Work Text:
Becker frowned as he pushed open the door to his flat, pulling the key back out of the lock. He was sure he’d locked the door when he left this morning. Or maybe he’d forgotten; it wouldn’t be the first time, he thought, picking up the handful of letters and junk mail that had landed on the doormat.
He was just about to flick the light switch when he heard it. A faint rustling sound, coming from the direction of his bedroom at the end of the hall. Instincts on high alert, Becker eased his bag to the floor before walking softly along the corridor, being careful to avoid the creaky floorboard so as not to alert the intruder to his presence.
Reaching his bedroom, his hand on the door handle, Becker counted silently to three before bursting through it, shouting,
“Don’t move!”
There was some more rustling before he heard a sleepy, mumbled, “Wasn’t planning on it. ‘m comfy.”
Becker sighed and turned on the light, smiling at the sight of Ethan sprawled in his bed, duvet pulled up to his chin, and his face buried in the pillow. As the light came on, Ethan groaned and dragged the covers over his head.
“You know, you could just tell me when you’re going to be here rather than breaking in…”
The covers were pushed down and Ethan smirked up at him. “Where’s the fun in that?”
“At least lock the door again when you come to bed,” Becker told him, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. “How long have you been here?”
“Few hours. We didn’t get back to the ARC until mid-afternoon; as we’d been out since last night, Lester sent us home to get some sleep.”
Which explained why Becker hadn’t seen Ethan or Danny all day. They’d gone out to an anomaly the previous evening, and it had obviously taken much longer than expected.
Ethan had been assisting the team for almost two years now, ever since he’d followed Danny back through the anomaly. It hadn’t been smooth sailing – Ethan really hated being told what to do or having to follow rules, but his knowledge of the anomalies was invaluable, even Lester had agreed with that. He and Becker had worked out their differences one night after a particularly stressful day, a few too many beers at the pub leading to firstly arguments and then realising that they actually had things in common. Those evenings in the pub with the team had later progressed into drinks alone, dinner, slowly evolving into the relationship they’d had for the past year.
“Well, now I know I’m not being burgled, I’m going to make some dinner. You hungry?” Becker offered.
Ethan nodded, pulling the fleece jacket that Becker offered over the tracksuit bottoms and t-shirt he was wearing, also borrowed from Becker’s closet. He followed Becker toward the kitchen, yawning as he sank into one of the kitchen chairs.
Becker smiled as he made up a quick meal for them both, having to shake Ethan awake again to eat it. He liked having the other man here, liked coming home to someone, even if Ethan insisted on giving him a heart attack each time by breaking in. Maybe it was time to discuss something a little more permanent…
~ ~ ~ ~
End
.