he’s not expecting the question, but maybe he should have — he’s just not used to people really asking about his life (at least, these seemingly minuscule details of it…) and that’s typically what he prefers, but it’s different with van. there’s always been a unique safety with them, one that travis leans into now, too. even if he’s still a bit shy, despite it all.
he shrugs his shoulders, acting more nonchalant than he really is, because there is a bit of him that’s proud of it, even if it’s not really anything special — but it’s something he needed to do to actually take care of himself, and it does feel good, being able to put a recipe together… maybe, if he’s staying here, the least he could do is make van a real meal (though he won’t complain about a solid, trustworthy frozen pizza).
“needed something to do that wasn’t so…” he trails off, thinking it over for a moment then sighing. destructive is the word he’s looking for, but he doesn’t want to say it. “—was just trying to keep myself busy. and, you know, not only eat frozen pizzas,” he says with a small hint of a smile — one that says this is okay with him.
he takes a look through the cabinet, then a glance back to them, then lets out a small laugh. “got a grocery store in town? think i’ll cook tomorrow,” he says, teasing them, even if teasing for travis always comes out at least a little bit awkward, but he’s warming up.
even more so that van hits him with a nickname, one that actually makes him feel a little proud. “these’ll do,” he says, picking out a few, placing them on the counter to give van the final go-ahead.
"—how long have you been in this place?" the question comes out a bit hesitantly, travis not sure if he's even allowed to ask, or if he's overthinking it, but from what he remembers about van, it's got them all over it, in a way that feels homey, unlike anything travis has known for a long time.