Closed Small Spaces

[Casper Kinnek]

Casper had been busy for nearly two weeks now- working on a massive comission. It was a set of twelve paintings, and he'd been lost in his usual haze- not really sure if he was eating/drinking, but somehow having glimpses of Linden dragging him away to bed and for meals. Unfortunately though, Casper ran out of a few colors. And being home alone at the time, he had no choice but to hit the craft store. Somehow that turned into a bigger task than he'd expected, as well. He'd been snagged by the tantalizing smells of a food place on the way, then there'd been a huge sale and he'd more than just grabbed what he'd needed, he'd restocked on a lot of things, ending up with two full bags of paint supplies that he'd carefully gone over and picked out for not only this project but several others in the back of his mind.

Several hours after leaving, Casper returned, sipping on a drink he'd brought home with him with his things in hand, and had to stop in the door of his studio. His stomach twisted, and his heart sank into the depths of his toes. He thought he might throw up. Color drained from his face. "What in the...?" He turned to set the bags down quickly before he could drop them, tears in his eyes.

 

[Linden Kinnek]

It was not unknown for linden to bring his work home, quite literally at times. as the sanctuaries main bird specialist it was not unknown for him to bring some baby birds that needed feeding every couple of hours and keep them in a box in the bedroom for a couple of days, getting up all night to give them the milk they needed.
It was a good job that lin was good at remembering to feed and care for things as the last few weeks casper had been deep in a project, and in true casper style he was fairly sure his husband would not have moved from the canvas to eat or sleep if he hadnt been the one to place the food in front of him or practically drag him up to the bedroom using kisses as a bribe.
he loved his husband so much and he loved how intently he could focus on his work. some evenings he would just sit on the sofa with Lapis curled up on his lap and just watch cas work and the worlds come to light under his amazing hands.
he had got home from work today with a surprise in tow. heh ad applied for the sanctuary to join a breaking program for a hoo hoo. and they had expected the baby bird to arrive in a couple of weeks. however there had been an issue with the mother sitting on the clutch and they had instead received an egg a week ago which had been sitting in their incubator with alarm spells on it waiting to hatch. the alarm had awaken him in the early hours of the morning and he had rushed to get ready to work. stopping as he got up and again before he left to kiss cas lightly on the cheek "Love you have a good day" he whispered before leaving the door.

It had been a busy day and he had been watching and regularly feeding the bird every half hour between doing his usual jobs. but he had managed to get everything done. with only a little overtime. He had brought the bird home with him so that he could monitor it throughout the night. he entered the small flat they had expecting to see cas there once again set up behind the easel, "Hello Buttercup, I'm home. and I have a suprise" her said. however he was surprised to see an empty apartment.
he set the box down and gave the bird its feed before heading out to the shops to get some stuff to make dinner because he was fairly sure he would be cooking tonight. he got back a bag of groceries in hand. inspired by the bird he was planning to make a ramen. he put them down in the kitchen before heading back to the sitting room for the next feed. hoewever he realised the box lid was slightly open and the bird was nowhere to be seen. "Oh drums" he muttered looking around the room to find it. he couldnt see it. he looked further and found it perched atop one of Caspers paintings "however did you get there. lets get you back into your box, and maybe get you some dinner" he said moving slowly towards the bird trying not to startle it. unfortunately he managed to knock something over and before he could stop to there was water all over the side table dropping onto the floor, and more importantly the bird had seemed to have also jumped and he saw almost in slow motion the bird raise its tail and a spread down the page. "oh poop" he said trying to grab the bird as he flew off. he looked between the two unsure what to deal with first the rogue hoohoo or the stained paining. before he decided to go oafterthe bird who had decided to land on the pendant light hanging above him out of reach. "thank you" he said sarcastically as he went to find the ladder.
he was just on the top reaching out for the bird when the door opened to show cas laden down with painting supplies and the bird in shock let out another set of business Thi one landing on a different painting. Casper, I'm sorry, I can..." he started racing out to the bird but it had gone. He saw the look on his husbands face, an experession of heartbreak and betrayal he didnt think he had seen since they were at school, the time when he had told the girls who had run into them that they weren't dating, When he had asked cas to be his secret boyfriend, when he had gone to the ball with Finn, when he had dismissed the red rose. "oh, buttercup, I am so so sorry" he said walking over to his husband arms outstretched for a hug but stopping before he made contact knowing that as physical as cas was most of the time, sometimes when he was upset he didnt want be touched.

