Chapter Text
There were plenty of things in the universe that could be explained through logic: the rotation of the planets, gravity, meteors, thunderstorms. Even traffic jams had a scientific explanation somewhere.
That was why Anthony Crowley had became an astrophysics professor. He liked asking questions and finding answers, he liked theories and calculations. He liked the universe, so infinite and scary but also so endlessly fascinating.
However, there was one thing he had never been able to explain, not even after twenty years of trying.
Asa.
His husband, his best friend, the person who knew him better than anyone else ever had. Asa appeared into Anthony's life one day and then never left and Anthony had still so many questions about it. So many events, coincidences, situations that led to them being together had no answers or a logical explanation and that made Anthony crazy. What he did know, though, was how long he had spent hoping to meet him before he even knew him.
“How did I get this lucky?” Anthony wondered, stretched out on the sofa, while Jim — their orange cat — purred heavily against his legs and his beloved husband sat nearby, quietly knitting what was seemingly a pair of socks.
Asa noticed Anthony’s gaze on him and looked up from his knitting, brow furrowing slightly. “What?” he asked, confused. Anthony thought he looked adorable.
“Nothing. I was just admiring what you were making. Are those socks?”
Asa’s expression shifted immediately, a pleased smile spreading across his face. “Oh, yes. What do you think?” he asked, holding up a nearly finished black-and-yellow striped sock.
“Very nice,” Anthony said. Then he tilted his head slightly. “But I don’t get it — black and yellow? You never wear black.”
“I don't,” Asa replied softly. “But you do.”
Anthony's heart melted.
Even after all those years, he still hadn’t gotten used to being loved so gently by another human being.
“You’re knitting me socks?” he asked, unable to hide the softness in his voice.
“Of course,” Asa replied. “It’s been quite a harsh winter, and I want my beloved husband to stay as warm as possible.”
He said it casually, as though he hadn’t just uttered the most devastatingly tender thing Anthony had ever heard. He got up from the sofa, despite Jim’s loud protests, and crossed the room to Asa. He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.
“Thank you for keeping me warm,” he whispered.
"My pleasure", Asa whispered back.
"I'm going to bed, join me soon?", Anthony asked.
"Yes, just finishing this and I'll be there", Asa replied.
Anthony smiled and headed upstairs thinking about how he hadn't slept alone in two decades. If only he could tell his twenty-years-younger self that this would be his life...