Anore tilted his head, eyes glinting in the fading light. "I have my ways."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting," Anore said, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Unless you'd like me to read the rest aloud, word for word."
Eiden's eyes narrowed, but there was no real threat behind it, only a flustered sort of panic. "You didn't..."
Anore took a step closer. "Maybe I did."
The space between them shifted. Eiden's hand flexed at his side, as if he might reach out but thought better of it. "I meant it.." he said finally, low and certain, as though admitting it in a louder voice would be dangerous.
Anore's chest tightened, though he kept his expression cool. "Then you shouldn't look so embarrassed."
"I'm not embarrassed."
"You're all red."
"That's the sun.." Eiden shot back quickly.
"It's almost night time."
Eiden looked away, defeated, and Anore let the moment hang, long enough for the air to feel different, heavier, before stepping past him toward a narrow garden path lined with yellow blossoms.
"What are those?" Anore asked, leaning down to brush his fingers against one.
"Coreopsis.." Eiden replied, his voice softening. "They last a long time. Bright even in bad weather."
Anore straightened, glancing at him. "I like them."
"I thought you might.." Eiden murmured.
They kept walking, the silence no longer heavy, but threaded with something unspoken, something that neither of them quite dared to name.
Anore's steps quickened the moment the glint of water caught his eye.
Then, without warning, he broke into a run.
Eiden blinked, momentarily caught off guard as the boy dashed ahead, the hem of his cream tunic fluttering behind him.
Anore skidded to a stop at the pond's edge, breath quick, eyes widening as if he'd stumbled into a hidden treasure. The water was clear as glass, and within it drifted fishes.
Anore crouched at the pond's edge, fingertips trembling a hair's breadth above the water.
The fishes unfurled like living fans, blue scales catching the dying light, white tail blooming round and soft.
They brushed against one another as they orbited, tails flicking in slow, intimate circles, and the surface of the pond trembled with the motion.
He leaned closer until his reflection and the fish braided together. He didn't take his eyes off them as he spoke.
"They're the most beautiful thing—no—fishes I've ever seen.." he breathed. "Even prettier than the moon." He turned his face to Eiden, earnest and almost childlike. "You must liked them too, right? That's why you keep them in a clean pond…"
Eiden stayed a step back, hands in his pockets.
He could have said the truth, that the fish had been a gift he'd kept out of duty but the image of Anore's small, astonished face held him. He let the answer be soft.
"I suppose..." he said, voice low, the faintest smile at the corner of his mouth. "They seem to like it here."
Anore watched the fish with rapt attention, and Eiden watched him. He didn't tell Anore about the giver or the obligation behind the gesture.
He simply allowed himself to enjoy the way the boy's eyes lit up, the way his excitement softened the lines around his mouth.
He liked that, far more than he would admit.
Anore looked back at the fish, utterly transfixed.
The soft evening light caught on the surface of the pond, making the scales flash like little pieces of captured starlight. The fishes swam toward each other, tails brushing, circling in slow, delicate arcs.
"They're in love.." Anore whispered, more to himself than to Eiden. "Even in the water, they can't stay apart."
Anore sighed, love was supposed to be this simple right? Life was supposed to be this simple. So why was everything in his life so complicated.
"At least they get to be together. I'm happy ."
Eiden didn't respond. His gaze lifted to the sky, where the last streaks of orange bled into the deepening blue. He let out a slow sigh, the kind that felt heavier than it sounded.
"Let's head back.." he said finally.
Anore gave the fish one last look, committing their glowing scales to memory, then rose to his feet.
They walked side by side, the gravel crunching softly under their shoes, the scent of damp earth and Coreopsis lingering in the air.
Halfway back to the house, Eiden's voice broke the quiet.
"Would you like to sleep with me tonight?"
Anore stumbled for half a step, his head snapping toward him.
Eiden kept his gaze forward, his tone careful. "Don't get the wrong idea. We'd just be sleeping."
Heat flooded Anore's face, his ears burning. "I—" He stopped himself before stammering. "That's… unnecessary."
But it wasn't. And he knew it.
If Eiden could keep the nightmares away for even a second, he'd take it without hesitation. He just wasn't about to admit that aloud.
Instead, he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away, trying to hide the faint smile tugging at his lips. "...Alright.." he said finally, his voice low enough to be almost lost to the night air.
Eiden glanced at him out of the corner of his eye but didn't press. He only nodded once, as though that single syllable had been the answer he was hoping for.
The rest of the walk was quiet, comfortable this time, each of them pretending not to notice how close their steps had fallen in sync.
Evan set the last dish down and glanced toward the hallway.
"Hands.." he reminded, wiping his palms on a towel. As they walked into the dinning room.
Eiden groaned. "We just washed them this morning."
"You touched the couch, the banister, and about five other questionable surfaces since then.." Evan said, giving him a pointed look. "Go."
Eiden muttered under his breath but got up, dragging Anore along with him.
A moment later, the three of them were seated, the warm aroma of roasted meat filling the air. Evan reached for the carving knife and sliced generous portions.
"Anore, you eat more. You're all skin and bones.." he said, sliding a plate piled high with meat toward him.
Anore blinked, a little startled. "This is… a lot."
"Good.." Evan replied. "It's dinner, not decoration."
Eiden stabbed a piece from his own plate and shot him a crooked grin. "Don't let him fool you. He's just trying to fatten you up so he can say you're officially part of the family."