnight.” Gwil waves. They walk out into the hallway, and he looks at Ben, smiling. “Oh, love,” he says softly, reaching out to fix his curls. “I don’t mind watching Royal Antiques Revived with you.”

“Thank you,” Ben says, yawning as he rests his head against Gwil’s arm. “I have another interview tomorrow.”

“Oh, love!” Gwil exclaims. “I almost forgot. We really do need to get you to bed.”

Ben chuckles. "I'm alright,” he says. “It's still only—” He glances at his watch. “It’s only 10:30. I’m not so old I can’t stay up until at least 11.”

Gwil smiles, playing with Ben’s hair some more. “What do you say, love? See if we fit in the bathtub together?”

“I think you know we won’t,” Ben says.

“I do,” Gwil says. “But I’d still love to try.”

Swansea is less than an hour away by train, but they want to be there with plenty of time for Ben’s interview. They eat breakfast in the hotel, and then take a taxi to the train station. Everything is just slightly more annoying now that they have to manoeuvre a baby and his things around, but once they’re settled on the train, they’re alright.

Gwil looks out the window as he feeds Sami his bottle, humming softly to himself. Joe’s sitting next to him, leaning against Gwil’s arm to watch Sami and make faces at him.

Across the aisle sit Ben and Rami. “Do you need any help with your interview?” Rami asks softly.

Ben looks at him with a small, grateful smile, but shakes his head. “No, I don’t think so,” he says. “So far they’ve all asked similar sorts of questions. I expect since this one is at the Dylan Thomas museum, they’ll probably ask me about him, but I should be okay. I’ve got a good answer tucked away.”

“What sorts of things do they ask at interviews for archivists?” Rami asks. “I…what’s your favourite archive?”

Ben chuckles. “Not far off. They do ask what your favourite museum is. But the usual. Why do you want to do this, what area of history do you enjoy the most, strengths, weaknesses, what did I do before.”

“Well, strengths should be rather easy for you,” Rami says. “And goodness, I bet when they ask what you did before— the IIS, that’s quite prestigious, Ben!”

“Thank you,” Ben says. “Any chance you can do the interview?”

“Well, at the very least, I can be a reference,” Rami says. “I’ll tell them all about the program and your work to welcome us back. I know it has nothing do with archives or research but it— very organized! Good ideas. Helpful. People like that sort of thing in their employees. What’s the word…” Rami snaps his fingers. “Like, a self-starter?”

“Thank you,” Ben says again. “I’ll tell them that in the interview.”

“Good idea.”

When they arrive in Swansea, they take a taxi to their hotel, even though it’s less than a ten minute walk. It’d be fine if they were on their own without a baby, or didn’t have their suitcases, but it’s too much of a pain otherwise. They get checked into the hotel, and Ben hops into the shower to start getting ready for his interview. Gwil and Joe walk down to a restaurant five minutes away to get them takeaway for lunch.

Ben eats quickly, practically shovelling it all in his mouth, while the others look at him.

“You're not in any rush,” Joe says. “You still have time.”

“It will be worse if you choke,” Rami says.

“Sorry,” Ben says, taking a sip of his drink, trying to calm down. “It’s just nerves. And I’m starving.”

“It’s alright,” Gwil assures him. “Just try to breathe in between bites.”

Rami gently rocks Sami, giving him his bottle, and Joe reaches over, holding a french fry up to Rami’s mouth. “Thank you,” he says, before taking the fry.

“Gotta keep all my guys fed,” Joe says. He looks back down at his phone. “It’s a ten minute walk,” he says. “Are we walking?”

“We may as well,” Ben says. “It’s not hot out, I won’t show up a sweaty mess.”

“And getting Sami in and out of a taxi will probably take ten minutes on its own,” Gwil says.

“Gosh, it certainly feels like it sometimes,” Rami says. “Joey, can I have a drink?” Joe lifts Rami’s drink up to his mouth, and Rami smiles before he takes the straw in.

“Would you ever feed me like that, love?” Gwil asks, teasing. Ben doesn’t say a word, just takes a fry and holds it up to Gwil’s mouth as he continues to eat his own food. “Oh, well, thank you.” Gwil leans forward, eating the french fry, and Ben smiles.

Once Ben finishes eating, he takes his clothes into the bathroom to finish getting ready. The others keep eating; once Sami is done with his bottle, Joe takes him from Rami so that Rami can eat his own lunch.

After a few minutes, Ben comes back out into the room, wearing black trousers, a black shirt, and a grey blazer, hair neatly styled.

“Ooh, Ben,” Rami says, while Joe whistles at him. “Don’t you look handsome.”

“Geez, Benny, holding out on us,” Joe says. “How come you don’t dress that nice when you’re around us?”

“Uh, because I’m not trying to get you to hire me?” Ben stands, not wanting to sit down and wrinkle his trousers.

“Oh, I’ll hire you,” Rami says.

Ben smiles. “For what?”

Rami shrugs, smiling back. “Anything you want. Let’s open a museum, you can be my archivist.”

“Gosh, all because I’ve dressed up a bit?” Ben asks. “Maybe I should’ve thrown a blazer on earlier. Hear that, Gwil? I’ve been hired.”

“I’ll be expecting that twenty quid then,” Gwil says, and Ben rolls his eyes. “Aren’t you going to sit?”

“Too restless.” Ben glances at his watch, then sighs. “It’ll be alright.”

“Should we go?” Gwil asks.

“No, please don’t hurry,” Ben says. “I’m done eating, I don’t want to get anything on my clothes. But you lot go ahead.”

Gwil sighs softly, reaching his hand out to Ben. “Love.”

“I’m okay, really,” Ben says, smiling. “Please keep eating.”

“Don’t have to tell us twice,” Joe says, grabbing a fry.

“Alright,” Gwil says, dropping his hand back down so that he can finish eating his burger.

Joe gets Sami and his things ready to go, and then ducks into the bathroom to make sure he looks presentable as well. Once Rami and Gwil are done eating, they do the same, and Gwil walks over to Ben, kissing him.

“What's that for?” Ben asks.

“Just because.”

“Well, you taste like our lunch.”

Gwil kisses him again. “So do you.”

Ben rolls his eyes, then steps back to get his shoes on.

“We all ready to go then?” Joe asks. “Ben, you got your— whatever you need?”

Ben looks around, nodding. He grabs his messenger bag, pulling the strap over his head, then double-checks inside. “Yes, I’m ready.”

“Ready?” Joe asks, looking at Gwil, then Rami. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Rami says. “What about you, habibi? Are you ready? Let’s go.”

It’s an easy walk from their hotel to the museum; they basically go in a straight line for ten minutes towards the River Tawe and end up at the front door.

“Good luck,” Gwil whispers, brushing his lips of Ben’s forehead.

“Thank you,” Ben says, smiling up at him. “I’ll come find you when I’m done.”

“Don’t worry about us,” Gwil says. “Just have fun.”

“Not really the word I’d use to describe this,” Ben says, briefly resting his hand on his stomach, trying to settle his nerves. “But thank you.” He gives him a quick kiss, then waves over at Rami and Joe as well. “Bye!”

“You got this!” Joe says, waving back. “Kill it.”

Gwil steps back, looking at the building. “Well, it’s certainly nice enough to look at.”

“I don’t really rank my job prospects on how pretty the building is,” Ben says, glancing over his shoulder. “But I’ll keep that in mind. Bye.”

“Bye, love.” Gwil watches Ben turn and walk away, heading over to the large double doors. He turns around himself, walking over to Joe and Rami. “Alright then, chaps?”

“What do you think?” Rami asks, looking around. “It’s a bit out of the way down here, but the city centre is so close. I wonder where the houses are around here. Maybe he could walk!”

“Ben’s never really struck me as a guy who likes poetry,” Joe says. “I wonder if he’d even like working there. Are you a fan of Dylan Thomas?”

“Roger quoted him to me,” Gwil says. “In the letters. But…no, other than that, not particularly.”

“Oh,” Joe says, and he looks at Rami. “Uh, huh.”

Gwil smiles. “It’s alright, Joe. If Ben gets hired here, that certainly wouldn’t bother me. And no, I don’t think Ben would have applied here, but his supervisor knows someone, recommended it.”

“Ooh, maybe that means he has a chance!” Rami says. "I mean, he already has a chance, I’m sure of it. Just a better chance.”

“I’m not worried,” Gwil says. “What should we get up to while we wait? I don’t want to go too far and make Ben catch up with us later.”

“I was going to suggest ice cream,” Joe says, “but I realize now that kind of sounds like a dick move to get ice cream without him.”

Rami grins. “Yes, Joe, it would be. That would be a nice treat for afterward. Or after dinner. I wouldn’t mind finding a drink, though. It’s a bit warm.”

“Alright.” Gwil nods, looking around. “Let’s find ourselves some drinks and settle down in the park. What do you think, Sami?” He smiles down at him, completely passed out in his stroller. “I bet he’s tired, such a busy few days for such a little boy.”

