“Family is the most revered concept in my country,” he explained, generally upbeat for the moment. He didn’t mind talking about his country’s traditions, even if he didn’t agree with some of them. But they were still important, right? “Parents are known to make the best decisions for their children of any age. The family bond is unbreakable and undoubtable. And siblings are supposed to be your confidants, even to the point of…of…”
Levi trailed off as a repressed—somewhat recent—memory bubbles to the front of his mind. He remembered his brother’s eyes, the pure disgust in his brother’s eyes in the candlelight, and his voice muffled by the darkness. ”Of self sacrifice,” he finished his sentence much quieter as he retreated into his thoughts, staring downward.
Fiori frowned as Levi trailed off, a few things clicking together in his head. 1. Levi had a bad family member, or at least one who had hurt him. 2. Levi's country was a very strange one. 3. Levi didn't know how to deal with his own experiences conflicting with the values of said country. He reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, gently trying to snap him out of his trance. "We have a saying in my country: blood is thick, but it's the heart that pumps it. Sometimes the family you find- the one you chose- is worth more than the one you were born with."
Levi looked at the hand on his shoulder. His heart was still beating fast, but he was present again. He slowly nodded, “Yes, I like that. I like that a lot.” He considered the phrase and thought of Mordecai, and his friend Marya. They were just as close, no, closer and more dear to him than his brother perhaps ever was. It wasn’t until now that he really thought about that. But why would his brother betray him? Whatever did he do you prompt disloyalty?
"You come from a strange country. But… you are not your country. You make your own values, Levi, or you're a puppet instead of a person." Fiori gave him a soft smile, taking Levi's hand to pull him back into the kitchen. "But we can have this conversation later. After you've eater. Let's go see Cadmus."
Levi agreed, returning the smile as he followed along with Fiori, “I won’t argue with that. I am still pretty hungry, even with the snacks.” He was eager to see Cadmus again. In a way, Mordecai and Cadmus were both in similar positions. And it made Cadmus seem more personal, like a reminder that he would eventually see his own lover again.
Fiori smiled, obviously eager as he led Levi back to Cadmus' part of the kitchens. Camus was waiting with a hand on his hip, two plates of fried bear and greens on the counter beside him. He offered Levi a warm smile and Fi a peck on the cheek before he was ushering both of them over to a small wooden table in the corner. "Y'all sure took your sweet time getting back here," He teased, setting down their food. "Must've been having some conversation."
“Indeed,” Levi sat down at the table. “Thank you so much for making this, it looks delicious,” his mouth started to water again at the very sight of a proper meal on the table.
"Of course. What kind of cook would I be if I didn't make you the best damn dinner I could?" Cadmus grinned, setting down a couple cups and a pitcher of water. "Besides, I want you to feel comfortable down here. You're always allowed in if you need space or some privacy or just a quiet place to work, alright? Never feel like you're not welcome."
“Oh…thank you so much!” A smile spread across his face, “I’ll certainly take you up on that.” Having a place to come for privacy lifted one of the weights of worry from his chest. He was worried about the lack of privacy earlier, and the extreme culture shock between his country and Fiori’s. Changing clothes in front of a person he didn’t know was foreign to him. Sleeping in a stranger’s bed was foreign to him, but now that he and Fiori were becoming friends, he would be able to get used to it.
"I'm glad you will." Cadmus finished setting down the silverware, giving Fiori's hair a playful rustle and dusting his hands off on his apron. "You can always find me down here if you need anything, alright? I know the culture's probably different than you're used to and it can all be kind of a lot to take in, but you've got friends if you need them."
“I can’t thank you enough,” Levi couldn’t stop smiling. He picked up a knife to cut a bite out of the fried bear meat. It smelled so delicious, it was almost as comforting as the feeling of being understood here. Fiori’s friends were so welcoming and understanding; he appreciated it so much that he temporarily forgot the unfortunate events that brought him here.
