☆｡* written for 'charm' | wc: 548 | rated: G | tags: established relationship, set sometimes in the late 90s, fluff fluff fluff <3 | @steddiemicrofic ｡☆*
“Oh, Eds, look. There’s little notches for kids' heights. Looks like they start a few years after the house was built,” Steve called.
Eddie made his way over from where he’d been inspecting the flour mill in the Hoosier cabinet a few feet away, finding Steve a little misty eyed in the kitchen doorway.
“M, May second nineteen-fourteen; M, October twenty-third, nineteen-seventeen; R, June eleventh, nineteen-twenty-three…There’s some from the forties and fifties, too—their grandkids I bet,” Eddie mused, tracing the etches with his fingertips.
He twisted to pull Steve into his arms, leaning them back against the wood and hooking his chin over Steve’s shoulder. From their perch between the kitchen and the hall, they could see the foyer with its big staircase to the second floor and into the living room with all of its woodwork and builtins and the huge brick fireplace.
Steve melted into the embrace, gave a soft sigh as his eyes swept over the old home before them.
“I love it, baby. I know it needs some work, but…I can just picture everyone here for the holidays. Wayne and Rob and Chrissy and all of the kids. Their kids soon enough,” Steve said.
“Our kids, if we’re lucky,” Eddie said, nuzzling even further into Steve’s shoulder.
They were quiet for a moment, imagining how their lives might play out inside of the foursquare home’s old walls. The weekends they’d spend stripping wallpaper, re-grouting tile, reglazing each window. How they could revive the garden with their favorite fruits and veggies and beautiful flowers everywhere.
All of the mornings and evenings where the weather would be perfect for cozying up on the porch or in a hammock out back, content to be with each other and talk over their coffee or tea or wine.
Eddie could fix the Hoosier’s flour mill so Steve could bake all of their bread with home-milled flour. The clawfoot tub in their bathroom looked like it might be just the right size for two people to sink into, as long as they didn’t mind getting cozy. (They never minded.)
“Alright, boys! The foundation looks good from what I can see,” Chrissy’s voice called out over the sound of her footsteps coming back up the basement stairs somewhere behind them, getting louder as she reached the top and moved closer to where they’d paused. “Of course, the inspector would do a more thorough–oh! There you are!”
“Here we are,” Steve echoed, smiling down at her as he tucked her into his side within Eddie’s hold.
“What do we think?” she asked, letting her head rest on his shoulder.
“You were right, Chris. It’s really got that old-house charm to it,” Eddie answered.
“Yeah, we love it. Feels like it’s ours already,” Steve said.
“So…put in an offer?” Chrissy questioned.
Steve twisted to share a look with Eddie, finding his own joyful expression mirrored back at him.
“Hell yeah, Cunningham,” Eddie started, still holding Steve’s gaze. “Let’s do it.”
“I’m so excited for you guys! I’ll get the paperwork in as soon as we get back to the office,” Chrissy squealed, gathering them both into a hug.
They get to grow into their old bones in their old house and it’s more than either of them thought they’d ever have. It’s home.
The banner photo + what I imagined for this drabble came from this Sear's home + floor plan, the Castleton from 1921.
