Work Text:
The snow glittered in the light of the street lamps as it fell. It made Richmond’s little town square look beautiful, a scene you wouldn’t soon forget. You watched as the people walked through the snow. A group of teenagers were walking together, laughing loud enough that you could hear them. They were shuffling their feet, kicking snow at one another. People leaving nearby shops walked quickly, pulling their coats tight to shield themselves from the frigid air.
You were pulled out of your trance by the sound of your door clicking open. Ted was finally home from work. You leaned against the door frame of the kitchen, peering into the living area as he hung up his coat and placed his shoes by the door.
“Hey, how was work today?” you asked.
“Oh, hey darlin’! I thought Kansas was cold, but now I’m thinking I’ll never get used to an English winter. Training was fine though. I think we’ve got a real shot against Tottenham this time around,” he replied. He came up and kissed your cheek. “How was your day?”
“It was good!” You told Ted about your day as you two ate dinner.
Once you finished eating, he cleared the plates, washing up and putting everything away as you showered and got ready for the night. As he took his turn getting ready for the night, you boiled water for your tea and set out the ingredients so he could make Rebecca’s biscuits for the next morning. Once you’d made your tea, you returned to your spot by the window and watched as the snow continued to fall. You were deep in your thoughts when Ted finally returned.
“You okay?” He asked, touching your shoulder and bringing you back to reality.
“Hmm?” You turned to him. You hadn’t even noticed he’d come back to the kitchen. He repeated his question. “Oh, I’m fine. The snow is just so pretty. I haven’t seen a snow like this in so long.” you replied.
“Oh? I love the snow.” He came to look out the window beside you. “It’s really comin’ down out there.”
“I remember once, I was maybe nine or ten…God I feel so old now,” you laughed and shook your head, “we had this big snow. I’d never seen so much snow in my life. I played outside for hours. I think I would have frozen if my mom hadn’t made me come back inside,” you smiled and stood up to take your mug to the sink. “Want some help? And maybe some music?” He nodded and put you in charge of putting the biscuits in the oven. He turned the stand mixer on high speed before connecting his phone to the speaker you keep in the kitchen.
“How’s this?” he asked, turning the volume up.
“Perfect, I love this song.” you replied. He turned and began to fill the sink basin for round two of dirty dishes for the night, humming to the song he’d turned on. He sat the dishes in to soak and returned to the stand mixer, dumping the dough into a dish and passing it off to you to put into the oven.
“And those just go in for,” he paused to look at the recipe, “forty-five minutes.”
“Looks like we’ve got forty-five minutes to pass then,” you replied, setting the timer on the oven. When you turned around, you were face-to-face with Ted, so close that your noses were practically touching.
“I think I know how we can spend that time,” he said, sticking his hand out. You raised your eyebrows at him. He looked at his hand expectantly. You smiled and grabbed it, and he pulled you into him and began to sway to the music.
“You are an absolute cheeseball, Ted Lasso.” you laughed.
“And you still love me, don’t ya?” he replied, spinning you around.
“More than you know,” you answered, leaning up and giving him a soft kiss.
You two danced and smiled and laughed. If you saw this in a movie you’d surely roll your eyes, but living the experience with Ted didn’t feel cliché. Somehow it felt natural, like something you two did on the daily. When the biscuits were done, you cut them and Ted packaged them up. He’d made a few extra, knowing that by the time they were done you’d both want a little snack. Those he put aside, giving to you to take to the sofa so you two could begin to wind down for the night. He flopped beside you on the sofa, throwing his arm around your shoulder.
“Do you ever miss home?” you ask. It probably seemed out of the blue to him, but thinking back on the snows of your childhood had made you slightly homesick. You’d not been home in a few years. You decided that you’d FaceTime your mom tomorrow morning and catch up with her.
“Kansas? Yeah, sometimes.” He answered. “But I don’t think I’d consider it home.” You turned to look at him. “I guess that doesn’t made sense,” he said. “I miss Henry. I hate that I only get to see him in the summers. Going back to Kansas last year though, it felt so weird. I wasn’t even there but for two weeks but I felt like a complete stranger.”
“Well the culture is completely different. Things feel so fast in the States,” you replied.
“Yeah, but I realized something else, too.” He clasped your hand, smiling but not looking at you. “Home is walking in the door to the smell of whatever you cooked for dinner. It’s cleaning up the dishes while you get ready for bed because it’s the least I could do. Heck, it’s dancing ‘round the kitchen just because we got nothing better to do while we wait for the oven to go off.” You both laughed, and he turned to face you. “My point is, yeah, sometimes I do miss Kansas, but home? That can be wherever I am as long as I’m with you.”