#as possible. and then my bladder was like ‘oh we’re awake? pee every hour’

[fingertipsmp3]

Why am I a fucking dumbass. Like genuinely

[dragon-temeraire]

Your tags on the bed sharing prompts suggesting that they all go in one fic gave me a mighty need, if youre feeling it, I would love to see a TW take on it? Whichever ship you feel most moved to do?

I just needed a little encouragement to write this, so thank you! I had this half-written in my head as sterek, so I hope that’s cool! (On AO3)

“I still don’t know why we had to have the pack vacation inthe middle of nowhere,” Stiles says, staring up dubiously at the cabin. Sure,it’s two stories tall and has a balcony, but it still looks pretty rustic.

“It has all the amenities,” Lydia says, rolling her eyes athim. “And besides, it’s werewolf friendly.”

Stiles had heard that phrase thrown around many times duringthe discussion and planning of this trip, but he’s still not sure what itmeans. “What, exactly, is werewolf friendly?”

“Lots of trails and open spaces to run, and no neighbors formiles and miles,” Lydia says, like it should be obvious. “Also, all the roomsare soundproofed.”

Stiles tries, and fails, not to think about theramifications of that. It’s totallynot fair that most of his friends are going to be getting lucky, while he—thechronically single—has absolutely no one to canoodle with. “Must be nice,” hegrumbles, grabbing his suitcase and backpack out of the trunk. “Where am Ibunking?”

Lydia consults an actual diagram—whichshe won’t let him see—and says, “Upstairs, last door on the right.”

Stiles follows her directions, and walks into the room toonly to find Derek already standing there, his own bags in hand.

“Guess we’re rooming together,” he says, glancing over.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Stiles says, shrugging. He doesn’treally mind. At least Derek is single, too. He’s about to say as much when herealizes Derek’s attention is held by something else. When he follows his gaze,he sees that Derek is staring at the bed.

The only bed.

There are no couches or chairs or really any other sleepingsurface in the room, besides the floor. And Stiles is not sleeping on the floor during his vacation. No way.

Derek is obviously drawing the same conclusions, because hesays, “Clearly the situation calls for us to share.”

“And we can deal with it maturely,” Stiles agrees. “We’readults.” Though he does feel a little prickle of concern at sharing a bed withDerek, who is both very attractive and far more approachable these days. Stilesmight have a little crush on him, but it’s no big deal. Everything will be fine.

He puts his luggage away, then heads back downstairs to findout the plan for the rest of the day. Knowing Lydia, there’s probably an itinerary,or something.

And he has so much fun playing and running around with thepack, he completely forgets about the bed situation. At least until it’sgetting late, and he finds Derek in their room, getting undressed.

“Please don’t sleep in your underwear, you’re making thisway weirder than in has to be,” Stiles blurts, and Derek pauses, already halfwayinto bed.

“You want me to sleep in my jeans?” he asks, eyebrow raised.

Stiles gets kind of caught up in how little Derek’sboxer-briefs leave to the imagination, so there’s a bit of a delay before hemanages to say, “You don’t have any pajamas?”

“Why would I have pajamas?” Derek says, smirking a little.“You should be grateful, I usually sleep nude.”

“Of course you do,” Stiles grumbles. He pointedly lays hisown sleep-pants and oversize shirt on the bed, and Derek rolls his eyes. “Ihave some sweatpants you could borrow?” he adds hopefully.

“I’m good,” Derek says smugly, settling in under the covers.

Stiles makes an annoyed huff, retreats to the bathroom tochange and brush his teeth.

When he’s back and settled into bed, Derek switches off thelamp, and Stiles blinks into the sudden darkness before letting his eyes close.He feels Derek shift a little before stilling, and Stiles lays quietly, willinghimself not to rustle around too much.

Did you go to the bathroom? his mind supplies suddenly. Well, it’dprobably be best to go, just in case. He eases out of bed, pads carefullyacross the room, and slips into the bathroom, closing the door carefully behindhim. When he’s done, he sneaks back to bed and slides under the covers.

He moves carefully, trying to find a comfortable positionwhile staying on his side of the bed, and does his best to relax. But he canfeel the time ticking by as he lays there, not sleeping, and after a long whileof quietly breathing and trying to lull himself into a dream, he sort of feelslike, well…

Better go again. He hateswaking up in the middle of the night with an overfull bladder. And Derekwill probably hate him too, for disturbing his sleep. So, he slowly inches his wayout of bed—

“How many times doyou get up at night to pee?” Derek grumbles. “You should probably see a doctorabout that.”

