Chapter Text
“I’m here, Derlord. So please, wake up…”
Derek was supposed to be dead, he knew this, the world knew this. But the world had a funny way of working. With Derek’s mind destroyed by infinite knowledge, the King in Yellow was destroyed along with it, and all of the knowledge of the entire universe burst, a fireworks show that never stopped, and the sky that it erupted in was Derek’s mind. He was never supposed to survive that, but humans were strong, resilient, would survive anything that life threw at them, no matter how impossible it was to survive. It was admirable as it was baffling, and Derek was just another one of these, of humans that were supposed to die and yet lived. Perhaps it was spite, or hope, or human spirit. But did any of that matter? He was alive, that was the truth at the end of the day.
The last thing that Derek’s conscious mind remembered was staring at his monitor, waiting for the King in Yellow to eventually invade and destroy his mind. His head hurt like a bitch when it happened, and Derek thought that this was what death must’ve felt like. But he was alive, his mind survived the King in Yellow, who dissolved in his already destroyed mind. His mother had gotten worried when he didn’t answer her calls, visited his apartment, called the ambulance when she found him passed out at the monitor with Minecraft still playing. And he knew this, in his unconscious mind the knowledge of everything in the universe all waited patiently for his mind to be awake, to ambush him with everything in the known world.
“Derlord, if you can hear me, I just need to know that you’re okay…”
But he was asleep, and all it could do was to wait until he woke up.
“Derek?”
Derek opened his eyes.
The whole world slowly rose from the fog of slumber, the cold air of the room, the slow beeping of the hospital machines, the hum of air conditioning, white walls, and a man. A man who looked relieved to see him, and somehow Derek knew it was Avery, a feeling in his gut that knew he was Avery as much as it knew that the sky was blue and one plus one was two. His brain was slowly rousing from unconsciousness, untangling the ribbons of exhaustion and dazedness that were wrapped tightly around his mind. All he saw was Avery, who was here after everything, despite it all.
“A-Avery…?” Derek murmured out.
Avery smiled, it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
And then, it hit him.
Everything.
The air is composed of 78.084% nitrogen, 20.946% oxygen, 0.934% argon, and 0.042% carbon dioxide. The temperature is 73°F, which is 41° away from water’s freezing temperature…
Avery is a 20 year old Caucasian male, bisexual, and he is currently enrolled in Greenknight University as a sociology major. In his free time, he likes to play Minecraft bedwars and cook…
The walls of this hospital are made of concrete, white concrete. The first crude cements were made by crushing and burning gypsum in limestone…
It was too much, too much too much too much.
Derek groaned, holding his head. The onslaught of information screamed in his head, it felt way worse than when he couldn’t look away from his computer monitor. No, nothing could compare to the screaming information about any and every little thing that his eyes landed on. The world was bursting in his mind, and it couldn’t handle everything, the sea of information that flooded. Derek couldn’t hear his own thoughts, couldn’t even feel his own existence, drowning in the tsunami that kept coming and coming and just coming. Oh god, it was too much, it was too much!
“Derlord? Are you okay?”
Avery’s voice was an anchor that kept Derek grounded, instead of floating at sea in an ocean of infinite information. Derek opened his eyes and saw Avery, looking at him with worry. His eyes were such a beautiful shade of blue, blue like the vast skies on a sunny day.
Avery’s eyes are blue, which only 8% of the world globally has. In the United States of America, the ratio is higher, with 27% of the country having blue eyes…
“D-Don’t look at me.” Derek hissed, his brain hurt, his entire fucking existence hurt.
Avery gave him a concerned look. “Huh? Did I do something wrong?”
Worrying, a person’s mental distress from anxiety, is an emotion present in most people’s lives on a day-to-day basis…
“No, no, it’s not you…” Derek groaned, holding his head. “It’s just…”
“It’s what? You’re seriously worrying me, Derlord.” Avery said.
“I know…everything.”
“What?”
