fic post: Somewhere That's Green
Title: Somewhere That's Green
Rating: G (pure fluff)
Summary: for monroe_nell, who asked for The War At Home domestic!fic (I did try to come up with something Zack/Slater-ish, but Larry and Kenny do domesticity so well!).
The bed was huge. Or at least, it looked huge in the so-called ‘master’ bedroom, and was definitely bigger than the bed in his dorm room, the one he’d been sleeping in for most of the past three years. Even without sheets on, it looked pretty impressive now that it was finally assembled.
Still feeling a little out of breath, Kenny perched on the edge of the windowsill. It was deep enough really to be a window-seat, and he thought about getting some cushions for it. Blue to match the carpet, or maybe gold, like the accents on the wallpaper. He wasn’t too keen on the wallpaper, but there was no way he could afford to redecorate just yet. Besides, with some pictures on the walls and with the gorgeous deep blue sheets Mrs Gold had picked out, the room could actually look pretty classy.
He smiled to himself at the thought; if he was seriously considering hanging framed pictures instead of posters, then perhaps he really was a grown-up. Renting an apartment had seemed like such a terrifying prospect not too long ago, something he didn’t feel ready for. It barely felt like two minutes since high school had finished, then all of a sudden he was a college graduate with a full-time job, assembling furniture in an apartment with his name on the lease, having conversations about home insurance and savings accounts and thinking about interior design.
He owned kitchen appliances. He had a credit card with his name on it. He had carpets. The bedroom one sorely needed vacuuming.
Kenny scuffed his shoe through the thick blue pile and imagined himself walking through the room barefoot, in his PJs. Maybe carrying a glass of water to the nightstand, or walking to the shower in the morning. It felt cosy, like something he could do every day without a second thought. The image made him smile.
Around him, piles of cardboard boxes and bags of towels and blankets sat idly, taunting him with the prospect of yet more work. Even with everyone’s help, it’d taken a couple of hours to get everything unloaded and into the apartment. There was still the immense task of unpacking, of finding permanent homes for all the stuff he’d accumulated over the years. He knew the apartment didn’t have enough storage space, that tomorrow he’d need to start looking for things like bookshelves and drawer-organisers. Things that only grown-ups ever bought, like coathangers and shoe-racks and coffee tables.
A door slammed somewhere, and there was muffled cursing. Mr Gold, most likely. Kenny hoped nothing was broken.
So much stuff, so many things he’d never had to think about before. He’d have to buy a can-opener. A laundry basket too, and soap powder and fabric softener. He really needed to wash the clothes he was wearing as soon as possible to get rid of the myriad dirty marks they’d collected while he’d been lugging boxes and putting furniture together.
Outside the bedroom, a floorboard creaked faintly. Eventually it’d get annoying, he knew, but for now he just smiled. He had floorboards of his very own.
He stood as Larry appeared in the doorway, clutching a dusty box labelled books. Larry looked exhausted, but he still smiled as he set the box on the floor.
“My dad’s gonna order pizzas,” he told Kenny. “I know we said we’d all go out to dinner, but he just tore his shirt, and he says he doesn’t want to go all the way home to change and have to come back.”
Kenny shrugged and gestured to his own clothes.
“That’s fine. I don’t think I have enough energy to get changed myself.” He brushed dust off his T-shirt, too tired to care that it wouldn’t come off.
Larry looked around at the bedroom, at the faded wallpaper, the battered chest of drawers and the brand new bed.
“It’s gonna look great in here once all the boxes are gone,” he announced.
“Even with this wallpaper?”
“What’s wrong with the wallpaper?” Larry grinned; they’d had that argument several times already, and he didn’t say anything when Kenny refused to answer. Instead, he crossed the room to stand beside him, and they both stood in silence for a while, admiring the view from the window. It was nothing special, but as far as Kenny was concerned it was so much better than the brick wall of Mr and Mrs Gold’s house that had been the view from his old bedroom window. The only good thing about that view, he remembered, was the small glimpse it offered into Larry’s bedroom. He smiled to himself, remembering years of gazing through that window, of Morse code conversations with flashlights and Larry’s silly mimes and pratfalls when he knew Kenny was supposed to be doing homework.