“There’s nothing wrong, I just have a nervous bladder,”Stiles hisses.

“We’re on vacation. What could you possibly be nervousabout?” Derek asks dryly.

“I’m nervous about being in a bed with you,” Stiles says defensively, then, realizing how that sounds,continues with, “Don’t take it personally, I’ve just never really shared a bedwith anyone.” Not anyone I foundattractive, he adds mentally.

Derek makes a sound that’s probably judgmental, then says,“Well, hurry up. I want to actually get some sleep tonight.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Stiles says, slinking off to the bathroomagain.

Derek does seem to get a decent night’s sleep, but Stileshardly does. It’s too weird, trying to sleep next to someone else.

 *

 The next night, Stiles is determined to get some rest.

It’s just hard to get comfortable when half the bed isessentially off-limits. He’s used to being able to sprawl out, and move as muchas he wants, as often as he wants. But now—

“Would you please get comfortable and go the fuck to sleepalready?” Derek snaps.

“It should be obvious that I’m trying,” Stiles snaps back. “I’m sorry for disturbing you, but myshoulders are sore from climbing that tree—”

“And who’s idea was that?” Derek cuts in.

“Mine, but everybody seemed to have fun when I suggestedit,” Stiles says. There had even been a race to the top—Erica had won, butAllison had been right behind her. “Maybe I should just get up and do somestretches,” he ventures, and Derek groans dramatically.

Stiles doesn’t get up, but he does try to squirm into a morecomfortable position. He still can’t get to sleep, though it’s obvious Derek ishaving no trouble, because after a few moments he starts snoring. And Stiles knows it’s a good thing that Derek can fallasleep so easily—he’s pretty sure there have been a lot of times in Derek’slife where he didn’t feel safe enough, and hardly slept at all—but right nowhe’s not feeling too benevolent about it.

“Since when do you snore?” Stiles asks irritably.

He lays there, trying to let himself drift off, but Derek’ssnores are just loud enough to keep waking him up. Stiles is kind of tempted tokick him, but figures he’d hurt his own foot more than he’d hurt Derek. Still,Derek wasn’t snoring last night, so it must be happening now because of theposition he’s in.

“Snoring is bad for you,” Stiles mumbles. “So, I’m gonnahelp.”

He reaches across the bed until he finds Derek’s shoulder,and lightly prods it. Derek shifts a little, but it’s not enough. So, he wedgeshis other hand under Derek’s hip, and gradually pushes. He expects Derek tocome awake and accuse Stiles of trying to shove him out of bed, but he justmakes a snuffling sound and rolls over.

And mercifully, the snoring stops.

It still takes Stiles hours to fall asleep.

 *

 “Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” Stiles grouses as hewakes up cold again.

He’d finally gotten to sleep at a reasonable time, only tohave Derek steal all the covers not long afterward. This is the third time it’s happened tonight, and unlikethe other times, when Stiles goes to yank some of the blankets back, there’s nogive. Derek’s probably has his claws in them.

“Fine,” he says, probably louder than is polite. “You keepthem.”

He makes his way downstairs to the living room, grabs theblanket off the back of the couch, then makes his way back upstairs, mutteringall the while. He makes sure to cocoon it around himself, trying to limit the possibilityof Derek stealing it, too.

He wakes up in the morning feeling rather overheated, andrealizes Derek has piled every blanket in the house on top of him.

What an asshole.

 *

Stiles is restless and keyed-up, both from the sleepdeprivation and the impromptu pillow fight he, Scott and Isaac had right beforebedtime. And when he gets that way, he absolutely cannot stop talking, especiallyif he has to keep still.

“Stiles, it’s three in the morning,” Derek says dangerously.“Ask me again if pigeons have feelings, I dare you.”

“I mean, they’d have to, right? I’m sure they’re sad thatpeople have abandoned them and don’t want them as pets anymore,” Stiles saysheedlessly. “And I bet you could smell that! We should go to the park and feedpigeons together, and you can tell me how they’re feeling—”

He’s rudely interrupted by a hand covering his mouth. Stileskeeps on making noise, just to prove that he can.

“Stop talking,” Derek says, and Stiles most assuredly does not.

There’s a heavy sigh, and then Derek’s arm is coming aroundhim, dragging him across the bed until he’s on his side, back pressed against Derek’schest.

And it’s certainly nice,but— “If you think this is going to calm me down, I’ll tell you right now thatyou’re wrong,” Stiles says once his mouth is uncovered.

“Shhh,” Derek says, and then his hand is on Stiles’ arm,slowly stroking up and down. The pressure is firm enough not to tickle, butlighter than a massage, and it’s oddly soothing. It only becomes more so whenDerek starts to quietly rumble, a vibration that goes straight from his chestto Stiles’, and seems to calm something inside him.

