Midnight Manor Private Residence, Saturday Afternoon

[hasaknightjob]

After their usual trip to the mainland, Steven and Llewellyn came back home for their other usual Saturday activities. Which was Llewellyn taking over the kitchen to get some baking done before his piano practice, and Steven occupying himself with other things.

In today's case those other things had been cuddling Raphael (Steven still wanted to make it up to him for being away last weekend, even if Raphael had long since forgiven them) and picking something out of the library to read while Llewellyn was practicing.

While doing that, though, Steven also thought to catch up on radio. Which was when he heard the mention of the reunion and - twenty years??

Steven checked his mobile. Then he checked his pocketwatch. Then he checked them both again.

We didn't lose time, Steven, Marc assured him from one of the reflections.

Which was all well and good but that didn't rule out -

Steven ran back to the kitchen to check on Llewellyn.

[for the beau, NFB please]

Comments

[pocketpretzels]

"They did not," Watts said. "You are correct in that the first time was- well. It was shortly before you... spent the night, at my place. For the first time."

[hasaknightjob]

"Really?" Now a smile was starting to peek out. "Oh that's a much nicer memory, that is. I like that. Why can't that be the things that get recreated?"

[pocketpretzels]

There had been some minor panic on Steven's part the morning after when he'd woken up someplace unfamiliar, but they'd straightened that out fairly quickly!

"The two of us giddy and perhaps slightly intoxicated, unable to keep our hands off each other?" Watts asked, with a smile of his own.

[hasaknightjob]

Fairly quickly corrected minor panic over where he'd woken up was definitely preferable to major panic at thinking he'd lost 20 years. And there was the before and after that moment of minor panic to offset things.

"I always like that," Steven said. His smile grew wider. "Don't even need the intoxicated. Unless it's intoxicated on you."

[pocketpretzels]

"Flirt," Watts said fondly. "And I'm still unable to keep my hands off you, as you can see."

[hasaknightjob]

"Neither can I," Steven said. He rest his head back down on Llewellyn's chest. "In love, comfort, passion. Can't get enough of you."

[pocketpretzels]

"Whatever you need," Watts pressed a kiss to the top of Steven's head. "I am all yours."

[hasaknightjob]

"You," Steven said, without hesitation. He wrapped one arm around Llewellyn's waist. "I very much need you right now, please. Always, but especially now. Being here. Real. Mine."

[pocketpretzels]

"Not going anywhere," Watts promised him. "Right here with you is my favourite place to be."

[hasaknightjob]

"I suppose it is nice," Steven said, "knowing that that future version of you is happy. Hopefully he still is. Him and that version of me."

[pocketpretzels]

Watts nodded. "It was- at the time, right after, I think I- I needed that reassurance? That somewhere out there it was possible for us- some version of us- to last?"

Their relationship had been so new and he'd still been struggling with the fear Steven would leave him for Liz.

[hasaknightjob]

"I can understand that," Steven said. "Much the same for a version of Marc and me as well. That it was possible for us both to - to have a family. Be happy."

[pocketpretzels]

"That being said, I much prefer the other glimpses of a possible future we've gotten," Watts said.

[hasaknightjob]

"Our little ones?" Steven guessed.

[pocketpretzels]

"Precisely," Watts said with a smile. "They're clever enough to know they shouldn't give too much away in the way of details, of course, but it's still- nice. Knowing what sort of life they go back to after they visit us."

[hasaknightjob]

"That they're happy," Steven agreed. "And it's possible for us to have something like that some day as well. Perhaps. Maybe."

Steven was reminding himself at the end as much as anything.

[pocketpretzels]

"A very real possibility," Watts agreed. "There's at least one future, maybe more, where that happens. It could be us someday."

[hasaknightjob]

"Could be us." Steven shifted up to place a soft kiss on Llewellyn's mouth. "That'd be wonderful. You, me, little ones. Marc being all right with it in some capacity."

[pocketpretzels]

"He's taking steps in that direction," Watts pointed out. "Letting himself care about people."

[hasaknightjob]

"That's true," Steven said, after double checking Marc wasn't eavesdropping in any reflections. Steven would most likely feel it if he was, but it didn't hurt to be safe. "Letting himself be happy once in a while."

[pocketpretzels]

"As he deserves," Watts agreed.

[hasaknightjob]

"That's something your future self and the little ones know as well," Steven said. "That he can be happy in some way. Maybe even have someone he cares for."

Of course in those worlds it was Layla which... perhaps was a future that was changing in Steven and Watts's world. But the possibility was still exciting to think of.

[pocketpretzels]

Marx's happily ever after might resemble theirs. Or... it might not. The key word was, of course, happy.

"Even as he'd grumble at us for speculating about his social life," Watts said, not without some measure of fondness.

[hasaknightjob]

"Grumble at us for saying he had one," Steven agreed, also fondly. "I - I think what matters is we're making our own. All of us. I know you and me are in agreement about that. But it applies to him as well, doesn't it? Seeing that he can have options of his own, not ones forced on him."

Which was perhaps a lesson Steven also needed to learn regarding Marc, so it was progress for the both of them.

[pocketpretzels]

"Seeing, and taking," Watts nodded.