bakerstreet | A home is where you find one.

A home is where you find one.

unexpected domesticity shipping meme.
you never thought you'd have a home, at least not one you can call completely yours, no strings attached and no one lording above you or controlling you. you may not have even known what a "home" truly is, or thought you wanted one. now, there is a touch of domesticity in your life, no matter what things are like otherwise, because you have a home, though you may not have a house proper.

most importantly, you now have someone to share this new facet of life with - a partner. similar to you or completely different, relationship unspoken or unrealized, heavily romantic or understated, they are slowly but surely becoming someone indispensable to you. you never could have seen this coming. and, of course, with domesticity comes a certain amount of intimacy, perhaps even the ultimate physical intimacy...you may be open to that already or you're working up to it when you'd hardly considered it before.

whether your situation is for the long term as it stands, could end at any moment, or a mere disguise you're using to lay low, you're getting comfortable. how does that make you feel? will you it accept a new lease on life - or will you sabotauge yourself before someone else does?

— Comment with your character, preferences, what tone you want your thread to take, and whether or not your open to smut.
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Mostly civil.

"She and my father are bickering again about something. So naturally, it's my fault all over again." He hated admitting it, but it was times like this he was actually glad he'd managed to inadvertantly 'sabotage' her political career with his escapades and affiliations. Or else, he wouldn't have been able to just get away from it all so easily!

Another bite purposefully changed the subject.

"If not Finn, maybe we could ask Poe and Jessika." He suggested one of the partners at Rey's firm. "Matt gets along fairly well with little Jessie."

Their daughter was about a year and a half older then Matt, and fortunately, was just as rambunctious at the park. He'd been meaning to ask Jessica about scheduling some more regular playdates for the two of them, but hadn't gotten around to it yet.

Sometimes, mostly civil was the best that could be hoped for.

Rey wanted nothing more than to comment - to reassure Ben that no matter what is going on in his parents' lives, their arguments were hardly his fault. Despite what may have happened in the past, and she's definitely heard her fair share of stories, it was unfair to continue holding those actions against him now. But it was clear that he didn't want to talk about it any longer than necessary, and she wasn't going to push.

"Yeah, that's true, we could do that. I'm sure they'd just ... cancel each other out. That's a thing that happens, right?" She asked, chuckling softly. "Hey, maybe this time we'll get lucky and someone'll say yes. Feels like we haven't gone out in ages."

It was a start, anyway. Rey wasn't getting her hopes up just yet - just in case something got in the way, plans changed, any number of things could ensure that this potential night out would have to be rescheduled for another time.

There were some topics that Ben just didn't want to talk about. Anticipating a night with his lovey wife was far better than rehashing anything his own mother might say or do.

"I'd suggest we take him with us, but that might defeat the purpose of date night." He smiled again.

Of course, a kickboxing championship match wasn't the best place for a three-year old. Not only was it past his bedtime, but the last thing he needed was to give Matt an excuse to imitate violent behavior. He had that down all on his own. (Or, well, with a little help. They did hit the gym three days a week...)

There were some topics that she knew not to broach simply because they dredged up the type of unpleasant memories that both of them would like to avoid. This was their life now, no need to dig up past transgressions, real and imagined.

She laughed quietly, nodding. "I'm really not into the idea of coming home and finding, oh, I don't know, broken furniture and you with a black eye, so he might have to be a bit older before he goes to his first match."

Family day trips usually included safer options - parks, kid-friendly museums, the zoo, although Matt reminded them at every opportunity that he was still waiting for a giraffe of his very own. He was too rambunctious for the library, but every now and again, they tried a visit.

Rey, in his mind, was a far better mom than Leia Organa-Solo had ever been, or ever could be.

He cherished those weekend outings, and still had pictures from the zoo and science museum in his wallet. Which he definitely wasn't afraid to show off. Most of the father-son activities, with the exception of the gym, were practical - the grocery store, the bank, even the mall a couple of times. Sometimes, Matt was content to ride on his dad's shoulders the entire time, and sometimes Ben was carrying a screaming wriggling tantrum-machine under one arm as he went about the household chores.

"Hey, that only happened once." he laughed along with her.

(And it had nothing to do with Matt, only the dining chairs that a nervous father-to-be happened to trip over, land on and completely snap in half.)