Knowledge, it’s-
“SHUT UP!”
Avery jumped in surprise. “H-Huh?”
“Sorry.” Derek sighed. “It’s just…now that the King in Yellow has…dissolved in my brain, the infinite knowledge is on…overdrive.”
“That makes sense…I guess.” Avery frowned. “Are you okay, though?”
“I feel like I was hit by a truck.” Derek replied.
“…Oh.”
Avery is uncomfortable. He’s fidgeting with his hands, playing with his hair, his eyes are darting all across the room. These are typical signs of discomfort, whether mental or physical…
Breathe, Derek. Breathe.
“Derlord?”
“Yeah, still here.” Derek sighed. “I’m sorry, it’s just…this is a lot.”
“I bet.” Avery said, and then he asked. “Is there…any way I can help?”
“I just…have to get used to this, I guess.” Derek murmured, and then he realized something. “Wait, how did you find me? This city isn’t that huge, but you shouldn’t have…”
Avery searched through every hospital building in the city to find you, and when he found you, he bribed the nurse with a snickers bar to get in your room.
Well, guess that’s the answer.
Wait…he bribed a nurse?!
“You bribed a nurse with candy?!” Derek burst out.
“How did you…?” Avery started, before he realized. “Oh, infinite knowledge. Got it.”
“Why did you even try to find me?” Derek asked, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.
Because he was worried about you.
Because he cares about you.
Because he feels indebted to you.
Because he-
“Because I…I wanted to slap you silly!” Avery said, adding when Derek raised a brow at him. “You just…you lied to me, Derlord! There was no gold at the- you tried to get me out. And to what? Save the world?”
“I mean…yeah.”
And to save you.
“Just…you worried the hell out of me.” Avery said, and he sighed. “I couldn’t sleep, you know! And I needed to find you, or I’d go insane.”
“Well, you found me now.” Derek said.
“I did, and you’re okay.” Avery smiled. “And I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Okay…that’s one way to put it.” Derek murmured.
“You’re alive, let’s count that as a win.” Avery said.
“…I guess you’re right.” Derek sat up in his bed, looking up at the fluorescent lights.
Peter Cooper Hewitt, an American engineer and inventor, was the one who patented the first prototype of the modern fluorescent light. It is a common misconception that Filipino inventor Agapito Flores was the first to invent fluorescent lights…
The tiles are in a grid pattern. Black, white, black, white, black, white, white, black, white, black, white, black, white, black…
Modern air conditioning was invented by Willis Haviland Carrier, an American engineer. He was born on November 26, 1876, to Duane Williams Carrier and Elizabeth R. Haviland. He graduated from Angola Academy in 1894 and from Buffalo High School in 1897, and went on to receive a Master of Engineering degree after graduating from Cornell University…
“Agghh!” Derek screamed, holding his head and groaning.
“W-Woah!” Avery jumped up, going to Derek’s side. “Are you okay?!”
“I looked away too quickly…now I know everything about fluorescent lights.” Derek said.
Avery looked worried. “Can you handle it? You know, the infinite knowledge?”
“Yeah, I think…I think I can.” Derek held his head, trying to ignore the tsunami of information invading his mind. He wasn’t exactly succeeding. “I just need to…get used to it.”
“…Okay.”
Avery is unsure.
Avery doesn’t believe you.
Avery is worried about you.
He could be studying for his exam, but he’s here with you.
Avery wants to help you.
Avery-
“Look, believe me or not, it doesn’t matter. I can handle this, okay?” Derek snapped.
“What?” Avery looked confused. “I didn’t even say anything.”
“…Oh.” Derek sighed. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just…”
“I get it. Well, I don’t. But I get that this is a lot, as in…you know what I’m saying, right?” Avery said.
Derek snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, ‘cause I know everything.”
“Yeah, you do…” Avery said, and then he asked. “Can you…take care of yourself? Y’know, you seem like you’re struggling…”
Shit.
