“No, you misunderstand,” they said with a quiet laugh. “It was wrong because I realized that there were only my mugs in the cupboard, and it should be your mugs too. So now you have the start of your mug collection. Forourmug cupboard.”
Tracing the handle of the red mug, Bryce swallowed thickly. “That’ll definitely mess up the system.”
Zef knew this, but they were committed now. “I know. I will… adjust.”
Like he understood exactly the significance of such a statement, the human beamed up at them, lifting a hand to quickly brush a thumb over their chin. “Thank you, Zef.”
“You are welcome, Bryce.”
The last two daysof Nan’s visit, Zef started to feel sick. They were tired and irritable, and their brain was foggy. Not wanting to pass on anycontagious germs to Nan, given her age, they sequestered themself to their room. They listened to Nan and Bryce laugh and play card games in the living room while they moped alone in their bed.
Before she left for the train station, Nan reached a hand through the crack in their door and patted their head as they lay curled up on the floor under a blanket. “I’ll see you in July, okay?”
“Thank you for visiting, Nan. I apologize I was not good company at the end.”
“Oh hush, you silly kid. Take care of Bryce for me, okay?”
“I will do my best. Safe travels back to Montana.”
She petted their head again before retreating, shutting the door behind her. Alone and miserable, Zef wandered around their house, awaiting Bryce’s return from dropping Nan at the station. They hooked the blanket over their head, holding it closed at their chin as they stared blankly into the fridge. They were hungry, but they did not want anything from the cupboards or refrigerator.
They wanted cake. A koca cake with thick icing and… Something greasy and juicy. Why did they not have anything like that in their fridge? Life was so unfair.
The front door opened, making Zef jump at the sudden sound. They spun around, hugging their blanket closer, and Bryce offered them a pitying smile as he removed his shoes.
“Hey, Zef, how you feeling?”
“Angry,” they said, and Bryce’s brows shot up.
“Angry?” he echoed.
“We do not have cake.”
“Cake?” he asked, and they whistled in frustration.
“Why are you repeating everything I say? Am I not speaking clearly enough for you to understand?”
Hands raised in placation, Bryce approached them cautiously. “Okay, easy. Just took me off guard with the cake.”
“I want it. I need it,” they insisted.
“If you’re sick, you should probably eat some vitamin rich food and take some medicine.”
They vibrated their wings in warning. “I do not want vitamins or medicine. I want cake.”
Gray eyes wide, Bryce nodded. “Okay, I can go to the store and get some cake, if that’s what you need right now.”
“You would do that for me?” they asked, their annoyance melting away at his kind offer.
“Sure, Zef. The store’s close by. It’s no trouble.”
Emotion cinched their throat closed, and their eyes welled with tears. “You are so kind and thoughtful.”
Alarmed now, Bryce gawked at them as they sniveled into their blanket. “Whoa, okay. Um… Zef, are you sure you don’t need a doctor? You’re not exactly acting like yourself.”
“I do not want the doctor,” they whined. “I want to sit in the bath and eat cake.”
Like he was trying to smother a smile, he pressed his lips together and nodded. “Mhm. Okay. I will go get you some cake, and you can… eat it in the bathtub.”
