Trooper Station, Friday

[pocketpretzels]

Watts was seated, hunched over his desk, straddling his chair backwards and deeply engrossed in his work.

Not policework, don't be ridiculous. There was some pole-related paperwork sitting off to the side that he presumably would have to sign sooner or later. But that wasn't what he was working on. Not even close.

No, the Portugese phrasebook had made its return, and Watts was hard at work writing out translations into his notebook.

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[hasaknightjob]

Steven showed up not long after the usual lunchtime, looking tired but happy to be there. He spared a moment to say hello to the troopers, then went to Llewellyn's office. He had a bag of food in one hand and a large coffee in the other, so knocking was accomplished with a bit of a balancing act and the use of his elbow against the door frame.

[pocketpretzels]

It took a moment, but eventually the sound of knocking penetrated Watts’s concentration.

Why was there knocking? Hadn’t he- a quick glance upwards towards the door revealed that he had not.

And a glance at his pocketwatch had him leaping up to get the door.

“Hello, you,” he greeted once the door was open and he saw it was indeed who he thought it must be.

He moved out of the doorway so Steven could enter, noting that Steven looked tired and mentally debating whether he ought to mention it. “You’re late,” he did mention, not accusingly, just a statement of fact.

[hasaknightjob]

"Hello, you," Steven said as he came in. Though he looked concerned at the comment about the time. "Am I? Might be the food. It's just made."

Be amazed at how Steven remembered that with his hands full it was a bad idea to attempt to get his phone to check the current time. Though there was a brief moment of danger for his coffee before said memory kicked in.

[pocketpretzels]

"You're here now, that's what's important," Watts decided, taking the time to press a quick kiss to Steven's cheek once he'd closed the office door behind him. He gave the bag a curious look. "What have you?"

[hasaknightjob]

"Things hard pressed to be bad no matter where they make them," Steven said. He put the bag and his coffee on Llewellyn's desk and then started to unload containers of empanadas and arepas, both including assorted fillings of beans, spinach, roasted vegetables, avocados, and sweeter options with honey, apples, mangos, and plantains. Steven pointed out the empanadas first, "We chatted about these the other day. They're the ones like pasties."

[pocketpretzels]

“Oh!” Watts gave Steven a delighted smile. “So you did find a place!”

[hasaknightjob]

"There's loads of places that make them," Steven said. "Pretty sure this one was Colombian. Well, 'South America fusion' which how that means peanut butter and jam arepas I've no idea. Still. Bit like pizza, really. Hard to do it wrong."

[pocketpretzels]

Watts nodded. “Fusion,” he echoed. “I’ve noticed a number of places described as such. And some dishes. Wasn’t entirely sure what it was supposed to mean.”

[hasaknightjob]

"Combining is what it usually means" Steven said. "Like you have your French restaurant or you have French Chinese fusion. Food comes from both for inspiration, yeah?"

[pocketpretzels]

“Most interesting,” Watts commented. Fusion as a general concept he understood. Fusion in the context of food was… new.

[hasaknightjob]

"Here I think they mean they'll use whatever filling they like and not be bothered about what country it came from," Steven said. "Suppose if it tastes good they can't be blamed for it."

[pocketpretzels]

"Any particularly unusual fillings within these or did you keep to the more traditional?" Watts asked, swiveling his chair around so he could sit properly. Ish. What passed for properly with Llewellyn Watts, anyway, which still involved a fair bit of hunching over.

[hasaknightjob]

"Traditional, since you've not had it before," Steven said. He took a seat in his chair. Well it was a chair and anyone could sit in it. But for visiting Llewellyn Steven had claimed it as his own.

As he sat he spotted the book Llewellyn had been working with. "Making plans for going on holiday?"

[pocketpretzels]

"No actual plans, as of yet," Watts admitted. The itch to get up and go somewhere hadn't actually struck him since arriving in Fandom. Perhaps because there were enough new and unusual things about being more than a century in the future that were keeping his mind occupied. Like, you know, a romantic life that he didn't have to keep to closed doors and shadowed alleyways.

"As that depends on- when both you and Mr. Spector would be amenable to such a thing."

[hasaknightjob]

Steven smiled at him, the expression fond even if it was tired around the eyes. "Don't know off the top of my head. But not against doing it. Especially with you."

That last part was more Steven than Marc but it was still true.

[pocketpretzels]

“There’s no rush,” Watts said. “We’ll figure something out.”

“Is everything all right?” he asked.

[hasaknightjob]

"Of course," Steven said. "I'd like to go on holiday with you. Not only because you understand how that affects Marc as well."

Saying that, Steven winced with a realization. "Bollocks. Can't remember if I told Lana that Marc and I can't make it."

[pocketpretzels]

“Can’t make it where?” Watts wondered.

[hasaknightjob]

"She invited us to go home with her on holiday next week," Steven said. He fished his phone out of his pocket and quickly sent off a text before he could forget. "It sounded lovely only there might others going as well. So that's not on, is it?"

Steven gave Llewellyn a look to silently indicate he knew why it wouldn't work. Particularly since Llewellyn had only just mentioned the need for holidays to work for both Steven and Marc's schedules.

Then Steven frowned. "The break is next week still, yeah? I've not gotten the days wrong?"

[pocketpretzels]

“Mmm, that does complicate things,” Watts agreed. “And you’re correct. The new school term starts on the 29th.”

[hasaknightjob]

Steven checked to confirm the current day was the 19th before putting his mobile away. "Right. Good. Time's been the worst this week, honestly. Working only one day sounds nice until they move it on you and then you've no idea when you are."

[pocketpretzels]

Ah. That did explain a few things, notably the tired look around Steven’s eyes. Watts found he didn’t much like it when his own routine was disrupted unexpectedly, he imagined for Steven it could be even worse, with the lost time and such.

“Not to overstate my own importance to your schedule, but at least you are finishing out this week with our regularly-scheduled lunch,” he pointed out with a smile.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven smiled back. "Not overstated if it's true. Was thinking it myself already."

Namely that no matter what Llewellyn felt like a safe harbor. If Steven could find him, everything else could sort itself out. But Steven wasn't sure if that was too much to say, so he tried to hide it by taking a sip of much needed coffee.

And then his memory kicked in again. "Bugger! Did I tell you Nell was staying over? Only until her flat is ready."

[pocketpretzels]

“Mr. Spector mentioned on Monday she’d accepted your offer to do so,” Watts told him. So… no, Steven hadn’t remembered to mention it, but he’d gotten the message all the same. “Along with, well. He mentioned we ought to keep- things- to my apartment, you and I, except, I don’t even know if that would be an issue, because then you’d be leaving your houseguest on her own…”

[hasaknightjob]

"That's right," Steven said, now remembering that Marc had seen Llewellyn on Monday. Of course Marc's summary had been "It was fine" and not much by way of further details. "How'd that go, you and him? No, wait, before I forget again. Yes, Nell is coming over. That's on Sunday. She's going on holiday with Lana, though, so won't be around so much. But Marc is right that I wouldn't be able to abide not seeing you for all that time no matter what."

Maybe Marc hadn't exactly phrased it as such but it was still true.