Well, Derek was struggling, but Avery went through all of this effort and worrying for him. Wouldn’t want to worry him more.
“I’ll be fine, I just need to get used to this.” Derek said, and he sighed when he saw the disbelieving expression on Avery’s face. “Really, I’ll be fine.”
“Alright…but can you give me your number and address?” Avery asked, adding when Derek raised a brow at him. “Just to check up on you from time to time! I’m not a psycho serial killer or anything!”
“I believe you.” Derek said, laughing a little. “Alright, just…don’t worry about me too much. Focus on yourself, you have your exam to worry about.”
“How did…” Avery realized himself. “Gah! I need to remember your infinite knowledge thing.”
“Hard to forget for me.” Derek said, a halfhearted joke.
“Yeah, uh…yeah!” Avery got up from his chair. “Well, I gotta go now. But uh, I got you something…”
Derek raised a brow as Avery reached into his bag. Avery procured a chocolate bar, handing it to him with a smile. He was so shocked that he almost didn’t notice the recipe for the chocolate bar rattling off in his brain, almost.
Why would…Avery get him chocolate?
Avery gave it to you because he cares about you.
Well, that made sense.
After Derek gave him his address and phone number, Avery left his hospital room, and Derek sighed as he laid down on the bed, trying to ignore the tsunami of information that flooded his mind. Just let it exist and flow out, don’t pay too much attention to it, Derek kept telling himself. He was tired already, but who wouldn’t be with knowledge of the entire world assaulting their minds? Derek closed his eyes, letting himself float on the seas of warm slumber.
━━━━ ❰ ･ ❉ ･ ❱ ━━━━
Everything hurt.
No matter what Derek did, the onslaught of information came crashing into him at every moment. Anytime he looked at anything new, whatever he was looking at’s history and every little fun fact rattled off in his head like an incessant alarm that could never be silenced. And when he closed his eyes, great secrets about anything and everything that was ever in the universe constantly screamed at him, telling him things no human was ever meant to know. It was torture, pure torture. The only time Derek got reprieve was when he was asleep, at least, when he wasn’t dreaming. In his dreams, infinite knowledge ran rampant in his mind, showing him everything that ever was, is, and would be in the world. Every time Derek’s eyes fluttered close from exhaustion, he hoped that he wouldn’t dream.
His apartment had devolved into a mess, he knew that as much as anyone. But he legitimately couldn’t get up to put his laundry in his basket or wash the dishes before his mind went off into some tangent about fabric or porcelain. Derek spent most of his time curled up on his bed, trying not to look at anything for too long. He couldn’t even do his freelance coding gigs anymore, looking at a bright monitor hurt his eyes too much. It was a miserable way of living, he knew, but he genuinely had no idea what to do. What was he supposed to do with all knowledge all throughout time all in his head 24/7? So he just suffered through it, maybe ate some food in the dark so he wouldn’t see what he was eating—and thus wouldn’t be bombarded with all of its ingredients.
He just needed to deal with it, this was fine.
Derek was hungry, but the thought of a detailed recipe and history of bread or something made him sick. A sandwich, peanut butter or whatever, he knew he could do that. Just get up, don’t look at anything for too long, and then make the sandwich. He could do that, right?
He got up, but as soon as he looked at the wall, information hit him like a truck. He groaned and collapsed right back on the bed.
Well, that didn’t work.
Just as Derek was miserably wondering if this was going to be his life for the rest of his…well, life, someone knocked on the door.
It’s Avery.
Avery…? What was he doing here?
Derek got up, groaning when useless information about fabrics or something when he looked up. It was a struggle getting up, but he finally managed to trudge his feet to the door, even if it felt like dragging 50 pound weights. He unlocked and opened it, hissing when the bright light blinded him, taking a bit to adjust. Avery was at the front door, and he was the best thing about today so far—though that honestly wasn’t saying much. Avery was smiling when Derek opened the door, though the smile faltered when he saw the state that Derek was in. Honestly, he didn’t blame Avery, he was sure he looked like complete and total shit right now.
