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So, maybe moving out to an island was a bit of a risk.
But, well, Tom was all about risky business ventures, and if this worked out: it might be good for him. For the nooklings. For everyone, really.
If it didn’t work out...well, he could cut his losses and go from there.
And so far it...seemed to be going well? The residents were happy, the island was beautifully decorated, they now had a museum, a clothing shop, and plenty of cycling visitors, and the boys’ shop was bringing in plenty of business to keep them afloat. Even if they occasionally made some strange business decisions. (He wasn’t sure if he’d ever forget the time Timmy brought him 500 tarantulas)
Still, it felt as if something was missing.
He was tempted to call it homesickness--but not for any place he knew.
Tom had spent a lot of his life moving around, from city to city, job to job, trying to find someplace he could find comfort and happiness. There was the town he grew up in, sure, but he had only really returned there for the opportunity it provided, and the friends he had missed while living in the city. Even now, he wouldn’t quite consider that little town to be home .
Truthfully, he wasn’t sure he had a real home. Every place he had ever lived had felt temporary. A stepping stone until he could get to the next place. Maybe that was why he arranged a silly island getaway. A completely fresh start, where he could keep those he loved close, while still working and expanding his business further than it had ever gone before.
And so far, he had done just that. But he still couldn’t shake the strange feeling that he wasn’t where he was meant to be.
Maybe he was just overthinking, though. Maybe another day without sleep was getting to his overworked brain. Maybe--
“Uh, Tom?”
His head shot up, dragging him from his thoughts as Isabelle skipped over, holding out a stack of papers.
“A boat has docked near the northern beach.”
“A boat?”
“Yes, and a fox climbed out and handed me these. He says they’re permits? They’re all signed by you, but we don’t have permits on record, so I was wondering-”
“A fox?” Tom blinked, taking the permits from Isabelle, and skimming them over, before letting out a heavy sigh. “I’ll talk to him, yes, yes, it’s most likely--he’s an old friend. Playing a bit of a joke.”
“A friend?” Isabelle’s eyes sparkled. “You’ve never talked about-”
“I’ll go take care of this!” Tom hurried out the door before she could finish her sentence.
The walk to the beach was nerve-wracking, but Tom found himself filled with a strange giddiness he hadn’t felt in years.
No. No, he wasn’t excited to see Redd again. No. They hated each other, now, didn’t they?
Well, he had just called Redd his friend.
And Redd did show up here, clearly knowing Tom lived here, since he had forged his name on the permits.
Since when did Redd have a boat, anyways?
Before he could deep dive into that train of thought, though, he saw it: a green and white boat with a flag that he had seen probably a dozen times before--if he hadn’t known before, the leaf was a dead giveaway as to whose boat this was.
He climbed up to the boat, fussing outside the door for a moment, and briefly considering turning away, when the curtain that was being used as a door pulled back, and a familiar face popped out.
“Tommy!”
“Uh, I’m not-”
“Right, right, you found those little brats in the dumpster. C’mon in.”
Tom hesitated, but ultimately sighed, taking a step into the boat, as the curtain closed behind him.
“When did you get a boat?” Tom asked, as Redd scurried around the room, wiping off a dusty mug, and hitting an old coffee maker until it spurted back to life and started whirring.
“I made a big sale. Big, big sale. And I can’t tell ya the details, but it was enough to get me this beaut’ and--lemme tell ya, business on a boat is…” He trailed off. “Not great, really. This is only my first stop, though. So give it a little, and I’ll be raking in the bells, you wait n’ see.”
Tom couldn’t help but laugh--Redd was exactly the same. Coming up with wild schemes and diving headfirst into them without a second thought.
Kind of like moving to a remote island, but that was neither here nor there.
“Why a boat , though?”
“You’re on an island.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. You’re on an island. How else am I supposed’ta see ya?”
“Why would you want to see me ?”
