Friday, 8th July 2022

Jamie wasn't a napper, normally, he slept at least eight hours every night. He'd adjusted his bedtime when they'd started 4am training and the fact he could stay in bed an extra hour and read whatever bodice ripper his mum or grandmother had recommended him now that they weren't training until six, was a bonus. But today, between the gruelling 6am training session and then taking Roy apart with his fingers and then his cock straight after, he'd been so tired he'd slipped between the sheets when Roy left straight after the afterglow dimmed. When he woke, he stretched in the bed, still able to smell Roy on the sheets. He shook his head and mentally pulled back. He climbed out of bed and yanked the bedclothes off the mattress. He threw them into the washing machine and turned it on before taking himself for a shower and dressing for the visit to Roy's project…or their project…he missed calling it Platypus Green but that seemed like too much now.

Roy arrived at Jamie's exactly when he said he would and Jamie climbed into the car, handing the snack bag he'd packed to Phoebe in the back.

"Zappos," Phoebe yelled out.

"What?" Roy grunted, looking around.

"These are a cool Australian snack that Jamie introduced me to," Phoebe said. "Do you want one, Uncle Roy?"

"Fuck no, too much sugar."

"Sure, Grandad," Jamie said, holding out a hand to receive one from Phoebe. He'd ordered them specially for her and was never going to mention the price of shipping.

"Fuck off," Roy told him.

"That's two pounds, Uncle Roy. Jamie, are you excited about seeing Platypus Green?"

Roy growled. "I don't want you to get attached to this house, Phoebe."

"I am attached to it," Phoebe said. "But I'm aware you're not willing to allow yourself to be attached to a home in case it is ripped away from you like it was when you were a child."

"Fuck!" Roy swore, his foot jerking on the brake and shunting the car.

"Is that why you don't have a home, Roy?" Jamie asked, voice quiet.

Roy growled a warning.

"Did Uncle Roy tell you I'm going to be his interior designer?" Jamie asked, changing the subject but wondering if this was perhaps the reason Roy didn't have a home and wondering if he could convince Roy that this house could be his home. If he helped Roy design the house to be something Roy could love, maybe when they were done Roy would feel like he could have a home. Not, quite the house Roy wanted him to design but maybe a home that Roy could love.

"No," Phoebe reached forward and poked her head between the seats. "Can I help?"

"You're my deputy," Jamie said.

"Sit back," Roy said. "Are you still in your seatbelt?"

"Of course, Uncle Roy."

They arrived at the house a few minutes later, time that had been filled with happy chatter from Phoebe.

"Phoebe," Roy said, undoing his seatbelt and turning to look at her. "You have to keep your hard hat on and don't go anywhere Nigel tells you not to."

"I promise," Phoebe said. "We need to start making plans, Jamie, we've only helped with the bathroom and kitchen, there is still so much to do."

"I had an idea for the shared rooms," Jamie said.

"What?"

"I think we should accentuate the built-in features and add some additional moulding to make it feel decadent. I was thinking something along the lines of what you see in Bridgerton or Only Murders in the Building set design. Built in shelves, wide skirting boards and door thingies. Then colour on the walls, I think it would look really good and would work with the kitchen floor and accents. I don't think you should use wallpaper like they did but some bold colours would work, and it wouldn't make the rooms feel too small.

"I'll look at some pictures," Roy conceded.

Jamie held his hand out to Phoebe who slapped it enthusiastically.

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