Once in the hallway, he heard the sounds of the television. He followed the noise and stopped short when he got to the living room, his heart feeling so full he wanted to cut it out of his chest. Soren was lying on the couch in his underwear, and Mantis was curled up on his shoulder sound asleep. A smile spread across Soren’s face the moment he saw Tobias. “Hey, Glasses. How are you feeling?”
Tobias’s first instinct was to say something flippant, something to put some emotional distance between them because the feelings flooding his already overwhelmed system were too much for him. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. He didn’t say a word, just wandered to the couch and settled himself on top of Soren, his head resting on his chest. Mantis growled her disapproval of having to share her resting place but didn’t vacate her prime real estate.
Soren’s hand came up to card though Tobias’s hair, and fuck, if he didn’t like this weird bubble of intimacy it created. Tobias had never received even the slightest bit of affection from his parents, not even for show. It had seemed unnecessary, like a luxury more than a necessity. But Tobias needed Soren, needed this, needed him to remind him that he was a human and humans needed connection.
“You’re kinda scaring me, Doc. You okay?”
Tobias nodded. “I’m good. I just woke up and you weren’t there.”
“Mantis needed to eat and go for her nightly walk,” Soren reminded him.
Tobias wiggled his hips. “I hope you put on pants first.”
“Don’t want me scandalizing the neighbors, Glasses?” Soren teased.
“No, don’t want them following you home. The next door neighbor looks like she’d crawl right in our bedroom window.”
“The neighbor on the left or right?”
Tobias frowned. “We have a neighbor to our right?”
“Yeah, Mrs. Slovik. She’s from Poland, nice lady. Not at all the type to crawl into a window after a man. But Mrs. O’Leary? I’d most definitely keep an eye on her.”
“How do you know our neighbors?”
“I had a lot of time to kill while you were at work. Iama social butterfly. I get bored. I wander. They love Mantis.” There was a pause before Soren said, “Did you sayourneighbors, Glasses?”
Tobias rubbed his cheek against Soren’s fuzzy chest. “You’re here all the time anyway. Your shoes have their own place by the door. Your clothes are in my hamper. You might as well just stay here.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re smitten with me, Doc,” Soren teased.
“It’s not every day you find a man willing to kill with you and for you.”
“It’s oddly common in my circle of friends, but I don’t think there’s anybody else in the world like you.”
“So, you’ll stay?” Tobias asked, heart in his throat.
“Yeah, Glasses. I’ll stay.”
Tobias let out a relieved breath. “What are you watching?”
“The Big Lebowski.”
Tobias watched a bit in silence, taking in the conflicting patterns of the man’s pajama pants and cardigan combination as well as his well-worn t-shirt. “He reminds me of you,” Tobias mused.
“I wouldn’t be caught dead in a cardigan, Glasses. That’s your territory.”
“It’s not the clothes, it's the energy,” Tobias assured him.
“Careful, you’re starting to sound like a granola-eating hippie.”
Tobias reached out and grabbed the remote, turning the television off and wiggling farther up Soren’s body. Mantis gave a low growl and a sharp yip as Soren picked her up and set her on the floor before prancing away to pout on her bed.
Tobias trailed his lips along Soren’s throat, his hand cupping his semi-hard cock through his underwear. “Whatcha doing there?” Soren asked.
“I thought it was fairly obvious.”
“I don’t think fucking you is physician-approved given you had your egg scrambled just a few hours ago.”
