Melting the Devil

Cantaloupe Bites

Afterwards, Tin drives them both to his house, kisses him gently in the doorway, and leads him to the living room. Cantaloupe all but throws himself onto Tin's incredibly comfortable couch, nuzzling into a throw pillow.

Tin cards a gentle hand through his hair, pressing a quick kiss there. "You want some tea?"

Cantaloupe's "Yes, please," is muffled by the pillow, but before he knows it, Tin is settling down on the couch next to him, offering him a small cup. "Mm, smells good, honey."

"It's chamomile," Tin informs him.

Cantaloupe hums again, kicking his shoes off so he can draw his knees up and tuck his toes under Tin's thigh before he takes a sip.

"So," Tin says, turning to Cantaloupe. "You're officially free."

Cantaloupe searches his expression for any indication that he's upset about this fact, but he only finds a slight smile playing on his lips. "Dobby is a free elf!" he cheers jokingly.

Tin laughs, rolling his eyes. "What's it like?"

"Why, it is excellent," Cantaloupe replies. "My boss was kind of a pain in the ass, to be honest."

Tin jostles him a little for that. "Yeah?"

"Oh, yeah. He's pretty cute, though."

"Is he, now?" Tin asks, putting his cup down and leaning into Cantaloupe's space. He presses a quick kiss to the corner of Cantaloupe's mouth and keeps his lips hovering a few inches away from a real kiss.

"He's also a tease," Cantaloupe says, nudging their noses together before pulling away abruptly and sipping at his tea.

Tin chokes out another laugh, snatching his tea back and drinking the rest of it. They spend an inordinate time just staring at each other, hiding their smiles in their teacups, until Cantaloupe shifts on the couch and feels the weight in his pocket shift with him.

"So, anyway, since I'm free now," Cantaloupe says, settling his cup down and reaching into his Tinet. "I believe this belongs to you." He pulls out the lone key he's been keeping in his pocket all day and presses it into Tin's hand.

Tin had always insisted on keeping standard locks in his home, and no amount of trying to convert him to smart locks had helped (which is just as well, honestly, considering how hopeless he is with technology). Cantaloupe always found it a little absurd that he had the key to his boss's home, but it was also a tangible sign of Tin's trust—after all, he'd been letting himself into this house for the better part of four years, picking out Tin's outfits and basically engineering his life. The key was a privilege as much as it was a responsibility, and it was time to let it go.

Tin takes one look at the key in his hand before taking one of Cantaloupe's. "Keep it," he says, placing the key in the center of his palm and closing his fingers around it.

Cantaloupe feels a swell of emotion take over his chest, and he looks up at Tin questioningly. "Are you sure?"

"I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, of course, but I want you to have it," Tin rambles, smiling sheepishly. "I mean, it would be kind of weird to take it back now? Plus you can use it for when you want to use the kitchen, or the gym, or the pool. Literally anything. Ma maison, c'est ta maison." He smiles then, and there's a mischievous edge to it. "And if you decided you wanted to surprise me with breakfast on your days off, I wouldn't be opposed to that either."

Cantaloupe stares at him, trying to decide if he should argue, but... the idea of having Tin's beautiful kitchen at his disposal is incredibly appealing, especially when he has to start building his menu. He twists his mouth wryly, returning the key to his pocket. "Just breakfast, Mr. Medthanan?"