“No time, really,” Kaiden replied.
Rus gave him a stern look, a pressing stare, and it didn’t take long for Kaiden to buckle.
“I get consumed by passions,” Kaiden replied. “Art meant a lot once upon a time, but I spent all my free time living forit, focused on becoming… I don’t even know. Something better than what I am.”
“You seem pretty great to me.”
“I wasn’t always.” Kaiden shrugged. “When I started focusing on fitness, I just kind of lost the time for it.”
“Found a new passion?”
“Kind of. Fitness means a lot to me, it really does, but I don’t obsess over it the same way. I mean, I did in the beginning before I learned to enjoy the journey of health, as opposed to the destination of fit.”
Rus smirked.
“Dumb, I know, but it rings true.”
“Not dumb at all,” Rus said. “Why don’t you try to make room for both now?”
“Between work and my family, I barely have time for anything.”
“Alrighty, who is ready to have their mouth blown?” Dylan left the pizzeria with a stack of six single-slice triangle boxes.
“I think you mean minds,” Kaiden said.
“I said what I said.” Dylan grinned.
“Hey, if something’s getting blown, I don’t want it to be my mouth or my mind,” Rus clarified.
Kaiden chuckled, nudging Rus in the ribs.
“Trust me, your mouths will weep with joy.”
“I don’t know if I want my mouth to cry.” Rus stared at the pizza boxes.
“Why didn’t they just give you a normal box?” Kaiden asked.
“They only serve by the slice,” Dylan replied.
They wandered back to the car. Rus piled into the backseat with Kaiden, while Dylan secured the pizza up front, declaring the slices had called shotgun long before either of them.
Rus rested his head on Kaiden’s shoulder during the drive, studying the side streets and back roads Dylan took on their leisure ride through town.
Once they got to Rus’ apartment, they quickly made their way inside, where they unwound a bit with Dylan playing Baldur’s Gate 3 on the edge of the bed. He played one-handed as he scarfed pizza down. Rus enjoyed a slice of pineapple and chicken pizza and rested on the other end of the bed with Kaiden.
After finishing Kaiden’s crust, Rus stood up from the bed and brushed the crumbs onto the floor. “I’m gonna go change before I get sauce all over my outfit.”
“Nah, it’ll totally work,” Dylan said, focused on killing goblins. “Just say it’s blood.”
“For what I spent on this costume, my Astarion is far too fabulous to spill even a drop of blood.”
“Wait, you can’t get undressed now.” Kaiden tugged on Rus’ belt. “Not without a little vampire fun.”
“Oh?”
“I feel like you deserve a prize.”
“A prize?” Rus stared down at Kaiden, who slipped off the bed and stared up at him while on his knees.
