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Charles was standing out on the deck, mug in his hands. A thin sweater was draped over his shoulders, doing very little to shield him from the cold breeze. It had just started to get colder out, leaves dropping from the trees. It reminded him of what he missed out in his childhood, in a way. How he could’ve been jumping into piles of leaves after raking them up with his dad, who just turned out to be a sad drunk after his mother went missing.He scowled at the thought. He didn’t blame him, in a way. He took it just as hard as he did, feeling lost and abandoned. His mother used to whisper soothing words to him in her native language every single night, and now he could barely even remember what they were or what they meant, the little knowledge he had about the language being stripped away after years of her being gone. He was only pulled out of his thoughts when the front door creaked open.There stood Arthur, shirtless, with sweatpants hanging low on his hips. He eyed him for a moment before taking a sip of his coffee, “ain’t a very suitable clothing choice for the cold weather.” Arthur only grumbled in response and sauntered over to Charles, wrapping his arms around him and pressing his face against the middle of his back. The cold metal of his ring scraped against his chest, causing him to shiver.“Good morning to you too.” Charles said, huffing out a laugh. He took another sip of his coffee, scrunching up his nose at the bitter taste. They stood like that for a while before he felt Arthur shift away from him, still looking like he was going to fall asleep standing up, “let’s go get you some breakfast, big guy.”Charles slipped inside and Arthur followed, like a dog following its owner around, “we got some eggs from the chickens..” Charles patted his chest, “just go sit down, I’ll take care of it all.” Arthur grunted in response, pressing a sloppy kiss to the man’s cheek before sauntering off to go lay on the couch.Charles smiled fondly. The man always found a way to pull on his heartstrings, intentionally or not. He was always fond of his ocean blue eyes, just as deep and captivating. Or the faint freckles on his cheeks, the ones that only really show themselves in the summer or the crooked bridge of his nose, broken from accidents that they look back and can laugh at. He truly had him wrapped around his finger, and he loved every second of it.He smiled fondly back on their teenage years, when they first met. Their first date consisted of Arthur thrusting pretty lilacs into his hands, mixed with small white flowers, and going on a date to a fancy restaurant then an arcade. It did take Arthur years to fully get through the walls he put up, slowly chipping away at them, until finally he broke through. He was very clingy, having been kept away from the access to be so close to someone for many years. Charles was very hesitant about it for a while, but now he craves that contact. He likes feeling Arthur’s strong arms wrap around him.He hummed to himself as he slipped two eggs into a pan, watching as the white started to tan around the edges. He liked being able to do this for Arthur, to put the skills he’s learned over the years to some sort of use. And if it meant to got to see a smile on his face, it was even more worth it.As soon as the food was done, he piled it onto a plate and walked over to Arthur, whose large frame was curled up on the couch, shivering due to the cold. Charles’ ran his fingers through Arthur’s sandy blond hair, pushing it out of his face. Blue eyes fluttered open and a smile immediately crept onto his face, “hm.. smells good.” he whispered, sitting up slowly and reaching out for the plate.Charles pulled it out of his grasp and pushed his hand away, “nuh uh, nope. Not before you wash your hands.” Arthur groaned, “okay, dad” he said, playfully rolling his eyes. “Don’t roll your eyes at me, Mr.” Charles huffed, feigning annoyance.Arthur stuck his tongue out at Charles. This man never truly grew up, it was almost cute, as tragic as the reason behind it was. Charles stuck his tongue back out at him, “I will hit you with this spatula.” He raised it a little to further prove a point and Arthur walked over to the sink, laughing, “oh noo, I’m so scared.”“Ah, don’t have an attitude with me. I will revoke your kissing privileges for a week” Charles retorted, poking Arthur’s chest with the end of the spatula as he walked by. Arthur seemed to frown out that and batted his pretty blue eyes back at Charles, something he knew he couldn’t resist. He clucked his tongue and went back to scooping the rest of the food onto the plates. He always gave Arthur more food, saying he needed it. He’s never had proper eating habits until they moved in together and ever since then he’s been giving him full meals, which he ate gratefully.Charles always snuck behind Arthur and let his hand rest on his stomach, feeling the small amount of weight he gained there. It made his heart swell, in a way, knowing that he enjoyed what he cooked for him so much. Arthur was always a bit of a picky man and he found out what he truly liked to eat with ease, sometimes surprising him with his favorite dish on certain occasions.It always earned him a delighted gasp from Arthur and a few kisses to his cheek, the sight of him so happy not failing to make his day better. He would gladly take nothing in return if it meant that he could see him this happy all the time. Arthur was stubborn though, and insisted on doing things in return. He bought him flowers still, a tradition that hasn’t changed since their teenage years.Sometimes he slipped in a small gift or two, most of them being small trinkets. Charles brings him gifts in return. Every few months there’s a few shops in the park that sell things, and if he’s lucky, he’ll find a sketchbook or two that reminds him of Arthur. Arthur always scolds him about spending too much money on him but does he listen? Nope. He just wants to see his husband happy. If that’s all he can do in his 30 years of life, then he’ll take it.