Roman exited the bathroom while toweling off his wet hair. Light currents of steam filtered out after him. A few droplets fell from the back of his neck, seeping into the fabric of his t-shirt. His sweatpants were long enough to pool around his feet, muffling his footsteps as he traversed through a mostly unoccupied house.

He paused, startled, in the doorway leading into his room.

Mikayla was waiting on the bed with a plain, medium-sized box sitting on her lap. She gave her nephew a kind smile, patting the spot beside her in a silent plea for him to sit down.

Roman's eyebrows furrowed when the box was placed next to him. "What's this for?"

"I'm a few days late, but it's your housewarming gift, honey."

"A housewar- Kay- you didn't have to do that."

Mikayla shook her head. "I wanted to. It's nothing super crazy, though, don't worry. I just felt like you needed a few things to help you get a little more settled in."

Roman braced his hands against his unexpected present. Its texture was similar to a hard project display board. Dragging his warm fingers along the top emitted a sound reminiscent of a marker doing the same along thin paper. 

Pushing the lid out of the way revealed a touchscreen phone, earbuds, and a pumpkin-scented candle.

"I know you don't really like texting people, but you'll at least have a place to put your music and book apps. Maybe some games too. The candle was just something I figured you'd enjoy. I know when you were younger, you used to collect tealights. I assumed you still liked them."

A flash of Roman, around eight years old, surrounded by a horde of unlit candles came to mind.

He let out an airy chuckle. "I do, actually. I'm surprised you still remember. That was ages ago."

"I'm pretty good at remembering the little things, sweetheart."

Roman wasn't sure how to feel.

He appreciated his gifts, of course. He just didn't know how to receive them. He wasn't accustomed to people caring enough to put in the effort of recalling simple details, like his interests. The only ones to ever give him anything were Mikayla, Denise, his father, and his maternal grandparents. They were always for his birthday, though, and, after some time, Rachel forced Roman to cut contact with everyone except his dad. It had been years since he last got a present from someone.

Roman honestly didn't know how to react.

Mikayla noticed, and she slowly pressed a hand against her nephew's back.

Delicate rubs were successful in making him relax.

"That's all I wanted to do, honey. I'll leave you to it now. Since everyone else is at school, I think I'll take a trip to the grocery store. Let me know if you need anything."

Offering a kiss to the forehead, Mikayla rose to her feet. She started making her way out of the room with both hands clasped in front of her.

The mention of "school" brought up a plethora of memories Roman wished he could forget. Old friends, his ex-girlfriend, the habit of putting aside his personal projects to focus on other people's problems, etc. Recalling memories from his past made him feel vulnerable. They made him feel suffocated.

Mikayla's gift, both the boxed items and the kiss, helped to silence those screeching demons. They were her declarations which proved she wholeheartedly was fine with Roman living with her family; it was okay that he needed to depend on them; and she actually did want to help in whatever way possible.

Mikayla had also never done anything to make him think otherwise.

An unforeseen bout of courage washed over Roman, giving him the strength to ask a question he'd been afraid to bring up.

"Aunt Kay."

His voice made her stop. "Yes?"

"Would-" Both eyes were closed to keep from seeing the physical reaction his words would bring. "If your kids ever dropped out- like, if Dorian decided to stop going to college- would you kick them out?"

Mikayla moved to sit on the bed again. "...You don't have to explain if you don't want to. But...I'm assuming that's what happened?"

Roman didn't want to explain. He didn't even want to think about the fight which rendered him homeless.

Mikayla deserved to know, though. She'd done so much for Roman in such a short amount of time. It would only be fair to give her a better understanding in terms of why everything ended up falling apart.

***

Roman glared down at the spotty placemat in front of him. Tiny scratch marks had been embedded into the surface, years of wear-and-tear presenting themselves. A few crumbs were still left behind from his mother's last meal.

She was pacing around the room.

The stench of expensive alcohol wafting away from her made Roman clench his jaw.

"You know, I wish I could say I'm surprised. But that would be a lie. You've never failed to disappoint me in the past. No idea why I thought you'd do some worthwhile shit now."

"Fuck you."

