Trent parked as close to Ted's building as he could and texted the other man his location.

Be right down!

Bleary-eyed, Trent tucked his phone away and took a sip of coffee from a blue travel mug. A second mug, red, filled with coffee that might be more sugar than anything else, was wedged into one of the cup holders.

Trent couldn't remember the last time he drove to the airport, but he had plugged the route into his phone the night before and he knew there would be signs everywhere. Worst case scenario, there was a map in the glove box. Not that it was light enough out to read a map, but phones had flashlights too. Not all modern technology was useless.

Driving Ted to the airport at 4am was not supposed to be the next time they saw each other, but plans change. Especially with kids.

Two afternoons after their second date, Ted had called Trent in a bit of a panic. Though he wasn't supposed to leave for Kansas for a few weeks more, Ted was booked on one of the first flights out the following morning because Henry had broken his leg.

A flashback to his own broken leg took Trent out of the conversation for a moment, so he didn't quite catch all of what Ted was saying.

"… so now instead of him comin' here with me, I'll be spendin' that time there with him and the lady on the phone said my ticket was transferable, but I think she was just sayin' that to shut me up because I was ramblin' like I do. So, yeah…"

"Wait, when is your flight?" Trent asked, trying to focus back on the present.

"Tomorrow mornin' at, like, 6:30 or somethin'," Ted said.

"Do you need a ride?" Ted's end of the line went so silent that Trent pulled his phone away from his ear to make sure the call hadn't dropped. "Ted?"

"That's not why I called at all. I can get a cab or somethin'. I could never ask that of you," Ted said, flustered.

"You didn't ask, Ted. I'm offering," Trent replied. "Would you like a ride to the airport?"

"Not if it means you'll have to get a sitter or make arrangements for your kid," Ted said. "And we'd need to leave real early. That's too much with no notice."

"Alice is with my sister until tomorrow," Trent said. "And it would be nice to see you again before you leave."

"Yeah, okay," Ted said softly. "Thank you."

So the next morning, dressed in sweatpants, a t-shirt, and an old flannel shirt, Trent waited for Ted, knowing the other man was likely a ball of nerves about his son being hurt and there being an entire ocean to cross to get to him.

Trent got out of the car to help Ted with his bags, but Ted waved him off and placed them into the back seat, mindful not to scratch the interior of the car.

Once the door was shut, Ted hugged Trent like he hadn't seen him in months instead of only two days.

"You really didn't have to do this, but I'm so grateful to ya for it," Ted murmured.

Trent half-smiled into his shoulder. "There's coffee for you in the car if you want it."

"You're too good to me," Ted said, still holding tightly to Trent. "Thank you."

They got settled with seat belts on and coffee mugs in hand.

"How's Henry?" Trent asked, once he navigated his way out of their winding neighborhood.

Ted shrugged and shook his head. "Michelle says he's fine, but I haven't gotten a chance to talk to him yet. He was sleepin' when she called."

"Does she know you're on your way now?"

"Yes, sir. She booked me a room at a hotel by the house and then I'll be stayin' with my mama when she gets back from visitin' her sister in a couple days. Her house is being fumigated right now. I wasn't supposed to be there yet."

"Are you okay?"

Ted sighed. "He probably woulda broke his leg whether I was there or not, but this is why I hate bein' so far away. I'm missin' out on everything and always feel like I'm playin' catch up."

Trent had often wondered how Ted, who he knew loved his son more than life itself, could be on a different continent from Henry. Another question for another time. "He'll be glad to see you."

"Yeah," Ted agreed. "I'll sure be glad to see him."

The car got quiet again for a while until Trent could feel tension radiating off of Ted and wondered if an anxiety attack was on his horizon.

"Nervous about your flight?" Trent asked gently. He wasn't a fan of flying and could relate, if that was the case.

"Not really. I'm pretty used to flyin'," Ted said as he ran a finger around the lid of his coffee mug. "Have you thought about where we're goin'?"

Trent's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he leaned forward to get a better look at an oncoming sign (as if leaning forward a couple inches in the car would actually help see something at least 50 meters away). "To the airport?"

Ted chuckled and then took a sip of his coffee. From the lack of negative reaction to it, Trent hoped he mixed in the right amount of sugar. "I meant us." Ted shook his head. "It's probably not even fair of me to ask this right now, but since my trip home is happenin' a lot sooner than I thought, it was on my mind all night."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not quite following," Trent said as he changed lanes to pass a car that looked like it was being driven by someone who might be intoxicated. When Ted didn't say anything, Trent glanced over and saw the other man was frowning. "What is it?"

