Work Text:
It starts with the top drawer of Tobin’s dresser in her bedroom. Alex wakes up one morning and can’t find the shirt she hastily threw off last night anywhere near her. She knows Tobin keeps all her t-shirts in the top drawer, so that’s where she goes. It’s not uncommon for either of them to steal each other’s shirts after 8 months of dating and constant sleepovers, but when she opens the drawer she’s met with a pile of her own t-shirts instead of a drawer stuffed with Tobin’s various Nike and US soccer t-shirts. Alex just figures this is Tobin’s way of returning all of Alex’s shirt she’s stolen during the course of their relationship.
Alex rationalizes that Tobin’s always been a bit unconventional in doing things (Tobin taped a note to a skateboard and rolled it towards Alex’s feet while Alex was at work to ask her out on a date after all).
She doesn’t realize that Tobin’s intentions may be different until two weeks later, when Alex is running late for work and she can’t find the blue button up she knows she left at Tobin’s house last weekend.
Tobin’s about to step into the shower when she hears Alex yell from her (practically their, but Tobin’s too chicken to say anything) bedroom “Tobin! Have you seen my blue button up anywhere?”
Tobin steps out of the bathroom to peek her head in the bedroom and calmly says “It should be in your drawer. I did laundry last week.” If Alex noticed her use of pronoun, her expression doesn't give anything away. Slightly disappointed, Tobin walks back to the bathroom to shower.
She misses the way Alex pauses after she leaves and quietly say out loud “My own drawer. I like the sound of that.”.
Alex brushes away the thought of wanting more things that belong to her in Tobin’s apartment, or the thought of sharing everything in this apartment with Tobin. Tobin and her are in no way ready for that commitment (a small part of Alex thinks she’s completely wrong).
———
Alex doesn’t think about moving in with Tobin until a month after the blue button up incident, when she wakes up early because her shift today starts at 7am. When she groggily walks into the bathroom and goes to brush her teeth, she realizes she forgot her toothbrush at home (she's too cheap to buy one specifically for Tobin’s house, electric toothbrushes were way too expensive). That’s when she sees it, a brand new electric toothbrush placed right next to Tobin’s Colgate travel toothbrush (they were way cheaper and worked just the same, Tobin reasoned with her one night), a sticky note with “Alex” written on it in Tobin’s barely legible scrawl attached to the toothbrush.
Alex feels like having her heart swell and grinning so wide over a toothbrush is absolutely ridiculous, but she can’t help it. She decides not to confront Tobin because she doesn’t want to misinterpret the situation, maybe Tobin was just trying to be nice (again, completely wrong, Alex thinks)
Who knew a toothbrush could symbolize so much.
———
Tobin’s frustrated to say the least. It’s been a week since she gifted Alex that unreasonably expensive toothbrush, and all she got in return was a thanks. She had hoped that Alex would catch on to what Tobin was trying to do (slowly move all of Alex’s possessions into her apartment), but so far, nothing. She vents her frustrations to her co-worker/co-owner of their skateboard shop/good friend Kelley as they’re doing inventory one day.
Kelley, ever the wiseman, simply says “Why don’t you just ask her? I’m sure she won’t say no.”
“But what if she says no? Then things will be awkward, and she may feel awkward about sleeping over and never do it again. So many things could go wrong Kelley, I’m not about to mess up what we have in order to possibly get what I want.”
“You could always just give her a key. Nothing says “please move in with me” like giving your girl a key.”
“That’s brilliant Kelley! When’d you get so smart?”
“It’s called a Stanford education, you should try it sometime.”
After work, Tobin gets a copy of her house key cut and calls Alex over for dinner at her place. Tobin wonders why the key in her pocket feels so heavy all of a sudden.
Alex calls it an early night after dinner, complaining that her boss is overworking her and “why the fuck won’t he hire more employees”. And wow, Tobin had one job and she couldn’t even do it. Tobin goes to clean up their dishes when she spots it, Alex’s Cal keychain (Tobin refrains from rolling her eyes). She writes “Tobin’s House” on a small piece of paper and tapes it onto the top of the key, then attaches the key to the keychain, constantly peering over her shoulder in case Alex walks out of the bedroom. Once the key is securely on the keychain, she watches the news before joining Alex in bed. She prays her plan works this time.
———
The next day, Alex decides to visit Tobin after work, only she's not sure if Tobin has to stay late at the shop tonight. She’s standing outside Tobin’s door about to call her when she sees a flash of white on her keychain and she’s pretty sure she has only three keys, not four. Upon further inspection, she’s shocked, to say the least. She’s glad that no one else is in the hallway to see her fist pump.
She lets herself in with her own key (and damn, that feels great to say), but decides not to say anything to Tobin. It’s only a matter of time now.
———
Alex has to wait another two months before Tobin says something, well, kind of.
Tobin’s left for work and Alex has the day off, so she decides to stay in Tobin’s apartment all day. When she finally gets out of bed and goes to brush her teeth, she sees a folded up piece of paper with “Alex” written on it in the trashcan. Besides some old Q-tips it’s the only thing in the trash. A part of her is extremely curious to read the note, but another part of her reasons that if it’s in the trash, Tobin wouldn’t want her to read it. Alex convinces herself that maybe Tobin knocked it over the counter and into the trashcan while she was brushing her teeth, it’s a weak explanation, but she fishes the paper out of the trashcan and starts reading.
Hey Alex, (or should I say dear?)
It’s Tobin, if you couldn’t tell. I have a proposal for you. Wait. No. That came out wrong, not that I don’t want to propose, because I do, but I mean we’ve only been dating for about a year. One day though (hopefully!). Anyways I’d wanted to ask if you wanted to move in with me. I’ve been trying to drop hints (the drawer, toothbrush, key) but you haven’t said anything yet so Kelley told me to grow some (metaphorical) balls and ask you myself. It’s totally cool if you don’t want to, but you already spend a majority of your time at my apartment so I figured why not? So, Alex Morgan, want to live together?
[ ] Yes [ ] No [ ] I have to think about it
Yours,
Tobin
When Tobin comes home that night, she’s met with a paper airplane flying into her face. She sees the word “Alex” on one of the wings and immediately panics, she slowly unfolds the airplane and when she sees the box Alex checked off, well, she thanks God that one of her plans finally worked.
She spots Alex on the couch, casually flipping through channels and all she can say is “Seriously? You want to move in?”
Alex turns to her with a look of slight disbelief and responds with “Of course. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”