pocketpretzels | MHA Holosuite, Saturday Afternoon

Steven was a little bit distracted by Llewellyn's outfit. "Hmm? What?"

“Cycling,” Watts said. “Remember?” That seemed like a distracted ‘what’ and not a lost ‘what’, but Watts felt the need to check anyway.

Very much a distracted "what." As Steven's increasingly besotted smile might help indicate.

"You look very charming you know."

Edited 2023-06-03 18:25 (UTC)

“Do I?” Watts said, wide-eyed. It was possible he dressed this way on purpose. After all, he used a bicycle quite often back in Toronto while on the job and thus dressed normally.

They were alone, so Steven took a risk on plucking at the front of Llewellyn's shirt in a manner that encouraged him to step closer. "Very."

Would they ever get to the bikes at this rate? Excellent question.

They were alone, and the door to the holosuite was locked so there was no chance of anyone interrupting them either. So Watts obligingly stepped closer. “My clothing selection may have been deliberate,” he confessed.

"Wicked," Steven told him. Not complaining. Also not paying any attention to bikes.

“Only for you,” Watts said, closing the remaining distance between them.

Steven happily wrapped his arms around Llewellyn and kissed him back. He was quite enamored of Llewellyn in silly shirts after all.

(For his part Steven was in a shirt from the British Museum and a pair of sweatpants, but that was hardly worth mentioning.)

Watts did pull away eventually, with a slight smirk.

“There’s more of that waiting for you… once you give the bicycle a try.”

"Tease," Steven said. But he wasn't avoiding the bikes at all, simply distracted from them. Which was entirely Llewellyn's fault and Steven couldn't be blamed.

“I prefer to think of it as being properly motivating,” Watts countered, taking Steven’s hand and tugging him towards where the bicycles waited.

Steven threaded their fingers together as they walked. It might not be far, but why not enjoy the contact all the same? "Marc's done this, turns out. So it should be muscle memory? Sort of?"

“That should help,” Watts nodded. “I also thought we might keep it simple with the terrain for this first try- it’s fairly flat.” And if there were any spills, it somehow wouldn’t result in injury. Watts didn’t know how that part of the technology worked, but he was glad for it all the same.

"It's a lovely setting," Steven said. "Sorry I didn't mention that when we came in."

He'd still been distracted by the clothes, you see.

“Very loosely based upon a park in Toronto,” Watts explained as they reached the tree the bicycles were resting against.

Depending on familiar Steven was with how modern bicycles looked, these two might seem a good deal simpler, with a lack of gears to switch between.

"You did a wonderful job," Steven told him.

The bikes were simpler and, based on the one shared memory he had of one, also different in that they were adult sized. But they were still bike-shaped so that helped.

"There is a saying about this," Steven said. "Hopefully that'll kick in when I get on?"

“Oh?” Watts said, curious. “What saying would that be?”

"'It's just like riding a bike'," Steven said. "Idea being if you've not done something in a while it's easy to pick up again. So maybe won't be too hard to translate the muscle memory as well?"

Of course Steven could just take the knowledge from Marc directly, same as he did when he needed to fight. But that wasn't the same thing as knowing how to do it himself. Even when fighting he wasn't as fast or skilled as Marc was at it.

“I suppose there’s only one way to see for certain,” Watts said, taking hold of one of the bikes and wheeling it out of the way so Steven could take the other.

Steven got his bike. He managed to take hold of it without getting his clothing caught on any part of the bike itself, which he was rather proud of. "Are we going along the path then?"

“That’s the idea,” Watts said. “A much smoother ride than trying to cycle through the grass.”

"Fairly straight as well," Steven said. He gingerly put one leg over the bike, again feeling proud when he didn't catch his foot on any part of it. "Step one down, I think?"

“There you go,” Watts said with an encouraging smile. “Do you- would you like me nearby to help steady you if needed, or do you think you’ll be all right?”

As much as Steven liked the idea of Llewellyn being nearby as a concept, let alone to keep him steady, Steven worried that might be too much. "Give it a go first, I think? Don't want to hurt you if I muck it up somehow."

“All right,” Watts said. “If you feel yourself getting wobbly, don’t worry about brakes, just take your feet off the pedals and touch the ground. Ready?”

