Medium well.

[dustin woods]

Two empty beers later - from sterling of course - and the meal was done. There was a gentle clink as the plate was set on the table. Setting a knife and fork beside it, Dustin gave a sheepish smile before grabbing his own plate and hurrying to set it down and sit beside the other. Despite Sterling scowling, Dustin had his own bottle that matched the man's, taking a few grimacing sips of the bitter liquid before carving up the meat rather eagerly. "..I.. I hope it tastes alright! I tried to make it well enough, but not TOO well.". Shifting in his spot, the boy nibbled on his mashed potato's, gazing at the table.

[STERLING BLUE]

Sterling liked his meat well done. He hated cutting it open and finding pink on the inside. He'd eat meat, no matter how long it had been on the stove or the barbeque, but his preference was brown on the inside and out. His knife easily cut through the slab of meat, as if it were only butter, and the fork delivered a cube of his meal to his mouth. It was perfect and he hadn't even needed to chew to find that out. "... Would you like me to say it's great? Or should I really critique it? The steak just falls apart so perfectly when it touches my tongue and comes with that nicely charred taste around the edges, while having a juiciness in the soft center," Sterling started, stopping there though and laughing. There was a reason he wasn't on television or paid to test out people's food. "And the potatoes? Very well mashed. Well done. This is splendid. Bravo."

[dustin woods]

The whole time Sterling talked, Dustin didn't speak. It wasn't until the man was done that Dustin reacted. He grabbed the bottle beside his plate and was eager to drink, in fact he took down quite a bit. Almost half the bottle before letting it hit the table with a light 'thunk' and he hid his red face behind his forehead, eyes casted aside. He was glad he stopped stealing from sterling's bottle and got his own. After a few moments, he stole a peek at the man, ears back. "..t..thank you". The words were squeaked out, and the child looked ready to faint from lose of blood - it was all in his face.

[STERLING BLUE]

Sterling's eyebrows raised in surprise, not expecting the boy to stomach that much alcohol in one go just because of a few compliments. Was it wrong for him to say them? He meant them. Dustin's cooking was perfect and Sterling would rather his gijinka cook for him than order in take out any day. Sterling set down his fork and knife, giving his hand a quick wipe on his jeans before reaching out to brush Dustin's hair back, grazing his ear with his fingertips in the process. "Careful, kid! Don't drink too much. I shouldn't even be letting you drink. You're still seventeen," Sterling pointed out, giving a playful wink. He was a police officer and this wasn't legal. But Dustin had supervision and nothing would go wrong- so what was the big deal?

[dustin woods]

"I can handle it!" It was all the boy managed to squeak out before he felt those fingers in his hair, against his ear. Dustin would never understand the man's obsession with his ears. Which stayed back. Peering at the other a moment, Dustin just looked back at his plate and continued to nibble at his mashed potato's. He was glad the man liked it, he had made it perfect for him, after all. "..I.. am not use to being praised.. it's weird. b-but thank you!". He loved Sterling praising him, and it showed from how he leaned into the man's hand.

[STERLING BLUE]

Sterling was about to remove his hand from Dustin's hair and return it to his fork, but when the child leaned into his touch, he just couldn't pull away. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, his knuckles tracing along the child's jaw as he instead grabbed his fork with his left hand. "But you're talented and plenty of things. Your cooking, your job too, I would assume. And you keep your home so tidy." the man started to list. His own house was a mess. The only time anyone cleaned it was when his little brother came for visits. The kid was so full of energy and unable to stop moving, that Sterling convinced him to put his energy to good use. And that use was picking up trash and items from the floor. "You might not be a fighter, but you don't need to be to have skills at everything else."

[dustin woods]

Feeling the hand against his jaw, Dustin gave the softest sigh and stayed there, enjoying the attention from the man, his eyes stayed closed. After a few moments, he pulled away and kept his sheepish smile, staring down at the table before started to eat away at the meat, the boy far more relaxed now. "You think more highly of me than you should..". He whispered this softly, yet the smile never went away.

