Perhaps Raphael was good at reading people? Seeing him did coax a small smile out of Steven. Steven reached out a hand to coax the cat to come closer. "Hello there. Have a nice breakfast, did you?"

To Llewellyn, Steven nodded. "Yeah. I mean - I know it's only a weekend. All the fun bits. None of the worrying about them catching colds, or dealing with them throwing wobblers, or all the parts that make it so hard. But it's the good bits that balance it out, isn't it? Reminds you the hard bits are worth getting through to the other side? I'm glad we met them, I am. I don't regret the weekend. I'm even happy for that version of me."

Steven deflated, his shoulders slumping. "It still hurts."