![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
roesslyngTitle: Make yourself comfortable
Fandom: Dream Daddy
Characters/Pairing: Damien/Dadsona
Rating: 0+
Length: 1.7k
Summary: Damien's had a very long day, but it isn't hard to help him relax a little.
Other: This has been sitting in my drafts since... not long after the game came out. Finally polished it. (I never did finish playing the game, but I still love Damien, okay.)
Make yourself comfortable
It's evening now.
I glance up at the clock and wonder if I should send Damien a text. Yesterday evening, I slipped a letter into his mail slot, like I usually would, telling him that he would be welcome to join me this evening, if he wanted to.
Now that Amanda is in college, most of my nights are free. And Damien knows this.
Some nights, I go to spend time with Craig, or catch open mic night at Mat's cafe. But most of the time, I'm at home.
And when Damien can join me, he does. He's been doing it more and more ever since we started seeing each other regularly.
But this time, he hasn't come over, and he hasn't called or texted me to say that he's busy, either.
Maybe he forgot, I think as I force myself to look away from the clock and get back to folding laundry. Or maybe he has something on the go tonight.
The television plays in the background. Reruns once again. Oh, goody.
It isn't that I mind being alone. It's just that I'm bored.
I quickly run through the options in my head. Craig might be free. Hugo prefers notice in advance. Brian is going on a weekend trip tomorrow, so he'll be going to bed early. Mat is at a concert. Joseph is probably busy with his kids. I might be able to drop in on Robert –
A knock on the door pulls me out. And then I hear a familiar voice.
"Good evening. Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you waiting."
I turn to see Damien in the doorway, stepping out of his shoes, shrugging off his coat.
"Thank you for your invitation – though I'm afraid I won't be good company tonight. It has been a very long day."
I stash the laundry on the armchair and go over to him. He's in his casual clothes; a worn sweater thrown over his button-down shirt, his hair swept into a messy ponytail. There's a tired set to his eyes. As I tilt my head to kiss his cheek, I can smell soap. He must have showered to get the smell of dog off of him.
"You look exhausted."
He makes a sound somewhere between a sigh and a laugh, and returns the gesture before resting his head on my shoulder. "You're right. I am. But I wanted to see you anyway."
"I'm glad." I give him a hug, then pull away a little. "Come on, then. Let's get you comfortable."
I shut off the television and put some music on instead, turning it down low. He sinks down onto the sofa, and when I take my place beside him, he shifts, practically flops over, resting his head in my lap.
"So. Long day?" I say, echoing what he said at the door.
"Yes. Extremely." Damien slips his glasses off, then hands them to me. "Would you...?"
I take them and put them on the couchside table. "Would you like to talk about it?"
"Oh, I don't know if you want to hear it. It's kind of boring."
"Do you remember what I said about 'boring' things?" I ask, brushing a strand of hair out of his face.
He looks up at me with tired eyes and an embarrassed expression. "Yes, I do."
"Then tell me anyway. Even if it's boring."
Damien closes his eyes, resigning himself to his fate. We've had this conversation several times before, and by now, he knows that I'm not going to give up. "Oh, all right! But don't say that you weren't warned."
"Try me."
"We upgraded the system today."
"Oh boy."
"Yes, exactly. Of course, nothing in the live update worked the way it did in the testing stages."
"Of course not."
"And, naturally, we discovered that there were in fact some creative ways to break it..."
I listened, letting him talk, sliding a few strands of his soft hair through my fingers where it had become loose from his ponytail. Even now, it's sometimes hard to get Damien to open up about the more mundane aspects of his life. He's always so worried about boring me, or sounding too dull, as if he thinks I'd lose interest in him because of it. I wonder if there's a history behind that. There might be.
I'll stash that question away for another day. Now really isn't the right time, especially if the reasons are anything like what I think they might be. It would just make him upset.
"So, that was the bulk of my day." Damien sighs. At least he looks more relaxed than he did before. "And I was at the shelter after work, and stayed much longer than I intended, which is why I was so late to join you."
