isleofavalon | [closed to walter]

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[closed to walter]

🧙 WHO: Horus & Walter
⚔️️ WHAT: Horus B&Es into Walter's house to cook him dinner
🕒 WHEN: Walter's birthday
🗺️ WHERE: Walter and CG's home
⚠️ WARNINGS: idk yet we'll see

[ To Horus, a year is a year, even if one does not physically age during it. For gods, not aging is standard past a certain point. Horus himself will likely not change too much from the form he is in now, save for perhaps firming up his muscles or gaining a more mature look in his eyes. The idea that Walter does not age because time is frozen and no one ages in Avalon is nonsense to Horus, and thus he is intent on celebrating Walter's birthday.

After all, humans only have so many of them, and Walter has revealed that he does not have much experience with spices to Horus, leading him to firmly believe the boy has been deprived and a proper meal is a good gift. Even if cooking is not Horus's most prominent forté, he did grow up in a home without the luxuries of the royal palace that was his birthright, with two women who were just as royal as he was but did, so he has at least some idea of the basics. The gift of Flavor is a good one, and Walter will be more experienced for it. And Horus spent a good while practicing making this meal to perfection so that it would be up to the butler's standards in terms of quality. A flavorful spiced lentil stew and roasted partridge that he hunted himself crusted in a different set of spices to give Walter a wider variety of flavor, bread-cake soaked in wine and honey, and homemade beer of the ancient Egyptian recipe-- hqt, with a flavor developed of barley, pistachio, rose petal, cumin, coriander, and sesame. He doesn't know that Walter will want to drink it, but he can at least taste it, surely! As well as a platter of figs, a bowl of honey, and a goat's cheese (though he can't find anything exactly similar to the cheese they made in his time, he still likes it). It's mostly things that Horus likes from his homeland or close enough to it that he wants to share with Walter.

So much so that he does sneak into his home while he's out to make it, so his entire kitchen smells of spices whenever he gets back. :) (And if Chang Geng came in, he surely said hello and explained and invited him to taste.) ]

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[ Horus looks a little surprised when Walter starts nudging his leg against him, but instead of jumping on him like he might with others, he lets out a warm smile. ]

Hmm, are you looking to put more on your tongue tonight than food?

[ ..He can't stop teasing him though. It's too tempting. ]

[At this, Walter cannot help but conjure in his mind the image of their time on the rooftop during the winter masquerade, lips parted, tongues eagerly exploring, tasting each other in the cold night air.

Warmth spreads in his veins at the memory.]

Hmmm? [A question. A hum. Almost musical in nature.] Are you asking for kisses?

[Persistent in his attentions, Walter proceeds with deliberate slowness even as he continues eating.]

Oh, those I've no intention of asking for.

[ To make his point, he leans over and takes a kiss from Walter quickly after he takes a bite of his food. It's just a peck though. He has no desire to get a mouth of food from Walter.

Then he winks at him as he points back. ]

[If bewildering Walter is the aim, the act certainly achieves the effect. He blinks, momentarily stunned.

He is, however, quick to recover, smiling to himself as he lifts the spoon again.]

Thief.

[Though the word acts as a chastisement, his tone is decidedly fond.]

[ He sighs dramatically, leaning against Walter's arm and resting his head upon his shoulder. ]

Your time and world's repression and innocence astounds me every time I attempt to seduce you. [ He waits until after the spoon is in Walter's mouth to speak again. ] Do you like it? [ The food, he means, but he'll take an answer to the seduction attempt, too. ]

[There's something charming about the way Horus settles against him pretending at defeat. The head of soft hair resting against his shoulder is enough to distract him from just how repressed his time is regarding such relationships.

Because Horus waits to ask his question, Walter's initial response is a simple, pleased hum.

Still, after swallowing the lentils and setting down the spoon, he ultimately offers a proper answer.]

I do.

[He's not saying whether he means the food alone, though he does spare a moment to indulge in pressing his cheek against Horus' head.]

Then eat up. I don't cook often, but it does remind me of home.

