Happy Birthday to Lucien

[gabe_bryan]

Lucien's birthday. Gabe finds the day taking him by surprise, struck as he is by the sudden realisation of how much has happened between them in what is a relatively short time. This time last year he hadn't even known the other man, and now, here they are, and he feels as if he's known Lucien forever. He feels as if they've always been like this,

Comments

[luciendasky]

It's been a long time since Lucien had a boyfriend for his birthday, and now, as he enjoyed the aftermath of a morning blowjob, playing with the arms on his new keyring, his brain can't help pointing out that there's still Christmas and Valentine's day to come. It's a bit selfish, but he indulges himself, enjoying being spoiled and thought of and looking forward to other big dates with anticipation.

"Okay." He nods and sits up, his hand cupping around the keys and enjoying the weight in his palm. "Should I come straight from work, or should I come back to shower first?"

[gabe_bryan]

"Whatever you want, baby."

He leans over Lucien and gives him one, last, kiss on the lips before rolling off the bed and heading into the bathroom.

"Just let me know when you'll be there so I can get there on time, OK?"

[luciendasky]

"We'll see what the day, and patients, want to throw at me then..."

He stretches out into the warm patch the Gabe left behind, even turning over to bury his face in his pillow for a moment before stirring himself and getting up. He's promised to go to his parent's house for breakfast with Eli before work.

"Okay, I'll text you when I finish. I'm looking forward to seeing the work you've been doing on it. I'm sorry I've not been over to help you out more."

[gabe_bryan]

"Don't be stupid, if you start saying shit like that I'll have to start apologising for not pulling more money in."

Something he already does feel incredibly uncomfortable, and sometimes guilty, about.

"And - "

He takes one last look in the bathroom mirror, rubbing the remains of moisturiser into his skin, before pulling Lucien close to him again.

"We can't have a domestic over money on your birthday."

[luciendasky]

"Okay..." Lucien nods, the word coming out soft and breathy as he smiles and wraps his arms around Gabe. "No domestics about anything today."

He presses a kiss to Gabe's soft cheek and hums appreciatively. "You know, if you keep up this moisturizing routine no one's going to believe that you're older than me. And that doesn't seem fair at all."

He grins, not even thinking about the words as he teases.

"Will you still love me when I'm thirty five and all wrinkly?"

[gabe_bryan]

"What is it they say about life being fair?"

And he's so tempted to reply to that in so many ways, to ask, a little sarcastically, if Lucien has plans for him to be around in five years anyway, with all his disbelief in forever. Or to point out how fucking unfair it is for Lucien to ask him to say it again, he's said it enough, each time with no reciprocation. But in the end he just smiles.

It's Lucien's birthday.

He still smiles.

"I believe I will, yes. Though it's never too late to start a routine."

[luciendasky]

"That it isn't," Lucien sing-songs. It's like some Yank kid's show; dishing out life lessons and morals with breakfast. Except the show would get cancelled pretty quickly due to the high sexual content. Gay sex at that. What are they exposing those poor imaginary American toddlers to? The terrible gay agenda.

... Right now, Lucien's gay agenda mostly comprises of him trying to stay looking cute and young forever.

"No time like the present, I guess." He cranes his neck to offer a cheek to Gabe. "Go on then, immortalise me."

[gabe_bryan]

"Immortalise yourself, baby. I have to get to work."

He deposits the blue jar in Lucien's hand and a kiss on Lucien's cheek.

"But cleanse first. There's no use putting it on dirty skin."

[luciendasky]

Huh. As if Lucien was that dirty really. Anyone would think he was raised by wolves...

"Have a good day! I'll text you later."

[gabe_bryan]

"And don't use all my product. Even if it is your birthday."

He's not really joking and Lucien probably knows it. The combined value of all Gabe's product comes to a staggering amount and he treats it like it's liquid gold, not a bit is wasted.

"I know you've got your own somewhere."

Something from a supermarket, Gabe suspects, in a tube. At least it's not one of those all purpose products that claims it can be used all over.

Urgh.

"I'll see you tonight."

[luciendasky]

Lucien knows full well that Gabe isn't joking, just as he's more than aware of the price tag on those products. Even the few things that Lucien has picked up in the past in the supermarket were enough to make him debate if he really needed to "fill out" the lines on his face or do something or other to his "T Zone", and he only decided to splash out when he was feeling at his most desperate. He couldn't even begin to imagine how Gabe justifies all his name brand products. That said, he doesn't begrudge him them either, he has the right to spend his money on what he wants, and there's no denying that his boyfriend looks amazing.

The majority of the rest of the day passes by fairly well. The trip to his parent's house isn't as traumatic as he was expecting, and only one patient threw up, mostly on the floor. It's enough that Lucien wants to scrub the smell of the hospital out of his skin when he finishes though, so he texts Gabe as he's drying off from the shower, before heading over to the house.

[gabe_bryan]

The house is looking substantially improved to the last Lucien has seen it. The broken doors have been repaired and rehung, the windows repaired as well. There's not a fresh coat of paint but the walls and woodwork have been sanded back ready for priming and the carpet has been pulled up too - the living room sanded back though not stained. Broken lights refitted with Art Deco shades, bought online and restored. Even switches and casing of the power points have been replaced, the yellowed plastic replaced with new - small things make a difference

[luciendasky]

It's still weird, to be letting himself in with a key to a house that's strange to him. He feels like he's intruding, especially as Gabe's scent is all over the place as soon as he walks in. As familiar as that has become in his home -their other home- this place feels like Gabe's territory, there's literally so much of his sweat, and perhaps a little blood and tears as well, put into it.

"Gabe? Babe?" It's warmer than he was expecting, and he follows the warm glow into the room. For a moment, he stops in the doorway, speechless as he takes it in, first the lights strung around the ceiling, then the picnic on the bare floorboards, finally the roaring fireplace. It's like something from a movie.

"It's... beautiful..." He crosses the room, gaze wandering to take everything in, before focusing on his wonderful boyfriend and wrapping his arms around him.

[gabe_bryan]

A movie set in a half-finished house, sure, but somehow, Gabe thinks, in the glow of the fire and fairy lights and those cheap paper flowers, he thinks it does look a little less of a mess and more something exciting. Something worth all the effort they've both put in. All his labour and all Lucien's double shifts. All of it.

"That's a greeting I could get used to."

They've both been so busy with the shit they have to do it feels, lately, as if there's been less time for these moments, less time to appreciate each other.

"I hope you're hungry I bought too much food."

And thirsty.

"And too much wine. Champamge?"

[luciendasky]

It does feel like they barely see each other any more, even if they share the same bed. Sleepy conversations, or worse, functional ones about dinner and who's buying the toilet paper, are no substitute for really spending time together in each other's company. Its just temporary, Lucien knows, but he misses Gabe even though he sees his face every day.

As he buried himself in his arms he nuzzles his face against Gabe's before kissing him. When he pulls back again he feels so much of the day, week, month fading away.

"I'm starved! And champagne? You're spoiling me!"

He holds on to his wonderful boyfriend's arms a little longer, before stepping away to settle on the floor with the picnic. He can't wait to be served, suddenly really eager to eat, and starts to pic through the food on offer.

[gabe_bryan]

"The real deal and everything,"

He says settling down on the floor himself and pulling the champagne from the ice bucket.

"Not quite bolly but a nice enough drop. I figured what's more important than celebrating you - besides, we can christen the house while we're at it. Really, there's so much to celebrate."

Gabe opens the bottle expertly and without the fanfare that comes of popping corks and wasted wine - he's not wasting a drop. Lucien's glass gets poured first and handed to him and then his own.

"To your old age."