“Avery?” Derek rasped out.
“Woah, you look like shit.” Avery said, peeking behind Derek to see his apartment. He frowned. “Your apartment looks like shit too.”
“As if I didn’t know.” Derek scoffed.
“How are you…holding up?”
“You said it yourself, I look like shit. How else would I be doing?”
Avery frowned. “You said you could take care of yourself.”
“I am, I am…”
“Really?” Avery walked in like he owned the place, gesturing to a huge pile of clothes on the floor. “Explain this, then!”
“Uh…maximalist décor?”
“Derlord!”
“Dear lord, I’m fine…” Derek looked to the pile of laundry, big mistake.
Messy laundry has negative effects on one’s health, since dirty laundry is a breeding ground for pathogens and germs. It also affects one’s mental health, causing a serious source of stress in an already stressful environment or circumstance…
The shirt is red. Red is the color of passion, desire, war, bloodshed. However, some cultures, like Chinese culture, see red as a sign of good fortune…
Denim is a popular fabric often used in pants and jackets, and it started to gain popularity when Jacob W. Davis manufactured the first pair of rivet-reinforced denim pants in 1873…
“Aggggh!” Derek screamed, collapsing to the floor as the information hit him like a speeding truck.
“Derlord?!”
Avery was by his side now, wanting to help but unsure of what to do. Derek groaned and tried to get up, and then faltered and Avery had to help him up. Avery looked so concerned for him, his blue eyes filled with worry and his brows furrowed.
“Jesus Christ. Have you even eaten today?”
“…Eat?”
Avery frowned, determined. “That’s it, you need help. And you’re getting it.”
“What?”
“I’m going to start helping you.” Avery said. “I’m pretty busy with uni, but I’ll be coming here to help and stuff.”
“But…why?”
Because he cares about you.
Okay, this damn infinite knowledge was dense. He already knew that!
“You don’t…have to do that.” Derek said.
Avery raised a brow. “Oh, I can. And I will. You can’t stop me.”
“Why…” Derek trailed off, god did it hurt to think. “All for a guy you barely know?”
“A guy who saved me.” Avery corrected, and then he added, almost pleadingly. “Please, Derlord. This is no way to live. Let me help you.”
He wants to help you.
He cares about you.
He wants the best for you.
He’s willing to do anything for you.
He’ll fight the entire world for you.
He-
“OKAY! Okay okay OKAY! Just SHUT UP!”
Avery jumped back in surprise, he looked hurt.
“…No, not you, Avery.” Derek sighed. “Just…the damn thing rattling in my brain again.”
“Oh.”
“Look, it’s fine. I can-”
“Handle it? No you can’t!” Avery gestured to the apartment. “This is proof!”
“Okay, what if I can’t handle it?” Derek said, he didn’t know why he asked questions anymore, he’d know the answer in an instant. “Are you seriously willing to take time out of your goddamn day to take care of me?”
“YES!”
Derek looked at Avery in shock, there was that determination, the same resolve that he saw in the King in Yellow’s domain when Avery insisted he stay by Derek’s side. And he knew—he knew everything—that Avery felt indebted to him, felt like he failed him, felt like he needed to do this. Avery was a very stubborn man, Derek had learned and continued to learn. Maybe Derek did need the help, he’d been barely eating and his apartment was in ruin. And here Avery was, practically handing help over on a silver platter. Only a fool would keep rejecting it, and with how miserable his life was since his mind merged with the King in Yellow, he couldn’t afford to be a fool anymore.
“…Alright.” Derek finally conceded. “You win this time, Avery.”
Avery sighed. “This isn’t about winning, Derlord.”
“I know, I know…” Derek said.
“Well, let me start with getting you lunch, I’m sure you’re starving.” Avery said, and then he asked. “Have you even eaten anything today?”
“I ate a package of saltine crackers 25 hours, 41 minutes, and 32 seconds ago.” Derek responded.
