"𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑢𝑠, ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑎 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒. 𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒."
—𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑒 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑠, 𝐴𝑛𝑛𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐ℎ 𝐾𝑖𝑠𝑠

𝒟.

"𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋 do you want now?"

Klaus grinned as he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. "What, can't say hi to my favourite brother?"

Diego sighed as he turned around and went down the stairs, waving away the smell of booze that was radiating from his brother. "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything!" Klaus called as he closed the door, suspending the sounds that were coming from the gym. He continued as he followed Diego onto the landing, "I just love you!" 

Diego, however, wasn't buying his bullshit, and he glared at him. "What do you want?"

Klaus's grin broadened as he shrugged. "Well, y'know, does my favourite, handsome, amazing, strong brother want to give me, his favourite, also amazing brother maybe, like, fifty bucks?"

Diego scoffed as he sat down on the edge of his bed. "No."

"Damn. I tried," he sighed as he leaned against the sink. "Where's Nutella?"

"She's at work."

Klaus frowned. "When will she be home?"

"I'm going for coffee with her in a few minutes, so I don't know," answered Diego with a small shrug. "Why?"

He grinned. "I wanna ask her for sixty bucks."

Diego's eyebrows furrowed. "I thought it was fifty."

"Yeah, but she always gives me more money."

"You gotta stop taking advantage of her, man. Of me, too," Diego sighed, running a hand through his short hair. "Go to rehab."

Klaus's nose immediately wrinkled, and he gave a small shudder. "Oh, God, now you're starting to sound like her."

"Shut up."

Klaus sighed. "Anywho, how's life been?"

"It's fine," Diego muttered as he glanced at the clock. He then stood up, realizing that he'd have to leave in less than a minute to be on time, and he grabbed his wallet and car keys from his desk before shoving both into his jean pocket. 

"Oh, detailed," Klaus quipped, "love it." 

Diego patted Klaus on the shoulder. "I have to go."

"What? Where?"

"I just told you. Coffee. With Natalia."

"Oh, right, right." Klaus nodded, and he tottered his way over to Diego's bed before flopping down and calling, "I'll just chill here."

Diego sighed, "That's not what I—"

"Ciao!"

Diego rolled his eyes before giving in and heading towards the door.

He made his way toward the gym, wrinkling his nose as the stench of sweat hit him. He ignored all this, giving small waves and mutters of hello to passing friends as he went towards the exit. 

"Yo, Diego!" 

Diego sighed and turned to see that Nigel was coming towards him, sweat beaded on his forehead and his cheeks a little flushed. 

Nigel panted as he came to a stop in front of Diego, and he grinned as he placed his hands on his hips. "Ready for tonight?"

Truthfully, Diego wasn't too in the mood to get his body littered with bruises, but he knew that saying that out loud would only earn him a ten-minute lecture. So instead, he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, muttering, "Yep."

"Good." Nigel nodded. "Where ya headin'?"

"Meeting Nat for coffee," Diego answered. 

"Ah. Tell her I say hi." A smirk grew on his face, and Diego silently groaned. "Also, that if she ever needs a real man, to come to me, and I'll show her a good time."

"Shut it," Diego grumbled, whacking his laughing friend on the arm before turning around and continuing towards the exit. He waved as Nigel bid him goodbye. 

He fished the keys out of his pocket and unlocked his car before sliding in. He started the engine, glancing at the time before sighing; he would be a few minutes late. 

After a quick fifteen minutes, he made it to the cafe where they had planned to meet at, and he grinned as he saw Natalia through the glass windows, already seated at a table. She caught sight of him as he got out of the car and made his way there, and she gave a wave that he swiftly returned. 

The cafe was a little busy when Diego went in, and he stepped aside to let a middle-aged woman pass him. He gave a small sigh of relief as the cool air from the air conditioning hit him, relieving him of the August sun. 

The line was a little long, but judging by the fact that there were two mugs at the table Natalia was at, he wouldn't have to wait. 

His gaze quickly found her at the table she was at, and he let his eyes roam over the tight-fitting (but still appropriate; school dress code) dress that she was wearing as he walked over to her. 

"Hey, baby," Diego greeted as he leaned towards her and pecked her lips. 

Natalia smiled as he sat down opposite her, and she pushed his usual coffee toward him. "Hi."

He muttered his thanks as his hands clasped around the warm mug, and his mouth watered at the scent of his go-to coffee. "How was work?"

"It was pretty good," she answered as she grasped the handle of her own mug. "I think my students were falling asleep when I was doing my usual morning briefing in the lab, though."

"Falling asleep? When you're in front of them?" Diego let out a playful scoff as he shook his head. "That's impossible."

"Well, it's very possible, considering it happened," she laughed. "How was your day?"

