Riju shrugged as if to say it was already too late.
“Things will calm down and go back to the way they were. Once this contract is over, I won’t sign another like it with him or anyone. I promise.”
“All right…do you need the privy?”
“Yeah. I need some water too.”
“Afterward, let’s get you some balm.”
“I’m not supposed-”
“Shh. You’re having it to get you over the worst, and I’ll cook you dinner.”
Riju refused help even though Kit was supposed to cook. Trig had commanded it, but Riju said he was overriding it, and Kit was to relax. No arguments. He wasn’t telling Trig, so Kit wouldn’t be punished again.
He wasn’t used to sitting at the table while someone else made the food. The balm had helped with the soreness on his back, and he was feeling more awake while he drank a second glass of water. Even though he wasn’t mad at Trig, who must have seen things quite differently, he felt getting balm was a fair compromise for his unfair punishment.
While he watched Riju cook, he thought back over the past few months. Nothing else struck him as unfair. Both had been hard on him in a way, but it was what he’d expected for his role, and he liked being used as a toy. Overall, he’d started enjoying his time with Riju a lot more, and he felt closer to him than Trig.
Trig was someone he pleased because he had to, and he liked obeying. He got enjoyment from Riju on a different level, and even simply being around him was fun too.
If he had to pick one to serve and couldn’t have both, he’d choose Riju in a heartbeat. Kit had bonded with him differently, and it made him feel better that Riju wouldn’t punish him for a cramp.
Except being with one meant being with the other. He could forget simply having Riju as his Master.
Riju set potatoes to boil, chopped vegetables, and lightly fried them in a pan on the cookstove. Once he took the frypan off the heat, he mashed the potatoes and added the vegetables to a square pan. It was actually nice without Trig since the earlier argument had scared him and things had been so tense. Kit was a bit afraid to ask since it was surely a sore subject.
“Fuck,” Riju muttered under his breath.
“What’s wrong?”
“I forgot to start the sauce.” Riju leaned on the counter and muttered under his breath. “I am fucking stupid. A simple thing…”
He shouldn’t be putting himself down over a simple thing. Kit approached and put an arm around him. “You’re not stupid.”
Riju stared at the vegetables in the pan. “I can’t even remember when to start the sauce.”
“You're tired, and you haven't had a good day. What are you doing with this?”
“I was going to bake them in white sauce with a potato crust.”
It was a dinner they’d had before, and Kit liked it a lot. “Make the sauce now. The vegetables are fine in the pan.”
“I should have started it already so I could put everything together at once.”
“Yeah, it’s faster, but it’s not like the meal is ruined.” Kit squeezed him around the middle. “There’s no rule against doing the saucenow.”
“Squish me harder.” Riju kissed his forehead.
That seemed to help, although earlier must have been bad if Riju was upset at himself. The food made it into the oven with no issue, and Kit knew it would be perfectly fine. Once the mashed potato crust was browned on top, it’d be ready to eat. Riju came to sit with him at the table.
“Do you still want to do stuff with me?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” asked Kit.
“Because maybe you hate me now.”
Riju appeared dead serious, and Kit almost gaped at him. “I don’t hate you!”