[ He smiles happily, humming a little song he heard somewhere around town for a moment and enjoying the touch before finally leaning away to eat again.

[The melodious humming blissful to his ears, Walter indulges in listening while he eats, careful not to jostle Horus until the god pulls away of his own accord.

He immediately finds himself missing the contact, but continues eating. It wouldn't do to let the meat go cold.]

I would be glad to cook for you, if you share the recipes you like with me.

I don't know the measurements, but you can cook with me next time and I'll show you.

[ Horus measures with his heart. And eats heartily. He's been so patient smelling this while making it and only tasting to make sure it's right as he goes. ]

[Cooking with him. Heart fluttering in his chest, Walter presses on in eating, finishing off the partridge and sampling the bread in between sips of hqt. His mind is filled with silly notions, he realizes, but he can't quite stop himself from thinking them.

Gaze eventually settling on the figs, an impulse strikes him. He reaches forward, taking one up and delicately dipping the end into the honey before holding it to Horus' lips in offering.]

Would you like to bathe with me after this...?

[ Horus smiles softly and leans in to eat the fig, intentionally moving in close enough to lick the tips of Walter's fingers once it's in his mouth. You know, to get the honey off. :) ]

Any time.

[The gesture catches Walter by surprise. Fingertips grazed by warmth, the boy lets out a soft gasp.

It doesn't feel bad. Nor, oddly enough, does it feel wrong. But it is different.

He's had to get used to so many different things with Horus around.]

......What temperature do you prefer the water to be?

It is your birthday, whatever temperature you like. I'm used to natural temperatures.

[ Bathing in an oasis means just enjoying waters the temperature they're meant to be. Heated baths are a very new invention.. ]

[Walter is more or less a cold shower, warm bath sort of fellow. Showers are for efficiency, baths for tending to sore muscles.]

Natural temperatures can vary quite a bit. Have you soaked in the waters of the Red Spring yet?

It has been some time, but yes! Perhaps the bath house was too much, but I did enjoy a good soak after fighting the wyrm.

[ 'u' He made sure to relax after their unrelaxing quest. ]

[The wyrm. Walter takes a slow breath, remembering the quest. The embarrassment of being disrobed, getting flustered over Horus'... condition.

...wanting to be near him anyway.]

Perhaps... something around that temperature then. We can even use some of those oils you like so much.

I didn't bring any with me. Do you have any agarwood?

[ That's what he's in the mood for right now.. he hopes Walter has some around. ]

[Agarwood... agarwood... That sounds familiar. Wasn't it also used in medicine?]

We might have some? Chang Geng is interested in a lot of medicinal things, so I pick whatever I can up.

Let us use that then! It is very fragrant, if we bathe with it the whole castle will smell beautiful.

[The castle... Walter's mind immediately goes to Chang Geng's castle, under his other name and his position as a lord. Chang Geng had a special attachment to their little house, but the castle had rooms available for them should they come to need them...]

...Are you suggesting we sneak away to the castle to bathe?

[His smile flirtatious, his phrasing chosen to suggest a romantic tryst. Alas, Chang Geng has it arranged so that the majority of the rooms can be rented out, so sneaking off is no guarantee of uninterrupted privacy.]

It sounds exciting, doesn't it?

[ That's exactly what he intends!! Though it's fine here too, but Walter's birthday deserves spoiling him. ]

He rents out the nicest rooms.

[Reaching out, he touches a finger to Horus' chest, walking digits slowly up.]

The quarters we have set aside for ourselves there are not much grander than here.

Well it is your day, so what you want is what matters most today. Grand or not.

What I want...

[Fingers continue their walk, over the jewelled collar to collar bone, slowing their pace as they land upon new skin.]

...is to eat with you, to drink with you, to bathe with you... and to kiss you for so long as you can stand.

And it does not matter where. Here, or the castle, or the Red Spring, or deep in the Brocéliande. What I want is to spend this 'day' with you.

Then let us stay here.

[ He leans over and gently kisses Walter's ear, smiling softly and whispering. ]

Because I am certainly not going to make it through bathing before I start kissing you.

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cw: references to societal homophobia

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