Symbiosis

Chapter 6- Destiny

AN- Oh boy this is a big one. I didn't want to split it up so here's basically a double length chapter. Enjoy!

A few weeks passed as Dec started settling into his new life. Ever since that day, Dec had insisted that Ant shared the bed with him. There was an unspoken understanding that it was platonic and only for the sake of Dec's fear of sleeping alone. With that said, both lads found an unbelievable comfort in sharing the bed with each other. Although they used separate duvets, there were a couple occasions where they would wake up cuddling, or with an arm around the other. In these situations, whoever woke up first would make sure to create some distance between them, from fear of scaring the other with the contact.

Ant had started going back to work as well. His job is entirely researched based at his University, so he doesn't have to be in his office very often. Ant made sure to take advantage of that; he would be working from home around 3 days a week. This gave him a lot of time to sort things out for Dec. Ant had gotten Dec some legal ID by explaining to the government office that Dec had "recently run away from an abusive home that had decided to keep his life a secret, so there were no documents in the system." It seemed a bit farfetched but Ant's resolve and seriousness in his explanation happened to work on the government officer. Using the ID, Ant took Dec to register for a Bank account and a cellphone plan. These things were essential if Dec was going to reintegrate in society. Ant made sure to put some money in Dec's account so he could handle any minor purchases himself. He had to learn to keep track of his own money, and Ant believed this was the best way to do it.

After the night they had started sharing a bed, Ant had cleaned up his wardrobe to make room for Dec to buy and store clothes of his own. Ant had taken him to a couple stores that he would frequently buy from and decided that Dec could buy more clothes online as he found things he liked. Things were really settling down and Dec was learning how to be a good flatmate. He would occasionally cook and learnt to do the washing up, as well as just generally keeping the flat tidy. Ant also really enjoyed Dec's company around the flat and loved the fact that somebody else would occasionally do the chores. Ant would bring home a new book for Dec whenever he went out. They would range from non-fiction books to teen romance novels and everything in between. Ultimately, Ant wanted Dec to learn not only about technology and functionality of modern society, but also the social norms and expectations surrounding romantic and platonic relationships. Dec was already used to being polite when meeting new people because of his noble upbringing but had a lot to learn about modern relationships.

*Ant's POV*

Ant was noticing that Dec was becoming increasingly bored around the flat near the end of the summer. One day, he finally talked to Dec about it. "Hey Decs, lets talk." They sit on the sofa facing each other. "So I want to start by saying that I've really enjoyed having you around for the past few weeks, And if you decide that you want to live your life exactly as you are now, I'd be very happy with that. I don't mind supporting you for the rest of our lives or at the very least until you find a girlfriend who can take care of you instead. However, I've noticed that you've been looking a lot more bored around the flat lately. You finish the books I bring you pretty quickly and the telly isn't all that interesting either. So, I wanted to see if there was anything that I could help you with if you have a next step in mind. I do have an idea if you are interested in learning more about literature." Ant said.

"I really appreciate everything you've done for me Ant. You're right, I have been getting pretty bored lately and also, I really want to just do something with my life. I want to earn for myself and take care of myself and you too. As for the girlfriend part, don't worry about that. That's never going to happen if I have anything so say about it!" Dec winks cheekily and chuckles.