Stiles would like to make a joke about cats and purring, buthis eyes are sliding closed, and he suddenly has no interest in keeping them open.

He doesn’t realize he’s fallen asleep until he wakes up thenext morning.

Derek’s already gone, but that’s not unusual. He likes toget up before everyone else so he can enjoy the peace and quiet.

Stiles stretches happily, feeling wonderfully well-rested.Derek has some kind of werewolf magic, he’s sure of it.

He’s totally ready to face canoeing or hiking or whatever’splanned for today.

 *

 When Stiles is tired of getting his butt kicked atconnect-four by Boyd, he heads upstairs. He’s a little worn out from all therowing this morning—the pond on the property hadn’t looked large, but it hadtaken ages to get across it—so he’sthinking he’ll maybe take a little nap.

But when he gets there, the bed is already occupied by Derek,who’s propped up on some pillows and reading a book. Emboldened by their sort-ofsnuggling last night, Stiles doesn’t hesitate to crawl right up next to him, restinghis chin on Derek’s chest.

“You going to put me to sleep again tonight?” he asks with agrin. “Because that was pretty awesome.”

To his surprise, Derek flushes and looks away. “I shouldn’thave done that,” he says quietly.

“Why? Is it some secret werewolf power you weren’t supposedto reveal?” Stiles can’t help teasing.

“No, it’s—something werewolves do for their mates. For someonethey’re romantically involved with,” Derek says softly, gaze finally returningto Stiles.

“Oh,” Stiles says. And then he considers: despite the rudecover-hogging and the snoring and the general grumpiness, he still likes Derek.A lot. “Well, what if we were?”

Derek just looks at him for a long moment, and Stileswonders if this isn’t going to go the way he’d hoped. Then Derek’s lips areagainst his, and he makes a surprised, pleased sound at the contact.

And he kisses Derek back.

 *

 He sleeps wonderfully that night, comfortingly held in Derek’sarms.

Turns out sharing a bed isn’t so bad after all. 

[atc74]

The Convention Connection - Where It All Began (2)

Here it is, the next installment of The Convention Connection. This was a one shot originally written for Nicole, @iwantthedean, and has taken on a life of its own and is now an ongoing series. I hope y’all like it. And a very special Happy Birthday to Nicole today! Love you!

There is no disrespect to Jensen or his family. This is a work of fiction, please regard it as such.

Haven’t read it - CATCH UP HERE and fall into the rabbit hole

Word Count: 2000-ish

Warnings: none really, like SUPER FLUFFY (Like I am going to give it away!)

A/N: I actually had SO much to say for this installment, that it required two parts. Beta’d by the infinitely patient @just-another-busy-fangirl. Thanks Laura! You are amazing and I love you!

Nicole woke the next morning, feeling more refreshed than she had in weeks. Maybe it was having Jensen next to her; she always slept better when they were together. She attempted to turn towards Jensen, but his heavy limbs had her immobilized. She looked down to see her husband with his arms wrapped around her middle and his head resting on her stomach, still sound asleep. This tugged at her heartstrings more than she expected and she chalked it up to the hormones, but in reality, she knew they were both over the moon about this pregnancy. She wanted nothing more than to start a family with Jensen and this was just the beginning.

“Jay, Baby, you gotta move.” Nicole tried to wake him, but realized it was futile. She gently raised his one arm and managed to wriggle out from underneath him, shuffling to the bathroom. When she emerged, Jensen was finally awake and watching her as she returned to the bed.

“Sure, now you’re awake!” Nicole chided as she crawled back into the warm bed.

“I missed you,” Jensen mumbled as he pulled you closer.

“Sorry, Babe. I had to pee; you were laying on my bladder!” Nicole laughed.

“I am sorry. I was awake early, so I was talking to our son and I must have fallen back to sleep,” Jensen confessed to her.

“Son? You think it is a boy?” Nicole yawned, stretching her limbs.

“Well, I can hope it is a boy. Wait…do you know already?” Jensen fretted.

“No, no, I do not. It is a little too early anyway; we will have to wait a couple more weeks,” Nicole informed him.

“Can I come with you to your appointments? I don’t want to miss anything. I want us to do this together,” Jensen declared, kissing her soundly.

“I would really love that, Jensen. I haven’t even been to my own doctor yet. I only saw the ultrasound tech at the hospital after my shift one night. I suspected, but it was late and it was the first thing that came to mind. I heard the heartbeat; it’s really strong and the baby is healthy,” Nicole confided.

