"Wahh... You're so smart," Zoe said in awe as she looked over her shoulder at Teddy's close profile.

A smile tugged at the corner of Teddy's lips and he tried to hide it by resting his chin on Zoe's shoulder. She looked back down at the homework sat on the coffee table in front of them and watched as Teddy solved math question after math question. He really was good at it, solving them within minutes of reading the prompt. Zoe read the prompt and knew that it would take her four times as long to solve it as Teddy. His brain worked really quickly.

It was even surprisingly when Teddy actually got something wrong and had to erase his work. Zoe lightly gasped and brushed the eraser shavings away. "You got it wrong?"

"No," Teddy stubbornly grumbled. "Technically, I didn't get an answer so the problem wasn't finished yet. I just had to go back a few steps."

"Because you were doing it wrong," Zoe poked, feeling undeniably smug at her own teasing.

"I got distracted!"

"By what?"

"By you!"

"Then I'll leave." Zoe quickly moved to crawl out of Teddy's lap.

Teddy dropped his pencil and grabbed Zoe's waist, hauling her back into his lap before she got far. Zoe laughed at him but didn't protest. She knew he wouldn't have let her go. Teddy was too possessive to be without physical contact for more than ten minutes. Zoe hadn't expected that from him, but ever since they had returned home together, he took every opportunity to be with her and touching her in some way. It was a pleasant surprise to Zoe.

There was also something unexpected that had spawned a new surge of guilt within Zoe, now that her and Teddy were home and an official couple. Teddy used to always have Bailey on his heels, begging for his attention at all hours of the day. But now, Teddy was on Zoe's heels and begging for her attention. Bailey didn't get as much time with her uncle now that Zoe was the one hogging all of his affection.

Zoe hadn't considered it being a problem until Bailey cried at the realization that Zoe got to go to bed with Teddy and she couldn't.

"Auntie!" Bailey yelled from up the stairs. "Come here!"

"What is it, Pumpkin?" Zoe yelled back. She would have complied without question but she knew Teddy wasn't going to get her go so easily.

"Come look at my dolls! In my room!"

"Can you bring them down, please?"

There was a moment of silence as Zoe watched Teddy work and Bailey gathered a few dolls. Bailey took careful steps down the stairs with her dolls in her arms. When she got to the bottom, she raced into the living room and laid the dolls down beside Teddy and Zoe. She picked one up and showed it off, bragging about her most favorite dolls and the the clothes she picked out for the other ones. Zoe oohed and ahhed at the dolls, entertaining Bailey without leaving Teddy's lap.

"Come look at my other ones, Auntie," Bailey insisted as she clumsily gathered her dolls in her arms again.

Zoe didn't want to reject Bailey a second time so she moved to stand up. "Ah!" Teddy tightened his arm around Zoe's waist and held her place, not bothering to take his eyes off his work as he said, "give Zoe ten minutes, Pumpkin, and then she can come see you. I'm almost done."

"I don't need you to come. Only Auntie Zoe," Bailey argued, her round face scrunched in a frown.

"I know, but I need Auntie Zoe too," Teddy calmly argues back.

"She's not even doing anything! Let me have her!" Bailey complained.

Zoe sighed and shook her head. Last night, Bailey got an attitude because Zoe got to sleep with Teddy and she didn't. Now, it was because Teddy got to hog Zoe's when Bailey wanted her to see her toys. Part of Zoe was relieved that Bailey wasn't going to resent her for stealing her uncle away but now there was a whole new problem. Teddy and Zoe were both Bailey's favorites while Teddy and Zoe were each other's, which created a problem for the little one.

"I'll be right back," Zoe assured Teddy as she gently pried his arm from her waist.

Teddy groaned and watched as Zoe rose from his lap, letting his hand linger on her hip, her thigh, and down her calf before she was finally out of his reach. Even if he did feel like sulking at her absence, watching her lift Bailey into her arms so they could walk upstairs together put a smile on Teddy's face. He really liked that Bailey loved Zoe so much and he liked it even more when Zoe looked like a mother. The images it put in his head were very pleasing.

The sound of incredulous chuckling pulled Teddy from his daydreaming and he looked across the way, into the kitchen, to see Carmen shaking her head at her laptop. She was stood at the kitchen island, leaning against the counter with her chin rested in her hand as the other typed away on her laptop. Teddy glared at her, wondering if she was laughing at her computer or at him.

"If I had known you needed a girlfriend to finally be happy, I would've gone out of my way to-" Carmen began in a mocking tone before Teddy interrupted.

"I do not need a girlfriend to be happy," he argued. "Zoe made me happy long before she was my girlfriend."

Claiming Zoe was his girlfriend did put a smile back on Teddy's face, which totally contradicted what he was saying, but to Teddy, it was different. He wasn't smiling because he had a girlfriend, he was smiling because his girlfriend was Zoe. He never imagined he would ever be calling Zoe his girlfriend. Something like was a miracle in a fantasy world full of unicorns and rainbows. The smile on his face was because it wasn't fantasy, it was real, and that was incredible to him.

