Eddy called him perfect, scooped him up in his arms and held him close to his chest, and Luke cooed joyfully as he was swept off his feet, ready to fall in love the rest of the way as the pair walked down the hall.  The music crooned after them, would still be flowing in the air while they made music of their own.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>The transition to living in Paul's apartment had taken some time: Paul's lifestyle was new to Gabriel, and he had to learn the way the man organized his days and nights.  Before, they had only met in prearranged situations; here, there was a rhythm, a pattern, but it did not take too long for Gabriel to pick things up.  Now, it was as if they had been living together for a year rather than a month, nearly seamless in their integration.<br/><br/>Learning to sleep with another body in bed had been difficult.  Gabriel's dreams, when he did dream, were disturbing things that made his nights fitful; he had awoken several times in the first week, tried so carefully not to rouse Paul whenever he startled awake in panic, but the fits had eased...  Few dreams, and fewer nightmares.  Though, Gabriel's mind was such a mess his comparisons might be skewed.<br/><br/>Now he slept calmly, barely moved at all through the night, curled into his portion of the bed and never encroaching on Paul's side unless allowed.  There were many more pillows and blankets than he was used to, a luxury Gabriel had ignored for himself, but he couldn't deny he enjoyed them.  They smelled like Paul, smelled like his laundry and the rest of his immaculate apartment.  Like home, as sentimental as that sounded.<br/><br/>This morning, Gabriel was still asleep, wrapped in the sheets and cheek pressed into a pillow (there would likely be a small crease in the skin, a reminder of such deep slumber).  The reason for his tiredness was evident on his back-- the lovely lashmarks spread out along his spine, decorating his shoulderblades down to the curve of his hips.  A wonderful evening, spent rapturously...<br/><br/>His breaths were soft, nearly silent, raising his delicate ribs and dropping them gracefully; those subtle moves and the occasional, lightest twitch of Gabriel's fingers were the only signals of life.  But slowly, slowly, he began to stir, the weak sunlight making his pale eyelids flutter as Gabriel started to wake.