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Casper set the supplies down, barely hearing anything. He was taking deep breaths, trying not to spiral. He shifted, moving almost on autopilot as he stepped past Linden. He could hear a hollow ringing in his ears. His canvases that were on eisels still, half of them were now dripping in bird droppings. He summoned a rag and tried to dab it away, but it had seeped into the paint, smearing his work, and Casper didn't know any spell to fix it. Shaky, he stepped back, running a hand through his hair, when he saw the water on the floor, directly dripping over the stacked paintings he'd already finished. The ones leaning against the the table.

Casper went from frozen to sprinting over, cursing, shaking as he started to pull apart his canvases. The water mess was a bit more minimal on the end ones- four of them (two in front and two in the back) were only slightly damp, and he was able to fix them quickly, setting them aside with a slight sense of relief. One that was chocked out as the six middle pieces- including the painting he'd spent the most time on, the most complex, one he'd considered to be one of his best pieces, had taken so much more damage, colors bleeding and swirling together in a mess of ruined paints and damaged canvas.

Casper sat there a moment, stunned, slow realization donning over him that he'd lost nearly two weeks of work. Four of the twelve was all that he could salvage, but without the center pieces... he'd lost his main piece, lost the intricate details that made the paintings fit, match together, made them all unique but tied together.

He'd have to start over. Cas couldn't help it, and burst out into tears on the spot, gasping for breath. "Gone, all gone," He whimpered, knowing that no spell could set this straight, could fix this disaster.

 

[Linden Kinnek]

Linden could see the tension in his husband. the panic on his face that signaled he was about to implode. and right now he was pretty sure that nothing he did or said would help. he could just apologise and hope for the best.
"I'm so sorry buttercup. i was out ten minutes to get some food. and i don't know how he got out" he said. he saw cas start dabbing at the water with an old cloth that he was fairly sure was one of their old house t-shirts that he couldn't even remember whos it had been initially. he reached for his wand and cast a small drought charm going that it would dry it up. and not cause any further damage. he then went over to his man who looked like he was on the edge ot tears. he put his arm around his shoulder though he half expected cas to pull away. I'm sure its not as bad as it looks" he said hoping he was right. "Lets get everything cleaned and dried and then reassess" he said. fairly sure that what he said wasn't going to go down well but also fuarly sure that he didn't know what else to say.

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Cas tensed when he felt Lindens arm, but didn't pull away at first. He tried to breath, knowing he was panicking. He took a deep breath, but his heartrate wasn't slowing. But Linden didn't stop talking, and Casper couldn't help the way he lashed out. "Not as bad?" He squeaked, jumping up to his feet, eyes wide as he started rushing around the room, summoning his bag and starting to stuff all of his painting supplies he'd need for the project into it. "Linden, this isn't just one painting in a set, the entire set is one big painting." Tears were soaking his cheeks as he tried to think and pack at the same time. "The details- the picture- it took me days to sketch out the canvases, to build it all together flawlessly. It took me two weeks, I only have one more..." He was also hyperventilating a bit, shaking. He was cursing, stammering, unsure of how he was supposed to make this work.

 

[Linden Kinnek]

Linden held his husband close his thumb gently massaging his shoulder in the hopes that this would calm him down. It wasnt much but usually it did help. this time it seemed he would not be so lucky. he had over spoken and spoiled the chance he had. "Yes Casper. not as bad as it seems" he echoed softly though this was the wrong thing to say and soon cas was up and shoving things haphazardly into a bag that he hadnt even noticed was there before. he could see casper was hurting, stressed, and probably tired and hungry which combined and not necessarily seeing things clearly. as cas explained the picture he nodded. he knew that they went together. and how Lon they had taken him. he had seen the sketches, been shown them played out together as a concept. and watched the progression as they came to life. he had also gently prompting cas to eat and sleep as they did so. "I know dear, but I dont think you have to start from scratch. a little bit of a touch up here and there and they will be as as right as rain" he said realising too late that likening water damaged art to rain may not be the smartest move he had had.
he reached out and held cas. he hated seeing cas spiral, he hadnt seen a full on panic in ages. and seeing cas hurting tore his own heart out and he could feel tears beginning to prickle behind his yes too, he blinked them back, it wasnt his time to cry. it was his fault, he had to be there for cas. "I'm so sorry love. what can I do to help you?" he said looking up and trying to wipe Caspers tears away with the cuff of his shirt

