Corym woke up late that morning. He could have slept longer, had sunlight not poured into the room. Milo had been quiet enough that morning to not wake him up as he left to an exam they had spent the night preparing him for. He looked around their apartment - papers were strewn about, post-it notes with equations stuck everywhere, and an unhealthy number of empty mugs were littered around the room. 

He groaned, conceding that his day would mostly be spent cleaning up before Milo would be home and he could finally see his reaction to Valentines day. They had never really spoken about it, but nonetheless, Corym wanted to do something nice for him. 

The moment he was about to get up, he felt the familiar weight of their tabby cat land on his back. He effectively became her prisoner, there and then. 

“Good morning, Umbra.” No, the name didn’t make sense - such a dark name for a ball of bright orange fur always resulted in questions, but that made him like the name even more. Introducing her to Milo was fun - he questioned the name on and off for weeks, but the cat immediately took a liking to him, curling up on his lap when he studies as often as she could. 

He turned around, gently urging her off of his back, sitting in the morning sun for a moment before getting up, throwing a shirt on, making his favorite tea, and starting to clean. 

Corym could only hope that whoever invented the dishwasher was properly recognized for their contribution to society - he and his mother never had one, so when he saw Milo had one in his apartment… it was easy to tease him about only moving in with him for that and that alone. 

Stars, the amount of cups they had was inhuman. 

It took most of the day for the apartment to look presentable again - with his favorite music playing in his headphones and the sunlight finally showing up after months of clouds, he felt great, and cleaning almost became fun. 

With the spare change he had collected over the past month, he went downstairs to the market street they lived above. Milo had specific preferences, and he made sure to get a little bit of all of his favorites - sweet honey rolls, ingredients for one of his favorite dishes, a book he had pointed out a few times that he still hadn’t gotten himself. As he walked back home, a collection of white-and-purple flowers caught his eye. 

“Most people go for roses today, or tulips,” the florist told him. “Few people give these any regards, but they are my favorite.” 

“How much for one? With a spell to keep it fresh for as long as possible?” 

The vendor shrugged. “Take it, I don’t expect to sell many more today. And for the spell… the dream you had last night should suffice.” 

Corym chuckled - fae vendors were few and far between, but the price was reasonable. As he shook her hand, he barely felt her take the dream. 

“That… was nonsense? Why was there-”

“No takebacks, right?” Corym smiled, taking one of the flowers from their display. “Have a wonderful day.” 

Something about the smell of the flower reminded him of something, though he couldn’t quite explain what. 

The sun was beginning to set - Milo would be home any moment, probably exhausted. Eight hours for an exam was ridiculous by any standard, even if it meant that if he passed, he could become a professor in physics. 

The flower in a vase, dinner in the oven, a few candles lit (entirely confusing Umbra), and a nice shirt on, Corym waited for his boyfriend with a book on the couch and quiet music playing from their record player. His heart jumped when he heard the familiar click of keys turning in their door. 

Stars, he looked tired, but still, he was smiling. 

“Hey, Mi.”

“Hi - oh, oh what is all of this for?” Milo asked, looking around the room.

Corym shrugged and stood to greet his partner, kissing his cheek, taking his coat. “You deserve an evening off, after that exam. That, and it’s valentines’ day, and I figured, well, why not take tonight as a double opportunity for a bit of a date night?” 

“Valentines’... I’m sorry, I just didn’t think of it, or really thought we would do anything for it? You’re not one for commercial holidays.” 

“Well I am if that holiday is an excuse for me to remind you that I love you.” 

Milo chuckled. “You don’t seem to need a holiday for that.” 

“It enables me all the more, what can I say? So tell me, Mi, will you be mine tonight?” 

Milo rolled his eyes with a smile. “An odd convention of something to ask someone who already is yours.” 

“Thank goodness, your rejection would have been awkward.” 

Milo laughed and leaned down to press a quick kiss to Corym’s lips. 

“How did the exam go?” 

“Well, I think. I’ll know the full verdict on Monday.” 

Dinner wasn’t quite perfect, but it made Milo smile. The sweet rolls, however, were particularly well-made, and the champagne Milo’s mother had gotten him for when he finished his exam tasted like the brightest stars. Eventually, the bottle lay empty on the floor, both of them laughing about nothing and everything in each other's arms on the couch like they hadn’t had the chance to in just a little too long. Soft kisses and gentle touches were woven naturally in the conversation as they fell into the easy comfort they loved the most. They hadn’t even noticed the record finish, too occupied by each other and, sometimes, their cat. 

Knowing how tired Milo was, Corym never suggested for them to take things further, too happy in the moment, anyway. As the candles started dying out, the need for sleep started pulling at Milo. They both laid on the couch, Milo’s head on Corym’s chest, under a blanket, smiling as he stroked Corym’s side with his thumb. 

“What are you thinking, Mi?” 

“How do you know its anything in particular?” 

“Your smile keeps twitching, like you’re trying not to let it grow.” 

Milo shrugged and stretched a little to kiss Corym’s neck, right under his pointed ear. “I’m just thinking that this feels like what people call ‘home’. I just think I get it now.” 

That was enough to make Corym know he was blushing. “So you finally understand why I call you ‘mo ivarre’ - my chosen home.” 

Milo nodded. “I always understood it, but now it feels even more like the right word.” He settled back to where he was most comfortable. “Just so you know, I’m probably going to fall asleep soon, this is nice.” 

At that moment, Umbra hopped onto Milo’s back, curling up to sleep.

“Well, it’s not like we can move now, anyway,” Corym chuckled, reaching out to pet the cat’s head. 

Milo exhaled, content. “Thank you for tonight. I love you.” 

“I love you, too.”