"It was going great until Klaus showed up at my door," he grumbled before taking a sip of his coffee. 

Natalia raised her eyebrows in humour. "That's not that bad of a thing to happen."

"He asked for fifty bucks."

"He's still your brother," she chided. 

He tilted his head. "He said he's gonna ask you for sixty."

"That little shit."

Diego laughed and took a sip of his coffee. He suddenly remembered his short encounter at the gym, and he sighed. "Nigel says hi, by the way. He also wanted me to say some other things, which I will not be saying to you."

Natalia chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure it's not that bad."

"Man," Diego sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I wish he'd just get a girlfriend so he'd stop sayin' that shit to you."

"You know he's joking," she pointed out with a light laugh. She reached out and placed a hand on his while giving him a smile, causing his heart rate to spike. "He's just trying to get on your nerves."

"Well," he grumbled, "it's working."

She giggled softly before tightening her grip on his hand. "Anyway, Diego, I actually, uh, wanted to talk to you about something."

"Yeah?"

"Well, um . . ." Natalia trailed off, her lips quickly pursing together as her eyes narrowed. She chewed on her lower lip for a few moments, her expression quickly becoming unsettled, causing Diego to grow uneasy.

His eyebrows furrowed, he spoke slowly as he tentatively asked, "You're not breaking up with me, are you?"

"What?" She immediately shook her head and gave his hand a small squeeze. "No."

"Oh, good," Diego sighed in relief before nodding. "Okay. Continue."

She gave him a quick grin before taking a sip of coffee. "Well, you know, we've been together for, what, nine months now?"

His eyes widened. He knew it had been more than a few months—the best months he's ever had—but he hadn't realized it had been nine of them. "Damn, has it really been that long?"

"Mhm," she confirmed, causing him to give an impressed hum. "So, between me working and all the stuff you do, we don't really see each other a lot. I was thinking, maybe" —she shrugged— "we could move in together?"

A grin spread onto Diego's face, and it broadened as he watched her eyes light up when he said, "That's a great idea."

Her expression much more relieved than before, she tentatively asked, "You think so?"

"Yeah." He nodded, causing her smile to widen. "Whose place?"

Natalia raised her eyebrows. "I feel like the answer is a little obvious."

"Is it?"

It was. It really was. It would only take half a glance to see that Natalia's home was far better than Diego's by a million percent. 

But still, as rusty and small and messy as it was, it was home. His home. A little piece of life to pride in. Something he worked hard for. A little net of safety for him, away from the dangers of the streets and the unsettling hands of others.  

"Well, Diego, I love your room, I really do. But . . ." She sighed before giving him a small shrug and continuing, "My bed isn't in the same room as my kitchen."

"All right, makes sense," he admitted before raising a finger. "But . . . it's just more convenient for me to be in that room. I'm at the gym during the day, I have matches at night, it'll be too much travel for me to go back and forth every day."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "You don't even have boxing matches every day."

Diego bit back a curse. "That's not my point."

"Isn't it?"

"Nat," he sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, "I mean, I've been living in that place for years. I can't just leave it now."

"Okay, let's make a pros and cons list," she suggested, prompting a nod from him. She used her fingers to help her list off. "For my place, the pros are that there are different rooms, a bathroom that you can keep all to yourself, privacy, security, an entire fridge and other kitchenware, a TV—"

"God, I get it, there's a lotta pros," he grumbled, playfully swatting her shoulder and receiving a giggle in return. "Just list the bad stuff."

"Well, it's more expensive, you have to do more travelling . . ." She pressed her lips together in thought for a moment before shrugging. "I think that's it."

"Okay, fine, pros for my place." Diego furrowed his eyebrows as he thought it over for a few moments, and then decided, "More convenient for me, nice and cozy, it's minimalistic . . . it's mainly the fact that I'm already at the gym all day, anyway."

She nodded as she took a sip of her coffee. "And cons?"

He wrinkled his nose. "I'm gonna skip that part."

"Aw, come on, babe," she whined, causing him to grin. "Not fair."

"So it's settled. My place."

Natalia sighed, shaking her head. "Diego, you can't expect that I'll shower with a bunch of other women every day."

"What's so wrong with that? Sharing is caring."

She tilted her head, her expression dropping. "Diego, I'm serious about this."

"So am I," he said earnestly. 

"If you don't wanna live together," she sighed, "just say so."

Not liking the crestfallen look that had developed on her face in the least, Diego interlaced his fingers with hers and gently said, "Nat, I want nothing more than to live with you."

She gave him a small smile before sighing and leaning back in her chair. "I don't know what we're gonna do."

Diego frowned. "Are you busy tonight?"

She glanced up to the ceiling as she thought. "I have a doctor's appointment at seven."

