Chapter Four – Good Eggs

The smell of cooked eggs tickled his nostrils, waking him up from his deep slumber. The promise of breakfast proved enough of an incentive for him to open his eyes and push himself up. Sweeping his surroundings with his eyes brought him to the source of the enticing food scent. In the small kitchenette, his gracious host was skillfully wielding a pan over a small cooktop.

“I assume you like your proteins first thing in the morning,” Danny said, offering him a large beautiful smile, without neglecting his pan for a moment. “I thought this place was great the first time I saw it because of this too. It’s not easy to cook your own meals when you live on your own like me.”

“You appear to have excellent cooking skills,” Ryder commended his host. He needed to keep himself in check if he didn’t want to drool all over because his tongue was telling him it needed to meet the contents of that pan.

“You’ll find spares for everything in the bathroom.”

Of course. Ryder enjoyed this human’s propensity for hygiene. The simple fact that his home smelled nothing like the polluted city remained just as dumbfounding. In a good way. With a short nod, he marched to the small room where grooming and washing could be performed.

From the corner of one eye, he noticed how Danny had stopped fiddling with his pan, his big brown eyes following him. Ryder could read definite interest in them, but the human proved to be complicated when it came to acting upon his wishes.

Danny squeaked and averted his eyes. Surprised by such a reaction, Ryder took a cursory look at himself; yes, his manhood liked this human too, and the slight thought of a possibility to go to bed with him made it twitch. Obviously, Danny was frightened just by looking at Ryder’s manhood, so he needed to become more considerate of the human’s feelings.

He covered his pulsing cock with one hand. “I apologize for forcing you to watch me walk around your home like this. I will get dressed right away.”

“Your clothes are over there,” Danny said brightly, pointing at a chair where all of Ryder’s clothes lay in a neatly folded pile. Despite his tone, the human sounded disappointed.

Would it always be so difficult to understand this species? Ryder pondered briefly. Danny Wilson was a bundle of contradictions.

***

Why did he have to make a fool of himself all the time? Ryder thought, rightfully so, that he was embarrassing Danny by walking around naked, but that sort of sight was so rare around this place that pictures should be taken and videos should be recorded if for no other reason than to prove to Danny that he hadn’t dreamed the whole thing. To do so, however, required him to ask Ryder for permission, and he couldn’t see himself doing that. On the one hand, he thought he would definitely die on the spot from too much embarrassment, and on the other, Ryder would probably agree to it for all the wrong reasons, such as imaginary city customs, or a need to repay Danny for giving him a roof over his head for the night.

He loaded a large plate with the scrambled eggs and bacon; having Vince around all the time meant his fridge was stocked with food more often than not. Before his friend came around again he’d have to make sure to restock everything so Vince the Bear – as Danny often teased him – wouldn’t go hungry and grumpy.

Ryder walked back into the room, now dressed in his jeans and the tight tee that showed off his gorgeous biceps.

“Am I eating alone?” his guest’s deep sonorous voice interrupted his mental drooling.

Danny jolted back to the present and gave him an apologetic smile. He waved. “I’m only going to grab a coffee on my way to work. Looking like this takes sacrifice,” he joked, gesturing at himself.

Ryder gave him a long, assessing look. “You look malnourished. Sit down.”

Malnourished? By whose standards? “Now wait a minute--” he started.

Ryder grabbed his wrist and pulled him down, forcing him to sit in his seat at the table. That wasn’t the only surprise. Next thing he knew, Ryder got up and searched through Danny’s cupboards for another plate. He placed it before Danny and then meticulously transferred half of his portion onto the plate.

“You can’t go to work on an empty stomach,” Ryder said in an even, unapologetic tone. “You’ve worked hard to prepare this breakfast, and you have the first right to it.”

The mellowing happening on his insides was too much. Only Vince did nice things like this for him, but he was Danny’s bestie and they had known each other their whole lives. Although he couldn’t work up an appetite out of the blue, it would be rude not to try at least.

The eggs were just right. He hummed in delight before he could stop himself. No wonder Vince bribed him with lunch during the week, only so he could have Danny act as his personal chef.

His guest was watching him with unconcealed amazement.

“I had no idea they’d end up this good,” Danny explained his reaction.

“You don’t know how good your cooking is?” Ryder asked, while digging into his plate with gusto.

“I mostly cook for Vince, when he comes around,” Danny admitted. “Usually, I don’t have too much of an appetite.”

“Have one more bite. Maybe you don’t know how hungry you truly are.”

It was easy to take a second bite after the first. And even a third. Okay, now he was pushing it.

But the eggs were really good.

***