The bridge of her nose wrinkled as he returned the honk, a quiet chuckle fading into the soft peck Tre pressed against her lips. Any remaining mock frown smoothed out instantly. Her eyes sparkled into his with that familiar gleam, her lopsided grin already creeping back into place. Rhea shifted her gaze over to the corner of the room again and snorted, her warm laughter filling the tiny space between their foreheads. "Well shoot.. I didn’t know we'd be expecting an audience in our bedroom..." our bedroom seemed to echo the most. It was already this natural, familiar sense. Cause it made sense. Even with such ridiculous context "...unless we've got a couple of wanderers," she added, before erupting into a full chuckling fit at the wild, Tasmanian-Devil noises casting from Tre. She held up a hand in mock authority ' Do not feed caffeine to the go-go dancer. Do not finger the cage. Only the handler may do so — and I am she.' That's the sign I'm putting up. You only sexy dance for me," With one simple nod, she shifted against the sheets, her eyes staying locked on Tre’s. In the span of a single breath, she caught the exact moment his playful squint softened, a quiet, gentle sweetness taking its place with one blink of his eyes. She knew the tiny features of his face so intimately by now —they moved like little stars she’d learned to map in the dark. One blink from him could tell her everything. And with another blink of her own, her expression softened to match his completely.
So when his thumb stroked the back of her hand and the high energy began to simmer down, she tilted her head with an unshielded affection, letting it land on him without a single word. He was her clown. Is. Rhea's grin grew wider, warmer as she leaned into his weight, feeling the tiny vibration of his voice against her hair. Her head tilted back, her eyes twinkling. "Joke’s on you if you think those aren’t part of the reason I fell in love with you, Giggles," she chuckled, planting a tender kiss over the bridge of his nose. She poked his side playfully. "And who are you kidding with three?" She arched an eyebrow. "It'll be at least five wardrobe changes before noon. And that’s not even counting the wigs."
She let her head sink back onto his shoulder, settling into that comfortable, easy quiet. As Tre began to talk about their future, she stayed right there against him, as if she could feel his thoughts gathering in his chest before the words even left his mouth.When he painted the picture of their lived in house, she lifted her head just enough to look at him, tracking the deep crinkles at the corners of his eyes. Tre was letting her see a piece of his soul they hadn't quite named yet. Her eyes stayed glued to his — watching the way his gaze shifted outward as if he could vividly see the coffee mug on the counter, the record playing, the animals scattered in the sunlight. Rhea gave a series of quiet, tender nods, the corners of her mouth lifted in a soft smile, and occasional breathless, quiet laugh. She could feel a sudden, fluttering warmth in the pit of her stomach at the thought of it all. A messy, imperfect, lived in home. Milo pushing things from a bookshelf, Auggie’s 3 AM demonic zoomies, the scent of whatever was being made in their kitchen, a record humming in the background. "Porch mandatory. Got it," she chimed in softly, her voice thick with a quiet warmth that had completely melted away. She was right there with him — sitting on that porch swing, watching the morning settle in. Even from the imagination of his sheets. And when he brushed against her knuckles again, a tiny crease formed between her brows — not because she was frowning, but because the sheer, sudden weight of how deeply she loved him hit her all at once.
She reached up, her hand gently cupping the side of his neck, her thumb tracing his jawline as her eyes searched his. "Woah is right," she whispered softly, the corner of her lip lifting into a tender smile. "I think we have very similar visions." She paused, her gaze holding his with complete, unshielded sincerity. "And I want to live that life with you. No matter where in the world we are, or how many animals end up in our traveling circus" A quiet breath escaped her nose. "My version of peace is hearing animals in the hallway. Or drums in the distance. Or you talking to yourself before you come in to tell me the most bizarre thing while I'm working in my studio." Her thumb gently caressed his cheek, her voice dropping into a soft, musing rhythm. "And that's only a handful of stuff. A lot of what home is for me... is just that. All the things I love." She offered a soft, quiet smile. "It's our version of peace. Even if it does turn into a funhouse." Rhea leaned in and kissed his lips, letting the warmth linger for a long, quiet beat before pulling back just enough to catch his eyes again. "Also... that porch swing is going to be great for spying on the neighbors," she added "I love our retirement plan already."