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By the time David gets home from dinner with his family he is physically and mentally exhausted, as he usually is when he has to listen to his mom go on and on about her acting experience, Alexis ramble about her next planned date with Ted, and his dad rave about the motel’s success. It’s not that he doesn’t love them and feel proud of their accomplishments, he just only has so much patience, especially when he knows he has a husband to come home to.
He still hasn’t quite gotten used to living with Patrick full time. They’d had plenty of sleepovers before they got married, of course, but it wasn’t the same.
When you live with someone, you see things that you never noticed when you were only there on occasion. Like how Patrick organizes the spices in his cabinet by alphabetical order and makes sure all of the labels face forward, and how he always makes his side of the bed but leaves David’s a crumpled mess, and how he barely uses his dishwasher because he handwashes everything as soon as they’re done eating. And then there’s the way he clicks his pen when he’s deep in thought, the way he bites his lip when David lightly scratches his nails along his scalp, the little wrinkle he does with his nose when he can’t figure something out in that game on his phone that he’s obsessed with.
There are so many little ticks, so many tiny gestures that make Patrick, Patrick, but as David steps further into their home, he can’t help but stop in surprise as he hears singing emanating from the bathroom. It shouldn’t shock him too much, he supposes. He learned very early on that Patrick is a talented singer, and he’s very used to hearing him hum quietly as he restocks the store, but it’s less about the act itself and more about the song.
Enchanted by Taylor Swift.
The patter of shower water isn’t nearly enough to cover the sound of the lyrics, and David leans against the back of the couch as his husband belts out the chorus. It’s a song that he’s very familiar with personally, and he finds himself closing his eyes and humming along with Patrick’s voice, getting lost in the words until the shower shuts off and they’re cut short. David crosses his arms and smiles as the doorknob turns and the door is pushed open, treating his eyes to the sight of a freshly-showered Patrick, whose eyes widen when their gazes meet.
“When did you get home?” he asks, voice strangely high, which just makes David smile wider.
“Just a few minutes ago,” he replies, pushing up from the couch and stepping toward him. “Perfect timing, if you ask me.”
He leans down to press a kiss to Patrick’s cheek, which is quickly turning pink. Patrick turns away in an attempt to hide it, heading into the bedroom to get dressed. David stays put, fondness rushing through him as he hears the telltale sound of Patrick hanging his towel up on the rack.
“My cousins are big fans of her,” he calls out a little defensively, voice stuttering as he pulls on his clothes, “and she has a lot of good songs that fly under the radar.”
David doesn’t reply, instead moving to the stereo they have set up next to the tv. He barely listens as Patrick rambles on, pulling his phone out of his pocket, opening up Spotify and hitting his Taylor Swift playlist. He scrolls until he finds the song he wants and wastes no time in hitting play, blasting it through the apartment. He mouths the words as he approaches the bedroom, where Patrick has gone silent, and whips through the doorway just as the chorus plays.
And all at once you are the one I have been waiting for
King of my heart
Body and Soul
Patrick’s mouth hangs slightly open as David grabs his hand and twirls him, but his shocked expression quickly morphs into a contagious grin as he realizes he had nothing to worry about. He doesn’t resist as David pulls him into the living room, allowing him to twist him whichever way he pleases. He’s still not the best dancer, even after Cabaret.
David finally slows when King Of My Heart ends and Begin Again starts. He slings his arms around Patrick’s shoulders and meets his eyes, warmth spreading through his chest as he sees the relief in his husband’s gaze.
“You never have to apologize for your interests,” David says softly, leaning their foreheads together. “Not to me, and especially not to people who don’t even know you.”
Patrick smiles and presses a brief kiss to David’s lips.
“It...it took me a long time to realize who I was, and when I did, it became a habit to hide the things that might make anyone look closer. I’ve mostly gotten over it, but some things stuck, I guess.”
David nods, because he knows, and he hugs Patrick closer, relishing in the warmth of their bodies pressed together. They sway through a couple songs in silence, just enjoying the music and each other, and then Enchanted comes through the speakers, startling a laugh out of them both.
“You know,” Patrick whispers close to David’s ear, “I listened to this on repeat for days after we first met.”
David leans back, lips pursed to the side as he meets his husband’s gaze.
“Me too.”
Their lips meet again, soft and slow, and David is sure he’s never been so enchanted in his life.