#feverix

He was close to tears by the time he pulled the cookies out of the oven, and he really wasn‘t someone who was prone to tears. But this was supposed their day, their anniversary, and it was supposed to be happy and perfect. But the first thing that had ruined the perfect day was that Felix had been called into work despite the fact that they had both taken the day off nearly half a year in advance. But when an emergency happened and you wanted to become a partner in your company then you just had to go. So now Carver was home alone, and the disasters just kept happening. He had gone out to the supermarket to get ingredients for a romantic dinner at home, since he knew Felix would be too tired to go out once he came home again, and of course the car broke down on his way back. He had to carry everything back by foot, and on top of that they‘d have to worry about a large bill from the repair shop or even getting a new car.

He had never been one for cooking, that was usually Felix‘ domain, but on their fifth anniversary he wanted to spoil his boyfriend, show him how important he was and how much he loved him, so he was determined to make one of Felix‘ favourite dishes, something delicious but very Tevinter. Needless to say that with his lack of skill and his already gloomy mood it was soon clear that he was hopelessly lost, that his chicken was burned and dry and the sauce was clumpy and the rice was just a sticky, burned mess. He chucked it all into the trash and placed everything into the dishwasher and started the machine.

They could eat takeout from that nice Tevinter place that Felix liked so much, and he could just bake him some cookies. Cookies were always good, and they would still show how much he cared, right?

Once the cookies were in the oven, he almost allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. Almost. He‘d just have to make sure he would pull them out of the oven in time. He was even pretty sure he hadn‘t forgotten some vital ingredient like the last time he had tried to bake.

That was when he had noticed the small puddle of water in front of the dishwasher that was spreading rather rapidly, and some investigation showed that apparently the water pipe had chosen this exact moment to break. Of course, because why would anything go well that day?

An hour later he was standing in the kitchen with rubber boots on, holding some tools for a mechanic who was dragging the dishwasher from its usual place to try and get to the waterpipe. Carver wondered why it smelled burned in the kitchen when there was only water flooding everything when he remembered the cookies.

The cookies that were now little more than rounds of coal sitting on the bakingsheet in the oven. He quickly pulled them out and at least had the mind to set them on the counter to cool before throwing them out or he‘d have set the bin on fire or something.

When the mechanic declared that there was nothing he could do for now but he‘d sent a colleague by the next day he was close to a breakdown, and he wished for nothing more than for this day to end and for Felix to come home. At least he was at work and didn‘t have to witness the disaster that Carver was making of their home.

He had just started clearing the living room, making sure to get all of Felix‘ books off the floor in case the water flowed into that room when suddenly their door flew open and Garret came running in.

„What do you want!“Carver shouted at him, but for once Garrett didn‘t seem willing to start a shouting match with his brother.

„She‘s been calling you for ages, why don‘t you answer your phone, the baby is coming!“

Carver realised in that moment that he had no idea where his phone was, but it was likely still at the roadside where his car was waiting to be picked up the next morning, but that wasn‘t important right then. His twin sister was having her first child, and that was the only thing that might be more important than his and Felix‘ happiness on this day.

He had no idea how they got to the hospital, or even the room he was now sitting in, holding his sister‘s hand. Garrett and her darling husband were sitting outside, both of them apparently not able to stomach the sight before them, but Carver was determined. Someone was going to be with Bethany through this, and if it had to be him then he bloody well would sit here and hold her hand and wipe her forehead and tell her how great she was doing and endure all the insults she hurled at him.

The only highlight to his day was when hours later, a very exhausted and tired Bethany explained that yes, Garrett was the eldest, but Carver was her twin and had been with her during the labour so he‘d get to hold his nephew first. And then he held him, the tiny bundle whose birth he had just witnessed, and kissed his teeny nose before handing him off to a brooding yet very proud Garrett.

It was already late at night when they left again, and Carver was dirty and had wet socks and was tired and exhausted, and when they came down to see that Garrett had parked in a forbidden spot in his haste and that the car had been towed off he felt himself nearing a breakdown. He turned on his heel and went back inside, sitting down on a chair in front of Bethany‘s room. He could hear her and Sebastian laughing inside, and he didn‘t want to intrude on their happy parent time with his gloomy mood.

But he hadn‘t even seen Felix yet today. It was half an hour to midnight and he hadn‘t even seen the man that he shared his life with for five years as of today. It had been supposed to be a day just for them, to celebrate them as a couple, to rejoice in their love, and now there was nothing, no smile, no hug, no kiss. No message.

Garrett found him some time later with his face  buried in his hands, pretending not to cry, and for once he didn‘t try and fight or to drag Carver down even more. He just placed an arm around his shoulder and started to walk him home. They didn‘t speak, but at some point Carver found himself holding hands with his older brother as he dreaded to come home to a flooded, cold and empty home. Or maybe a flooded home with an upset and angry Felix inside. It only occured to him then that he had forgotten his keys as well. Well, this day was just nasty from start to finish it seemed.

This was the sort of situation where he‘d normally call Bethany and have an unmanly breakdown on her, but right now that was out of the question. He probably wouldn‘t be able to tell her about his shitty day for a while to come now.

The only upside was that Garrett had a replacement key, and he pushed it into Carver‘s hand before patting his shoulder and leaving to go home to his own boyfriends. Carver sighed and stepped up to the front door, carefully unlocking it.

The whole ground floor was flooded by then, there was an ankle deep pond where their floor had been, and a little waterfall down into the basement. But that was not what had Carver gaping.

No, there were little swimming candles floating on the water, all throughout the house. They made the mess that it was look so romantic. And in the middle of the living room there was their inflatable mattress that they had bought the summer before, and someone had placed more candles on it, and champagne and an enormous amount of Carver‘s favourite foods. And next to the mattress there was Felix, standing there in nothing but thigh high rubber boots and the silky boxers that Carver had gotten him for their last anniversary, and Carver could see his whole face lighting up the moment he spotted his boyfriend.

And then, in that moment, it all didn‘t matter anymore. He saw Felix‘ face light up and his eyes starting to sparkle and he knew that he was at home again, and that everything would be alright. He waded through the water, and before they even said anything they were hugging and sharing a deep, loving kiss. It was perfect, and everything he could have wanted.

Carver pulled back first from the kiss to stare at the man he loved, and then to look at the floating dinner table next to them. He could scarcely believe it, Felix had managed to do all the things Carver had wanted to do for him, with the tiny detail that he had actually gotten them done.

He bent down to take a look at a little box sitting in the middle of all the platters of food, and he gasped once he realised what it was. A simple gold band, sitting in a velvet box.

He looked up at Felix, at his wonderful, beautiful face that looked even more gorgeous in the candle light, and he was treated with that soft, warm smile that Felix always reserved for private moments like these.

„Happy anniversary, love“ Felix whispered, as if he didn‘t want to disturb the atmosphere by speaking too loud, and he picked up the box with the ring. Carver leaned against him, taking his hand, and he gazed at the man of his dreams and already breathed the answer to the question Felix hadn‘t yet asked.