"Long before, huh?" Carmen absently teased, her attention still on her laptop. "I seem to recall you calling me gross when I said Zoe looked sexy in that little black dress, that time we went shopping."

Teddy frowned at the memory of that. He really was an ass and he didn't like remembering stuff like that. It brought back a flood of memories of all the other times Teddy badmouthed the love of his life.

"I had a raging boner, Carmen. I said whatever I had to in order to distract myself from how fucking beautiful she looked," Teddy said.

"Gross..." Carmen muttered under her breath, trying her best not to imagine her little brother with a "raging boner", as he called it.

"I'm just happy you're happy."

Teddy stared at Carmen without a word. He already knew what she was doing on her laptop. She had already applied to some online college classes and was impatiently stalking the website since she hadn't been fully accepted yet. Teddy was worried. It would be a lot of work for Carmen to raise two kids, take college classes, find a job, and a house. She didn't need a job or a house. Teddy and Zoe had been telling her that since she got here, but Carmen wanted it so she stressed herself out about it.

"Are you happy?" Teddy asked, worried about the possible answers.

Carmen glanced at Teddy from her place at the kitchen island. "Happy? Of course! I'm free, Teddy. I can do whatever I want."

Teddy smiled at his sister. "The endless possibilities don't stress you out?"

Carmen scoffed at the fact that she couldn't refute such an assumption. "Well... It is stressful, knowing anything could happen at any time and I have no control of the world around me... but, hell, it beats always doing the same things over and over in that penthouse, under the control of a filthy tyrant."

"So you're happy?"

Carmen gave pause, simply to wallow in the unfamiliar comfort she felt in that very moment. "I am very happy, Teddy. Happiest I've ever been, I'll say."

Knowing Carmen was happy made Teddy feel impossibly relieved. There was awhile there where Carmen had to parent Teddy during his temper tantrums, since Zoe had abandoned him and he couldn't handle it properly, and Teddy was happy that it was over now. He didn't enjoy being another one of Carmen's many, many responsibilities. But Carmen was happy and she was free and she was living her life exactly as she pleased. And it was all thanks to Zoe too.

"Oh my god! Carmen! Teddy!" Zoe shouted urgently from upstairs before the sound of bar feet patted wildly against the floors, rumbling through the ceiling. "Come here! Look at this!"

Teddy was up as soon as he heard Zoe's first exclamation, his heart pounding so fast and so loud that he almost felt like he had gone momentarily deaf. His natural reflex was to assume that somebody was in the house, had a weapon, and was going to hurt his family. The terror of that reality had Teddy bolting up the stairs faster than he could breathe, with Carmen right on his tail and clenching her chest at the pace of her own racing heart.

Teddy and Carmen burst into Bailey's room in a panic, both of them surveying the room for trouble before theirs eyes fell to floor. Zoe was sitting on the carpet with Bailey standing in front of her. Both of them were smiling and giggling, which caused the stress from Teddy and Carmen to vanish in an instant. There was no trouble. Nobody was hurt. No intruders, no weapons, no injuries. Teddy had to brace himself against the doorframe to keep himself from collapsing with relief.

"Jesus... You scared me, Zoe," Carmen sighed as she walked into the room, her hand still clenching her chest. "What's going on in here?"

"Look at this." Zoe turned to Bailey and gently tilted her chin up to Carmen. "Show mommy your tooth, Pumpkin."

Bailey opened her mouth as wide as she could and used her little fingers to wiggle one of her canines. Carmen gasped and bent over to take Bailey's face between her hands before she reached to gently wiggle the tooth herself. It was true. Bailey had her first loose tooth. Carmen wanted to cry, over a tooth. Her heart was so full, she felt like bursting.

"Oh my god! My baby is loosing her first tooth? Oh my god!" Carmen cried as she lifted Bailey into her arms. Bailey giggled as Carmen nuzzled against her. "Please, stop growing..."

"Let me see, Pumpkin." Teddy stood behind Carmen to peer into Bailey's mouth.

Bailey showed Teddy her tooth and he bellowed in surprise and celebration, causing Bailey to laugh and clap at his reaction. Zoe shook her head but couldn't stop smiling. No wonder Teddy was her favorite. He made her feel like the whole world.

"Want me to tie her tooth to a door and yank it out right now?" Teddy asked Carmen, who was still squeezing Bailey with watery eyes.

"No! Absolutely not!" Carmen cried.

"At least wait until it's ready. It's barely wiggling," Zoe casually argued.

"Zoe!" Carmen gasped.

"What? Kenneth did that with one of my teeth. It's not that bad."

"Nobody is using a door to pull a tooth out of my baby's head," Carmen declared as she waltzed out of the room with Bailey in her arms. "I need to check on Malik."

"For what? To make sure teeth aren't falling out of his head? They're barely even coming in," Teddy joked.

