To Crush a Rose - Floyd & Riddle

Chapter 9

"Goldfishie, try this." Riddle glanced over towards the pot for a moment, taking in the brown sludge before opening his mouth for the wooden spoon. The ghoul was very careful as he placed it in his mouth after having bumped the smaller boy's teeth countless times. There was an immediate sensation of salt that flooded into the boy's mouth, though he could tell the base of it was good. The redhead wrinkled his nose and Floyd pouted, pulling the spoon back. "No good?"

"It's too salty."

The taller boy's face contorted into a frustrated expression, mismatched eyes glancing over what he currently had stored on the counter space to try to find a remedy. Riddle couldn't help but chuckle. "I still stand by the fact that it would probably be better if I was the one doing most of the cooking." He'd definitely been allowed more freedom in the kitchen and even made his own meals at least two nights during the week, but the other generally insisted on being the one to cook.

"But then what would I do?" He whined, grabbing some lemon.

"You could be the one chopping vegetables." Riddle gestured towards the half-chopped carrot in front of him with his knife.

"But that's booooring."

"I'm well aware of that." Floyd glanced down towards him, the corner of his lip curling into a half-smile as he stirred the pot. After a few moments, the ghoul's hand moved to the small of Riddle's back and the wooden spoon was held at mouth-level for him once more.

It was still saltier than he would have preferred, but it was tolerable now. He didn't usually like asking for more than one correction at the same time—it would often lead to Floyd getting more frustrated than he needed to be. Even now, as he watched the redhead contemplate the taste, he looked like he was holding his breath, waiting for either praise or to have the world come crashing down around him. Riddle had learned the hard way that his disappointment was harder to work with than having food that is only barely imperfect. The redhead nodded, allowing a smile to form on his lips. "Perfect."

The blue-haired boy's face lit up, a delighted laugh escaping his lips as he set the spoon aside, covering the pot with a lid to allow it to simmer. Though, when he turned back towards Riddle, he blinked a couple times, simply staring at the boy until Riddle tore his attention away from the carrot, brows furrowing at the other. "What?"

One of the other's hands moved to run a thumb just along the bottom of his lower lip, wiping away some leftovers from the oversized spoon. It was a small gesture, but enough to cause the younger boy to tense up. Floyd grinned, showing off the liquid on his thumb as Riddle felt the heat on his cheeks.

However, because of his nerves, his hand slipped and the knife dragged along his thumb. Riddle let out a gasp, quickly bringing the cut to his mouth in order to try to keep the blood from getting everywhere. "Floyd, can you—"

As soon as his blue-grey eyes caught hold of the other, it was obvious that something had changed. His eyes widened, and the hand that had been holding onto the countertop was gripping it so tightly that his knuckles had begun to turn white. Instinctively, he felt his heart begin to quicken, unsure if he should be running. "Are you—?" His free hand had moved to rest upon the other's upper arm to try to draw the other back to reality, but was violently shrugged off. Riddle flinched slightly at the action, and suddenly was very aware of how hard the other was concentrating.

The boy took an uncertain step back and the ghoul's eyes darted to realign his gaze with that of the thumb in his mouth. Now, he couldn't help but notice how hard Floyd was breathing. Riddle took his thumb from outside of his mouth, blue eyes darting towards the knife he had abandoned on the cutting board after he had cut himself.