“He’ll be back on schedule when we get home,” Rami says. “Hopefully. At least he can sleep wherever we go. Just rests right there.”

“Oh, so convenient,” Joe says. “Man, I should not have grown up.”

There are walking paths along the water, and Joe takes out his phone to guide them towards a cafe. Then, across the street from that, there’s a park, so they find some shade to settle in and sit down. Sami’s asleep, so they leave him strapped in, and the three of them get comfortable.

“Have you heard from Brian?” Rami asks, taking a sip. Gwil takes out his phone, handing it over to Rami, who goes to his messages and smiles. There’s a photo of Brian’s attempt at making gnocchi, and Mustardseed has jumped up on the counter next to him, examining the bowl. “Well, isn’t she just a little devil!”

“She is.”

Rami shows Joe the photo as well, then hands the phone back to Gwil. He leans back on the grass, smiling. “Joey.”

“Yes, dear.”

“Would Augie like a sibling some day?”

“Augie has a sibling.”

“What about a cat version of one?”

Joe chuckles. “I think I’ve suggested getting another cat before, and you always say no because Augie is a jerk and would never be able to share our love.”

“Ugh, I know,” Rami says. “He really would be awful. But maybe he’s lonely. The girls are so lovely together. Can we at least consider it?”

“Always,” Joe says. “I’ve been considering it! Where have you been?”

“It’s not my fault,” Rami says, “I have baby brain.”

Gwil snorts, and Joe rolls his eyes, looking over at him. "This is what I get now. Everything is baby brain when it’s just…regular brain.”

Gwil laughs. “I can’t get involved in this. I have to be neutral.”

Rami raises his eyebrows. “Neutral?”

“Please don’t make me pick sides,” Gwil says.

“Hmm.”

Gwil reaches over, grasping onto Rami’s ankle, giving it a playful shake. “I love you.”

“I’m neutral.”

Gwil and Joe both laugh. “Babe, I’m Gwil’s best friend, he can’t choose you over me.”

Rami looks back and forth between the both of them, and then he springs up, playfully knocking Gwil over.

“Get a room,” Joe says.

“Are you having fun in Swansea?” Rami asks, snuggling against Gwil. “With your best friend?”

“Honestly, you guys are embarrassing,” Joe says. “Sami is ashamed to be seen with you.”

“I am having a brilliant time in Swansea,” Gwil says, wrapping his arms around Rami. “Though, we’ve only been here for a couple hours, so it’s hard to tell.”

“What should we do tonight?” Rami asks.

“Hmm, I don’t know. What do you think?”

“Dinner, ice cream, and…” Gwil shrugs. “What sorts of things can we do with Sami?”

“He is kind of a bore,” Joe says, reaching up to grasp onto Sami’s foot, giving it a gentle wiggle, careful to not wake him up.

“We could get some treats and watch a film,” Rami suggests. “Or maybe buy a board game to play? We didn’t bring any.”

“Either sounds good to me,” Gwil says. “Joe?”

“A board game would be cool,” Joe says. “Since then we could talk.”

“We’ll get a vote from Ben when he shows up,” Gwil says. “If his interview goes poorly, he might not be in the mood for either.”

“I hope it’s alright,” Rami says. He finally pushes himself off Gwil, rolling onto the grass. “If he comes back sad, it will break my heart.”

“He’s strong,” Gwil says. “And I think it’s going fine.” He takes a sip of his drink, making a soft sound.

“Are you thinking about the fact that you might end up living here?” Joe asks.

“Hmm? Oh, not really, no.” Gwil takes another drink. “But certainly it’s a possibility. Close to Aber, it’d be an easy move at least.”

Joe looks over at Rami, wondering if it would be an easy move for them. He takes a sip of his own drink, and then pushes himself up to get a better look at Sami, still asleep.

When Ben finishes his interview, he sends a message in the group chat, and Joe replies with the address of the park. A few minutes later, he appears at the entrance, shouting out, “Oi!”

Joe looks over, shading his eyes with his hand. “Is that my friend Ben Hardy?” he yells out.

Ben laughs as he walks across the grass to them. “Hello!” He jogs over, coming to a stop by Joe, reaching out to ruffle his hair, shining bright auburn in the sun. “How’ve you been?”

“Tell us how it went!” Rami exclaims.

“Did they offer you a job?” Gwil asks, shifting Sami on his lap.

“During the interview?” Ben asks. “No. But it went alright, I think. How are you?”

“We’re fine,” Gwil says. “Sitting, chatting.”

“Sounds relaxing,” Ben says.

“We’re on vacation,” Joe says, “leave us alone.”

“How did it go really?” Rami asks. “Did it sound like a nice job?”

“Wait!” Gwil says, lifting his hand. “Let’s go to dinner, get settled in, and Ben can tell us.”

“Ooh yes, I’m hungry,” Joe says. “Ben?”

“Yeah, sounds nice.” Ben reaches down, picking Sami up from Gwil’s lap so that Gwil can push himself up. “Hi.” He gives Gwil a quick kiss, smiling at him. “And how are you?” he asks, smiling at Sami. “How has your day been?” He kisses his nose, then looks around at them. “Where are we going?”

“There’s an American barbecue place here,” Joe says hopefully. “Please, think of me, your American friend.”

“Hmm.” Gwil taps his lip thoughtfully.

“Sami’s half-American, think of him!”

“Do you want barbecue?” Ben softly asks Sami. “Do you?”

“Of course he does,” Joe says. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Gwil chuckles. “Well, I guess that settles that.”

At dinner, Ben talks about how his interview went; the museum has a large archival collection that he would be working with, as well as organizing events and exhibitions. He refuses to say how well he thinks it did or didn’t go, because he really has no idea. And he doesn’t want to jinx himself. As for the job itself, he really isn’t that excited at the idea of working in such a relatively small archive that only focuses on one person, but if it’s the job he’s offered, he’ll take it.

After dinner, they start walking back in the direction of their hotel, and Joe takes out his phone, looking for ice cream along the way.

“Ooh, there’s a place literally three minutes from the hotel,” Joe says.

“May as well,” Gwil says. “Don’t want to run all over the city just for some dessert.”

“Well, speak for yourself,” Joe says. “I’d go anywhere for dessert. But yes, I suppose. More convenient.”

“Some day,” Gwil says, walking alongside Joe, “maybe when we don’t have a very sleepy baby, you and I will run all over the city—”

“Which one?”

“Any one,” Gwil says. “Just for the best dessert we can find.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, big guy,” Joe says. “I’m very sensitive.”

“I promise,” Gwil says. “Don’t worry about that.”

“I suppose I’ll be at home with Sami that day, then,” Rami says.

“Yup, sounds like,” Joe says.

Ben snorts, trying not to laugh. “Don’t worry, Rami. By the sounds of it, I’ll be with you. Except…” He looks around. “Well, for all the times Joe’s complained about being the only who works.”

"That's right!” Joe says. “Soon it will be you, getting up and getting dressed and going to work. Ugh, and I am going to laugh and laugh and laugh.”

“What a supportive mate I have,” Ben says. “Wow. So good. So kind.”

“I love being on parental leave,” Joe says. “It’s truly the gift that keeps on giving.”

“He’s awful,” Ben murmurs, and Gwil smiles, reaching out to take Ben’s hand.

Joe looks at his phone again, directing them towards the ice cream shop. “So, whatever their menu is, I am going to have the biggest ice cream they sell.” Rami sighs. “You know, I think I deserve it.”

Rami looks over at Gwil, who just smiles.

“And you know who else deserves it?” Joe asks.

“Ben,” Rami says, “because he’s just had his fourth interview and did brilliantly in all of them.”

“Thank you, Rami,” Ben says.

“No,” Joe says. “Sami! Sami’s going to have an ice cream today too. His first.”

“Babies can’t have dairy, Joe,” Rami says. “And for that matter, neither can you.”

“Well,” Ben starts, and Gwil smirks.

“Not a word,” Joe says, pointing at them.

“I know you have your pills,” Rami says, “but you also don’t always have to have something.”

Joe groans, stomping his foot a couple times.

“Remember what I was just about to say?” Ben asks.

Joe sighs. “Okay, fine, I will set a good example for my son, and get a sorbet.”

“That’s lovely.”

“And I’m going to give some to Sami. Please, please, please, please.” Joe wraps his arms around Rami, nuzzling against him. “His first sorbet. He’ll love it. It’s just fruit and water—”

“And sugar.”

“Natural sugar,” Joe says. “Just the tiniest, teeniest— just a little bit, so he can try it, and I can smile, and for the rest of our lives we’ll always remember the time we went to Wales with our best friends, and our son, and that’s where he tried something other than formula for the first time. We need to start giving him food soon anyway. Let’s see what he thinks!”

Rami rolls his eyes, looking over at Ben and Gwil.

“I think it’s finally obvious why you and Joe were never a couple,” Gwil says, and Ben snorts.

“If it’s that important to you,” Rami says. “But just a little. We’re not buying him a cone or anything.”