“I love you so much, Nic. I cannot wait to welcome this baby into the world with you; boy or girl, they are going to be so loved,” Jensen boasted.

“We can take one of those gender predictions things online. If you want…” Nicole offered, reaching for her phone.

“You can do that?!” Jensen marveled.

“They are not one hundred percent, but it could be fun. Let’s do it.” Nicole googled and picked a site. She entered her birthday date and due date and held Jensen’s hand before she clicked the button.

They were staring at the screen together when it populated the result: girl.

“It says we are having a little girl, Nic. We are going to have a little you running around our house soon.” Jensen grabbed her phone and tossed it aside, pulling her into his arms.

“I want a little Jensen running around, but I will take a girl. I just want a healthy baby.” Nicole kissed him and they quietly made plans for the future.

~*~

After spending most of the day lounging around the room and indulging in room service, Nicole ran herself a nice bath while Jensen watched the Rangers game. They still had a few hours before the concert so she was taking her time. They had already called and told their parents about the baby, so it was just the extended Supernatural family they would be telling tonight.

Minneapolis was hot and humid in August; this is a fact. Nicole knew this from experience and had packed accordingly, taking her expanding waistline into consideration. She had picked a blue knee length dress with a paisley pattern that would easily hide her figure with the flowing skirt and high waist. Nicole added a simple pair of platform sandals and was ready before the game was over. She took a seat next to Jensen on the couch in their room to finish watching the game. Nicole always loved baseball and Jensen in a baseball cap was definitely one of her weaknesses; it was how they met after all.

Soon enough the game was over and Jensen stood, helping Nicole to her feet. Clif would be waiting for them downstairs in a few minutes so they made their way to the lobby. The drive to the Minneapolis Convention Center was short and they were quickly led through the back entrance and to the green room.

Cheers from everyone greeted Nicole and Jensen as they made their way into the room. It looked like everyone was there: Kim, Briana, Rich, Rob and the band. Gil and Mark stood off to one side talking with Sam, while Jared and Misha were seated at one of the tables.

Jensen pulled Nicole tight into his side and cleared his throat. “Hey y’all, listen up! Me and the little lady got something to say!” Nicole loved it when Jensen actually let out his native drawl; it did things to her.

“OH MY GOD YOU’RE PREGNANT!” Briana interrupted before Jensen could say anything else.  She was the first to rush over and wrap Nicole in a hug first before playfully punching Jensen in the arm.

“Briana, how could you possibly have known?” Jensen argued.

“Because I am a fucking genius and your wife looks even more beautiful than normal and her skin is glowing!”  Briana bragged.

Congratulations were received all around from everyone in the room and it was the first thing newcomers were told when they arrived. Nicole thought she would feel overwhelmed, but instead she felt excited and loved, surrounded by friends and family.

She spent most of the evening backstage with Jensen, Jared and Misha, until Rob summoned her husband and Jared out on stage. Nicole slinked back with Briana and Kim to watch Jensen perform from the side of the stage.

“Hello Minneapolis! How y’all doing tonight?” Jensen’s voice filled the entire auditorium. His question was met with a decibel that couldn’t be measured as the fans were ecstatic.

“So my brother Jared and I have been working on a little something for y’all. As you may have seen the footage from Australia, Jared played a little on stage. I convinced him to strap on my guitar tonight and play something. As many of you know, I met my beautiful, amazing wife, Nicole, in this very building three years ago and twelve days ago, but who’s counting?” Jensen laughed along with the crowd.

“So I wanted to do something special for her tonight to tell her how much I love her and to thank her for taking a chance on me and so much more. You guys might know this one. Maestro? Music please.” Jensen nodded and Jared began playing.

When your legs don’t work like they used to before

And I can’t sweep you off of your feet

Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love

Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks

And darling I will be loving you ‘til we’re 70

And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23

And I’m thinking ‘bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways

Maybe just the touch of a hand

Oh me I fall in love with you every single day

And I just wanna tell you I am

So honey now

Take me into your loving arms

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

Place your head on my beating heart

I’m thinking out loud

Maybe we found love right where we are

The crowd was going wild and singing along as Jared continued playing and Jensen moved across the stage, just yards away from where Nicole was standing. He reached out his hand and her body was drawn to him like a magnet. They joined hands and Jensen led Nicole back onstage with him. Rich had brought out a stool and Jensen helped her onto it before he picked the lyrics back up.

