Chapter 2: The Chore List

I reached out and took his arm, trying to sound gentle: "Why are you still so nervous? It’s okay, once you get started you won’t be nervous. Come with me first."

He followed me to the kitchen, his footsteps silent and almost feline. The kitchen still smelled faintly of burnt popcorn and lemon cleaner. When we stepped inside, his expression froze for the first time.

"In the kitchen?"

"Yeah, the kitchen. What’s wrong, do you prefer starting in the bedroom?" I asked, genuinely concerned. His gaze was deep, burning, searching for a punchline.

"...The kitchen is fine."

I nodded, turning to grab a brand-new dishcloth from the drawer. Under his intense gaze, I stuffed it into his hand. "Alright, Adrian, today I’ll trouble you, my capable incubus, to help me with some chores. You can wash dishes, right?"

He held the dishcloth like it might bite him, looking completely lost. Like I’d just asked him to recite the periodic table.

"...Wash dishes?"

"Yeah, if you can’t, you can mop, sweep, do laundry, whatever you like."

He asked in disbelief, "Wait, you bought me just to do housework?"

I blinked, caught off guard. "Yeah, what else?"

The silence was so heavy you could hear the fridge humming in the next room. The rumbling in Adrian’s throat abruptly stopped, like someone had hit pause on the world.