“Hell no,” Joe says. “And I won’t get lemon because that might be too sour for him.”

“Alright,” Rami says. “And we have to take photos to show Nelly and Felix.”

“Agreed.” Joe offers his hand to Rami, and Rami sighs, shaking it. “Yay!” Joe exclaims, reaching into the stroller to lift Sami out. “Yay, Sami gets a treat today!” He starts bouncing him in his arms, then runs around in a small circle, celebrating. “That’s so exciting! Baba is so nice! Oh, Sami!” He holds Sami in his arms, kissing his cheeks, grinning. “I’m so happy.”

“If he’s like this for sorbet,” Gwil says, “I shudder to think what’s going to happen the day Sami tries pizza.”

“Oh god,” Ben says, trying not to laugh. “He’s probably going to throw a party.”

“Joe and I value different experiences differently,” Rami says, smiling as he watches Joe with Sami. “But that doesn’t mean they’re not all important.”

“That’s a very mature stance to take,” Gwil says. “Come on then, shall we order?”

“I’ll get Ben’s for him,” Joe says, still snuggling Sami, reluctant to put him back down. “Because like Rami said, he had an interview, he deserves a celebration for him.”

“Oh,” Ben says, smiling, “thank you.”

“Of course, buddy,” Joe says. “Unless you wanna share a sorbet with me and Sami?”

“No, I’d like a full-on, proper sundae,” Ben says, and Joe laughs.

“Good. That’s my friend. I’ll live vicariously through you.”

They turn onto the quiet road, and continue up towards the ice cream shop. Joe finally puts Sami back down, smiling and waving at him, and then he points out the sign.

Gwil holds the door open to the rest of them, giving Ben a pat on the bum and a cheeky grin as he walks by him.

“Oh, the perverted old man I call my partner,” Ben murmurs, and Gwil laughs, pushing up his glasses as he looks at the menu.

“I’m going to save us a seat,” Rami says, pushing Sami back and forth. “Joey, will you get me something I’d like?”

“Of course, babe,” Joe says, reaching out to run his fingers down Rami’s arm. “Go sit, get comfy. We’ll just be a second.”

“Okay.” Rami smiles at him then pushes Sami over to one of the large booths along the glass storefront. He sits down on the edge of the seat, and pulls Sami in close, smiling. “I bet you’re tired,” he say, reaching in to run his finger over Sami’s foot, watching him kick. “Your sleep schedule is all a mess, habibi.”

“Ugh, why did I agree to sorbet?” Joe asks, looking at the menu. He nudges Ben. “What do you want, Benny?”

“Banana split,” Ben says.

“Mm, amazing,” Joe says. “You can go sit, if you want, keep Rami company. I got this.”

“Thank you,” Ben says, and he walks over to the booth, sitting down across from Rami. “Alright?”

“Please tell me more about the interview,” Rami says quickly, and Ben laughs in surprise. “Did it go well? Do you want to live in Swansea?”

Ben shrugs, reaching up to play with his hair. “I’d live here, sure. It’s alright. As for the interview…” He trails off. “I don’t know. I don’t know a lot about Thomas. Probably a mark against me.”

“Oh, I think they could see past that,” Rami says. “I bet you did really well, and you’re just being shy about it.”

“It’s hard to tell,” Ben says. “But— I know I’m lucky, so. If I don’t get any of these, well, we won’t be out on our arses.”

“Are you excited though?” Rami asks. “That you could be working soon?”

“Nervous,” Ben admits. “Maybe a little scared, but…yeah, excited too.”

Rami beams at him. Then Sami squeals loudly, and they both jump and look over at him, but he’s just entertaining himself, feet up by his mouth. “Sami is very excited too,” Rami says, and Ben smiles.

Gwil and Joe walk over to them, and Ben slides in closer to the window for one of them to sit by him. It ends up being Joe, who playfully rests his head on Ben’s shoulder.

“Did you get the sorbet?” Ben asks, and Joe nods. “Good.”

“They’ll bring them over,” Gwil says, waiting for Rami to stand up so that he can sit down and slide in, sitting across from Ben.

“Alright, Gwil,” Joe says. “Translate Swansea for me, what’s it mean?”

“Gwil isn’t fluent, you know that,” Rami says.

“Sorry,” Gwil says, “still relatively useless.”

“Did you know that Swansea has the oldest ceremonial burial site in Western Europe?” Ben asks. “Maybe 33,000 years old.”

“There we go, that’s the information I’m looking for,” Joe says. “I knew between the two of you, I’d find something good.”

“We can always count on Ben,” Gwil says, nudging his foot under the table, and Ben smiles.

Their server walks over carrying a large tray, and carefully hands them all their ice cream.

“What did you get me?” Rami asks, picking up his spoon.

“That, my zuccherino, is a Caramel Crunch.”

“Mm, yummy.”

“What did you get?” Ben asks Gwil.

“Pistachio Nut Delight,” Gwil says. “You’re welcome to try some.”

“No, I’m alright, thank you.” Ben digs into his banana split, making a soft noise of delight as he bites into one of the fudge cubes.

They eat quietly for a couple minutes, until Joe pulls Sami closer to him. He reaches in, lifting him up, sitting him on his lap. “Alright, Baba?” he asks, looking across the table at Rami.

“Yes, I suppose.” Rami wipes his mouth with his napkin, then takes out his mobile. “Just a little though, it’s going to be so cold. I don’t want his head to hurt.”

“Hear that?” Joe asks, gently bouncing Sami. “Just a little. Just a little sorbetto for our little boy.”

“Is this bad?” Rami asks. “He’s not even six months old.”

“He’s really alright,” Gwil says. “Fruit and water.”

“He’s just going to drool it all out anyway,” Ben says. “I wouldn’t worry.”

Joe dips his spoon into his sorbet, taking the tiniest amount. “Alright, this is a big moment for Daddy, so I hope you’re all ready.”

“I’m taking a video,” Rami says. “So behave.”

Joe rubs Sami’s stomach, kissing his head. He holds the spoon up to his mouth, and Sami doesn’t open his mouth, just sits there looking off into the distance. “Want to try?” he asks. “Just open up.” Joe presses the spoon to his lips, and Sami finally opens his mouth, letting him gently feed him the sorbet. “There we go, how’s that?”

“How is it, habibi?” Rami asks. “Is it okay?”

Sami smacks his lips a couple times, and rests his hand on Joe’s, but other than that, he seems completely uninterested in the matter.

“Wow,” Ben says. “A Malek-Mazzello who doesn’t love dessert.”

“Rather anti-climactic,” Gwil says, and Rami stops the recording.

“Well, I don’t feel bad about it anymore,” he says. “I don’t even think he noticed.”

“Oh well,” Joe says, sticking the spoon back in his sorbet. “More for me then.” He kisses the top of Sami’s head, smiling. “That’s okay,” he says. “Sami doesn’t have to like anything he doesn’t want to like, he’s perfect just the way he is.”

Rami smiles. “You can give him just a bit more, if you want.”

“Good idea,” Joe says, digging the spoon into the sorbet again. “Second time’s the charm.”

They split up on the way back to the hotel— Ben goes to get snacks; Rami goes to the hotel to do Sami’s nighttime routine and get him into bed; and Joe and Gwil go to a game emporium just a short walk away. They meet back in the hotel with a board game, and Sami asleep in his cot. Ben’s changed out of his interview clothes into a t-shirt and joggers, and the others get comfy as well.

The room has a small sofa, an armchair, and a desk chair, so there’s room for all of them to sit around the board game, set up on the small coffee table. They also have snacks and drinks, which they start working on while Joe reads the rule booklet to them all. Ben sets up the board game as Joe explains, dividing up the cards and the pieces, and Rami and Gwil just listen.

Obviously they’re smart enough, but board games have still advanced pretty far since the 1930s. Sometimes they get confused.

Joe cracks open his bottle of Coke. “All set?” he asks, looking around before he takes a drink.

“I’m ready,” Rami says, nodding eagerly.

“I think so,” Gwil says. “But keep the rule book ready.”

Ben opens his own drink, taking a sip. “Let’s go.”

Instead of taking the bus from Swansea to Llangennith, like they did the last time they visited, and having to deal with Sami fussing around strangers and transporting all of his things, they decide to just rent a car.

In the morning, Ben leaves the others to pack and tidy up while he goes to the car rental place. He messages them when he’s on the way back, and the four of them meet him downstairs in front of the hotel with their things.

“Fancy,” Joe says, walking over to the SUV, carrying Sami’s carseat. “You know, I’m surprised you came back for us. Thought you might just drive away, never to be seen again.”

“Thought about it,” Ben says, hopping out to grab his bag. “But sadly, I couldn’t. I really like one of you, and I’d just miss them too much."

Gwil smiles, helping Rami put Sami’s stroller in the back of the SUV. “I don’t think he means me,” he says, and Rami chuckles.

“I assume it’s Sami.”

“I assumed it was you,” Gwil says, and Rami grins.