"That's handy," Steven said, though he still looked for the brakes to be on the safe side.

Watts leaned over to offer a quick peck on Steven's cheek. "For getting to step one," he said.

"Now I get to pedal one?" Steven said, looking proud of himself. He gestured at the bike. "Eh? Pedals?"

"Absolutely incorrigible," Watts said, shaking his head. But he was also visibly holding back laughter, so.

Which Steven took as encouragement of all sorts in this situation.

He did turn his attention back to the bike, though, and attempted to push off. He was overthinking it instead of relaxing and letting that muscle memory take over, so he immediately started to wobble. He stopped himself after he'd gone a few feet forward. "Right. Er. Work to be done. I think."

"Still," Watts said. "Not terrible for a first try."

"There's a lot of moving parts," Steven said. Meaning the bike and himself, really.

"You're not wrong," Watts said. He thought about another time Steven was trying something new with a lot of moving parts. "You had trouble with dancing at first too," he pointed out. "But you've since overcome that. Perhaps what was helpful there could be applied here as well."

"That's a good point," Steven said. He hadn't thought of comparing it to dancing but it made sense now that Llewellyn had made the comparison. He grinned at Llewellyn. "Course part of what helped there was holding on to you. Don't think that's going to work. No room for the bike then."

"No," Watts agreed with a slight smile. "But I'll be nearby, at least. I have to be, if I'm to dole out your reward in a timely manner."

"Knowing there's a reward definitely helps," Steven said, giving Llewellyn a smile. He looked ahead of him. "Maybe a small goal? Like make it as far as that tree over there?"

Steven pointed to a tree that was about twenty feet away.

"Quite reasonable," Watts agreed, gaze following to where Steven pointed. "Whenever you're ready."

Steven took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Right. Ready. I think."

"I have every confidence in you," Watts told him. "Now go, before you give yourself too much time to overthink it."

"Right, right," Steven said, because Llewellyn did know him well after all. Steven took another breath, quicker this time, and pushed forward again.

This time he still wobbled but he only had a couple of false stops before he was able to make it to the tree in question. Once safely stopped, Steven lifted his arms and gave a shout of triumph.

Watts hopped on his own bicycle and pedaled to catch up to where Steven was. Yes, he could have just walked with the bicycle alongside him given the short distance, but that seemed to go against the spirit of the activity.

"You see?" he said, sliding off so he could lean over and offer the promised kiss. "You've done it."

Steven looked as pleased as if he'd won a cricket match. "Got it in the end, didn't I? Trick is not to think about it. You're right."

"I often am," Watts said smugly. "So, another goal-post? A little further, this time?"

"Agreed," Steven said. "I've another idea as well. Why don't you go first? Then I'll be concentrating on watching you and not overthinking it."

"That seems logical," Watts agreed. "That tree there, then?" he said, pointing to one that looked to be roughly twice as far as Steven's initial jaunt.

Steven looked to where Llewellyn pointed, then nodded. "Looks about right. Let's try it."

Watts nodded, swinging his leg back over his bicycle and settling down on to the seat before setting off in one smooth motion.

He didn't go as fast as he normally might, but he also didn't go excessively slow, either. Just a nice, even pace.

Steven waited until Llewellyn was a length or so ahead, then followed behind him. He kept his attention on Llewellyn ahead of him and where Llewellyn was going, which in turn helped Steven from thinking too much about what he was doing. Thus muscle memory had an easier time taking over. The bike still wobbled, but not enough that Steven had to stop along the way.

(Did it help that the view of Llewellyn from behind was pleasantly distracting? Yes. Absolutely.)

Watts stopped once he reached the designated tree, hopping back down from his bicycle. "How did you find that?" he asked, since he had resisted the urge to glance behind him and see how Steven was doing himself.

Steven came to a stop near him a moment later, since he'd been at a slower pace as well. His steering was still wobbly, but not as bad as before. It was starting to learn more towards being the kind of turning of the wheel one did to keep the bike upright rather than because one was losing control.

"Not bad!" Steven said, pleased with himself. "Keeping an eye on you helped. I didn't look down or worry about my bike as much."

"Come here," he said, gesturing for Steven to lean his bicycle against the tree. "I do hope you don't get bored of this particular reward," he said, as he pulled Steven close.

