Chapter Text
Barclay always forgot how much he hated airports until he was in them. He had prepared himself for it to be busy, there was no way it wasn't going to be when it was so close to Candlenights, but he always forgot to factor in the noise, the cramped seats, and the stress of using the ‘entirely above board’ passport Ned arranged for him. Using the archway was so much less stressful… well, lately. Joseph was worth it, but this was one of the times Barclay wished his abilities included teleportation.
And now, here he was: touching down in Washington DC, stiff and cramped and anxious with the end so close in sight.
A crackle of noise from the plane's intercom, and he cringed reflexively at the electrical squeal of the speakers. "Attention all passengers, this is your captain speaking; we are now arriving at DCA, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. We've made great headway today, it is a sunny 2:34pm and we are preparing to disembark. As always, thank you for flying McElroy Air, and please listen to the flight attendants to keep things moving in a neat and orderly fashion."
Something about that sat uncomfortably in his stomach, and it took a moment for Barclay to realize exactly why: he wasn't supposed to be getting in until 3:15. And he should be grateful not to have to be here for another 45 minutes, but Joseph wasn't picking him up yet. Barclay scrambled in his bag for the print out Joseph sent him (“just in case you can't access your phone”) collection was listed for 3:38pm (“that's really specific, babe” “I calculated the median bag collection time for the airport and tacked on a deduction so I could get there so I wasn't rushing.” “Have you factored in looking good in your suit time, Joseph?” “Are you objecting?” Barclay was not.)
At least he could stretch out once they were back on land. Planes were most definitely not made for anyone over 6 feet tall. He had spent the entire trip trying to make himself as small as possible and still been tutted at by his seat neighbour for his trouble.
She was still tutting at him, actually, as they taxied to the gate and he -- per the flight attendants' instructions -- remained seated for the people behind them to disembark.
"Um, excuse you?" She huffed, trying to squeeze out past him.
He cleared his throat. It wasn't their turn yet; he so very much wanted it to be their turn. "I think we're still supposed to wait a minute," he told her, low and apologetic. Even if he wasn't the one being rude here.
"Oh my god," she muttered to herself, rolling her eyes. Then, louder and more accusatory, "are you being serious right now?"
He flashed his palms. "I'm just trying to follow the rules."
She kept muttering to herself -- like he wasn't right there within earshot -- but they did, eventually, make it off the plane. He scanned for a corner or anywhere else he might be able to get some space to breathe and stretch, but the crowd of passengers swept him up and didn't spit him out until they reached baggage claim. He never thought he'd be so glad to see empty carousels. As most of the other passengers crowded in, pushing as close to the white line as possible, Barclay stepped back, used the time before the siren announced their bags’ arrival to try and ease his grumbling back.
He was grateful for the height he resented on the plane when it came time to retrieve his case. He expected at least a few strange looks, but no one seems to bat an eye at the flame decals Aubrey surprised him with (“to make sure you can spot it easily.”) The cathunk of the handle clicking into place was deeply satisfying as he wheeled his way to freedom. He debated what was best, but waiting outside the airport like a lost puppy probably wasn’t ideal as much as he wanted to see Joseph as soon as possible. He should find a cafe to wait at or something, hopefully they had them in arrivals, he would message Joseph from there, make sure he knew where to find him so he wasn’t worrying. Joseph didn’t need any more stress.
Barclay stepped through the doors and into the arrival lounge and who had he been kidding? His secret agent always knew where to find him, and here he was, suit rumpled, hair askew, looking entirely perfect. It took a moment, but the smile that blessed Joseph's face when he noticed Barclay set his heart aglow.
Joseph waved, a collection of rough stems and half-crushed flowers in one hand. Oh, sweet man; that had been a bouquet at some point. He was always so thoughtful.
"There you are, dear," Joseph cooed as they reached each other, taking his arm and giving a firm squeeze. Catches his breath. "How was the flight?"
“You're here!” Barclay bumped Joseph's shoulder affectionately as he allowed himself to be led through the arrivals hall.
“Of course. I tracked the plane so I could leave on time.” Stern smiled and Barclay loved that it reached his eyes, he was so glad they had left the uncertain, awkwardly polite, denying what they felt days behind.
“When did they update our arrival time?” Barclay asked, curious. “They didn't tell us on the plane until we were nearly in.”
“About an hour ago.” Joseph said, totally nonchalant.