When my hair’s all but gone and my memory fades

And the crowds don’t remember my name

When my hands don’t play the strings the same way, mm

I know you will still love me the same

'Cause honey your soul can never grow old, it’s evergreen

Baby your smile’s forever in my mind and memory

I’m thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways

Maybe it’s all part of a plan

I’ll just keep on making the same mistakes

Hoping that you’ll understand

But baby now

Take me into your loving arms

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

Place your head on my beating heart

I’m thinking out loud

That maybe we found love right where we are, oh

So baby now

Take me into your loving arms

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

Oh darling, place your head on my beating heart

I’m thinking out loud

That maybe we found love right where we are

Oh maybe we found love right where we are

And we found love right where we are

Jensen finished the song, kissing his wife sweetly on the lips. The crowd gave him and Jared a standing ovation and he thanking them before pulling Nicole through the curtain with him. They both had tears in their eyes as they embraced.

~*~

Nicole and Jensen were ready for the craziness that was Sunday at a Convention with two panels for the guys, multiple photo ops and autographs. Jensen had talked with Chris and he had taken a couple of special photos for them to commemorate the day and the place they met, as well as the photo they would be using to announce their pregnancy to the world. Nicole felt better today and wore another dress similar to the one she wore to the concert.

The gold panel was almost finished and it was time for the last question.

“Hi, what’s your question?” Jared asked the fan.

“My question is for Jensen, sorry Jared.” Jared pretended to be mad, but he was having such a good time, he didn’t even care.

“Hi,” Jensen addressed her as she patiently waited.

“Hi Jensen! I was wondering when you and Nicole were going to start a family,” she asked him timidly, not wanting to get too personal.

“That is a very good question. We all know the Padalecki’s are popping out offspring left and right! Um, hey, Baby? Can you come out here please?” Jensen turned around and Nicole walked through the curtain. Jensen offered her his seat and turned back to the fan.

“You said you had a question for my wife, right?” Jensen chortled.

“Hi Nicole, I asked Jensen when you guys might start a family,” the fan repeated her question for Nicole.

“Hi, well, that is a good question. Can you guys hold on a sec? I have to go grab something.” Nicole jumped down off the stool, ran backstage and came back out with a wrapped box. She hopped back up on the stool, handed Jensen the box and took his microphone, holding it for him.

“What is this?” Jensen eyed Nicole suspiciously.

“Just open it. While you do, I am going to tell them a secret,” Nicole addressed the crowd.

“Now, I know how close we are as a family, right guys? And I know y’all can keep a secret. So what I am going to tell you cannot leave this room, alright?” Nicole hopped back down and walked along the front of the stage.

“We are getting ready to announce something big, but family deserves to know first, so I want to tell you guys, but are you going to tell anyone?” Nicole may have been small, but she commanded a presence on that stage and the crowd all shook their heads no in unison.

“That is reassuring! So guys…we’re having a baby!” Nicole exclaimed and the crowd went bezerk. Nicole held up a hand and they quieted down.

“Chris, are you ready? I have one more surprise…Jay? Did you open the box?” Nicole turned and looked at her husband who stood there with a mix of shock and fear on his face.

“Yeah, he opened it. Jay show our family what is in the box, please,” Nicole prompted Jensen as he held up the box with both hands.

In the box was a set of onesies…

Taglist - add yourself here  @padackles2010 @like-a-bag-of-potatoes @smoothdogsgirl @mamaredd123 @meeshw777 @tmccarney @milkymilky-cocopuff @iwantthedean @ashstrom87 @chelsea072498 @paintrider13-blog @zeppo-in-a-trenchcoat @spntrista @mikey2217 @d-s-winchester @scorpiongirl1 @just-another-busy-fangirl@winchesterprincessbride @gemini75eeyore @waywardjoy @katewatso @cosmicpeanuthologram @jotink78 @l8nitl0vr @supernaturalyobsessed @memphisgirl1977 @bmcnally85  @ruprecht0420 @mskitty416 @theoriginalvicki @hexparker @nanie5 @whywhydoyouwantmetosaymyname @sandlee44 @fangirl1802 @moonstar86 @raylin19 @niamandthings  @feelmyroarrrr @ellen-reincarnated1967 @kittenofdoomage @t-bear99 @hamartiamacguffin @colorfulobjectenemy @uttertrash–butlikecutetrash @sammieb1127 @evyiione @you-didnt-see-that-cuming @death2thevirgin @moshingatthedisco @tankcupcakes @winchestersmut @purgatoan @alicat-life @mogaruke @cyrilconnelly @growningupgeek @CharlieBradbury1104 @evansrogerskitten @therewillbeblood @docharleythegeekqueen @megansescape @taste-of-dean@leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid  @scarlet-soldier-in-an-impala @deathtonormalcy56 @notnaturalanahi @jensen-jarpad @impalaimagining @fangirlextraordinaire @itseverythingilike @jesspfly @love-kittykat21 @mrswhozeewhatsis @supernatural-jackles @samwinlover @27bmm @keepcalmandcarryondean @iamnotsaneatall @autopistaaningunaparte @sis-tafics @blacktithe7 @melissaj616  @emoryhemsworth @dracotomanddeansprincess23 @bringmesomepie56 @devilgirlindisguise @sams-deans-baby 

