"Wow! For your first time eating an egg, you ate a lot. You are a really brave boy, aren't you?" And so eager for approval, so eager to be loved. Holden could feel the pain in his heart, but he simply leaned forward and ruffled Gideon's hair. "Thank you for trying something new with me. It was fun, wasn't it?"
What an adventurous day they were already having. "Do you have a favourite food, Gideon?"
"I like spaghetti and I like chicken nuggets." His mom sometimes made chicken nuggets or got them from McDonalds - he wasn't sure which, she never made it clear. He ate those a lot. And he liked spaghetti from a can cause he could make that himself. "The last place I stayed at, I didn't like the food. It made me barf." It was too rich, too fancy and too much for him to handle. He'd been sick the second night and he'd been scolded for puking in the room of his foster brother. Now all new food was a bit anxiety inducing.
"I like the food here better." So far, he had pie, cereal and ketchup on top of stuff. No weird fish or meat dish, no strange curries or anything like that. Just easy stuff. He could understand it. "What's your favourite?"
"You know, I really like spaghetti and chicken nuggets too. And I like potatoes. Jacket potatoes especially. I think that's what I ate the most growing up." So it was partially nostalgia, but hey. Sometimes the best thing about a day could be a hot and fluffy potato and he was ready to admit that to himself. "Do you like potato?"
He wondered. Maybe he hadn't encountered that much yet either. "We could have spaghetti for dinner tonight." They had eaten two breakfast, he assumed they could skip lunch. Maybe just have a snack at some point.
"I like potatoes - I have mash potato sometimes. You just add water and it's pretty tasty." He knew what was easy to cook and easy to eat, he always found a potato just fine. It was all the weird stuff that he hated. "I don't like spicy things. I hate fish, it's super gross. And I don't like when there's green stuff everywhere, it usually means it tastes bad."
He finished sharing his foot preference and awkwardly played with his shirt, still in his pyjamas from yesterday. "I like pizza. My mom would order pizza sometimes when she was hungover. That means an adult has a headache. Mom had lots of headaches."
"Ahh, yes. I really like pizza too. We actually have a pizzeria in the next village over that delivers here that's really good. Maybe we can order pizza tomorrow and watch a Turtles movie, they love pizza." Seemed like a fitting movie night.
So many plans, and he felt he was slowly building something with Gideon. Bit by bit. he knew it would take a while. "We can keep cooking together and trying out some new stuff every now and then. But don't worry if you ever don't like something, I can always make you something else and finish your food for you."
"Okay." Gideon slipped from his seat and wiped his face on his sleeve, walking around a little bit and letting Holden do the cleaning up. Adults always did that. He wandered around the living room, looked about at all the stuff and then found what he wanted. When Holden looked like he was actually done doing the adult stuff, he hovered nearby with a book in his head.
"What's this about?" It had a rabbit on the front and he was curious but he couldn't read and he'd never, ever had a book before so he wanted to try and understand it. "Is it a story?"
"Yeah, it's a story. Do you want me to read it to you?" Holden didn't even wait for an answer, he simply took the book and then suddenly lifted up Gideon, hugging him close as he carried him over to the couch. He sat down with Gideon by his side, one arm around him so he could hold the book in a way they could both see.
"The book is called 'Guess how much I love you'. Look, there is a little bunny in it and a big one. The little bunny is like you and the big one like you."
That's what he wanted, that's what he felt. So he read the story, turning the pages.
The story was about a daddy and his son but they were rabbits and they were cute. He thought it was really fun to look at and sometimes, he put his hand on the page so he could look at it for longer. It was kind of fun, to look at the nice pictures. He never took time to do that before.
The story was nice too. He chewed on his thumb as Holden read it, going over each page. "They're a family. Cause they're happy. And that's the baby." It was like a TV family, all nice and happy. "Are you the big bunny?" He frowned and looked at Holden. "I don't think it's my mom... she never played with me."
"I'm the big bunny, yeah. And I do." He cleared his throat a little, feeling awkward. But he knew Gideon was looking for this and it wasn't as if it wasn't true. Already, even after only knowing him a little. "I love you to the moon and back, my little bunny."
He said it with a smile and hugged him a little closer, hoping he wasn't freaking him out. "Do you want me to read the book again?" Kids liked repetition, especially repetition that might make them feel loved.
He just didn't quite get it or maybe his brain wouldn't let him get it. He looked at the back of the book and touched the big bunny before flipping it over so he could start again. "I love you to the moon and back." Gideon mumbled around his thumb, just testing the words out as Holden started the book again. It was a good book - 10/10.
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gay90s2023-08-16 08:00 pm
no subject
What an adventurous day they were already having. "Do you have a favourite food, Gideon?"
no subject
"I like the food here better." So far, he had pie, cereal and ketchup on top of stuff. No weird fish or meat dish, no strange curries or anything like that. Just easy stuff. He could understand it. "What's your favourite?"
no subject
He wondered. Maybe he hadn't encountered that much yet either. "We could have spaghetti for dinner tonight." They had eaten two breakfast, he assumed they could skip lunch. Maybe just have a snack at some point.
no subject
He finished sharing his foot preference and awkwardly played with his shirt, still in his pyjamas from yesterday. "I like pizza. My mom would order pizza sometimes when she was hungover. That means an adult has a headache. Mom had lots of headaches."
no subject
So many plans, and he felt he was slowly building something with Gideon. Bit by bit. he knew it would take a while. "We can keep cooking together and trying out some new stuff every now and then. But don't worry if you ever don't like something, I can always make you something else and finish your food for you."
no subject
"What's this about?" It had a rabbit on the front and he was curious but he couldn't read and he'd never, ever had a book before so he wanted to try and understand it. "Is it a story?"
no subject
"The book is called 'Guess how much I love you'. Look, there is a little bunny in it and a big one. The little bunny is like you and the big one like you."
That's what he wanted, that's what he felt. So he read the story, turning the pages.
no subject
The story was nice too. He chewed on his thumb as Holden read it, going over each page. "They're a family. Cause they're happy. And that's the baby." It was like a TV family, all nice and happy. "Are you the big bunny?" He frowned and looked at Holden. "I don't think it's my mom... she never played with me."
no subject
He said it with a smile and hugged him a little closer, hoping he wasn't freaking him out. "Do you want me to read the book again?" Kids liked repetition, especially repetition that might make them feel loved.
no subject
He just didn't quite get it or maybe his brain wouldn't let him get it. He looked at the back of the book and touched the big bunny before flipping it over so he could start again. "I love you to the moon and back." Gideon mumbled around his thumb, just testing the words out as Holden started the book again. It was a good book - 10/10.