#heeheehee

these are all gifts from my buddy @officialspec

"There's one little catch," Eric says, and Assad's stomach flips.

"Yeah? What's that?"

"You'll need a visitor's badge to get into the building after dark."

Assad frowns at him and takes a sip of his coffee to give himself a moment to figure that one out.

"I don't see the problem," he says finally, when he's savored his mouthful of hazelnut flavored American coffee just a little too long. He doesn't think he'll ever be able to associate the taste with anything other than Eric, the big nut himself. Appropriate. "I mean, I don't see the problem with just getting a badge, but I also don't see why I'd need one. I'll be with you whenever I'm here, won't I?"

Eric taps his fingers on the side of his mug. He's standing on the other side of the kitchen counter in nothing but striped cotton pajama bottoms, his bare feet planted firmly on the hardwood, despite the flightiness in his fingers. Assad spins a little on his stool, waiting for Eric to speak. It's not often that he has to wait for Eric to speak.

"Well…" Eric starts. "First of all, I thought you could use this as your homebase. If you want. If you ever have work in New York."

This is a shockingly generous offer. Assad pictures coming home to Eric after a long rehearsal day, or late at night after a performance. It's a nice picture.

He also pictures opening the door to find Jo and Harry in the kitchen, or Eric playing with his grandkids in the living room. It's not not a nice picture. Just a more complicated one.

Eric clears his throat.

"But I also, you know. I just thought. It would be nice, sometimes, for you to let yourself in. Crawl into bed after I'm already asleep."

Well that's very sweet, Assad thinks.

"Surprise me in the shower, maybe."

Assad laughs.

"The truth comes out," he says. "This is all about you being a pervert after all."

Eric gives him a shifty sort of grin.

"Isn't everything?" he says. Then his smiles softens.

"Hey, don't tell anybody, okay?" he says. "You'll ruin my image as an insatiable horndog. But I just want to be able to think you could be here at any moment, all the time. I want to go to bed every night thinking I could wake up to you next to me."

Assad rests his chin in his hand and smiles up at him, besotted.

"Everyone already knows you're a hopeless romantic, Eric," he says. "But I'll keep your secrets. I won't even tell anyone that you burn the eggs every time you make me breakfast."