♤SPRING SHIELD (MxM) ~fantasy~♤

Dinner

Elijah

"Am I not welcome?"she asks,walking with soft elegance approaching us. The same expression she always has on,you can't tell if she's angry,satisfied or pleased. You have to wait for her to tell you and it's haunted me throughout my childhood.
Except today I know what looks incriminating,as my eyes look at the space between me and my assistant. My son's hand held by both me and him. It's incriminating. It's in public.
It starts rumours.
The very thing my mother has been in a life long war with since she married into the Lewis family.
"Of course not,mother. We were just shocked that-"
"Is this your assistant?"she ignores my efforts to hinder her focus on Kristian. Her eyes narrow as she walks up to him,"The one who angers you?"
"That's a bold statement."
"I could say the same about your ability to not answer my questions,Elijah."this would be a great moment to apologise according to anybody else but I won't because I'm still not going to answer her questions.
"Mrs Lewis,its a pleasure to meet you."Kristian says extending his hand in greeting,my mother looks down at it with disdain before briefly shaking his hand,
"What's your name?"
"Kristian White."
"Your age?"
"I turn thirty-two this year,ma'am."before my mother can continue to interrogate him I interrupt her,
"We should probably go get some good seats to watch Oliver's game."I say,hurriedly putting him down and gesturing for him to take me to the seats,in the old theater that's been re-purposed into a stage of sorts. I take Kristian with me,
"Stay away from my mom. Don't look at her and don't talk to her."I whisper to him once Liam and Oliver start looking for chairs between the squeezed space. So squeezed that he's right up against me as I threaten him. His eyes bounce into different corners as he avoids my gaze.
I can't hear anything from the distant chaos of parents complaining or the close children in the midst of their ruckus. The appeal of his appearance puts me in a spell again. Except this time I'm not entranced,I'm annoyed and confused trying to get a message across.
"Why?"he says,panicked as he stumbles to back away from me,
"Just do as I tell you for once."I grumble angrily,before turning around and following my sons the last thing I hear is his breath,spilling from where it was once held.
My mother comes to sit as the edge of the seats we've arranged right next to Liam who jumps around in a chair that's too big for him. Kristian on the other end insuring that he's as far away from her as he could be.
My leg bounces its knee around without me telling it to. I can't focus on me son whose right infront of me but I keep giving side glances to my mother and my assistant whose extremely attentive to what's going on.
Since when am I willing letting him be a better parent?
Time moves by way too fast and Oliver wins. Obviously,he's my son. All the parents,teachers and students present cheer with little to no excitement because he wins every time. But I do,I make sure to clap as loud as I can because their either mad their not him or mad he can't be their kid.
I clap as Oliver smiles at us making his way through a thin and dispersing crowd. Kristian gets up and runs towards him shouting a million things in his praise,picking him up from the ground in excitement.
I watch ready to still all the love he's getting because I'm petty but a harsh hand pulls me down by force,"When you go over there,use the smile that I gave you,laugh like your father used to and tell him to come to dinner. You know the heat of consequence,don't burn yourself."
The threatening whisper makes me stand straight,as I pull my suit done to spare some dignity for myself. "He has plans."
"Tell him to cancel,Elijah. I didn't give birth to a quitter."
"Fine."I walk over even though he'll probably say no.

