above all (m×m) ✔

24) to spoil you rotten

Steven was a force of nature, dancing around the kitchen while whistling an upbeat tune Brandon didn't recognise. His black hair, still damp from the shower, was slicked back, and he was wearing a bright red floral shirt with a pair of loose shorts. No socks, no shoes, just a whole lot of shuffling around.

"Let's go grocery shopping after breakfast." Steven told Brandon, turning to face him as he sat at the table with a glass of water and a packet of cookies in front of him.

"Uh-huh." Brandon agreed half-heartedly, dreading the idea of having to go out in the open. As he nibbled his oat raisin cookie, he had a feeling Steven wasn't a breakfast person, judging from the lack of any real food at the table. Brandon wasn't hungry, so he didn't understand why Steven insisted on having breakfast.

"We can buy you the tea you like and whatever it is you normally eat.." Steven got full into a planning mode, then stopped as if having realized something and sat back at the table. "And you could teach me how to cook some of your favorite meals, so we need to buy ingredients for those too."

"I don't.." Brandon's voice trailed off as he saw the hopeful glint in Steven's eyes, not wanting to say anything to take that away. Brandon wasn't all that hungry, and he certainly didn't feel like cooking, but for whatever reason, Steven was hellbent on feeding him that day. "Okay, sure. I'll just take a shower first, if that's okay?"

"Of course. Anything and everything in here is free for you to use. Mi casa es su casa or however the saying goes.. But what comes to the shower heads, it's a bit tricky. What kind of shower head do you normally use?" Steven asked and hopped up from his chair. Was Brandon imagining it or was Steven somehow extra Steven-ish that day? "I'll show you how they work. You'll love the massaging shower head, and my personal favorite.."

Brandon scratched the back of his head, furrowing his brows as he tried to follow Steven's increasingly fast monologue. Steven handed him the biggest and fluffiest towel he had ever seen, then he was guided to the spacious, modern bathroom.

Indeed, the shower had some fancy, tricky settings to get familiarized with. Unlike Brandon's shower, Steven's didn't have an ugly green shower curtain but a glass sliding door. There were bottles after bottles of shampoos and shower gels, so many that Brandon had no idea which one he was supposed to use. The water was steaming hot and the shower head had a perfect pressure, making Brandon wish he would never have to return to his own dysfunctional shower. 

Was it wrong to hope he didn't have to go back to his apartment? That he could stay here with Steven and Fitzgerald for the rest of his life? And not just until they found out Trey was still in prison, or until he had overstayed his welcome?

Brandon was biting his inner cheek as they walked through the narrow aisles of the grocery store, praying that he could keep it together even for one shopping trip. Ever since seeing that reflection on the shop window, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following his every step. That someone being Trey or his dad, but he refused to think that either of those could be anything more than a figment of his imagination. 

He was no longer a scared little mouse, and he had gotten out.. Or had he? Was it over, was it really?

"Is this one okay? Or that?" Steven asked, holding two packets of tea in his hands for Brandon to see. Brandon smothered an urge to glance over his shoulder, mustering a smile on his lips when he took one of the packets and dropped it in the shopping cart. 

Steven's enthusiasm was adorable, to an extent of being overwhelming. Brandon could tell how much Steven wanted him to feel welcomed, how much he cared. Never before had anyone made Brandon feel like everything about him was important, from his favorite bands to the teas he preferred. The thought made his chest grow heavy, and warm.