And yet, Rey still worried from time to time about just that. She hadn't grown up in the most stable of homes, and had known so many different foster parents that she couldn't be sure that she even knew how to be a mother. She'd like to think that she'd gotten the hang of it by now, but those worries always crept back, probably always would.

The weekend outings made the rest of the week totally worthwhile (even the stress of the job, sometimes). There really is never a dull moment with Matt, and she loved to see his excitement whenever they visited someplace new. And even when they visited someplace he's been hundreds of times before, like his favorite ice cream parlor. Her little, cluttered office is full of photos - so much so that she's constantly trying to find room for more.

"At least we'll both know what to expect the next time that we're expecting", she replied, and it's mostly in jest, if only because this place is too small for another kid, and it's just ... not the right time.

That last part definitely made Ben's ears perk up. He stopped mid-bite, not quite sure whether she was joking or trying to find a way to break the news. Either way, he smiled a little at the thought. Yes, he more than had his hands full with Matt. But if another were to come along, he'd love them just as much.

"Is that... going to happen sooner than expected?"

More like ... mostly joking but also kind of attempting to gauge his thoughts on the whole thing without actually asking. They've spoken about it, but no plans were set in stone. Growing up by herself had definitely been the major reason why she'd always wanted a big family.

"Not as far as I know", she answered, pausing just long enough to nibble at her lip before continuing. "Would we be ready if it was?"

"I don't know if anyone's ever ready..." He answered honestly. He put his silverware down, and reached across their little table to take her hand. "But I do know we'd love them. And we're both getting pretty good at figuring stuff out as we go."

Kids didn't come with instruction manuals. And if they did, Matt would have found a way to rip his apart a long time ago, probably giggling the entire time he did it.

Ben was definitely on board with expanding their family. (Which, who knows - twins did sort of run in his family. If they weren't careful, fate could easily double their blessings...)

He's got a point there. For as many books as they'd read, and classes that they'd taken, the reality of Matt's arrival had been far, far different than their expectations. So although raising their son continues to be one huge learning experience, he was right about that, too. So when she smiled in return and gently squeezed his fingers, it was done as fondly as possible.

Life wasn't easy. Parenting wasn't easy. Juggling the two definitely wasn't easy, but Rey thought, even at her most exhausted, that it was all worthwhile in the end.

"Is this - are we ... ", she ventured, softly amused chuckle cutting her off mid-sentence. "We were just saying how difficult it was to find time for date night. Are we, um, discussing not actively trying to prevent - ?"

He squeezed her hand gently before letting go. Then he ran that hand through his sauce-splattered hair. A nervous chuckle soon followed, and his expressive face couldn't hide a twinge of embarrassment when he added, "well, you didn't marry me for my keen logic..."

Unless that was the purpose of date night... But a major sporting arena was hardly the place and a kickboxing match hardly the time, no matter how fired up they might be.

"No", she giggled, nodding her head in agreement. "But I did marry you because I was madly in love with you. And because you reminded me to, you know, look up from my books and enjoy life. So, I mean, there's never gonna be a perfect time, and there's a perfect age gap, and I guess - well, I'm okay with trying."

Maybe not directly after Phasma's match. Although, with all that adrenaline flowing, who knew what might happen?

Some things definitely turned out in their favor. Poe and Jessika were more than happy to watch Matt for the evening, and even turned the night into the little guy's first ever sleepover.

In the week leading up to it, Ben did his best to make sure his son would be on his best behavior - or at least the closest thing to it. They went out and bought a pint-sized Yoda-covered sleeping bag, packed little baggies of trail mix to share with Jessie and decorated a 'thank you' card for the Damerons. Just to make sure it actually got to them, Ben pinned it to the back of Matt's shirt when they dropped him off. Maybe, after a few hours, someone would be able to catch him long enough to tear it off.

The match was spectacular, and they had a great view of the action. Phasma was happy to pass along a pair of free tickets for, as she put it, "the father of her favorite workout partner." And they were even more thrilled to see her pull off the win after a long, intense bout.

Afterwards, there would be plenty of celebration. And for the first time in a very long time, they were returning home to an otherwise empty apartment with the rest of the night all to themselves.