"Did something happen?" I ask, brushing my thumb along his cheek.
"Oh, no. Not exactly. But the other volunteer who was supposed to show up never arrived, and we had a bit of trouble with the cats – there is one that simply refuses to be contained. But nothing serious."
Something suddenly occurs to me. "Damien... have you eaten?"
His eyes flutter open, blinking up at me. Then an embarrassed flush spreads over his cheeks. "I... no, I'm afraid not. I had planned to do that before coming here, but it slipped my mind."
"I see." I tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. "Well, I didn't eat either, so that makes two of us. There's some leftover lasagne in the fridge; I could heat it up for us...."
"Well, I don't know...." He looks doubtful.
"It's vegetarian."
Damien smiles widely, then sits up, warmth radiating from his face. "I adore you," he says, and kisses me full on the lips.
For a while now, I've been experimenting with cooking things that I know Damien might like. Or things that he can eat, at least. He's over here so often that I know I need to be able to make something for him; there are only so many ways that I can get creative with egg bakes and veggie stir fry. He's always told me that he doesn't mind, but that's not the point. I want to try.
At least he isn't vegan. I'd be a lost cause in that situation.
I still feel a little nervous as I zap the leftover lasagne in the microwave. This little pasta dish was an experiment, and it tasted all right to me last night, but....
"It smells good," Damien murmurs, leaning against me, resting his head on my shoulder. He doesn't look like he's about to fall over any more, so this is nice and cozy.
"It's not bad. Probably better fresh, though."
"That's all right." His arms wrap loosely around my waist, and suddenly my insides feel twisty in the best way. "So, am I to understand that you've been broadening your culinary horizons for my sake...?"
"How did you guess?" I ask. "For all you know, this was frozen."
Damien lets out a soft chuckle. "It isn't in disposable packaging. And besides, it wouldn't be the first. That quiche we had last week didn't come from a box."
His voice is soft and quiet by my ear, and I can feel his breath fluttering against it. A blush spreads over my face.
"Okay," I say, trying to keep my voice even, trying to sound cool. "You've figured out my plan."
"You're trying to seduce me with vegetarian food?"
"Something like that," I say. As the microwave beeps, I decide to hope like hell that he'll find my day-old practice lasagne seductive enough.
"It's delicious," Damien says, smiling broadly across the table from me.
"Oh?" In spite of my best efforts, I can feel my ego swelling a bit.
"It's one of your better attempts."
I can feel his foot nudging at mine under the table, just a little brush. "Now, who is seducing who, here?" The thought crosses my mind and those words are out of my mouth before I can stop myself.
"It's still you, I think." Damien's hair falls across his cheek and I wonder if I should reach across the table to brush it away. "Homemade lasagne, and candles, too?"
"Well, you did say you liked them, so...." And in truth, I had meant to save the tea lights for another occasion. Something fancier, something special, something where I would make a real effort. Not microwaved experiments on an evening after a long day of work. But after he came in this evening, looking like he was dead on his feet... Something nice seems just about right.
Damien looks happy now, anyway. "I do like them." He brushes his foot against mine again, so slowly and deliberately that it's clear it was absolutely on purpose. "And I think you're lovely, too."
I blush in spite of myself, but somehow, it doesn't bother me all that much. "I remember the first time you said that," I say.
"Oh...?"
"Yes." And that's when I knew that what we have is something special, I think to myself as I reach across the table and touch his hand, feeling my heart clench as his fingers knit with mine.
It's a mild night out, and as we walk together in the moonlight, hand in hand, I find myself feeling more happy and relaxed than I have in a while.
The night air is cool and fresh, and Damien stays close by my side.
He might be dressed casually, but he still looks supernatural in the wash of moonlight.
I know that when we get back to my place, he'll stay for a while. He has that warm look in his eyes, that slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth that I've come to know really well in the time that we've known each other.
Maybe some day I'll know more about him. I hope that eventually, I can discover all the mundane little things that he's still so reluctant to show.
We can be the most boring couple in the world together.