Steven did as indicated, both in leaning his bike against a tree and in coming close for a kiss. "Hmm. No chance of that, I'd say. Far too fond of it, you see."

"Good," Watts said firmly. "I am glad we are on the same page there."

"You're an excellent incentive," Steven said. He wrapped his arms around Llewellyn's waist, hugging him close. "I can't believe you did all this for me."

"There is very little I wouldn't do for you, darling," Watts told him.

"This was a lot," Steven said. He was touched by how much effort Llewellyn had gone to. "Thank you, Llew. You're wonderful."

“You were willing to give it a try,” Watts said. “That meant very much to me, so I wanted to- remove any stress I could from the experience for you.”

There had been the option to program in characters that they could choose to interact with, and Watts had rather firmly decided against that.

Steven pressed soft kisses along Llewellyn's jawline. "You take excellent care of me. Always looking out. Making sure I feel safe."

“I try my best,” Watts said, tilting his head slightly so that Steven might have easier access to a particular sensitive spot. “Though you would tell me should my actions ever approach coddling. That, I would never wish to do to you.”

"No, no, you're fine," Steven promised. "This has been perfect so far. Much better than trying it in the park here. I'd have felt self conscious. Imagine taking a tumble in front of everyone. Having it get reported on radio."

“They still might report on what we do in here,” Watts felt obliged to inform him. “There’s a lock on the door, but I also regularly lock my apartment door and the squirrels manage to find a way to report on what happens inside regardless.”

"This is all right," Steven said. Of course it was easy for him to say so now that he hadn't fallen over on his first couple of tries. "Thank you for asking though. You? You're all right with it?"

They had been kissing after all.

“I- the people here are, I’m sure, very aware what two adults in a consenting relationship might get up to,” Watts said. “I have no illusions that hearing we do such things would surprise anyone. It is only- still I find uncomfortable the idea of being watched.” Which the squirrels might be doing but that was somehow easier to compartmentalise away.

"That's all right," Steven said. He gently caressed Llewellyn's cheek. "Only wanted to be sure is all. Marc keeps rum on hand if ever we need it for bribing. Don't mind going to get it for you."

"And there's you, taking care of me in return," Watts pointed out with a fond smile. "Ever my Gentleman Knight, you are."

"Anything for my detective," Steven replied. "Oh! Marc was so busy yesterday I didn't get a chance to thank you for your photo. Cheers. Glad that wasn't a bad surprise."

"Very much the contrary," Watts assured him. "Actually, it was rather pleasing, to realise you were thinking of me when we were apart."

Which they'd both said was something they did frequently, and while Watts certainly believed Steven, there was nothing quite like solid physical evidence.

"Kind of you to send the photo as well," Steven said. "Knowing I'd want to know how it looked when you got it. It tasted all right? Good to order from there again if ever I'd care to?"

"It was delicious," Watts affirmed. "I haven't finished all of it, of course. You could come up and try one for yourself once we're done here," tone suggesting that pretzels would not be the only thing on offer.

Edited 2023-06-04 07:22 (UTC)

Steven did notice that tone, yes. "Could come up for a nibble, could I?"

“Should you do desire,” Watts confirmed with a nod.

"I often do, when it comes to you," Steven said.

“The feeling is mutual,” Watts replied. Just in case Steven was wondering.

Steven hadn't specifically been wondering. But the blush on his cheeks indicated it was never a bad idea to tell him at any point. "Yes. Well. Bigger reward later then, it sounds like."

“That is a promise,” Watts told him.

A promise like that earned its own reward of a kiss.

Then possibly several kisses after for no reason other than kissing.

Possibly? Definitely. Kissing for the sake of kissing was a wonderful thing.

“We are getting distracted,” Watts pointed out, amused, between kisses.

"Not my fault you're so handsome," Steven replied, shamelessly.

“Flirt,” Watts said, shaking his head slightly.

"Only with you," Steven pointed out. But he did step back so they could keep going. "What next, do you think? I'd like to give it another go. Get a nice good run in. Enjoy your lovely setting."

“Would you like to set another goal?” Watts asked. “Or just go and see how far you can manage?”