 

[Casper Kinnek]

-godmods approved-

Casper was too far gone, lost in his panic. He threw all his art supplies in his bag. He was stopped momentarily by Linden holding him. For a brief second his shoulders relaxed but it didn't last- he pulled away even as Linden tried to wipe away the tears, and without another word he stacked his paintings, shrunk them into his bag, and apparated out of the flat. Cas hated apparition, he rarely ever took himself anywhere if he could avoid it at all.

He went to his mothers house, full on sobbing at that point. She caught him up in a hug as he collapsed, listening to him, getting him a cup of cocoa and helping him to spread out his canvases in her own studio. Cas was lost in his own world, wrapped in a bubble with his mother as they worked together to repair and repaint and restructure the damaged works.

It was a full week with little sleep and whatever food his mom managed to sneak him when he was paying attention. But with her help, he managed to finish on his deadline and get the canvases delivered with an hour to spare. Exhausted, crashing as he always did after a large project, Cas finally returned home. He didn't make it very far, just walking to the couch and falling onto it, passing out with his shoes still on and his body twisted, paint still covering his clothes, splattered over his hands and face.

 

[Linden Kinnek]

Linden felt the sudden space as Casper pulled away from him. he hated that he had hurt cas, he was guilty that he had caused his husband's paintings to be messed up. But somehow, the cold that came when Cas pulled away from him felt like a slap on the face. "Casper, I'm so so... he started before the sound of Casper operating filled the room "rry. I love you" he finished to the mostly empty room.
he looked at his bag of shopping on the ground, the condensation from the milk making the bag soggy. he turned his resentment to the groceries as he let the tears roll down his face. as he sunk to the ground at the foot of the easel. he would give them both a bit of time to cool off before he went to look for cas. a few minutes later, he felt something warm against his trousers. His hand reached out and started to absentmindedly stroke the cat not even focused enough to be surprised that lapiz was wanting his attention. "I am sorry Lapis. Cas has had to go out, I dont know how long he will be, so you are stuck with me," he gave the feline a stroke between its ears. " And I guess you're only here because you're hungry," he added.

---

it had been a day since Casper had left. he had been on edge the whole time wrecked with guilt. he had come just back from looking for cas. Having stopped at Basil's place, and been slightly surprised to also find Willow there as well both of whom had confirmed that cas was not with them, he had also stopped by Miran's place ith no luck. he had just been about to pick up some food before calling around to Abner and the twins when he had seen the note, sitting on the table. he was immediately grateful to martene who had sent it to him, telling him that cas was with her and they were working through the pictures. and that she would send him a message when cas was ready to come home. It didn't make him feel better but at least he knew that cas was safe and that his mum was there for him, and would at least make sure he ate and slept.
A few days later, he received another note while at work saying that cas would be home today. He stopped at the shops to get the stuff for Casper's favourite dinner as well as some flowers. He walked in the door of the small apartment and was greeted by the familiar smell of cas, a mixture of paint and warmth and home and something that he couldn't name but was just casper. "Baby" he called as he put the bag down. A few steps later, once he had passed through the kitchen, he spotted Casper asleep sprawled across the sofa, lapis curled up next to him, purring away. He cursed himself for being so loud before. Casper was probably well in need of sleep. he tiptoed over and kissed him lightly on the top of his head, making sure not to wake him. "Welcome home, Buttercup, now rest up" he whispered before he took the blanket from the back of the sofa and tucked him in before heading back to the kitchen to put the flowers in a vase and make a start on dinner.

 

[Casper Kinnek]

-godmods approved-

If there was one thing that could wake Casper out of a deep sleep, it was the smell of a good meal. Half asleep, Cas sat up, bleary eyed and his hair a mess. He kicked off his shoes, stretching before he dragged himself up to stand. He padded slowly to the kitchen, half dead, moving until he was leant against Linden, dozing a little even as he wrapped around the man. He was always a bit of a zombie after a project, especially after the really big ones. He yawned, nuzzling against Linden as the man cooked dinner. "Hi," He managed to grumble, voice husky with sleep. "Sorry," He murmured, snoring a little even as he tried to be coherent.

