Midnight Manor Private Residence, Saturday Afternoon

[pocketpretzels]

Watts had promised to teach Steven how to make homemade crisps, and so following their usual services on the mainland he departed from his usual routine of baking something in favour of doing so.

"It's quite a straightforward process," he said to Steven, once they had everything ready to go, including salt and spices for possible seasonings. "With a sometimes maddening amount of waiting."

Luckily they had ways of occupying themselves during such times.

Comments

[pocketpretzels]

"As you healed mine, so you could steal it away," Watts declared.

[hasaknightjob]

"And keep it loved and safe always," Steven replied. "No one stomping it into the dust like before. Cared for like the precious thing it is."

[pocketpretzels]

"Wonderful, beautiful, perfect, delightful man," Watts said, punctuating each adjective with a kiss.

[hasaknightjob]

"Yours, yours, yours, yours," Steven replied in between each kiss. "My handsome, charming, poetic, brilliant beau."

[pocketpretzels]

Watts rested his forehead against Steven's, not going in for another kiss but not pulling away just yet. "Love you."

[hasaknightjob]

Steven took advantage of the proximity to bump their noses together. "Love you too."

[pocketpretzels]

"Shall we resume our project?" Watts asked.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven snuck one more kiss, then smiled. "Yes. What's next?"

[pocketpretzels]

"Slicing!" Watts declared cheerfully. "I'll do one, so you can see how it's done, and then you can give it a try?" he asked.

[hasaknightjob]

"Good idea," Steven said. "I can take notes while I watch you."

[pocketpretzels]

"First, we'll set it on the thinnest setting here," Watts said, picking up the mandoline and showing Steven how to adjust that setting. "And then just feed the potato in," he added, doing just so. "Rather straightforward. Much simpler than attempting to do so by hand."

[hasaknightjob]

Steven wrote all of that down, after including a step for kissing in between peeling potatoes and slicing them. "I can't imagine trying to slice them as thin as crisps. Don't think I could do it."

[pocketpretzels]

"I know I couldn't," Watts said. "They'd come out looking all," he made a gesture reminiscent of something thick on one end and thin on the other.

[hasaknightjob]

"That's just it, isn't it?" Steven said. He leaned against the counter. "Hard enough slicing them even at all, never mind when it's so finely."

[pocketpretzels]

"Lucky for us, we've a tool," Watts said. "Which- would you care to give it a try?"

[hasaknightjob]

"With you here, I feel brave enough for the attempt," Steven said. He put his glasses down by his notepad. "Ready when you are."

[pocketpretzels]

Watts stood behind Steven, wrapping his arms around his waist and letting his chin rest on Steven's shoulder: "Go on, then," he said encouragingly.

[hasaknightjob]

"You've my back?" Steven asked with a grin. He picked up a potato to get started. "Am I meant to use pressure?"

[pocketpretzels]

"Your front and all your sides as well," Watts said, giving a gentle squeeze of his arms. As for pressure, just a little is needed."

[hasaknightjob]

Steven chucked at Llewellyn's joke. Then inspiration struck. "Can you show me? Your hand over mine?"

[pocketpretzels]

"Certainly," Watts said, putting his hand over Steven's and guiding it to the chute. "Just like so," he continued, gently pressing down and letting the mandoline's blades do their work.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven relaxed as Llewellyn showed him what to do. It had a little bit been a ploy to get Llewellyn to touch him more, but Steven had also wondered about the pressure in truth.

"That's not so bad," Steven said. "I thought it'd be more effort."

[pocketpretzels]

"The blades are very sharp," Watts might not have been entirely aware of any ploy-related reasons for Steven's request, but he wasn't removing his hand just yet either.

[hasaknightjob]

That was all right. Steven didn't want him to.

"Good thing our fingers don't get anywhere near it," Steven said. "Don't much care for the idea of you cutting yourself."

[pocketpretzels]

"Nor I you," Watts replied. "You might be able to heal from such a thing quickly, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't hurt."