"Cancel it," he instructed. "You're coming over to my place, and we're gonna spend the rest of the night figuring this shit out."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why don't we go to my place?"

"Because Klaus is probably gonna interrupt for that sixty bucks."

"That's a good point," she chuckled. "Fine. Now?"

Diego thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I think Klaus is still at my place right now."

"Then . . ." Her eyebrows knit together tightly. "Why don't we go to my place if Klaus is at your place?"

"No, if I'm gone for that long, he's gonna realize I'm not coming back, and then go to your apartment," he pointed out, causing her to give a small nod of understanding. "No, I'll go home, kick Klaus out, and then you can come."

"What time?"

He glanced over to the clock that hung on the wall opposite him. "It's four-thirty now . . . say, a half an hour from now."

"All right." She leaned forward, her upper lip curling as she murmured, "I hope you'll have come to your senses by then."

"Funny," he scoffed, "I was gonna say the same to you."

𝒟.

"Back so soon?"

Diego groaned as he stepped inside his room, shutting the door behind him and blocking out the muffled noise from the gym. "Why are you still here?"

Klaus grinned, blowing him a kiss from the bed, on which he was laying. "Because I love you, and I cherish all my time with you."

Diego sighed as he tossed his keys onto his desk. "I don't have fifty dollars to spare."

"Forty."

"No."

"Twenty."

"No."

"Five."

"No."

"One."

"No."

"A penny."

"No."

Klaus gave a dramatic gasp as he sat upright and placed a hand over his heart. "Not even a penny?"

"I'm broke," Diego muttered. "Go ask Allison."

"Allison is, like, fifty hours away from us," Klaus whined as he got to his feet and walked over to Diego. 

"Go sell something."

"Fine. I will." Klaus stuck his tongue out at him, and he began to head towards the door. 

Diego, however, wasn't an idiot. He raised a finger and called, "Drop everything that you've taken from this room."

Klaus scoffed, "What do you mean?"

Diego turned to face him, and he raised his eyebrows. "Everything."

Klaus stared at him for a moment before huffing and beginning to pull small belongings out of his jacket. "You take the fun out of everything, Diego."

Diego scoffed, grabbing everything that Klaus was tossing aside and putting it onto his desk. "Yeah, yeah."

Diego sighed once Klaus was gone, and he placed his hands on his hips as he surveilled his room. 

A small frown settled on his lips. He knew that Natalia was right—her apartment was much fitter for living. Hell, this wasn't even a bedroom, it was a boiler room.

A groan escaped his lips. 

He stepped over to his dresser and opened the drawers. There was hardly any space for his clothes—and he didn't even have that much. 

He turned around and folded his arms, breathing out a sigh as he leaned back against the dresser. 

This place had been fine when he was by himself—more than fine, he loved this place. But now that he had someone else . . . And if they ever had kids . . .

His eyes roamed over to the kitchen. The mini-fridge, was, well, mini, and it was a hassle to have to hand wash all of his dishes every time. . . . His microwave was nearing ten years old, and he was pretty sure it was going to explode sometime soon. . . . 

His eyebrows raised. If he didn't live here anymore . . . Nigel wouldn't pop in every other second to tell him to get a move on. . . . They wouldn't have to worry about someone walking in whenever they were about to have . . . fun. . . .

But still . . . it was home. His whole adult life was here; he trained here, his friends were here, his boxing matches . . . He couldn't give it up just yet. 

He continued weighing the pros and cons for the next half-hour, though he was quickly drawn out of his thoughts as a knock came to the door. 

Diego sighed, rubbing his eyes before walking over and opening the door. 

"Hi, handsome," Natalia greeted, placing a kiss on his cheek before stepping in. 

Diego gave her a smile as he closed the door. "Hey."

She leaned back against the railing, glancing back at the room before shrugging. "I hope you've spent the last hour thinking hard."

"Oh, trust me, baby, I've been thinkin'," he reassured her. "Thinking about how great it'd be for both of us to live here."

She scoffed in amusement. "You are out of your mind."

"Am I?"

"Yes."

He chuckled before raising his hands in surrender. "Okay, I admit, maybe both of us spending the next few years here is not . . . ideal."

"Oh, thank God," she breathed out, placing her hands on his shoulders, "you've realized."

"But . . . ," he began, raising a finger and eliciting raised eyebrows, "I can't give this place up. Not yet."

Her forehead creased as her hands lowered to the sides of his arms. "So . . . where are you going with this?"

He grinned. "I suggest a compromise. Live in both places."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she pointed out, "How is that any different from what we're doing right now?"

"We can make a schedule. We'll be here whenever I have matches, that way we don't have to be driving to your place so late at night, and other days, we can stay at your apartment," he proposed. "I mean, I only have matches, what, once or twice a week, so it'll mostly be your place."

