something just like this

[god_of_the_arena]

Gannicus pushed his hair back and worked it into a braid. He'd forgotten anything to tie it back with but he wasn't inclined to go back to the house just to find something. The braid would hold a while, and when it gave out he would braid it again. Maybe he would find a long lost piece of baling twine if he was lucky.

Aster and Bran were out and about with him; they had spent the day roaming the property and working on the barn. It was his day off; he knew to expect Krem home before Hild based on the notes left on the counter. Aster was sniffing at rodent holes but Bran was laying in a puddle of sun.

By now he'd patched all of the gaps in the wall of the barn; the sun was coming in through the open windows. They could be pulled closed and latched at will, but airing the building out still seemed a good idea, at least until the weather turned.

Most of his work today had been making sure the loft was sturdy, repairing gaps and structural issues up there so that they might store hay when they had livestock. Gannicus had never imagined a settled life like this for himself, not after the Romans took him. But this was what he might have had if not for that. Perhaps not a house as large or land like this, but a quiet home and a herd of to keep.

Aster rushed by him. Gannicus turned and he smiled when he saw Krem standing in the doorway of the barn.

Comments

[god_of_the_arena]

Gannicus leaned to meet the kiss. "You must love me. Or enjoy feasting eyes enough to forgive smaller flaw."

He chuckled and pulled Krem down with him so they could look at the barn roof. He laughed, huffed a sigh. "That needs patching, I think. Not all of it, but I would not have draft in winter. Not if we are to keep animals here... or disappear to it ourselves."

[krempuff]

Krem let himself be led, and was dutifully attentive to the details. He nodded. It was a good point, and something to add to a small but growing list of details. The house and grounds were not in disrepair, so to speak. Things just needed attention. It was often the case.

"It isn't so bad for now," he said. "But at some point, yes. Before we get any sort of weather."

[god_of_the_arena]

"It can wait," he conceded, though he probably wouldn't let it go for too long. He tipped his head to kiss Krem's temple. "Is it strange to say I look forward to winter here? In this house?"

[krempuff]

"I don't think that's strange at all," Krem said. He wound his arms around Gannicus's neck, slow and gently, holding him close. He leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips.

"It's going to be lovely, once it snows. A bitch, to come and go from, but it will look lovely."

[god_of_the_arena]

"We will manage," he said quietly, smiling against Krem's mouth. "I had thought toward... learning to drive." He laughed, because the idea still seemed so foreign despite how long he had been here, but neither Hild nor Krem seemed particularly eager.

Aggie was learning, maybe she could help him catch up and practice. They would need an actual vehicle, but they could put mind toward that eventually.

[krempuff]

Krem hummed a little, a vague noise that was neither ascent nor discontentment. He didn't mind the idea of Gannicus behind the wheel any more than he minded the idea of Aggie behind the wheel.

Possibly he minded it less because Gannicus would probably behave slightly better, and not have a couple of rambunctious teenage boys trying to tell her how best to outpace the police in Darrow.

"At some point we'll likely need one," Krem admitted.

[god_of_the_arena]

"We'll find way." He kissed Krem's cheek, then leaned lower to kiss his neck. "That way none of us is trapped trudging through snow come winter."

[krempuff]

"That's awfully optimistic of you," Krem murmured, content, smiling. He tilted his head back slightly to expose his throat to the gentle attention, smiling a bit. His fingers lifted and curled into Gannicus's hair.