Dean/Jensen Only: @anokhi07 @perpetualabsurdity @txp87 @akshi8278  @iamabeautifulperson18 @suzannebeaketa @thing-you-do-with-that-thing 

[pilawforhire-archived]

Making sure Law is asleep - on the sofa, an open book under his limp hand - Ace grabs a lipstick he'd found on his way home and starts painting pink hearts on Law's cheeks. Were it the other way around, Law would have plenty of canvas on Ace's torso but alas, Law would not be shirtless as often as his roomie and Ace had only so much space to colour. He kept his hearts as small as the tip of the lipstick allowed.

His pulse pounded in his ears, so loud that for a second, Ace wondered if a poltergeist was hammering on their walls or an intruder had invaded their home. But Ace was a determined fellow. With a goal in mind, nothing would stop him, not even some vengeful spirit consumed by wrath. Thus, his vision tinted by a pair of swimming goggles, several beads of sweat streaming down his back under the large yellow raincoat, Ace tiptoed toward the living area in his diving fins that went flap-flap-flap. He pretended he was an underwater undercover agent, surveilling the great Roo in his afternoon slumber. Luckily for Ace, Law had passed out in a deep sleep after staying up too long and exhausting himself comatose.

Anyone familiar with Ace should know: boredom and Ace was often a disastrous recipe for quality mischief. In Ace’s defence, however, Law was presenting himself a temptable target for a harmless, innocent prank. Much like a huge, enticing puddle that beckoned one to jump in. You knew it could be dangerous but you only had one life to live! Just look at Law, sprawled out on the sofa, his head tilted so far back his neck was completely exposed. His mouth was wide open and he even snored audibly. If Ace loved Law less, he would have dumped bread into that temptable mouth that always protested so stubbornly and strongly, expressing his vehement hatred, for the ‘doughy gluten abomination’ – Law’s words.

Lipstick clutched in hand like a dagger, Ace crouched hidden behind the couch. Stealthily, with the Jaws’ theme song playing in his head, Ace rose to his feet, inch by inch by inch until the top of his head peeked out just slightly. Ace peered down at Law, and he whispered in Law’s ear, “Wakey wakey, Roo…” When Law did not budge, Ace’s smile widened with glee. “Oh, Roo. I’m gonna make you pretty.” Ace began to doodle multiple pink hearts all over Law’s face. As the number increased and Law’s cheeks were decorated with heart after heart, Ace’s heart beat faster and faster. He felt like he was on a rollercoaster climbing slowly to the top. At any moment, the plunge would happen. Law would wake and scream. Except --- Ace had no idea if he should be delighted or disappointed --- Law only stirred a little before he went back to sleep, dead like a log. Uninterrupted by the enemy, underwater undercover agent Ace concluded his mission with a hundred percent success rate stamped across his report. Beaming proudly, Ace slunk away to wait for the epic finale starring Trafarroo D. Roo.

Sleeping Beauty Law woke an hour later. He yawned loudly and stretched out satisfyingly on the sofa before he eased himself to sit upright. Blearily, he glanced around but Ace was nowhere to be seen. Law rubbed his eyes and licked his lips. A glimpse at the clock and a rumbling of his stomach suggested dinner time was close. Law dragged himself to the kitchen and dug through the cupboards and the fridge. He opened and shut the fridge door three times repeatedly until he gave up and wandered in search of Ace.

Law called out. “Hey, let’s go for d---” He didn’t have to go far. Ace bounced toward Law happily. They nearly collided before Law staggered a step back. “…Dinner…” Law continued. He eyed Ace’s expression suspiciously.

Ace had a weird look on his face. His lips were tightly pressed together. They did a little dance as Ace stared brightly at Law. Law hated being paranoid but he couldn’t help feeling like Ace was trying his hardest to suppress his laughter. Slightly unnerved, Law combed his fingers through his hair over and over until he was certain no misbehaving tuft was sticking out. Then he forced himself to drop the matter. Ace could be overly excited about the smallest things: candy, free toys, food, cartoons… The better question was, could there be anything that didn’t excite Ace?

