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The table was full.
Not because anyone important was coming to visit. Not because there was a celebration. Just because Calian had looked at the kitchen that morning with hunger in his eyes and the kitchen staff had reacted with the kind of emergency efficiency usually reserved for natural disasters.
Plantz sat across from him, watching.
Calian ate like he always did. Fast and throughout. With the quiet focus of someone who genuinely loved every bite. He went through a plate of eggs. Then a plate of roasted vegetables. Then a bowl of rice. Then soup. Then bread. Then more bread.
The second prince did not eat. He just watched.
After a while, he reached over and placed a piece of grilled fish onto Calian's plate. The younger paused, looked at the fish, looked at his brother, then ate it without comment. Plantz placed another piece. Calian ate that too.
This continued for several minutes. Plantz would put something on the plate. Calian would eat it. Neither of them said anything.
Then Plantz picked up a small spoon. Not the big one for serving, but the delicate one that Calian usually ignored because it was too small to be useful. The second prince dipped it into a bowl of soft tofu stew, brought it to Calian's mouth, and waited.
Calian stopped chewing his current mouthful.
He stared at the spoon. Then at Plantz' face. His brother's expression had not changed. He looked as calm and unreadable as ever, holding the spoon steady, not pushing, not withdrawing. Just waiting.
Calian could have taken the spoon. Could have grabbed it and fed himself like a normal person. Instead, he leaned forward and opened his mouth.
Plantz fed him.
The stew was warm. Savory. Calian swallowed and opened his mouth again without thinking. Plantz refilled the spoon. Fed him again.
This was ridiculous. Calian was not a child. He had two working hands and plenty of experience putting food into his own face. But Plantz was doing it so calmly, so matter of factly, that refusing felt like it would be more trouble than it was worth.
Also, the stew was good.
The older prince moved from the stew to a small dish of pickled vegetables. He chose the mild ones, Calian noticed. Not the spicy ones that made his eyes water. He held the spoon up. Calian ate. Then a piece of steamed egg. Then a strip of grilled meat that Plantz had torn into bite sized pieces without Calian asking.
"You're going to spoil me," the red-eyed male said between bites.
Plantz did not answer. He just picked up another piece of meat.
"I'll get used to this. I'll start expecting it. One day you'll be busy and I'll starve because no one is feeding me."
Plantz lifted the spoon again. Calian ate.
He was not complaining. He was just talking. The food was warm and Plantz was close and the morning light was coming through the window at an angle that made everything look soft. Calian felt something in his chest loosen.
"You don't have to do this," he said.
The blue-haired prince paused, looked at him briefly. Then reached for the bread basket, tore off a small piece of white bread, and held it out.
Not on a spoon. Just in his fingers.
Calian looked at the bread. Looked at Plantz' hand. His fingers were long and pale. There was a small scar on his index finger that Calian had never noticed before.
He took the bread with his teeth.
His lips brushed Plantz' fingertips. Accidentally. Not accidentally. He couldn't tell anymore.
His brother did not pull away.
He simply reached for the teapot, poured a cup of honeyed green tea, and slid it across the table toward Calian. Then he sat back and watched the other drink it. The feeding was done. The moment had passed.
Calian held the warm cup in both hands and felt like he had won something even though he wasn't sure what.
"Why?" he asked.
Plantz tilted his head, then shrugged. "No reason."
The younger blinked.
Then he laughed. Bright and surprised and warm. Plantz' expression did not change, but something in his eyes softened just a little.
"Feed me again tomorrow," Calian responded, as shameless as ever.
Plantz picked up his own cup of tea.
"We'll see."
That was not a no. Calian knew Plantz well enough to know that not a no was practically a yes.
He smiled into his tea and started planning their next breakfast already.