Heaven

It had been such a lousy day. No, absolutely awful described it better. Cecil Palmer woke up late since his alarm clock decided to screw with him and reset itself back two hours. So he wound up skipping his shower and breakfast to get to the station on time (barely). Then, someone had thought it was okay to sacrifice the coffee machine to the giant mole rat in the broom closet (which obviously needed its daily sacrifice, but why the coffee machine?!), leaving an already grumpy Cecil without his morning coffee. Thankfully, Intern Bryce had offered the rest of his to the radio host. Unfortunately, Intern Bryce had added spoiled bison milk to his, and Cecil spent most of the morning kneeling over the toilet.

If that didn't make it a bad enough day, all of the show's notes he had made the night before spontaneously combusted when he tried to write in a new story about Subway. He managed to put the fire out, but not without losing his second favorite bow tie to the cause first. Cecil tried not to gripe too much on the show (it wasn't his personal radio show after all), but he wound up going on a few tangents, much to Station Management's disapproval. Then, of all things to go wrong, his equipment started misbehaving throughout the show. It would start to play the weather early, garble Cecil's voice to near-incomprehensible chitters at random intervals, and became obsessed with "#Selfie" when it was supposed to play a pre-recorded sponsor's message. Thank gods he and Intern Maddie got it behaving again in time for the show to end.

Now Cecil found himself heading home, brooding over his horrible day. He was annoyed, tired, hungry, and he didn't even want to think about the way he smelled. He just hoped Carlos would be in a better mood and have dinner ready when he got home. Opening the front door to their shared house in Old Town, Cecil stepped in and closed the door behind him, fighting the urge to slide down it and just sit on the floor.

"Carlos? Are you home?" he called out to the house.

"In the kitchen. I've got dinner ready," came the response.

The broadcaster muttered, "Thank gods." He walked into the kitchen and immediately perked up. Two sets of broccoli, rice, and chicken (Cecil's favorite of Carlos's recipes) and some wine sat ready and waiting on the kitchen table. There were even some candles lit! It looked and smelled so nice. His imperfect scientist came over, wrapped Cecil in a hug, and gave a quick peck to his lips.

"Welcome home Ceece."

"Indeed. Were you done with your Science early to get all this done?" Carlos loved how Cecil managed to articulate the capital 'S' in 'Science'.

"Well, you know I listen to you show, and when I heard how bad of a day you'd had, I packed it in early and came home. It sounded like you needed some cheering up." He was nearly crushed by the sheer force of his boyfriend's hug.

"Thank you so much Carlos. You didn't have to go through all this trouble for me." Cecil was on the brink of tears. He was so lucky to have such a wonderful boyfriend.

The scientist smiled, nuzzling his face into the Voice's shoulder. He noted, "No trouble at all. Now come on. Let's eat."

"Yes! I'm starving!" The two sat down to their food, Cecil taking care to not scarf it down immediately no matter how much he wanted to (it was delicious). At Cecil's urging, Carlos talked about some of his experiments, like the work he was conducting on rumored sightings of a blue police box in random spots of the city. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but the radio personality could tell just how much these rumors excited his dorky scientist. He then listened to Cecil rant about his day, and they enjoyed a comfortable silence towards the end of the meal. When all was finished, the scientist cleared away the plates and blew out the candles.

"I've got a surprise for you," he told, chuckling at the way his love's eyes lit up. Cecil always loved a good surprise. "Go and take a nice, hot shower, change into the clothes I laid out for you, and come out to the living room. Okay?"

"Okay." He kissed Carlos sweetly before heading into their bedroom and subsequently, their bathroom. He took a mercifully hot shower, taking time to wash away his troubles and undoubtedly awful stench. Things were already looking up when he stepped out of the shower, towel wrapped around his waist. The Voice then got his first look at the outfit Carlos picked out for him and gasped in utter delight. He had to stop himself from jumping up and down in excitement then remembered he was alone (except the Sheriff's Secret Police, of course) so went ahead and jumped excitedly, throwing in a joyous squeal or two.

Carlos had pulled out his white furry pants and white embroidered tunic. He loved wearing those two together since it was the closest he was going to get to Dale Tremont's dress without buying the actual thing. He had seriously considered it, but Carlos managed to talk him out of it. Between Khoshehk and his other furry pants, there was enough shedding going on in the house that didn't need the addition of a furry dress.

He adorned the ensemble and went out to the living room. The lights were dimmed, a few candles were lit around the area, and all the furniture had been pushed back to leave more space in the center of the room. There Carlos was waiting for him, his usual labcoat replaced with a dark tuxedo. He looked very dashing. Cecil walked over and gave him another hug.

"How did I manage to get such a fantastic boyfriend like you?" he asked. His boyfriend pressed a button on a small remote before placing Cecil's hand on his shoulder, resting his on Cecil's waist, and keeping a soft grip on his other hand. A very familiar song started to play as Carlos gently swayed, bringing his love along for the ride.

"I don't know. All I know is that it's… Heaven, I'm in heaven. And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak. And I seem to find the happiness I seek, when we're out together dancing cheek to cheek." Cecil smiled and danced with his boyfriend. People loved his voice, but they had never heard his Carlos sing! He swore the scientist could compete with Fred Astaire any day. "Heaven, I'm in heaven. And the cares that hung around me through the week, seem to vanish like a gambler's lucky streak, when we're out together dancing cheek to cheek."

Carlos purposely hummed the verse about a mountain, not wanting to spoil the moment and have Cecil go into another heated debate over its existence. That boat had already sailed and sunk, leaving a not-so-great memory in its wake. Since then, Carlos had learned that some things were just best left alone. He flung his boyfriend out to the side then stepped back into his arms.

"Dance with me. I want my arm about you. The charm about you will carry me through to… Heaven, I'm in heaven. And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak. And I seem to find the happiness I seek, when we're out together dancing cheek to cheek." Carlos wasn't a professional dancer, and they didn't have a large patio to dance in, just their living room with what space Carlos could make. Most of the moves in this particular dance were just too advanced for someone who hadn't the experience or the practice with his partner. But he made up for the lack of authentic recreation with improvisation and enthusiasm.

As for Cecil, today, he couldn't care whether the scene was accurate or not. His love had swept him off his feet and made his bad day better. It was all Cecil could ask for, and it was absolutely perfect.

"Heaven, I'm in heaven. And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak. And I seem to find the happiness I seek… when we're out together dancing cheek to cheek…" The music dying down, Carlos leaned forward and captured Cecil's lips in a gentle, loving kiss. The couple stood there long after the song ended, holding each other close and kissing sweetly. Finally, they pulled away, each brilliantly beaming. Cecil snuggled against his boyfriend's chest, and Carlos held him tighter. "Well Amor, is your day any better now?"

"Immensely. Thank you so much Carlos. I love you."

"I love you too Cecil." The scientist rocked them from side to side, now dancing to the song of a comfortable silence and pressing light kisses to the Voice's head. Cecil sighed happily. Sure his day had started off horribly, but he had Carlos to make everything better.