Berry was done cooking soon and laid out the food on the dining table. Stuart was already salivating when the enticing aroma reached his nose. Now he couldn't wait to take a bite, but just as he was about to do so, the food was taken away from him, and he heard a stern voice saying to him, "Don't bother eating if you won't praise and compliment my cooking." Berry was aware that Stuart was only eating because he insisted, but he would rather have them starve than let Stuart insult his career by not complimenting his cooking.
Instead of giving an answer like Berry wanted, Stuart went directly to place a kiss on Berry's face. He kissed his cheeks, nose, eyes, forehead, and even his neck. Because Berry was trying to avoid those pesky lips, and Stuart was moving around too much, their lips met. Stuart didn't hesitate to capture those supple lips in a fiery kiss.
Berry froze in his seat, unable to comprehend how that happened. When he finally started to react to the kiss, Stuart pulled away and grinned at him foolishly. "Now, can I have my food?" Berry absentmindedly pushed the plate back to him, staring at Stuart like he was lost. Stuart said this as he picked up his fork and chuckled lightly, seeing Berry's flustered face. Since he found Berry so cute right now, he poked his cheek with his index finger.
That assault to his pretty face successfully snapped Berry out of whatever daze he had fallen into. When he saw that Stuart was already eating with gusto, he couldn't help the sneer that appeared. "All this for a serving of food, tch." In response, Stuart stuck out his tongue at him before going back to eating.
Berry was flustered throughout the meal, kept missing the way from his plate to his mouth. By the end of the meal, his white shirt was covered with patches of sauce, as were his lips and jaw.
"Are you always this clumsy?" Stuart scolded as he picked up a tissue to wipe Berry's face, but Berry jerked back immediately, successfully avoiding his hand. "I will do it myself," he said but went ahead to wipe his lips with the sleeves of his shirt.
Stuart shook his head at this act, knowing that the shirt was ruined and would never be used again. He was done eating, so he went ahead to compliment Berry honestly because he had taken his time to taste the food and not just chew.
"This is the best thing I have tasted in years! Wow, just wow! Thanks a lot, Berry." He was being honest. For someone who had not tasted anything in years, a meal by the world's finest chef was like a piece of heaven for him. Throughout the time he ate, he was moaning softly. Berry would have noticed it if he wasn't so flustered.
After hearing this, Berry's face lit up, but he was still dissatisfied, so he said, "You have to praise me for those times in the past too," as he placed his elbow on the table and rested his head on his open palm.
"You do know that compliments don't matter most of the time, don't you?" Stuart said, not meaning anything bad. He just wanted Berry to know that compliments weren't necessary all the time because he was going to get used to them and lose interest someday.
But Berry shook his head, not wanting to hear any of it. "I was born for lots of compliments. Take a good look at me," he gestured at himself, "do I look like I was made from a quick rut or something? I was born to receive all the compliments in the world."
Stuart paused for a second to take a good look at Berry. He had always known that Berry was beautiful, like really handsome. This amount of handsomeness could only be made by two people who loved each other with all their hearts, as Berry was the very essence of love. "Your parents must love each other very much."
Berry was taken aback by the sudden comment. Sure, his parents loved each other like they were fools, but this was the first time someone who had not met them could tell just by looking at him. "They did..."
Stuart didn't understand what he meant by 'they did,' so he asked carefully, "What do you mean, 'they did'? Did something happen?"
Berry sighed heavily before replying, "They died in a car crash when I was eighteen," he said simply, looking so sad while poking his barely eaten food with his fork.
Seeing how sad he looked, Stuart regretted ever mentioning his parents. He stood up to hug Berry, who did not hesitate to wrap his hand around Stuart's back and push his head into Stuart's chest since he was sitting. "You must miss your parents so much," he said, and Berry nodded in his chest as a muffled 'yes' came from him. "You don't have to miss them so much anymore. I am here now, and as long as I am around, you won't ever feel lonely without them," Stuart reassured.
Berry said tiredly, "I know. Thank you."
Stuart rubbed his head fondly before kissing his hair. Stuart could feel Berry's emotions just from the voice alone. His own parents were as annoying as flies, but he couldn't ever imagine living without them. Berry was so strong.
"Wherever they are, your parents must be so proud of you," he said, meaning it and trying to reassure Berry. But nothing could have prepared him for the next thing that came out of Berry's mouth.
"They have no choice, I am their only son." Stuart laughed at what Berry said and playfully pushed his head, which only earned him a laugh from Berry. They stayed like that for a while, with Stuart running his fingers through Berry's short hair reassuringly.
"Two more minutes, and I am going back to work," Stuart said because every time he tried to pull away, Berry would tighten his hold on him. Two minutes progressed into ten minutes, and ten minutes into fifteen, and Stuart spoke again. "Let go, Berry," he requested in a soft voice while holding Berry's head.
Berry eventually pulled away but only halfway as his hands were still on Stuart's back. "Kiss me before you leave," he asked before closing his eyes and pouting his lips. Stuart stared down at those alluringly pouted lips and smiled. His thumb brushed over Berry's cheek, feeling the softness and smoothness of the man's skin before lowering his head to kiss him.
This time, Berry was prepared, and he kissed Stuart back with equal fervor. They reluctantly parted after two minutes of breathlessness, with Stuart saying, "You should take a rest. I don't want my boyfriend to stay tired while he waits for me."
There was something about Stuart saying and calling him 'my boyfriend' that made Berry's heart leap with indescribable joy. His face and neck turned warm, partly from the heat of Stuart's hands and partly because he was blushing hard.
"Don't say things like that," he tried to sound unaffected, but his shaky voice gave him away. Stuart found this cute as he restlessly moved around in the chair.
"This is nothing. Soon I will make you feel the exact way I felt when you made comments about my body