Spencer wrinkles his nose at that as he picks up another cookie because while he's not generally a picky eater, he's never been able to stand the taste or even the smell of pickles. He glances at Joel with an overly serious expression and shakes the cookie at him sternly. "You're never allowed to eat pickles then kiss me, I strictly forbid it." He emphasizes his point with a bite into the cookie but leans in to give Joel a kiss on the cheek all the same, and it's odd to him how he feels so at ease like this.
He's happy, genuinely happy that he's here with the two people who actually do know him best. Joel, of course, has become his confidante for nearly everything except for what Spencer simply can't bring himself to talk about--the minor harassment he still gets from the less civilized people in town, the nightmares that overpower him when he forgets to take the anise seed, the moments when he's alone and startles because he thinks he hears footsteps behind him--and as for Raleigh... well, they've exchanged their tragic stories, and Spencer hasn't done that for anyone.
But then she's switching off the radio and stammering something about the bread and putting things away, and he frowns, exchanging a quick glance with Joel before setting the cookie in his hand down and taking a step toward her. "Raleigh, it's fine," he says gently, slowly reaching out to rest a hand on her arm. "To be honest, I'm glad to see the kitchen being put to good use. With you baking and Joel wanting to cook, I--" He huffs out a laugh that doesn't have much humor behind it but he offers her a wry smile. "I like that things are busy here again. It's just another remind that I'm..." Not alone, he wants to say. He looks back at his boyfriend again, reaching out his other hand--and that he can do that at all is still so strange to him--for Joel to take. "I like that you're both here. I like that I can come home to people I care about." He pauses, narrowing his eyes and his smile becomes a bit more playful. "I also like coming home to baked goods and bread littering our kitchen counter, to be completely honest."
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He's happy, genuinely happy that he's here with the two people who actually do know him best. Joel, of course, has become his confidante for nearly everything except for what Spencer simply can't bring himself to talk about--the minor harassment he still gets from the less civilized people in town, the nightmares that overpower him when he forgets to take the anise seed, the moments when he's alone and startles because he thinks he hears footsteps behind him--and as for Raleigh... well, they've exchanged their tragic stories, and Spencer hasn't done that for anyone.
But then she's switching off the radio and stammering something about the bread and putting things away, and he frowns, exchanging a quick glance with Joel before setting the cookie in his hand down and taking a step toward her. "Raleigh, it's fine," he says gently, slowly reaching out to rest a hand on her arm. "To be honest, I'm glad to see the kitchen being put to good use. With you baking and Joel wanting to cook, I--" He huffs out a laugh that doesn't have much humor behind it but he offers her a wry smile. "I like that things are busy here again. It's just another remind that I'm..." Not alone, he wants to say. He looks back at his boyfriend again, reaching out his other hand--and that he can do that at all is still so strange to him--for Joel to take. "I like that you're both here. I like that I can come home to people I care about." He pauses, narrowing his eyes and his smile becomes a bit more playful. "I also like coming home to baked goods and bread littering our kitchen counter, to be completely honest."