Work Text:
It was remarkable how many ways there were to say ‘I love you’ without speaking the words. Audrey, Duke, and Nathan seemed determined to explore each and every one.
There was love in the way Nathan woke Audrey every morning with soft kisses, and in the way Audrey gently shook Duke awake and made sure he knew they were heading to work so he wouldn’t wake feeling alone and abandoned. It was in Duke’s sleepy offers to make breakfast, in the way they always declined so he could sleep in, and in the way he started packing breakfasts the night before along with their lunches so they could start the day with something other than coffee in their stomachs.
There was love in Nathan gently capturing and releasing spiders outside when he’d have just as soon squished them, because Duke objected to killing them but wouldn’t go near them either.
There was love in Duke learning how to properly launder Audrey and Nathan’s work clothes and in Audrey’s willingness to do the dishes because Nathan hated to and Duke had cooked.
There was love in every TV show and movie two of them sat through for the sake of the third, snuggled together on the couch and paying more attention to each other than the screen.
There was love in every gesture, every casual touch – and those were legion. Every time Duke’s arm went around Nathan’s shoulders, every time Nathan touched Duke to get his attention, every time Audrey reached out to take their hands or they reached out to stroke her hair, it was love.
There was love in every 3 am conversation, and in every 3 am silence after a nightmare too dark for words.
There was love was in every ‘be careful’, ‘I missed you’ and ‘welcome home’.
It was also in every ‘for god’s sake, Nate, wear a coat!’ and ‘don’t you dare turn your phone off, Parker’ and ‘if you ever pull a stunt like that again, Duke, so help me…’
There was love simply in having a home, in building a life together, in the shifts and adjustments and compromises that made up that shared life.
The words ‘I love you’ were spoken daily in their home, each of them wanting the other two to know how beloved they were. But they also went unspoken in every little act of love that made up their daily life.