"You're bein' sweeter than this coffee you made me—drivin' me to the airport before the butt crack of dawn—and here I am about to go Too Much Ted on ya." He exhaled heavily through his nose. "When I tell my mama I'm datin' you—after she comes down from whatever initial shock that gives her—she's gonna ask me your intentions. My intentions. And I thought we'd have a few more weeks to talk that out first."

"Oh," Trent said, sitting up in his seat and adjusting his hands on the wheel. "That's all right."

"Is it?" Ted asked, not quite believing Trent. "We've been datin', what, two weeks?"

"Yes… but we've known each other far longer than that," Trent said.

"So you're sayin' you know what you want out of this?" Ted asked.

"Not exactly," Trent replied. "Though I…"

Ted waited for Trent to finish his thought, but he didn't. "You what?"

Trent chewed the inside of his cheek. He did know what he wanted. He had known it for a while, but since he figured what he wanted was not ever going to even remotely be a possibility, he had done his best to quash those feelings down deep until they were buried by other things.

"You said to me… in the car the other night… that you were all in on me," Trent said slowly, determined to get out what he had kept to himself for so long. Ted nodded. "Well… I am all in on you too." The weight off his chest as he admitted that out loud was more than he expected.

"Really?" Ted asked, sounding relieved.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Trent asked.

"I…" Ted shook his head in disbelief. "Let's just say it'll be nice knowin' when I'm gettin' the third degree from Janet Lasso that I can tell her that you and me are on the same page."

"And what page is that, exactly?" Trent was eager to hear Ted's thoughts on everything.

"Oh, you know, married by the end of the year with another nine kids on the way so we can have a full soccer team of our own." Ted said it so casually that Trent accidentally tapped the brake and the whole car jerked. "Okay, I realize that was not the best joke to make at 4:28am while you're tired and drivin'. So before you change your mind about us and/or dump me on the side of the road, I meant the same page in that this isn't somethin' casual. When I said I want to take couples classes with you, I meant it. But I'm also not plottin' our future like I need to submit a notarized five year plan. I'm sorry if I scared ya."

"I can't believe I was going to tell you that I'm going to miss you," Trent muttered, as he merged onto the exit for the airport.

"Yeah, I deserve that," Ted said as he took another sip of his coffee. "I'm not very good at goodbyes."

"Then it's good you'll have some time to work on your hellos, I guess," Trent said as he pulled into the departures area and parked. "Please let me know when you've landed."

Ted gave Trent a small salute. "Yes, sir."

"I hope you have a wonderful visit with your family and that your son's leg is all right." With a frown, Trent leaned over the console of the car and kissed Ted. "I am going to miss you."

Ted's face morphed from a fond gaze to something almost stilted. "I'm gonna miss you too."

With a quick last kiss, Ted exited the car and got his bags from the back seat. He disappeared into the airport without turning around.

Trent drove to his sister's house with the music turned up louder than he would usually listen to it. He was hoping to drown out his thoughts, but every song somehow reminded him of Ted.

"You aren't worried that he's going to want to stay there forever?" Allie asked as she passed Trent a plate of scones.

Trent sat up straight in his chair and glared at his sister, grateful Alice was too busy poking the centers of each of her banana slices to pay attention. He had asked Allie not to say Ted's name around Alice that morning so they could talk without her knowing who they were talking about.

"I wasn't, but are you saying I should be?" Allie shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. "Why would he go through all the trouble of telling his mum we're…" He looked at Alice to make sure she was still preoccupied before whispering, "D-a-t-i-n-g."

"But you haven't s-h-a-g-g-e-d yet," Allie pointed out as Trent kicked her under the table.

"He wasn't supposed to go back for a few weeks," Trent grumbled. "I can't fault the man for wanting to be with his son. If Al broke her leg, and I was in another country, I'd fly home as soon as I could too."

"Home," Allie repeated. "Is that there for him? Or is it here?" Trent put his head in his hands. "I'm not trying to upset you, little brother. But I need you to be smart about this."

"He said he was all in on us," Trent said with a sigh. "And I did too."

"Well, there you go," Allie replied. "I am rooting for you, you know."

