above all (m×m) ✔

31) ground rules

When Steven came home from work, after a long day in the office going through his stuffed mailbox and working on his model portfolio, he could smell something cooking in the kitchen. It was becoming a new normal to Steven, as Brandon often welcomed him home with a warm, home-cooked meal. It was a welcomed change to the limited offerings of local restaurants and fast food chains, and it also helped Steven to make sure Brandon wasn't skipping meals.

"Please tell me you're going to stay here forever." Steven greeted Brandon by the kitchen doorway. He was grinning, like he always did when he was in the same room with Brandon, but his grin faded when Brandon didn't smile back at him. Steven opened his mouth to ask Brandon why he was frowning like that, but Brandon beat him to it.

"I don't like that word. Forever." Brandon admitted, then shrugged his shoulders as if it weren't a big deal. Then, finally, he smiled. "But otherwise, yeah, I'll stay as long as you'll have me."

"So for.." Steven let his voice trail off, realizing his mistake. He made a mental note to ask about the word later, but the sadness flickering behind Brandon's eyes kept him from asking then. Instead, he walked to Brandon and circled his arms around Brandon's waist, glimpsing over his shoulder to the pots and pans on the stove. "What do we have here?"

"Just chicken, rice and broccoli." Brandon mumbled, letting Steven take a peek under the lids. Steven didn't appreciate the way Brandon was putting down his cooking, so he made Brandon feed him some of the chicken and made a great show of telling Brandon just how good it was.

Steven wanted to point out how Brandon was willing to go to lengths to cook for Steven, but didn't take the time to make anything just for himself. He wanted to ask how Brandon had money to buy all these ingredients to cook for them, but not for himself. Steven didn't voice those thoughts, knowing how hard Brandon was trying to do nice things for him.

"So.." Steven started to say instead, leaning his cheek against the side of Brandon's head. There was actually something he had planned on asking Brandon since it came up at the coffee slash smoke break he had spent with Brody and Hayes. "We have this fancy dinner thing and an after party next Friday, and it would mean so much to me if I could take you there."

Brandon didn't say anything for a prolonged while, and Steven was starting to regret ever bringing it up. He knew Brandon wasn't as okay as he insisted on being, and that he was much more afraid than what he let Steven see. Hence, a big, crowded event like that likely wasn't what Brandon was up to.

But then again, they had no idea how long it would take for the police to find Treyton and they couldn't just keep hiding for the rest of their lives. Steven had to go anyway, so he might as well take Brandon with him. They could spent the entire evening glued to each other and make sure they were safe.

"Okay." Brandon surprised Steven by agreeing and even sounding sincere when he said: "That could be fun."

"Really?" Steven exclaimed, turning Brandon around to face him and stared at him with eyes full of amazement. He squeezed Brandon into a hug, but soon pulled back to look at him from arm's length. "You don't have to push yourself, if you're not ready. I totally get it, with this whole fiasco with Tre—"

"I know." Brandon cut him short, then pecked his cheek before turning back to face the stove. Either he was telling the truth and truly wasn't bothered by the idea of going to the event or he was an Oscar worthy actor.

Steven gave Brandon the details about the event, and they planned together where Brandon could loan a suit for it, while they filled their stomachs with Brandon's cooking. Brandon smiled the entire time, and if Steven hadn't seen those pictures spread all over the floor, he could have easily believed none of it had ever happened.