Ace shielded his mouth with his hand. Pulling his best poker face, he said, “Wha---Roo? How was your nap? You were out a long while. I was worried I’d have to kiss you awake!”

“…It was good,” Law said flatly. There was rarely an intonation in his voice unless he was screaming bloody murder. “We’re leaving now, I’m hungry.” Law turned halfway, when Ace hastily jumped in front of him.

“Wa---Roo, don’t you think---”

“What?” Law raised an eyebrow.

“You should probably go pee? You just woke. Honestly, don’t come wailing about a bursting bladder lat---”

“I think I’m fine.” Law frowned, trying to sidestep Ace. “When have I ever complain---”

“Fine, it’s your loss!” Ace huffed, crossing his arms. So much for trying to do the good thing and warn Law about his facial graffiti. It was not his intention to embarrass Law in public. If Law allowed himself to step out the house looking like a deranged lovesick maniac, the police would be all over him in a heartbeat! “Roo, there’s someth---” The door slammed, cutting off Ace’s second attempt. Without wasting another second, Ace ran out after Law.

“Dude, I was talking! Rood!” Ace exclaimed, jogging up to Law. He gave Law’s side a playful punch. “So where are we going? In such a hurry?”

“Round the corner… Maybe the Thai place.” Law checked his watch. It was still early; the dinner crowd would not be for another hour or so, but that didn’t mean they should dally. When he needed to eat, denying himself could lead to perpetual grouchiness worse than the usual. However, a strange occurrence had Law slowing his brisk pace. As they strode down the street, Law’s hand held loosely in Ace’s, passers-by dodged them left and right like they were the plague. Law got the sense they were trapped in some nightmare, wherein one awoke and the entire human race had been invaded by aliens. Aliens controlled the minds of the humans and he and Ace were the last to be ‘infected’. Unless --- Law jerked his head toward Ace. Law swallowed hard.

Ace stared back at Law guiltily. Still, he feigned nonchalance. “What, Roo? You change your mind about going to pee? Also, did you know you have somethi---” The rest of Ace’s words were drowned out by a fleet of Harley Davidsons roaring down the road.

“No, I’m fine.” Law gave Ace one last look and convinced himself of what a ridiculous notion that was, aliens! Perhaps the mothers yanking their children away were homophobes; the elderly whispering among themselves were jealous of young love. Honestly, it was not unusual for him to garner critical glances.

The walk was a short one past several blocks. Law ignored the giggles from cliques of teenage girls and the snickers from groups of adolescent guys. Meanwhile, Ace tried --- by God, did he try --- to tell Law about the hearts drawn on his face. However, every attempt had been intercepted by some higher forces of nature or whatever. Law had probably offended some otherworldly being just by being himself and this was his retribution. Ace tried one last time.

“Roo, why don’t you stand there and I’ll take a pic of you in your handsome clothes.”

“No, don’t wanna.”

“Just stand there. It’ll only take a second!”

“I think we’ve attracted enough unhealthy attention for one evening,” Law said, as a pasty-faced goth stared at him disgustedly. Law chalked it up to his sunny yellow pullover being intensely offensive to the latter and Ace facepalmed and shut up about the matter. The damage was done… If Law found out about the hearts right there and then, after his walk of shame, he would be livid. And if Law was hungry too? The deadliest combination ever! Forget all the catastrophic nuclear reactions. If Law was going to find out about the hearts, it was best he did so on a full, satiated stomach.

The greeter received them aloofly at the Thai restaurant. After Law and the greeter exchanged sharp looks, the greeter showed Ace and Law to a table by the window and left them with menus before disappearing to tend to other customers. By then, the aroma of spicy Tom Yum soup wafted over to their table and Law was completely indifferent to the nervous looks of their waitress who took their orders as quickly as possible and scurried away. Ace felt a twinge of guilt for leaving Law like that but hey, ignorance was bliss. Their conversation went simply.

“We should try not to get thrown out---”

“Or banned,” Ace chimed in.

“Or banned before we’re halfway done with the meal.”

“I think we can manage that.”

“We’re running out of places nearby that would admit us…”

“Hey, how long do you think they’ll take to make all that food?”

“The same amount of time it takes to cook for a birthday party---not long, I hope.”

“You brought your wallet, right? You made me leave before I could grab anything---Rood.”

“Too bad, you’ll just have to work here, pay off our debts.”

Ace kicked Law lightly under the table.

“Remember what happened the last time? It started very innocently with a kick---” Law stood up abruptly. “Uh I---I’ll be right back.” He hurried toward the toilets before Ace could stop him.

