[fiction] aubergines.
365 Gay Sharks
Day 324, Word Count: 2158
Theme: November; Write Until You Drop
This post is part of the 365 Gay Sharks project. If you would like to learn more about this project, click here to read more about it. :D
Setting the empty bottle down on the table, Chris pulls the blanket around her tighter and settles onto the couch. Aidan disappears again. When he returns, he's got her clothes and Chris lets the blanket fall away before she tugs her clothes on. Aidan wanders into the kitchen. He brings back a bowl of popcorn just as Chris is throwing the folded blanket over the back of the couch, having finished dressing herself.
"Okay, what terrible reality TV show are we watching today? Or should I get out The Notebook and the tequila?"
"I don't want you to be hungover when you meet my boyfriend," Chris says, "We're watching Dance Moms."
"Oh god."
Aidan sits down next to Chris, setting the popcorn on her lap, and turns the TV on, switching over to Lifetime and sighing. Chris grins. She knows that in a couple minutes Aidan will be just as into the show as she is, he just likes to pretend that he isn't into it like her.
Chris likes reality television because it's so unlike the real world, and she doesn't have to think at all when she's watching. It's easy. She can just sit there, eat popcorn, and shake her head at her catty these moms are and how the dancers are good but definitely very bratty. Aidan critiques their costume choices and rolls his eyes at some of the dances they do, but he's always throwing popcorn at the screen too. Avery says it's a terrible habit they should both be broken of and a waste of popcorn. Chris points out that they always feed it to birds.
He still thinks they shouldn't, and Aidan just kisses him senseless to quiet him. Avery always gives it up after that, rolling his eyes. He's pretty much given up on them and their bad habits, Chris thinks, which is good because they've picked up a lot of those over time. They're very set in their ways, and Avery's forever sighing at them. Chris doesn't think he minds terribly, though, all things considered.
He comes home and glances over at them, rolling his eyes at their half-hearted waves before disappearing into the kitchen to make dinner. Chris and Aidan eventually wander over, having gone through Mythbusters and then Toddlers and Tiaras again, and Avery sighs heavily.
"Rotting your brains," he shakes his head, "it's sad to see such brilliant minds go to waste."
"You love us," Chris sing-songs, "you said so yourself!"
"I do," Avery smiles, "what are we having for dinner tomorrow? Is it just regular things or am I making something special?"
Chris shrugs, "He's pretty low-key. I don't want to scare him away, though, so maybe . . . I don't know. What do you think, Aidan?"
"I think that Aidan should make tempura. It's nice without being super-exotic - unless he's allergic to shrimp?"
"Oh damn," Chris facepalms, "I forgot to ask if he has any allergies. Let me . . ."
Shifting, Chris pulls her phone from her pocket and sends off a quick text, which gets an almost immediate response of /no/. She grins.
"No allergies," Chris says, "so yeah. Tempura and I dunno. What else should we have? I feel like that's not enough."
"Let's go traditional," Avery holds out a spoonful of something for Aidan to taste, "I'll make tempura and soba with miso soup. Okay?"
"Needs more salt," Aidan muses, "and yeah. That's fine by me."
"Sounds good," Chris leans forward, "Thank you, Avery. You're a lifesaver."
"You guys would be dead already if it wasn't for me."
Chris laughs and takes the spoonful of sauce when Avery offers it to her. It's good, but she agrees with Aidan for once. It needs more salt. Avery sighs when she tells him and obligingly adds more salt to his spaghetti sauce. When it's done, he plates pasta for all three of them. Spooning sauce over the top, he leaves Aidan's plate fairly light on the sauce and adds a heavier amount for both him and Chris. They eat.
It's kind of true that they would be nowhere if it weren't for Aidan, because he's the only one who can cook actual meals out of them all. Chris can make things with instructions on the package, and Aidan can make breakfast foods, but they're pretty much useless aside from that. Avery was slowly but surely teaching them how to make simpler things, but even spaghetti sauce that didn't come out of a jar was difficult. Aidan had thrown up his hands and said that if Avery ever left, they would just have to hire a chef, and Avery had shook his head sadly.
"I can't ever leave you guys," Avery had said, "you'll starve to death or live off Kraft mac&cheese forever."
That had been basically what they ate 90% of the time before Aidan showed up, and there was still a cabinet shelf full of it somewhere. Avery had sighed and left it there, because he figured that if he ever had to leave them for a couple days, then they wouldn't starve. They still donated it to local places when they could, though, and generally Avery kept them from eating ever it if at all possible.
