Micah and Noah stepped into the supermarket, the cool air brushing their faces. Noah grabbed a cart and handed it to Micah, who stared at it like it was a hostile creature.

  “Noah… what do you do with this?” Micah asked, poking the cart as if it might bite him.

  “Look around and you’ll see,” Noah said.

  Any normal person would immediately understand what a shopping cart was for.

  Micah, however, spotted a baby sitting in one.

  His conclusion?

  He was supposed to ride in it.

  Meanwhile, Noah was reaching for a can of tomatoes in the canned food aisle. He turned, expecting to see Micah standing beside the cart like a normal adult.

  Instead, he saw Micah sitting inside the cart like a fully grown toddler.

  Noah’s eyes widened. “Micah! What are you doing?” he hissed, trying to pull him out — but Micah wasn’t budging.

  Micah tilted his head innocently. “But I saw a baby riding in here. I want to ride too! It looked fun.”

  “What— you— Micah! You are not a baby, and you are definitely too big to be in there.” Noah scolded him like a parent, because honestly, Micah was acting like a child.

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  Micah pouted, ears drooping. “I’m sorry… Are you mad?”

  Noah sighed, trying not to melt at the earnest expression. “I’m not mad. Just get out of the cart.”

  Micah obeyed immediately.

  They continued shopping until Noah noticed Micah twitching, sniffing the air. Noah sniffed too — fried chicken. Fresh, hot, delicious.

  “Do you want some?” Noah asked.

  Micah nodded so fast his ears flopped.

  Noah bought a small bowl of chicken, and the moment they stepped outside, they devoured it. Micah ate every piece he could get his hands on — almost stealing Noah’s too.

  They walked home in silence until Micah suddenly asked:

  “What kind of meat was that?”

  “Chicken,” Noah said with a smile. “Delicious, right?”

  Micah froze. His eyes widened in horror. “C?chicken?!”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “At home, chickens are pets! We don’t eat the chicken! How evil. Humans are so vicious!”

  Noah blinked. “Eh? Chicken is delicious.”

  Micah shrieked, panicking dramatically. Noah found it adorable and had to fight off a grin as Micah squirmed.

  “What meat do you guys eat then?” Noah asked.

  “Fish.”

  “Only fish?”

  “Yes.”

  “Huh. I can’t imagine living like that. I don’t even like fish.”

  “Well, it’s the only meat we’re allowed to eat. I feel like I broke a rule by eating the chicken…”

  Noah giggled — a soft, warm sound — and Micah’s breath caught. It was the cutest thing he’d ever heard.

  “Well, did you like the taste?” Noah asked.

  Micah nodded, slightly ashamed.

  “I can get you more chicken,” Noah teased. “You devoured it!”

  Micah’s face drained of color.

  “I’m joking,” Noah laughed.

  Micah relaxed, smiling.

  “You wanna go home?” Noah asked, handing Micah the bags before suddenly sprinting ahead.

  “Race you home!!”