Steven thought about it. "I think me following you worked out nicely. How about you lead the way for a few minutes and we see how that goes?"

“That sounds reasonable,” Watts said. He leaned back in for a quick kiss.

“For the road,” he declared with a wink as he pulled away and got back on his bicycle, setting off once again at the same easy pace he’d done earlier.

Steven laughed, watching Llewellyn fondly. He got back on his bike and followed along. He was a little wobbly to start, but once they got going and he stopped thinking about it so much his riding grew steady.

Again the view helped.

Watts twisted slightly to look behind him, grateful that the scenario as he designed it meant he needn’t worry about crashing in to anyone while his eyes were off the path.

“How does it feel?” he asked.

"Not bad?" Steven said. He had to correct himself as he was briefly distracted by trying to talk and ride at the same time, but he was able to do it fairly quickly. "Good that there's no hills, I think."

“Mmm. I thought that was a challenge we could tackle a bit later,” Watts agreed. Whether that was today or another day entirely remained to be seen.

There was, however, a slight curve to the left in the path now, which Watts leaned in to with practiced ease.

Steven took the curve more unsteadily. Also wider than he needed to. But on the plus side he did not crash or fall. "Ha! Managed it!"

Watts twisted back around briefly to beam at Steven, clearly taking delight in his beau’s victory.

Llewellyn being proud of him gave Steven courage to try more. He sped up a little, not getting side by side with Llewellyn just yet, but close enough that it was easier for Llewellyn to see him without having to turn as much.

“Doing all right, then?” Watts checked in, still smiling.

There was another curve coming up, this time back to the right.

"So far," Steven said. He noticed the curve coming up and slowed his pace enough that if anything went wrong he wouldn't crash into Llewellyn. Perhaps the suite had safety features that would prevent that from happening, but it didn't hurt to be cautious.

“The path is wide enough for two,” Watts commented casually. “Whenever you think you’re ready.”

Of course, that meant Steven would lose the view he’d been admiring.

"When we've a good long stretch, maybe?" Steven said. Even though yes, the loss of the view would be a tragedy.

“When you feel comfortable,” Watts reiterated with a nod. There would be more curves coming up- gradually getting sharper as they went- for the next little bit, but after that there would be a good long stretch of straight pathway.

Steven waited until they were well past the curve before increasing his pace. He kept a much wider space between them than was probably necessary, but again Steven felt it was best to be cautious.

Once Steven was at pace with staying beside Llewellyn, he flashed him a proud smile.

“Hello, you,” Watts said.

It’s possible he’d been waiting for just that moment, yes.

The way Steven's smile grew brighter indicated he'd been thinking of doing the same thing. "Hello, you."

“How are you finding it?” Watts asked again. “Beyond- beyond just being able, I mean. Are you enjoying yourself at all?” That being of course key to the whole activity.

"It's not horrible?" Steven said. There was another wobble of his bike which helped demonstrate why he was still focused on the doing more than the enjoying so far. "Suppose we'll see how I feel about it later if I've any sore muscles."

He wouldn't. That was an advantage of sharing a body with someone who actually did exercise on purpose.

“Not quite the endorsement I had hoped for,” Watts admitted honestly. “But I will take it all the same.”

"Still getting used to it," Steven assured him. "Not a final judgement by any means. Give it a little more time?"

“Fair enough,” Watts conceded.

"I'm enjoying your company," Steven said. "And this is easier than the snowshoeing. Though I suppose it helps Marc knew how to do this."

“I am enjoying seeing you succeed, at any rate,” Watts said. He hoped, of course, that Steven would come away from the experience wanting to do it again, but one step at a time.

"I like that I seem to be getting it right," Steven said, looking proud of himself as he kept going with no issues. "Course that's your help as well."

“I’ve never helped someone learn to ride a bicycle before,” Watts said, a blush spreading across his cheeks that had nothing to do with the mild exertion of the physical activity. “I am glad you’re finding my assistance useful.”

"I usually do," Steven said. "Besides, how could it not be helpful? All you did to make this right for me? It's wonderful."

“You’re worth every minute I spent ,” Watts said. “And- now that I have a basic understanding of how this operates, we could use it to try other things as well.”

"Oh?" Steven asked. "Anything in mind?"

