Work Text:
Jedidiah Leland was decidedly not having a good morning.
He hadn't had a good night sleep, having rolled onto a particularly pointy figure at some ungodly hour of the night. Not only that, but in trying to twist away, he accidentally knocked a bust to the floor creating such a clatter that he fully startled himself from his rest. When he attempted to rise with the dawn, having been unable to fall back asleep, he proceeded to trip over said bust in the dim, stubbing his toe. Traversing the room just to reach his clothing in the dresser to get ready for the day was akin to navigating a maze, resulting in Jed having to scramble over carvings like some crazed half-asleep monkey man.
All these difficulties added to Jed’s bad mood, leaving him a storm cloud of a human being. None dare enter his domain, present hazards aside, lest they wished to feel his wrath.
As it stood, he was perched in his chair, the seat partially shared with a decapitated Athena, and hunched over a bronze recreation of August Rodin’s The Thinker. His desk, along with every over flat surface in this fire hazard of an office, had been commandeered for storage space. The bent back of the statue was the closest thing to a usable writing area that he could find.
It was not ideal.
Uncomfortable, and more than a bit annoyed, he angrily toiled away on his article of the day.
Outside, he heard a small din begin. Others in the building calling out to someone as they walked amongst the workstations, drawing ever closer to him.
At last the door banged open, announcing the arrival of this heralded newcomer.
“Jed! I’ve returned!” A triumphant voice called, followed quickly by a scuffle and a thump. “Ouch! Jesus!”
Ah, that must have been the bust. It brought Leland vindictive joy to know that he was not its only victim.
Faced with a new and very deserving target, Jed turned and allowed himself to explode. “Did you have to send back so many!?”
Charles looked up innocently, having righted himself and the statue. “What? They brighten up the place!”
Jed scoffed. “Brighten up the place? They turn us into the world's most cramped sculpture garden!”
Charles waved him off, searching around for a place to set down his suitcase. “Pshaw! We have plenty of room!”
Hardly a second goes by before there is a loud clang as a Venus de Milo is knocked into the metal bed frame. Charles winced as Jed gives him a deadpan look.
Leland gestures to the bed, exasperated. “I've quite literally been sleeping with a statue of David because there was nowhere else we could fit the thing.”
Charlie gapes at him, faux-scandalized. “Gone for a month and you've replaced me already?”
Jed couldn’t hold in his scoff.
Holding his chest as if truly pained, Charlie went over to the bed, dropping his luggage before it. Pulling down the covers in dramatic fashion, he glared at the sculpture… then paused, contemplative.
“Well… I can't say I blame you, it has much better abs.” He pulled down the blanket a bit more. “A little lacking in the– ah hem– department, though.”
Annoyed, Leland threw his pen at Charles' face, just to get him to be quiet. A light blush dusted his cheeks, but now was not the time to evaluate it.
It was exceedingly disappointing when Charles somehow managed to dodge, the small copper tube bouncing harmlessly off of Doryphoros's chest.
Smiling like a loon, and coursing with adrenaline, Charlie called back cheekily, “You missed!”
Leland swore that he could see his own skull, his eyes rolled so hard. With a huff, he returned to his article, thankfully in possession of an extra writing implement.
Behind him, there was shuffling. Footsteps drew tentatively near, a shadow soon falling over his shoulder.
“You did enjoy them, though, right?” A more mellow voice asked.
Jed grumbled noncommittally.
He didn’t want to give the other the pleasure of knowing that he did actually enjoy seeing the many souvenirs from Charlie's trip. Leland had always had an affinity for art and art related pursuits. Even if their presence was at times inconvenient, he could admit that he greatly appreciated the statues' beauty.
Charlie nudged his shoulder, like a child seeking attention. It drew Jed from his focus. “Come onnn, didn't you?” he implored.
A small smile split Jed's face, despite all his efforts. He looked down to hide it, finally mumbling out a reluctant, “...Maybe…”
Charlie beamed.
A gentle kiss landed on his cheek and a soft voice said, “I'm glad.”