Flash Fic Friday

**Episode 4! Keir is finding his place. But what is Eoin up to? Enjoy!**

I was jittery, nerves jangling in my stomach. Darting between the stove and the counter, I chopped fruit and flipped pancakes. The scrambled eggs were done, slightly undercooked so they wouldn’t get watery as they cooled, and waiting in a chafing dish on the island. I was probably overcompensating since it was my first day on the job and all, but I couldn’t help myself.

Wolves started trickling in just as I finished the first stake of pancakes. They all made appreciative noises as I kept cooking. Making small talk wasn’t my strong suit, especially when I was focused, but I tried my best not to come off as rude as I worked. And waited. Keeping my eye out for one wolf in particular. 

Eoin came in just as I flipped a new set of pancakes off the griddle. Instead of adding them to the platter, I plated them directly and darted around the island to hand them over. His eyes went wide for a brief second, and then nodded once in thanks.

My eyes darted around, and then I liked my lips. “I’m sorry about yesterday.”

For a long few seconds, he didn’t say anything. Then he shrugged one big shoulder. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not.” I took a breath. “Can you hang out for a while? I’d like to talk to you but…” I waved my hand to indicate everything.

“Sure,” he said but I got the impression he wanted to say something different. I didn’t know him well enough to guess what, so I took him at his word and left him to his breakfast.

I kept track of who all came in. Even though I didn’t know everyone’s names yet—I’d been introduced but it was a lot of names, and they hadn’t all stuck in my brain—I could count. Wolf shifters, I knew, ate more than a human, and I’d tried to plan accordingly without making too much. Not that I was worried about leftovers. Anything that didn’t get eaten could be put away and I was sure would be eaten later.

Eventually most of the food was gone, and with it, so were the wolves. I appreciated the thanks, and the way Andreas took a few minutes to speak with me before squeezing my neck. But they all had lives and jobs they needed to do and before long, it was just me and Eoin left. 

I’d loaded the dishwasher as I worked, and everyone had added their own dishes as well. I turned on the dishwasher so it could complete its cycle, then grabbed some fruit and the two remaining pancakes before joining Eoin at the table. He was sipped coffee and trying not to watch me. I set my food down, but before I dug in, I gave all my attention to Eoin.

Having the time to think last night, I knew exactly what I wanted to say. Even though it wasn’t easy, and I had to take a breath before diving in. “I apologize for my behavior yesterday. I was nervous and out of my depth with the changes, and I misinterpreted your intent. But that doesn’t excuse my attitude and I’m sorry.”

“Okay.” And between the tone of his voice and the hint of a smile, I knew I was forgiven. Relief flooded through me. Which was weird, because I didn’t know his approval in particular meant so much to me.

“Thank you.” I hopped up and grabbed my tablet from where I’d tucked it in a safe spot on the corner of the counter. I flipped open the cover and opened the app I’d found to make meal planning and grocery shopping that much easier. “Since I’m still learning what your pack likes and needs, will you help me?”

Eoin didn’t hesitate. “Of course. Are you, uh, going to eat?”

“Yep! I can do both.” I proved it by popping a strawberry in my mouth. The flavor burst across my tongue, and I made a yummy noise. Eoin must have swallowed wrong because choked on his coffee. I tucked my bit into my cheek to ask, “You okay?”

He waved that away as he coughed. I shrugged and continued eating until he had himself under control. When Eoin was breathing normally again, I focused back on the task at hand.

“Okay, so. Tell me what I need to know.”

“What do you mean?” Eoin still sounded a little hoarse from the coughing. I eyed him to make sure he was really okay and he seemed to be so I answered his question.

“My research let me know that shifters need protein, carbs, and fat to keep your metabolism going. Or rather because your metabolism runs so high. Anyway.” I took another bite and swallowed before I tapped into the app to the meal planning section. “But what are favorite dishes? Things that you know help you all or keep your stomachs full.”

“Andreas likes steak. We all do.”

I nodded, adding that in. “Not a surprise. How about you? What’s your favorite?”

“Spaghetti.”

I grinned, because he hadn’t even hesitated. “Yeah. I make a great red sauce.”

“Looking forward to it.” Eoin sat forward so he could see the screen. I tilted it a little so that see it better.

“Here’s some of the meals I thought I could do this week.” I’d prepped somewhat beforehand, so I had quite a list. Eoin reached out to scroll through it, his eyes moving quickly.

“That all looks really good.” His voice was warm and I smiled. “You’re going to feed us like this all the time?”

I snorted out a laugh. “It’s not really that big of a deal. I promise. Okay.” I tapped the icon that would add everything needed to the grocery list. Then I went to that section of the app. “First I’m going to shop the kitchen, and then I’ll know what we need to get at the grocery store.”

“Shop the kitchen?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Anything we already have, I don’t need to buy, right? So I’ll do that and mark it off, and then we’ll have the list to shop by.” I pursed my lips as I looked through it. “I have a feeling we’re still going to have to get a lot.”

“You know, you can place an order and have it delivered. So you don’t have to do all that work.”

My first instinct was to assure him I could handle it, but I bit that back instantly. This close, I couldn’t miss the emotion in his eyes. And my brain whirled into motion, giving me a helpful replay of all my interactions with Eoin so far. That fast, I understood that despite his gruffness, what he was showing me was care. I didn’t know whyexactly—we barely knew each other—but I decided to take it at face value

“I like to see what there is and make my choices.” I grinned. “Besides, you’re gong to help me, right?”

“Absolutely.” His face lit up and my breathe caught. He was usually so stoic and kept his expression neutral. It was surprising but more than that, it made something click in my chest. I couldn’t quite put a name to it but I knew in that instant, something between us had shifted.