Page 61 of Dark Stars
Now it was time to work. His haphazard housejust wouldn't do for an actual human, so time to reconfigure. Anyfinetuning or particular requests Alejo had, he could addlater.
For now, he started with creating abasement, reaching deep into the fabric of the world to shift andchange things the way he wanted. It was something he ordinarilywouldn't do without permission, but Harold and Jones wouldn't careabout a little remodeling.
Once the basement was ready, he turned itinto a proper library, with shelves, fancy lighting, reading rooms,special archive, everything, and moved all his books there.
With the first level clear, he set to workin earnest. A proper kitchen that he'd leave empty so Alejo couldchoose the pots and pans and everything else, large andprofessional grade, as it sounded like Alejo's family liked tocook.
Next a dining room that could accommodatelots of people, and a smaller one that was mostly part of thekitchen, divided by an archway, for everyday use that overlookedthe pond and garden Alejo had seemed to like.
Living room, rec room, office space,bathrooms, mudroom, entryway, and a couple of empty rooms for Alejoto do as he liked. Next he added a glassed in room that could begreenhouse or insect metropolis or both, complete with a littlepond of its own.
After that, he stopped for a break and food,regain some lost energy and answer some texts from Harold.
When that was all addressed, he set to workon the upstairs. Master bedroom. Spare bedrooms. Roomy hallway,sweeping stairs with a landing that was also a sitting area,complete with a little kitchenette space so no one had to go allthe way downstairs for a midnight snack. A large deck with stairsto the ground, and beneath the deck, a sunroom that he adjusted toconnect to the first floor.
By the time he'd finished adding all thelittle details like windows, doors, closets, he was actually readyfor a real nap.
Crawling back into a bed that was larger andnicer than he'd left it, he wrapped around Alejo and sank into arestful state, smiling softly.
When he woke some hours later, it was to allsorts of racket downstairs. Alejo, Harold, Jones, and what soundedlike delivery people. Yawning and stretching, Bobby went to showerand dress. By the time he made it downstairs, the delivery peoplewere long gone, and Jones was helping arrange furniture.
"Having fun?" Bobby asked.
Alejo finished arranged an enormouswraparound couch to his satisfaction. "You really need to stopsleeping for days at a time."
Bobby shrugged. "I've been busy. I needed torejuvenate, and sadly my grandfather's special fluids were not hereto soak in this time. I see you've been having fun with the newhouse."
"It's alotof house. Somethingsmaller would have been fine."
"Meh. Where's the fun in that? But I canmake everything smaller if that's what you want."
"No, no, I already sent pictures to myfamily. They've been calling and texting nonstop since I explainedeverything to them. I was on the facetime from hell with my parentsfor like three hours, so thanks for that."
Bobby smirked. "Glad I slept throughit."
Alejo jabbed him hard in the stomach withhis finger. "Brat. On the bright side, we don't have to go get mystuff. They've decided they're going to come here, so they can seeeverything firsthand for themselves. Be here in a couple of weeks,possibly a little sooner, once they've wrapped things up andarranged pet sitters and things like that. I also told them aboutMichael."
"I spoke to Michael's parents," Jones said,baring his fangs for a bare second. "Tracked them down, flew outthere, had a nice long chat. They'll be laying low for a long time.They asked if they could speak with their son, and I said I didn'tknow, but I'd be in touch when I did."
"I'll speak with my father about it.Normally it's better if they are cut off entirely, allowed to startfresh and focus, but the circumstances have been peculiar, to saythe least. So the living room seems to be coming along nicely. Whatelse have you done?"
"Kitchen is stocked. Fixed up the sparebedrooms. I've been helping get the greenhouse in order for plantsand crawlies," Harold said. "Warded the offices so the arcana stayssafely contained. Sure you'd have done it yourself, but I was hereand had the time and energy to spare."
"I appreciate it."
He settled on the couch, soft and plush, adark, dark blue in color. The whole living room was styled aroundit, with grays and browns, splashes of brighter colors. TV, chairs,rugs, blankets hanging on a fancy rack, and so much more.
He'd never really bothered with a properhouse before; he just didn't need it. This was definitely somethinghe could get used to; humans were particularly good at creaturecomforts.
Eventually, he was tugged to his feet andgiven a tour. The kitchen was indeed functional now, complete withstocked pantry and fridge. There were even herbs in cute littleanimal-shaped pots in the windows, and there was a grill and tableon the deck beyond it. He didn't remember adding that, but thedetails had gotten hazy by the end.
When they finally wound up back where theystarted, they ordered pizza for the humans and sprawled out acrossthe living room. Bobby sat at one end of the sofa and flipped thefootrest out, so he was lounging nicely. Alejo settled against him,nearly lying across him, which suited Bobby fine. Jones sprawledout across most of the rest of the sofa, and Harold settled intothe recliner.
"This is nice. Full domestication suitsyou."
"Don't get too cozy," Bobby drawled. "Thistown can only stay out of trouble for so long, and there's still ademon with my blood out there somewhere."
"Let's enjoy the peace and quiet while wecan," Jones said. "I took off for the next three days. I don't wantno trouble until I'm back on the clock."
Bobby chuckled. "I've got in-laws visitingsoon. I'm not looking for trouble. Now shut up and watch…whateverthe hell this is and eat your food, so I can zone out and justenjoy the ambiance."
"Not gonna hear me complaining," Haroldsaid, dragging an entire box of pizza over to himself, while Alejosat up enough to do much the same. Bobby settled more comfortablyinto his seat, eyes falling shut as he simply absorbed and enjoyedeverything around him, from the chatter of the TV to the presenceof his friends and lover to the constant, loving presence of theprimordial dark.
End