He sighed, nostalgic and kind of sad. It’d be weird not living nextdoor to the Golds.
“You okay?” Larry asked. Kenny shrugged.
“Just tired, I guess. There’s still so much to do.”
“I know.” Larry smiled at him, then moved to stand behind him, arms wrapping around Kenny’s middle. “But it’ll be worth it. Our own place.” He rested his chin on Kenny’s shoulder, and Kenny couldn’t help closing his eyes, relaxing at last. “Our own bedroom.”
Larry’s arms tightened around him, and Kenny sighed. He pictured himself once more walking across the blue carpet in his PJs, slipping into bed beside Larry, the two of them cuddling together under warm blankets.
When he opened his eyes again, he was surprised to realise the sun was already setting; the view through the window was washed in warm reds and golds, the sky streaked with orange and purple. The city outside was still busy, and he wondered if the noise of the traffic might keep him awake at night.
The floorboard creaked again and he turned his head just enough to see Mr Gold in the doorway. Kenny tensed, waiting for Larry to pull away.
“Hey, dad.”
Larry didn’t move. Kenny hoped his face was apologetic enough - Mr Gold hesitated, unable to look him in the eye.
“Pizza’s gonna be about half an hour,” he told them. “You wanna help your mom find some plates and stuff?”
“Okay, dad. In a minute.”
Mr Gold stood in the doorway until Larry finally let go of Kenny, and the two of them turned around to face him fully.
“It’s a nice place,” he said to Kenny. “The both of you are gonna be okay here.” He managed a smile. “But you gotta do something about this wallpaper.” He rolled his eyes before he headed off back to the kitchen.
Kenny couldn’t help aiming a lopsided grin at Larry.
“Told you so,” he said, jabbing Larry with his elbow, then he took Larry’s hand and led him down the hall to the kitchen, his stomach growling at the prospect of dinner.
Rating: G (pure fluff)
Summary: for monroe_nell, who asked for The War At Home domestic!fic (I did try to come up with something Zack/Slater-ish, but Larry and Kenny do domesticity so well!).
The bed was huge. Or at least, it looked huge in the so-called ‘master’ bedroom, and was definitely bigger than the bed in his dorm room, the one he’d been sleeping in for most of the past three years. Even without sheets on, it looked pretty impressive now that it was finally assembled.
Still feeling a little out of breath, Kenny perched on the edge of the windowsill. It was deep enough really to be a window-seat, and he thought about getting some cushions for it. Blue to match the carpet, or maybe gold, like the accents on the wallpaper. He wasn’t too keen on the wallpaper, but there was no way he could afford to redecorate just yet. Besides, with some pictures on the walls and with the gorgeous deep blue sheets Mrs Gold had picked out, the room could actually look pretty classy.
He smiled to himself at the thought; if he was seriously considering hanging framed pictures instead of posters, then perhaps he really was a grown-up. Renting an apartment had seemed like such a terrifying prospect not too long ago, something he didn’t feel ready for. It barely felt like two minutes since high school had finished, then all of a sudden he was a college graduate with a full-time job, assembling furniture in an apartment with his name on the lease, having conversations about home insurance and savings accounts and thinking about interior design.
He owned kitchen appliances. He had a credit card with his name on it. He had carpets. The bedroom one sorely needed vacuuming.
Kenny scuffed his shoe through the thick blue pile and imagined himself walking through the room barefoot, in his PJs. Maybe carrying a glass of water to the nightstand, or walking to the shower in the morning. It felt cosy, like something he could do every day without a second thought. The image made him smile.
Around him, piles of cardboard boxes and bags of towels and blankets sat idly, taunting him with the prospect of yet more work. Even with everyone’s help, it’d taken a couple of hours to get everything unloaded and into the apartment. There was still the immense task of unpacking, of finding permanent homes for all the stuff he’d accumulated over the years. He knew the apartment didn’t have enough storage space, that tomorrow he’d need to start looking for things like bookshelves and drawer-organisers. Things that only grown-ups ever bought, like coathangers and shoe-racks and coffee tables.
