Hey, new story!! This one's hopefully gonna be a little easier going than my others and if there are any triggering topics, I'll give chapter warnings like always . 

There will be smut and ur welcome for it 

Vote and comment and all that because I love when u do, my stories have been slacking in the tags lately, maybe we can change that?? I'll love you forever 

* * * 

The sky was littered with glimmering pinheads. Andy stood from the taxi he had been sitting in since leaving the airport three hours ago. As the driver opened the boot for his bags, he wandered down the street a few metres.

It was a quiet housing estate he had chosen to live on, lined with smart, Victorian townhouses, each with its own parking space and small front yard. At the back, there were larger gardens, big enough for tables and chairs and sheds for gardening tools, not that Andy ever did any sort of gardening.

The driver helped him take the bags up the steps to the front door before accepting the payment and wishing Andy a good night. Andy watched the car disappear around the corner, headlights melting into the darkness of an English night. It was nearly 1.am. Early Sunday morning.

The door opened with his key. An anxiety he could finally let go of; he had worried during the long journey that somehow they had given him the wrong key, that he'd arrive only to be locked out.

Inside, there was a porch area with shelves where he could store shoes, and pegs for coats. Beyond that was a corridor, and the first right took him into the spacious converted open plan living room and kitchen. The worktops were marble and there was a matching fireplace with a deep mantle piece.

Andy only had three bags with him. Two suitcases and a rucksack, packed full of clothes, books, and electronics. He had to leave behind his furniture and most of his bulky belongings, meaning in the near future, he'd need to go shopping for replacements. He figured it'd be a good way to familiarise himself with the surroundings.

He dragged one suitcase up the stairs with him, dumping it in the bedroom, where the previous owners had left a bed as promised, going as far as to set a brand new, unopened packet of bedding on the mattress. Andy was half asleep as he made the bed, shaking out the duvet until his arms ached. He'd been travelling since early the previous day and, being unable to sleep in hotels or on public transport, hadn't slept since. As soon as the bed was made, he stripped from his clothes and slept.

* * * * *

Sun was blaring through the curtains when Andy woke at gone eleven. He stood at the bay window for a while admiring the view. It really was spectacular. He could see right over the town since the house was on a hillside, and was more or less level with the top of the church spire. He'd definitely have to walk down into town later, even if few shops would be open with it being a Sunday.

In the natural light, Andy unpacked, hanging up clothes in the mirror-fronted wardrobe before going down to have a proper look around the building. The living room looked even better in the light. It was bright and the ceiling was high, a chandelier in the center with little candle-like LEDs screwed into the fixtures.

There was a knock on his door as he was deciding where he'd put a piano if he bought one, and cheerfully, he answered to a young man wearing pink lip gloss and holding a large canvas bag. "Hey, sorry to bother you," said the young man. "You're new here, right?"

"Yep."

"Ah, that's good, because I brought you some, I guess, welcome gifts. Not much, just food to keep you going 'til you get to the shop and stuff." He held the bag towards Andy, smiled.

"Oh wow, that's so nice of you," Andy said. "Why don't you come in? It's the least I can do to thank you."

"Sure, I'd love to."

In the kitchen, he put the bag on the side, and Andy begun emptying it. There was a bottle of milk, a loaf of bread that must have been freshly baked, butter, bacon, eggs, a packet of pasta, a few jars of sauce, and a tin of homemade banana bread.

"Really, you didn't need to do this," Andy told him. "Thank you so much."

"You're American."

"I am."

"Your accent," said the young man. "Never heard one in person before."

Andy laughed. "Honored to be your first. I'd say I've never heard a British accent in person, either, but I'd be lying."

"So where're you from? I mean, America, obviously, but where in America?"

"California. I grew up in Cincinnati and moved when I was a teen to do music. What do you say to a slice of this delicious looking banana bread? I'm starving."

"If you're offering."

Andy hummed. "I don't have any plates yet, though. Hope you don't mind."

"Oh, do you want a few? I've loads at my place, I can run back and grab some?"

"No, you've given me all this already, I couldn't ask for anymore."

"You can just invite me over for dinner to make up for it," he said with a grin, heading for the door, and stopped to add, "I'm Remington, by the way."

"Andy."

Remington returned from his house with a stack of two plates, two bowls, and a handful of cutlery. "No mugs, sorry. I keep smashing them." He set them down on the counter beside the cake.

Andy cut the banana bread with one of Remington's butter knives and gave them both a generous slab. They ate with forks at the breakfast bar.

"You been down town yet?" Remington asked.

Andy shook his head. "I only got here at one this morning."

"Wow, you're a real newbie."

"I know, right."

"Well, when you go down, I should warn you, your accent will either piss people off or make them fall in love with you."

"Ah, gotcha."

"Just don't take photos of the market cross monument and you'll be good. People hate when foreigners take photos of the market cross."

Andy raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "I'll remember that."

"So...about this dinner..."

"Give me a date, I'll do the cooking. As long as you're not one of those fussy people."

"I don't like avocado and I'm allergic to peanuts, but apart from that, nope."

Andy looked at him and smiled. "Good. I'll be making nut roast with peanut butter cheesecake."

"Oh, so you're one of those," Remington joked. "Can't wait. I'll put on my best dress. Gotta die of anaphylactic shock in style."