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John was humming. This in and of itself was not unusual. It was, however, unusual for that humming to be accompanied by low key dancing. It was actually rather endearing, Alex thought to himself, watching the man over the top of his glasses, a small smile twisting up his lips.
The man in question was standing in the kitchen, back to Alex, stirring a large pot on the stove. Curly hair was pulled back in a low tail, some strands falling around his face, which he occasionally reaching up to brush the hair out of his face. Jeans were hanging low on swaying hips, long legs encased in denim. Strong arms were on show by the tight tank he was wearing, the teasing of dark ink peeking out from under the light green shirt. Tan skin of his biceps was covered in dark ink, various designs and words and pictures telling the story of John’s life.
Alex smiled more as he watched his lover in the kitchen, finding more interest in watching the lowkey sway of hips than the work on his computer screen. The carefree nature that surrounded the man was something Alex had not seen in many years. Stress of life had weighed them both down. There were moments where they could be carefree, however those had become few and far between.
Now, watching the other man hum and sway to a beat only he could hear, Alex couldn’t help but feel his heart lighten. The words on the laptop screen were abandoned in favor of watching John move about the kitchen. The other man had aged well, the only sign of his years the laugh lines around his eyes, the weight of wisdom in his dark eyes, and the occasional strand of grey he found in his hair that caused a mild panic every time it happened.
“Frances should be here soon,” John’s voice broke his thoughts.
He gave a hmm back in reply. It would be the first time in a long time since he had seen his adopted daughter. The young woman had moved out of the district for college and she rarely had time to visit now, but she was in town for a conference for work and he knew that both Phil and John were excited to see her.
“It’ll be good to see her,” John spoke again, tapping the spoon on the side of the pot before setting it on the counter. He turned to look at Alex and Alex couldn’t help the warmth that spread through him as he met his lover’s eyes.
“It will,” he replied, reaching out to close the lid of the laptop, sliding his glasses off his face, setting them on the table. He had sat down at the kitchen table to keep John company while the other man cooked, but he was afraid he had done little of that before John had started humming.
John gave him an appraising look, smiling at him, crossing strong arms over his chest, leaning casually against the counter. There was a casual grace to his movements that had only grown with age. Everyday he only grew more beautiful to Alex. He had been struck the first time he had seen John, the young resident a commanding presence in the ER, tone firm and sure as he gave direction. If Alex hadn’t just been nearly killed by a wayward car whose driver had no respect for bikes, he would have asked for his number then and there.
It had been a long time since that morning when he had been struck breathless by curly hair, freckles, and deep fathomless dark eyes that held something more than intelligence. So much had changed since then, since he had fallen in love with a single, young, hot, doctor with a 5 year old. But his depth of affection and love for the other man had only grown.
He must have been staring, lost in thought, because John cocked an eyebrow at him, smile turning inquiring, “Something on your mind?”
Alex shook his head, pushing himself away from the table so he could stand. John’s arms drop to his sides as Alex crowded him against the counter, arms bracketed on either side of the slightly taller man. Head tilted up slightly looking into his lover’s eyes, Alex couldn’t help but smile, eyes dancing over the slight flush that graced freckled cheeks. “I haven’t told you that I love you today,” Alex murmured before pushing himself up on his toes to kiss his lover.
The kiss was soft and sweet, John’s hands not straying any further than to rest on Alex’s hips. There was nothing sexual about this kiss, it was all soft lips and little sighs of happiness and nose bumps and barely breathed laughter. Alex pulled away first, pressing a kiss to the tips of John’s nose, freckles highlighted by the furious flush covered his skin.
Surgeon’s fingers carded through Alex’s loose hair, brushing it out of his face and Alex sighed in contentment. John answered his sigh with one of his own as he dropped a kiss to the top of Alex’s head, before tugging slightly on the ends of loose locks, “The sauce will burn, babe,” John muttered, reluctantly twisting away from Alex to stir the spaghetti sauce on the stove.
Alex resisted the temptation to pout, knowing it would just get him an eye roll in response. Instead he pressed himself tight to John’s strong back, nipping lightly at the expanse of exposed skin of his neck, tongue tracing over the hint of ink that was exposed. John shivered slightly in his arms but he got no other reaction. Glancing at the clock, quickly deciding he had more than enough time to tease a little, he let his hands wander.
John hitched a breath, spoon banging a little too hard on the side of the pot, and Alex smiled to himself, clever fingers dancing under the tight tank. His other hand stroked down over strong denim clad thigh.
John breathed heavily through his nose, body tense under Alex’s hands, “Alex,” he whispered, voice rough. Alex hummed in response, nipping at John’s neck again.
“Alexander,” John’s voice was wrecked but insistent.
Alex stepped back from John, pulling hands away, moving far enough away that they were no longer touching. His smile was wicked when John turned to face him, eyes wide, face flushed. “Yes, dear?” He replied coyly, chuckling at John’s glare.
John stepped towards him, something heavy flashing in his eyes, strong arms pulling Alex towards him. Their lips were almost touching when a shout of “Dad?” floated down from upstairs, followed by heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. John gave Alex a look full of promises for later, as he stepped away, and Alex chuckled again, watching the other man mentally smooth his ruffled feathers.
“Yes, Phil?” He called back, voice not as wrecked as it had been a few moments ago.
Philip stuck his curly head through the open kitchen door, frowning at his fathers, Pops settling in his chair at the kitchen table, face smug as he perched his glasses on his nose, his Dad standing at the stove with his back to him. “Uh, have you seen my Columbia sweatshirt? I swear I put it in the hamper and now I can’t find it,” he asked, pulling a face.
Alex chuckled slightly, “You’re going to wear that thing out if you keep wearing it.”
John turned to cast a gently scolding look at Alex, before looking at Phil, “Did you check the dryer?”
There was a single shake of his head before Phil bounced out of the kitchen much to his fathers’s amusement, two pairs of dark eyes watching the young man retreat. The sounds of the dryer door opening was followed by a shout of “Found it!” and both Alex and John laughed as footsteps retreated back up the stairs.
The two men traded looks, matching smiles on their faces, before John turned back to the stove and Alex reopened the laptop on the kitchen table. They worked in silence for a moment, Alex’s back to his dense legislation, John keeping a critical eye on his homemade spaghetti sauce. Alex couldn’t help the smile that turned up his lips when a soft humming filled the kitchen, glancing up once more to watch the other man over the tops of his glasses.
The humming turned into a small exclamation of happiness when the doorbell rang, followed by quick steps down the stairs and a shout of “I’ll get it!”, and then a small shriek of surprise that must have come from Frances. Excited voices filled the home as Phil practically dragged his sister into the kitchen.
Alex took a moment to watch as his husband embraced his daughter, smiling and laughing, Phil talking excitedly about something, the Columbia sweatshirt worn proudly. A sense of warmth went through Alex as he watched his small family. It was good to have them all back under one roof once more, even if it was only for the evening. It had been so long since the four of them had been together, he had missed this more than he realized. The sound of Frances greeting him with a teasing quip about how he was always working jerked him from his thoughts. He closed the laptop and smiled at the young woman, letting himself be swept into the conversation and away from his thoughts and his work.