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Ricky's in his room, as he often is. He loves his space, his iPad, and his little home he made for himself.
He's been watching an old drama, the plot is corny and the acting is outdated, but he will watch all 16 episodes in one go. He'll savour his vacation days in the ways he wants to, happily creating the perfect dent in his bed cushion to lose track of time.
"Aegi, it's time to eat!" Matthew calls from outside his ajar door.
Ricky checks the time, not realizing it's already 9PM.
He gets on his feet to walk to the kitchen with his iPad still on hand. Matthew's in his room with the door wide open. He's mixing a packet of wet food with kibble for a loudly meowing Gia. The call was for Gia. That makes sense.
He looks for something easy to eat in the fridge. Thankfully they still have some marinated eggs and microwaveable rice, he'll also get some of the kimchi from Matthew's grandma for some more flavor.
Matthew walks in the kitchen while Ricky's rice heats up. "Hi Rickster," he greets as he grabs a tub of yogurt from the fridge.
"Hey Mashu," he greets back, holding his bowl of warm rice, eggs, and kimchi.
They eat together in their small dining table. Matthew peeks over at Ricky's iPad, asking questions with every new scene. Ricky doesn't mind it at all.
After a long day of dance practice and long meetings with a few executives, Ricky goes home ready to pass out.
He doesn't want to go to bed in his outside clothes. He thinks long and hard and he takes a seat on the couch to rest his mind before he'll properly rest his body. He sinks into the cushion, his head falls and he doesn't care to lift it back up. His cheek presses against his own shoulder as leverage. In a mere few seconds, he shuts down in the comfort of his own home.
"Okay, big stretch! Good boy!" Matthew coos loudly.
Ricky wakes up to the sound and follows instructions, stretching his extremities in one go. His back hunches a bit as he readjusts the creak in his neck and the tightness on his shoulders. His body slightly shakes with the effort to release his contracted muscles. That was nice.
He blinks the sleep out of his eyes, and with his clearer vision he notices a soft thin blanket messily laid on his body. It probably moved when he stretched. He knows the pattern anywhere, it's Matthew's.
He slowly stands up, feeling his body regain enough energy to get ready for bed without his accidental nap completely ruining his night's sleep.
He loosely folds the blanket in his arms and passes by Matthew's room before entering his own. "Matthew," he calls from the door.
Matthew hums from his bed with Gia laid on his chest. "You're awake!" He smiles, trying his best not to wake Gia. "Sorry, was I noisy? I was helping him fall asleep."
"Cute," he mumbles. He enters Matthew's room and places Matthew's blanket at the foot of his bed. "Thanks for that," he shyly says.
"It's no problem," Matthew says, and Gia's head peeks up slowly blinking up at Ricky. He stands to stretch on top of Matthew's abdomen, leaning all his weight on Matthew, before settling into a comfier position on Matthew's tummy. "Big stretch again, wow!" Matthew softly giggles, and Gia purrs into the vibration of Matthew's laugh.
Of course it was for Gia, who else would be a good boy? Ricky didn't think it was specifically for him, he was barely thinking at all. But regardless, it helped.
He greeted Matthew goodnight and he went into his room to properly get ready for bed.
Ricky cooks a nice piece of steak for dinner while Matthew lounges on the massage chair with Gia on his lap. He added some beef recently in their grocery delivery order and he's going to prove to Matthew he can cook. He also really wanted some good protein, but he didn't want to get dressed and buy food. He can cook!
He borrows Matthew's pan and Matthew's spatula and Matthew's apron—he can cook, he just doesn't. But today he will! He seasons the raw beef, and he waits for the pan to heat up.
He hovers his hand over the pan to see if it's hot enough. Not yet. He hovers over the pan again. Not hot enough yet. Maybe now? He lowers his hand to the pot, checking the heat.
"Baby, no! You'll get hurt!" Matthew calls, and Ricky immediately retracts his hand from the pan.
Ricky turns around to see if Matthew's watching him, and to his surprise Gia is hiding somewhere in the small space between the massage chair and the couch, close to the outlet; it's far enough where Matthew can't grab him.