I wouldn't have it any other way.
Fandom: Dream Daddy
Characters/Pairing: Damien/Dadsona
Rating: 0+
Length: 1.7k
Summary: Damien's had a very long day, but it isn't hard to help him relax a little.
Other: This has been sitting in my drafts since... not long after the game came out. Finally polished it. (I never did finish playing the game, but I still love Damien, okay.)
Make yourself comfortable
It's evening now.
I glance up at the clock and wonder if I should send Damien a text. Yesterday evening, I slipped a letter into his mail slot, like I usually would, telling him that he would be welcome to join me this evening, if he wanted to.
Now that Amanda is in college, most of my nights are free. And Damien knows this.
Some nights, I go to spend time with Craig, or catch open mic night at Mat's cafe. But most of the time, I'm at home.
And when Damien can join me, he does. He's been doing it more and more ever since we started seeing each other regularly.
But this time, he hasn't come over, and he hasn't called or texted me to say that he's busy, either.
Maybe he forgot, I think as I force myself to look away from the clock and get back to folding laundry. Or maybe he has something on the go tonight.
The television plays in the background. Reruns once again. Oh, goody.
It isn't that I mind being alone. It's just that I'm bored.
I quickly run through the options in my head. Craig might be free. Hugo prefers notice in advance. Brian is going on a weekend trip tomorrow, so he'll be going to bed early. Mat is at a concert. Joseph is probably busy with his kids. I might be able to drop in on Robert –
A knock on the door pulls me out. And then I hear a familiar voice.
"Good evening. Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you waiting."
I turn to see Damien in the doorway, stepping out of his shoes, shrugging off his coat.
"Thank you for your invitation – though I'm afraid I won't be good company tonight. It has been a very long day."
I stash the laundry on the armchair and go over to him. He's in his casual clothes; a worn sweater thrown over his button-down shirt, his hair swept into a messy ponytail. There's a tired set to his eyes. As I tilt my head to kiss his cheek, I can smell soap. He must have showered to get the smell of dog off of him.
"You look exhausted."
He makes a sound somewhere between a sigh and a laugh, and returns the gesture before resting his head on my shoulder. "You're right. I am. But I wanted to see you anyway."
"I'm glad." I give him a hug, then pull away a little. "Come on, then. Let's get you comfortable."
I shut off the television and put some music on instead, turning it down low. He sinks down onto the sofa, and when I take my place beside him, he shifts, practically flops over, resting his head in my lap.
"So. Long day?" I say, echoing what he said at the door.
"Yes. Extremely." Damien slips his glasses off, then hands them to me. "Would you...?"
I take them and put them on the couchside table. "Would you like to talk about it?"
"Oh, I don't know if you want to hear it. It's kind of boring."
"Do you remember what I said about 'boring' things?" I ask, brushing a strand of hair out of his face.
He looks up at me with tired eyes and an embarrassed expression. "Yes, I do."
"Then tell me anyway. Even if it's boring."
Damien closes his eyes, resigning himself to his fate. We've had this conversation several times before, and by now, he knows that I'm not going to give up. "Oh, all right! But don't say that you weren't warned."
"Try me."
"We upgraded the system today."
"Oh boy."
"Yes, exactly. Of course, nothing in the live update worked the way it did in the testing stages."
"Of course not."
"And, naturally, we discovered that there were in fact some creative ways to break it..."
I listened, letting him talk, sliding a few strands of his soft hair through my fingers where it had become loose from his ponytail. Even now, it's sometimes hard to get Damien to open up about the more mundane aspects of his life. He's always so worried about boring me, or sounding too dull, as if he thinks I'd lose interest in him because of it. I wonder if there's a history behind that. There might be.
I'll stash that question away for another day. Now really isn't the right time, especially if the reasons are anything like what I think they might be. It would just make him upset.
"So, that was the bulk of my day." Damien sighs. At least he looks more relaxed than he did before. "And I was at the shelter after work, and stayed much longer than I intended, which is why I was so late to join you."
