behind the glass

no place like home

Scott could never have confidently said that he would spend his whole life in the apartment.

Now, he wasn't so sure.

It was Brandon's apartment, first. Scott had always wondered why he lived so far away from the city for a man who claimed to love the big city atmosphere. Later on, he found out that it was the best deal that he could get, since he had personally known the landlord. So, maybe it was a half hour drive to work every day; Brandon could afford luxuries like a nice car as well as numerous gifts for Scott after they had started dating.

One of these gifts was a kitten, who was still alive and well and had since grown up.

Scott was never allowed to have pets as a child since his mother hated cleaning up fur, so when he held that kitten in his hands, feeling the impossibly soft, black fur between his fingers, he was filled with a feeling that he had never felt before.

Brandon trusted him. He had been trusted to take care of this living, breathing being that felt as fragile as glass in his arms. Brandon knew Scott so well, too, finding a cat that matched his temperament perfectly. The kitten stared back at Scott, wearing the exact same expression on its face, a mixture of joy and longing, but also anxiety.

"You told me that you always wanted a black cat when you were a kid," Brandon said, his arm stretched across Scott's shoulders. "When she walked right up to me, outside the grocery store, I knew I had to bring her home to you."

"Oh my god..." Overwhelmed, Scott set the kitten in his lap, where it continued to stare back at him. "I can't believe this."

"Believe it, baby," Brandon replied, his voice low and soft as he leaned into Scott, kissing one of his temples. "There's some stuff I got for her out in the car. We can bring it inside whenever you're ready."

"I'm..." Scott took a breath. "I'm ready, I just-" He turned to look Brandon in the eyes, the tips of their noses touching. "I don't know what to say."

"That's okay. You don't have to say anything."

"I love you." Scott took Brandon's shoulders, holding them as if he was afraid that Brandon would run away. He couldn't help but smile, wanting to spend the rest of his life in that moment, the kitten purring in his lap and Brandon's arms around him. "I love you so much, Brandon, you have no idea."

"I think I have some kind of idea."

When he kissed Scott, he took his time, making sure to touch and to breathe and to be as close as he possibly could. Brandon knew, deep down, that he would spend the rest of his life with Scott.

The next words out of Brandon's mouth changed Scott's life.

"Scott, I want you to marry me."

He hadn't gotten down on one knee; he hadn't even taken Scott out for dinner first. He just asked. It could have been any normal day of the week and they wouldn't have known it as anything other than the day that they had sealed their fate forever.

Of course, Scott said yes. He couldn't imagine saying anything else.

It had been three years since that day, But Scott still remembered it like it was happening right in front of him. It was as if Brandon was still there, talking in Scott's ears, asking Scott to follow him.

Sometimes, Scott really wanted to follow him.

Brandon had always talked about getting out of the apartment and having a family, and Scott looked forward to it despite never having any interest in it before. With Brandon, he felt like he could settle down. He no longer saw raising children as an act of torture. In fact, he wanted that idyllic life that Brandon was working for.