Chapter Warnings: Swearing

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"I can't do this...," Lotus moaned into the steering wheel.

He could almost picture what to expect when he walked through the door; Rurik would be waiting on his couch, wearing that infuriatingly charming smirk while spouting flirty banter that felt just a bit like an interrogation technique at times. Hopefully, the asshole would be wearing a shirt instead of their unbuttoned jacket again; he didn't care if it made changing the bandages easier, he couldn't deal with them flaunting their bare bones so shamelessly... so he said, but he found himself growing used to the interactions in spite of his best efforts to maintain distance.

It was stupid to get attached; he knew it was stupid to get attached. Getting involved with a citizen would only end poorly for them both... and yet, that's exactly what was happen-.

*BEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeee*

He reeled back from where he had accidentally leaned too hard into the wheel, letting the echo of the horn die out before releasing his frustration with a sigh; sitting here stewing wasn't going to change anything. 

Resigning himself to the inevitable, he grabbed the bag from his passenger seat and threw open the door of his box truck. Hopping down with his purchases and slamming the door shut, he approached the cold storage unit he'd backed up to and input the code to raise the shutter. Setting his purchases down inside the doorway, he opened up the back of the truck and began unloading the crates within. With practiced motions that came from six years of experience, he had everything tucked away and tallied within fifteen minutes, leaving him to pick through the older stock for ingredients to go with the non-produce items he bought for tonight's supper, tomorrow's breakfast, and lunch for Rurik.

Consolidating everything into the bag, he inspected the electronic display on the wall; the temperature looked normal and everything was still functioning as expected. Locking down the shutter once more, Lotus walked past the truck and up the tunnel toward the entrance, brushing aside the wall of Wisteria vines and descending the adjacent hill through a grove of trees that ended with a clearing containing an expansive garden at the bottom.

Crossing through the raised mounds of well-tended vegetables to a steep slope on the opposite side, Lotus reached for the flush handle hidden within the grass, carefully opened the door to prevent the grass he'd grown on the outside from sloughing off, and shut it with equal care before descending the dimly lit staircase to a second door.

Inputting the code for the door, the familiar fluorescent lights of his small entrance hall greeted him. No sooner had he shut the door, Rurik's voice called out, "You're back later than usual; everything okay?"

Taking a deep breath and quelling the corner of his mind that tittered over the concern in his guest's voice, he crossed through the living room, "One of my patrons was having a hard time deciding what he wanted, so I was late packing everything up."

Everything looked much the same as it did when he left that morning, save for a couple of books shuffled around from the stack on the floor he had given Rurik to keep them occupied for the day... at least they were wearing a shirt this time. He made the mistake of making eye contact, only to see that stupid playful smirk light up their face, "I'm guessing tonight's dinner's in the bag?"

Lotus glanced away, passing through the doorway, "Among other things."

Their voice carried from the other room, "Great, what's on the menu?"

"I was thinking Breaded Tilapia with a Roasted Vegetable Medley," he replied as he set down the bag and began organizing the ingredients in the order he would need to prepare them; the vegetables would take the most prep time-

"Sounds like a big meal; mind if I help?"

Lotus sighed, "Need I remind you you're still recovering from multiple broken bones?"

"But I'm boooored."

He could feel a headache forming, "So read one of the books from the stack I gave you."

"I've been doing that all day," his guest whined, then their tone shifted into something akin to a bargaining child, "You know, all those vegetables will get cut and cooked faster if I help out."

"I've been doing this by myself for six years, I'm sure I can manage on my own. Besides, I don't want you hurting yourself more by moving around needlessly." The sooner Rurik healed, the sooner they could leave; then they would be safe-

"Aww, you care; I'm touched." Lotus spun around to the voice that sounded too close, confirming that Rurik had been crooning from the kitchen doorway, "But I assure you the concern isn't necessary." Lotus rumbled in discontent as his guest hobbled into the kitchen, muttering, "It's nice in here; a little small, but it's homey." Even more frustrating was that the taller skeleton didn't seem to have any problem moving around without help.

Lotus huffed in resignation, "Fine, get over here and wash your hands, then go sit down at the table over there."

"As you wish," Rurik chuckled, approaching the sink with a smug grin. As they passed by, Lotus felt something lightly brush against the small of his back; whipping around, the taller skeleton casually reached for the faucet without any hint of guilt. He narrowed his sockets at them, earning their attention with a raised brow bone, "What's up?"

If the touch had been intentional, Rurik was very good at playing innocent.

"Nothing," Lotus gruffed as he busied himself with taking a yam, carrot, parsnip, peeling supplies, and the trash bin to the table; he wasn't keen on making accusations with no proof, so it was easier just to let it go. The chair legs scraped across the floor as he placed the zucchini, asparagus, bell pepper, garlic, pan, oil, and bowl on the counter beside the cutting board.

"Alright, we'll start off with peeling these three vegetables," Lotus announced, picking up a yam and knife to begin taking the topmost layer off while leaving the peeler for Rurik; the grip would make the device easier to hold, meaning there was less chance for an accident-

To his surprise, Rurik mimicked his action by picking up the second knife alongside the carrot. Lotus opened his mouth to suggest the peeler, only to pause as his cooking companion deftly slid the blade down the carrot in one smooth motion, making short work of their task with very little mess to show for it before moving on to the second vegetable.

Now that he thought about it, Rurik had been wearing a knife holster and even said they enjoyed cooking...

Realizing he was lagging behind, he rushed through his peeling as Rurik finished their second one; he was a bit miffed that they were faster than him, but refused to dwell on it for long. Picking up the vegetables, he traded them out with the tray and olive oil, "Lightly coat that while I cut up and wash these."

"Roger," receiving confirmation from his guest, he brought the vegetables over to where the cutting board and the rest of the vegetables waited. Slicing into the carrot in quick motions, he heard Rurik comment, "So, there's only one chair in here."

"I don't get many visitors out here." The carrot bits were slid into the colander and the parsnip took its place on the board.

"Your family never visits?"

The tip of Lotus's knife paused against the vegetable as he debated what he should say; what wouldn't sound weird? "My Family and I...," after a moment, he quietly settled on, "... we don't get along well."

Unfortunately, the answer only seemed to intrigue his guest, "Why's that?"

The parsnip joined the carrot as he thought over what he wanted to say; Rurik waited quietly, and he could feel their starry eye lights on him as he finally took up the yam and carefully chose his words, "The monster I'm supposed to call my father was an asshole and a control freak; few ever stood up to him, and no one who did ever tried twice."

Most who did never survived long enough to try again; there was no mercy for dissenters.

"When I turned sixteen, I decided I wanted to live my own life and told the bastard I wanted to leave... he wasn't happy about that, and...," his grip on the knife tightened as he willed away the unpleasant memory, "... we had a big fight."

"What'd he do?"

"I'd prefer not to talk about it," Lotus deflected firmly, focusing his attention on rinsing the chopped vegetables so he could deposit them onto the waiting pan. "The important part is that I moved far away afterward and haven't spoken to any of my Family since."

Hopefully, that would satisfy Rurik's curiosity.

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Word Count: 1,481