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"We're here," Gav hollered, throwing his arms out and spinning in place. It earnt him sleepy glares from the Sunday morning mall crowd but then Gav would likely have drawn attention anyway: from the pink-dyed strip in his hair leftover from Pride to the outfit that danced on the line between socially acceptable and fetish wear.
Clive, who was wearing his habitual ‘what doesn't smell bad from the floordrobe,' just rolled his eyes and tugged his friend further in so they at least weren't blocking the doors. "I think you've hyped this trip up more than you should. All we need to do is get a couple of homeware knick-knacks then we can go."
Gav looped his arm through Clive's and set a pace towards a store that didn't look like it sold anything you'd put on display, even in the Hideaway. "Nothing says we can't mix business with pleasure."
Clive wriggled his arm loose and turned instead towards a store with duvet covers in the windows, "Business first."
Gav huffed and acquiesced, "You are so boring now you are a kept man."
"I've always been boring, "Clive disagreed.
Gav didn't disagree further with that. "So, what sort of thing are you looking for?"
Clive shrugged. This whole thing was Cid's idea. It had felt like the right time to start living together properly with the wedding on the horizon and it made sense for Clive to give up his apartment. The problem lay oddly enough in the fact that Clive was willing to give up more-or-less everything in the apartment. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the effort the Hideaway had put into decorating but even with the small changes he'd made there was nothing with the same emotional resonance as anything in the house Cid had spent years living with his daughter in.
That didn't work for Cid who wanted it to be their home and hence why Clive was spending a precious Sunday morning trying to find just one thing he could put up to appease Cid. He'd tried to argue that Torgal and all his stuff counted as his thing but Cid had rebuffed that he was already Torgal's co-dad. That lead to a playful argument and then a couple of hours of Torgal being shut out of the bedroom, much to his disgruntlement.
"Earth to Clive," Gav clicked his fingers in front of Clive's face.
Clive blinked back to the present and shrugged again. "I dunno. A picture or a throw, just a little thing that fits in Cid's house."
Gav's face took on that serious, thoughtful aspect and Clive braced himself. "Your house."
Clive rolled his eyes, "Come on, I haven't even moved in yet. Can't expect me to use the right pronouns.”
A very weighted hmm was Gav’s first response. "Okay, let's start off simple. Close your eyes."
"Gav, we're in the middle of a mall."
"Do it!"
Clive complied. "Now picture a typical day but you are living in the house with Cid now. What are you doing?"
"Studying, probably," Clive said. This trip at least he was free of the heavy satchel of books that was starting to make him a bit lopsided.
"Where are you studying?"
"At... " Clive paused. Cid's house didn't have a desk apart from the one in Mid's room. Cid tended to sit at the dining room or on the sofa when he was doing paperwork but Clive's back ached at the thought.
It wasn't as simple as just buying a desk as where would they put it? The bedroom would be weird, the living room tricky if Cid wanted to watch TV but he needed quiet. Upstairs was Cid's room, Mid's room, the guest room and a general junk and Cid's half-finished projects room. Nowhere seemed suitable.
"Gonna finish that sentence any time soon?"
Clive sighed, "A desk would be useful but there's no space to put it."
"You remember I've been to Cid's house, right? Man has so much junk everywhere that I'm sure he can clear some space for what his future husband needs." Gav pulled out his phone and fired off a text before Clive could stop him. "So desk, chair, bookshelves."
"Just a desk is enough."
The smack on the head didn't hurt. "We aren't living in the world of enough anymore, we are in whatever makes Clive happy land. "
Clive just shrugged. It was best to leave Gav to it sometimes. "Fine, desk and bookshelves."
The look of Gav's face was terrifying as he grabbed Clive's arm and hauled him out of the mall. "To Ikea!"
***
"I'm home. You in, Clive?" Cid's voice rung from downstairs and Clive flopped against the wall, too exhausted to answer.
"Upstairs, getting sweaty with your fiance." Gav called. Clive didn't even have the energy to glare.
They were in what was formerly Cid's junk room. It had been cleared down before they got home from Gav's epic adventure: the man was a menace but damn he was organised.
Clive looked around the fruits of their labour and fretted. What if it was too much? Gav had managed to talk him into a lot and Ikea was some weird mind-warping vortex where you ended up buying far more than was sensible
He heard the steady thump of Cid coming up the stairs, a soft exhale, probably as he spotted the graveyard of cardboard piled up outside and then the door creaked open.
Clive leered himself up to his feet, "If it's a big much, I can cut it back."
Cid's gaze flicked from taking in the room to Clive. He crossed the room and wrapped Clive up in his arms. "Idiot. This looks amazing but don't think you've got away with having stuff in other rooms too."
"Don't worry, there's other bags," Gav chimed in. He didn't bother getting up, just took a swig from his water bottle. Assembling and moving furniture and painting was a lot. The room was transformed. The old beige paint had been replaced with a soft, off-white and then a rich red on the wall Clive's desk rested.
Clive untangled himself from Cid and led him over to one of his favourite purchases: a comfy armchair recliner.
"Nice reading chair," Cid commented.
Clive scuffed his foot on his new crimson rug, "I thought... sometimes if you wanted to chill in here while I'm studying then you need a comfy space."
The resulting hug squeezed all air out of his lungs.
"And that's my cue to leave," Gav called, already halfway out the door. "You owe me dinner.”
Clive owed him more than that but his attention was on Cid now. "It's not too much?"
His answer was a kiss, soft and cherishing as Clive melted against his partner. "Never. How about you show me the other things to decorate our home."
Clive paused, resting his face in the crook of Cid's neck and just breathing in the scent there. "I did thing about what you said, about making this place a home."
"And?" Cid's hand rubbed up and down his back.
"I got some things, things I like and I know they'll help but... all I really need is you." Clive tugged them close enough together that nothing could pass between him. "Just you and I'm home. "
Cid's chest hitched against his and his lips were a little wet when they found Clive's for a long, smouldering kiss. "Welcome home. Love you so much. Can't wait until our wedding day." Mischievous lips twitched against his, "Meanwhile how about we christen the new room?"