That was why he continued to make them lunch, despite insistence that they really didn't need it and they could take care of themselves. Avery always raised an eyebrow at that, clearly unconvinced, and Chris generally had to agree with him. She and Aidan were way not cooks.
In fact, as Avery had once said, they should probably be kept as far away from the kitchen as possible at all times to prevent disaster. Okay, maybe that was a little harsh, but whatever. The point was that Chris and Aidan couldn't cook and had survived college via meal plan. They weren't cut out for the daily task of feeding themselves, even if Aidan thought they were, and Avery was like some amazing godsend.
Chris breathed, and told herself it would all be okay. Taylor would understand what Avery and Aidan meant to her and he wouldn't freak out. Well he might freak out a little but he'd come around eventually and - Chris took a deep breath, eyes closed, and tried to mellow out again. Aidan held a hand to the back of her neck, and Chris found a blissful silence in her head. She finished her spaghetti and excused herself.
Opening her laptop, Chris starts responding to emails and fiddling around with something for the next newsletter. She tries not to think. Eventually, Chris falls asleep and wakes up to the smell of bacon & coffee. Aidan hands her a mug as soon as she appears and Chris takes it. She breathes in the smell for a moment before drinking it down and letting it burn its way down her throat as she sits at the counter.
"Are we doing anything today?"
"We have been instructed by Avery to go grocery shopping."
Chris groans, "Really? Do I have to come?"
"I'm not leaving you here to do nothing," Aidan snorts, "you're definitely coming with me."
With a sigh, Chris pours herself more coffee and eats the food that Aidan sets out in front of her. She actively hates grocery shopping. It's the reason why, before Avery, they tended to spend one day a month at Costco buying thinkgs in bulk and then Aidan did the rest of it. They haven't gone grocery shopping together in a really, really long time, and Chris suspects that Aidan's doing it so she doesn't freak. After they've stuck the dishes in the dishwasher and Chris has put on regular clothes, Aidan frog-marches her to the car. She grumbles.
She grumbles the entire way there, annoyed with the fact that she has to go grocery shopping and the fact that she has to be outside at all. Eventually, though, Aidan pulls up to the grocery store (it's a Safeway, which Chris is thankful for) and Chris gets out of the car. She doesn't put up a huge fight, because she knows this is for her own good, and Aidan hands her the grocery list and a sharpie. She blinks.
"You're keeping track of what we're getting," Aidan says as he grabs a cart, "and if you do a good job, I'll buy you ice cream."
"I'm not twelve," Chris mutters, "What if I don't want ice cream?"
"You want ice cream," Aidan rolls his eyes, "You always want ice cream. Also the faster you get this done, the more reality TV we watch."
Sometimes Chris hates how well Aidan can read her. It's terrible, because he just laughs and she sighs and trails after him, list in hand. She directs him toward everything they need, in an order that only half makes sense, and Aidan lets her pick a carton of ice cream out. It's eerily reminiscent of being small and given the opportunity to pick her ice cream, but Chris doesn't care. She picks Cherry Garcia. Aidan raises an eyebrow at her, and Chris shrugs. It's not her fault she has expensive taste when it comes to ice cream and Aidan offered.
"You're insufferable," Aidan sighs, but sticks the ice cream in anyway, "come on. Let's pay and get out of here."
"You love me," Chris smirks, "don't even front."
Aidan doesn't respond, just starts wheeling the cart to check-out, and Chris follows. He pays and returns the cashier's "have a nice day!" Chris helps him load the groceries into their car and then he drives them back home and Chris helps him unload them. It's all very mindless. She supposes that's kind of the point, though, as she puts away the shrimp and milk and chicken and whatever else Aidan hands to her.
When that's all done, Aidan makes them popcorn and Chris flicks on the TV to find some terrible show on the Animal Planet about aquariums. They've never seen it before and it looks sufficiently awful, so Chris leaves it on and takes the popcorn bowl from Aidan when he sits down. Eventually, Chris gets bored of the show and switches over to Netflix, picking a terrible looking romantic comedy from their recommendeds.
It's almost over when Avery comes home, and Chris waves at him before he disappears into the kitchen. She wanders over when the movie ends. Avery looks up when she comes over, telling her to stir a particular pot and Chris obliges him. Even she can't screw up stirring a pot. Aidan is set to work (carefully) chopping vegetables, and Chris marvels at the way that small, repetitive actions help keep her head clear.