“It takes you an hour to get here.”
“It takes well-put-together Joseph an hour to get here.” Joseph gestured to his appearance as he steered them down an escalator to the transport hub.
“I like rumpled Joseph.” Barclay shrugged. “He's even more dashing because he rushed here for me, my knight in shining armour!”
Joseph laughed softly as they made it to the platform. “Glad to hear you're not disappointed.” He looked down at the flowers. “Actually, let me just bin these…”
Barclay tugged him back gently with their linked arms. “Please don't.”
There was a familiar struggle on Joseph's face as he looked from Barclay, to the bundle, and back again. "I was, hm," he frowned. "Things got a little hectic; I'd like to get you flowers that haven't been stepped on."
That man held himself to exacting standards sometimes. Barclay shook his head, taking the bouquet from him and fussing with the arrangement of some of the surviving greenery. "Well, I think these are still lovely."
Joseph exhaled. Maybe still not quite content, but accepting it. "If you say so. How was the flight over?"
“Cramped.” Barclay said. Although he quickly softened the answer, worried about coming off as resentful of the trip to visit, he didn’t want Joseph to feel like coming to see him was a chore. “The person in the seat next to me was upset about… well, you know.” Barclay gestured to himself.
A smile played across Joseph's face. “Can't say it bothers me.”
Barclay laughed and pulled him in for a hug. He'd missed being with Joseph. Phone calls were good, great even, but this was better. “I missed you.”
"Missed you, too." He gave him a squeeze, lingering in the embrace until Barclay decided to pull away. Pat his shoulders one last time, then checked the time. “Alright, next bus should be here in a couple minutes; station’s this way.” He hummed, taking Barclay’s arm again as he led the way.
“Always so prepared~” Barclay teased, giggling, but he was so ready to be somewhere more private. And he'd never had the opportunity to visit Joseph's apartment before; even when they did the occasional video call, he hadn't seen much of it.
Joseph muttered to himself, clearly still consulting the time-tables in his head. “So long as we catch this bus… then if we transfer to the metro… maybe we can avoid taking the long way…”
“Let's not take the long way if we can help it,” he teased as they made it to the stop. “I can't wait to see your place.”
“Yes, well, it's not quite as, er… homey as Amnesty lodge.” Joseph's brow is slightly wrinkled as he strode towards the bus. He was probably worried about them missing it.
Barclay lengthened his steps, matching Joseph's pace. “Don't worry, Joseph, we'll make the bus, if I can't have faith in your timetabling abilities I can't have faith in anything.”
Joseph laughed again, “that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me, darling.”
Barclay laughed with him, and they made it to the bus just in time. Snagged seats near the back. The bus was kind of a snug fit, too, but he really didn't mind being pressed thigh to thigh when it was the two of them; and Joseph let him have the aisle seat where he could stretch out his legs a little more.
Joseph was getting more and more jittery as the ride continued; Barclay could feel it in the way his leg bounced restlessly. He took Joseph’s hand, squeezing gently, and he relaxed at the touch.
“How’s work been?” Barclay asked, to break the silence.
“It's-” his nose wrinkled, and his phone chimed with an email before he had the chance to find the words he was looking for. His brows furrowed and he checked the phone, then put it back in his pocket. “Busy. Never really lets up for the holidays.”
“That's too bad.”
“It’s fine. It's– you know, I'm used to it.” He shrugged it off. Frowned again when there was another email chime. “Can I just…?” His question trailed off as his hand trailed back to his pocket.
“Go ahead, I'll just admire the scenery.” Barclay said. He tried to stamp down the little flutter of disappointment, afterall, wasn't this exactly why he was here? Joseph could only get a few days off work whereas Mamma had pretty much chased him out of the kitchen (“you haven't taken a holiday in at least three years, Barclay.”, “but what if you need me to…?” “We'll be fine.”)
It didn't matter that Joseph had to answer some emails on the bus, they had plenty of time. Barclay reached out and laid his hand on Joseph's thigh and gave a gentle squeeze. Joseph smiled and looked up from his phone to quickly kiss Barclay's cheek.
The emails took no time at all, barely even needed to be replied to, and he was just starting to put his phone away when it started ringing. "Oh my god," he muttered under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's Hanes. Do you mind if I-?"