"Did something happen?" I ask, brushing my thumb along his cheek.
"Oh, no. Not exactly. But the other volunteer who was supposed to show up never arrived, and we had a bit of trouble with the cats – there is one that simply refuses to be contained. But nothing serious."
Something suddenly occurs to me. "Damien... have you eaten?"
His eyes flutter open, blinking up at me. Then an embarrassed flush spreads over his cheeks. "I... no, I'm afraid not. I had planned to do that before coming here, but it slipped my mind."
"I see." I tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. "Well, I didn't eat either, so that makes two of us. There's some leftover lasagne in the fridge; I could heat it up for us...."
"Well, I don't know...." He looks doubtful.
"It's vegetarian."
Damien smiles widely, then sits up, warmth radiating from his face. "I adore you," he says, and kisses me full on the lips.
For a while now, I've been experimenting with cooking things that I know Damien might like. Or things that he can eat, at least. He's over here so often that I know I need to be able to make something for him; there are only so many ways that I can get creative with egg bakes and veggie stir fry. He's always told me that he doesn't mind, but that's not the point. I want to try.
At least he isn't vegan. I'd be a lost cause in that situation.
I still feel a little nervous as I zap the leftover lasagne in the microwave. This little pasta dish was an experiment, and it tasted all right to me last night, but....
"It smells good," Damien murmurs, leaning against me, resting his head on my shoulder. He doesn't look like he's about to fall over any more, so this is nice and cozy.
"It's not bad. Probably better fresh, though."
"That's all right." His arms wrap loosely around my waist, and suddenly my insides feel twisty in the best way. "So, am I to understand that you've been broadening your culinary horizons for my sake...?"
"How did you guess?" I ask. "For all you know, this was frozen."
Damien lets out a soft chuckle. "It isn't in disposable packaging. And besides, it wouldn't be the first. That quiche we had last week didn't come from a box."
His voice is soft and quiet by my ear, and I can feel his breath fluttering against it. A blush spreads over my face.
"Okay," I say, trying to keep my voice even, trying to sound cool. "You've figured out my plan."
"You're trying to seduce me with vegetarian food?"
"Something like that," I say. As the microwave beeps, I decide to hope like hell that he'll find my day-old practice lasagne seductive enough.
"It's delicious," Damien says, smiling broadly across the table from me.
"Oh?" In spite of my best efforts, I can feel my ego swelling a bit.
"It's one of your better attempts."
I can feel his foot nudging at mine under the table, just a little brush. "Now, who is seducing who, here?" The thought crosses my mind and those words are out of my mouth before I can stop myself.
"It's still you, I think." Damien's hair falls across his cheek and I wonder if I should reach across the table to brush it away. "Homemade lasagne, and candles, too?"
"Well, you did say you liked them, so...." And in truth, I had meant to save the tea lights for another occasion. Something fancier, something special, something where I would make a real effort. Not microwaved experiments on an evening after a long day of work. But after he came in this evening, looking like he was dead on his feet... Something nice seems just about right.
Damien looks happy now, anyway. "I do like them." He brushes his foot against mine again, so slowly and deliberately that it's clear it was absolutely on purpose. "And I think you're lovely, too."
I blush in spite of myself, but somehow, it doesn't bother me all that much. "I remember the first time you said that," I say.
"Oh...?"
"Yes." And that's when I knew that what we have is something special, I think to myself as I reach across the table and touch his hand, feeling my heart clench as his fingers knit with mine.
It's a mild night out, and as we walk together in the moonlight, hand in hand, I find myself feeling more happy and relaxed than I have in a while.
The night air is cool and fresh, and Damien stays close by my side.
He might be dressed casually, but he still looks supernatural in the wash of moonlight.
I know that when we get back to my place, he'll stay for a while. He has that warm look in his eyes, that slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth that I've come to know really well in the time that we've known each other.
Maybe some day I'll know more about him. I hope that eventually, I can discover all the mundane little things that he's still so reluctant to show.
We can be the most boring couple in the world together.
I wouldn't have it any other way.
