FellPoth Short Stories and One-Shots

Conflict of Interest: Chapter 3

Chapter Warnings: Swearing

***

"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-