“One of you is right,” Ben says, fitting his bag in the back.

“Knew it,” Gwil says, leaning in to quickly kiss Ben’s temple before he can duck out of the way.

“Are you driving?” Joe calls out as he works on strapping Sami’s carseat in.

“Planned on it,” Ben says. “But you’re welcome to it.”

“Nah, I’m good.” Joe climbs into the backseat, sitting next to Sami. “Me and Sami are gonna have a party back here. Aren’t we? Aren’t we?” He reaches out, tickling Sami’s foot, watching him laugh and kick. “Yes, we are. Sami loves a road trip with Daddy.”

“It’s thirty minutes away,” Ben says. “Not much of a road trip.”

“That doesn’t matter, does it?” Joe asks, leaning in to kiss Sami’s face, listening to him giggle. “No, Sami and I are having a great time.”

Gwil closes the back of the SUV, and looks at Rami. “Do you want to sit with them?”

“Do you?”

Gwil smiles. “Yes, actually, I would.”

Rami grins back, patting him on the shoulder. “Go for it. I’ll sit with Ben! How exciting.” He hurries up to the passenger side of the car, climbing in. “I’m joining you,” he says, looking at Ben.

“I’ve never been happier,” Ben says, typing in the address of their hotel in Llangennith.

“I knew it was Rami,” Gwil says, climbing into the backseat, looking down at Sami. “Oh, hello, ole chap. Yes, you don’t mind if I sit here, do you?” Sami grabs onto his feet as he watches Gwil, looking up at him. “Is that okay? Okay, thank you.”

“Will you drive by hand?” Rami asks. “It makes me feel safer with Sami in the car.”

“Yes, of course,” Ben says, hitting the start button on the ignition. “Everybody ready to go?” He glances over his shoulder, watching Joe and Gwil both tickling and teasing Sami, making faces at him. “Alright,” he says, smiling at Rami. “I guess we’re ready.” Rami nods eagerly, and Ben carefully pulls away from the hotel.

For the first ten minutes of the drive, they’re still in the city, or at least the suburbs— driving by house and small restaurants. Then they leave Upper Killay behind and it’s all green; sprawling fields, flat so they can look out their window and see forever.

Rami rolls down the window, looking outside as Wales flies by.

“Anything interesting?” Gwil asks.

“Not really— ooh, sheep!”

They all look over, and Rami waves as they fly by.

“So many stereotypes,” Joe says. “It’s unreal.”

“How Green Was My Valley,” Gwil says, gesturing to the fields.

“How’s the road, Ben?” Rami asks, looking over at him.

“Just fine. This is an easy road, no worries.”

“Thank you for driving us,” Rami says. “So we didn’t have to put Sami on a bus.”

Ben smiles. “My pleasure. I sort of miss driving anyway.”

They slowly start to re-enter civilization, which is mostly small cottages and farmhouses. And some more sheep.

“Can you believe it’s been three years since the first time we came here?” Joe asks.

“That math doesn’t sound right,” Gwil says.

“Time is fake,” Ben says, and Joe chuckles.

“Well, for these guys it is,” he says.

“Has it really been three years?” Rami asks, looking out the window again. “I don’t understand.”

“Well, over three years, actually,” Joe says. “But close enough.”

Rami looks over at a farmhouse, smiling. “That would be nice,” he says. “I bet all that land is theirs.”

“Price you pay out here,” Joe says, “probably get you a closet in London.”

They keep driving, passing more houses and churches and farmland, and then Ben points out the window. “Llangennith, I just saw it on that sign.”

“How exciting, Sami,” Gwil says softly, smiling at him.

After a few more minutes, the tiny village appears, and Ben slows down, trying to not miss the small entrance to their hotel. He carefully pulls in, turning off the ignition, and then smiles. “Well, here we are."

They gather all their things, and Gwil takes Sami, and they head into the hotel, checking in.

“I need a nap,” Joe says in the elevator, and Ben rolls his eyes.

“Why? What have you done today?”

“Nothing, I’m just lazy.”

“We can have a rest,” Rami says. “Maybe an hour or so?”

“That’s fine with me,” Gwil says. He reaches out, resting his hand on Ben’s lower back. “Love?”

“We’ve literally done nothing today except get in the car and drive for thirty minutes,” Ben says.

“Wow, Ben? Turning down sleep?” Joe presses his hand to Ben’s forehead. “You okay?”

“I’m hungry,” Ben says. “But fine, an hour. I’ll survive.”

They go to their rooms, for various states of rest. Rami gets into bed and falls asleep, while Joe rests his eyes with Sami on the floor. Gwil and Ben snuggle up together, though Ben mostly plays on his mobile.

They change and get ready for the beach, then meet in the hallway and head out into the town to find lunch first. Afterwards, they walk down the path to the beach, finding an empty spot big enough for all of them.

Ben glances around, looking out over the water. Then he reaches up, grasping onto the neck of his t-shirt. He tugs it off, balling it up and dropping it onto his backpack.

“I always forget what a sinner you are,” Joe says, looking up at Ben.

“Guess I’m going to hell, then,” Ben says, reaching up to rub his hand over his flower tattoo.

“I’ll be joining you, love,” Gwil says, and Ben grins.

“Any ideas for number three?” Rami asks.

“No, not yet,” Ben says. “Maybe someday.”

“I keep telling you to get one of my face,” Joe says. “Preferably on your face.”

“Oh god.”

“What do you think, habibi?” Rami asks, fixing Sami’s hat, making sure that his face is covered from the sun. “Do you think Uncle Ben should get another tattoo? What of? What do you think?”

“Sami’s name on your ass,” Joe suggests.

Gwil laughs, and Rami rolls his eyes. “Joseph.”

“Ooh,” Ben laughs, “full name.”

“I’m in trouble,” Joe says, leaning forward to kiss Rami’s cheek.

“Just don’t say such crude things in public,” Rami says. “We’re at the beach.”

“We are!” Joe exclaims, looking around. “What should we do?”

“You can go swimming,” Rami says. “I’m going to sit with Sami and read.”

“At the beach?” Joe asks. “Read?”

“Yes,” Rami says. He laughs and looks around. “I’m not the only one here. The bookstore has a section called beach reads for a reason.”

“Hmm.” Joe looks around as well. “I guess so. Well, what about this little dude? Got him all dressed up for the beach—”

“Oh, he needs his sunglasses too,” Rami says.

“And nowhere to go?” Joe continues. “He’s gotta go in the water, at least.”

“We’ll take him,” Gwil says. “Just walk in and out with him. He’ll be safe.”

“I’m not worried about him not being safe,” Rami says, digging through Sami’s diaper bag to find his sunglasses. “I think I trust you to not let him go. Here.” He carefully slides them onto Sami’s face, smiling. “Look at that, habibi. So handsome. I need a photo.” He turns, finding his camera.

“When will you start him in lessons?” Ben asks.

“When he’s a year,” Rami says, tugging Sami’s shirt down over his tummy before he takes a photo.

“Are you coming in, love?” Gwil asks.

“I will in a bit,” Ben replies, and then he sits down on the towel next to Rami. “I’m going to relax here for awhile.”

“You sure?” Gwil asks, pulling off his t-shirt. He smiles and winks when he notices Ben watching for a couple seconds longer than usual.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Ben blinks and looks away, pretending to be distracted by something down the beach.

“We’ll just go for a quick dip and bring him back,” Joe says. He leans down, picking Sami up, smiling widely. “What do you think? Do you want to go swimming with Daddy and Uncle Gwil? Do you?” He gently bounces him, rubbing his back. “Let’s go, buddy. Let’s see what’s in the water. Yay, fun!”

Gwil takes off his glasses, then leans down to carefully stick them in their case. “Watch those for me?” he asks, and Ben nods, settling back onto the towel. Gwil turns, walking alongside Joe, making faces at Sami.

“You didn’t have to stay with me,” Rami says, digging around in his bag for his book.

“I know,” Ben says. “I’m just…decompressing. Relaxing.”

“Alright,” Rami says. “I only brought the one book.”

Ben grins, closing his eyes. “I’ll be alright, thanks.”

“Whew, the water’s nice,” Joe says, walking in. He shifts Sami in his arms, kissing his cheek. “Are we gonna dip your little toes in? Your little toesy-woesies?” Sami wiggles in Joe’s arms, grunting. He flaps his arm, hitting his hat, and Joe pats him a couple times. “Gotta keep the hat on, buddy. The sun is too bright.”

Gwil grins, turning towards them. “And it’s such a sharp hat, Sami. Handsome ole chap.”

“Exactly.” Joe kisses Sami’s cheek. “Now let’s walk a bit further, okay? Not too far though, not yet. When you’re older.”

“Heavens, this time next year…” Gwil lifts his hand out of the water, and reaches out, carefully letting droplets run off and land on Sami. “What’s that?”

“What’s Uncle Gwil doing to you, buddy?” Joe asks. “Oh man, he’s getting you all wet.”

“I can take him whenever you’d like,” Gwil says. “If you want to swim.”