Barclay gave him a tight smile, already starting to nod his approval -- was it going to be like this the whole time? He'd barely even gotten here and Joseph was already being pulled back to work. But his work was important, and it was important to him, and he didn't want to seem overly upset over a couple emails and a phone call.
Something in his expression must've betrayed him because his brows furrowed, and he declined the call. "No, you're right; it's my day off. He'll live."
The way his heart skipped a beat: oh, what a sweet man. Still, in spite of himself, he asked. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, no," he shook his head. Turned his phone on Do Not Disturb and shoved it back in his pocket. "I mean, it'll probably be fine. He'll leave a message, and if it's really important he'll call my personal. He knows I took the day off."
Joseph took his hand, and Barclay twined their fingers. "Thank you."
"Of course, darling." He gave a squeeze. Glanced out the window. "Oh look; you can see the Washington Monument from here." He pointed out, giving him a little bit of an elbow. "Going to want to do any of the tourist circuit while you're here?"
“Uh, I hadn't actually thought about it you know?” Barclay paused. Yes, he probably should have considered what he wanted to do while he was here, but he’d only really thought about spending time with Joseph, he didn't mind how they did it. When he thought about it though, this was a holiday too, he could ask for things. Joseph wouldn't mind. “I think it'd be fun to see a few things, I'm happy to trust your judgement on it though. Maybe try a market? Probably a little bit bigger than the produce ones I'm used to.”
Joseph lit up. “I actually noted down a few in the folder at home!”
“The folder? Have you got some options for us to do already together, babe?” Of course he should have considered that Joseph would have done planning for this trip. Sweet, wonderful man.
“I…” Joseph paused, then pressed the bell to indicate they wanted the next stop. “... I think that you deserve care and attention and also I like doing research, so sue me.”
Barclay laughed as he stood up and collected his bags. “You're great, you know that?”
“You can write it on my performance review.” Joseph deadpanned.
Although, actually, Barclay can't be 100% sure he's joking. They'd talked a lot before they decided to pursue this, Barclay knew how anxious Joseph was about letting him down. A performance review wasn't entirely outside the realms of possibility…
Just as he was thinking that, Joseph fidgeted, some color coming to his cheeks. "I'm, um. Joking, joking," he assured. Not entirely convincingly.
Joseph cleared his throat as they got off the bus, already guiding them towards the next station. "Just have a quick metro trip, and we'll be at mine," he hummed. Frowned. Hesitated. "Ours?"
"Ours?" Barclay parroted, all fluttery over the suggestion.
"Your home away from home, at least," he softened, clearly uncertain. "Or something close enough, I hope."
"A home away from home." He grinned, already looking forward to seeing it.
Joseph was a little fidgety the rest of the commute, but before long they found themselves in front of a plain, but nice, apartment building. They navigate the entryway and Barclay was a big fan of the tiny lift. It barely fit them both and his suitcase, but he certainly didn't object to an opportunity to press himself chest to chest with Joseph. It stopped on the fifth floor, and there was only a short walk after that before Joseph pulled away to unlock the door.
“I got you a key cut so you can come and go as you please and I thought, well, I thought maybe you could just hang onto it.” Joseph concentrated firmly on the door, his hand didn't shake, but despite his casual tone Barclay knew this was big for him.
He laid a hand on Joseph's shoulder and squeezed gently. “I'd love that.”
Once the door was unlocked Joseph paused, hand still on the handle. “Barclay, I… well, it's not… it isn't like the lodge.” His tone was mild, but anxious energy radiated off him.
“Do you have a wall mounted toenail collection?”
“What?” Joseph's face reworked itself into confusion.
“A shelf full of porcelain dolls who want to watch us sleep?”
“No.” Joseph smiled slightly, catching on.
“Portal to the nether realms in your kitchen?” Barclay won't let him worry unnecessarily.
“Not that I'm aware of, although I'm not in there often…”
Barclay made a mental note. Maybe he could stock the freezer while he was here, make sure Joseph had something convenient to eat, make sure he knew how loved he was.
“Okay dear, you make a good point. Just remembered I warned you.” Joseph opened the door and held it for Barclay.
It was impeccably neat, Barclay was expecting that. He'd ‘cleaned’ Joseph's room several times at the lodge and it was the easiest job he'd ever had. He just wasn't expecting it to be quite so… sparse.
At the front door there was a shoe rack which held Joseph's running shoes and a space for his dress shoes. There wasn't anything on the sterile white walls.
