Why Don't You Make Me

17

It has been two weeks that Leo has been avoiding- no, acting indifferent towards Fiat despite the other's attempts to try and go back to how things were before. Being that their work schedules are already against them, Leo found it easy to give Fiat the minimal attention he could without breaking his façade.

The first weekend, however, was the biggest test for him. Not only did Fiat make the effort to wake up early and prepare the breakfast, Fiat did all the chores the night before, so there was nothing that Leo could use to distract him. Using work as an excuse only lasted a few hours before he received a call from his mother telling him to stop working. Apparently Fiat had told on him in desperation.

The second weekend went a bit better as Leo really did have a luncheon for his work and had to be gone for a majority of the day. Sure, it was not mandatory for him to attend, but who is he to miss the opportunity?

When he came home, however, he was surprised with fresh candles that scented the entire place. Leo knows it's something that calms Fiat, but this seemed different. His steps are cautious as he goes further into the home and turns his head to hear noise in the kitchen. The calming scents are now replaced with a savory umami aroma. Fiat is dressed in shorts and one of Leo's larger sweaters. His athletic bottom half is on display and Leo rubs his face with a sigh.

"Oh! You're home!" Fiat turns at the sound of his sigh and reveals his enchanting eyes. A sauce or marinade that he had been using is swiped on his cheek. It takes everything for Leo not to rush over and remove it in an unconventional way. "Did you have a good luncheon? Meet a lot of people? Get the good information?"

"You know how I feel about these things. It's tiring," Leo says as he walks over. He grabs a towel nearby and lifts it to wipe away the mess. Fiat stares up at him with shining eyes and he forces himself to look away. His eyes glance over the food being cooked and internally sighs again as he sees his favorites. "Did you call your mom to help?"

"Yeah, after she gave me the main ingredients and instructions I was able to figure out the rest on my own," Fiat scratches his cheek as he looks at the pot with uncertainty. "For the flavors, I hope you like it. It's not perfect, but it's close to the taste."

"I'm sure it's fine, Fiat. I'll just go wash up and lay down for a bit," Leo pats Fiat's shoulder and walks away. He forces himself to not look back all the way to the spare room. He strips his shirt off and tosses it onto the bed. Ready to head straight for the bathroom, Leo is startled by the sound of the door opening. He quickly grabs his shirt in attempt to cover himself.

The actions alone cause a flash of hurt to appear on the intruders face. "Oh, sorry. I should have knocked. Just wanted to check if you needed anything. You went in without grabbing clothes from the other room."

"I made sure to keep a few items here the other day. It's more convenient," Leo looks away, unable to meet the other's eyes. "Thanks for worrying. If you finish cooking before I'm out, just start without me. The luncheon really tired me out."

"Oh... I thought maybe we could watch a series or a movie tonight, but okay. Yeah. You're tired. You barely got any sleep after you got in from work," Fiat nods and begins to back out of the room. "If you decide to sleep, I'll just pack the food to make it easy to heat up for when you wake up and get hungry-"

"Thank you, Fiat. Really, but I really want to wash up and lay down. I also smell the food, so..."

"Right! Right.. sorry. I'll go.." Fiat shuts the door behind him as he zooms out of the room. Feet patter on the other side and Leo drops onto his bed as he puts his face into his hands. His jaw clenches as he holds in the swirling emotions running through him.