 

[Linden Kinnek]

Linden hummed lightly as he cooked. it was a habit he had picked up from cas, though he wouldn't be able to tell you when he had stated. There was something lighter and brighter in the apartment now that cas was home, as though there was just more light in the room, but also like there was less weight over him. It was hard to explain, other than the world was lighter. He was so lost in the process of chopping and sauteing that he didn't hear the shuffling from the other room until he felt a warmth behind him a moment before the embrace as his husband wrapped himself around him from behind.
"Hi handsome", he whispered back, nuzzling back against Casper before putting down his spatula and maneuvering slightly, turning in his husbands grip so he could hug him back. "I'm sorry too." he murmured leaning against the worksurface as he held cas closer to him. Resting his head on caspers shoulder as he felt the tension he was still carrying ease from him. "are you okay, sleepyhead?" he asked as he could hear his husband almost snoring in his ear like a big sleepy panda.

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Casper was half asleep, leaning heavily into the man. He hummed, yawning softly and nuzzling in against Linden. "Mm," He managed, knowing he was about to pass out again. "Bed?" He managed, just awake enough to recognize where he was going. This wasn't his first and most likely wouldn't be his last crash, knowing he'd pushed himself too hard in his desperation to get his project finished up to his standards. In his head he wanted to pull back and trudge to the loft, but his body was too heavy and he didn't bother moving.

 

[Linden Kinnek]

linden could feel Casper lolling in his arms, practically dead on his feet. his weight against him and his rait in turn against the worksurface behind him. "I love you buttercup" he whispered to cas as cas snuggled against him. he could be happy here for a long time not wanting to move at least until things started to burn. when cas said bead in a tone that was almost an answer to his question and almost a question in its own right lin relaxed his grip trusting him to stand on his own two feet. "you go love. I will finish this and then come and join you" he said. looking forward to some sleep after the restless nights he had had in his all to big, cold and empty bed. "how abouts you go , or take the sofa is you profes." he said. "Once i have finsihed this i will come and join you. fora snuggle and nap. wake me up whenever you wake up so we can have dinner together." he said unsore how much of that cas had actually taken in.

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Cas hummed in response, still leaning heavily against Linden. "Mhmm," He managed, still mostly asleep. He knew he wasn't getting anywhere without help, legs heavy. "Help," He finally pushed out, voice heavy with sleep. He knew he was going to pass out, but he wasn't sure if it would be against Linden or wherever his husband had managed to drag him to.

 

[Linden Kinnek]

Linden could feel more and more of casper's weight against him until he was practically pinned against the work surface. The edge of it dug into his backside. "Okay, mister. You are not going up to the loft. I don't think you will make it, and i really don't know much first aid for things that don't have feathers or fur" he said. Wrapping his arms around cas and shifting their position so he was taking more of Casper's weight and not as a prop against the surface " To the sofa it is with you, " he said as he made his way towards it.
Once he got there, he waved his hand in the direction "erecto" he said. gld that it was simple enough that he could comfortably cast it without his wand. he didn't even bother trying to set it up as a bed properly with sheets. he just lowered cas onto it. he could hear the snores before he had finished taking off his left shoe. He put a cushion under his head and a blanket over him. Sleep well" he said before returning to the kitchen,
It didn't take much more than ten minutes to finish the cooking. Once he was done, her got everything put away appropriately before heading back over to the living area. Taking off his own shoes before slipping in under the covers next to cas. His head on Casper's chest and his arm over him in much the same way cas usually ended up against him. he didn't fall asleep quite as quickly as his husband. But after a few nights of tossing and turning the familiar comfort left him still pretty quick to drift off.

((godmod approved))

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Cas was only vaguely aware of moving to bed, having Linden leading his leaden legs to bed. Cas fell into it, and was asleep quickly. He woke early the next morning- it had to be three or so in the morning. He stretched, feeling a bit stiff, feeling the warmth of Linden beside him. Cas yawned, shifting and snuggling into the man, laying his arm over the man. "Morning, snowflake," He murmured, pressing a kiss under Lindens ear. He stayed there a while, just half dozing against the warmth of his husband, before eventually dragging himself up and off to the shower, wanting to clean off the paint he knew was inevitably still on him.

