Peter couldn’t help himself.He smiled.“As you say.I’ll make the chocolate after.It’ll take only a few minutes.Anything else you’d like added?”
Theodore almost started shaking his head, then stopped, looked at Peter, looked away.His cheeks flushed.
“I don’t want to be left behind.When you go do dangerous stuff and might need my blood.I want that in there too.”
Peter knew he should argue against that, but there was a firm set to Theodore’s jaw that Peter had come to learn meant there was no arguing with him, or if there was to be arguing, there was no winning the argument.Peter decided to not even try.
“All right, I will add that too.That’s all you want?”
Theodore narrowed his eyes.His jaw worked.Then he nodded.
“Okay.I’ll be back in just a few minutes.”Peter circled his thumb around the gentle peak of one of Theodore’s vertebrae, and decided to be daring, almost as if this were a negotiation to ransom the highest of high chieftains.“I love you, Theodore.”
He stood and went to his office to do as he’d been bid by his beloved.He felt cautiously hopeful.No, this was not the proper handfasting he wanted.Peter grimaced in front of his screen when he realized he might never get it, or at least, not for a while.Theodore clearly needed things done at his pace.
And I should have known that.I should have sensed his pace so much better than I did.
He amended the contract and printed the relevant pages, reading them over once more before taking them and one of his fancier fountain pens back to the kitchen for Theodore to sign.
Theodore had picked at his food.Literally.Peter had cut the bread diagonally, and one of the triangles had been taken apart much like Peter should have taken Bernard apart.Theodore had gone for the cucumbers and tomatoes first and was now making his way through the lettuce and pickles, daintily stuffing one leafy segment into his mouth as Peter watched.
“Here it is.”
Peter sat back down again, placing the fountain pen and the contract next to Theodore’s plate, who set to reading while chewing on his lettuce and picking up one side of the bread to nibble on.Some crumbs hit the pristine white paper.
“Okay.Looks good.”
Theodore wiped his hands on the napkin Peter had served him along with the food.The way he’d eaten, that barely did anything, but where Theodore was concerned, Peter was well beyond caring about such things as stains and snot.No human mess Theodore made would ever unsettle Peter.
“Excellent.”
Peter went to refill Theodore’s water, then started on the chocolate.All the while, he could feel Theodore’s eyes on him.It was an odd intensity, but there was nothing Peter wanted to hide from the man he loved, and he was more than happy to let him see that.
He went about preparing the sweet treat as if it were the eve of battle and the grater he used to get the chocolate shavings ready a whetstone he ran over the edge of his sword.When he eventually poured the frothy mixture and turned back around, he found Theodore had finished the half of the sandwich he hadn’t disassembled while leaving the picked-over pieces on the plate.
Peter held up the cup.“Want to have this downstairs?”
“Yeah.Thanks.”
Theodore was slow enough to push his chair back that Peter got to him in time to offer his hand.Theodore hesitated for a moment, but took it and let himself be led downstairs.Theodore’s hand felt warm in his, and Peter knew it was his hunger that made it so.As soon as Theodore had sat down and taken the chocolate, Peter turned on the radiator.
Instead of choosing one of the movies they hadn’t yet watched together, he picked a documentary about Alexander the Great.He didn’t think it would matter much, and hoped that Theodore would fall asleep before long.
Theodore made no comment, just sipped his hot chocolate, sitting unusually stiffly with both feet on the ground instead of with his legs pulled up and cuddled close, as had become his normal.Once his cup was empty, he placed it on the ground.Out of the corner of his eye, Peter watched Theodore lick his lips and turn toward him.
Theodore didn’t move fast, although that was because he was tired and human, not for lack of effort.He straddled Peter with what speed he could muster, and with his knees on either side of Peter’s body, his hands on Peter’s shoulders, he glared down, forcing Peter to look up.
“Why do you have to be so fucking noble?”he asked.
“I’m not that noble.”
“You piss me off with how noble you are.”
Peter’s hands twitched.He wanted to hold Theodore close, touch every inch of him.He didn’t.
“That’s very unintentional.”
“Being noble or pissing me off?Don’t answer that.Are you waiting for me to pass out with exhaustion so you can go out and ask Celeste for someone else you can drink?”