"Oh- real mature. Cursing at the woman who gave you life-"

"You think that means I owe you something? You think the title of 'Mother' is given to you just because you pushed me out of your body? No- you earn it when you get off your ass and actually help your kid when they need you! Which you've never even done!"

A glass bottle shattered against the floor. "What the hell did you just say to me-"

"You heard me!"

Roman pushed himself out of his seat. He stared into a pair of eyes mimicking his own, yet those were red-rimmed and hazy. They were a direct sign of Rachel being under the influence.

Again.

"You think I should be grateful to you when you're constantly spoiling yourself and taking what little I actually have to fuel your selfish lifestyle? Because I'm not!"

"I made sure you were fed as a child. I put a roof over your head. I've given you a place to sleep that's not in some drug dealer's alleyway!"

"We live in fucking poverty, mom. Look around you!" Roman gestured toward several spots around the room. "Our tiles are peeling off the floor, our water keeps getting shut off, and the only reason we haven't died from heatstroke is because you need the electricity to keep going for your shit in the fridge! All because you don't have any impulse control when it comes to spending money on yourself! But God forbid I need something! God forbid I need help!"

Rachel huffed out a small puff of air, a ginger-colored strand flying upward before falling in front of her face again. "All you ever do is complain. I don't see you helping out anymore-"

"Exactly- anymore! Because you can't mooch off of the money dad was sending for child support! The only reason you agreed to let me go to college was because of my scholarship, and so I could make more money for you! All I've ever been to you is a goddamn paycheck!"

"Come on now, being a nurse would've been great."

"For you. It was never for me-"

"Yeah, it would've been great for me because you would've continued to repay me for everything I've done! Twenty one years of putting up with your ass- you're damn right I expect some reimbursement! Which you will give to me!"

Roman swallowed the ball of tightness forming in his throat. He clenched his hands to keep them from trembling more. His teeth dug into the sides of his mouth to keep from crying in frustration.

"You can't force me to go back to school. I left because it wasn't what I wanted. You're not going to just sit here and continue to tell me what to do with my life! Just because you're unhappy with yours doesn't mean you get to keep ruining mine-"

"You're going back!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Then get out!"

Rachel grabbed the edge of the table and pushed with all her might. 

Roman staggered backward, trying to keep away from her destruction.

She grabbed a toppled over cup and threw it at him. "You don't want to do as I say? Fine! Then get out of my fucking house!"

***

"...I see."

Roman willed himself to not curl inward, hiding himself away from the world.

Slender fingers wove into his hair, massaging his scalp in a comforting way.

"To answer your question, no, I wouldn't kick them out. If they had to, they could come back home to figure themselves out. Parenthood doesn't just stop when a child reaches a certain age. Even when they're grown up with their own families. Hiccups and mistakes and, hell, life just happens sometimes. That's normal. We don't always have the answers. And when we do, that doesn't mean they're always right."

Roman's face was guided to look at his aunt.

"My door will always be open when my kids need it. You're included in that, honey. You may not be my son, but I've always loved you like you were one of mine. I'm so sorry you couldn't get that from my sister."

Roman was given another kiss on the forehead. This time, he allowed his eyes to slip shut so he could savor the moment. Residual knots in his stomach unfurled a bit more.

The tender embrace of a loving mother-figure was still a novel experience.

He could admit, though, when it came to Mikayla, Roman was willing to try harder to not shy away from her touch in the future.

"Hey, why don't you come grocery shopping with me? It'll give you a chance to get some fresh air. It'll let you get to know the area a little more. We can pick up some food while we're out too. There's a really nice frozen yogurt spot next to a Japanese street food place nearby."

"Sure. That sounds nice, Kay."

*

The supermarket was only one floor in height, sitting at the back of a mostly empty parking lot. Glass windows stood out against the bright blue paint of exterior walls. Posters with weekly sales were plastered on multiple surfaces. A light green sign had "Basketful" painted in a script font for all to see.

Upon walking inside, Roman was greeted by a wonderful rush of cold air. An alluring scent of fresh fruit hit his nose, making him crave some strawberries and watermelon. Cart wheels running along tiled flooring were a bit louder than random conversations happening throughout the store. 

