Chapter Text
Once his bed is made and set up, Erwan's dad stretches his back (making him snicker) and turns to the two boys with a warm smile.
"Do you want to help with cooking tonight?"
Erwan used to say no more often than not, usually choosing to help with the dishes later and do his own thing before dinner, but he has developed an interest in cooking over the school year, and gained a new appreciation for his da's skill in the kitchen. He turns to Rowan, tempted to say yes but not wanting to rope his friend into a task without asking.
"Are we not going to get in your way?" He asks tentatively. Greg shrugs.
"How else are you meant to learn? I'll give you two simple tasks, don't worry, I'm not risking a house fire."
"Heeey!" Erwan protests, playing up his offense for humour.
"Then I'd love to help, si- Greg."
Erwan beams at Rowan, and the three of them head downstairs, his dad asking Rowan questions about allergies, tastes, or other dietary restrictions. He just shrugs. Once in the kitchen, Greg teaches Rowan how to rice and wash vegetables properly, while Erwan is the one to pull out the utensils, since their guest doesn't know where they are. Soon, the two boys are chatting as they peel carrots a tad clumsily. His dad is the one to chop the vegetables that need it, all the while answering Rowan's questions.
Once the soup is on the stove and covered, Greg washes his hands and ruffles his hair, then Rowan's, seemingly out of habit. His friend looks confused, but not displeased.
"Soup'll be done in about an hour. I'll call you two down."
Erwan turns to Rowan, smiling.
"What do you wanna do now?"
Based on his face, he has no idea. Erwan guides him back to the quiet space of the bedroom, not sure what else to do.
"Doesn't split pea soup usually have ham?" Rowan asks hesitantly as they climb upstairs.
"Oh, yeah! I don't eat pork, so dad usually doesn't cook with it."
"Why not?" Rowan sounds curious.
"My gran is Jewish. She raised mamm, so she grew up eating kosher, and kept some of the habits after she had me. Dad wasn't super attached to pork or sea food, so they never bought it. I tried it once, but I'm not a fan of the taste, and it just feels… Kinda wrong, I dunno."
Rowan nodded, thoughtful.
"I never really noticed you don't eat it before."
"…well, except shrimp crisps. That's too yummy to pass on."
Rowan laughed, which was the goal. Erwan beamed (literally) and sat on the bed, not sure what to do. Rowan took a glance at his DVD collection, apparently curious.
"Wanna pick out something to watch while we wait? There's more downstairs if you want."
Eventually, Rowan pops back up with a ripped totally spies dvd, which makes Erwan smile.
"I used to watch this show all the time. I'm not sure if you're gonna like it, but it's pretty fun."
They bring the dvd to the living room and Erwan offers to share his blanket. Soon, the two are curled up on the couch, watch Sam, Alex and Clover fight evil with laser lipstick.
"This is ridiculous," Rowan mumbles, clearly entranced.
Erwan nods sagely.
"I know, it's great."
They stop before the meal is ready, not wanting to pause in the middle of an episode. As he rejects the DVD, Rowan points to one of the shelves and asks, pointing to one of the bigger boxes:
"What's that?"
Erwan gapes, shocked.
"You don't know doctor who?!"
"Uh. I've… heard of it."
Erwan has to master himself, not wanting to make his friend self conscious. He offers a small smile.
"Well, it means I get to see your reaction, that's great! Dad and I usually watch old Christmas episodes during the holidays, but maybe we should show you episode one tonight- uh, I mean, if you want. I'm not gonna force you or anything," he adds, realising he's getting ahead of himself.
"I'd love to watch it with you," Rowan replies.
Erwan goes off to set the table, insisting for Rowan not to help since he's a guest. Soon, the three of them are eating their soup — which is delicious, creamy and flavourful — and Erwan offhandedly mentions that Rowan hasn't watched Doctor Who. Before he can ask, his dad offers for them to watch the first episode. Rowan nods at this, smiling, and puts down his fork.
"I'd love to."
His elbows are never on the table, his cutlery perfectly placed. Erwan is almost embarrassed by his own table manners in comparison, but his friend doesn't seem to mind or judge him at all. Finally, they're back on the couch, blankets everywhere, huge raven wings folded. As his dad turns down the lights, Erwan starts glowing faintly. No one complains about the light distracting them from the telly, and Erwan kicks his feet happily as Rose Tyler's alarm goes off, often turning to glance at Rowan's face.
He seems completely absorbed by her adventures, gripping the edge of the blanket when a strange man appears at her side. Erwan mouths along with the dialogue, smiling to himself. By the end of the episode, Rowan begs to watch the next one. When they start yawning part way through episode three, Greg declares it to be the last one, for real with time. They climb back to bed, whispering to one another. Rowan is more talkative than usual, a mix of sleepiness and enthusiasm, and when he dozes off, he's still rambling about how cool it is to see aliens, and the end of the earth, and how he'd often imagined stories to himself about life in space, but he never knew they could be so cool. Erwan listens to him and that night, in his dreams, the two of them are in the TARDIS.