Every now and again, things just so happened to fall into place. Like ... date night, which Rey had been looking forward to from the moment that Poe agreed to take Matt for the night. And Matt, for his part, seemed excited to spend a whole night at Jessie's.

So excited that in the week leading up to the sleepover, he behaved as well as he ever had, and as the story was related to Rey, hadn't even looked back once they arrived at the house. Which, okay, stung a little, even though she was glad that for once, everything seemed to be going off without a hitch.

She only had to text Poe twice during the entirety of the match, just to ensure that the good behavior was continuing. She got a photo in return of the kids eating popcorn, watching Yoda on tv. After that, it was easy to concentrate on the action, jumping and screaming and celebrating the win with the rest of the crowd.

Rey was still excitedly chattering about the win when they returned home - home, which was blessedly quiet and clean and all theirs.

Ben, in return, sent a photo of them with 'Ferocious Phasma' and a giant trophy. Rey also got a shot of Phasma putting him in a headlock, but that one didn't get sent anywhere.

Coming home to an empty house was definitely strange. Ben had to stop himself from stopping in the doorway to Matt's room, as there was no one he needed to check on before coming to bed. And bed was exactly where both of them were headed.

Not for sleep, at least not yet. They were both wide awake with the excitement of the evening, and once they crossed that threshold, excitement turned to passion. In the warm glow of the lamplight, Rey never looked so alive.

This was a night for making love.

And as fate would have it, the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of Ben and Rey Solo.

All in all, date night had been a resounding success. And even though it took every inch of willpower in Rey's body, when they returned home, she did manage to refrain from checking on Matt one last time. It was late. He was probably asleep. And if there were any problems at all, they would have been alerted already.

The rest of the night belonged to she and Ben alone, and sorry, neighbors, this wasn't going to be hushed and hurried like usual. This was about reconnecting in every sense of the word, and she'll be damned if they're not going to take the time to enjoy it, and each other thoroughly.

Some weeks later, and life has pretty well fallen right back into place, with the exception of Matt's behavior. They've made the playdates with Jessie a weekly occurrence, and he's learned that in order to go on them, he'd have to calm himself a bit. Tantrums still happened, just not as frequently as usual.

Life was good. Other than the fact that Rey was coming home hours earlier than usual, green around the gills. For a woman that rarely ever got sick, this was definitely unusual.

It was almost like a miracle - that Matt was begining to understand that behavior on one day led to privleges or consequences the next. And that he could be very easily motivated by going out and doing just about anything. If it was an activity, he was all for it.

Creative outlets for frustration seemed to help as well. Ben started teaching Matt that there could be a time and place for letting it all out - like Father/Son gym time. And surprisingly, once he got it out of his system, he was more keen on actually using his words later in the day. ...most of the time.

Except for this time...

"I told you, sit and color now and we'll play after dinner. But if you can't then we won't play after dinner at all!"

Ben was checking on his wife with a crying, screaming, fists swinging Matt tucked under one arm.

"I said no. The stove is hot. Knives are sharp. You can't play so close to the counter while Daddy is cooking!" He turned from red-faced son to green-faced wife. He picked up a lot of vegetables at the supemarket earlier in the day, in case she was still feeling under the weather. "Think you can keep down a little soup? I'm making a pretty light one."

He was still learning. It was best to go into each day without expectations impossible for a temperamental three year old to live up to. So, any little victory was celebrated like a big one, and that seemed to help.

Rewards, such as more activities, dessert, or a present if he went a whole week without blowing up seemed to help, too. Of course, the more books Rey read on the subject, the more differing opinion she was subjected to - which really didn't matter in the long run as long as what they were doing was working.

Some days were better than others, though, and today just happened to be not so great.

So, for as much as she'd love nothing better than a long nap, it didn't look like she'd be getting the opportunity anytime soon. "Hey, kiddo, what do you say you hang out here on the couch with Mommy? I'll let you play your games on the tablet for a while if you can stop crying."

It'd keep him quiet for a while, at the very least. And, the games were mostly educational, with the exception of Fruit Ninja. That one was just fun for everybody. She offered the hint of a smile, and shrugged. "I'll try. Ben, it was so embarrassing, I had to leave a meeting to be sick. If this is a summer cold, it's a weird one. I'm never queasy when I have colds. And I rarely have colds!"