“We never did try ice skating during the proper season for it,” Watts pointed out. “Or- we could do things that aren’t physical activity. Such as watch a moving picture on a large screen, if we felt like doing so on a day the picture house wasn’t open.”

"Would it actually feel cold?" Steven wondered. "That could be fun in the heat of summer. Spend time around ice."

“I believe so,” Watts said. “I don’t quite understand how it works, but the technology makes these simulated environments feel quite real, down to details like temperature.”

"Suppose it's like your fireplace," Steven said. "Looks like fire but could be warm or not depending."

Steven wobbled a little as he started to gesture with one hand, then corrected himself as he quickly grasped hold of the handles again.

Watts's expression flickered from mild concern at the wobble to pride as Steven managed to course-correct.

"That's a very apt comparison. We could also theoretically call up settings from all over this world- and even some others- but," he grimaced a little, "to tell the truth, I'd much rather experience the real thing with you in that case."

"No, I agree," Steven said. "It's one thing to see a replica in a museum or the like, but I'd rather see the real thing if I'm able."

"I suspected you would be of similar mind to me there," Watts said fondly.

"As long as it's respectful, of course," Steven said. "Doing things in person."

Again Steven wobbled as he started to gesture, but he corrected himself faster this time. He was not going to be pedaling hands free any time soon, but he was at least getting practice in at righting himself when he got off balance.

"Naturally," Watts said, although he'd owned a piece of Stonehenge at one point that spoke to how wildly different their ideas of 'respectful' might be.

Steven had worked in the British Museum. His understanding of respectful compared to his proximity to it had been a bit off as well (to say the least).

"It's not so bad though, this," Steven said. "Better than trying a stationary bike."

"A stationary bicycle?" Watts echoed. "However does that work?"

"It's not really a bike?" Steven said. "Usually only the one wheel. You're meant to sit and pedal while not going anywhere. Indoors, you see. They probably have them at the gym."

Watts looked absolutely aghast by this revelation.

"Not go anywhere? But that's the entire point," he said. "Sometimes I do not understand this modern world at all."

"It's meant for exercise," Steven said. "But I agree. Sounds dead boring to me. Marc doesn't care for it either."

"I suppose one could make the argument that we are not going anywhere in this moment," Watts admitted grudgingly, after thinking about it for a bit. "Since we are indoors as well." But the intent here was to hopefully eventually progress to doing this on a real-world path, so it still felt a little different.

"Feels like we're going places though," Steven said. "There's wind. The view changes. Stationary bike you're stuck in one place. Nothing to watch but the telly."

"Television's all right," Watts conceded. "But I prefer that on a couch with some company."

"Exactly," Steven said. "If I'm making effort I'd like to go somewhere for my trouble."

"You see, there we are again of like mind," Watts said, beaming over at Steven.

"This is fun," Steven told him. Again there was a slight wobble as he was thinking about it but it was barely noticeable. "Now that I'm not about to panic each time I pedal."

"You've gotten much better at keeping steady even with minor distractions," Watts said, clearly pleased by the first part of Steven's statement.

"I think it goes well if I don't think about it," Steven said. "Keep my eye on the road or on you if I'm able."

Less able now that Llewellyn was next to him instead of in front. But the road was a passable view.

"I'm glad," Watts said. "If you're amenable to giving this another go at a later date, we could add some inclines or the like. A slight increase of difficulty."

"Slight," Steven said, just to be sure. The extra exertion would actually be fine but Steven still had a hard time remembering that he benefited from Marc's workouts as much as Marc did.

"The useful thing about this being a simulated environment is I can make adjustments as we go," Watts pointed out.

"Can you?" Steven asked. "Oh that's handy. Thought maybe once we were in here it was stuck."

"Oh, no, not at all," Watts told him. "I can change or add details as I please. The scenario is protected with a passcode so no-one else can activate it, though." Not that there was anything that needed to be private about this setting, but Watts was by nature a private person and the idea of someone not himself or Steven exploring his creation without invitation felt- odd.

Steven looked around, his bike angling towards Llewellyn's as he wasn't paying attention, then course corrected once he noticed. He then smiled at Llewellyn as though having been given a gift. "You made this just for us?"

"This is ours alone," Watts confirmed, smiling back at him.