Trent nodded, head still in his hands.

I told my mama about you.

About us.

She did not have a heart attack, but I almost did.

Are you all right?

I'm better than all right at the moment.

I feel like I'm floating a bit?

I'm happy for you.

I still need to tell Michelle.

But I'm way less scared about that.

How's Henry?

He's doing okay. Thanks for asking.

Turns out some neighborhood kids built a skateboard "ramp."

"Ramp"?

'Twas definitely not up to code.

Michelle said it was a sheet of plywood leaned up against a pile of cinderblocks and loose logs.

We're lucky he only broke his leg.

I miss you.

I miss you.

Mama asked to see a picture of you, but I realized I don't have any on my phone, so I had to Google you.

I might have saved a few pictures of you from your SJA win a few years ago.

You looked like a bespectacled James Bond in that suit.

Crimm. Trent Crimm.

That was a different time.

Indeed.

How's Alice?

Did you go to the aquarium yet?

Not yet. We were supposed to go yesterday, but it was raining.

Does she know the aquarium is inside?

She does. Her logic was that the rain would fill the building with water and then the sharks would swim out of their tanks and attack her.

She had another nightmare the night before.

Did Henry have nightmares when he was younger?

Yes. His were mostly about getting lost in a corn maze.

And then he had some about tornadoes. It being Kansas and all.

That's what you get for exposing your kid to The Wizard of Oz maybe a little too soon.

Did he grow out of them?

Took a while, but yes.

Alice is a smart little lady. I'm sure she'll have a handle on those sharks in no time.

Just don't get her hooked on that shark song.

Pun intended?

No, actually.

But I can see how it seemed that way.

Did I mention that I miss you?

You might have.

Just so you know, I'm not fishing for a second return admission of you missing me.

Good.

Because at this pace, you aren't likely to land one.

Trent. Insert Middle Name Here. Crimm.

I can't believe you just used a pun via text.

You must really like me.

I like you more than you like puns.

Wow. I like puns a lot. Some might even say that I *love* puns.

So that must mean…

You have poor taste in jokes.

Touché.

I miss you too.

"See there, Al, that shark isn't even as big as you," Trent said as he held tight to Alice and pointed at the tank with his free hand. "He's too busy swimming around with his friends to want to come to our flat."

Alice wedged her head snuggly against her dad's neck and shoulder. She had been doing fine at the aquarium, walking from exhibit to exhibit, ogling the bright fish, plant life, and sea turtles. When she spotted a fake shark outside of a dark room with even larger tanks, she stopped in her tracks. Trent realized the only way she was going in that room was if she was carried, so he hoisted her up onto his hip—forever grateful she was small for a 4-year-old—and promised that she was 100% safe.

"What's his name?" Alice asked.

"The shark? Oh, um, his name is…" Trent bounced Alice on his hip for a moment as he thought of the tamest sounding name he could. "His name is Finn… Cuddlesworth… the Second. He's named after his papa."

"Did his papa eat the boat?" Alice asked, her tone extremely serious.

"No, my love, his papa didn't eat the boat. The shark that ate the boat was not a real shark, it was a pretend shark," Trent tried to explain as he slowly approached the glass of the tank with his daughter.

"Why would a 'tend shark eat a boat?"

"That is a very good question," Trent replied. "You know how we read stories together before bed?" Alice nodded. "Well… adults have stories just for them. And a long time ago, someone wrote a story about a pretend shark. His name was Jaws. And they turned the story about Jaws into a movie. That's what granddad was watching. A movie about Jaws. The pretend shark."

"That's Finn," Alice said, pointing at the shark in the tank.

"Right, that's Finn," Trent said. "Finn is not Jaws. Finn is Finn and he likes swimming in his tank with his friends."

"And Jaws eats boats," Alice said matter-of-factly, making Trent laugh.

"Yes, the pretend shark in the movie ate a boat. But he wasn't played by a real shark. Jaws was a robot."

"Finn is a real shark," Alice said.

"Yes, Finn is a real shark," Trent confirmed.

"He's little. He can't eat a boat," Alice reasoned.

"Correct," Trent said. "Finn can't eat a boat."

"Can I play with Finn?" Alice asked, looking at the shark with kind eyes. "He needs more friends."

Trent hugged Alice, impressed at her willingness to befriend something she was scared of, once she learned more about it. "He would love to be your friend, but he has to stay in his tank."