The doorbell rings and Chris panics, unsure what to do. Aidan just presses a kiss to her forehead and gently pushes her toward the door. Chris takes a deep breath before she opens the door to Taylor, who's fidgeting and looks just as nervous as she feels. Chris lets him in.
"Hi," she says, "I think dinner's almost ready, but I can get you something to drink?"
"Uh, sure," Taylor says before holding up a bottle of wine, "I brought a present, though?"
Chris takes it from him, smiling, "Oh, Aidan's going to love you."
Wandering back to the kitchen, Chris sets the wine down on the counter before ducking in to get Taylor something to drink. Aidan whistles.
"Your boy has good manners," Aidan says, coming out of the kitchen to survey the bottle, "and good taste."
Handing the glass of water to Taylor, Chris sighs, "Please don't scare him away. I really like him."
Taylor seems to be a little overwhelmed, but Chris parks him at the counter and sits on the stool next to him. He sips at his water quietly. Chris realizes that she should probably introduce everyone, but she gets distracted by the way Taylor's throat is working and it'll keep.
"Seeing as Chris doesn't have your manners, I'm Aidan," he holds out a hand, "and we're very pleased to meet you."
"I'm Avery," Avery calls from the kitchen, "and I'd shake your hand too, but I'm finishing off dinner."
Taylor takes Aidan's hand, shaking it, "I've heard a lot about you. Avery not so much, but I'm excited to be here."
"I'm wounded," Avery grins at Chris, "Aidan gets all the spotlight, and I just cook for Chris every day. The world is full of injustice."
"You don't come up as often," Chris retorts, "I wasn't just going to talk about you for no reason, Avery."
Glancing over at Taylor Chris tries to judge his reaction. He seems to just be taking everything in, sipping at his cup of water frequently. She hopes the cacophony of the house doesn't scare him, because Chris forgets how easily she fits in with Aidan and Avery. It's easy. That's something she doesn't know how to explain, but she thinks Taylor might understand. It makes sense, the way they fit together.
This entry originally posted here. Original entry currently has
comments. :D
Day 324, Word Count: 2158
Theme: November; Write Until You Drop
This post is part of the 365 Gay Sharks project. If you would like to learn more about this project, click here to read more about it. :D
Setting the empty bottle down on the table, Chris pulls the blanket around her tighter and settles onto the couch. Aidan disappears again. When he returns, he's got her clothes and Chris lets the blanket fall away before she tugs her clothes on. Aidan wanders into the kitchen. He brings back a bowl of popcorn just as Chris is throwing the folded blanket over the back of the couch, having finished dressing herself.
"Okay, what terrible reality TV show are we watching today? Or should I get out The Notebook and the tequila?"
"I don't want you to be hungover when you meet my boyfriend," Chris says, "We're watching Dance Moms."
"Oh god."
Aidan sits down next to Chris, setting the popcorn on her lap, and turns the TV on, switching over to Lifetime and sighing. Chris grins. She knows that in a couple minutes Aidan will be just as into the show as she is, he just likes to pretend that he isn't into it like her.
Chris likes reality television because it's so unlike the real world, and she doesn't have to think at all when she's watching. It's easy. She can just sit there, eat popcorn, and shake her head at her catty these moms are and how the dancers are good but definitely very bratty. Aidan critiques their costume choices and rolls his eyes at some of the dances they do, but he's always throwing popcorn at the screen too. Avery says it's a terrible habit they should both be broken of and a waste of popcorn. Chris points out that they always feed it to birds.
He still thinks they shouldn't, and Aidan just kisses him senseless to quiet him. Avery always gives it up after that, rolling his eyes. He's pretty much given up on them and their bad habits, Chris thinks, which is good because they've picked up a lot of those over time. They're very set in their ways, and Avery's forever sighing at them. Chris doesn't think he minds terribly, though, all things considered.
He comes home and glances over at them, rolling his eyes at their half-hearted waves before disappearing into the kitchen to make dinner. Chris and Aidan eventually wander over, having gone through Mythbusters and then Toddlers and Tiaras again, and Avery sighs heavily.
"Rotting your brains," he shakes his head, "it's sad to see such brilliant minds go to waste."
"You love us," Chris sing-songs, "you said so yourself!"
