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At the start of their relationship, the worst thing Kip Grady could have imagined was becoming just another stay at home housewife like all of the other WAGS he saw in the hockey stands around him. Not that there was anything wrong with that life, but he would be damned if he let his existance be defined by another person.
In the years since, however, he found a quiet joy in tending to his and Scott’s apartment; keeping the place comfortable and the kitchen stocked with foods that lined up with Scott’s ridiculously specific Macrobiotic diet set by the team dietician for the New York Rangers.
Normally, Kip would pop over to the grocery store himself, picking out everything as he listened to the latest episode of his podcast, but since meetings at the MET took ridiculously long today, he settled for placing an online order through instacart and having it sent to the apartment instead. Museum business took precedence over weekly rituals.
Kip arrived at their apartment an hour later, swiftly picking up the bags from the front desk before taking the elevator up to start the dinner preparations for their date night. For weeks, Scott had been begging Kip to make the mushroom risotto that he made on valentines day, so seeing that Scott was coming off of a week of away games, Kip knew he would be home sick and ready for something homemade.
In a dash, Kip began putting the groceries away, trying to get the pasta on the stove before Scott got back to the apartment so that they could take their time enjoying each other’s company. Mainly it was so that they could make out. Cooking is hard when you’re also trying to make Risotto.
He had finished putting away the first bag and started on the second as Kip heard the lock begin to turn in the front door, Scott pressing in through the threshold silently, as if he had no more energy for a grand entrance.
“Hey you” Kip said, crossing the kitchen in long strides to reach Scott in their front entryway. In an instant Scott’s shoulders relaxed, a tired smile pulling across his lips as the shorter man pushed into his space, crushing him into a hug.
“Fuck, kip, I missed you so much” Scott said, his voice scratchy as he brought his lips against his boyfriend’s. The kisses were slow and devoted, as if slowly reaffirming every plane and valley of Kip’s lips. They stood like that for a long time before Scott bit down slightly on Kip’s lips, pulling a startled laugh from the man’s throat.
“Hey hey, hold on” Kip said, pulling himself away from Scott and gazing up at his boyfriend. Scott pulled his lip under his teeth, a pout that Kip would have thought was absolutely ridiculous if it didn’t come from Scott “I think you need something real to eat.”
“You’ve never complained before.” Scott drawled, a smirk pulling across his lips as a faint blush crept over the shorter man's face.
“Food, you need real, actual food. You and I can have dessert later.” Kip returned, pressing a kiss against Scott's waiting lips.
“I was going to surprise you with that mushroom Rissoto” Kip began, walking towards the kitchen, pulling scott behind him “But that might take a bit so if you want i could heat up some of the frozen chicken from last week or-” He trailed off as he felt Scott slow and still behind him.
Turning around, Kip saw Scott looking past him. There was something unreadable about his expression, a mix of elation and devastation and longing swirling in his face as he took in the paper bags on his marble counter. Silently he walked past Kip, picking up one of the bottles and scrutinizing it slightly as if checking that it was real; that it was actually here inside his house.
“Scott, are you okay?” Kip asked. Scott only got like this once in a while.
“Uh yeah” Scott replied, coughing slightly and running his hand down his face, trying to hide the welling tears in his eyes “Where um- where did you get this?”
“I ordered it on instacart, there was one nearby. What’s wrong with it? Should I return it?” Kip started.
Scott looked up, breaking his trance as he looked over at his boyfriend. “Yeah, no i’m fine. I just think we have to go do some grocery shopping.”
-
“So it’s a grocery chain?” Kip asked, his eyes flicking between the neon above him and his boyfriend, a childlike smile pulling across his lips.
“It’s not just a grocery chain Kip- this is Wegmans” Scott said as he pulled on a small brown shopping cart, his thumb brushing over the handle bar over and over again.
The two men weaved around the store, Scott pulling things into the cart like Kip had never seen him before. Apples shipped from upstate and fresh bread, seltzers and veggies and a box of soft chocolate chip cookies that Kip knew were definitely not on Scott’s list of dietician approved foods. He looked the other way as Scott tossed in a pint of vanilla bean ice cream.
Within 30 minutes the cart was piled high full of all the Wegmans branded food that Scott and Kip could ever want or even need. Scott moved like he knew the way around the store by heart and Kip followed behind him, smiling as he watched the tension that rested in the captain’s shoulders melt away into a sort of giddy delight like a kid in a candy store.
As they made their way back to the front of the store, Scott found his way to the sandwich bar, ordering a Sub wrapped in a red paper sleeve while Kip found himself a To-Go plate of Sushi 5 feet off from where Scott stood.
“Would you go find us a table?” Scott asked, motioning towards a small dining room of tables and chairs where other customers sat eating their to go orders.
“Won’t the Ice cream melt?” Kip asked, gaze flicking down to the cart, but instead scott shook his head.
Giving Scott a peck on the cheek, Kip went ahead to find a table. Settling down, he pulled out his phone and skimmed over a few emails that had floated into his inbox, keen to make sure that he wouldn’t be needed back. Luckily, he was in the clear tonight.
Wordlessly, Scott came up behind Kip and sat down across the table, bringing with him a set of silverware and chopsticks for kip, before pulling out the two’s meals and tearing open the bag of store brand kettle chips and a box of chocolate chip cookies for both of the men to share.
Kip watched scott peel back the paper on his sub until he took a bite, Mayonnaise smearing on his chin as he let out a shaky groan in pleasure.
“Careful there Hunter, youre going to make me think you’re enjoying that sandwich more than me” Kip teased, using his chopsticks to pick up a bite of sushi.
“It’s a close second” Scott chirped, a mischievous glint in his eye “Honestly i forgot how good these were. I haven’t had a wegmans sub since-” His words trailed off, a glint of longing in his eyes.
Wordlessly, Kip reached across the table, linking his fingertips with Scott’s.
“You know how I told you I grew up as a latchkey kid?” Scott began, thumb tracing against Kip’s knuckles. Something he only did once in a great while. “She found a job working at the Wegmans down the street. Most of the time if we didn’t have food at home or if my mom was working a late shift and I didn't want to be alone, I would walk over to the store and do my homework in the cafeteria while she worked.”
“Everyone was always so kind. Reggie, who worked at the sub counter always knew my order by heart and the bakery ladies would give me a couple of the chocolate chip cookies so I could see if they were good to sell. It’s hard to explain but it was always kinda-”
Kip squeezed Scott’s hand, pulling the blonde’s eyes up from their connected hands up to Kip’s soft eyes. “Was it part of the community?”
“Yeah” Scotts eyes were misty “It really was. I spent so many hours in dining rooms that looked just like this until my mom would come to walk home with me. I think those are some of my favorite memories I have of her.”
Kip smiled, eyes crinkling as he took in his boyfriend sitting across from him. It had always been hard for Scott to open up about his childhood, but in this place, another piece seemed to settle in the puzzle that was Scott Hunter. Another piece for Kip to fall in love with.
“Well then,” Kip began, pulling two cookies out of the plastic clamshell box. “Should we see if these chocolate chip cookies are ‘good to sell’?”
Wordlessly, Scott took one of the cookies in his hand, clinking the cookie against Kips before slipping it into his mouth. To Kip it was your standard, though fairly delicious cookie, but to Scott it was so much more. To Scott it was the taste of home.