He quickly shed his boots, but made sure to line them up neatly before he followed Joseph.
"This is the kitchen diner.”
Again, it was beautiful. Like a show home. A show home no one lived in.
“It's really neat!” Barclay said encouragingly. “I love the view.” He did, it was so palpably different to Kepler, it was fascinating to look out from all the way up here and see tiny people beetling about.
“The bedroom is over here.” Joseph led him through to the back of the apartment. “I did a bit of decorating.”
The bed was made impeccably, one book sat on the bedside table, and there weren't any other signs of the room being lived in.
“Here, see.” Joseph turns Barclay round so he can see the wall opposite the bed.
There's a large picture there: them, laughing in the golden hour light at something Barclay can't remember. He smiled warmly and pulled Joseph to him. “It's wonderful.”
“I like waking up to you.” Joseph said so earnestly that Barclay couldn't help but kiss him.
It's cute the way he jumped – like Joseph could never have expected the kiss after showing him something so touching – but it's cuter the way he melts into it. The way his hands come up to cup his cheeks, warm and soft. Strong.
Joseph breathed a laugh when he pulled away, tilting his head to bump against Barclay’s. Hands sliding down to rest on his shoulders. "I'm glad you like it. I'm under no impression that this place is homey,"
"It feels like you." His arms wind around his back, holding him close. "And the more I visit, the more it'll feel like us; but it's a good place. I like what you've done with it."
And then Joseph kisses him again and it's so nice to be here, within kissing distance of him again. Close enough to hold him close.
Another tender kiss, and they part again. "You've had a long day; do you want to rest a little after your flight? We can settle in to watch something, or we can look over tourist spots."
Barclay giggled. "Show me the folder!"
"Folder it is." Joseph snickered. Pecked his cheek again, and led him back into the living room.
It couldn't have been more perfect if Joseph had all the information on a PowerPoint for him; for the next hour and a half, they settled together on the couch, and flipped through a meticulously organized folder. Joseph had detailed everything from the type of attraction (historical, food, museum) to the best times to go (during an event? On off-peak hours?). Barclay just adored the way Joseph lit up every time Barclay told him something was 'perfect' or a great idea, and he got to shift things around into a short list.
Late afternoon began to fade to evening, and Barclay’s stomach growled to interrupt their fun. "Let's put a pin in the rest for now," he suggested, moving away to stretch. He glanced quickly at his watch and checked the time. "Oh, babe, it's nearly dinner time; I can whip us up something real quick."
"O-oh, um," Joseph blanched, half-buried in his piles of papers and too slow to follow as Barclay stood and made his way into the kitchen. "About that-" he called after Barclay.
Barclay opened the fridge before Joseph could finish and -- well, he hadn't known what to expect, but he could've expected it. It was as clean and orderly and empty as the rest of the place. There was a carton of half-and-half. Some condiments lining the door. An old jar half filled with pickled gardenia vegetables.
"Oh, uh," he hummed, mostly to himself. Well -- okay, Joseph did a deep clean on the fridge. Surely there had to be something in the cupboards: Barclay could still work magic with a couple cans of beans and tomato sauce, some spices.
He was checking cabinet number three by the time Joseph made it into the kitchen, and all he'd found so far was the small collection of plates and maybe five spice containers, if he included the salt.
"Babe, I love you and you're great; but do you eat when I'm not around?"
Joseph cringed slightly. "I swear I had more food, but I went through and checked expiration dates while I was getting everything else ready."
Barclay raised his eyebrow. “And it went out of date because…?”
Joseph looked shame faced enough that Barclay resolved to pack the freezer with leftovers before he went back to Kepler. He wished he could cook for him every day, but this would be close enough.
“I, well. Work, it often runs late and I'm too tired to cook so…” Joseph trailed off and abandoned the world's worst defence. “We can get things, there's a delivery app. They have everything.” He sounded desperate for Barclay to approve of the plan.
“Everything, you say?” Barclay gently nudged Joseph with his elbow.
“From caviar to chicken eggs.” Joseph gestured expansively, Barclay was relieved to see the tension fade a bit from Joseph’s face. Offering a broad range of ingredients was definitely a winning strategy when it came to distracting Barclay.
“Any non egg based items, babe?” Barclay teased, he looped an arm around Joseph and led him back to the sofa.