Not again. Ricky shakes it off and he places the filet on the pan. It sizzles immediately and he wonders how his hand couldn't feel the heat when the steak is browning already. He turns it over with the spatula and removes it from the heat when it reaches a good medium-well. He lets it rest for a while before slicing it in strips, he wants to steal a piece already but he'll wait. He also wants to share it with Matthew.
Matthew brings Gia into his room, giving him a short timeout. (He also wants to make sure Gia won't do anything with Ricky's specially made filet mignon.)
"Mashu, have some protein," he calls over. He washes his hands while waiting for Matthew to join him at their dining table. Matthew washes his hands beside him, playfully splashing Ricky's face with a few droplets of water. Ricky splashes some droplets back, but it completely misses.
Matthew grabs a fork and pierces a piece of Ricky's steak. Ricky waits for him to take a bite, but he instead holds it to Ricky's mouth. "Chef first," he says, waiting for Ricky to open his mouth.
Ricky takes the piece from Matthew's fork and eats it. Matthew pierces another slice and takes a bite for himself. You can't go wrong with a good piece of beef.
"Good job, bro. I guess you really can cook," Matthew smiles, feeding Ricky again. Ricky can feed himself, he has a pair of chopsticks ready, but he didn't need it.
They finish the meat and Matthew rubs his tummy in satisfaction. Matthew helps wash the dishes before thanking him for the meal and going back to his room.
Ricky feels good. He's proven his cooking abilities to Matthew! (He also feels good knowing Matthew enjoyed his meal.)
After a solo photoshoot for Urban Decay, Ricky comes home in a wrinkled buttoned shirt, sweatpants, and with a full face of artfully placed makeup. He doesn't feel any shame about it, he feels good in it. It's unique, out of the ordinary, and definitely a different look on him compared to his usual makeup style.
He goes to his room to put down his bags, but he returns to the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea for himself. He wants to unwind after a tiring day, a very good day, but still tiring. He leans against the kitchen counter, he takes his first deep breath that day.
"Wah!" Matthew gasps within earshot, his footsteps getting louder going towards the kitchen. "My pretty kitty!"
Ricky's cheeks warm up, but he shakes his head. He won't fall for this again. Matthew shows up by the kitchen with a bright smile, maybe Ricky underestimates Matthew and his affections. With no Gia in sight, maybe it really was for him.
He shyly reacts back, swallowing his mouthful of warm tea first. His cheeks curve up, the compliment makes him happy. With a soft exhale, he gives Matthew a quick 'thank you'. He isn't sure if Matthew heard him from behind his mug.
Matthew leans close to Ricky, enjoying the comfortable silence with him. He'd normally ask him about his day, chat about if anything happened during his shoot, update him on anything he missed; instead, he stayed quiet and let Ricky enjoy his peace with company.
Gia walks out of Matthew's room wearing a frilly… bib? Ricky hums in confusion, tilting his head at his little friend's accessory. Gia tilts his head back at Ricky, inspecting his shimmery eyeshadow.
Matthew giggles at the sight. "My uncle bought it for Gia. It's supposed to be a skirt, but his tummy's too big so we made it like a collar." He takes a step to hoist Gia in his arms to get closer to Ricky. "Isn't he pretty, kitty?"
Ricky doesn't know who Matthew was talking to or who he was directing the question to, and neither Gia nor Ricky responded to him. He let out a cute laugh, enjoying how Gia squirmed in his arms to get back to the ground and hide behind Ricky's legs.
Ricky lets out a soft yawn and Matthew calls for Gia to follow him. He picks him up and returns his focus to Ricky.
"You'll wash up soon?"
"Yeah, I just needed to unwind a bit."
"Alright! Let me use the toilet first then the bathroom's all yours."
"Thanks," Ricky smiles at his roommate. It's really all in the little things.
Matthew gives Gia's head a small kiss before he outstretches Gia's soft paw to tap against Ricky's knuckle in a faux fist bump. "Goodnight, Unc," Matthew says in his Gia voice.
"Goodnight, Gia," Ricky smiles, softly bumping his paw with his fingertips.
Matthew leans in to give Ricky a peck on the cheek. "Goodnight, Ricky," he gently smiles.
