“Mm, like what?”
“Well.” Ozzie stretched his legs, grunting. “I gotta go by the store and grab a turkey breast from the deli. Get some kinda greens. Uh, you know.” He grinned sheepishly. “I’m not much of a cook, so.”
Tuesday snorted. “Yes, but your new hot alien boyfriend is.” He peeked up at Ozzie. “What kinda foods are we talking here?”
“Like I said, a turkey or something. Any kind of bird or roast. Uh, sides will have nuts and fruits? Seasonal vegetables? I firmly believe that deviled eggs are appropriate because the yolk represents the sun.”
“The sun, huh?”
“Yup.”
“So.” Tuesday sat up with another yawn. “What I’m hearing is we need to get up, get dressed, and go to the store.”
“Kinda what it sounds like.” Ozzie rubbed at his eyes. “I got everything I need for the ritual, so it’s really just the meal.”
“Let me cook for us.” Tuesday withdrew his tentacles, forming two human arms to stretch over his head. “You tell me what’s witch approved and I will make it.”
“Are you going to behave yourself?”
“Most definitely, probably, yes, maybe.”
Ozzie arched his brow. “What kind of answer is that?”
“An honest one!”
Ozzie groaned as he dragged himself out of bed. “Okay, fine. Yes. Thank you for offering to cook. That is really sweet of you.”
“Let’s be real. It’s self-preservation.” Tuesday pulled Ozzie into a tentacle filled hug. “Mmm, can’t live off cookies and takeout.”
“That is a vicious lie.”
“Come on, baby. We got shopping to do!”
They got dressed and headed out to the grocery store, and Tuesday was on his best behavior.
Well, more or less.
Tuesday raided the candy and snack aisles, saying they were going to need provisions for their next movie marathon. For the actual food, though, he spent a lot of time asking Ozzie about what he liked, what was appropriate for the holiday, and picking over the produce and meat until he found only the very best selection for their meal.
Ozzie was touched by his thoughtfulness.
He was also grateful that Tuesday kept his tentacles to himself.
At least until they were back in the car.
Once they returned to Ozzie’s house, they put away the groceries, except for what Tuesday needed to prepare for dinner. Apparently, there were things that had to marinate and do other stuff, but Ozzie just left him to it so he could do some laundry and tidy up around the house.
He lit some candles and incense, a fun holiday blend that smelled like gingerbread, and took his time putting away their clothes.
Yeah,their.
After all, he didn’t know what to do with Tuesday’s clothing, and it was easy to make some space in his closet and clean out two of the drawers in his dresser. He didn’t want to be presumptuous about Tuesday’s future plans, but he did hope Tuesday was planning to stick around for a while.
He wanted more days like today, slow and comfortable, filled with laughter and the genuine joy of enjoying another person’s company even if they weren’t in the same room. It was a new experience for him, and one he realized was quickly becoming addicting.
He and Tuesday really needed to have that chat sooner rather than later.
Because if he was being honest…