"I do," Avery smiles, "what are we having for dinner tomorrow? Is it just regular things or am I making something special?"
Chris shrugs, "He's pretty low-key. I don't want to scare him away, though, so maybe . . . I don't know. What do you think, Aidan?"
"I think that Aidan should make tempura. It's nice without being super-exotic - unless he's allergic to shrimp?"
"Oh damn," Chris facepalms, "I forgot to ask if he has any allergies. Let me . . ."
Shifting, Chris pulls her phone from her pocket and sends off a quick text, which gets an almost immediate response of /no/. She grins.
"No allergies," Chris says, "so yeah. Tempura and I dunno. What else should we have? I feel like that's not enough."
"Let's go traditional," Avery holds out a spoonful of something for Aidan to taste, "I'll make tempura and soba with miso soup. Okay?"
"Needs more salt," Aidan muses, "and yeah. That's fine by me."
"Sounds good," Chris leans forward, "Thank you, Avery. You're a lifesaver."
"You guys would be dead already if it wasn't for me."
Chris laughs and takes the spoonful of sauce when Avery offers it to her. It's good, but she agrees with Aidan for once. It needs more salt. Avery sighs when she tells him and obligingly adds more salt to his spaghetti sauce. When it's done, he plates pasta for all three of them. Spooning sauce over the top, he leaves Aidan's plate fairly light on the sauce and adds a heavier amount for both him and Chris. They eat.
It's kind of true that they would be nowhere if it weren't for Aidan, because he's the only one who can cook actual meals out of them all. Chris can make things with instructions on the package, and Aidan can make breakfast foods, but they're pretty much useless aside from that. Avery was slowly but surely teaching them how to make simpler things, but even spaghetti sauce that didn't come out of a jar was difficult. Aidan had thrown up his hands and said that if Avery ever left, they would just have to hire a chef, and Avery had shook his head sadly.
"I can't ever leave you guys," Avery had said, "you'll starve to death or live off Kraft mac&cheese forever."
That had been basically what they ate 90% of the time before Aidan showed up, and there was still a cabinet shelf full of it somewhere. Avery had sighed and left it there, because he figured that if he ever had to leave them for a couple days, then they wouldn't starve. They still donated it to local places when they could, though, and generally Avery kept them from eating ever it if at all possible.
That was why he continued to make them lunch, despite insistence that they really didn't need it and they could take care of themselves. Avery always raised an eyebrow at that, clearly unconvinced, and Chris generally had to agree with him. She and Aidan were way not cooks.
In fact, as Avery had once said, they should probably be kept as far away from the kitchen as possible at all times to prevent disaster. Okay, maybe that was a little harsh, but whatever. The point was that Chris and Aidan couldn't cook and had survived college via meal plan. They weren't cut out for the daily task of feeding themselves, even if Aidan thought they were, and Avery was like some amazing godsend.
Chris breathed, and told herself it would all be okay. Taylor would understand what Avery and Aidan meant to her and he wouldn't freak out. Well he might freak out a little but he'd come around eventually and - Chris took a deep breath, eyes closed, and tried to mellow out again. Aidan held a hand to the back of her neck, and Chris found a blissful silence in her head. She finished her spaghetti and excused herself.
Opening her laptop, Chris starts responding to emails and fiddling around with something for the next newsletter. She tries not to think. Eventually, Chris falls asleep and wakes up to the smell of bacon & coffee. Aidan hands her a mug as soon as she appears and Chris takes it. She breathes in the smell for a moment before drinking it down and letting it burn its way down her throat as she sits at the counter.
"Are we doing anything today?"
"We have been instructed by Avery to go grocery shopping."
Chris groans, "Really? Do I have to come?"
"I'm not leaving you here to do nothing," Aidan snorts, "you're definitely coming with me."
With a sigh, Chris pours herself more coffee and eats the food that Aidan sets out in front of her. She actively hates grocery shopping. It's the reason why, before Avery, they tended to spend one day a month at Costco buying thinkgs in bulk and then Aidan did the rest of it. They haven't gone grocery shopping together in a really, really long time, and Chris suspects that Aidan's doing it so she doesn't freak. After they've stuck the dishes in the dishwasher and Chris has put on regular clothes, Aidan frog-marches her to the car. She grumbles.