Ricky slowly blinks at him, surprised with the gesture. It's nothing new, he's glad Matthew shares his affections so openly to him, but he didn't realize how much he needed that at the end of the day. "Goodnight, Matthew," he smiles, waving as he walks to the direction of his room.
Ricky never officially moved out.
He slowly filtered his stuff out of his dorm with Matthew to his new place. An extra empty duffel going to the dorm, a full bag on his way to his other dorm. Some days, Matthew waits for Ricky to finish showering so he can have his turn before they take their van together. Other mornings, Matthew opens the door to Ricky's empty room to make sure dust doesn't settle easily in his space. (He closes it at night, feigning a sense of privacy to no one in particular.)
When Ricky had his last box of items brought over to his other dorm, Matthew wondered if that was finally it. He still saw him for concert preparations; he'd sleep over on nights before their flights or long meetings; he'd stay in the dorm after practice to hang around before taking a taxi to his other dorm. He never had an official goodbye to his roommate. It was a gradual acceptance that Ricky would be home less and less.
Somewhere in Matthew's head, he came to terms that if he never says goodbye, Ricky is still his roommate.
Gia traipses in Ricky's room as Matthew opens the door, sniffing the areas he'd often hide in when Ricky catsits for him. The rack of long coats Gia would hide under isn't there anymore. He circles the small rug where the clothes rack once stood on, and he lays down for a nap.
Matthew sits down on the floor in front of Gia. He scratches the back of Gia's ear, petting him gently as he falls asleep with the faintest trace of Ricky's scent.
"You've been such a good boy," he mumbles to Gia and more for himself. "Thanks for helping me take care of our Ricky," he breathlessly laughs, feeling the large space get emptier.
Gia slowly stands from his curled up position and he lays back down on one side of the rug. Matthew scoots over to sit beside Gia on the rug, reaching over to continue petting his tummy to fall asleep. Gia leans his head against Matthew's knee, softly purring against his skin. Let's sit in it together, I'll be here for you.
The room still feels empty. The dorm is a lot emptier. But, he has a good boy who knows how to take care of his Matthew too.
"Are you home?" Ricky's voice is soft on the phone, it's muffled by the sound of wind and other noise around him.
"Yeah, I just got home now actually. I only had a morning schedule! What's up?" Matthew replies, balancing his phone between his shoulder and ear as he enters the elevator to the dorm.
"Can I come over?" Matthew pauses at Ricky's request and his walk to his room feels slower.
With a breathless exhale, he laughs. "Yeah, please. I never changed our passcode, you know you can always come over anytime."
After 20 minutes, Ricky rings the buzzer to warn Matthew of his entrance, and he enters the passcode by himself.
"Mashu," he greets loudly. He looks for Matthew in the empty living room. He hears footsteps and he hopes Matthew greets him with a hug, he really likes those. "Nothing's changed since I left," he softly laughs looking around at his former living room.
Matthew comes out of his room and comes in for a light hug. "I liked our living room before you moved, and I still like our living room now," he shrugs with a smile. "Hey wait, no, I changed some things! Look!" He points at a clean litter box nestled beside their vacuum cleaner corner and a Rare PSA 8 Purrloin card displayed on the dining table.
"Gia took my spot as your favorite roommate," Ricky teases with a giggle.
"Never," Matthew immediately replies. He has a soft smile, almost bittersweet.
Matthew and Ricky lounge around in comfortable silence, not ready to converse about anything new going on. That can wait. They're basking in the peace of each others' company and that's more than enough.
The dorm buzzer rings again around the living room as Ricky sinks in the familiar leather couch. It always supported him like no other, he sits right beside where the window slightly peeks in some sun and Matthew stands from his favorite spot on the other end of the couch.
"Aegi, time to eat," Matthew calls, holding a plastic bag in hand and placing it on the dining table. Ricky doesn't respond. Matthew disappears for a moment, and Ricky waits for Gia to pop out for his lunch time. It's already 1:30PM; he's due for feeding time, probably in Matthew's room. He wonders if he can ask Matthew if he can give Gia his Churu today.
"Rickster?" Matthew calls again, showing off two takeout bowls of tomato egg rice in a plastic bag. It's just like old times. "I ordered it right as you told me you wanted to come over. Have lunch with me."