Redd stared at Tom, confusion crossing his features before a loud sputter caught his attention. “Coffee’s done!”
He scurried over to the coffee machine, pouring the coffee into a cup, followed by milk and sugar, before carrying it over to Tom.
“Here!”
“It’s for me?”
“I don’t drink coffee.” Redd supplied. “It’s--Kilimanjaro. Your favorite, right? Lotsa milk, one spoon’a sugar. Right? That’s right.”
Tom blinked, his gaze lifting to the ancient coffee machine on the counter.
“That’s--mine, yes?”
“What--oh. It is. Yeah. You left it at my place when you…” He trailed off, holding out the coffee once again.
“You didn’t sell it?”
“Thought you might come back for it. And it’s not like it’s a state of the art piece’a technology, wouldn’t fetch that good of a price. Besides, I-” Redd stared at Tom for a long moment, “Hey, hey, Tomm-Tom. Tom . You look like shit.”
“Ho, ho, thank you very mu-”
“No, I mean it.” Redd mumbled, pulling the coffee back. “You look tired.”
“I am tired.” He said, as Redd tossed the full coffee mug behind him, hearing it smash against the floor. “What are y-”
“Coffee’s no good if you’re tired. Don’t tell me, you’re doing that diurnal thing again.”
“Business hours are during the day, so you have to-”
“No, you made business hours during the day. You’re still nocturnal. Bet you’re not sleeping at night, either.”
“The boys handle it just fine, and-”
“The boys are still boys . They can get by with a nap and some sugar. Plus, you raised ‘em all backwards . They aren’t used to the schedule. But you-” He pointed out, leaning forward. “You’re like me.”
Tom groaned, shaking his head as his shoulders slumped.
“I’m nothing like you.”
“Don’t sound so offended.” Redd huffed.
“Why aren’t you sleeping right now, then? It’s daytime.”
“I was up all night, docked here before the sun came up, and was happily snoozin’ away, then that peppy little…” He waved his hands. “The dog came knockin’ just a couple hours later, said she was gonna talk to you about it, so I decided to wait. See if you’d drop by. And here you are.”
“Isabelle likes to stay on top of things.” Tom nodded, “She’s good like that.”
“Mm...she seems…” Redd trailed off, but Tom made a mental note of the way his jaw clenched, before he caught himself and came back to his regular, disinterested expression. “Is she, like--your--”
“No.” Tom said, a little too quickly. “No. No, she’s--we work together. A friend.”
“Right. Right. She’s cute, then. Spunky, and all.” Redd nodded slowly, shoving his hands in the pockets of his apron. “So you’re...not seeing anyone, then?”
“No.” Tom frowned. “I haven’t...since I was in the city, I guess.”
“Since me, then.”
“...Yes, yes.” He sighed. “Since you, then.”
“Why’s that?”
Tom held up a hand, shaking his head. “No, no. We aren’t doing this.”
“I’m just askin'.”
“It’s never just asking with you, is it, though?” Tom told him. “It’s never ‘just’ anything.”
Redd took half a step back, staring down at the floor as he frowned.
“Why’re you here, Tom?”
“Your permits are fake.”
“Of course they’re fake. Anything else?”
“I need real permits.”
“You don’t care about my permits. Why are you here?”
“The-”
“If you say the word ‘permit’ one more time I’ll shove the Mona Lisa up your ass.”
“I…” Tom sighed heavily, shaking his head. “I had to see if it was you. And I had to know why you came. If this is some stupid way to torture me.”
“What’s that supposed’ta mean?”
“You used to show up. In the town. With that stupid tent. Like it was some secret club, and I knew you were there. Every single time. But you never--you never wanted to see me. You never came or invited me. Even now, the only reason I’m here is because of permits, not because you actually wanted to see me! So, why w-”
“I missed you.”
“What?”
