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“Sleep tight, you big baby,” he yells out, just before Rian walks out of the room giving him a reproachful look. It lasts only a second then he laughs with Ty.
“Watch it, or you’re next to get a Vicks rub, okay?” Rian waves the giant jar he must have gotten from some warehouse for torture equipment.
How can Ty explain to him, that Rian rubbing anything on him, even the most awful concoction on earth, is absolutely no deterrent?
He smiles boldly, “What? You think I’m scared? Do your worst, nurse Ratchet!”
There goes the hoodie, hitched high up exposing his whole chest.
“Oh yeah?” Rian comes closer, undoing the lid.
The brutal waft of mint and hellfire hits his nostrils hard and Ty starts coughing, choking on the burning smell.
“Shit! No. Nope. Fuck that! Get away from me!”
Rian approaches him boldly grinning, “You two are hilarious. It’s just a fucking cream!”
He is closing the lid laughing at Ty.
“My eyes are melting in my skull…I’ll never see another stack of waffles again! Have mercy, put it away please.”
“So dramatic,” Rian laughs at him on the way to the bathroom, to hide away the unpleasant concoction. “I’ve seen you rub Tiger balm on your feet. How is that any different?”
“Everyone knows, Tiger balm has medicinal qualities,” he defends with little conviction.
Rian is laughing in the bathroom, “It. Does. Not.”
“You dare insult the ancient practices of my ancestors,” Ty gasps in mock outrage.
“It was invented by a Chinese herbalist in the eighteen hundreds. You can’t claim all the cool stuff you like originated in Thailand.”
“Whatever,” Tayida huffs a laugh.
When Rian returns, he heads straight to the kitchen sink, but Ty has already beat him to it. He gently tugs at Rian’s sleeve, dragging him away from the pile of dirty dishes. “I'll clean up. Sit down. Finish your coffee. You’ve done so much already. Looking after two grown idiots is no small task.”
Rian looks at him amused. “I’ve hardly done anything.”
Ty shakes his head, adamant to ignore his perfectly arched eyebrows and the twinkle in his eyes signifying Rian is about to protest some more. To Tayida’s delight, Rian gives up after Ty gets on to washing, ignoring him with a bold smirk on his lips. Ri sighs and makes his way back to the little kitchen bar.
“I'm used to doing all that stuff, you know,” Rian quietly says, from where he’s sitting, “I’m alone all the time. I can take care of myself. And doing things for you two, it doesn’t bother me. I…I like having you guys back home.”
Ty looks at him over his shoulder, immediately feeling guilty. “Yeah, I know. I just...I'm not Cyril. You don't have to clean up after me. It’s enough you guys have me with you for the holidays ––”
“Stop that right now. Cyril is infinitely happy when you agree to stay with us. He does a dance and everything.” Rian pauses and then hastily adds, “We're both glad when you’re here. Always.”
Ty chances another look over his shoulder. Rian is looking down at his coffee mug, a little bit of color creeping on his cheeks.
Is he...? What did he just...?
He turns his attention back to the dishes.
Idiot. Rian’s just being polite.
He clears his throat, suddenly hating the silence between them. “Tell me more about your new job. What will you be working on next? When does your internship start?”
“You wanna know about my artsy shit?” Rian chuckles. It’s only fair he’s teasing him, considering half the time Ty forgets to listen to him and sits there ogling him like a creep. He has no idea why Rian is still putting up with him, but he is grateful for his patience and sweet demeanor.
Ty turns around and leans back on the counter drying his hands, grinning back at Rian. “Yeah, I love your artsy shit. I can't get enough of your artsy shit. Tell me all the fuck there is to know about your artsy shit.”