Mikayla took out a notepad from her satchel. "Okay, let's see... We're going to start with the produce, circle to the back for deli stuff. Then we'll make our way to the toiletry aisle and go from there. Sound good?"

"I'll follow you wherever, Kay."

"Be sure to keep up then, sweetie. Because when I'm shopping, I'm speedie."

Roman playfully rolled his eyes. A small grin came to his face.

Mikayla took pride in her ability to make her nephew smile because she walked with a little more pep in her step.

A few Granny Smith apples were grabbed alongside a few Honeycrisps and Red Delicious ones. Plums were stored in their own bag. Containers of strawberries, blackberries, and grapes were placed into the cart as well. When getting to the open air refrigerator, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, and cilantro were obtained. Each little baggie was put in a specific way to make sure nothing would get crushed.

Mikayla walked by a stand giving out free samples. She took a caramel granola bar drizzled with white chocolate for herself, passing a second one to her nephew for him to enjoy.

"Well, well, talk about a coincidence. Morning, Kay."

Roman turned around at the sound of a deep voice coming from behind him.

He perked up, intrigued, when peering into a pair of light brown eyes, their color akin to honey sitting in the sun.

The owner was a young man with thick eyebrows, a warm shade of brown skin, a wide, pronounced nose, and mesmerizing dimples which sat in the flesh of his cheeks. His smile showed a slight misalignment in his teeth. Dark brown curls framed his face on the left side, the strands on his right being pushed back to reveal a pierced ear.

Even from a distance, his hair looked really soft.

The closer he got, the easier it was to smell a bergamot-scented cologne.

Roman did his best to not gawk too heavily.

"Oh, Jay, what a nice surprise!" Mikayla pulled the man in for a quick hug. "How have you been? We missed you last week."

"I've been pretty good, thanks. I picked up some extra shifts at work, which is why I had to miss dinner. I'll be able to make it this weekend, though." Stunning honey eyes moved to take in Roman's form. "And who's this?"

Being spoken to made him feel like a computer going through a system crash.

"I- uh, Roman. Hi."

Mikayla giggled. "Jay, this is my nephew, Roman Indigo. Ro, this is Jensen Reed."

He was Jensen? This handsome, velvety voiced, beautiful eyed stranger was the one everyone had been talking about? He was the family-friend who came over every weekend to spend time at Mikayla's house?

Roman certainly hadn't expected for them to meet so soon. Or to be rendered speechless by the other man's appearance.

Jensen put an expectant hand out, coupled with an even larger, more charming grin.

His larger hand fit well in Roman's.

"It's nice to finally put a face to someone I've heard so much about. You new to the neighborhood, Roman?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm staying with Kay for a little while to sort some things out. So, I'll be around."

"Really?" Jensen's eyebrows rose in interest. "I'll keep that in mind."

As he started a conversation with Mikayla, it was easier to notice Jensen's method of speaking was slightly accented. He rolled his r's harder than expected. His s's were extended by a barely noticeable margin. It was possible he was a native Spanish speaker, or that he'd grown up with people who were. 

Either way, listening to Jensen speak was pleasing to the ears. Just as much as his eyes were enthralling to stare into.

"Sorry to cut things short, but I do have to run. Gotta get these groceries to my grandma."

"Oh, no worries, honey!" Mikayla offered another hug. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Jensen looked away from her to glance at Roman. "I'll see you both tomorrow."

With a playful bump to the shoulder, Jensen continued toward the check-out area.

Roman placed a hand over his chest in an attempt to muffle the sound of his thumping heart. A hand was brought up to shield his warm cheeks from prying eyes.

Mikayla slid next to her nephew with a smug expression on her face. "You were staring.~"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

He watched Jensen unload his groceries onto the cashier's conveyor belt. He reached up to get a magazine, causing the toned definition in his bare arms to show with greater clarity. 

When falling back to his normal height, Jensen looked in the direction of the Indigos again. His eyes softened, and a two-fingered salute was given to them.

Mikayla snorted behind her hand when Roman started choking on his saliva.