"Oh." She looked from Gavriel to Artaxias and back again. Grinning, she asked, "So how often do you find yourself in the gym? Often enough that you don't have to worry about anything you eat, calorie wise?" She was teasing and they both could see it.
"These days, yes. I think he's trying to work off some of the food he occasionally feeds me."
"No, I'm trying to keep you on your game and work off all that fast food and frozen meal crap you eat," Artaxias said, taking the spoon from Lilly when she passed it over. "If you actually ate what I do cook, you wouldn't have to worry about the calories nearly as much. I know exactly what goes into every dish and just what the counts are."
Lilly snickered and shook her head. "You so can't pull me in to help you there, Gav. I can't eat frozen or processed foods because of my disease. Don't get me wrong, there have been days I've wanted a great big fat hamburger, but it's just not in the cards for me. Really, he's doing you a favor. You should thank him."
"Maybe," Gav mumbled. He loaded up his plate and sighed. "You should have him make his veggie burgers. No grease, they taste like actual hamburger, and since he does all the grinding and shit, he can make them taste like anything. Or his turkey burgers, Gods, those taste so good. You have to make those, too, soon."
Her laughter filled the space and she shook her head. "See, you are very happy that he cooks for you. Admit it. But please, please tell me that you at least clean up afterward. If not, you and I are going to have words. If one cooks, the other should always clean up."
"I did it once and then had to listen to him bitching about it for a week. So I know do the dishes and leave them for him to put away. He's very particular," Gavriel said.
"I'm not particular, you just never pay attention. Who puts the glasses in with the plates and the plates in with the pans? There are always other items in the drawers and cupboards, it shouldn't be hard to place things correctly." Artaxias held out the salad to Lilly with a cocked brow. "It's really not that much to ask. I just like being able to put my hand into the drawer with the pot holders and not being stabbed by a knife that shouldn't be there."
"Once! I did it once, damn it," Gavriel groaned. "See what I have to live with? Why do you think I eat out so much? This way I don't have to worry about the aftermath."
Lilly couldn't help but snicker. "I think he did it because he knew that you would clean it up for him," she told Artaxias. "I mean it, seriously. He's lived here how long? He knows where things go, he just chose to do things his way and didn't worry about what you were doing at the moment, only that it would get him out of cleanup." She looked at Gav and winked, "Is that right?"
"No." He frowned at her. "He redid the kitchen a couple years ago and then never let me in here except for coffee. Even then, the cup's already out and I know where the milk is. So it's not like I have anything to put away, since the cup gets a rinse and then into the dishwasher."
"Well, we will just have to rectify that. You and I will be the cleaner uppers and I will ensure that you do it right. This is our home. You should be able to put dishes away in your own home, Gav." She looked at Artaxias and asked, "Is that all right with you?"
"As long as everything is put where it belongs," Ax said quietly. "There will be an inspection and rating."
"He's not kidding either," Gav groaned, looking at her.
"No I'm not. But I think it can be done with the right motivation. And since you want my blood tonight, do it right or I take some out of you. The hard way."
"It's okay. We will put everything where it belongs. I promise. We will figure out where things go. If you want, you can sit at the island and watch, but you are not allowed to lift a finger to help. You can tell us if we are putting things in the wrong places and whatnot, but that's it."
"Well, that's no fun when it comes to inspection time." Ax smiled slightly. "But I won't argue with you, not when you get that stubborn set to your jaw. It's rather adorable, but I know better to argue with a woman who has her mind set on something as harmless as doing dishes."
"This is very true." She looked to Gavriel and grinned. "I will wash. You can rinse and dry. We will put a towel on the counter and put everything there, and then after the dishes are done, we will put them away together. I want to get to know the layout of the kitchen as well." Taking his hand into hers, she added, "And if he redoes it again after we learn it, we will both beat him up."
"Deal." He grinned, pressing a kiss to her fingers. He then turned his head and stuck his tongue out at Ax.
"Be careful, pup. I know where you sleep," the Vhampire warned in a low tone.
Clearing his throat nervously, Gavriel inched his chair closer to her. "Right, anyway. You should eat up, Lilly. You need to get into a schedule. Especially with the treatment we're going to be putting you on. You'll need to eat at regular intervals and have snacks throughout the day."
"And I have a feeling that I am going to have two amazing and wonderful men that will lead me in the right direction. You will both ensure that I eat and don't go hungry. Between you and Ax, I won't go hungry and I will have a schedule, even if you boys have to beat the director over the head to ensure that I keep my schedule."
"Nothing as drastic as that. We'll just grab you from wherever you are, throw you over a shoulder, and take you to a spot where you can sit and eat in peace. It's really very simple when you think about it," Artaxias said with a shrug.
She licked her lips and whimpered. "God, I love the way that sounds. I want that. I need that. Yes, I really and truly believe that if you do that to me, you will have to do a bit more than feed me, please. I would really and truly love that. So make sure to make note of that as well."
"Not until we know that you're cured." Gavriel shook his head at her. "I'm sorry, Lilly, but we can't mate until you're cured. If we don't wait, then you'll end up in whatever state you enter into the mating for the rest of your life."
"Well, fudge nuggets," she muttered and sighed. "All right. You are both right. I guess I just can't wait to know what it will be, in order to have you both as mine," she admitted softly. "I want to know what forever with the two of you will feel like."
"Another couple of weeks and you will know." He smiled. "But we want you to have a long and fulfilling life with us, Lilly. No disease, no need for needles, just us and our life. A long and happy life we will have together. We'll be able to do what we want, when we want, and go where we want. You won't need to worry about having your prescriptions, when to eat, or testing your blood. It's all pluses for us, Lilly, we just have to go for two weeks of behaving."
"I love the way that sounds. I really do. I think I will be able to handle this then. I know that we will be able to have that life , and because of that, I will ensure that I don't attack either of you at any given time. I will work on it. I will try, okay?"
"You can attack us all you wish, Lil," Ax told her. "But don't take it too personally when we step back from you and end things. We don't mind if you want to kiss us and play with us a bit, but we can't complete anything until we get you well."
"I know." Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "That sounds good, babe. Make sure to stop me before I take things too far?" she asked and laid her hand over his. "I trust you boys to always pull back and ensure we don't take things to a level they shouldn't be at."
"And we will trust you to be there with us fully when the time is right." Artaxias flipped his hand over to take hers in his. Squeezing her hand, he lifted it and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "For now, eat your food. You are now officially on a schedule. You will eat when I say, what I say, and if you have complaints, that department will reopen in three weeks." The last was said with a small grin before he let her hand go.
Lilly just grinned and shook her head. "I am going to be in for it for the next two weeks, aren't I?" she asked happily. "It's okay though, I look forward to everything and anything that happens in that corner. We will do this. We will get through this, I just know it."