"Okay," Alice said, after thinking for a bit. "I learn how to swim and then I can play," she told her dad. "I'll be back, Finn," she addressed the shark in the tank.

Trent smiled. He knew the nightmares might not stop right away, but at least Alice seemed to be more accepting of sharks on a whole. At least this shark. It was a good first step.

He kissed his daughter on the head. "Yes, we'll be back, Finn."

Is it too early to call?

Trent looked at his phone. It was half past 8 in the morning and he had just gotten back from dropping Alice off at her day camp and grocery shopping. He had Googled the time difference as soon as he heard Ted was leaving. Six hours. Meaning, it was half past 2 in the morning where Ted was. They had spoken more than several times on the phone while Ted was away, but never in the middle of the night for either one of them.

Isn't it a bit late for you there?

I can't sleep.

You can call.

The phone rang almost immediately in his hands. It was amazing how instantaneous someone more than 7,000 kilometers away could send and receive communication.

In lieu of Hello, Trent answered his phone with, "Are you all right?"

"She asked when I was moving back," Ted said, as if they were already in the middle of a conversation instead of the beginning of one.

"Who asked you that?" Trent wondered aloud.

"Michelle," Ted said, obviously frustrated. "Not if. When. Like she wasn't the one who asked for space to begin with."

"I'm not following, Ted," Trent said.

"It's why I took the Richmond job," Ted said. "She said she needed space, so I gave her as much of it as I could to try and save our marriage. But now she thinks I should move back to Kansas. She said she doesn't need space anymore now that we're divorced."

"Oh… is that what you want?" Trent asked, thinking about the conversation his sister tried to have with him.

"No… I don't know," Ted said. "No."

"It's not something you have to decide right now," Trent offered, hoping to ease Ted's frustration.

"I know… it's just that I'm happy where I am right now, ya know?" Ted said. "Well, not where I am right now. Although it is nice to be back in Kansas. But I mean happy where I am in my life right now. With my coachin' job. Richmond's not where I ever thought I would be, but I can't imagine bein' anywhere else. I've gotten to know so many new people. And I'm still gettin' to know new people, you know?"

"Please don't say you're staying in London because of me, Ted," Trent said quietly.

"It's not just because of you, Trent," Ted replied. "But you are part of it."

"Your son is in Kansas, though," Trent said. "And you said it yourself, kids come first."

"Heck yeah, kids come first. And don't think I don't feel guilty not bein' with him every day, because I do. But what kind of example would I be settin' if I just gave up on everything I've worked for this past year a half?" Ted asked. "I'm not quittin' on my family the way my daddy quit on his, but it would kill me to leave Richmond for good right now. I love my job and know I'm makin' a difference with those fellas. I'm finally startin' to know myself. And, yes, that includes you. But it's more than that. I am more than that. And I wouldn't have found that out if I wasn't forced to go. But it's my choice to stay if I want to. And I want to. How's that for not people pleasin'?"

"Well… I can see why you couldn't sleep," Trent said frankly. "Did you tell her that, though?"

"Is that your roundabout way of askin' if I told her about us?" Ted asked.

"No. I'm asking if you told her about you. About what you want," Trent clarified. (Even though he was extremely curious if Ted told her about him, at least in the sense that Ted was dating a man. He didn't mind if Ted kept his name out of that part of the conversation.)

Ted chuckled, which was a relief to Trent. "I spent so long tryin' to please Michelle. It made me happy tryin' to make her happy, you know?"

"I have noticed doing things for others brings you joy," Trent deadpanned.

"I did tell her, though. I told her I was seein' someone. I told her he's insistent that he's fine with me bein' myself. That he even encourages it," Ted said.

"And what did she say about that?" Trent asked.

"She didn't say anything right away. Not with words, anyhow. Her face ran the gamut of emotions, though. All the way from insulted to apologetic." Ted sighed. "Her not lovin' me in the end wasn't anyone's fault. It's taken me a while to fully understand that, but I do. I thought she was my forever person because that's what you say when you get married—as long as we both shall live, you know? But that's horseshit, Trent. You love each other as long as you do and as much as you're able. The love changes. They change. You change. And it doesn't take away what we had or how we felt. I still love her and I'm sure I always will because she's the mother of my child. But I can't break myself apart again for her. I won't."