A door slammed somewhere, and there was muffled cursing. Mr Gold, most likely. Kenny hoped nothing was broken.
So much stuff, so many things he’d never had to think about before. He’d have to buy a can-opener. A laundry basket too, and soap powder and fabric softener. He really needed to wash the clothes he was wearing as soon as possible to get rid of the myriad dirty marks they’d collected while he’d been lugging boxes and putting furniture together.
Outside the bedroom, a floorboard creaked faintly. Eventually it’d get annoying, he knew, but for now he just smiled. He had floorboards of his very own.
He stood as Larry appeared in the doorway, clutching a dusty box labelled books. Larry looked exhausted, but he still smiled as he set the box on the floor.
“My dad’s gonna order pizzas,” he told Kenny. “I know we said we’d all go out to dinner, but he just tore his shirt, and he says he doesn’t want to go all the way home to change and have to come back.”
Kenny shrugged and gestured to his own clothes.
“That’s fine. I don’t think I have enough energy to get changed myself.” He brushed dust off his T-shirt, too tired to care that it wouldn’t come off.
Larry looked around at the bedroom, at the faded wallpaper, the battered chest of drawers and the brand new bed.
“It’s gonna look great in here once all the boxes are gone,” he announced.
“Even with this wallpaper?”
“What’s wrong with the wallpaper?” Larry grinned; they’d had that argument several times already, and he didn’t say anything when Kenny refused to answer. Instead, he crossed the room to stand beside him, and they both stood in silence for a while, admiring the view from the window. It was nothing special, but as far as Kenny was concerned it was so much better than the brick wall of Mr and Mrs Gold’s house that had been the view from his old bedroom window. The only good thing about that view, he remembered, was the small glimpse it offered into Larry’s bedroom. He smiled to himself, remembering years of gazing through that window, of Morse code conversations with flashlights and Larry’s silly mimes and pratfalls when he knew Kenny was supposed to be doing homework.
He sighed, nostalgic and kind of sad. It’d be weird not living nextdoor to the Golds.
“You okay?” Larry asked. Kenny shrugged.
“Just tired, I guess. There’s still so much to do.”
“I know.” Larry smiled at him, then moved to stand behind him, arms wrapping around Kenny’s middle. “But it’ll be worth it. Our own place.” He rested his chin on Kenny’s shoulder, and Kenny couldn’t help closing his eyes, relaxing at last. “Our own bedroom.”
Larry’s arms tightened around him, and Kenny sighed. He pictured himself once more walking across the blue carpet in his PJs, slipping into bed beside Larry, the two of them cuddling together under warm blankets.
When he opened his eyes again, he was surprised to realise the sun was already setting; the view through the window was washed in warm reds and golds, the sky streaked with orange and purple. The city outside was still busy, and he wondered if the noise of the traffic might keep him awake at night.
The floorboard creaked again and he turned his head just enough to see Mr Gold in the doorway. Kenny tensed, waiting for Larry to pull away.
“Hey, dad.”
Larry didn’t move. Kenny hoped his face was apologetic enough - Mr Gold hesitated, unable to look him in the eye.
“Pizza’s gonna be about half an hour,” he told them. “You wanna help your mom find some plates and stuff?”
“Okay, dad. In a minute.”
Mr Gold stood in the doorway until Larry finally let go of Kenny, and the two of them turned around to face him fully.
“It’s a nice place,” he said to Kenny. “The both of you are gonna be okay here.” He managed a smile. “But you gotta do something about this wallpaper.” He rolled his eyes before he headed off back to the kitchen.
Kenny couldn’t help aiming a lopsided grin at Larry.
“Told you so,” he said, jabbing Larry with his elbow, then he took Larry’s hand and led him down the hall to the kitchen, his stomach growling at the prospect of dinner.