Midnight Manor Private Residence, Saturday Afternoon

[hasaknightjob]

After Steven and Llewellyn's usual trip over to the mainland they came home for an easy Saturday afternoon. Llewellyn went to the library to practice his piano. Steven, for his part, set up dinner in the slow cooker.

Once that was done and the house began to be filled with delicious smells, Steven set himself up in the living room. He curled up on the couch with a book, happily losing track of the time. Raphael kept him company by sitting on the back of the couch and watching the fish swimming in their tank.

On the whole, Steven had no complaints. Other than the lack of his beau, of course, but that could be fixed later when Llewellyn was free.

[for the beau when he is free]

Comments

[hasaknightjob]

"And then what if," Steven said, his spoon halfway to his mouth as an idea occurred to him, "what if two little presents were sat on a shelf? Because they were given but the people they were given to thought it was more polite not to open them? They'd be sad, wouldn't they? Being worried about not being appreciated?

"But then they start to talk to each other and realize they've things in common. Start to become friends."

[pocketpretzels]

"Oh, that's cute," Watts said. "They were given to different people, then?" he checked.

[hasaknightjob]

"I think so?" Steven said, still feeling it out. "Different wrapping paper for certain. One is plaid and the other... stars, maybe."

[pocketpretzels]

"Plaid and stars, hm?" Watts echoed, meeting Steven's gaze for just a moment.

[hasaknightjob]

"A nice blue sky," Steven said. "Er, dark blue, obviously."

[pocketpretzels]

"Obviously," Watts said, putting aside his now-finished stew. "Any significance to those particular designs?" he asked.

[hasaknightjob]

"Not certain yet," Steven admitted. He swiped his last piece of bread around his dish to sop up the remaining bits of gravy. "But they became close. Talk all the time. Appreciate each other. Oh! Maybe that's part of it. Even they don't know what they are. Because they don't find out until they're opened, you see."

[pocketpretzels]

"But they find things to appreciate about the other regardless?"

[hasaknightjob]

"Precisely," Steven said. He put his now empty bowl aside as he warmed up to the telling of it. "And then they decide that they don't need to wait for who they thought they were for, they can open each other. Which as you've said is something that can happen again an again. It's not a final sort of thing. But this would be the first time. Significant."

[pocketpretzels]

"I like where this is going," Watts said, shifting closer to Steven now that food was out of the way.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven shifted his own position, motioning that Llewellyn could come cuddle up in his arms again if he wanted. "So they do. One day they get brave enough to open up, and inside each of them is a heart. Er - a sort of cartoon heart. Not anatomically correct. And they're both so happy about this they exchange those hearts, each one keeping them safe inside their package until they open up to each other and exchange hearts again."

[pocketpretzels]

You know what? He did want. And thus he did so.

"Keeping each other's hearts safe. I do like that." Hmmm, wonder why.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven wrapped his arms around Llewellyn's shoulders to cuddle him close. "And caring for one another even when others didn't know how to properly appreciate them. They just had to find one another, is all."

[pocketpretzels]

"Find that they fit together nicely," Watts added. "The way those hearts they keep exchanging fit and all."

[hasaknightjob]

"Sit perfectly next to one another on the shelf," Steven said, hugging Llewellyn for emphasis. "No space between them if they don't want it."

[pocketpretzels]

"Sounds like a good life," Watts said. "A happy life."

[hasaknightjob]

"And goes to show sometimes it's not that there's anything wrong with you," Steven said, "it's that you haven't found the right person to appreciate you yet."

[pocketpretzels]

Watts tilted his head to press a light kiss to Steven's jaw. "You know, something in that does sound a little familiar."

[hasaknightjob]

Steven smiled down at him. "They say you should draw inspiration from life for your writing. I'm lucky enough to have inspiration always near."

[pocketpretzels]

A slight blush appeared on Watts's cheeks at Steven's words. "That so?"

[hasaknightjob]

Steven kissed Llewellyn on the top of his head. "My muse."

[pocketpretzels]

"I've never been anyone's muse before," Watts said, a little awed that Steven would declare him so.

[hasaknightjob]

"You are," Steven said. "You encourage me to write. And what I enjoy writing about - or even thinking of writing about - is you. Me. Or versions of us. Our home. Our family."

[pocketpretzels]

"Well, I am honoured," Watts told him. "I love your stories."

[hasaknightjob]

"I like sharing them with you," Steven said. He rubbed his hand over Llewellyn's chest. "Even if you're the only one to know them, it's nice that you enjoy them."