 

[Linden Kinnek]

Despite the fact that the sofa bed was nowhere near as comfortable as their proper bed, linden fell asleep quickly. after the last few restless nights the quick and restful slumber came as a huge relief, well if hewas awake enough to feel relief.
it was some time later when it was disturbed by a sound and movement near him just about coming half around enough to let out a crooning noice at the sound of caspers voice his head angling towards it. before he started to dift off again.
he awoke to the feelingof a cold draft under the covers. he woke up reaching towards a rapidly cooling patch of warm. he slowly blinked hos eyes open and looked into the darkness. feeling disoriented for a moment and wondering if he had dreamed it up before remembering the evening. he waited for a moment waiting for cas to get back but after a minute, he heard the shower stop. he sat up pulling the blanket around his shoulders as he turned on a lamp and let his eyes adjust to the light. he had told cas to wake him when he woke up so they could eat together. and he hadn't realised that they were going to get a full nights worth of sleep he pulled himself up and dragged himself over to the kitchen his limbs still weighed down with sleep as he set the food to reheat whilst he got the table set with cutlery and the flowers.

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Feeling about a thousand times better, Casper ran a towel over his hair and threw on some pajama bottoms. He padded back out, barefoot, barechested, towel around his shoulders. He spotted Linden and smiled softly, moving over behind his husband and pressing a kiss to his temple, arms sliding around his waist. "Hey, you," He greeted, much more awake this time. "I'm sorry to take off like that, I was panicking," He offered gently, wanting to make sure he apologized properly when he was awake enough to know what he was doing. "I'm sorry if I worried you or stressed you out,"

 

[Linden Kinnek]

Linden was just putting the plates on the table when heard movement and looked up to see casper walking towards him. water dripping from his hair and skin still flushed from the shower. he couldn't help but smile at the sight of casper there. "hello handsome" he said putting his arms around caspers waist and holding him tight. he listened to his apology even though he had already long forgiven cas it was still much appreciated. "it's okay buttercup. i forgive you. you are home now and that is what matters" he said. "I was worried, but you are lucky Mum sent me a note saying where you were and that you were safe." he said. before planting a small kiss on the side of caspers neck. he leaned back slightly so cas. could see his face. "I'm really sorry too, for everything, for hurting you, for leaving the hoohoo unattended. I know you worked so hard on those paintings. and am so sorry they got damaged, I promise wont bring anything else here unless i know it is properly trained." he said moving his hands up to hold cas in a proper embrace. His jaw shaking slightly at the thought of how he had messed up and at the memory of their argument. "did you managed to get them finished in time?" he asked. knowing he would feel terrible if cas hadn't managed to.

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Cas gave a gentle smile, leaning against Linden and keeping his arms looped around the mans waist. He chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry... paint fumes and all. You know how it can be," He offered apologetically. He listened to Linden speak, leaning in and kissing him gently. "Hey, hey, shhh," He soothed, rubbing Lindens back. "I overreacted. It was tight- barely an hour before my deadline- but mom saved my ass, we got it all together in the end. It wasn't your fault. It was an accident," He reassured Linden gently, trying to steal a kiss. "We're alright, Lin," He promised.

 

[Linden Kinnek]

linden listened to cas letting go of him with one hand so that he could brush his hair out of his face and stroke his cheek. "You're good cas. Dont worry" he said before returning the kiss, trying to make it as gentle and sweet as he could. enjoying the feeling of caspers hands on his back.
he couldn't help but pull back slightly in shock as cas said how close he had been time-wise. "an hour to spare, and with mums help. Merlin cas. i didn't realise there was that much damage. no wonder you were so dead on your feet before" he said. Caspers reassurance doing the opposite when intended. However another kiss stopped him where he was as though it had hit a reset somewhere in him. "yes. we are alright. We're always alright" he said. holding cas tight "I love you so much, buttercup" he whispered. "now lets get some spag bol while it is still warm. I am sure you must be hungry. he said, gesturing to the food on the table along with the vase of fresh flowers. "and when we are done, we'll get you back to bed so you can have a proper sleep" he finished.

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Cas chuckled, stealing another kiss. "I love you too, snowflake." He agreed, lingering a moment before moving away to sit at the table, still a bit worn out and suddenly starving. He grabbed a plate and a drink, tucking in for a bit before looking up to Linden. "We should probably talk about the issues that this whole thing raised," He offered with an easy smile. "As much as I love it here we might need to consider getting a new place." He spoke slowly, wincing as he said it.

