Eggs~

“Aiden… um,” Carter began, noticing the slight tremble in Aiden’s voice. His lips were pressed into a thin line, saying more than his words could express, while his hands nervously clutched the front of his clothes.

“Come on, Aiden, just a little,” Carter groaned, sliding his hands toward Aiden to take his. When their fingers intertwined, Carter’s eyes darkened slightly, and a strange scent filled the air.

“No, Carter! I’m not eating your burned egg,” Aiden stated, but a nervous giggle escaped him despite his protest. The sharp, acrid smell had overtaken the kitchen just moments after the egg turned into a crisp mess in the pan. Now, it sat on a plate in front of Aiden, who was lounging on the couch next to a pile of forgotten blankets.

“Come on, Aiden,” Carter whined, still holding out the blackened, rubbery disk that used to be an egg. He could cook, but as Aiden had pointed out the night before, eggs were never his strong suit. Not even the girl who once tried to kill him could get him to make a proper egg. He stopped trying after she threw a pan at him. “It’s not that bad... right?” Carter tried to convince himself. “I mean, it has salt. It’s just... crispier than usual.”

Aiden raised an eyebrow and glanced away from the plate, clearly skeptical, though a small smile tugged at his lips. “I already have a headache from the chocolates. I don’t need to be sick on my first day of college too,” he joked, though a trace of worry crossed his face.

Carter noticed and smiled gently. His thumbs traced soft circles over Aiden’s hands as he lowered them to rest in his lap, moving slowly and soothingly. The warmth spreading through his chest was undeniable. “Hey, don’t worry about it. You survived my cooking once, so we can grab something else on the way,” Carter reassured him, the corners of his mouth lifting into a soft smile.

Comforting Aiden felt different. He had consoled women before, but Aiden was more delicate, in a way. That was probably why Carter cared about him so much. He needed Aiden to be safe, to hold him close. And even though the feelings were new and strange, they calmed Carter, like the previous day’s chaos was fading away. Maybe he should get those chocolates again...

“Oh, Aiden, you never told me what we did last night,” Carter said, trying to change the subject, though part of him worried it was a mistake to bring it up. He didn’t want to stir up bad memories. But Aiden’s reaction wasn’t what he expected.

A mischievous giggle escaped Aiden, and he looked up at Carter with bright, playful eyes, though his hands fidgeted nervously. “Well, we made a promise last night... but I doubt we’ll keep it since we were drunk,” Aiden said, blushing as his hand moved to his cheek, trying to hide his face—unsuccessfully.

Carter’s curiosity piqued, though he tried not to make it too obvious. He didn’t remember making a promise, and if Aiden recalled more than he did, it meant Carter was the drunker of the two. Aiden was clearly hoping Carter would remember on his own, so he decided to play along for now.

“Well, my dear Aiden,” Carter teased, shifting closer. “Was our promise to share a bed?” His tone was playful, testing the waters to gauge Aiden’s reaction and find out if the promise was serious or just a drunken joke.

Aiden’s eyes widened in surprise, though a smile stayed on his face, a mix of amusement and nervousness. “That... was part of it, I guess, but not the main promise,” he admitted softly. His gaze flickered to the burned egg before looking back at Carter. “We should probably get going or we’ll be late for class. I’ll tell you later, okay?” His gentle smile reassured Carter not to worry.

Carter gave him a nod and darted toward the kitchen with the plate in hand. He was annoyed by the creaky floorboards but relaxed once he stepped onto the kitchen tiles. With little effort, he found the small black trash can next to the counter and dumped the disappointing egg inside. The trash was already filled with wrappers and food scraps, but he decided to deal with it later. When he turned back, Aiden was already waiting at the door with his red bag slung over his shoulder.

Carter assumed Aiden didn’t have much when he moved in—maybe he hadn’t even told his parents he’d left. Aiden had never been close with them, and he always seemed to be searching for a way out. Carter didn’t know the full story, but he remembered bringing Aiden food back in school and treating the bruises and cuts Aiden claimed were from his “clumsiness.” He knew he’d need to talk to Aiden about it someday, but right now, they had to get to school. They were already five minutes off schedule, and Carter had someone he needed to introduce to Aiden.

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