For the second time in less than a year, Sam was moving. He had already downsized for his move to New York and he worked too much to have time to accumulate much clutter.
"Is that everything?" Peter looked over his measly three boxes and one suitcase.
"Yea. Well, I never got around to buying furniture really. And my air mattress belonged in the trash anyway…"
Peter smiled, "Well, lets get to work unpacking then."
The first box was filled with books and some documents. While Sam sorted the documents back into 'personal' and 'work', Peter carefully organized the books into the bookshelf. Sam smiled at the sight. Having their books mixed like that…"It looks right."
Peter leaned down to kiss him. "It looks like home." And it truly did, their belongings mixed together like they were always that way.
Peter dove into the next box and held up a poster. "Where do you want to put this?"
Sam laughed, "Do you really want to hang up a poster for Grand Turismo?"
"You're moving in, it's your apartment now too. Our apartment. It should look like we both live here."
"Our apartment. I don't think I'll get tired of calling it that. Put the poster wherever. I'm going to put my clothes away." Sam toted the suitcase into Peter's, no, THEIR, bedroom.
When he returned Peter was going through the last box. He glanced around and found Peter had placed his poster on one side of the kitchen entrance, and his college diploma was proudly displayed on the wall next to Peter's.
Peter held up a small jewelry box, "Bedroom?"
Sam took the box and opened it, taking a seat next to Peter as he did so. He pulled out the single thing he kept in it and turned it around in his hand.
"That's a beautiful pocket watch." Peter slid next to him.
Sam turned the watch over and showed Peter the engraving. "It was my grandfather's. I only met him a few times, but my parents told me stories." He set the watch back in the box. "It's my most important possession. I'm supposed to pass it down to my kids, as my Dad passed it down to me." Sam sighed. "I guess Kaelynn will be the one to do that."
Peter squeezed his knee, "Hey," Peter waited for Sam to meet his gaze. "We can always adopt."
Something hot erupted inside Sam's chest. "I -Peter." He leaned over to capture Peter's lips.
"You're a smart guy, you've never thought about adoption?"
Sam frowned, then turned back to Peter with a soft smile. "I- I've never been with someone who I'd want to raise a child with until now."
"Me too." Peter gently took the box from Sam's hands. "Let's find a safe place for this."
It was a promise. A promise of a future together. They weren't ready for a more permanent commitment. Not yet. But they were quickly moving towards it, and Sam couldn't keep the lopsided smile off his face as they put the watch into the fireproof safe.