Every sentence out of Ted's mouth made Trent think of his relationship with Thomas, even though their relationship and Ted's marriage were two completely different beasts. Michelle seemed to not want all that attention from Ted, whereas all Thomas wanted was attention from anyone (which often fell on Trent) to please himself. Ted was happily convinced Michelle was his entire future because he didn't want anyone else while they were together, whereas Trent accepted his future with Thomas because he didn't think anyone else could want him as much as Thomas said he did. Ted bent over backwards for Michelle, only to have his life shattered. Trent stood up for himself on occasion, but Thomas's apologies would only last for so long before he slid back into the same routine of controlling their entire relationship.

Trent loved Thomas and he always would on some level, but he had to be okay with knowing that Thomas was not his forever person. Them not being together was another choice, albeit a morbid one, Thomas ultimately took away from him—even if it was a choice Trent might have made for himself. He never had that opportunity, though.

Plus, what Ted said made complete sense to Trent—Ted couldn't keep breaking himself apart for someone who wasn't allowed to make demands of him anymore.

Trent couldn't either.

Though Trent had been leaning against the refrigerator in his kitchen, he slid slowly to the floor, phone still pressed against his ear.

All this time, Ted needed someone he could pour himself into and still have something left in the tank to fuel his own drive while Trent needed someone who he could count on for support but also let him stand on his own two feet and be unequivocally himself.

It was an odd realization to come to after his legs pretty much gave out, surely, but he was proud for coming to it on his own without his sister or therapist prompting him to get out of his own way. Trent and Ted's needs overlapped with each other. Though it still felt far too early in their burgeoning relationship to know if they were as compatible longterm in person as they were theoretically on paper, Trent knew they both had to be brave enough to find out.

Ted had already been brave, though, by choosing himself. By coming out to his mom and ex. By committing to the unknown with Trent.

Trent knew he could be brave too because he had been his whole life. Every time he was knocked down by bullies, he got back up. After he lost Thomas both times, he managed to pick up the pieces and keep going. He was repeatedly rattled and lost confidence in himself, but he worked that much harder to get where he needed to go. It wasn't pretty, but it got Trent to where he was right then.

This time was different, though. Having feelings for Ted wasn't an obstacle to overcome, but a means to grow. Trent didn't have to reinvent himself to earn Ted's affection—it was already there for the taking if he could trust that he didn't have to start over; he only had to be brave enough to meet Ted halfway.

"…you still there, Trent?" Ted asked into Trent's ear.

"I am, yes," Trent said. "Sorry… what you said about everything just got me thinking, is all."

"You okay?"

"I think so," Trent replied. "It's good to hear your voice. I've missed it. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," Ted said. Trent could hear the other man's smile and it overwhelmed him so much that he had to close his eyes and slowly exhale.

"How's Henry doing?"

"He's a bit of a mad man with the crutches. Almost broke a lamp yesterday, but he's doin' fine," Ted said. "How's Alice? She still takin' her shark everywhere?"

Trent laughed. "She is. I found all of her dinosaurs on the floor this morning while she was curled up with Finn the Third. It's been three weeks now with no nightmares, so if that's what it takes, then I'm all for it."

"That's sweet," Ted said with a yawn. "Well… I guess I should probably hammer-head to bed now. Try to get some sleep before I take Henry and Michelle to the Royals game tomorrow. Or, today, I guess." He yawned again. "Thanks for mako-ing my mornin'. I can't wait to see you next week to basking your presence. Get it? Like bask in. But basking shark. Shit, I'm tired."

"Get some sleep," Trent said softly. "And Ted… I do like you more than you like puns."

Ted gave an exhausted chuckle. "I told ya, sir, I love puns."

"I know," Trent replied, quasi-hoping Ted was too tired to put two and two together. "We'll talk soon."

Trent hung up before Ted had a chance to say anything back.

Just got my bags! Be right out!

Nearly a month and a half. That's how long it had been since Ted left. Three quarters of their relationship had been long distance and things were going as well as they could, given the circumstances. They had FaceTimed a few times during Ted's trip, so it's not like they didn't see each other, but Trent missed being near Ted. Trent even spoke briefly with Janet Lasso, who gave him far less of a hard time than he assumed he would get regarding the panic attack article.

Trent also heard from Michelle. Ted must've given her his email address because he got a brief message from her. It wasn't necessarily a baton pass, but it was an odd sort of olive branch.

