Free I Heard Him Exclaim by Z. A. Maxfield

unusual for him to wake up to someone cooking in his kitchen, mostly because his relatives were frequent houseguests and they all knew he couldn’t be bothered with cooking breakfast. But to open an eye and see Chandler and Poppy trooping into his room with coffee and pancakes on a tray, that was…
    Chandler froze in the doorway even as Poppy bounced up onto his bed. “Oh, please tell me you have pants on.”
    “I do.” Steve froze for a second, then got up holding a pillow over his morning wood. Look normal. Act natural. “I should go brush my teeth and put on a T-shirt and then we can…uh…”
    Chandler’s face had caught fire at some point, maybe when it first occurred to him that some men don’t wear clothing to bed, or maybe when he realized Steve was hiding his boner.
    “I…oh.”
    Steve wanted to die of shame.
    “Uncle Chandler thought you should have breakfast in bed for being so nice.” Poppy spoke up as she luxuriated in his bed. She’d already dragged a nest of pillows around her and was lounging in them.
    “It’s pretty easy to be nice to you guys,” Steve said easily as he left for his bathroom. To himself he whispered, “Boundaries would be good, though.”
    Once he closed the door he heard some furious whispering, and then Chandler called out to him. “We’ll be in the kitchen. When you’re ready, we forgot…butter.”
    “No butter on mine, thanks.” Steve wondered if they heard. He sighed when the door to the hallway from his bedroom closed. While he took the fastest shower on record, he couldn’t help grinning.
    Chandler was new to all this, but his heart was in the right place. Maybe a day or two spent in the company of the Adams family would loosen him up a little. If nothing else, it might provide him with a distraction from the grief and fear Steve sensed in his heart. Plus, with other people around to help him look after Poppy, he might actually get a couple more good nights’ sleep.
    ***
    Chandler put some melted butter on Steve’s pancakes while he rethought heading for his sister’s place in Seattle, and his mother. She had more sense than to burst into a strange man’s bedroom with a five-year-old girl in tow. Steve came into the kitchen, showered—by the look of him—and fully dressed. He glanced at Poppy, who was watching cartoons on a tiny television set mounted under a kitchen cabinet.
    “I can’t tell you how sorry I am for barging in on you like that.”
    “No problem.” Steve picked up his coffee, which was probably cold by then. Shoot.
    “I admit I wasn’t thinking. It never occurred to me she’d leap up on your bed.”
    Steve lifted his hand and shot him a sweet smile. “Most people start with infants, Chandler. While they’re needy little monsters, they don’t get far on foot. Give yourself some time, okay? I don’t have kids but I’ve had plenty of opportunities to practice. It takes a while to get used to thinking like a kid. I promise you’ll be great. You’re a natural.”
    Chandler looked over at Poppy and knew doubt was written all over his face. He pressed his lips together but when he met Steve’s eyes, it was obvious Steve knew what he was thinking. He didn’t know if he could do it. He’d been on his way to his mom’s place for Christmas, in part for a break from responsibility, yes, but also…
    “You wanted to feed me some pancakes?”
    Chandler looked down at his hands, still holding Steve’s plate. “Oh, here are yours.”
    Steve took them from him. “I’m so sorry. I meant to tell you. I can’t have the butter on this. I have to watch what I eat and—”
    “Oh no. I’m sorry.” Chandler switched their plates. “I’ll eat these and you can have mine. I…I thought I heard you say to put butter on yours.”
    “No. I said ‘no butter’ but it doesn’t matter, thank you for these. Hey. Did I have blueberries?”
    “Um.” Chandler flushed again. “Those are currants. You had dried currants.”
    “I see.” Steve