“Thanks. But right now, I think we’re just walking. Just…” Joe bends his knees, lowering himself into the water, dipping Sami’s feet in. “Wow, what about that?”

Gwil watches them with a smile. He lifts his feet up, starting to tread water next to them. “The water’s gorgeous,” he says.

Joe looks around at the water, the beach, the people. “It really is.” He makes a soft noise, then dips Sami’s feet into the water again. “What do you think, buddy? You could be swimming up a storm already, but I think it makes Baba nervous.” He whispers the last bit, then winks at Gwil. “Don’t tell him I said that,” he says, still whispering.

“Luckily,” Gwil says, “I don’t think there’s much chance of him crawling off from your flat in London. Maybe if you lived here, he’d be an expert already.”

“Oh, so true.” Joe bounces gently on his knees, letting Sami dip in and out of the water while he squawks and flails his arms. “He’d have to get out of his crib, down the stairs, out of the apartment, down more stairs—”

Gwil laughs. “Then crawl half a mile to the Thames.”

“You’re right,” Joe says. “For now, I think we can probably guess that’s not going to happen. Is it, Sami? Are you trying to get out at night?”

“Trying to come see us in Aber,” Gwil says. “Or the girls, at least.”

Joe smiles. “We’ll be closer soon,” he says.

“Oh, I know,” Gwil says. “Hopefully. I’d like Ben to get hired somewhere that works for all of us, but I suppose you never know. But yes, I very much look forward to hearing a tiny knock at my door in the evening and open it to see Sami.”

Joe laughs. “Just with one of those— what’s it called? A bindle? All his little toys and and some clothes, wrapped up in a blanket, over his shoulder.”

“Yes, exactly that.”

“What do you think?” Joe asks, kissing Sami’s cheek. “Is it Uncle Gwil you’re going to run to you when you’re old and think me and Baba are being too mean?”

“At least you know he’d be safe,” Gwil says, rolling onto his back, closing his eyes against the bright sun.

Joe smiles. “He certainly would be.”

Rami makes a soft noise, looking at Ben over the top of his book. “Did you want to go in?” he asks.

“Mm.” Ben shifts on his towel, looking over at him. “Did you want to go in?”

Rami smiles. “I can’t play that game with Joe,” he says. “Otherwise we’ll never make a decision.”

“I wouldn’t mind going in,” Ben says. “But I don’t want to leave you alone.”

Rami puts his book aside, and pushes himself up. “Let’s go in,” he says. “I think our things are safe.” He waits for Ben, and then they walk into the water together.

“There’s my husband!”

“Hello.” Rami leans in, kissing Joe, then kissing Sami’s cheek. “How are you? How is he?”

“We’re good, I’m good, life’s good.”

Rami smiles, kissing Joe again. “It certainly is.”

“Hello, love,” Gwil says, opening his arms to Ben, who immediately wraps himself around him like a koala. “Having fun on the beach?” He reaches up, pushing Ben’s hair back. “You’ve gotten some sun.”

“How's the water?” Ben asks.

“Well, you’re in it, aren’t you?”

Ben smiles, kissing Gwil. “Some cheek on you.”

“Always.”

Gwil holds Ben in his arms, then gently spins in the water. “Do you want to go out tonight?” he asks.

“Ooh, on a proper date?” Ben asks.

“All our dates are proper,” Gwil says.

“That sounds lovely,” Ben says, and he snuggles against him, looking out at the water.

They all stay in the water for a bit longer, until Rami takes Sami out of Joe’s arms, and heads back onto the beach, sitting on his towel. Joe and Gwil swim around, going out into deeper water, and Ben goes back in to the beach as well. He walks over to Rami and Sami just as Rami lets out a loud yawn, looking sheepishly at Ben.

“Sorry,” he says. “i get tired in the sun.”

“Well, let me take him,” Ben says. “I don’t mind.”

“Oh, that would be lovely, Ben, thank you.” Rami kisses all over Sami’s face, smiling, then he hands him over to Ben. “I just need to rest my eyes.”

“Not a problem.” Ben reaches up, gently wiping the drool from Sami’s mouth. “We don’t mind, do we? Not at all. Let’s go for a walk Sami, let’s go.” He looks around the beach, then gently grasps Sami’s hand, waving at the water as he starts to walk down the beach. “Say bye-bye, Sami. Bye-bye.” He kisses Sami’s cheek, nuzzling against him. “Aren’t you a sweetheart.”

Sami gurgles and blows out his lips, wiggling in Ben’s arms for a moment before he settles down. He looks up at Ben with his wide blue eyes, and Ben grins.

“What should we do?” he asks. “Hmm, I don’t know. It is nice here, isn’t it? Your Uncle Gwil loves it here, so I love it here too.” He hums softly, bouncing Sami up in his arms, holding him close. “Then hopefully when you’re a bit older, you’ll like it too.”

They come to a relatively quiet spot on the beach, and Ben walks to just before the water’s edge, carefully sitting down, trying not to jostle Sami too much in his arms. “Oop, alright? Sure thing.” Ben shifts on the sand, sitting Sami on his thigh. Sami kicks his feet, then reaches forward, trying to touch the ground.

“Oh, by all means, mate,” Ben says, grasping some sand in his hand, lifting it up to Sami. “Play in the sand, sure.”

Sami smacks his hand against Ben’s, squealing as he grips at the sand. He looks up at Ben, laughing, and Ben grins.

“Do you like the sand?” he asks. “Wow, I didn’t know it was so much fun. Do you want some more? Show me the sand, Sami. Let’s see.” He lifts Sami off his thigh, setting him down between his legs. Ben hold his hand against Sami’s chest, holding him up, and he leans forward, watching Sami kick and wiggle on the sand. “What is that? This is the sand. We’re on the beach, Sami. Look. See the water? You were just in it, but see?”

Ben watches Sami kick his feet against the sand for awhile longer, smiling as he makes all sorts of happy noises. “Oh, a bit more drool, that’s alright.” He wipes Sami’s mouth with his hand. “Happens to the best of us. Come here, I want to show you something.” He lifts Sami up from the beach, just enough for Ben to slide closer to the water. He sits Sami down on his thigh, and Sami puffs out his cheeks, gasping and cooing as his feet touch the water. “Yeah, you must like that, huh? You stayed in the water with Daddy for so long, I bet you love it.” He adjusts Sami’s hat, making sure it’s pulled down far enough over his face. “There we go. Your parents will never forgive me if I let you get burned. Though, Baba doesn’t burn, maybe you won’t either.”

He hums softly, looking out over the water as Sami wiggles and plays with the sand. Sami lifts his sandy hand up to his mouth, and Ben grins, gently taking his hand away. “No, that’s not for eating. But if you’re hungry, we can go back to your parents.” He looks back at the water. “Speak of the devil.”

Joe walks out of the water, dropping heavily onto the beach. “God, I’m tired.”

“You’ve been swimming.”

Joe groans, laying back.

“And now your back is covered in sand.”

“Shh, don’t— just let me sleep.”

“I left Rami to rest on your towel down there,” Ben says. “I’m babysitting.”

“And doing a damn fine job of it,” Joe says.

“Thank you,” Ben says. “I’m just keeping him from eating dirt.”

Joe snorts. “I say let him, we gotta build his immune system.”

“Take it up with your husband, I’m not getting involved.”

“Can you believe it’s been almost a year since we got married? And I haven’t driven him insane yet.”

Ben snorts. “I think one of those things is true.”

“Ugh, whatever,” Joe says. “He’s stuck with me.”

“Hear that, Sami? True love.”

“I don’t think we’re going to be too much fun tonight, guys,” Joe says, looking down at Sami, asleep on his back. “I mean, I’m always up for a good time, but these two are out like a light.”

“I’m not sleeping,” Rami mumbles, but his eyes are closed and he’s curled up on their bed, so he’s doing a very good job at playing like he is.

Joe grins, and Gwil reaches out, patting Rami’s hip a couple times. “Don’t worry about it,” Gwil says, “Ben and I can entertain ourselves.”

“Mm, okay,” Rami sighs, snuggling further into the bed.

“Are you guys gonna—” Joe waggles his eyebrows, making a couple faces, winking.

“Please stop,” Ben says, and Joe laughs.

“We’re going to the pub,” Gwil says. “Have a couple drinks, just a bit of fun.”

“Just want to relax,” Ben says. “Not think about interviews or my dissertation or the rest of it.”

“Well, don’t get too wild,” Joe says. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“God,” Ben says, “that still leaves a lot of things, doesn’t it?”

Gwil leans forward, looking down at Rami. “Are you asleep?” he whispers.

“Mm.”

Gwil grins, and then leans in closer to press a kiss to Rami’s temple. “I think we’ll see you in the morning then.” Rami doesn’t reply, and Gwil keeps smiling as he climbs off the bed, careful not to jostle him too much. “Ready, love?”

“Hmm? Sure.” Ben straightens up, stepping away from the desk. He walks over to Joe and Sami, and leans down, watching Sami for a few moments. “I think he’ll be out all night, mate.”

