When Flambae finally got his niece to sleep, the apartment went quiet for the first time all day.
No more yelling and laughter. No more improvised karaoke sessions or animated movies blasting from the TV.
Robert was already in bed, propped agains the headboard with one leg stretched out and the other bent, a paperback resting comfortably in his hand. His reading glasses had slid slightly down his nose.
The front door clicked shut softly.
A moment later, the bedroom door eased open.
Flambae stepped inside, tying his long hair into a messy bun as he exhaled, like he was breathing the entire day’s exhaustion out of his body.
Robert glanced up immediately. “Hey. How’d it go?”
Flambae smiled to himself as he shut the door behind him. “She asked me to grab a book, and then when I laid down to read to her, she just took it from me and started reading it herself. So.. y’know. It was amazing.”
Then Flambae crossed the room quietly and climbed onto the bed. His hoodie still smelled faintly like baby shampoo, sweet and cozy.
Robert smiled faintly and returned to his page. “Remind me to swap recommendations with her sometime. I really wanna know what she’s been reading lately.”
Flambae hummed in agreement, even though he hadn't really paid attention to what Robert just said. He crawled closer until half his body was draped over Robert’s legs, pressing his cheek briefly against Robert’s thigh like an overly needy cat. Robert lowered the book an inch.
“You should sleep too,” Robert pointed out. “You’re exhausted.”
“Maybe.” Flambae’s voice came out softer than usual. He reached up and pushed the book back higher, blocking Robert’s face again.
Then Flambae pushed it back down.
Robert sighed, amused. “Do you need something?”
Flambae shifted, resting his chin on Robert’s stomach while his fingers absentmindedly traced the fabric of the hoodie Robert had borrowed from him. “You’re really good with her, you know that?”
Robert blinked. “With Rafa?”
“Mhm.” Flambae traced the flame design on the hoodie thoughtfully. “She listens to you. Which is wild, because she doesn’t listen to anyone.”
Robert folded the corner of his page to mark it and, this time, set the book aside completely. “She listens to you too, and I basically just did what you usually do.”
Flambae’s lips twitched. “Stop being modest. You’re good at it.”
“I just listen to her.” Robert shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest.
“You like her, and she…” Flambae poked lightly at Robert’s hip. “She absolutely adores you, Robert.”
Robert smiled, openly pleased. “That’s true.”
Silence settled over the room again while both of them drifted into their own thoughts. Robert lowered his arms to massage Flambae’s shoulders. Meanwhile, Flambae’s fingers lazily traced patterns over Robert’s stomach and chest.
Like he was building up courage for something.
“You ever think about it?” Flambae finally asked, barely above a whisper.
Robert took a slow breath. “About what?”
Flambae looked up at him, amber eyes meeting brown ones.
“Like… in a completely hypothetical scenario,” Flambae began carefully, “if you were around a kid more often.”
Robert just looked at him for a moment. The softness in Flambae’s expression wasn’t only exhaustion.
“Hypothetical?” Robert asked.
“Totally,” Flambae answered quickly. “One hundred percent.”
Or at least as hypothetical as a serious, stable relationship of over a year could realistically be.
Robert’s hand slid through Flambae’s hair, his thumb brushing slowly against Flambae’s temple. “You spent the entire day wanting a kid, didn’t you?”
Flambae groaned and buried his face in Robert’s hoodie. “It’s like this every time she spends the day here,” he mumbled. “Sometimes I just really wanna give her a cousin.”
Robert couldn't help but chuckle at that.
“And I just…” Flambae continued, softer now. “...keep thinking about you. How calm you are. How you explain things. How you don’t get overwhelmed when she asks seventeen questions in a row.” He lifted his head again, searching for Robert’s eyes. “You’d be really good at it.”
Robert didn’t rush to answer. He just let his fingers move slowly through the strands tied into Flambae’s bun, calming both of them down.
“I like kids,” Robert said finally. “I like having them around. I like teaching them things. Watching them figure stuff out on their own.” His gaze drifted toward the closed bedroom door. “I also know it’s… a lot. It’s not just the cute parts. It’s constant.”
Flambae nodded immediately. “I know. I know.” His voice was sincere. “I’m not saying right now. I know it’s something we’d have to talk through properly first.” He gave a small, shy smile. “I’m just thinking. Hypothetically.”
Robert studied his face, the vulnerability there, the hope carefully disguised as hypotheticals.
“You’re good with her too,” Robert said quietly. “She brings out the best in you. And she trusts you completely.”
Flambae’s eyes watered at that. He looked away.
Robert continued thoughtfully, “If we ever did something like that, it wouldn’t be because of one emotional moment. It’d be because we both felt ready. Responsible. Capable of giving someone stability.”
Flambae swallowed hard. “Do you think we could?”
This time, Robert didn’t hesitate.
Flambae held his breath for a second before letting it out slowly.
“Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow,” Robert added gently, offering him a warm smile. “But someday? Yeah. I think we’d do pretty well.”
Something in Flambae’s expression shifted then, relief mixing with something brighter. He leaned in fully and kissed Robert slowly, deeply.
When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against Robert’s.
“I think we’d be fucking amazing dads,” Flambae murmured teasingly.
Robert smiled faintly. “Or at least slightly above average.”
Flambae laughed, lighter now, and rolled onto his side to curl up next to Robert. He wrapped an arm around Robert’s waist and stayed pressed against him while Robert reached for his book again with one hand.
The other stayed firmly against Flambae’s back, his thumb tracing slow circles between Flambae’s shoulder blades.
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