Matteo opened his eyes and sat up on the blankets, realizing that he wasn't in his single bed. There were no windows facing a huge tree, his computer wasn't in the corner of the room, and there weren't any loud voices reverberating through the house early in the morning. No, no way, that wasn't his room. Well, this one, painted in soft shades of gray and with a double-sized bed, wasn't his, and much less this calm that made him feel so peaceful and calm.

He… what had he done…? It was so confusing…

Oh! Now he remembered. Derek and his soft voice. A bowl of soup and another question that finally made sense. Yes, last night he had waited for Derek and fallen asleep without wanting to, even though Matteo had sworn he would wait for the children to fall asleep so he could leave. Instead, he had a serious conversation with the man who didn't seem to take anything seriously, but who in fact hid his seriousness behind very well-disguised smiles.

Like, he knew that now. However, that hadn't been the case the day before when he'd followed Derek up the stairs and into the empty guest room. He barely remembered getting into the shower, that had been another thing he hadn't expected of himself. He felt like he should have done more than nod and obey. 

In the end, Matteo couldn't help it, Derek had spoken to him so gently and affectionately that Matteo found himself nodding. Vaguely, he remembered taking off his clothes once inside the suite Derek had shown him to, stepping into the bathroom and a while later hearing two soft knocks on the door. After that, Matteo didn't know how the rest of the night had gone. He knew that at some point Derek had... gods! Was that right? He'd shown up naked and wet in front of his boss? While the man was handing him clean clothes? Matteo couldn't even remember their reactions. It was all so hazy it was like Matteo had been drinking himself into a stupor.

Thinking about it, it was better that he didn't remember any of it. Matteo wasn't sure if it had really happened or if it had been a dream, especially the part where Derek looked at him from head to toe like he was going to attack at any moment, but since he didn't feel anything unusual, no pain or marks, then... then if he ignored what might or might not have happened, it was as if nothing had happened, right? So, wearing the same clothes he had slept in, he walked down the hallway and down the stairs, going straight to the kitchen where he found something strange and sweetly domestic; Derek Moore wore a red apron and dark colored sweatpants as he walked barefoot across the cold kitchen floor,  plating four dishes. Bacon, eggs, and sausages. There was coffee and juice on the table. Jam, bread, croissants, and cake. A small improvised feast.

"I thought you didn't know how to cook.”

Matteo didn't know why he had said that. Maybe it was because it all seemed like a dream, where he had a happy family that welcomed him on a nice, sunny Saturday morning and a... husband...? Wow... Matteo was starting to think his fantasies were a little rushed. Or maybe his brain wasn't ready to wake up so early on a Saturday, much less was it prepared for this happy scene. Usually his family didn't eat together; his father was the first to wake up, getting up early, and his mother prepared the food. As people woke up, each one served themselves and went about their day without talking to anyone else. So, this... this wasn't at all what he expected.

"That's nothing! Everyone knows how to make an egg." Derek said excitedly, almost humming as he finished putting the sausages on everyone's plates. "Come on, sit with us.”

“I shouldn’t,” he muttered. Matteo really shouldn’t. Derek made him feel like he was part of the family, and that was dangerous. Most of the time, Matteo barely felt like he was part of his own family.

"Come on, I insist." Derek looked at him with that bright smile and he felt uncomfortable, for some reason it made a lump appear in his throat.

Matteo lowered his head and thought about running upstairs, still remembering the night before, when he heard a chair scrape across the kitchen floor and a small hand touch his. To his surprise, he found Alice smiling as much or more than Derek himself, gently pulling him by the hand, guiding him to the chair next to where Derek sat. She didn't say anything else, just went back to her own place and continued eating calmly, the two children and the adult man acting like this was something normal to them.

"Did I miss something?" Matteo muttered once more. He picked up the cup of coffee that was in front of his plate and almost groaned, now ready to wake up. It was the best coffee he had ever tasted.

"Dad's postdoc was accepted! And Mom is coming home today. We have to celebrate!”

"Yes, yes! Mom promised we would go out today! Everyone together!" Logan finished for his sister, almost jumping in the high chair.

Matteo smiled at them, still with the cup against his lips, and looked at Derek, tempted to ask what had happened last night, noticing how his smile had diminished a fraction. The children might not have noticed, but he had seen several of his smiles and could see it clearly. Which was pretty crazy, he had known him for less than forty hours and already knew what those smiles meant? Matteo must have been very tired, delirious, due to this mountain of emotions that this strangely affectionate and at the same time, fragmented family, made him feel. Yeah, it must have all been his imagination.

“That's very good." He said after a while, when he realized they were waiting for an answer. "I'll finally be able to meet her.”

"That you will." It was Derek's turn to mutter darkly.

“Should I worry?" He said it unintentionally, just as a joke, and of course, even the children understood it because they let out little giggles between bites of scrambled eggs.

"You're damn right." Matteo heard that and turned to Derek trying to figure out if he was serious. And when he found out that was the case, well… Derek distracted him as always. His clear eyes, his mouth curved in a smile and his handsome face made him forget what he had asked.

The good thing about all this is that Derek had shrugged, as if he didn't have any problems in the world, and said:

"Don't worry, dear. I'll protect you." Right after he winked at him.

And as always, even though he felt himself blushing, Matteo pretended that nothing had happened. He drank the rest of the coffee in his cup while the children laughed happily. Now, whether they laughed with him or at him was another question.