 

[Linden Kinnek]

Linden smiled as cas kissed him and told him that he loved him. enjoying the moment of the world being just them in the small kitchen before Cas made his was to the table. and he followed his stomach rumbling at the thought of food.
a few minutes passed, and the only thing that broke the silence was the sounds of their cutlery and slurps of spaghetti, both lost in their own thoughts. Linden was thinking about how he could make it up to cas. and also how lucky he was to have him, and how much he was looking forward to getting to sleep and getting a good rest.
he was surprised when cas eventually broke the silence. and even more surprised by what he was saying. the issue that it raised? what issue was that. he looked at his husband quizzically, glad that he continued, though still shocked at what he said. " What!? but this is your apartment!" he said, confused. reaching out for caspers hand the same time he reached out to wrap his feet around his leg. "the place you got with your first commissions. The first place that has ever been a proper home for you" he said more in shock than anything, he knew how sentimental cas was. and this place carried so many memories for the both of them. "You don't have to give that up for my sake because I accidentally let a bird escape. I promise I won't bring any animals back here again, unless i can guarantee that they are well trained" he said.

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Cas let Linden take hold of him, raising a brow. He turned his hand, holding Lindens. "Hm... your apartment?" He quoted. "Not ours?" He brought Lins hand up, kissing it gently. "Linden Kinnek." He gave a soft smile, reaching out with the intent to brush his thumb over the mans jaw. "This is just the first place I bought. My first home? Lin, you silly man, my first home was you. This apartment would be empty without you." He explained, voice soft. "We're growing up, Lin. The teenagers were great in this apartment. It was a beautiful place to start. We can keep it- rent it perhaps, or use it as a weekend getaway, or use it as a more official art studio. But we're adults now- we need more space. We need somewhere thats ours. Not just mine. We're married. Don't you think its time we find a house and not just a loft?"

 

[Linden Kinnek]

linden smiled at what casper had picked out from what her had said. "our apartment. but it was yours before it was ours" he said. feeling his face blush as cas took his hand and kissed it. Before resting it on his cheek and running a finger along his jaw in a way he was very sure cas knew how much her liked. as cas started to talk more he moved his face and took his husbands hand in his listening to what casper had to say squeezing his hand as he spoke . Wow casper. you and your pretty words, you are going to make me cry or kiss you or ahem, cry and kiss you." he said though his mind had gone somewhere else but that was for later "my home is with you too, baby, you don't know how empty it hs been in here this week, im so glad you are home now." he said softly holding his hand over his chest before leaning over t his husband and kissing him lightly on the hand cursing the table for being in the way to stop him from being able to get any closer than that
As cas continued to speak he couldn't help but feel his eyes welling up slightly. and felt a single tear roll down his cheek as the thought, of how much they had grown since the first night they had spent here, two teenagers still trying to figure each other out even after months of dating and years of friendship to now. "you are right, so totally right. as much as I love the apartment and all the memories we have made together here, and and i like the idea of never being more than ten meters away from you, more space would be nice," he said trying harder than he should need to not to close the distance between them. he took another mouthful of his spaghetti to ground himself a bit and think of what to say. "you are right. a house somewhere where wo don't have neighbours on either side of us and below where you can have a dedicated studio to paint in without too many unwanted interruptions, though i am not promising i wont interrupt you, and maybe even a small amount of garden outside for bjorn" he said, thinking of his dog who was now getting old and living with his parents still as they had more space. then he had a thought a picture of him carrying cas over the threshold of a house kissing him as they paused in the doorframe and welcoming him home. he smiled to himself. then looked at cas and smiled wider. "I love you so much." he said

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Cas smiled, chuckling softly. "I learned from the best," He countered, shifting around the table to sit more by Lindens side. "I love you, too, Linden," He replied, moving to try and steal a kiss. He offered out his hand and went back to eating, thinking about their plans. "We'll have to shop around. Are we willing to renovate ourselves or should we hire someone?" He asked, thinking they might get a better deal if they found somewhere that was more of a fixer upper. He sighed softly, just content to be home again. "I missed you, too, you know," He added softly. "When I was dozing off between bouts of painting."