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]

Steven smiled at him. "Could sit closer together than if we were at the table as well."

[pocketpretzels]

"Then let us do so," Watts decided, already dishing salad out in to two bowls. He'd noticed the fact that the mix was overall heavy on his own favourites, yet he still ensured Steven got a good amount of what he liked in his bowl.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven meanwhile set up bowls of stew with a similar distribution. He looked at all they needed to carry and frowned thoughtfully. "Use a tray, do you think? Like when we have breakfast upstairs? Or do multiple trips?"

[pocketpretzels]

"A tray," Watts said. "It shall expedite cleanup," he added, with a playful look in his eye.

[hasaknightjob]

"Hmm, any particular reason you'd care to?" Steven asked, giving him a grin of his own.

[pocketpretzels]

"Perhaps I simply do not care for a mess," Watts said primly.

This was a blatant lie, of course, which Watts figured was all right since Steven would know he was teasing.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven bumped their shoulders together, still grinning. "Is that the only reason then? Tidiness?"

[pocketpretzels]

"There might be another," Watts admitted, as if Steven was drawing some great secret out from him.

[hasaknightjob]

"You enjoy balancing things on trays?" Steven said, his grin showing he was joking as he pretended to guess.

[pocketpretzels]

"Perhaps it is that I need the practice," Watts countered.

[hasaknightjob]

"With balancing?" Steven asked, stepping into Llewellyn's space. "Or handling things?"

[pocketpretzels]

"Mmm, both," Watts said, looking Steven in the eye.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven snuck another quick kiss. "We'll have to keep that in mind for later. For now let's get you fed while you're starving."

[pocketpretzels]

"Let's," Watts agreed, letting his hand linger on Steven's cheek for just a moment before he turned his attention to arranging their dinner on a tray.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven leaned into that touch for a moment. Then he remembered, "Oh! Need to feed Raphael, don't we? Speaking of those who are starving."

Steven went to the cabinet to get Raphael's food out and fill a dish with it for the cat.

[pocketpretzels]

"Indeed we do," Watts said.

Almost as if he could hear that he- and his dinner- were the topic of discussion, Raphael chose that moment to come trotting in to the kitchen.

"Mrow?" he said, winding his way between Steven's feet as his dinner was prepared. "Mrow?"

[hasaknightjob]

"Hello there," Steven said. He leaned down to give Raphael a pet before trying to navigate around that winding to safely get Raphael's dish into place. "Here we are. Tasty treats for a good lad. Eat up, then you can go back to watching your fish friends."

[pocketpretzels]

Fish watching was hungry work! Which was precisely why Raphael was attacking that bowl with abandon the moment it touched the ground.

"Thank you for remembering, darling," Watts said, planting a kiss on Steven's cheek. Not that he would have forgotten, himself, but it likely wouldn't have dawned on him until they were back in the living room, thus necessitating another trip.

[hasaknightjob]

"Of course," Steven said. He made sure Raphael had fresh water as well. "He's a good lad. He should be well taken care of."

And possibly spoiled but that was neither here nor there.

[pocketpretzels]

"And although he cannot take a turn preparing dinner, he takes care of us in his own way as well," Watts noted.

[hasaknightjob]

"Such as keeping a watchful eye on our fish," Steven said. He looked at their dinner. "Would you like to carry the tray and I'll have our glasses and the wine bottle? Or vice versa?"

[pocketpretzels]

Or strategically deploying the kitty nap field!

"I'll take the tray, yes."

[hasaknightjob]

Steven kissed him on the cheek in thanks. "Brilliant. After you then?"

[pocketpretzels]

Watts picked up the tray and took it to the living room, setting it down on the coffee table without any of his typical flourishes, aware that that was just asking for trouble when it came to bowls full of hot stew.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven followed along, likewise glad he did not have to worry about full glasses, merely the delicacy of glass objects in general. He did put them down with a small flourish, though, since there was no chance of spilling. "Voila! Dinner is served."