Fi smiled, mouthing a discreet thank you at Cadmus before he dug into his food as well. Unlike many members of the nobility, Fiori had grown up surrounded by all members of society, and he'd befriended most of them. "This is delicious Cadmus, thank you!!"
Cadmus brushed them off with a laugh and a handwave. "I'm just doing my job the same way anyone else would, and speaking of my job, I'm gonna have to get to work. It was nice meeting you Levi." He waved to the boy and then turned to Fiori with a warm smile, leaning over to kiss him softly. "Nice to have you home, Fi."
Levi waved to Cadmus, “Nice to meet you too,” he spoke in between bites of his meal. He looked at Fiori again with a smile, not saying anything yet because he was still chewing his food, but he willed his expression to say you two are adorable.
Fi blushed slightly when Cadmus pulled away, blushed harder when he saw the look on his face, and then dug into his food half because Cadmus could really cook and half to hide his embarrassment. Cadmus gave them both one last sunny smile before he disappeared into the kitchen.
Levi took a break from the bear meat to try the greens. He ate quickly, but savored every bite he took and the flavors that went along with it. “Mm, I haven’t had something this delicious for what feels like forever.”
"Yeah, Cadmus' is just amazing." Fiori smiled dopily, finishing up the last of his greens. "I'm really glad I get to eat his cooking again, it's such comfort food. I bet he could cook something from your homeland, if you gave him a recipe."
“I know a few recipes,” Levi perked up at the suggestion. “I don’t cook often at all, but I’ve talked to cooks and bakers plenty of times. It’s just the simple dessert recipes they’ll share with me. They tend to be more protective of the secret recipes,” he chuckled, and took his last bite of the meat.
Fi laughed too, setting his utensils on his plate and then standing so he could gather up Levi's too. "Yeah, the cooks always are. it took me years to wheedle a couple soup recipes out of the cooks, and those aren't even specialty foods. Gods know what they serve us at banquets." He shook his head. "Let's go wash our dishes, yeah? And maybe pick back up on our conversation?"
“Hah! Yeah, I wonder,” he chuckled. He finished the last bit of greens, nodding. He stood up with his empty plate and the utensils set on top of it. He wondered what else needed to he said in the conversation. Would he ask about the sudden change of his mood when he had mentioned siblings?
"You got very… tense. When you mentioned siblings." Fiori led him over to one of the sinks, washing off his dishes quickly and then grabbing a towel to dry them off. "Do you mind if I ask why?"
Levi stood beside him with his plate while he patiently waited. He let out a small sigh through his nose, “Oh…When I mentioned siblings, I remembered something terrible that happened the night I was abducted,” he began softly. He wasn’t opposed to telling Fiori the majority of the details (while avoiding the details that implied he was royalty), it was just harder to get it out than he thought.
Fiori took him and washed it, setting them to the side once they were both dry and leading Levi out of the kitchens. He winced when he heard the word abducted, suddenly reminded of why Levi was here. Of what had been done to him. "You really don't have to tell me if it's too hard to remember. I don't want to stir up any unpleasant memories."
“It’s fine,” he lightly shook his head as he trailed beside Fiori. “I just won’t get into a lot detail about it, but… but I’m almost positive my brother sold me, or at least betrayed me to those…” he didn’t know what to call them. “To whoever brought me here,” he admitted, following a random spot on the floor with his eyes.
"Illegal traders." Fiori practically spat the words, face going dark. He softened slightly when he looked over at Levi and realized how lost he seemed, nudging him softly. "Leviticus, I promise I'll do my best to persecute the men who brought you here. And… you cannot blame yourself for what your brother did. People just… turn out bad. There' nothing we can do to stop them from going down their own paths sometimes."
Levi looked back at Fiori at the nudge. He managed a smile, comforted, if at least a little bit, by the assurance that the traders would be put to justice. They already talked about that earlier, he knew, but it was nice to hear again, especially after remembering more of the terrible things that happened that night. Those people deserved to be punished.
“Thank you,” he replied. “I’m just… very confused. I thought my brother and I were close.”