Ace, watching Law disappear into the Gents, could only gulp and mutter, “Uh-oh.” Ace waved frantically to the waitress. “Hey, do you think you can serve me everything in the next five minutes before my R---friend gets back?” He couldn’t count on Law to remain calm. Sure, sometimes, Law could be entirely unfazed by things that would otherwise disconcert a person. Law could watch videos of people dying in the most gruesome ways without batting an eyelash. However, something so embarrassing would most certainly cause Law’s tightly wounded nerves to unravel. Ace glanced around a little nervously. There was a lot of glass surrounding their table. Before Law returned, he should probably leave, except that the food smelled delicious and his mouth was starting to water.

Law, struck by a sudden call of nature, shouldered past some of the wait staff and went into the Gents. He picked the urinal at the furthest end and relieved himself with a soft sigh. Another customer winked at him when he passed him by on the way to the sinks but Law shot the other customer a cold look and proceeded to wash his hands without paying the guy any mind. Law pumped some mint-scented antibacterial handsoap and lathered his tattooed fingers, taking his own sweet time before he rinsed off under the automatic tap. He scrubbed between his fingers; he gave his palms a nice massage. One of life’s greatest pleasures, often overlooked, was washing one’s hands under warm water. It could be rather soothing, oddly enough. Finally, the last step, Law shook his hands into the sink to dry off any residue water. Slowly, Law raised his gaze up. He glanced at the mirror. Law paused.

Hang on one second. The mirror --- hmm, someone had drawn hearts all over it. What an inconsiderate ass--- Ha-Hang on. The mirror---! Law took one step to the left. He took one step to the right. Oh fuck.

N-No wonder. Law cupped his face with both hands in sudden horror. His face paled. Law gaped. His reflection in the mirror would frame nicely as a painting in the Louvre. Tourists and art critics would be all gaga over it. Law felt his blood run cold. He started to wipe his cheek when he halted.

Only Ace could have drawn the hearts on his face. Had that been why everyone had avoided him? Had that been the reason for all the laughs behind his back? What an unforgivable prank! How dare Ace humiliate him like this? Law clutched the sink till his knuckles turned white. He glared at his reflection when a thought flitted through his mind.

Law’s face softened a tinge. Between them, rarely did the words ‘I love you’ get said. Was that the reason behind Ace’s mischief? Had he drawn the hearts as his way of saying ‘I love you, Roo’? Law started to rub off the lipstick again when he paused. Whatever Ace’s reason… whether Ace had meant it as an affectionate gesture… Laughs had already been had. Instead of walking out ashamed, without the doodled hearts, he would wear them with pride! For fuck’s sake. Corazon would have been proud, wouldn’t he? Nah, the man was dead. But whatever, if he could bear the weird judgmental looks from the tattoo artist, surely he could walk out with the hearts on his face and pretend all was normal. Law nodded to himself. He cocked his head to the side at the other customer staring at him from across the toilet. Law said, with an edge of a warning in his tone, “Whatcha looking at?”

The customer bolted into one of the cubicles and Law marched back to Ace confidently. So he had a dozen over hearts drawn with lipstick all over his face but he refused to let that destroy him. As long as no one got photographic evidence, any rumours would only be dismissed as such.

Ace was shovelling food into his mouth by the time Law joined him back at the table. Law slid into his seat with Ace staring at him, waiting for an outburst that never came. Ace had expected the toilet to explode with Law’s screeching. Had Law not seen the mirror at all? Otherwise, why had Law not wiped off the lipstick? Regardless, Ace said nothing else except, “Oh, Roo!! Better hurry or I’ll eat it all.”

“Hands off! You already ordered plenty for yourself,” Law whined.

“And so?”

“So leav--- Hey, did you… Did you steal my prawns?!”

“Wha---” Ace scarfed down spoonfuls of rice. The legs of the prawn dangled from his lips before he quickly sucked them into his mouth. Ace added, with his mouth full, “Huh? No, maybe they didn’t give you any prawns? Maybe the cook forgot?”

Law waved at the waitress irritably. “Hey, there’s no prawns in this. I counted none when the menu specifically stated seafood Tom Yum.”

The waitress ran off and pretended she was busy watering a fake plant.

“Rood,” Law muttered.

“Rood,” Ace agreed.

That night, fresh out of the shower, dressed in his heart-print pyjamas that matched Ace’s own, Law snuggled under the bedcovers beside Ace. He laid his head on Ace’s shoulder and closed his eyes. Law mumbled, without any other explanation, “Next time, just send me a card.”

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