no secrets this year (liam x reader)

clay

this chapter is a little bit shorter BUT it's gonna be a good segway into the next part of the story. things haven't quite picked up yet but they will!! rest assured!!

the song for this chapter is clay by the garden. doesn't really have any relevance to the chapter itself i just like the song!!

also, happy pride month!!

"No, you can't leave them like that for too long. Do you want them to burn? You have to flip them."

"The recipe says 'cook until golden-brown' . It doesn't look very golden-brown to me."

"The edges are black, dude. I think your definition of golden-brown is different from mine."

Liam heaved a frustrated sigh, stepping away from the pan as you shoveled the pancakes over. Somehow, the center of the pancake had been barely touched by the heat, leaving the edges dark brown and somewhat burnt. You frowned. "I've...never seen pancakes do this before."

Taking notice of Liam's sullen expression, you rested a paw on his shoulder. "Come on, don't be like that. You'll get it right eventually! We just have to keep trying. M- Maybe breakfast isn't your thing?"

Despite your optimism, you were starting to think it was hopeless. You didn't think you had ever seen someone so abysmal at cooking. Your brow furrowed. It's like the poor guy had a curse that made all of the food he touched shrivel like a raisin.

"It's okay. I've never been that good at cooking to begin with." Liam's shoulders slumped.

"It's good to learn." You reminded him. "It's pretty important. Y'know, the first thing I did when I moved out was learn to cook."

"That's...not what I did at all." Liam admitted, his voice small and his face darkening with an embarrassed blush.

"What? You just lived by yourself without doing any cooking at all?" You leaned over to meet his gaze. He looked away from you, and a lapse of silence was your answer.

"Oh." You eased up. "You don't have to tell me."

Liam had been with you for the whole weekend, having mostly been laying on the couch and staring blankly at the TV. He was somewhat chatty when you caught him at the right time, but sometimes he'd stare forlornly out the window, his mind elsewhere as you tried in vain to get him up.

After a day of this, you decided it would be a good idea to get him involved with something. A bit of prodding led you to gather one important piece of information about your charge; Liam couldn't cook. He couldn't cook to save his life.

And he wouldn't tell you why. Add that to the list of things I don't know about him. You thought, clenching your teeth as you offered him a strained smile. "It's okay. We can figure something else out. Grilled cheese is pretty easy."

"It's okay." Liam wrapped his arms around himself, turning away. "It's not like I need to learn."

"It's nice to try though, right?"

"...Sure."

You sighed, wishing you could get to the root of his problems. You had known Liam for three days and still knew next to nothing about him. Most of your questions or any attempts to bring up a potential home life were deflected or ignored. You didn't want to make him tell you anything he didn't want to, but you couldn't even get the guy's last name out of him.

Your gaze trailed Liam as he walked back over to the couch, moving more steadily now thanks to the cane you had lent him. We should really get him a prescription, you tilted your head, feeling a touch of fondness seeping into your thoughts. Secretive though he was, he didn't seem like a bad person. Your curiosity had started to get the better of you though.