“That’s…detailed.” Avery said. “Well, I’ll order us some food. My treat, seriously.”
“Thanks…” Derek murmured.
“Chinese or Mexican?”
Derek softly groaned as every recipe in the entire history of Mexican and Chinese cuisine played in his head all at once, god this was a nightmare. “Whatever you want.” He murmured. “Ow, my head…”
“…Yeah, I’m getting you some ice cream too.” Avery said.
Derek laid down on his bed and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the stream of information that seemed incessant. And he knew that Avery was next to him, internally debating on what to get for himself. Chow Mein or orange chicken were his top two choices, though Derek knew that orange chicken would win in the end. He knew everything.
He sighed, letting himself just…float. And Avery was by his side, his presence was warm, comforting, a beacon of light in a fog of endless knowledge.
Maybe, with Avery by his side…this wouldn’t be so bad.
━━━━ ❰ ･ ❉ ･ ❱ ━━━━
Life wasn’t so bad with Avery’s help now.
Avery didn’t come every day, even though Derek knew that he wanted to, it simply would’ve been unrealistic with how busy he got with university. But he made sure to visit at least thrice a week, to check up on how Derek was doing, get him to eat food, and clean up his apartment at least a little bit. Avery always stayed for a few hours, doing his schoolwork in his apartment, or playing whatever mobile combat game on his phone, anything to just kill the time. Avery wanted to keep Derek company, and though he didn’t know it…his presence was grounding. The infinite knowledge never stopped, but with Avery there, Derek felt like he was finally surfacing from the drowning waters, and there Avery would be, outstretching his hands out with a smile on his face.
After his class had been cancelled, Avery went over to visit Derek. He already knew that Avery was coming, he always knew when he was coming over to his apartment, and Derek was starting to look forward to it. Though things were slowly getting better, and Derek didn’t feel like his entire head was erupting when he looked at something too quickly, he still didn’t want to risk going outside. The only contact Derek had with his friends and the outside world was online, the thought of going outside and being hit by knowledge of every little thing outside sounded like torture, so online it was. But Avery went to him, spent time with him, it was honestly the only thing that kept him sane. Derek was honestly glad that he accepted Avery’s help,
Avery was picking up Derek’s dirty clothes on the floor, throwing them in his laundry basket. He was just haphazardly throwing them, but it was an improvement from the state that his apartment was in.
“How are you feeling, Derlord?” Avery asked, throwing the last shirt on the floor before he sat on the bed next to Derek.
“Better.” Derek said. “My head doesn’t hurt 24/7 anymore. I made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without feeling like puking.”
“Well, that’s an improvement!” Avery said with a smile.
“Bare minimum…but improvement, yeah.” Derek joked halfheartedly.
“You’ll get back to your normal life one day…maybe. Hopefully!” Avery said, and then his eyes widened as though he just remembered something. “Oh by the way, I got you something.” He grabbed his bag and dug through it for something, taking whatever it was out and handing it to Derek.
It was a thick leather bound book, the leather aged and the paper yellow with wisdom. Immediately, as soon as Derek had the book in his hands, every page in the book played in his head at once.
The author of this journal is Thaddeus Gardner, born 1866 and died 1884. He lived most of his days helping his father, a farmer named Nahum Gardner, until he met his unfortunate demise that started when a meteorite landed in their garden in 1882…
“Thaddeus Gardner?” Derek blurted out.
“What?
“Uh, the author…” Derek trailed off.
“Ohhh.” Avery nodded. “Yeah, I guess. I got the journal from one of my friends in uni, she’s super into the occult. This guy was dealing with otherworldly shit too, so I thought it’d help. She said that it’s written by the son of a farmer…so I guess that’s Thaddeus?” When Derek nodded, Avery said. “Have a look through it!”
“I already know everything in it.” Derek said.
“…Wow, that infinite knowledge works fast.”
“They don’t call it infinite knowledge for nothing, Avery.”
