“With two backs,” Hades added.
The cashier snorted.
Aaren groaned, his face heating up.
“Buns,” Hades said, leading them down the aisles.
Aaren picked up a bag of bread rolls. Then he spotted the fried onions, leading Hades to them. There were canned jalapenos too, and pickles; these all went into the basket. At the coolers, Aaren grabbed a tray of steak—semi-decent—and a pack of pre-sliced cheese.
Before they headed for the checkout stand, Aaren tugged Hades to the ice cream section.
“Dessert,” he explained.
“We have vanilla and mint chocolate chip,” Hades said.
“Both are half-full. And they’re not salted caramel.”
“You have a point.” Hades grinned. “I like that you have a mental inventory of the fridge.”
“Of the whole kitchen.” Aaren shrugged. “It’s food. I like food.”
Hades’ smile turned indulgent. He led Aaren to the checkout stand and paid. Then they were driving back home, heading into the kitchen.
“I can make the sandwich,” Aaren said.
Hades frowned. “I was going to deliver your sandwich to you.”
“I cook faster. If I do, then you can go back to bed sooner.” Aaren frowned back.
“We’ll split duties,” Hades decided. “You’ll do the cooking. I’ll open these packages and store the unused portions.”
A smile tugged at Aaren’s lips. “Fine.”
He set up another pan to toast the bread rolls—one for each of them—and sliced up the steak quickly. Hades drained the can of jalapenos, portioned out the cheese, and scooped some ice cream into bowls, which went into the freezer for later.
All told, the sandwiches came together much faster than Aaren expected. Hades made quick work of washing up.
“We work really well together,” Hades said as they sat at the table across from each other, biting into their meaty, cheesy sandwiches.
Aaren beamed, propping his feet on top of Hades’. Hades lifted one foot, then the other, taking Aaren’s feet along with him like some sort of weird kiddy ride.
It was such a silly little thing. But it was amazing, that he could be silly with Hades and not be judged for it at all.
The pregnancy fatiguekicked in soon after the cravings began. Aaren’s entire body felt heavy through his shift. By the time he clocked out, he could barely keep his eyes open.
He pushed through the Wine Shack’s back door and promptly stumbled, heart lurching as he braced himself for a painful landing.
Strong arms caught him.
“Sweetheart,” Hades murmured, sounding worried. “Sorry I got here late. Are you okay?”
“No. Kind of. Maybe?” Aaren shook his face against Hades’ chest. “Mmm, chest.”
Hades huffed and swept Aaren off his feet, carrying him to the car. “What’s wrong?”
“Just tired. Sleepy.”
“Okay. Let’s get you home and showered, and I’ll tuck you into bed.”