“I missed you.” Redd deadpanned. “I missed you, but when you left you were so...angry. And I’ve heard the talk, y’know. Since you went out and made yourself a big boy company. ‘Tom Nook doesn’t work with foxes’ that’s what people say about you. And I know that’s cause’a me. So when I showed up in town. Or here. I wanted to make sure you knew I was around. But I wanted you to come to me. I wanted to make sure you weren’t still angry. But you never came.”
“You wanted to see me?”
“Tom, I bought a fucking boat.” Redd laughed. “Do you think having a shop on a boat is lucrative? How many customers does someone on a boat get? I don’t even know how which side starboard is.”
“It’s the right side.” Tom said softly.
“Is that when you’re on the boat or looking at the boat?”
“When you’re on it.”
“So the poopdeck is left?”
“...No. No it isn’t.”
“See what I mean? And I got seasick! Or maybe I had just eaten too many fish. Either way, it was a tiring experience that I only did for you .”
Tom paused, staring at Redd for a long moment before squinting.
“Is this a con?”
“No--I don’t want any money! I mean, I’ll take some bells, if you got ‘em, but that’s not why I’m here.”
“You’re here for me?”
“I don’t know how to make it anymore obvious to you, Nook, but yes, I’m here for you. Just you. Not your money, or your company, or any of that. You.”
“You could’ve just said so.”
“Didn’t know if you were still mad. Didn’t know if you’d kick me out. At least just hangin’ around I could...make up some story in my head about why you weren’t comin. Kids had a cold, or the shop was too busy. Or what have you. If I went, and you turned me down, then...that’d be it. I really would’ve fucked it all up.”
“I was never really mad. Just hurt. We built everything together, and then you turned around and hid that money from me, and I could never understand why. If you really loved me, why would you go behind my back? Why would you-”
“I wanted to surprise you.” Redd cut in.
“Surprise me with what?”
“The money. It was for an investment. It was supposed’ta bring in a lotta bells. I wanted to get you out of that shitty city apartment. I wanted to buy you that store you wanted. I wanted to…”
“What?”
“I wanted to get you a ring. Or somethin. I dunno.” Redd mumbled. “I wanted to give ya everything because you deserved everything and when the investment fell through, I couldn’t just come clean and tell ya, cause at that point I felt like an idiot. Puttin’ us in that spot. And I knew you’d leave, things were tight enough as it was. Didn’t need me puttin you in so much trouble on top of it.”
Tom suddenly felt his heart start to race, and he was all too aware of the rocking of the fishing boat on the waves.
“Tom?”
“You should…” Tom swallowed hard. “Come by resident services later. Isabelle will get you the permits.”
“No, hey, hey, don’t-”
“I need a minute.”
With that, Tom rushed out of the boat, scrambling back toward resident services, and stopping outside the door to take a few breaths to himself.
A ring? A home? A store? He couldn’t mean that. Not Redd. Not the conman Redd. This had to have been part of some plan. He couldn’t fall back into this.
He was miserable when he left Redd. Miserable. His heartbreak was immeasurable. It took him months to get over him. Could his heart handle that kind of pain now?
But Redd wanted to give him a ring. And still remembered his coffee order over a decade later, and bought a boat because he had missed him.
What the hell did all that mean?
“Oh, Tom! You’re back!” Isabelle called out as he stepped back into the center. “How was it?”
“Fine.” Tom said casually.
“This is so wonderful, you having a friend on the island. Do you think he’d like us to build a house for him? Or maybe he could stay at the campsite to--”
“Ho, ho, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Tom laughed. “Let him get settled in before we do anything.”
The rest of the day was uneventful. Each time the door to resident services opened, Tom’s head shot up, expecting to see a familiar redhead, but he was sorely disappointed every time.
That night, he sat up at his desk, reviewing new plans the representative had set out for a bridge.
“The boat’s gone?”
“It must’ve left early this morning, because I wanted to check in on him, see if he had needed any help settling in, and it was gone! Did he tell you he was going somewhere?”
“No.” Tom frowned. “He didn’t.”