Avery laughed. “Fair!”
His laugh sounded so melodious, Derek had realized when the first time he heard it. Avery’s dimples when he smiled and laughed were so adorable, Derek couldn’t stop looking at them, didn’t even register when the infinite knowledge rattled on about whatever evolutionary mutation whatever caused dimples in humans. When he laughed, the world felt warmer and lighter, like a gentle ray of a rising sun. Derek felt like he could take on anything that the world threw at him when he heard Avery’s laugh, felt like he could face any eldritch entity and come out unscathed. Brave, Derek felt brave around Avery. Brave enough to look forward to the next day, brave enough to persevere with a smile on his face, brave enough to be…human.
I’ll be brave for you, Avery.
“Have you eaten today?” Avery asked.
“Aside from the sandwich, nope.” Derek replied.
Avery frowned. “Seriously, Derlord? It’s 5 PM!” He took out his phone. “That’s it, I’m ordering you something.”
“You don’t have to, you know.” Derek said.
“I don’t have to, but I want to.” Avery retorted.
“Avery.”
“I’m ordering you KFC.”
Derek sighed, though he was smiling. “I guess you are.”
Their food didn’t take that long to arrive, and pretty soon they were gathered at the dining table eating fried chicken and fries. The chicken was delicious, and nostalgic, Derek was reminded of when his mother would get him fried chicken from the drive-thru of the KFC near his high school, on those rare occasions when she decided to treat him. He knew the secret recipe, and Avery pleaded for Derek to tell him, pouting when he didn’t. Avery was always adorable when he pouted, but he was adorable when he was smiling and laughing too. Derek had just noticed now, maybe he’d always known but never thought about it too deeply.
Derek smiled as he popped a fry in his mouth, listening to Avery talk about whatever drama in their college department. He already knew, but…he liked listening to Avery. It was calming.
With Avery by his side…things weren’t so bad, honestly.
━━━━ ❰ ･ ❉ ･ ❱ ━━━━
The journal was actually pretty interesting.
Derek didn’t know why he started to read it, the moment his hands touched the leather cover of the aged book he already knew everything that was inside. Maybe it was boredom, maybe it was fascination, or maybe it was something else that he couldn’t exactly think of right now. Reading the journal was different from the knowledge that crashed into his head when he touched the book, in a way that he couldn’t describe, like a mortal’s feeble attempt at explaining cosmic things they were never meant to understand. The journal chronicled the young man, Thaddeus Gardner’s, experience with a meteorite of colors never seen crashing into his farm, and the horrors he saw. The journal’s contents weren’t that relevant to Derek’s current situation, but it made him feel better that he wasn’t the only one dealing with otherworldly shit.
It was slowly getting better, dealing with the infinite knowledge of everything in the world. He could comfortably sit at his desk and work on his coding gigs, and the infinite knowledge helped him out when he was stuck on a line of code or a bug that wouldn’t go away, when he’d need to employ the rubber duck method for over an hour before. Right now he was reading the journal, his eyes thumbing at the textured aged paper of the pages. He felt some…solidarity with Thaddeus, thrust into things humans were never meant to see against his will, to the point it either destroyed them or created something new. Derek was lucky enough to survive, but Thaddeus wasn’t. Distantly, Derek wondered what Thaddeus’ life would’ve been like had he survived.
…Well, probably dead by now. This was written in the 1800s.
Just as Derek turned the next page, he heard his phone buzz, a notification.
It’s a text from Avery, he’s asking how you are. He’s waiting in his bed while he’s scrolling through YouTube Shorts. His YouTube Shorts are mostly meme compilations and cooking videos.
That was way much more information than he needed, but thank you.
[Avery 💚]
how are you?
[Derek]
Im doing fine
[Derek]
Dont buy that ninja creami knockoff, its a scam
[Derek]
Buy the original, you can afford it if you stopped ordering me food
[Avery 💚]
how did you…?
