He knew Diamond ate two or three times a day, so he should wake up around dinnertime. So, after spending some time at his desk, Change got up and went to the kitchen to prepare some dinner. He cooked with calm, precise movements, steam beginning to rise gently from the pot.
Meanwhile, Diamond woke up slowly, got out of bed, and went to the kitchen. He was rubbing his hands together to shake off the remnants of sleep as he approached to see what Change was cooking.
Change.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked when he saw him, crouching down to his level by bending his knees. He took the previously injured hand and examined it carefully, gently turning it over to make sure there were no traces of the accident left
"Yes, I'm better," Diamond replied, but he fell silent, mute, when he saw Change raise his hand between his own and place a kiss on the back of it. His first impulse was to withdraw his hand, but he didn't, even though it was difficult because of the shame that rose in his chest like a suffocating heat. He let it happen until Change released his hand on his own, straightened up, and returned his focus to the kitchen, stirring the contents of the pot with his usual calm.
Diamond remained silent, his head bowed, until Change finished setting the table and sat down beside him for dinner.
"Do you have any books?" Diamond asked as they ate.
"Yes, would you like to read a little?" Change replied.
"No... I want you to read to me tonight," Diamond asked, lowering his head again, hesitant. "If you want to..." he murmured uncertainly.
Change didn't make a big deal of it; he knew Diamond felt bad, so he readily agreed
"No problem, I have to find something suitable for you..." he said.
Diamond looked up into his eyes and puffed out his cheeks.
"I'm not a child..." he complained.
Change smiled slightly.
"No, but I doubt you'll sleep well if I read you something scary," he replied.
Diamond lowered his head.
"No..."
Change nodded at this and continued eating. After a while, when he finished, he got up and began looking on the shelves for a suitable book. He found one that wasn't very long and, as he tried to walk away, he raised an arm to avoid bumping into Diamond, who had approached from behind without making a sound.
Accustomed to the firm sound of Change's boots, shaped like deer hooves, Diamond looked down and noticed he was barefoot.
"Why aren't you wearing shoes?" Change asked as he walked toward a large sofa.
Diamond followed him and sat down beside him.
"Because it's nighttime," he replied, shrugging.
Change looked at him, not understanding the connection, and Diamond, noticing this, explained:
"On the ship, the floor was metal. When I lived there, footsteps echoed a lot. During the day it didn't matter, but at night we could disturb the others. So the few of us who were awake went barefoot, or wore something that didn't make noise."
Change nodded, understanding the reason better. Then he opened the book and began to read aloud
Change read for a good while, turning several pages while noticing Diamond's attentive gaze. His eyes sparkled, captivated by the book's story. Change realized that Diamond showed no signs of sleepiness, which was understandable, since he had only recently woken up. So he continued reading, letting the moonlight, filtering through the window, accompany their voices until midnight.
When they were almost halfway through the book, Diamond raised his arms toward Change, who stopped in surprise.
"Now it's my turn to read, and you listen," he said.
Change agreed without objection, but opened his eyes somewhat in surprise as he saw Diamond settle in more comfortably and pat her thigh. Change watched her, sensing what she wanted, though he preferred to be sure.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Of course, for you to rest your head on my legs," Diamond replied matter-of-factly
Change blushed slightly, but quickly composed herself and placed her head on her knees. Then Diamond began to read. Unlike Change, she brought each character to life with distinct voices and narrated with enthusiasm.
"Wow... you're better at reading than I am," Change murmured, her eyes narrowed and her body more relaxed.
Diamond chuckled softly before continuing to read.
After a few minutes of listening, Change began to doze off. His eyes slowly closed and his breathing became calmer. Noticing this, Diamond stopped reading and silently allowed him to rest, gently stroking his head with his free hand.
Anubis
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