“What will you do?” Gwil asks. “You’re certainly welcome to come.” Ben’s mouth falls open at that, and Gwil winks.

“Thanks,” Joe says, “and it is tempting. Especially since I know it would annoy Ben. But I don’t wanna leave them. I’ll be fine here. Probably watch some TV before I pass out too.”

“I”m surprised you’re not as red as a tomato, all the time you spent in the sun today,” Ben says. “Drink lots of water!” He waves at Sami, then turns to pull Joe into a quick hug. “Text us if you need us, we’ll only be down the road.”

“Have fun,” Joe says. “Big guy!”

Gwil smiles and hugs Joe as well. “We are just saying goodnight,” he says, “not goodbye. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I know,” Joe says, “but I love a hug.” He looks down at Sami. “Say bye, Sami, say bye to your uncles.”

“I think he’s too busy for all that,” Gwil says. “Have a nice night.”

They wave and say goodnight again, and Ben and Gwil leave Rami and Joe’s hotel room to walk down the hall to their own. They get changed, and make sure they have their wallets and room keys. Then they head outside, taking each other’s hand as they walk down the road.

“Brian sent us another photo of the girls,” Ben says. “If you haven’t checked it yet.”

“Oh, let me.” Gwil takes out his mobile, smiling at the photo. “Look at them. Gosh, they’ve grown so much.”

“They are a year old now,” Ben says. “I love them.”

Gwil chuckles, putting his mobile away. He squeezes Ben’s hand. “What do you think, love?”

“Hmm?” Ben looks around. “Of what?”

“Think we could find a place to live here?”

Ben smiles. “I’d need to be just a bit closer to civilization,” he says.

“And what does that include, a cinema and a McDonald’s?”

Ben laughs. “Yes, obviously.”

“Fair enough,” Gwil says, gently squeezing Ben’s hand. “It is rather out of the way, even more than Aber. Swansea has a cinema and a McDonald’s though.”

“We could get a cottage here,” Ben says. “Which, I know— it sounds a lot like I’m volunteering to spend your money on your behalf—” Gwil laughs at that. “God, how pretentious. A cottage. But it might be nice. Here, or— or somewhere else. A place to go in the summers, so we wouldn’t have to deal with booking hotels or making sure there’s a cot for Sami. Though…” He trails off, making a soft sound.

“What?” Gwil asks.

“This was my last free summer,” Ben says. “I won’t be able to just— fuck off to the beach whenever I want. I’ll have a job.”

Gwil smiles, leaning down to kiss Ben’s temple. “You certainly will, love.” They approach the pub, which is barely distinguishable from the buildings around it, except for the sign out front with its name on it. Gwil opens the door for Ben, pressing a kiss to the back of his head as he walks by him.

It’s not packed, but it’s lively, as there aren’t many other places to eat in Llangennith. But most of the tourists from the beach today probably already took the bus back to Swansea. It’s dark inside, mostly from the old, aged wood, and their eyes take a moment to adjust. They easily find a table, taking their seats.

Gwil looks around, spotting the jukebox. He smiles, and looks back at Ben. “Do you remember what you said, the first time we came here?” he asks.

Ben glances over his shoulder to see the jukebox as well. He groans, covering his face with his hand. “I was hoping you’d forgotten.”

Gwil chuckles, leaning back in his chair. “Me, forget? Never, love. Actually, do you know what I thought when you said it?”

“That I was a bloody idiot and how did someone like me end up in charge of helping you?”

“No, that’s what I thought of Joe.”

Ben snorts. “No, then, what did you think?”

“It was nice,” Gwil says.

“What century is it?” Ben echoes. “How was that nice? At the very least, it wasn’t very polite.”

“It was a joke,” Gwil says. “And it was one you wouldn’t have made if you’d been walking on eggshells around us. I thought— well, I knew you were embarrassed. But it was just something you would’ve said to Joe, or anyone else normal.” He watches Ben for a couple moments. “Plus it was funny, to watch you squirm a bit.”

“I hardly needed to do anymore squirming that day,” Ben says. “If I recall, you made me take my shirt off. At the beach. In front of everyone.”

“And look at you now,” Gwil says. “You did it today, no problem. Though, I admit— if I had really known, I wouldn’t have done that. I didn’t realize then.”

“I honestly didn’t even think of it today,” Ben says. “It didn’t bother me at all.”

Gwil smiles. “Good. I’m happy to hear it. You can be a very good role model for Sami.”

“I can’t even imagine what he’s going to be like with the four of us around him,” Ben says. “Right now he just wiggles like Rami and eats like Joe.”

Gwil snorts. “Speaking of eating, do we want something right now? Or just start with something to drink drink?”

Ben looks around; their table is missing a menu, so he reaches over to grab one from an empty table near them. “After today, I’m starving,” he says. “But yes, I'd like a drink as well.”

“I’ll go get us a couple beers while you decide then, love.”

Ben starts looking over the menu, and Gwil comes back just a couple minutes later, drinks in his hands. “They have a lot of curry,” he says, sitting back to make room their drinks.

“Oh, that might be nice,” Gwil says.

“I think I wanted something more filling,” Ben says. “I’m looking for a food coma sort of evening.”

“Understood.” Gwil takes a drink, waiting for Ben to hand the menu over to him.

“Sorry, just a sec.”

“No hurries,” Gwil says. He has another drink, settling back in his seat. “You know I’m fine to sit here and watch you all night.”

Ben looks up from the menu, smiling. “Is that so?”

“Of course.”

Ben sets the menu down on the table, twisting his ring around his finger. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Gwil says. He reaches his hand out, taking Ben’s. “I’m having a lovely holiday.”

“Home tomorrow, though.”

Gwil lifts Ben’s hand up to his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss there. “Then we should enjoy tonight.”

Ben giggles bashfully. “You— you stop that.”

“Alright.” Gwil lets go of Ben’s hand, and picks up the menu instead. “Do you want a starter?”

“Always.”

Gwil settles on a curry, Ben gets a steak, and then they also get dessert. Afterwards, they stay sipping their drinks, relaxing.

Ben hums softly to the music as he looks around the bar. He shifts in his seat, almost to the rhythm of the song.

“Love.”

Ben looks over at Gwil, watching as he stands up, and pushes his chair back in towards the table. “Are we leaving?” he asks, straightening up.

“No, not unless you’d like to.” Gwil offers his hand to Ben. “I thought you might fancy a dance.”

Ben had spent so much time regretting that he didn’t ask Gwil to dance the last time they were here, he doesn’t even need to think about his answer now. He just smiles and takes Gwil’s hand, standing up. “It would be my pleasure.”

“Good.” Gwil leads him a couple feet away from the table onto the small dance floor; really just a space in the room where there aren’t any tables set up. He pulls Ben in, holding him close. “I think I know this song, you know.”

Ben chuckles, resting against Gwil, letting him lead. “Oh? And where would you have heard this song?”

“I think Joe showed it to me. It was in a film he likes.”

“Hmm, I suppose it was.” Ben sighs softly, humming along.

“Are you tired?” Gwil asks. “How is your food coma coming along?”

“Oh, pretty good,” Ben says. “Right on the edge.” Gwil makes a soft noise. “And yes, I am tired. But I don’t want to go back yet.”

“Good,” Gwil says, and he lifts his arm, slowly spinning Ben. “I want to stay out all night with you.”

“All night?” Ben echoes.

“Not literally, love,” Gwil says. “Trust me. I know I’m an old man. Joe’s right.”

Ben chuckles, nuzzling against Gwil’s chest. “But I love that about you.”

“Mm. And what else?”

“Fishing for compliments, as per usual, I see.” Gwil presses a kiss to the top of Ben’s head, and Ben smiles, snuggling closer to him. “Thank you for asking me to dance with you.”

“Oh, love.” Gwil smiles, gently rubbing Ben’s back. “Thank you for saying yes.”

It’s a short walk back to the hotel, but in the dark, with the cool breeze, and having had just a bit too much to drink, it feels longer. But still, it just means more time to spend together. Gwil seems intent on walking quickly, eager to get back to the room and climb into bed, but Ben blinks and looks around, realizing something.

“Actually.” Ben tugs on Gwil’s hand, gently, just enough to get him to stop walking.

“Is everything alright?” Gwil asks, turning to look at him.

Ben smiles, and lets go of Gwil’s hand to wrap his arms around his waist.

“Oh, hello,” Gwil murmurs, looping his arms around Ben’s shoulders. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I just wanted to do something.” Ben leans up, kissing Gwil, though both of them are smiling so wide, it’s not much of one. He pulls back just a bit to see the look on Gwil’s face, and then he leans back in to kiss him again.

“Well,” Gwil says softly, pulling back after a few moments. “Not that I mind it—”

“I’m sure you don’t,” Ben says, gently rubbing Gwil’s back.

“But what brought that on? Or was it just a lovely goodnight kiss?”