[Avery 💚]
oh, right
[Avery 💚]
sorry i keep forgetting lol
[Derek]
Its fine
[Avery 💚]
but yea, i need to stop ordering you food
[Avery 💚]
i had to ask my mom for my allowance early lmao
[Avery 💚]
if i could, id cook for you…
[Avery 💚]
…omg, maybe i SHOULD
[Derek]
Cook for me?
[Avery 💚]
yea!
[Derek]
No no, its fine
[Derek]
You dont need to do that
[Avery 💚]
oh im not asking you lol
[Avery 💚]
im TELLING you
Derek sighed, though he was smiling. Avery was so stubborn, so insistent on always trying to help and treat him. Derek had expected that he’d stop going after a week, but a few weeks later, he was still here, by Derek’s side, enthusiastically helping him even when he was busy with university. The affection that Avery had for him, how he was always willing to help a man that he barely knew, some may call it naïve, but Derek found it as beautiful as it was, undeniably, naïve.
[Derek]
Alright
[Derek]
Just a thing though, Im allergic to shrimp
[Avery 💚]
!!!!!
[Avery 💚]
alright, no shrimp
[Avery 💚]
see you this saturday!!!
[Derek]
See you
The smile never left Derek’s face as he put down his phone and continued to read the journal.
Avery, you’re so annoying…
But why do I like it so much?
━━━━ ❰ ･ ❉ ･ ❱ ━━━━
Derek looked at all of the ingredients on his kitchen counter, trying to guess what they’d make.
Garlic parmesan roasted carrots with chicken alfredo pasta.
Welp, never mind.
Avery had come to his apartment, grinning and holding up a grocery bag full of ingredients for him to cook whatever dish he had planned. He seemed pretty pleased with himself as he laid out everything they needed to make whatever food Avery wanted to cook for him. He seemed pretty pleased with himself, practically buzzing with excitement as he took out ingredient after ingredient. Derek had just realized how many ingredients Avery had bought, and normally he’d questions how much this cost, but he’d get the answer immediately if he did. Derek had scolded Avery many times about spending too much money on him, not like he ever listened though.
Garlic parmesan roasted carrots with chicken alfredo pasta, that sounded amazing. Just the thought of it had Derek’s mouth watering, staring at the ingredients and wondering how they’d become the delicious meal that Avery planned to cook for him. He couldn’t even imagine how these seemingly unrelated ingredients could become…well, garlic parmesan roasted carrots and chicken alfredo pasta. It wasn’t that Derek couldn’t cook, he just wasn’t a master chef or anything, unlike Avery. Avery had brought him food and baked goods he’d made sometimes, and they all tasted amazing. Derek was sure this meal would taste just as great as the rest.
“So…we’re making garlic parmesan roasted carrots and chicken alfredo pasta?” Derek said.
Avery’s eyes widened. “How did-” He then stopped and facepalmed. “Oh right, infinite knowledge. Sorry, forgot.”
“Pretty hard to forget for me.” Derek said with a chuckle.
“I bet it is.” Avery said, and then he clapped his hands. “Well, I’m sure you’ll forget with some good food! Let’s get started.”
“Can I help?” Derek asked.
“Sure, why not!” Avery said with a smile, and then he asked. “Do you have a cutting board and knife? Let’s start with cutting the carrots. Don’t worry, I brought a peeler.” He then laughed. “I had a feeling you didn’t have one.”
“I don’t.”
“Well, I was right then. Get to chopping, Derlord!”
Derek nodded, going over to his kitchen cabinets to get the cutting board, and taking out a knife from the knife block. When he put the cutting board on the kitchen counter, Avery handed him an already peeled carrot. Derek just stared at it, unsure of what to do. Every cutting technique played in his head all at once, as he stared at the carrot on the cutting board, but transferring that to his hands was a lot harder than he expected it to be. How the hell was he supposed to do this?
“Derlord?” Avery gave him an odd look. “What’re you waiting for?”
“Um…” God, this was embarrassing. “How do I do it?”