____________________

Kristian

My boss asked me to come to dinner with him and his scary mom like I was going to say no.
I didn't because the woman- I mean his mother glared at me. I had no choice but way yes even though he looked mad that I did.
"Anything I can help with?"I ask him awkwardly even though I'd rather be in their huge living room playing hide and seek like the boys wanted. I hold my arm like I'm keeping myself from the cold of being ignored.
Maybe he's thinking of an answer.
That's too much credit for him because he keeps chopping on green onions at the speed of light. Is his speed hot? Yes.
Will I healthy acknowledge that? No. Deny. Deflect. Lie.
"Oh hello? Well,bye,Kristian. Get out of my kitchen."he says without turning around and all I can see is his broad shoulders that slip into a reasonably slim waist.
He has a perfect physique for someone who spends all day in a chair talking about machines.
I hold my chest like I'm clutching my pearls,"You invited me into this kitchen,excuse yourself."
"Lose the attitude,I invited you into my home not my space."
"Which means you need to treat me well."
"No,it means my mother is by the pool looking at us through the clear doors watching."he says angrily looking back at me with a glare,he roles up his sleeves revealing his vein corded forearms.
The pink news was right. He's eye candy. And I freaking hate it.
I peak over his shoulder to confirm and duck back down when I see the woman with a wine glass in her hand and a mean stare in her eyes.
"Now why would you look?"
"Why is she terrifying?"
"Welcome to my world,Red."
"If she hears you calling me that she'll think we do bad things together."
"Then go back to the living room and play with my kids until this is over."he says not risking a peak at the person who (by suspicion) caused all of this. I don't say anything more and walk away.
"I'm done."Elijah says pulling the last dish from the stove and plating it. It feels like he's been cooking forever. One dish after the other,clearly when people say they cook as a hobby they don't cook like this man cooks.
Both of the boys stand up and head to the table where Elijah pulls each seat out for everyone,including mine even though he doesn't seem like he wants to. Around the kitchen island he sits on the head of the table and his mother does the same on the other end.
With four seats remaining his sons are supposed to sit beside him but Liam walks around me. His little hands using my leg like pole as he struggles into the chair that was meant to be mine.
Leaving me with two options. Sit next to a glaring man or walk around the table like a petty person. Scared by the everyone staring at me I hesitantly sit down next to Lewis and internally scream. He hands everyone their plate and when he gets to me he scowls.
Handing me a plate without looking at me,anger rises up into my throat. I have so many things to say,to him especially. But I bite my lip and take my plate from his hand and our hands collide for a short lived contact that burns me all the way to my chest.
My heart pounds.
He always makes my heart pound with rage.
He snatches his fingers away displaying the same way I feel,putting his hand into his lap muttering to himself. He serves for both his children scratching their heads,like he's saving their smiles into memory. Like he always does.
He coo's and whispers,asking them if they've had enough or if they want more. Nagging at them to have more vegetables. It's adorable.
Now,if he was like this with his employees it would great. "Elijah,serve for our guest,please."Mrs Lewis tells him with a sharp gaze,like she's threatening him without saying a thing. It's impressive. He grumbles to himself before taking the pieces of fish I watched him de-bone earlier and turn into tiny fish cupcakes.
"No,no,I can-"I try but I'm instantly shut up by her glare,
He takes the bowl with the same energy as I five year old being forced to clean their room,he pulls one piece out and drops into my plate his expression bored.
His eyes look up at me from staring at my plate,"Is that enough?"I raise a brow at him in response and he sighs audibly,moving on to the garlic infused mash potatoes,"How many spoonfuls should I give you?"he asks,
"Dad,give him two!"Oliver says covering his tiny full mouth as he speaks,so excited that he's vibrating with his joy. I smile his way before looking down at the size of the spoon and deciding that's not a good idea,
"That is way too much,Oli."I say trying to deter him,
"Kristian,are you insane? That is not even the portion they'd give us in boarding school."Lewis decides to say.
"Yes it is,here let me do it-"I try to take the spoon from his hand but he stares at me,right before putting three huge spoonfuls of mash potatoes,
"I dare you to not finish that."he says,menacingly taking one spoonful from his own plate. I dare him to shut up. So annoying,
"Stop trying to tell me what to do."I whisper and he scoffs,
"Stop trying to break the rules of my house."
"And what's that?"
"No one's allowed to eat like an ant."he says and I nearly bark out a laugh before he adds,"Even the boys eat more than you,it's good have a better appetite than what you have going on,Red."
I can feel the care in his voice even though its hidden behind his petty nature. Its warm,soft and ticklish. To have someone like him care.
Strangely enough,I like it.
"Alright,what sauce do you want?"he asks looking at me and this time Liam interrupts,
"The super spicy one!"the mischief this boy insights. His father laughs and pretends to put some onto my plate causing the both of them to giggle,
"Enough jokes you two,which one tastes the best?"I ask resting my chin into my palm,without saying a single word Elijah does it for me putting a sizable amount onto my plate.
He is a good chef. And he's made a nice meal.
But the satisfaction of being full of a home cooked meal fades away when Mrs Lewis speaks up.