Steven brought his bike to a stop. Then he realized that wouldn't work because Llewellyn was still going. He quickly looked around. "Wait. Over there. By those trees."

“I- what?” Watts said, somewhere between confused and alarmed as he brought his bike to a stop as well and looked in the direction Steven was pointing. Was there something there that shouldn’t be?

"No, I meant we could wait over - well you're here now so it's fine," Steven said as he walked his bike over to where Llewellyn had stopped. He looked at Llewellyn with great fondness in his expression. "You made this for us?"

"It is ours alone," Watts repeated, not quite cluing in to where Steven was going with this.

Edited 2023-06-05 05:12 (UTC)

Steven put his bike down on the ground so he could come over and stand next to Llewellyn. "You made a world for us."

Watts tilted his head thoughtfully. "I hadn't quite considered it in those terms, but yes. I suppose I did."

Steven put his hands on Llewellyn's chest as best he could given their position. "You made a world for me."

"I did," Watts said, gaze meeting Steven's.

Steven was going to kiss Llewellyn now. He was going to take a while with the kissing too, if Llewellyn was amenable.

Bicycle? What bicycle?

Watts was going to kiss back enthusiastically, and was amenable to doing so for as long as humanly possible. They had a whole world to themselves, after all.

There'd be more words at some point, honestly there would. But first Steven was going to move his hands up to tangle in Llewellyn's hair to make sure he stayed close during all that kissing. Which was there was going to be more of before words happened. Significantly more.

Watts was beginning to understand why Steven had initially suggested heading over towards some trees. Not that he had any complaints about how things were currently going, but something to lean against would be nice.

He could lean against Steven? Steven had no problem with there being absolutely no space between the two of them. He wasn't as sturdy as a tree though, granted.

Watts could add a tree where they were standing, but that would require being able to ask the computer to do so, which... nah. Not happening. So instead he was just going to step backwards, tugging Steven along with him, until he was backed up against one of those trees.

That worked too! Steven was happy to be led in that direction. He indicated so by helping himself to some of those earlier promised nibbles once they were there.

See, now he had the best of both worlds! A nice, sturdy tree to lean back against, and a nice, sturdy (even if not as sturdy as a tree) Steven pressed up against him.

Winning.

Steven had to press close! What if the tree wasn't sturdy enough? Then Llewellyn would fall over! It'd be horrible! Clearly Steven had to add his own weight in there to help. It was simple logic.

Perhaps Steven would explain that when words returned. But for now, still kissing.

So very thoughtful, his beau. Which Watts was currently trying to express without the use of words.

With the use of his tongue, though.

Did a hum of pleasure count as speaking? It was making a sound. That sort of counted, right? Because otherwise Steven was too busy enjoying that development to say much else.

It was communication, certainly, so close enough?

Let Watts know he was on the right track, at any rate.

Difficult to be on the wrong track there, as far as Steven was concerned. He moved his hands down to hold on to the front of Llewellyn's shirt, making sure to hold tightly enough that Llewellyn didn't go anywhere as they were kissing.

For safety, of course.

Safety was very important! Safety was also why Watts’s hands were sliding under Steven’s t-shirt and up towards the middle of his back. Had to keep a nice, firm grip, you see.

Was that meant to cause shivering? Because it caused shivering. Which either meant Llewellyn was making Steven feel cold or that he was making him feel very warm indeed. One of those.

It was meant to feel pleasant, in any case.

“Mmnnne.”

Oh look, an attempt at a word. Of course, with lips and tongue occupied as they were it mostly just sounded like a muffled moan.

Muffled though it was, it did inspire Steven to start - start, not necessarily succeed - pulling back enough to attempt words of his own.

Like, "Mmmfl."

“Hmm?” Watts was awfully curious as to what Steven might have been trying to say. Not curious enough to pull back far enough to actually form a comprehensible word, though.

Steven paused kissing just enough to reply to that question with the answer, which was, "Wonderful."

Well, if that’s what they were doing…

“Mine,” Watts said emphatically.

That got another shiver out of Steven. He wrapped his arms around Llewellyn's waist. "Yours. No one else's."

“Mmm,” Watts hummed happily. “Good.”

Not that it had been in question, but it was the sort of thing that was just nice to reaffirm sometimes.

