Officially Cumberbatched? A sequel to 'Well and truly Cumberbatched'

Chapter 52

                   

AN: In un-'altra vita (Ludovico Einaudi- I Giorni)

Saturday morning.

Bed.

"Shh stupid phone." I mumbled turning the alarm off; some mornings just don't need a soundtrack, even if it's Bon Iver.

...

"You should sleep in just my sloppy t-shirt more, the view's not bad from where I am." Ben uttered, I pushed open the French windows overlooking the garden, a scene from a  summers day appeared to burst through the autumnal weather.

"When it's this warm I'm happy to, we should have breakfast in the garden with Merlin." I said still overlooking the garden, it sounded as though he was sitting up.

"We should talk Rosie."

"We were in Oxfordshire the last three days. I came because you wanted me there but we agreed to wait till we got home. It's a nice morning let's not talk about it yet." I quietly said sitting next to him, his palm leaving a warm print on my back.

"Cooked breakfast?" He asked, I faintly smiled before Merlin padded in, the word 'breakfast' clearly piqued his interest; it's a shame 'bath' and 'vets' don't have the same effect.

"Sure, I'll get something cooking after I give this guy a bath." I whispered, Bens faint chuckle didn't overshadow Merlin's pouting.

"Merlin, you have it so good you hate it." Ben mumbled, Merlin's face in his hands. 

"He does but he'd never have less than absolutely everything, Caspian is the laziest cat alive and gets treated like a king, Merlin ought to too. More so because he doesn't chew the post to shreds and kindly brings it to me instead." I said rubbing the back of his ears, his breaths rising and falling through the quiet of the morning.

"Thank you for bringing him down the last few days, he's been good the whole time. He's unexplainably calming isn't he?" he asked, I nodded before moving off the bed, pulling my t-shirt down.

"That's fine, it's only a drive down. He pouts harder when he's not around you so I don't mind as long as I can look after him whilst we're there."

"You're never going to let him stay with me on set without you there are you?" he asked, curiosity in his voice.

"Honestly, no. I guess I don't particularly want him being stroked and coddled by strangers all day, I have no idea why people just think it's okay to do that, you wouldn't randomly pet someone's cute child would you? Anyway I dunno, maybe I'd let Mel watch over him if she was okay to; he knows her quite well now. I'll think about it." I added, a faint ease in his profile; I couldn't help but feel he wanted Merlin on set more often than not these days.

"Let's take him out for a run on the Heath, then we can talk. Please?"

"Yes Ben, I just needed time to think. You needed to work. I didn't, well don't want to lash out and start throwing demands all over the place. We'll talk but let's just enjoy the morning. It's really nice out." I said, he nodded before I headed downstairs with Merlin.

...

The garden. A table for two, a dog bone for one.

"I don't know what you do to food but I'm sure you're trying to fatten me up." Ben mumbled through another egg muffin.

"Ben you eat like a horse, it's not a bad thing. It goes to all the right places." I yawned stretching my arms over my head failing not to smirk.

"You and me both." He uttered, I faintly laughed before tugging at the t-shirt.