Egaran Stars - 20. Galen- Morning Tea

"Well, so much for no touching…"

The tiger sat at the kitchen table, a cup of posca in hand. He took a sip of the cold drink, old wine mixing with tart fruit and water to wake Galen up. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, blinking blearily out the kitchen window.

The sun was coming up, the angry dawn speaking of the rainy season. He would have to figure out if there was a way to board up the house.

The tiger heard a rustling, followed by a loud thump and a muffled grumble. A minute later, Reinard stumbled into the kitchen, bumping into the table. He still wore the diaper, but Galen couldn't tell if it was dry or not.

"Etho…" the fox grumbled, his eyes squinting in the early morning light.

He reached up for the sink, Galen letting out a quiet sigh as he stood. Crossing behind the fox, the tiger grabbed a cup, filling it with water and handing it to the Faro.

"Thank you…" Reinard muttered, before chugging the water down.

Galen looked at the Faro's stomach in alarm, the fox's shape distending slightly as he filled his gut with water.

"Cotton mouth?"

The fox nodded, swaying slightly as he finished the water. He sat heavily, frowning at the crinkling of the diaper he wore.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean what happened?" Galen frowned.

"I don't remember anything from last night."

"That's because you were higher than Aegean Station last night," Galen scolded, moving to fill a teapot with water.

Setting it over a range, the tiger turned the stove on, heating the water.

"I'm not touching the Nepáta. You can make your tea on your own," he added, sitting back down with his drink.

"Oh Golaski…"

Reinard planted a hand against his snout, staring at Galen like the tiger was going to eat him.

"You… you cuddled me last night!"

"I did no such thing," Galen denied instantly. "You tried to cuddle me, until I threw you on the bed. Then I came out to sleep on the couch."

"Why would you sleep on the couch?"

"To keep you from claiming I fucked you while you were drugged out of your mind," the tiger grunted as the tea began whistling.

He poured a smaller cup for Reinard, setting it on the table before making his own tea. Pulling out a pan as he let the drink cool, Galen began cooking tiganides, the sweet smell of honeyed bread filling the room as they were heated.

Letting the cakes sizzle softly in the pan, Galen turned to watch Reinard. The Faro was stirring a leaf in his mug, staring at it glumly.

"I don't know if I want to do this."

"If it keeps you from throwing yourself at the Cnidarian-"

"I wasn't trying to feed-"

"You were. Don't try to deny it. You decided to step into that water, after a whole minute of staring," Galen said sharply.

The Faro glared, but didn't bother arguing.

"And the diaper? I'm not wearing this to the studio," he growled.

"To keep the bed dry," Galen shrugged. "You can take it off whenever you want."

"You said I looked cute in it."

"Adorable, actually. And you do. But I'm not carrying you around like a cub, so don't even think about it."

"And we didn't…"

"If we had, don't you think you would remember?"

Reinard shook his head, muttering.

"You still touched me."

"I did," Galen admitted. "You were too high to move yourself, so I put you to bed-"

"Threw me on the bed. Your words, not mine."

"You seemed to enjoy it. You tried to get me to do it again," Galen noted, scraping the pancakes onto a plate.

He set them in front of Reinard, adding a spoonful of honey. Grabbing a container of yogurt, the tiger placed a bowl on the table, scooping yogurt into it, followed by more honey.

"Why are you making breakfast for me?" Reinard asked suspiciously.

"Because you are a cub who doesn't know not to eat mucus with médousa."

Reinard scowled.

"I'm a cub, I'm not a cub, make up your fucking mind already."

"You are a cub. And you don't get cuddles," Galen said firmly.

"I don't want cuddles…"

"That's not what you said last night."

Reinard stabbed his cakes murderously, shoving a bite into his mouth. His ears perked up at the flavours that exploded in his mouth, grains falling apart in glazed sweetness as he chewed.

Galen watched with a satisfied smile. It had taken months for him to finally learn to cook breakfast beyond a bland porridge he burnt more often than not. To see Reinard enjoying his food was… an unexpected delight.

"Do you want milk with your tea?" he asked, making his own plate.

"No," Reinard muttered around a mouthful of food. "The sugar is enough."

He dipped a spoonful of honey into the Nepáta, stirring slowly before pulling the leaf out. Setting the spoon aside, the fox began drinking, letting out a soft sigh as he relaxed just slightly.

"Eat up. I want to take a whack at the basement before work," Galen said, starting in on his own food.

"Do you trust a cub with cleaning the basement? I might fall in the water," Reinard said.

"Fine. I'll clean the basement while you clean the kitchen," Galen challenged.

Reinard glanced around the room, the small fox grimacing.

"On second thought, I'll do the basement too."

"Good. And today, you're paying for the boat," Galen added.

"With what money?"

That brought the tiger up short.

"What do you mean, what money?" he said, setting his fork aside with a scowl.

"Themis paid for me to be here. I'm broke until I get paid."

"Gamóto! Are you serious?"

Reinard flinched at the tone, scooting away from the tiger.

"Oh, stop looking at me like I'm going to eat you," Galen sighed. "I'm just pissed it took me two days to figure this out."

He sighed, finishing his food.

"Fine. But you're working for the boat fare," the tiger said, carrying his plate to the sink to wash up.

"I'm not having sex with you-"

"There are other ways to work. You're going to be my spider shield."