“It was…payback sounds like the wrong word,” Ben says. “I can’t think of what I mean.”

“Wow, you must be tired,” Gwil says, “you’re usually so eloquent.”

“But this is where you kissed me for the first time,” Ben says. “Stopped me right here and—” He makes a noise of surprise as Gwil quickly swoops down to kiss him again. He laughs, pulling back. “Did that.”

“I did,” Gwil murmurs. “In fact, let me do it again.” Ben laughs again as Gwil pulls him back in.

“Now you’re just being obnoxious,” Ben says, and Gwil chuckles.

“Well, I am very good at it.” Gwil steps back and takes Ben’s hand again.

“Do you ever regret it?” Ben asks as they start to walk.

“Being obnoxious?” Gwil asks. “No, not really. It’s quite a bit of fun.”

“No,” Ben says. “Kissing me. Not in general, I know you’re a fan.”

“God, am I ever.”

“I just mean— that night.”

“I wish that I had asked you beforehand,” Gwil says. “Since— well, part of me thought it was romantic but I really didn’t know that you would like it. I just hoped you would. But no, I don’t regret it.”

“Good,” Ben says, squeezing Gwil’s hand. “Because I really liked it.”

“Oh, did you?”

“Mm-hmm.” Ben nods. “Actually I—” He cuts himself off, letting out an awkward giggle.

“You what?”

“Nothing,” Ben says, looking down at his feet.

“Love, do you have a secret?” Gwil laughs. “Well, by all means. I won’t make you tell me. Everyone’s entitled to their private life.”

“When we got back to the hotel, I jerked off and came harder than I had in— god, months? Years?” Ben’s cheeks feel warm after he says it.

Gwil’s mouth falls open, and he looks at Ben in shock. “I— well.” He lets out an awkward chuckle, then reaches up to scratch the back of his neck. “I…wish I could say the same.”

“Oh?”

Gwil nods. “I— wasn’t in the best place for it, then. Sorry.”

“No, I get it,” Ben says. “I— don’t apologize for something like that.” They finish walking to the hotel, and Ben opens the door for Gwil. “You know.”

Gwil glances over his shoulder back at Ben.

“Since we’re sharing a bed and all…”

“Hmm?”

“We don’t have to go back to our room and have a wank alone this time.” Ben tugs Gwil in closer as they make their way upstairs to their room, grinning.

“You’re probably right,” Gwil says. “Perks of being your partner this time ‘round.” He digs out their room key as they walk down the hall, looking back at Ben. “Of course, not to say— if you’re tired, or not—”

“If you don’t unlock that door in the next ten seconds, we’re shagging out here in the hall.”

Gwil stares at Ben, then slowly smiles. “Bit of a show for the lads? You want Joe to see that?”

“You’re right, I’d never live it down,” Ben says. “Just hurry up then.”

“I’m trying, love!”

They laugh as they stumble into the room, and Gwil only just manages to get the door locked behind them before Ben starts getting undressed.

The hotel offers a small buffet breakfast. While Joe and Gwil fill their plates together, Ben and Rami sit with Sami, giving him a bottle.

“You know,” Rami says, “even if you don’t get hired here, I might still like to move to Swansea.”

Ben smiles. “Is that so? What about the IIS?”

Rami shrugs. “I’d figure that out.”

“And what’s brought that on?” Ben asks.

“I like…” Rami trails off. “It might sound silly.”

“Never.”

“I grew up in London,” Rami says. “So I never knew any better. We were always crowded together, everything is so loud, and dirty.”

“God, I didn’t think it was that bad,” Ben says. “Well, loud, yes.”

“Maybe just when I was younger,” Rami says. “Everything felt so grey. I like the idea that Sami could grow up where it’s green and bright. And there’s no constant honking and tourists shouting.”

“That does sound nice. Is London too overwhelming?”

Rami makes a soft sound. “It can be,” he says. “Really does my head in. I always knew that I wanted us to have a nice garden. But now I think I want fields, and beaches, and fresh air. And quiet.”

“Okay,” Ben says. “Tell Joe. I’m sure he agrees. He grew up in a small town.”

“What if you get the job in London, though?” Rami asks.

Ben shrugs. “I think there are fields around London,” he says. “In fact, I’m sure of it. Well, parks anyway, if nothing else. Luckily, you’re one of the few who can actually afford a garden in London.”

“What’s up?” Joe asks, walking over with his plate and a glass of orange juice.

“Talking about gardens,” Ben says.

“Mm, nice.” Joe sits down next to Rami, ducking his head to give him a quick kiss on the shoulder. “Our garden?”

Rami nods. “For Sami to play.”

Joe smiles, brushing his fingers over Sami’s head, watching him eat. “Sounds good to me.”

They eat breakfast and go for another walk around the village before heading back to the hotel to pack. There’s not a big rush today; Aber is only about a two hour drive from Llangennith, and their only plan back home is to pick up the girls from Brian’s.

They pack up the car, Ben and Joe in the front seat this time, and then they start off.

“This has been such a lovely holiday,” Rami says, looking out the window.

“And very productive,” Gwil says. “It’ll be nice to be home, though.

“It always is,” Ben says.

The drive is rarely quiet; between the four of them, someone is always talking, even though they might not all be in on the conversation. Sometimes it’s also just talking to Sami, trying to make him feel included.

After about an hour, as they start approaching Carmarthen, Joe takes out his phone and looks around. “Okay guys, what about lunch?”

Ben glances over at Joe. “What are our options?”

“Indian, Japanese, Italian, Chinese, traditional chippy…”

“Wow,” Rami says. “This town must be bigger than I thought. I was expecting a Gregg’s and that’s it.”

“You know, according to Arthurian legend—”

“Ben, where does all this information come from?” Joe asks. “What— what did you do as a child? Why didn’t you play Animal Crossing like everybody else?”

“What’s Animal Crossing?” Gwil and Rami ask in unison, and Ben shakes his head.

“Not important. Anyway, Joe, your argument is moot—”

“Don’t use your fancy legal terms with me.”

“Because I didn’t learn this until this year,” Ben says. “It was in my Rare Books Librarianship module. In the Black Book of Carmarthen—”

“Oh, that’s in the collection at the library,” Gwil says. “They were talking about updating the digital version to a higher photo quality.”

“Someone needs to let me the fuck out of this car,” Joe groans, wiggling the door handle.

“Ben, please tell me more about the Arthurian legend,” Rami says. “Sami wants to hear it too.”

“Merlin was born in a cave outside Carmarthen,” Ben says. “And the town’s Welsh name means Merlin’s fort. There’s a tree, called Merlin’s Oak, and legend said that if the tree were ever to fall, the town would fall with it. So when the tree died, it was dug up, and pieces of it are in the town’s museum. For protection.”

“That’s so interesting,” Rami says, and Joe narrows his eyes. “Habibi, did you hear that? Did you hear all the interesting things Uncle Ben has to tell you?” He tickles Sami’s belly, smiling. “What did you think? Say alf shukr.”

“Oh, also,” Joe says, “what did we decide on food? I wanna give Ben directions. Votes?”

“Japanese sounds good,” Gwil says.

Rami nods. “That’s my vote too.”

“They do have a crepe cake…” Joe looks over at Ben. “Oui ou non?”

“Oui, bonne idée.”

Joe googles the address, then groans.

“What’s wrong?” Ben asks.

“Is it closed?” Rami asks.

“No, it’s worse than that,” Joe says.

“God,” Gwil says. “Are they out of crepe cake?”

“The restaurant is across the street from Carmarthen Castle.”

“Well, it would be nice to stretch our legs,” Rami says, and Joe turns around in his seat to glare at him as Ben and Gwil laugh.

After they return the rental car, Gwil and Ben walk back to their building. After letting themselves in, they turn, and Gwil knocks on the door. After a few moments, it opens to Brian’s large smile. “Hello!”

“Hello!” Brian says warmly, holding his arms open for Gwil to hug him. “Welcome home.”

“Thank you.”

Brian smiles at Ben as well, stepping back. “Come in, come in. How did it go? It was the two on this trip, right?”

Ben nods as they walk into Brian’s flat. “It was. And…well, I think. As well as it could. I’d say I’m trying to not be too hopeful but I also think I just find that hard to begin with.”

“Oh, I’m sure it will be alright,” Brian says. “If not one of these, then you’ll get another interview soon. Did Rami and Joe go back to London?”

“No, they’re upstairs,” Gwil says. “Can’t get rid of them.” Ben snorts. “Would you come for supper tonight? Or tomorrow? They’re still here for a few days. Though tonight it will probably be takeaway, I must admit.”

“Oh please, I’ll let you all settle back in tonight,” Brian says. “Unpack and spend time with the girls. If you’d like, we could go out for lunch tomorrow?”

Gwil looks at Ben, who nods. “Brilliant,” Gwil says.

“The girls are in my room,” Brian says. “Come along.” They walk down the hall to Brian’s bedroom, and Gwil hurries in.

