mazeofrelationships | Matt and Keith Pre Kerberos PSL

[Matt grins at Keith and grabs some keys from a hook, beckoning him to come with him.]

So. I know the way your mind works, and I know how Mom works. Don't you dare start mathing what's cheapest. Just... get what you like, ok? It's not a problem.

[Welp, so much for trying to be inconspicuous and pretend instant packaged ramen or the cookies that were on sale but only "okay" were his favorites.]

Since when did you learn to read minds? [He blushes, sticking his hands in the pockets of the new winter jacket Colleen bought him. How long's it been since he's had any new clothes? That's another thing he needs to get used to.]

I don't read minds, I just know you, Keith. Mom and Dad want you to have things you actually like. She'll be sad if you just get cheap things.

[Matt hops in the car, and turns the radio on.]

Change the station if you want.

Well...all right. If she insists, I guess it'd be rude to go against that.

[Sorry, Matt, he's still getting used to being treated like what he wants is important and not a liability.

He changes the station to a classic rock one, smiling when a Supertramp song comes on.]

This okay? They were one of Dad's favorites.

Sounds great to me!

[Matt smiles a bit, then falls silent, thinking.]

So what do you like?

[Keith relaxes, leaning back in his seat]

Mac and cheese. Your mom's homemade or the boxed kind...but I have a soft spot for the boxed stuff because Dad made it for me. Same with those Drakes fruit pies. And...this is gonna sound weird, but I like green peppers. And zucchini, almost any regular Lay's flavor. Not a fan of most of the weird new ones they keep coming out with.

Sounds good to me. Mom makes some fantastic stuffed peppers. I can get some stuff for that, and then obviously chips and pies and mac and cheese.

[Matt thinks, grinning.]

What about drinks?

Sounds great! I've only had stuffed peppers once, Dad picked them up from the market on his way home. I didn't think I'd like them, but...well, after three days of frozen pizza, they were the best.

[Frozen pizza tastes like cardboard, no sentimental value will change this fact.]

Grape soda, cherry coke, either of those. Orange juice, and green tea. [He laughs] That last one's Shiro's fault.

Mom's are really good. I think you'll like them.

[Matt nods, smiling.]

I'll have to ask you for recommendations for the tea. We don't drink a lot of tea at home.

I didn't drink it much before I started hanging out with Shiro. That's one thing he's actually good with, and he's kind of an expert.

[The radio starts playing an older song, something Dad said was from the 70s. It was late last night, I was feeling something wasn't right...there was not another soul in sight, only you...

He remembers this song, very vaguely. A love song...he turns a bit pink]

[Matt turns a bit pink as well, glancing over at Keith with a small smile.]

Huh. Dad likes that one. He sings it to Mom sometimes.

Really?

[Keith smiles a little, trying to seem more nonchalant than he feels]

That's sweet. It's a nice song, really relaxing...Dad says the 70s and 80s had the best love songs. The 80s were more his time, of course, but...

[He wonders the kind of music he and Mom listened to, before Mom went away...]

Dad loves old music. I'm not sure when most of the stuff is from, but he's so fond of it.

[There's a tiny smile on his face as he pulls into the grocery parking lot.]

Alright, here we are. Let's get a cart and get going.

Everything I know about stuff before my time, I learned from Dad.

[Keith gets out of the car as soon as it's parked, grabbing the first cart at the end of the line...and making a face when he can't pull it free of the other one.]

They should really oil these carts before they stick them together.

Ugh, I know. Carts are the worst taken care of things in the entire store. Sometimes I think it would almost be easier to just bring a wheelbarrow.

[Matt pulls a list out of his pocket and scans it over. Basics mostly, but a few things Katie likes, and some things for him, and a line that just says 'whatever Keith wants'.]

Alright. Let's start in produce.

I think some people actually do, or those personal carts if they live close enough to walk to the store.

[Keith manages to get another one free with a few tugs. He's not the noodle Matt is, but he's nowhere near Shiro's strength.]

Okay. Is there a secret to picking out good stuff, or just look for the fresher ones? [He's seen people pinching tomatoes, thumping melons, checking the bottoms of cartons for moldy berries.]

True.

[Matt walks over to a pile of onions, picking one of them up.]

Ok, so first, when you're looking at something, look for brown or black spots. Those are bad spots, and you want something else. Also, with a lot of produce, you don't want to have too much green... unless it's supposed to be green.

Got it.

[He remembers shopping with Dad once or twice, but his only input was saying whether he wanted regular macaroni or the spiral kind, or begging Dad to pick up a box of Lucky Charms. Picking good produce is an interesting experience. He looks over at the list, seeing potatoes on there as well.]

Some of these potatoes already have eyes. [he makes a face] Shiro brought one home like that once and Adam freaked out.

Yeah, that's not good at all. Sometimes you'll find onions or garlic that's growing a bit as well. Not good.

[Matt grabs a few onions and bell peppers, marking them off of the list as he collects them.]

[Luckily, most of the potatoes are in good shape, so Keith takes what they need. Tomatoes, too.]

I can't believe the brussel sprout bin is almost empty. Apparently people really like those now, but Dad always hated them.

Yeah, they're mostly gross. There was once that Mom made them and they were almost edible. But... yeah.

[Matt grabs a few carrots and pulls out the list again, scanning it a few more times.]

All the cooking shows say they're a delicacy if you cook them just right, and your mom's the best cook I've ever known. At the orphanage, they just stopped making them because no one but the caretakers bothered to eat them.

[Keith thinks for a moment]

Where should we go next?

Um. Deli meat and cheese for lunch, bread, um. Ground beef?

[Matt hands the list to Keith. There are a lot of 'something for dinner', and 'sides for dinner' on it.]

Guess we get to be creative.

That should be fun! Yeah, ground beef, maybe some kind of roast? Wild rice, cornbread, canned crescent rolls?

[Whatever Keith wants. He still feels funny, being doted on like this. Luckily a lot of his favorite things are on the cheaper side, but still.]

They've got a sale on canned tomato soup. One time Dad actually threw it over some chicken and it came out good after baking it in the oven...

Oh, awesome. Yeah, that sounds amazing. I'll grab meats, and you get soup and double back for some potatoes?

[Matt grins at Keith, bouncing a bit on his feet.]

This is going to be so good.

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