[STERLING BLUE]

Was that true? Every compliment that Dustin gave him was the truth. Why would he need to lie to his Gijinka? They needed to form a strong and trustful bond, especially if Dustin were to ever evolve someday into a Furret. His hand dropped, resting on the table as he scooped the potatoes, mixing them around to make sure the butter was melted and buried from sight. "Not really. I think of you like you're family. You pretty much are now. Ever since I found you. We've got a bond. Like we're soulmates," Sterling chuckled, shoveling potatoes into his mouth to shut himself up. They both had the same word carved into their wrists. Same spelling, same size, same font. They fit to a T. They were meant to be.

[dustin woods]

Now he was confused. Looking at the other, Dustin gave him a faintly confused look. Like family. Of course the first thing Dustin assumed was brothers - and yet the man went on to say soul mates. Sitting there, dwelling in the confusion, Dustin just continued to eat his food and finish off the drink he took from the man. He knew he shouldn't drink, but he liked it. Not the bitter taste, gross, but the nice lightness it added to his head. "This stuff tastes so gross.. do you really like it that much?". Yet even as he spoke, the boy rubbed his wrist and tried not to smile.

[STERLING BLUE]

At first, Sterling thought Dustin meant the steak. No one insulted a steak in Sterling's presence. You only got off the hook for that if you then stated that you're a vegetarian. He respected their choices. But no carnivore could hate steak. Then he looked over and saw the beer in Dustin's hand, it made him roll his eyes. "You don't have to drink it. You're not even old enough to drunk that yet. It just kind of grows on you the more you have it though. I thought it was pretty gross at first too," Sterling admitted, reaching out for the bottle, still nearly halfway full, and brought it to his lips for a few sips. He glanced toward Dustin, eyebrows raising. "You're lucky a cop is letting you drink with him. But at least you're here drinking with me and not there drinking with... strangers."

[dustin woods]

At the man's response, Dustin could only give a small pout. He shouldn't play this game. slowly shaking his head, Dustin sipped at the drink himself, casting the other a glance as well. ".. If you didn't let me, then I would go drink with strangers. Meet up with some group at a bar and raise glasses with them.". He huffed this.. but eyed the other for a moment and smiled a bit softer. "..But I much rather drink with you".

[STERLING BLUE]

Sterling hoped Dustin was kidding. It made him tense and nervous as his fingers gripped tighter at the bottle. He only wanted to protect Dustin. He couldn't bear seeing his friend hurt, which is why he wouldn't trust him around strangers while he wasn't sober. He managed a little smile, pulling at the corner of his lips as he looked toward Dustin and shook his head. "Dunno what interests you about an old man like myself. But I can promise you're safe around me. I promise you protection. Nothing bad will happen, unless you drink till you puke," Sterling added, his eyes rolling back. In which case, there was nothing the man could do but find the kid a bucket and maybe some water for his stomach. "Thanks for dinner, by the way. And for drinking with me."

[dustin woods]

".. I don't see why a stranger would have any reason to hurt me! I don't bother epople..". Speaking these words softly, he stared at the bottle silently, before taking a rather thirsty drink, followed by a light sigh. Sterling was interesting! "you're really interesting! So sweet, and full of stories! What isn't to like! .. and you're not old! you're barely older than me..". Dustin tried not to think about the age gap.

[STERLING BLUE]

It was the way strangers worked. You never knew what to expect from them. There were people in the world who'd hurt anyone, whether they knew them or not. Sterling was scared that Dustin would get attacked by one of those people. Sterling snorted and reached out to give Dustin's shoulder a small shove. "Barely older than you?! I'm twenty-five! You're seventeen. That's an eight year difference," he pointed out the rather large age gap between them, or so he considered it to be. The officer rested his elbows on the table, his arms crossing one over the other as he stared at the few scraps left on his plate. "Not that age matters, but being around you definitely makes me feel old."

[dustin woods]

The boy tsked a bit, glaring at the man for a moment. " ..How do I make you feel old!". He snapped these words before leaning towards the other, a weak pout on his face before he reached out to steal a pinch from the other's cheek, slowly shaking his head at the other. "You're so bloody weird". .. That and he liked squeezing his cheek.