“Hmm, well, I suppose that as you've asked so nicely I might see if we can find something else.”
Barclay pulled Joseph down to sit next to him. “I'll need to be close to see your screen.” He shrugged innocently and scooted even closer.
Joseph laughed softly. “You make a compelling point, who am I to argue?” He grabbed his tablet, the one he bought so he could see Barclay's face better when they video called, and showed Barclay exactly why big city living had it's perks.
“This is so much better than sending Jake!”
"Right?" He laughed, scrolling idly through the local supermarket options. "No mishearing anything, no misunderstandings -- well, the occasional mistake," he conceded. "But it's all very convenient and usually right."
There was a special on oranges -- twas the season for them, after all -- and he idly added a bag to the online cart.
Barclay was halfway to teasing him about 'usually right' when he saw. "And the people who pick it all out, you'd say they knew what they were doing?”
He frowned slightly. “I mean, there's a lot of people who work on that side of the app: I think most of them are pretty good?”
“Pretty good?” He hummed, unconvinced by the question in his tone. “What if we get crummy oranges?”
“I mean, an orange is an orange, isn't it?”
Barclay scoffed. “There is a world of difference between a good orange and a bad orange.”
He flashed his palms apologetically. “Okay okay; you're the chef, darling. I guess I'm just not used to thinking about it all that much.”
Barclay sighed, pulling Joseph a little closer into a hug to make sure he knew there weren't any actual hard feelings. “That's just something I get to teach you more about, I guess.”
“You know I enjoy the cooking lessons,” Joseph relaxed. It was by far not one of his strong suits, but they made a good time of each attempt anyway.
Barclay tilted the tablet more in his direction. “Maybe we stick to the canned and frozen stuff tonight, and we can go to these fancy grocers in person some other time and I'll show you how to pick all the best stuff?”
“I'd like that a lot.”
“I like you a lot.” Barclay grinned his cheesiest grin and settled into flicking through the options. Leo's was great and all, he really appreciated all the extra things Leo had started stocking for him, but this amount of choice was incredible. “Ooooh! Look babe! They've got the fancy pasta!”
Joseph smiled indulgently and tapped the add to cart button. “Well I suppose we know what we'll be eating tonight then.”
“Tomato sauce or cream?” Barclay is head down in the tablet now, wading through peppercorns and loving the choice of it all. Garlic was a tricky one, but he could probably chance paste, especially with some of the brands showing up.
“What about both?” Joseph asked, and handed the tablet over completely.
“You're full of good ideas.” Barclay tugged him closer. “Wanna lie down for a bit? You've had a hard day.” And maybe Barclay also wanted to have Joseph's head in his lap, run his hands through Joseph's hair, and feel him truly relax.
Joseph seemed like he might hesitate for a moment before tipping himself over gratefully and settling. Barclay brought the tablet down ostensibly so Joseph could see, but really because he got to put an arm round him.
“Want anything for you, Joseph?”
“No thank you darling. I've got everything I need right here.” Joseph turned so Barclay could see his smug smile.
“You're real smooth, Agent Stern, real smooth.”
“As smooth as you are~” he teased, sighing softly when Barclay ran a hand into his hair. He always adored the way he'd get goosebumps along the back of his neck at this kind of tender touch.
“We're both smooth as sharks, aren't we?” He snickered, twirling some of the slightly longer strands at the top of his head. Idly scrolled with his free hand through to get everything they'd need for their mixed pasta dinner.
Joseph snorted, melting into the touch. Broached, after a long moment, “should we get something sweet for after?”
“So many good ideas today.” He grinned. “Did you have anything in mind?”
“Maybe something fruity?” He suggested.
Barclay recalled the oranges Joseph had tried adding earlier and hummed, using the search bar to see if there were any nice marmalades on option. “How about a chocolate-orange tart?”
“So fancy~ isn't it a little late to be making pastry?” He questioned. Then, added, “I'm absolutely sure I don't have the right pan, either.”
He picked one of the nicer looking marmalades to add to the cart. “I'm sure a grocer this well stocked has frozen puff; and we can just use a muffin pan. I know I saw one hiding in the very back of one of those cabinets.” He assured, and another quick search net him even better: frozen tart shells, ready to bake and all, no special pans necessary.
A chocolate spread was easy enough to add to the cart, and after a couple more clicks it was ordered promising delivery ‘within the hour.’