Avery stared at him, confused. “Do what?”
“Cut the carrots.” Derek said.
“Wait, what?” Avery looked as confused as he was amused. “Don’t you know how?”
“…No.”
“Seriously?”
“Don’t look at me like that, Avery!”
“Sorry, sorry! It’s just…infinite knowledge and you don’t even know how to cut a carrot?” Avery teased with a light laugh.
“Shut up, knowledge doesn’t mean experience.” Derek grumbled.
“I can see that!” Avery said, and then adding. “Alright, let me help you.”
Derek was about to ask how, but then Avery went behind him and took hold of his arms, helping him pick up the knife. Avery’s grip was so firm, yet it was tender and delicate, as if one wrong move and he’d shatter into a million pieces. Shit, he was warm, why was he so warm? Derek felt so safe in his arms, as if anything could happen and he’d be fine, as long Avery was there with him, holding him so gently and…lovingly, fondly. Yes, his tender touch was affectionate, in a casual comfortable way. Avery was guiding his hands, helping him chop the carrots, but Derek couldn’t exactly pay any attention. He was staring at Avery, and his eyes. His blue eyes that were trained on the carrots, they looked so beautiful in the warm afternoon sunlight, dancing on the blue surfaces like sunlight so gracefully danced on the ocean surface.
“…There you go.” Avery said, his voice soft, hot breath tickling at Derek’s ear. “That’s how you cut carrots.”
“Uh…thanks.” Derek was acutely aware of how close they were. “You’re…uh, so close.”
Avery smiled sheepishly, going a little red. “Oh! Um, sorry.”
“No no, it’s okay. I like it.”
“I like it too, Derlord.”
“…Derek.”
“What?”
“Call me Derek.” Derek said.
Avery’s eyes widened.
Avery’s heartrate is 119 beats per minute, his skin is flushed, his eyes are wide. He’s flustered by the intimacy of your proximity…
Well gee, he didn’t notice. Thank you, infinite knowledge!
“Derek…” Avery murmured, and he softly smiled. “I like the sound of it.”
Dammit, now Derek’s flustered!
“Well, uh…you know how to cut carrots now.” Avery said, letting Derek go. “So uh…yeah!”
Well…he didn’t, but he was sure it’d be fine.
They continued preparing and finally cooking the food, and soon the apartment smelled delicious, the aroma of the garlic filling the air and making Derek’s mouth water. When all was done, they had a plate of pasta and roasted carrots, and a lot of dishes in the sink, but Avery offered to wash the dishes with Derek. He better, this cooking thing was his idea. But he couldn’t exactly pay attention to the dishes piled up in the sink, not when he saw the food that was plated so carefully on the dining table. It looked just as delicious as it smelled, and Derek had to stop himself from absolutely devouring everything. It’d been a while since he’d had a homecooked meal, and he was really glad he let Avery cook for him.
“What are you waiting for?” Avery said with a smile, picking up a fork. “Dig in!”
Derek nodded, picking up a fork and taking a bite of one of the roasted carrots, and it was delicious. Tender sweet carrots complemented the garlicky cheesy taste, Derek sighed in content as he ate. The infinite knowledge rattled on about food combos in his head, but he didn’t even notice it that much, not when he was tasting something that was just so good. It felt as warm and comforting as a hug from his mother, and judging by the way that Avery smiled as he ate, he thought the same.
“Ugh, thish ish sho goowshd.” Avery said with his mouth full.
“Ew. Swallow your food before you talk, Avery.” Derek said.
Avery pouted, and goddammit, was it adorable.
They continued to eat, and Avery was talking about doing this again, cooking for Derek again. Derek didn’t refuse, how could he say no to having such delicious and warm homecooked meals like this?
And when Derek saw the way Avery smiled and heard the way he laughed, all felt…right in the world.
His life…wasn’t so bad right now. It could be better, but it could be worse.
And if he had Avery by his side, he knew that he’d be okay.