Trent,

If you're still with Ted when Henry and I come out to visit during his winter break, I'd like to take you for tea. Thank you for supporting him in ways I could not. He deserves the world.

Michelle

It was both for more and entirely less than he expected. While what Ted told Trent of her had already clouded his judgement, he was determined to be civil with her when she visited later in the year. As long as Ted was in his life, Michelle would be too and it would be better to have her as an ally than not.

Trent saw Ted before Ted saw Trent's car and the eager look on Ted's face made Trent fall for him all over again. Ted hadn't brought up what Trent had said at the end of his late-night phone call and Trent hadn't either. He was still glad he had said it, though, as it was like training for when he said the real thing.

Because it was when, not if.

Ted spotted the car and hustled over, yanking the door open and quickly (but carefully) shoving his things onto the back seat.

"It's so good to see you," Ted said with a grin as he shouldered his bigger bag into place so the door could shut.

Trent smiled, glad to see Ted too.

Ted hopped into the front seat and immediately leaned over the console. Noses smashed into each other and they laughed into a needy kiss that ended far too soon because someone was honking for Trent to vacate his spot outside of the arrivals area.

"All right, all right," Trent muttered to himself as he pulled away. Ted stuck up a hand to wave politely to the person they had inconvenienced.

"Thanks for comin' to get me," Ted said, nearly bouncing in his seat, far too cheery for someone who had just spent most of the day on a plane. When Trent quirked an eyebrow at him to silently ask about the heightened enthusiasm, Ted admitted, "I mighta had an energy drink while waitin' for my bag. I didn't want to fall asleep on the ride home because I've missed you so much."

Home.

Trent's cheeks flushed with warmth. "I've missed you too."

"I have news," Ted said. "I talked to Boss yesterday. About us. She said we should talk to the team's new PR person. I forget her name, I just know it ain't Keeley." Ted frowned, as if he just realized Keeley wasn't going to be working with him anymore, even though he's known that for months. "Anyway—we should talk to whatshername so we can control how everyone finds out we're together. She said we should do it sooner rather than later so there's time for people to lose interest before the season starts. Boss said, and I quote, 'you two seem boring, no offense, but two fairly private single dads datin' in their mid-40s is really not that big a deal, even if you'll be the only openly bi coach in the league,' end quote. So, yeah…"

That was a lot of information all at once, but it wasn't that surprising. Trent knew they'd have to go public about it and it was sweet of Ted to try and take the reins on it.

"That sounds fine. Are you ready to have your private life dissected in the papers again? This time will be likely be worse," Trent said, remembering some of the backlash from when he did the interview with Giles Trowley.

Ted scoffed. "Bring it on, Donkey Kong. Too bad you can't write this one too."

Trent laughed. "That would be an even bigger conflict of interest than my last article about you."

"Conflict schmonflict," Ted said. "You got anyone in particular you'd want to give this scoop to?"

"Certainly not anyone at The Independent," Trent said.

"Certainly not," Ted agreed.

"I might know someone, though," Trent said. "My old editor, Claire. The one who gave me my start at The Independent. She's with The Times now. Pretty much runs the place."

Ted whistled. "Ain't that the biggest paper you guys got over here?"

"One of them," Trent replied.

Ted threw his hands up in the air. "Well… go big or go home. And since we're already headin' home, we may as well go big too."

"Speaking of home… would you like me to drop you off at yours? Would you like to come back to mine…?" Trent left several unspoken questions hanging in the air.

"I need to shower and I missed my bed almost as much as I missed you, so would you mind if you drove me to my place?" Ted asked. "But can you stay?"

"Alice is with my parents, so I can stay, yes," Trent said. "I'll order food while you shower. We can watch movies. Sleep. Bake. Whatever you want. I'm just glad you're back."

"Can I kiss you in every room of my apartment?"

"Yes."

Ted was very quiet for a minute before he spoke up again. "Can we maybe more than kiss in some of the rooms of my apartment?"

Trent looked over at Ted with raised eyebrows.

"The kitchen is only for bakin'." Trent's eyebrows slid up even further. "And kissin', obviously."

Trent nodded once. "Good to know."

"So… is that a yes?"

Trent glanced over at Ted who looked both hopeful and bashful, so he reached over and took Ted's hand in his own. For the first time in a very long time, Trent felt completely content.

"Yes."