Which was why Steven had gone for affirmation rather than pointing out Llewellyn was his, even though that was also true.

"Don't mind you being a little possessive."

“I never really thought of myself as the type,” Watts admitted. “And of course I don’t mean it in- a broad sense.”

"I know," Steven said. He kissed Llewellyn on the cheek to reassure him without getting too distracted. "It's like when I say you're mine. You're not my property, but I like knowing no one else can say you're their beau."

“You deserve so much love and care,” Watts said. “And I am glad for every ounce that your friends have for you. But romantically speaking, I like that there is only me for you.”

Llewellyn's words made Steven feel warm and safe in places he didn't even know needed those feelings be. "Only you for me. Only me for you. I promise. No one else. I love you dearly."

“I love you enough to create any number of worlds just for you,” Watts said. Sure, they were worlds that existed just within the confines of this room, but that was not the point.

"To keep me safe and happy," Steven said.

Look, he had a history with this sort of thing and it meant a great deal that Llewellyn would not only do it but make him aware it was happening. There was definitely going to be a lot more than kissing or nibbling once they got back to Llewellyn's flat.

“To keep you safe and happy,” Watts agreed. Not only that, but the point of these created scenarios was that hopefully, eventually, Steven would feel confident enough to do whatever it was they were practicing here back out in the real world. But unless and until that happened, then Watts was going to make sure there was someplace safe for Steven to try these new things.

"I thought this was something anyone could have," Steven explained, indicating everything around them. "Like playing a movie. I didn't know you made it special for only you and me."

"Well," Watts said. "There are pre-made scenarios that anyone can make use of. And in the interests of full disclosure, someone could likely build their own scenario that is similar enough that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. However, this one is ours alone."

"Still counts," Steven said. Based on what little he knew of the scenario Marc used he'd suspected as much. "It's the part where it's ours that matters."

"That sounds nice, don't you think?" Watts mused. "Ours."

Steven turned his hold on Llewellyn into more of a cuddle. "Our Raphael. Our lunches. Our Saturday routine."

Watts let his head drop down on to Steven's shoulder. "You've just listed some of my very favourite things, Steven Grant."

Steven gave him a firmer hug. "Mine too. Just as you're one of my favorite things, Llewellyn Watts."

"I've never been anyone's favourite before," Watts admitted. "It's nice."

Steven tilted his head so he could try to whisper in Llewellyn's ear. "You are my absolute favorite, Llewellyn Watts."

"I love you," was of course the appropriate response to that. "So very much."

"I love you too," Steven said. "You're better than anything I could have imagined."

“I am very real, and very much yours,” Watts said, turning slightly to press a light kiss along Steven’s jaw.

Steven hadn't been angling for that reassurance, but once Llewellyn said it it eased and comforted something inside of Steven that he hadn't even realized needed it. "My Llewellyn. All mine. For as long as I'd like you. Which is not something I'd care to stop, actually."

He might not have been seeking it, but Watts figured that given they were standing in the middle of a place he’d created it was worth mentioning.

“You wouldn’t?” Watts said. “Truly?”

Steven pulled back just enough that he could try to look Llewellyn in the eyes. "Truly. I love you. You make me happy. Selfishly, I'd like to keep you."

Something loosened in Watts’s chest, then, as another metaphorical brick in that ‘everyone leaves’ wall he had built over the years crumbled away.

“Selfishly, I should very much like to be kept by you,” Watts admitted.

Steven moved one hand back to the front of Llewellyn's chest to pluck at Llewellyn's shirt. "Mine."

“Yours,” Watts agreed readily.

"Much as I'm enjoying our bike ride," Steven said - and he had grown to enjoy it once he'd gotten the hang of it - "I think I'd care to continue this conversation back at your flat. If that's all right?"

“I would be… amenable, to a change in venue,” Watts agreed with a smile.

Steven stepped back, but dropped his hand down to take one of Llewellyn's hands if he was able. "Possibly with some of those promised nibbles?"

“Not possibly,” Watts corrected, curling his fingers with Steven’s. “Definitely.”

And with that, he closed down the program, leading Steven out of the holosuite and back up to his apartment.

MHA Holosuite, Saturday Afternoon

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