“Oh...well I’m sure he’ll be back to visit you! Old friends, right?”
“Right” Tom nodded, staring down at his coffee mug.
“Don’t be so glum, Tom, look, our resident representative brought in a new flag design!”
Days went by, and Redd hadn’t come back. Tom had given up hope of ever seeing him again by the end of the first day, truthfully, and honestly, he deserved it. He should’ve stayed. Listened to what Redd was saying. Instead, he got scared and ran.
What a mess this was.
After nine days without hearing from Redd, Tom was sure he was gone for good, only for his eye to catch a glimpse of red loitering outside resident services.
He stumbled outside.
“Redd?”
“Tommy-- shit .” Redd huffed, “Tom. Hi. Uh.” He tossed a bag to Tom’s feet, and even if the classic red bow on the yellow bag wasn’t telling enough, the way it jingled as it fell told Tom exactly what it was.
“Are these bells?”
“’s all the money I took. Interest included.” Redd mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. “And--here.” He pulled out another box, tossing it to him. “I wanted to show you I was serious. ‘M not askin’ you or anything. Just. Giving you what I owe.”
Tom bent down to pick up the box, his breath catching in his throat as he inspected the small velvet case, opening it to reveal a simple silver colored band.
“How did you--”
“That human you got here. Bought a painting from me. A real one, too. So that night I set off for the mainland. Went to a couple dozen stores...got kicked outta most of ‘em, but...I finally found that. I bought it honest, see? No tricks here.”
Tom stared at the ring, unsure how long he had been standing there, gaze fixed, until Redd cleared his throat.
“If that’s all, then, I should get goin’ back to--”
“Are you staying?” Tom asked. “On the island. Are you going to leave again?”
“...Depends. D’ya want me to stay?”
“I do.” Tom admitted quietly. “I think . I mean, yes, yes, I do. But-only if you want to be here.”
“I do wanna be here.”
“Then yeah. Yes. Yes. Please. Stay.”
Redd shoved his hands into his pockets, kicking at the ground as he let out a heavy sigh.
“Might need to come in and out. Keep the flow’a business goin, you know. ‘M still a one fox operation.”
Tom nodded slowly, shifting nervously as he glanced back at resident services.
“Tom? You gonna be busy tonight?”
“I’m working.”
“What time does that fuckin’ place close?”
“...Well, it doesn’t, really, no.”
“So when do you sleep?”
“...At my desk. Sometimes. Isabelle has a room in the back, and the boys have a room in the shop. I didn’t really-”
“Christ, Tom, alright, you know what you’re gonna do?”
“I feel as though you’re going to tell me.”
“Take those bells I gave you, and build a new house.”
“A new house?”
“Yeah. Build a house. Make sure it’s got a bedroom.”
“I don’t need a house, I’ve got-”
“A desk? No. I want a house. I’m payin for it. Give me a house.”
“I thought this money was mine .”
“Changed my mind. Build us a house. And until it’s built, you can sleep on the boat. I gotta bed. And you’re still stuck on that sleeping at night thing.”
Build us a house.
“I don’t know if-”
“I’ll come by tonight to come getcha!” Redd called back as he started walking back toward the beach.
Tom let out a frustrated sigh, but picked up the bells, and pocketed the ring, walking back into the building.
“Oh! Tom! What’s that?”
“Redd came back.” He said, setting the bag of bells on the counter. “He’d like us to build a house.”
“How wonderful! Did he say where?”
“No, but I have an idea. I’ll lay out the site later, see how our representative feels about the placement.”
And he did just that--when the representative stopped by later that day, Tom laid out his own plan, and, almost nervously, asked to take the lead on this specific build (which the representative seemed more than happy to hand over to him--they did do just about everything else on this island, after all)
So, he sat at his desk, working up a rough design of the home’s interior, what furniture he’d need to order, etc., and he found himself getting...really excited. More than he had expected to. He even found himself trying the ring on several times throughout the day. So many times, in fact, that he had to remind himself that this wasn’t the little ideal fairytale life he wanted when he was a young man blinded by love in the city. This was real life. And just because Redd said all these things didn’t mean that--
“--no, I don’t think so, but I figure it’s worth a shot, hm?”
