"Admittedly, it does help that you do that, I should get you a mug. Or one of those little Oscar figurines. Do I get Best Boss or Best Husband, though, it would be a terrible struggle to figure that out so I suppose I should just keep on showing you my appreciation the way I have been." Spencer delights in the growing flush in Joel's cheeks, not because he particularly enjoys goading his husband--though it's often quite fun--but because it's just another way of being reminded that he truly has an impact on someone. With just a few words, some murmured phrases, he's been able to render Joel speechless; with his vows, he'd made Joel cry; and just by sitting here, he's seen the sheer love and affection in Joel's eyes that he once wouldn't have thought he'd ever be on the receiving end of because there hadn't been anyone he'd want to give that particular look to in the first place.
There are times when they've been in bed that Spencer, in that strange limbo between awake and asleep with his head on his husband's chest, has felt Joel simply lean down to give his forehead a gentle kiss. It's a small gesture, but it's also one that Joel assumes isn't noticed because Spencer's eyes have fallen shut and his breathing has slowed to something steadier. Anyone is capable of a grand, sweeping gesture; but sometimes it's those small moments, the ones that they'll only ever share together, that affect Spencer the most. He's never had anyone to share something like that with, after all, and the fact that he shares them now with the man he's going to be with for the rest of his life, with his husband, is something that Spencer hopes he never stops thinking is remarkable.
By the time he's shaken himself from his thoughts, Joel's already sitting back down on the couch with his laptop in tow. Spencer drapes his arm over Joel's shoulders, reveling in the added warmth his husband's body offers as the flames still crackle on the hearth. He hears Huxley let out a little sigh as he yawns, readjusting himself near the fire and resting his head on his paws before closing his eyes again, and Spencer smiles, perfectly content in this moment. They're going to have a child someday but right now, this is their family. The only missing member is Balto, but Spencer would never dare discount her even if she's been turning her back on him a little more than usual since Huxley's arrival. Still, they're family and it's no longer strange to come home to a household full of life and activity and love after two and a half long years of lonely silence.
He focuses his attention back on the surrogate options the agency has sent and wrinkles his nose at the mention of the lawyer with the fondness for extreme sports. He's sure she's a lovely woman, her eyes are bright and kind in the photo offered, but he's relieved when Joel seems to agree and opens up the next option. His first thought is that she looks lovely. There's a warmth in her big, blue doe eyes that makes him relax against his husband's side, and Spencer rests his head on Joel's shoulder as his husband says what he's thinking. "Mm, do I need to grow my hair out longer and dye it a bit lighter?" he teases. He knows very well that Joel doesn't mean it that way, and the issue of jealousy isn't really something they've discussed at length but the fact of the matter is that Spencer trusts Joel more than anyone. He doesn't worry that Joel's going to find someone better or more attractive or younger or any of those things because he knows how much Joel loves him. It's the kind of certainty he knows some people only wish for, the kind of certainty that isn't present in so many relationships, and he's beyond grateful that it exists between him and Joel. Granted, if anyone were to try to be anything more than innocently flirtatious with his husband, Spencer thinks he'd more than likely end up seeing red; but it certainly wouldn't be Joel on the receiving end of his anger.
He presses a kiss to Joel's neck just to reaffirm that he's joking before returning his attention to the photo. "I like her smile," he says. "And her eyes, they remind me of my dad's and Dane's. My mom, she had brown eyes like me, but my brother and father, they just-- I remember being so fascinated as a child by how bright my dad's eyes were." He pulls away a bit to smile at Joel, to let him know these are memories that aren't going to end with him in tears. "Plus, it says she enjoys reading and she's originally from Canada. Both very good signs, I know a man who has qualities like that and letting him into my life turned out to be a very good decision for me."
no subject
There are times when they've been in bed that Spencer, in that strange limbo between awake and asleep with his head on his husband's chest, has felt Joel simply lean down to give his forehead a gentle kiss. It's a small gesture, but it's also one that Joel assumes isn't noticed because Spencer's eyes have fallen shut and his breathing has slowed to something steadier. Anyone is capable of a grand, sweeping gesture; but sometimes it's those small moments, the ones that they'll only ever share together, that affect Spencer the most. He's never had anyone to share something like that with, after all, and the fact that he shares them now with the man he's going to be with for the rest of his life, with his husband, is something that Spencer hopes he never stops thinking is remarkable.
By the time he's shaken himself from his thoughts, Joel's already sitting back down on the couch with his laptop in tow. Spencer drapes his arm over Joel's shoulders, reveling in the added warmth his husband's body offers as the flames still crackle on the hearth. He hears Huxley let out a little sigh as he yawns, readjusting himself near the fire and resting his head on his paws before closing his eyes again, and Spencer smiles, perfectly content in this moment. They're going to have a child someday but right now, this is their family. The only missing member is Balto, but Spencer would never dare discount her even if she's been turning her back on him a little more than usual since Huxley's arrival. Still, they're family and it's no longer strange to come home to a household full of life and activity and love after two and a half long years of lonely silence.
He focuses his attention back on the surrogate options the agency has sent and wrinkles his nose at the mention of the lawyer with the fondness for extreme sports. He's sure she's a lovely woman, her eyes are bright and kind in the photo offered, but he's relieved when Joel seems to agree and opens up the next option. His first thought is that she looks lovely. There's a warmth in her big, blue doe eyes that makes him relax against his husband's side, and Spencer rests his head on Joel's shoulder as his husband says what he's thinking. "Mm, do I need to grow my hair out longer and dye it a bit lighter?" he teases. He knows very well that Joel doesn't mean it that way, and the issue of jealousy isn't really something they've discussed at length but the fact of the matter is that Spencer trusts Joel more than anyone. He doesn't worry that Joel's going to find someone better or more attractive or younger or any of those things because he knows how much Joel loves him. It's the kind of certainty he knows some people only wish for, the kind of certainty that isn't present in so many relationships, and he's beyond grateful that it exists between him and Joel. Granted, if anyone were to try to be anything more than innocently flirtatious with his husband, Spencer thinks he'd more than likely end up seeing red; but it certainly wouldn't be Joel on the receiving end of his anger.
He presses a kiss to Joel's neck just to reaffirm that he's joking before returning his attention to the photo. "I like her smile," he says. "And her eyes, they remind me of my dad's and Dane's. My mom, she had brown eyes like me, but my brother and father, they just-- I remember being so fascinated as a child by how bright my dad's eyes were." He pulls away a bit to smile at Joel, to let him know these are memories that aren't going to end with him in tears. "Plus, it says she enjoys reading and she's originally from Canada. Both very good signs, I know a man who has qualities like that and letting him into my life turned out to be a very good decision for me."