Chapter Text
Est was contemplating murdering his flatmate.
Not seriously, just casually. It had just been one of those evenings where murder sounded like a good idea.
There had been loud music in a language he didn’t know for three hours earlier, which was followed by a suspicious silence. Then what sounded like furniture being dragged across the floor before the music turned up again, this time accompanied by the smell of burnt fish.
Est briefly considered investigating but decided the murder probability would drastically increase if he did so he stayed in his room till there was a knock on the door. Est hoped it wasn’t a neighbour coming to complain.
He opened the door to William, leaning on the door with the look of a man who had seen things. William, who dropped his head on Est’s shoulders with a dramatic sigh and said, “Help me Est.”
Est froze and pushed William away from him to scan him for any injuries. “What happened? Are you hurt?” He couldn’t see anything wrong. “Did something happen at rehearsal?”
William sighed again even more dramatically and shuffled past him without a word. He collapsed on Est’s couch and buried his face into the pillow.
“William?”
A muffled groan came from the pillow.
“Eight.”
Est blinked confused. “Eight what?”
William lifted his head and looked at Est, “I’ve now seen eight houses. Eight houses!”
Est felt the fear drain, William was just being his usually dramatic self. He closed the door and stepped into the kitchen. He needed something strong to deal with this conversation after the day he’d had.
Behind him, William rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling miserably.
“You know what the first one had?”
“No but I’m sure you’re going to tell me about it,” Est said, trying to find the bottle of wine William liked.
“Carpet.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“In the bathroom.”
Est paused and turned his head. “That sounds unhygienic.”
“That’s what I said.” William said getting up agitated. “The real estate agent said it made cleanup easy.”
Est shuddered and opened the cupboard to find glasses.
“The second one was described as cozy.”
Est laughed as he poured the wine, already knowing where this was going.
“It only had space for a single bed! Not even a bathroom. I’m still not convinced it wasn’t meant to be a janitor's closet for the building.”
Est was about to respond when they heard the hallway door creak open. The acrid smell of burnt food wafted through the apartment.
Est’s flatmate shuffled out in a bathrobe looking like he hasn’t slept in three days. He walked straight past them and to the hall closet.
William watched silently as he pulled out a rope and some coloured chalk.
The flatmate went back into his room and the music started again.
William opened his mouth, closed it and opened it again.
“Why does your apartment smell like burnt fish?”
“I don’t know and I don’t think I want to know.”
“I’m concerned.”
“You should be. You stay over every other day.”
Est grabbed a bowl and started gathering supplies to make popcorn.
“The third house was perfect.”
Est leaned against the counter waiting for the popcorn to pop.
“And?”
“The agent asked what I did for a living.”
Est winced.
“And said the landlord would prefer a professional who wouldn’t bang on the drums at 10pm.”
“You’re a vocalist for your band, not a drummer.” Est said pointedly.
“I told him that, but it didn’t seem to make any difference. Why did Tui have to get married and move out? I’m going to be homeless.” William placed the pillow over his face and screamed into it as Est placed the popcorn on the coffee table and went back for the wine.
The door to the hall opened again and his roommate walked out with hair that looked like it had somehow been electrocuted in the past two minutes.
Est stared at him.
The roommate stared back.
Then he walked to the closet again and grabbed a cage. Est was fairly certain he had never seen it before.
As Est wondered if he should intervene, his roommate walked to the fridge and grabbed the salt shaker and an apple and walked back to his room, slamming the door behind him.
“Est.” William said softly behind him, as Est looked at the ceiling and prayed for patience.
“Yes.”
“I think your roommate is trying to summon something.”
Est pinched his nose in frustration before grabbing the wine glasses and pouring them out.
“Yes, it does look like that.”
“Your living situation concerns me.”
Est just shook his head and grabbed the whiskey instead.
William didn’t leave. He stayed and spent the next two hours telling Eat all about the houses he’d seen, before Est finally convinced him to watch the movie they’d been talking about.
At some point between the second glass of whiskey and the cheap Chinese takeaway they ordered, William migrated from the couch to Est’s bed.
Est found him there once he had finished cleaning up the kitchen, sprawled on the bed, taking up all the space, dressed in one of Est’s pajamas.
“You’re taking up the entire bed again,” Est said from the doorway.
William opened one eye blearily, and shifted over about two inches. “There, better?”
Est shook his head and sat on the edge of the bed. He carded his hands through William’s hair.
William sighed deeply, “I’m happy Tui is getting married.”
“I know.”
“But eight houses. Eight! That does things to a man Est.”
Est huffed a laugh before nudging William over. He got into bed and turned off the lights. William waited till Est settled in before he put his leg on top of Est’s.
For a few minutes neither of them said anything.
The music in the other room started again, before something metallic clanged.
“You could stay here,” Est said, ignoring the sounds of the other room.
There was a pause.
“I already do.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Est said, staring at the ceiling.
“What did you mean then?” Est could feel William looking at him.
Est shrugged still looking up, “Just, you know, move in?”
William sat up and turned on the lights. He turned onto his side, leaning his head on his hands, looking down at Est. From the other room something thudded loudly. Both of them ignored it.
“You want me to move in?”
Est closed his eyes. “Just until you find something. You’re already here most of the time anyway.”
There was a longer pause this time, as William studied him, something softer slipping into his expression.
“Or,” he said slowly, watching Est’s reaction carefully, “We could find something… together?”
Est watched William’s mouth move but the words didnt really register at first. Then he sat up.
“A place? For both of us?”
“That’s generally how together works, yes.” William went on before Est could say anything.
“Look, your roommate is either a shaman summoning a demon or an arsonist bent on setting the place on fire. Neither option is good for you.”
“He’s not that bad,” Est said just as something in the other room crashed loudly, followed by a scream that was suddenly cut off. William raised an eyebrow at him.
Est fell back on the bed and watched the blades of the fan turn.
“You’d take up all the space.”
“I already do.”
“You hate sharing bathrooms.”
“Only because you fart in the mornings.”
William rolled away from the kick he saw coming.
“A place together.” Est said, mulling the words in his head. The idea settled in his chest, leaving him warm and oddly satisfied. He refused to examine why.
“Just think about it will you?” William said, relaxing now that Est hadn’t immediately shot it down. He turned off the lights and settled back into bed.
There was another long pause.
“This is just because you need a place.” Est turned to look at William, who was drifting off into sleep.
“Mmmm.”
“And because my roommate may have summoned something.”
“Mmmm.”
“So it’s only practical.” Est said, voice louder than before in the quiet dark.
“Shhh,” William said, pulling Est closer, “Don’t want to attract the demon your roommate has no doubt summoned.”
Est curled up in his arms like he had a hundred times before. William was warm and solid, his hold comforting. Est relaxed, the tension of the day draining away as his breathing evened out.
He always slept better in William’s arms.