Tom’s head shot up when he heard Redd’s voice, his gaze shifting over to where he was standing, leaning against the front desk, and talking to Isabelle, while both of them had their eyes locked on Tom. Isabelle seemed to be holding back a giggle as she nodded toward Redd, who gave a large grin and waved.
“Redd was telling me you were going to spend the night on his boat! That would be good for you! Hurry off, now, I can wrap things up here!”
Tom pulled himself out of his seat, taking one last glance at his plans, before nodding, stepping out from behind the counter, only for Redd to be at his side immediately, an arm draping across Tom’s shoulders as Tom shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Hey, so, ‘s that house gettin’ built?”
“It’ll take a day, at least, and then furnishing it will take a little longer. Were you planning on leaving soon?”
“Yeah, just for a bit. I’ll be back next week, though, probably.”
“Then I believe it should be ready by the time you’re back, yes.”
Redd simply hummed in response, staring straight ahead as he led them back to his boat, but Tom chanced a glance up at his face, taking in his profile for a long moment--his pointed nose, the ever-present smirk, and his bright red hair, that currently looked incredibly messy, like he had just rolled out of bed.
Thinking about it, he probably did.
“After you.” Redd said as he pulled back the tarp to the boat, bowing with a flourish as Tom stepped inside. All the items Redd had on display a few days ago had changed--though, Tom was sure he had just tossed them in some back room to bring back at a later date.
“Is that Michelangelo's David?”
“...Ehhh. Might be? Who can say, really, anymore. That dude’s been dead for years. Pretty sick, though, huh?”
“Yes, yes, ‘sick’ indeed.” Tom laughed, lifting a hand to point out the statue’s features, only to be cut off by a soft gasp.
“Tom.”
“Yes?”
“You’re wearing it?”
Tom glanced down at his hand, his face heating up when he realized, yes, he was still wearing the ring--on his right hand, at least, because even in trying it on, it felt oddly overwhelming to put it on his left hand.
“...I am.” Tom nodded, staring down at his hand. “I was trying it on a lot today, actually. It’s a little big, but I think I could get it resized. And...I like it.” He paused. “I know it’s not the right finger. But I think I’d like to keep it here. Until I--until I want to move it to the other hand.”
“You’d-- wanna move it?”
Tom shrugged. “Someday. Maybe. I know if you had asked me back then--I would’ve said yes. Even without a ring. Even without a bell to our name. But I spent all this time thinking you were using me and that’s--a trust I need to build back before I can think about this, all, really, but…” Tom shrugged. “You’re going to be here a lot. So we’ll be seeing each other a lot. So we should--we should see how that goes. If you want to, that is.”
Redd’s eyes were still glued to the ring, his mouth slightly open in shock as he stepped forward, closing the gap between them as he pulled Tom into a tight hug, holding him close as his forehead fell to the top of Tom’s head.
“Redd--?”
It was then that Redd’s shoulders shook with the force of a sob, as Tom scrambled to hug him back.
“I thought it was all fucked up, Tom, I thought I ruined it all.” Redd gasped out, “I’m a real bastard, I know that, and I know I’m not even half of whatcha deserve, but I’ll do my damnedest, Nook, I promise that.”
Tom pulled back to look up at Redd, his hands sliding up to his face, and he could see Redd’s breath catch as he did so, leaning up on his toes to press a small kiss to Redd’s lips, pulling back before the fox could even get his eyes closed.
“Wait--wait, hold on. Hit me again.”
“What?”
“Do that again. Kiss me again. I waited a long ass time to do that again, I think I deserve a chance to savor it.”
