Now he was making sure everything was clean and nice as much as he could with his back getting sore. At least his tetanus shot had been in order and they hadn’t jabbed him at the hospital.
He organized the perishable foodstuffs as much as he could before he needed to rest. He had a good variety of things now, and it settled something inside him. Frankly, Makai had let Emil pick a lot of things, just to see what he liked. He hadn’t come out and said it like that, and he wasn’t sure Emil had noticed what he was doing. He hoped not. He still didn’t want to make a huge deal out of Emil’s eating habits. He hoped that if he gave Emil time, he’d talk about his issues more, and Makai would learn how to make Emil’s life easier. Food was a big part of most people’s lives, and Makai respected whatever coping mechanisms Emil had in place.
It felt like a date. At least he thought this was what dates were supposed to feel like: the fluttery feeling and the nervousness about everything being as right as it could be. He’d bought a few beers and a bottle of Fireball, just to have some in the house if he felt like having a drink or a few. He’d never been a big drinker, and he doubted Emil drank much at all, but he also thought having a beer with Emil might be fun. It might loosen them both up. He hoped. It might also massively backfire, but at least the option was there. Besides, once he could work again without his back feeling like shit, he could finally have a beer or two just because he liked the taste.
He cleaned the litterbox and fed Mouse, then went to her little nest to check on the babies. They were all perfect, as far as he could tell. From what he’d gathered online, they’d be opening their eyes in about a week. So far, they were still little bean-shaped things with fur. They could be loud, though, and when he accidentally tried to pick up one that was still latched on to a nipple, he could feel the resistance that the suction caused. They were strong, it seemed, and so very cute.
Makai heard the car and found himself smiling. He petted Mouse once more and went to open the door for Emil.
He stopped at the corner of the house, struck dumb once more by how damn beautiful Emil was. He must’ve stared, because Emil ducked his head and fidgeted.
“What?” he asked, peering at Makai through his lashes.
“Just… I like looking at you,” Makai confessed, and they both promptly blushed.
“Here.” Emil held out a Tupperware container to Makai. “I boiled some chicken for a salad for Mom and snatched some for Mouse.”
Feeling touched, Makai accepted the present, then gave it back to Emil. “You can take it to her. She already ate, but I don’t think she’ll say no to that.”
Emil looked pleased, and Makai led him inside the house. Emil went directly to the bedroom to see the cats.
“Want coffee?” Makai called to him. “I need a cup, so I could make enough for you.”
“Sure, thanks!”
Makai put the coffee machine on and peered into the pseudopantry in the corner. He’d wiped the shelves and added a few hooks into the ceiling to hang things from. It looked okay, but they still needed to get the stuff inside.
“She ate about a third,” Emil told him as he came to deposit the rest in the fridge.
“Thanks, you’re now her favorite person,” Makai teased gently.
“Hah, I wish. So, should we go figure out what we want to carry in first? The pantry stuff maybe? That way we can organize it all while we have coffee?” Emil asked, looking so very energetic.
Again, Makai smiled at him a bit dumbly. Emil shook his head, looking fond for a moment.
“Sure, let’s go take a look.”
They went outside and figured that Makai could carry lighter stuff, if Emil loaded his arms so he wouldn’t have to bend to pick anything up. Emil carried heavier items, like the sack of rice and the boxes of canned goods they’d packed neatly at the store.
All in all, it was a lot of stuff, especially for one person, but this way Makai wouldn’t have to stock up on nonperishables in a while. He appreciated that because he didn’t like shopping much.
Once they had their coffees doctored to their liking, and all of the nonperishables inside, Emil went to stand by the pantry and pointed at the chair next to the wall.
“Take that and sit. Then show me where to put this stuff,” he commanded, and Makai did as told. To be fair, he was getting achy again.
He made sure the chair was by the counter so that he could both hand over stuff and keep his coffee nearby. It also gave him a view of most of the pantry so he could direct more easily.
It turned out Emil had thoughts about how to organize it already.
“So, I’m thinking, because you’re such a tall guy, we can do this in sort of a reverse order,” he said, one hand on a slim hip while the other held on to a coffee mug.
“What do you mean?” Makai sipped his own drink slowly.
“Well, normally people tend to put things they don’t need so often on the top shelves, right? Because it’s a hassle to get anything down from there,” Emil spoke thoughtfully. “My mom tends to ask me or Dad when she needs something from the top shelf. It’s not often at all.”
Makai hummed to signal he was listening.
“So I figure, because obviously reaching is not an issue for you, we can do it this way.” He turned so that Makai could see what he was pointing at. “Put the stuff you’ll mostly need on an eye-level shelf and somewhat below that. Then put the second most needed things on the top shelves, and all the stuff you’ll rarely ever touch on the lowest shelves.”