Natalia pursed her lips for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she thought it over. A few moments later, a smile spread onto her face as she nodded. "For once . . . you've had a good idea."

He scoffed playfully. "Oh, shut up."

She placed a kiss on his lips. "When's your next match?"

"Tonight," he answered with a small grin. "Which means we get to spend the night in this lovely room."

"Well, I think the amount of clothes and necessities I already have in the room is good enough for one or two nights a week." She looked around the room for a moment before turning back to him and raising her eyebrows. "But you might need to move a lot more of your stuff into my place."

"Yeah, I'll only need a couple of things in here," he agreed. He quirked an eyebrow as he tilted his head. "What are your plans for tomorrow?"

𝒩.

"God, this is heavy," Natalia sighed as she placed the last box on her kitchen counter. She peered at the top of the box, which had 'KNIVES' scribbled on it with Sharpie, and she turned her eyes to Diego, who was placing his box next to hers. "What do you need so many knives for?"

"Oh, for chopping up tomatoes—what do you think?" he scoffed playfully, giving her a grin when she lightly slapped his arm. 

"Shut up."

Diego wiped his forehead with the back of his hand before placing his hands on his hips. He nodded towards the boxes. "Is that the last of it?"

"Mhm," she nodded as she began to peel off the tape that secured the top. "We just have to unpack it all and put it away."

"Or . . . ," he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her waist and tucked his chin on her shoulder, "we can leave that for later and do something else."

She continued peeling off the tape as she raised her eyebrows. "And what, exactly, is that something else?"

A smirk grew on his face as he whispered, "Break the bed in."

"It's not a new bed," she pointed out with a laugh, swatting his hands away as they crept toward the top of her jeans. "I've been using it for four years."

He sighed as she tossed the tape aside and opened the box. "Yeah, I know, but it's like—y'know, moving in—new stuff—just go with it."

"You know what, darling?" Natalia turned around and kissed the tip of his nose. "If we unpack all this stuff, and we're not absolutely exhausted by the end, we can . . . break the bed in."

"I'm already tired," he complained. "I'm definitely gonna be exhausted by then."

"Well, then," she murmured as she turned back around and peeled off the tape of the other box, "it's a good thing my bed isn't new."

Diego's lips formed a pout as he muttered, "I hate you."

She gave a dramatic sigh. "Then I guess you can just bring all your stuff back home and—"

He chuckled. "Oh, you know I love you."

"What's that?" she questioned innocently, cupping her ear. "I didn't hear. You what?"

"I love you," he repeated a little louder, a small grin tugging at his lips. 

"And since you love me," she continued, "help me with your stuff."

She giggled as he groaned and let go of her. 

He wandered over to the stacks of boxes and peered over at them. "Which one has my clothes in it?"

She raised her eyebrows as she used her telekinesis to pull the knives out of the box and neatly land on the counter. "I assume the one that has 'clothes' written on it."

He glanced up at her as he looked through boxes, and let out a small snort. "Oh, thanks."

"Mhm," she hummed with a small grin. Once he found the box and began to head towards her room, she called, "I've already put all my clothes on one side of my closet, so you can put everything on the other half."

Diego nodded, and he disappeared into her room. 

Natalia finished placing the knives on the counter and put the box aside. Before she could move on to the next box, however, she heard the call of her name. 

"Nat!"

Her attention flicked up to her room, though she couldn't see Diego. "What?"

"Come here. I need your help with something."

She ran a hand through her hair before heading over to her room. She peered over towards her closet, which was at the side of her room. 

"What's—" 

She suddenly squealed as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her down onto her bed. 

"Diego," she laughed as he rolled on top of her and grinned. "We're not even finished unpacking."

"You unpacked one box," he pointed out as he planted a kiss on her lips. "Practically finished."

"One out of, what, seven?" she scoffed, though she couldn't resist smiling as he began to nip at her neck. 

"It's fine," he murmured as he began to unbutton her blouse, kisses following each button. 

Butterflies burst into her stomach, though she continued to try and push him off. "You didn't even open your box yet."

He pulled her blouse off and tossed it to the side. "Worry about that later."

She shivered as he ran his fingers along her bare chest, but managed to keep her voice steady. "I'm worried about it now."

"Oh, come on, baby," he murmured as he pulled off his own shirt. "Consider this a housewarming gift."

Her eyebrows raised. "If you want a housewarming gift, I'll get you a plant."

"I don't need a plant," he whispered as he began to kiss her jaw. "I just need you."

Natalia's body weakened at his words, and she finally succumbed as she cupped his cheeks and pulled him in for a kiss. 

"Now," Diego murmured into her ear after a few moments, his fingers fiddling with the button of her jeans, "let's break the bed in."