“Do it yourself. Stretching up like that hurts my calves.”
“Lazy old man.” Redd huffed, an arm wrapping around Tom’s waist to pull him close once more as Redd kissed him, this time with a force that Tom didn’t fully see coming--and he was glad Redd was holding onto him, and keeping him steady, because otherwise his knees would’ve given out by now.
Tom pulled back a moment later, only because a yawn was forcing its way through him, causing Redd to--did Redd just giggle ?
“Alright, show’s over. Time for bed.”
“I’m not tired.”
“Bullshit you’re not tired. ‘M startin’ to wonder if you’ve slept at all since bein’ on this island. No good, that is, Mr. Nook. C’mon, I got a bed in the back.”
Redd scurried off to the back room, with Tom following at his heels, Redd tossing him some clothes when they entered his small makeshift bedroom.
“Y’can’t wear a hawaiian shirt to bed. Besides, how long have you been wearing that thing? Gross. I’ll do laundry while you sleep.”
“You don’t h-”
“Shut up, put the clothes on.”
Tom listened, of course, feeling his heart twist in ways it hadn’t in years when he realized Redd’s clothes smelled like him.
With that, Tom climbed into the bed, curling up under the covers, as he looked up at Redd.
“What?”
“I can’t go to sleep with you just staring at me.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Lay down until I go to sleep?”
Redd froze for a moment, but nodded, climbing into the bed beside Tom. It was a bit of a tight squeeze--the bed had clearly only been meant for one, but they managed, even if Redd was slightly hanging off the edge.
They laid there, silently, for a long moment, before Redd reached out to grab Tom’s hand--the one with the ring on it--and pressed light kisses to his palm and fingertips.
When he seemed satisfied, his hand slid up to Tom’s face, his thumb tracing over his cheekbone as he furrowed his eyebrows.
“What?”
“Committing it to memory. The image is the same, but the details have changed.”
“Are you comparing my face to a forgery?”
“No! Well, maybe, a little. I’m only sayin’ that I used to know every little detail of you and now I gotta relearn all of it. You got wrinkles here now.”
“I got old.”
“You got handsome.” Redd teased. “Dignified.”
“Dignified is a nice way to say old.”
“If you’re old, I’m old.”
“Never said you weren’t.”
“You’re a smartass.” Redd laughed, pulling his hand back, but Tom caught it, holding it tightly in his.
“I know.”
Next thing Tom knew, he was blinking his eyes open as daylight shined through the one, small window next to the bed. He pulled himself up, out of bed, and haphazardly made it, before turning to see his regular shirt on the dresser nearby, neatly folded next to a mug and a note.
Not out robbing a bank. See you before I set off -Redd
Tom rolled his eyes, only briefly concerned that Redd might actually be robbing a bank, before he realized there weren’t any banks on the island. He quickly changed back into his clothes (which now smelled like Redd, also--maybe it was his detergent?), and picked up the mug of still-hot coffee.
He sipped it carefully on his walk back to resident services, but not before dropping by Nook’s Cranny to check in on the nooklings, who seemed all too excited to tell him about their plans to expand the shop. He stayed chatting with them about their ideas before he headed out, being greeted by Isabelle as soon as he walked in.
“Tom! Good morning! I just did the morning announcements! Did you have a nice night?”
Tom nodded slowly, smiling mostly to himself as he took a seat at his desk. “I slept.” Was all he had to say.
True to his word, around an hour later, Redd walked into the building, leaning against the counter as he cheerfully greeted Isabelle, and grinned at Tom.
“How was your bank robbery?”
“Ahh, you own the only ATM on this island, bastard.”
“Ho, ho. So what did you spend your time on, instead?”
“That person came by the boat real early. Bought ol’ Davey boy. I helped ‘em get it to the museum. Not like you can just carry that thing around in your pockets, and all.”
“Yes, yes, how kind of you.” Tom laughed, before frowning “...You’re leaving, then?”
