So, I really have no idea if there's any active Delgene shippers still left out there, but I came across this little ficlet the other day and decided to post it anyway. It was intended to be a multi-chapter work, and I do have the second chapter partially written up, though I will say now that it is very unlikely that I'll ever actually finish it.
Regardless, I hope you enjoy this fluffy, domestic AU drabble!
"So, what do you think?"
"It's, uh... kind of small."
"I think you mean 'cozy'. Or, 'affordable'."
"I guess..."
As the media would seemingly always have it, advertisements did a fine job of exaggerating to make what they were selling seem far more appealing than it actually was. This apparently did not exclude apartment ads, and much like the difference between a TV commercial hamburger and the pancake of the real thing, what the pair of conduits found beyond the doorway hardly resembled the description they'd read in the newspaper.
But money was tight, and they quite literally couldn't afford to be picky. With the damage deposit already paid and their names signed to the lease, they would simply have to make due. On the upside, at least it was affordable.
Delsin should have listened to Reggie. He really, always should listen to Reggie.
Especially now, when things like 'don't go investing in a place you haven't even looked at' repeated over and over in the back of his mind, yet Delsin tried to remain optimistic as he stared across the expanse - or should he say, lack thereof - of the empty living room. They could make the best of it, right? Even if the paint was chipping off the walls, and the carpet was curling up at the edges of the cracked baseboards, they could still make this place their home.
Eugene seemed far less than convinced.
"Hey, just - try and stay positive, okay? After we get some furniture in here, I'm sure it won't look that bad..."
The deadpan look Eugene sent him in response was all Delsin needed to tell him otherwise, yet a small sigh soon followed afterwards.
"Fine."
"Ah, that's my nerd," Delsin cooed affectionately, wrapping an arm around the smaller conduit and ruffling the back of his hair with his fingertips. "Besides, when have I ever steered you wrong?"
The inkling of a smile turned to a spiteful glare in record speed, intense enough to make Delsin back off slightly and take another tentative step inside the apartment.
"Okay, okay. But seriously, this'll turn out great, you'll see." Eugene didn't bother to say anymore, following Delsin's lead to explore the rest of their new place.
Eugene had to admit, the area didn't look quite so terrible once they filled it with their cheap furniture and personal belongings. With an ample amount of junk salvaged from Eugene's base of operations, along with a few things from Delsin's bedroom back in Salmon Bay, the rough paint job was barely even noticeable with the amount of decor they'd put up.
In fact, the once bare room looked rather lived in already by the time it was fully furnished with their belongings, and as a result the younger male finally felt a sense of hope for the first time about their shitty apartment. He wouldn't let Delsin know that yet, of course, since it was still an incredibly shitty apartment, though he couldn't quite shake the feeling of mild attachment once his familiar possessions surrounded him.
This was their first place together, after all, and Eugene supposed he couldn't completely hate it for that fact alone. It even had a second room Eugene could use solely for his gaming needs, equipped with multiple computer monitors and shelves of endlessly stacked video games.
"Do you like the couch here?" Delsin inquired from said object, spread head to toe with his arms tucked behind his head on the worn piece of furniture.
"Yeah. Don't you?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
Who knew Delsin would be so finicky about the placement of furnishings.
"Well, where else could we put it?" Eugene asked, venturing over to the couch in question and gently moving Delsin's legs out of the way to sit down.
"Ehh. I guess it's fine where it is," the other hesitantly agreed after a moment's thought, sitting up slightly to make room for Eugene to get more comfortable.
And he did just that, shifting closer to Delsin, who automatically lifted an arm so that he could settle contently into the Akomish man's side.
"Mmm, yeah. The couch is great where it is," Delsin murmured, pressing his lips to the mess of dirty blond hair atop Eugene's head to earn a wide grin in return.
Wrapping an arm around Delsin's middle and burying his nose under the older's chin, Eugene easily decided that he was perfectly happy to spend the rest of the day snuggled up on the couch with his favorite person, perhaps turning on their large TV to watch reruns of old sitcoms or raunchy cartoons.
That was, until his second favorite person began to pound against their front door.
"Open up! I bring delicious seafood in exchange for an apartment tour," called Fetch's voice from the other side, and Eugene couldn't suppress the groan that slipped from his mouth. He loved the girl to death, but she really did have the worst timing.
"All right. Geez, go easy on the door, would ya?" Delsin shouted back, reluctantly untangling himself from Eugene to let the neon conduit in.
As promised, she did in fact hold three Olaf bags in her hands that was set down on the coffee table on her way to plopping down on the couch next to Eugene, who was still draped awkwardly across the arm where Delsin had left him. He was forced to sit up when Delsin came to join them, shimmying to the middle and reaching for the TV remote. If he couldn't cuddle with his boyfriend, he would at least get to watch his cheesy entertainment.