Taste of Iron

Thirty Eight: What Is Love? Baby Don't-

Thirty Eight: What Is Love? Baby Don't—

"Do you think it needs more salt?" Leo asked. Atlas didn't respond as he stared at the pot in front of them. Leo blinked, before tapping Atlas's shoulder.

"Huh?"

"Salt. Do you think it needs more salt?" Leo repeated.

"Oh," Atlas muttered, before shaking his head. "No. It's fine, I think."

"You think?" Leo raised a questioning brow. Atlas was never this passive when it came to food. "Are you okay? You seem a bit...distracted."

"I'm fine," Atlas answered, before sighing audibly and glancing at his sous chef. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"You have a boyfriend, right?"

"Yes. Was this the question?"

"It was a question but not the question," Atlas spoke.

"Okay. What is the question then?"

"How did you..." Atlas trailed off. It was probably wildly inappropriate to ask a co-worker this. What was he even thinking? That's right. He wasn't thinking.

"How did I what?"

"How did you know you loved him?" Atlas finally bit the bullet.

It wasn't like Atlas had never loved anyone in his life. He loved his mom and his siblings. He loved his best friend back home, though he hadn't spoken to him in a while. But that was all platonic love. He had boyfriends before, but he was never in love with any of them. He didn't even know how he would be able to differentiate between like and love.

"That's a loaded one," Leo let out an awkward laugh, clearly not having expected this. "I'm not sure. It's not something that you can describe so easily. I just...knew, I suppose? Love is a feeling but it's also a word, and how you define both of them depends on you. Milan is synonymous with love for me."

"I see," Atlas mumbled. "On second thought, I think it does need a pinch of salt."

Emil's birthday was four days ago. Atlas had spent the night, of course, and they made good use of the sound proof room while people partied outside. Emil even tried to make breakfast in bed for the blue haired man, but Atlas woke up before he could serve it to the smell of something burning.

Needless to say, it was firmly decided that Atlas was going to be doing all of the cooking from then on.

Things at work were the same. But also different. Atlas didn't know how to pinpoint it but there was a shift in the air. Or maybe he was reading too much into things. Atlas wasn't an idiot. He knew what Emil wanted to say that night. Even though he didn't vocalize it into words, it was pretty evident.

The way Emil talked to Atlas was different, the way he looked at him and touched him was different too. Atlas could sense the heightened level of affection, and it was partly freaking him out.

Not because Emil loved him, but because Atlas didn't know whether he loved him back or not. He wasn't experienced in this regard. He knew he liked Emil, he really liked him, but love? Love was something completely out of left field for him.

"Don't mind me asking but why the sudden interest?"

"I was just curious," Atlas replied. "Are you sure there isn't like a BuzzFeed quiz or something that one can take?"

"To find out if they love someone?" Leo smirked. "I highly doubt it."

"Damn it," Atlas grunted.

"Come on, you don't need a BuzzFeed quiz for this," Leo spoke.