“If this one kid keeps buyin me out of all my prized pieces, I’m gonna have to. Gotta get some restock.”
“Right, yes, yes, of course.”
“Don’t look so miserable, shit, I’ll be back in a couple days.”
“Safe travels, then. Hurry back.”
Redd quickly glanced over at Isabelle, who seemed to be busying herself with some work on her desk, and leaned in to steal a quick kiss from Tom, letting out a laugh as he pulled back.
“Be seein’ ya.”
Tom spent the rest of the week working on the new house, along with new infrastructure set out by the representative, and the expansion of Nook’s Cranny from the twins. By the time Redd came back, Tom was about ready to collapse from exhaustion.
But the work was finally done.
When Redd’s boat docked on the northern beach, Tom met him there.
“Keep your eyes closed.”
“They’re closed! I’m-- whoa ”
“Don’t trip over that.”
“Little late on that.”
“Sorry. Almost there.”
Tom stopped them, and positioned Redd in front of the house. “Alright...open.”
Redd opened his eyes, grinning as he looked over the house--quaint, but with a small patio out front, a garden, and fencing all around. It looked...like a real great place to live.
“It’s nice, Tom.” He said, “Can we go in?”
Tom nodded, pulling the door open, and gesturing for Redd to follow him in. The main room was a small kitchen and living room, with three rooms leading off, and an upstairs.”
“So, there’s a bathroom through there, and two bedrooms down here, and then there’s upstairs--”
“Pretty fancy for a first edition Nook home. Don’t you usually charge a fortune for upgrades?”
“...I might’ve given you the family discount.” He teased, “That is. If you still want to stay here.”
“Depends. Are you stayin’ with me?”
Tom went quiet for a moment, fiddling with the ring on his finger as he shifted nervously. “When I was...planning out this house. I planned for it to be a house for...you, and me, and the boys. Because that’s what I wanted. That’s what I’ve always wanted.”
“...Shit.” Redd laughed, “I gotta stay if you’re thinkin’ like that.” He pointed toward the stairs. “So, if there are two bedrooms down here, I figure ours must be up here, hm?”
Redd trudged up the stairs with Tom following close behind, only to bump into Redd when the fox stopped in the doorway.
“I missed you.” Redd said suddenly, pulling Tom into his side as he stepped into the room, taking in the sight of the room--it wasn’t anything spectacular, Tom had thought. The large double bed took up most of the space, with a small desk tucked into the corner, and a dresser in the other. The house, currently, was a show home more than anything, and, overall, lacked personal touches.
He figured they could bring those together.
“You like it, then?” Tom asked, “There’s still a few things that haven’t arrived. The curtains I wanted weren’t available, but Mabel said she could sew something similar for us, but we’d have to wait for the fabric to get in. And then there’s a rug that shou--”
Redd cut Tom off by pulling him into a kiss, his hands sliding into Tom’s hair as Tom kissed back, only to pull away when Redd pressed closer.
“I need to go to work.”
Redd groaned, his fingers mindlessly running through Tom’s hair.
“God, I hate your stupid daytime lifestyle. Y’know, if that resident place is open all day and night, it’d make more sense if Isabelle took the day shift and you took the night shift. Just sayin’. Keep you both on better sleep schedules and you wouldn’t need to go against what your body’s tellin’ ya.”
“You’re only saying this because I have to leave.”
“Yes. But you know I’m right.”
Tom shook his head, leaning up to press a kiss to Redd’s cheek, before nodding toward the bed.
“You were up all night, then, right? Yes, yes, get some sleep. I’ll be back before you know it.”
He tried to ignore the whine that came from Redd as he exited the house, heading off to resident services.
Nearly 14 hours later, Tom hurried back to the house, fumbling in his pocket for his keys, when the door flung open before he could find them.
“Hi, Tom.”
Redd yawned, still half-disheveled from his sleep.
“Welcome home.”