“Oh, hello!” He sits down on the bed, scratching Mustardseed, who was apparently asleep. As was Peaseblossom. “Hello, girls, yes, hello. Daddy and I are home, we’re home. Oh, you must miss us so much, we know.” He leans down, nuzzling his nose against theirs, smiling as they stretch out, slowly waking up.

“Thank you as always,” Ben says to Brian.

“It’s my pleasure,” Brian says. “I know we could just keep them upstairs and check on them, but I like having them around.”

“I’m sure they appreciate it too,” Ben says. He walks over, sitting down as well. “Hi girls,” he says softly. “Hello.” They snuggle and play with them for awhile longer before Gwil picks up Blossom and Ben picks up Mustard, and they thank Brian again before they head upstairs.

Sami’s doing tummy time on the living room floor, and he squeals in delight when he sees the girls walk towards him. He grunts as he wiggles, watching them with wide eyes.

Joe gently rubs Sami’s back, pointing at the cats. “Wow, Sami, you remember them, right? Yes, you do.”

Gwil drops down on the sofa with a heavy sigh. “Goodness, it’s nice to be back.” He wraps his arms around one of the cushions, and smiles. “Lunch tomorrow with Brian?” he asks.

“Ooh, yes please,” Rami says. “That sounds lovely. Any plans for tonight?”

“Takeaway,” Ben says.

“Fuck yes,” Joe says, and Gwil laughs.

“I’ll try not to be offended that you don’t like my cooking,” Gwil says, and Joe winks at him.

They have a quiet night, relaxing back in the flat watching TV. The next day, they meet Brian downstairs and walk to Medina, a Middle Eastern restaurant with some vegan options. Rami usually orders vegan along with Brian, and today, Ben orders it with them too. As they’re eating, Rami shows Brian the video of Sami trying sorbet, and Brian laughs at Sami’s non-reaction.

Joe waves some of his butternut squash in front of Sami’s face, but he doesn’t seem very interested in that either. “Guys, what if he has no taste? Like, literally. What if he only wants to live on formula forever?” Nobody says anything, so he continues. “Food is very important to me! It’s like a love language.”

“Oh my,” Brian says, and Ben snorts.

“Yeah, that sums it all up,” he says.

“Guys, this is serious!”

Rami and Joe are staying in Aber for a couple more days before they head back to London. They get Nelly to FaceTime so she can see Sami and they can see Augie. They walk along the water, go to the castle (of course, Joe grumbles), and walk with Ben to the university when he has to meet with his supervisor.

The day before they’re due to take the train back, they’re all sitting around the living room, half-paying attention to the television, but also playing on their mobiles and talking.

Suddenly Ben’s mobile starts to ring in his hand, and he jumps in surprise. Joe chuckles, and Ben takes a second to compose himself before he answers. “Hello?” he asks, pushing himself up.

The other three watch him for a second, but he just shrugs and waves them off, heading towards the staircase for some privacy and so they can keep talking.

“Anyway,” Joe says. He’s about to continue speaking, then he sighs, reaching out to dab the drool from Sami’s chin. “I gotta say, buddy, you keep me working.”

“Oh, let me see him,” Rami says, and Joe hands Sami over. “Habibi, where does it all come from? Let me check.” He slips his finger into Sami’s mouth, trying to feel for his teeth coming in.

“Careful,” Gwil says. “Easy way to lose a limb.”

“I think I’ll survive.” Rami takes his finger out, wiping it on Sami’s shirt. “You’ll be nice to Baba, won’t you, habibi? You wouldn’t eat my finger?” He gently bounces Sami up and down. “Oh yes, I love you. Such a sweet boy.”

Gwil pushes himself up to go get a drink, then settles back down on the sofa. He glances towards the staircase, then looks back at the TV.

“Okay,” Joe says, “so what is our big plan for dinner? Gwilliam, your thoughts?”

“Why do we need a big plan for dinner?”

“Because Rami and I are going home tomorrow,” Joe says. “And we deserve it.”

“Hmm, we’ll see.”

Rami laughs, rubbing Sami’s back. “What about for Sami?” he asks.

“Certainly, I’ll get a bottle of formula ready for him.” Gwil reaches over, gently brushing his knuckle over Sami’s cheek. “Absolutely. Because I’m a proper uncle.”

Rami laughs again, kissing Sami’s head over and over.

After a few more minutes, Ben walks back down the stairs, phone in his hand.

“Alright?” Gwil asks.

“Hmm? Oh, yes. It wasn’t anything important.” Ben walks to the kitchen to get a drink. He grabs a can of Coke Zero, and then walks back to the living room. He sits down, cracking his drink open. “Did I miss anything?” He takes a sip.

“Joe wants something posh for dinner tonight,” Gwil says.

“Oh, really?” Ben asks. “What are you making us then, Joe?”

“Ha ha.”

Ben chuckles, taking another drink. They sit for a bit longer, and Ben plays on his mobile, before he suddenly clicks his tongue. “Actually,” he says, “where’s my wallet?” He pushes himself up, walking over to the small shelf they have beside the door, where they keep their keys and things sometimes, if they ever remember. He grabs his wallet, taking out a twenty pound note. He folds it once and then walks back over, holding it out to Gwil.

“Uh, thank you?” Gwil asks, unsure as he reaches out to take it from Ben. “What’s this for then?”

“Our bet,” Ben says.

Gwil blinks a couple times. “Our bet?”

Ben nods. “I lost.”

Gwil slowly smiles in realization. “You lost?” he echoes.

“Lost what?” Joe asks.

“I did,” Ben says. “I lost. You won.” He bites on his lip, grinning happily.

Rami glances back and forth between them, and then he gasps loudly. “Oh my god, Ben. You didn’t! I— the phone call— you got a job?”

Ben nods eagerly, and the other three erupt into excitement, jumping up from their seats.

“Holy shit!” Joe exclaims, pulling Ben into a hug. “Ben, I— fuck me.”

“I— okay?” Ben asks, squeezing Joe tightly. “Sure, I guess! Why not!”

Gwil’s mouth falls open. “Uh— excuse me?” he asks, laughing.

Sami starts whining and fussing in Rami’s arms, and they all quiet down while Rami’s rubs his back. “Shh, shh, it’s okay, habibi.” Rami kisses Sami’s head and then leans in, kissing Ben’s cheek. “Ben, I— I don’t even know what to say. Congratulations. I— I’m so happy for you.” He bounces Sami up in his arms. “What about you, Sami? Do you want to say— oh, let me.” He wipes Sami’s mouth, then smiles at Ben again. “Ben, oh my god.”

“Love,” Gwil says, and he wraps his arms around Ben, pulling him in. They kiss, and then pull apart, Gwil beaming down at him. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Congratulations?” Ben offers, and Gwil nods eagerly.

“Yes, of course, bloody hell— congratulations,” Gwil says. He kisses him again, cupping Ben’s face in his hands, and Joe whistles. They pull back, and Ben hugs Joe and then Rami again. He takes Sami in his arms, smiling at him.

“What do you think, Sami?” Ben asks. “Your uncle got a job, a proper job.”

“So you said yes?” Gwil asks, and Ben nods.

“Yeah,” Ben says. “I did. I know I— god, I should have asked. Shit.” He blinks. “I’m— sorry. I’ve never been offered a job where I had to…check with someone before.”

“Love, it’s okay,” Gwil says. “Was it— well, no, it was one of the ones you’ve interviewed at, you weren’t just offered a random job in London like me?”

Ben chuckles. “No,” he says. “I— I interviewed.”

“Then I’m fine,” Gwil says. “Don’t worry. Love, I’m so happy.”

Ben smiles gratefully. “I have to— uh— an appointment. To go into the office later this week, to meet with them again. Sign the paperwork. But yes. They want me to work there. I got a job.” He grins, and tears well up in his eyes. “So.” He sniffles. “We can have your posh dinner tonight, Joe.”

“Hell yes we can,” Joe says. He lifts his hand to his mouth, staring at Ben in disbelief. “Fuck me, I…Benny.”

“I know,” Ben says softly. “Trust me, I know. I…” He smiles at Gwil, trying to blink his tears away.

Rami bounces up and down on his feet, clapping his hands excitedly. “Ben, this is such marvellous news! Oh my gosh. We’ll have to throw a party! With Nelly, and Felix, and Nigel, and— oh, tell Brian, go tell Brian!” He bounces some more.

“God, I— I’ll have tell everyone,” Ben says. “Ginnie! I mean, uh— my supervisor, shit, I should—”

“Where?” Joe asks.

Ben looks at him. “Hmm?”

Gwil looks at Joe, then back at Ben. “God, he’s right, love,” he says. “You know I’d be chuffed to move anywhere that you interviewed, I don’t care. But where are we going?”

“Oh my gosh, yes,” Rami says, looking at him. “We’re so foolish. Ben, where is it?”

Ben laughs excitedly at the same time his tears finally spill over, overcome with emotion. He sniffles, shifting Sami in his arms so he can wipe at his face, then he opens his mouth to speak.