Swiping fruit with his fingers wasn't quite as good as what daddy was doing in the kitchen with real vegetables, but eventually, he started to quiet down. Ben offered a sheepish smile. He was trying to give Rey some time to rest and a hot mug of soup (it was really rare that she came home sick from work) but good intentions weren't going to be enough this time.

"Is the stomach flu going around? I'd expect Matt to be bringing that home, not you." He put a gentle hand on Rey's shoulder, kissing the top of his forehead as he walked around behind the couch.

Not quite as good, but one hundred percent safer, since no real knives were being used. Besides, he's got tons of other kid-appropriate games on the tablet, too, for when he inevitably got bored and wanted to play something else. As long as he wasn't screaming, Rey didn't mind sharing her quiet time with Matt.

"I don't think so? Nobody else in the office is sick. I've been feeling this build for a little while, but today, it really hit hard." She hummed softly, grateful for the pleasant little affectionate gesture. "Poe ordered takeout for everybody today, and the smell of it just made my stomach turn."

The conversation continued as he returned to chopping vegetables and dropping them in a now boiling pot.

"From that little Chinese place across the street from your office that you always rave about?" He was as shocked as she was, clearly, as he knew how much his wife loved that particular hole in the wall. "The last time you ever turned down Chinese was..."

Ben froze. And dropped the knife. It was a good thing Matt was on the couch instead of underfoot.

"...do you... Do you think you're... That you might be...?"

He had a hard time getting the words out, and picking up the knife, which he managed to drop all over again.

Rey contented herself with watching Matt play - still feeling off, but much better now that she was at home and attempting to rest. She gently ran her fingers through Matt's hair, humming her agreement.

Every busy law firm, no matter how small, had their favorite takeout joints, and this place was their go-to.

Rey hadn't really thought anything of her sickness - it was just a cold, just some bug that was going around, couldn't possibly be anything else. And then Ben suggested something else entirely, and she could kick herself for foregoing the idea completely. That absolutely was a distinct possibility, wasn't it?

"But I never had morning sickness with Matt. Never felt bad at all", she answered, frowning. The sound of the knife clattering against the floor got her attention, and she turned, trying to catch a glimpse of her husband and his reaction. "Careful! I don't want to have to take a trip to the emergency room for stitches."

A breath. A moment. And then -

"I, um, think maybe I should take a test."

Morning sickness, no. But she did get extremely picky about food at the most random of times, something Ben, as the primary meal-preparer of the household, jumped through many a hoop to accommodate. It was the least he could do. She was working doubly hard - not just at her job but also in creating another life. She deserved all the little pleasures he could give.

"I'm fine." he insisted, as that knife clattered against the cutting board.

Ben paused, and took a deep breath. He actually had to focus on the task at hand. He'd be chopping himself into the pot if he wasn't careful!

"I can pick one up at the pharmacy tomorrow. When I replenish my stock of bandages..." he paused for half a second. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I'm fine!"

That part was true enough - she'd send him on many a late night expedition for certain foods, savory and sweet in turn, and sometimes requested the strangest of combinations, Ben had never complained. Maybe he'd wrinkled his nose a few times, but he never failed to deliver exactly what Rey asked for.

He'd do anything she asked, and she could only hope that she's shown how grateful she is for that - for him to the best of her ability. Who cared that others didn't really understand their relationship - all she needed, she had, and she was happy.

She was a little hesitant to believe that Ben was as fine as he said that he was, but as long as she didn't hear any 'ouches' or 'uh ohs' she'd give him the benefit of the doubt. Still, there was no helping the way she rolled her eyes at the joke.

"Very funny. Yeah, if you would, that would be great. I mean, I'm kind of nervous to find out, but at the same time, I really wanna know."

He really would do anything she asked him to. It was just the way he was. He'd spent the better part of his life desperately looking for a place to belong and running away from those he didn't. It was how he ended up in a cult, after all. Ben was nothing if not devoted, and his relationship with Rey was the most healthy one he'd ever been in.

He picked up a couple of tests at the pharmacy (two brands, just in case). The saleswoman gave him a wink and a smile. She handed Ben the bag, and then gave the well-behaved little guy on his shoulders his promised lollypop.

He was kind of hoping Rey wouldn't be home when he got back, because that would have meant she was feeling better. But he wasn't holding his breath.

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