She grumbles the entire way there, annoyed with the fact that she has to go grocery shopping and the fact that she has to be outside at all. Eventually, though, Aidan pulls up to the grocery store (it's a Safeway, which Chris is thankful for) and Chris gets out of the car. She doesn't put up a huge fight, because she knows this is for her own good, and Aidan hands her the grocery list and a sharpie. She blinks.
"You're keeping track of what we're getting," Aidan says as he grabs a cart, "and if you do a good job, I'll buy you ice cream."
"I'm not twelve," Chris mutters, "What if I don't want ice cream?"
"You want ice cream," Aidan rolls his eyes, "You always want ice cream. Also the faster you get this done, the more reality TV we watch."
Sometimes Chris hates how well Aidan can read her. It's terrible, because he just laughs and she sighs and trails after him, list in hand. She directs him toward everything they need, in an order that only half makes sense, and Aidan lets her pick a carton of ice cream out. It's eerily reminiscent of being small and given the opportunity to pick her ice cream, but Chris doesn't care. She picks Cherry Garcia. Aidan raises an eyebrow at her, and Chris shrugs. It's not her fault she has expensive taste when it comes to ice cream and Aidan offered.
"You're insufferable," Aidan sighs, but sticks the ice cream in anyway, "come on. Let's pay and get out of here."
"You love me," Chris smirks, "don't even front."
Aidan doesn't respond, just starts wheeling the cart to check-out, and Chris follows. He pays and returns the cashier's "have a nice day!" Chris helps him load the groceries into their car and then he drives them back home and Chris helps him unload them. It's all very mindless. She supposes that's kind of the point, though, as she puts away the shrimp and milk and chicken and whatever else Aidan hands to her.
When that's all done, Aidan makes them popcorn and Chris flicks on the TV to find some terrible show on the Animal Planet about aquariums. They've never seen it before and it looks sufficiently awful, so Chris leaves it on and takes the popcorn bowl from Aidan when he sits down. Eventually, Chris gets bored of the show and switches over to Netflix, picking a terrible looking romantic comedy from their recommendeds.
It's almost over when Avery comes home, and Chris waves at him before he disappears into the kitchen. She wanders over when the movie ends. Avery looks up when she comes over, telling her to stir a particular pot and Chris obliges him. Even she can't screw up stirring a pot. Aidan is set to work (carefully) chopping vegetables, and Chris marvels at the way that small, repetitive actions help keep her head clear.
The doorbell rings and Chris panics, unsure what to do. Aidan just presses a kiss to her forehead and gently pushes her toward the door. Chris takes a deep breath before she opens the door to Taylor, who's fidgeting and looks just as nervous as she feels. Chris lets him in.
"Hi," she says, "I think dinner's almost ready, but I can get you something to drink?"
"Uh, sure," Taylor says before holding up a bottle of wine, "I brought a present, though?"
Chris takes it from him, smiling, "Oh, Aidan's going to love you."
Wandering back to the kitchen, Chris sets the wine down on the counter before ducking in to get Taylor something to drink. Aidan whistles.
"Your boy has good manners," Aidan says, coming out of the kitchen to survey the bottle, "and good taste."
Handing the glass of water to Taylor, Chris sighs, "Please don't scare him away. I really like him."
Taylor seems to be a little overwhelmed, but Chris parks him at the counter and sits on the stool next to him. He sips at his water quietly. Chris realizes that she should probably introduce everyone, but she gets distracted by the way Taylor's throat is working and it'll keep.
"Seeing as Chris doesn't have your manners, I'm Aidan," he holds out a hand, "and we're very pleased to meet you."
"I'm Avery," Avery calls from the kitchen, "and I'd shake your hand too, but I'm finishing off dinner."
Taylor takes Aidan's hand, shaking it, "I've heard a lot about you. Avery not so much, but I'm excited to be here."
"I'm wounded," Avery grins at Chris, "Aidan gets all the spotlight, and I just cook for Chris every day. The world is full of injustice."
"You don't come up as often," Chris retorts, "I wasn't just going to talk about you for no reason, Avery."
Glancing over at Taylor Chris tries to judge his reaction. He seems to just be taking everything in, sipping at his cup of water frequently. She hopes the cacophony of the house doesn't scare him, because Chris forgets how easily she fits in with Aidan and Avery. It's easy. That's something she doesn't know how to explain, but she thinks Taylor might understand. It makes sense, the way they fit together.
This entry originally posted here. Original entry currently has
comments. :D