Ricky slowly gets on his feet, stretching his legs after the comfortable position on the couch. He could almost hear Matthew mumble 'big stretch!', but he's probably just hearing things.
He approaches the table and Matthew hands him his designated spoon from the kitchen drawer alongside the disposable chopsticks. Matthew grabs his own spoon and begins digging in, urging Ricky to eat as well.
Ricky carelessly grabs the container by the bottom and Matthew drops his chopsticks in his own bowl to hold Ricky's container by the sides.
"Baby, no! You'll get hurt!" Matthew warns, helping remove the plastic container from its takeout bag. Matthew's funny, he can't separate his cat voice with his friend voice. "Ricky, what would you do without me?!" he boasts with a giggle. "Gyuvin and Yujin better be taking good care of you there," he tuts, removing the tape and lid for Ricky. He doesn't have to do that, Ricky can do it on his own just fine, but Matthew wants to. (Ricky wants Matthew to, also.)
Ricky thanks him again. He should feel a little embarrassed at all the care he's given, but he isn't. It feels like a return to what he always knew. He takes a bite of his food and for something he still orders often, it tastes much better today. It feels brighter, lighter, and heartier.
Ricky laughs to himself as he eats his meal with Matthew.
"What's so funny?" Matthew asks, taking another bite.
"Nothing important, it's just," Ricky shakes his head, still smiling. "You take care of me the same way you take care of Gia. It feels nice. I'm glad he's here for you."
Matthew smiles at the remark. He'll keep his little schemes a secret. He's just glad they worked.
"If Gia didn't take my spot as your favorite roommate, can I take his spot as your favorite kitty?" Ricky teases with a giggle.
"Don't cross the line there," Matthew laughs. He won't admit that maybe he has an equal space in his heart for his two favorite kitties.
"Is he just in your room? I wanna give him some treats after lunch," Ricky requests. He wonders if his room became a storage space or if Matthew turned it into a Gia playroom. Gia always liked playing in Ricky's coat corner, he even bought a rug so that the floor doesn't get too scratched up.
"Gia's at home with uncle today. This week has been a lot of work, so uncle volunteered to catsit the aegi for a few days," Matthew explains. Ricky knows Gia sometimes goes home to Matthew's uncle's house on busier days, but he didn't expect his little friend to be absent.
After a beat of silence, Ricky speaks. "Are you okay?" he asks, he thinks he's been wanting to know for a while.
Matthew nods with a weak smile. "I'm okay now."
"If you have nothing else to do today, is it cool if I just hang around?"
"I'd love that," Matthew smiles, more sincere this time.
Ricky knows his favorite roommate all too well. After putting the plastic containers in its respective trash bag, he grabs his discarded coat from the couch. "Let's buy some ice cream for dessert."
Matthew perks up and grabs his phone and wallet from inside his room.
Ricky tuts at him. "Do you really think I'll allow you to pay? I'm buying." He'll give Matthew this small treat after lunch, it's the very least he can do.
They walk to the convenience store together to buy their preferred ice cream. Ricky got a chocolate popsicle while Matthew got a single serving pint of mint chip ice cream.
They return to their dorm with their goodies on hand. It's nothing grand, it's simple, and that's exactly how they like it.
Ricky removes his leather coat and he takes a seat on the couch after eating his ice cream. He's comfortable.
Matthew takes a seat again on his end of their couch. He's observing Ricky, a familiar view in his home that has become unfamiliar again. His hair is unstyled, it's a bit messy but it's also the healthiest it has looked in a while. He slouches a bit, and his cute tummy rises and sinks as he breathes. He's still as quiet as ever, but it's a silence he really loves. His pretty kitty.
Ricky stretches again, his face scrunching as he gets comfortable. He moves to lay down, his head ever so slightly bumping the side of Matthew's knee. "Thanks for taking care of me, Mashu," he hums, his eyes drifting closed.
Matthew lets his hand pet over Ricky's head. He doesn't have to reply.
They sit in it together. I'll always be here for you.
Ricky's back in his dorm, a rare occurence. He loves his space, his favorite roommate, and the little home they made for each other.