if it’s not alright, it’s not the end

They’re lying in bed together, 2D having just put away a Sudoku book and Stuart playing a game on his phone. Stuart looks up. “What is it, bluebird?”

2D fidgets a little. “I’m not– I’m not boring, am I?”

Frowning, Stuart puts his phone down entirely. “What’re you talking about? Of course you’re not boring, 2D. Why would you say that?”

“I dunno. It’s just– our lives used to be so exciting.” He hesitates, mulling over his choice of words. “Not exciting, but...higher stakes, I guess. Weird stuff used to happen to us all the time. Apocalypses, fights, supernatural forces, friends bein’ killed an’ blackmailed. All that. It was kinda exhausting, honestly, but...I was wonderin’ if ya miss it. If you’re okay wif us just bein’ domestic most of the time.”

“I miss it a little.” Stuart wraps an arm around him, not even thinking much about it, and 2D snuggles in. “I miss being involved in stuff like that. But it was terrifying. It was so much bigger than us...and we’ve been through so much already, y’know? Just in our lives, even before we got together. I think we’ve earned some rest. Some peace.”

2D smiles. “You’re not bored, then?”

“Nah. Being with you every day, raising our daughter...it’s all I could ever ask for. I love our life together, how it is right now. I love that our biggest problem isn’t me getting my eye torn out or us tryin’ to patch up disagreements between God and Satan, it’s that we had to argue with the towing company on the phone so they wouldn’t charge us extra for towing an older model of car.”

“Me, too.” 2D kisses him softly. “I’m– I’m so glad my life led me to you, Stuart.”

“Aw, fanks!” 2D traces his finger in an invisible semicircle over his mask to mirror his smile underneath– something both men had been in the habit of doing in order to convey masked smiles to Parker. “We’re ‘avin’ a lovely dinner out for the first time in– gosh, a year.”

Arms wrap around his chest, and slightly chapped lips brush the back of his neck. “Mornin’,” his husband mumbles sleepily, and suddenly Stuart finds the motivation to wake up.

He turns, curling himself deeper into 2D’s embrace, and feels him chuckle. “Morning, bluebird.”

“I feel like I slept for weeks,” 2D yawns. He kisses Stuart’s forehead. “We should get up. Parker’s gonna wake up soon...”

Stuart finally opens his eyes. 2D is washed with soft golden light from the sunrise outside, a sweetly crooked smile on his face. His hair is mussed, his right cheek creased from the wrinkles on his pillow, and his dark eyes are slightly sleep-crusted at the corners.

“Christ, you’re gorgeous,” Stuart breathes.

His love giggles, burying his face in Stuart’s neck. “If you’re tryin’ to lure me to bed, I’m already ‘ere.”

She looks at you quizzically. “Sally?”

do you know him.

“That’s brilliant!” 2D grins. “I’m still waitin’ on mine.”

“I dunno.” 2D looks to his husband. “I don’t fink I’d’ve made much of myself...I might still be workin’ at the keyboard shop.”

“Twenty years, hm?” Stuart mumbles into his husband’s hair as 2D tucks himself even closer against Stuart’s chest.

“Yeh. Feels shorter to me...” 2D huffs out a little sigh. “I wouldn’t trade it. None of it.”

“Really?” Stuart trails his fingers down his husband’s neck. “Not even–?”

“Not even Plastic Beach.” He props himself up, resting his chin on Stuart’s chest. “Cos I grew from that. We all did. And we wouldn’t’ve met, I don’t fink, if I ‘adn’t realized I deserved better after goin’ through that.”

Stuart kisses him, tenderly cupping the back of his head as 2D melts happily into him. “You deserve the world,” he murmurs.