Week One.
Monday morning arrived with Ethan's belongings scattered across Gabriel's their apartment.
Boxes stacked in the corner. His clothes filling half the closet.
His sketchbooks claiming space on the dining table.
Books piled on the floor waiting to be shelved.
"This is chaos," Gabriel observed, stepping over a box labeled 'RANDOM.'
"This is moving in." Ethan emerged from the bedroom, holding up two ties. "Which one?"
"The blue."
"Why?"
"Because you look good in blue."
Ethan grinned, draping it around his neck. "Help me?"
Gabriel crossed to him, fingers working the knot with practiced ease.
Their morning routine, now official.
When he finished, his hands lingered on Ethan's collar, straightening it carefully.
"Perfect," Gabriel murmured.
"The tie or me?"
"Both."
At work, Claire approved Ethan's material specifications for the Chen commission. Production would begin next week.
"Good work, Montgomery. Keep this momentum."
