"So should I or should I not tell you I'm going to have a shower after putting the dishes away?" Joel asks, opening the dishwasher after he rinses off the plates, then begins to load their dirty dishes. There are a few things he'll need to clean by hand, but he figures they can wait until after he's showered and dressed, and for the moment he stacks them beside the sink and then wipes down the counters. Given that he'd been a bachelor most of his life and that his store could have very accurately been described as an utter disaster until Spencer had begun to help him, Joel's always been rather clean when it comes to his home and living with Spencer has been no exception to that. Even with Dane here now, making a far bigger mess simply because he's a baby, Joel has kept relatively on top of things. Their laundry is rarely behind and the kitchen is always clean and he thinks they're both doing a rather good job of adjusting to this entirely new life. Being self-employed has certainly helped them in this aspect and he knows it. He knows they're lucky, being able to make their own hours, being able to bring Dane to the store, being able to handle it on their own if the other needs to go home for a few hours with the baby. That's not something everyone has access to and Joel is extremely grateful for it.
"That was an invitation, for the record," Joel adds, looking at Spencer before he glances at the clock. Dane is dozing in his chair and Joel thinks if they lie him down in his crib for a few minutes, he'll sleep through, but they don't have a lot of time before Charlotte is set to arrive. He's grinning, even as he tries to look casual and leans back against the counter, pretending he's just talking to his husband about something completely banal. It's impossible, though, he can't keep the smile off his face at even the thought of being able to get Spencer into the shower with him. Even if he does nothing more than run his hands over his husband, he'll be happy for the time spent together. "We'll have to be quick. With showering, I mean. Simply getting clean, nothing more. It just makes good sense to save time and water by doing it at the same time, doesn't it?"
That innocent smile Spencer offers him is far from innocent and Joel knows it, laughing as he leans down to pick Dane gently up from his seat. Their son stirs briefly, then sighs and rests his head against Joel's shoulder, his tiny fist near his mouth. He won't stay sleeping for long, but Joel thinks he and Spencer can make the most of it. Flashing Spencer a not so innocent smile of his own, he heads back for the stairs, taking Dane into his bedroom and laying him gently in the crib before he makes sure the baby monitor is turned on. Then, half expecting to find Spencer in their bedroom already, Joel heads down the hall, tugging off his shirt as he goes. He heads into their bathroom and turns on the shower, then grabs their end of the monitor and turns the volume all the way up before he sets it on the bathroom counter. Even over the sound of the running water, he can hear Dane breathing slowly and steadily and just that sound is enough to make him smile.
"He's so small," he says when he senses Spencer coming into the room behind him. "He even sounds small over the monitor." And it won't last forever. Joel wants to take these moments and find some way to make them last as long as he can, even if it's just within his memory. He wants to be able to close his eyes ten years from now and remember this day, how tiny their son had sounded while breathing in his sleep.
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"That was an invitation, for the record," Joel adds, looking at Spencer before he glances at the clock. Dane is dozing in his chair and Joel thinks if they lie him down in his crib for a few minutes, he'll sleep through, but they don't have a lot of time before Charlotte is set to arrive. He's grinning, even as he tries to look casual and leans back against the counter, pretending he's just talking to his husband about something completely banal. It's impossible, though, he can't keep the smile off his face at even the thought of being able to get Spencer into the shower with him. Even if he does nothing more than run his hands over his husband, he'll be happy for the time spent together. "We'll have to be quick. With showering, I mean. Simply getting clean, nothing more. It just makes good sense to save time and water by doing it at the same time, doesn't it?"
That innocent smile Spencer offers him is far from innocent and Joel knows it, laughing as he leans down to pick Dane gently up from his seat. Their son stirs briefly, then sighs and rests his head against Joel's shoulder, his tiny fist near his mouth. He won't stay sleeping for long, but Joel thinks he and Spencer can make the most of it. Flashing Spencer a not so innocent smile of his own, he heads back for the stairs, taking Dane into his bedroom and laying him gently in the crib before he makes sure the baby monitor is turned on. Then, half expecting to find Spencer in their bedroom already, Joel heads down the hall, tugging off his shirt as he goes. He heads into their bathroom and turns on the shower, then grabs their end of the monitor and turns the volume all the way up before he sets it on the bathroom counter. Even over the sound of the running water, he can hear Dane breathing slowly and steadily and just that sound is enough to make him smile.
"He's so small," he says when he senses Spencer coming into the room behind him. "He even sounds small over the monitor." And it won't last forever. Joel wants to take these moments and find some way to make them last as long as he can, even if it's just within his memory. He wants to be able to close his eyes ten years from now and remember this day, how tiny their son had sounded while breathing in his sleep.