“This is so cool~” Barclay hummed, putting the tablet away. “You have all of the amenities, huh?”
“Oh, that reminds me; I should show you the gym and sauna that came with the building.” Joseph said. “I mean, the sauna’s small and almost always in use, but maybe if we get lucky~”
“Speaking of getting lucky, there's another tour I'd like to take and we have some time to kill…” Barclay trailed a hand towards Joseph's chest. Not that seeing the gym didn't sound great, but he also hadn't seen Joseph in a month and a half.
“Oh, do you have some ideas about how we might be able to pass that time, Barclay?” Joseph said mildly. He turned his head to kiss Barclay's stomach. “I do think I might have Scrabble somewhere. Maybe a deck of cards…”
Barclay huffed out a small laugh. “Not quite what I was thinking of, babe.” He ran his hand lower, stroked a thumb across Joseph's hip bone and smiled as Joseph pushed his hips up in response. “But if you really want to play Scrabble…”
“There's an eleven point word I've been dying to use.” Barclay winked down at Joseph.
“Are you using Scrabble to proposition me?” Joseph asked.
“Sorry, shall I, er?” Fuck. Maybe he came on too strong. He didn't want to make Joseph uncomfortable.
“No no, it's incredible. You're perfect.” Joseph swung his legs round and sat up next to Barclay.
“Nerd.” Barclay teased, giving him a quick kiss before standing up. “Now, does that app have tracking? I refuse to be found in another compromising position with you.”
Joseph groaned. “I maintain that I locked the door.”
“I believe you, Ned should never have shown her how to pick locks.”
Joseph tapped at the tablet. “We've got about 40 minutes.”
Barclay can work with that.
–
“This smells incredible!” Joseph inhaled deeply as he finished pouring their wine.
“Only the best for you. I still can't believe they can just bring you such good tomato paste. Miraculous.” Would Barclay ever leave Kepler permanently? He doubted it. But living somewhere with Joseph, good tomato paste, and food markets in close proximity? He could see the temptation. “Can you grab the plates please?”
Joseph dutifully retrieved the plates from the hot water of the sink and dried them as Barclay stirred cream through the tomato sauce. He added a final crack of pepper, scooped the spaghetti straight from the water into the sauce, and couldn't resist some fancy plating just to see the smile it put on Joseph's face.
“This looks gorgeous.”
“I could say the same about you.” Barclay kissed his cheek and took the plates to the small table. This was nice. The domesticity of it all. He loved Kepler, but there were certainly no quiet moments like this without a risk of chaos looming heavy over them. He'd miss it soon enough, but right now he doesn't want to think about escaped rabbits, accidental fires, stunts gone wrong, Duck trying and failing to hide something, or whatever Ned’s latest scheme was.
Joseph gives him that beautiful, bashful smile again. "Aw, stop," he laughs, setting out paper towels and flatware for the both of them.
He doesn't stop, but neither does Joseph, and it's nice to flirt back and forth with his boyfriend without worrying about the potential of being walked in on. They share a delicious dinner, and dessert is simple enough that they get to work on it together, and they're curled on the couch watching movies until Joseph starts to fall asleep against his shoulder.
Barclay snickered, sneaking a kiss against his temple. "I think it's bedtime, babe."
"'M awake," he mumbled, stretching as he moved away.
"Been awake the whole time~" he teased, rubbing his back.
"The whole time." He agreed, rubbing his eyes. "Not used to the late nights anymore."
"Come on, let's get ready for bed." Barclay giggled, pulling him up off the couch. "Let me just grab my toiletries, and I'll meet you in the bathroom."
"Okay," he hummed, stealing a cheek kiss before they parted and still mumbling to himself as he made it to the bathroom.
Barclay shook his head, watching him go for just a moment before he grabbed his toiletry bag out of his suitcase and joined him. Joseph was already brushing his teeth but he squinted his eyes in a smile as he stepped to the side to make room in front of the small vanity.
With the two of them in there it was cozy, but Barclay couldn’t find it in himself to mind. He just circled back to that idea of how domestic this was: brushing their teeth together, elbow to elbow in the world's smallest bathroom. They took turns spitting in the sink, and put their toothbrushes together in a novelty bigfoot cup set against the mirror.
Barclay wants to laugh, it's just so cute.
He already has a good feeling about Candlenights this year.