River grunted and forced out, “You’re doing it wrong, you idiot.”

Jake, flushed and sweating, frowned and glared. “No, I’m doing it just fine.”

River rolled his eyes and carefully set the edge of the couch down on the stairs; once it was down, he leaned against the banner of the stairs, trying to catch his breath. Jake huffed and let the couch end fall, letting himself fall against the wall.

River assessed the situation with narrowed eyes. Simply put, the couch was stuck. The stairs were narrow—unsurprising in the cheap apartment building they picked—and the couch was large. Jake was at the bottom of the stairs whereas River was at the top corner of the stairs—the couch simply would not fit around the bend.

Chris and Aaron were sharing a chair in the open doorway. Aaron had accidentally gotten his hand smashed in a door while trying to get a box out. Chris, secretly being a mother hen for his boyfriend underneath his hard exterior, was cradling the injured hand and gently holding ice against it. At the moment, they were grinning like fools and laughing. River scowled at them. “I hate you,” he called. Chris chuckled while Aaron just shrugged, still teasing.

River looked over to Jake. “Where are Daze and Alli?”

Jake aimed a bright smile at him. “They ran away earlier, remember?”

Groaning, River slumped against the couch—and then straightened up when an old lady entered the building. She looked at Chris with Aaron perched happily on his lap and then to Jake and River, separated by a rather old couch. She blinked a few times and then turned around and calmly walked out of the building.

While Jake tilted his head a little, curious, River moaned and dragged his hands through his hair. “Look at that,” directed at Jake, “we’re only here a few hours and you’re already scaring our neighbors.”

Jake snapped out of his thoughts. “Hey, I think you’re the one that scared her.” He crossed his arms. “I’m not doing anything.”

Just as River was starting to get ready to climb over the couch and smack Jake, Daze and Alli entered on the scene. Alli just started giggling, completely amused, while Daze rolled her eyes and said, “Stop your bitching or you’re not getting your food.”

When River and Jake shut their mouths, she threw wrapped sandwiches at them.

River flopped onto the couch and let loose a satisfied smile. Their apartment was done. Boxes of clothes and general stuff were randomly scattered. There were general appliances and a refrigerator in the kitchen. There was even a table. They had finally had gotten the couch up the stairs. He burrowed even farther into the couch and shut his eyes, welcoming sleep.

He smiled when his felt someone hover over him. Opening one eye, he peered at the Jake. “Hi,” he murmured.

Jake grinned at him and leaned down, strands of hair tickling River’s nose. “Tired much?”

River stretched and then brought his arms around Jake’s neck, bringing them closer. “Well, yeah,” he muttered. “Aren’t you?”

Jake laughed softly. “Of course.” His grin became predatory. “But I’ve got other things on my mind.”

River raked his fingers through the loose brown hair. “Like what?”

The predatory grin became a smirk. “Well…,” trailed out.

“Well?” River echoed, raising an eyebrow. “Is it college?” he offered.

Jake blinked blankly at him before laughing, burying his face in River’s neck. “College?” he repeated, a little incredulously. “Yeah, sure. Go with that.”

“Well it does start in a week.” When Jake just continued laughing, River used his grip in Jake’s hair to pull his head back. He stared into the hazel eyes, catching the amusement and humor lingering there. “It’s not that then.” River’s eyes darted about, taking in their new surroundings. “Is it this? The whole living together thing.”

Jake’s smile was soft. “I’ve wanted this for a while.” The smile sharpened again into a smirk. “It’s just…we’ve got this brand new bed…and you want to sleep.”

River blinked a few times. “Is it because I want to sleep on the couch?”

Jake closed his eyes and shook his head, lips twitching with his repressed smile. When River scowled and tried to pull away, Jake moved closer so they could share a languid kiss. At first, River held back, but he slowly melted into the contact.

Jake moved back. “You want to sleep…and we’ve got this brand new bed.” To emphasize his statement, he slid one hand underneath River’s shirt. Realization fell into place for River.

River laughed as he leaned up again so they could share another kiss. When he pulled back, his cheeks were flushed and his eyes hooded. But he smirked defiantly. “I’m not moving.”

Jake tried to stop smiling. Really. “Do you always have to do this?”

“Do this?” River repeated, trying to pull off innocence. “Do what?”

Jake leaned forward to place a teasing kiss on River’s nose. When he pulled back again, they shared happy smiles.

River suddenly pulled an exaggerated frown. “Well…,” he dragged out. “I guess I can move.” His moving, however, was delayed when Jake leaned forward to kiss him again. Eventually, they started to move. Since there were boxes and unexpected walls, they tripped and stumbled their way to the bedroom. When they got there, the door clicked shut behind them.