"Shh!" Carmen retorted as she left.

Teddy chuckled at his sister's overprotective, motherly instincts. She was so attached to her babies, as someone who used to be trapped in a house with them since giving birth, there was no doubt she'd be a helicopter parent. The good news was that Teddy and Zoe weren't any of the sort so Bailey and Malik would at least have a cool aunt and uncle to run to when Carmen got a little too overbearing.

Teddy stayed leaned against the door frame as he watched Zoe collect Bailey's dolls to put them away. Bailey really was spoiled because Carmen and Zoe were always cleaning up after her. Not that Teddy wasn't guilty of spoiling Bailey, himself. Zoe didn't even seem like she minded cleaning up. She took her time, admired the dolls and all the toys scattered around them since she never had stuff like this as a kid. When Zoe realized how much stuff there actually was to clean up, she paused to pull the hair tie from her wrist and gather her hair into a high ponytail.

Zoe caught sight of Teddy out of the corner of her eye as she twisted her hair into the tie and offered him a smile. "You're not going to help? Just going to stand there staring at me?"

"I was taught not to touch artwork while admiring it." Teddy smirked with a smug pop of his eyebrow.

"The toys are art?" Zoe scoffed as her hands fell to her hips.

"No. I was just trying to be corny." Teddy pushed off the door frame and stalked into the room. Zoe's eyes followed him, even when he got so close that she had to tilt her chin up to look him in the eyes. "I like your hair up like that."

"You like it better than when my hair's down?"

Teddy took in a reluctant breath, nodding and bobbing his head as if truly contemplating the question. When Zoe smiled and shook her head at his acting, he reflected the happy expression and grabbed her hips to pull her closer. Zoe stumbled forward until she was pressed against him but didn't move to touch him or break eye contact. He was so clingy, it was as adorable as it was amusing.

"I don't care what you do with it. I think you're beautiful, no matter what," Teddy said.

Zoe felt a warmth settle in her chest at Teddy's compliment. Not only was he clingy but he was also full of compliments. Zoe liked this Teddy a lot. "You wanna make out?" Zoe whispered.

"Always," Teddy emphatically proclaimed as he lifted Zoe into his arms and waltzed out of the room with her.

Zoe wrapped her arms and legs around Teddy and happily giggled as he carried her down the hallway. Teddy tried to kiss her on their way to his room but she teased him but nipping gently at his bottom lip. Teddy groaned and lifted a hand to grab the back of her neck and bring her into a kiss. Zoe moaned and melted against him, taking the kiss slow and savoring every stroke of his skillful tongue.

"Auntie!" A little, high pitched voice yelled from downstairs, effectively breaking their intimidate moment. "Auntie Zoe! Come here!"

Teddy stopped just before his bedroom and groaned from deep within his chest. Zoe sighed and rested her forehead against Teddy's as they quietly breathed in each other's embrace.

It was hard to have a moment of intimacy in a house with needy little kids. It was inconvenient, but at the end of the day, Bailey and Malik were worth the interruptions. As much as Zoe loved Teddy, she would happily run to Bailey whenever she was called. This was Zoe's first time having a family, after all. There was no way she was going to ignore Bailey. She could make out with Teddy later, or tomorrow, but Bailey would only be this small and this clingy for so long, so Zoe wanted to savor it while she could.

"I should go see what she wants," Zoe whispered and gently nudged Teddy's nose with her own, wishing she could be in his arms and kiss his delicious lips forever.

Teddy moaned, nipping desperately at Zoe's lip before opening his eyes to meet hers. "Before you do, agree to run away with me this weekend."

Zoe perked up with intrigue. That sounded vaguely romantic. Did he want to elope and get married somewhere? Zoe would be down for that in a heartbeat. Dreams of marrying Teddy had clouded her mind since the moment she laid eyes on him. All he had to was say the word.

"Run away with you? What do you have in mind?" Zoe whispered, her milky brown eyes twinkling wonder.

Teddy smirked as he admired the beautiful woman in his arms and said, "an empty studio, plenty of blankets, candles, rose petals, a picnic basket, mind blowing sex. Zero interruptions, zero cameras, zero responsibilities."

Zoe purred happily at the proposal as she caressed the back of Teddy's neck, dragged her hand over his wide shoulder, and then down his firm bicep. "That sounds like it could be romantic."

"I'll make sure it is." Teddy placed a sweet, gentle, longing kiss on Zoe's lips. "Now tell me you'll come."

Zoe smirked and dug her nailed into Teddy's arm as she dragged it down his skin. "I'll come," Zoe said in her sexiest, most arousing, breathy tone she could muster.

Teddy shivered as Zoe's voice slithered down his spine and curled around his cock. His arms subconsciously tightened around her and his hand on her ass flexed to squeeze the bit of fat there. Zoe's smirk only broadened as she soaked in the heat radiating from Teddy's eyes. He looked like he was losing his grip on reality and Zoe found it wildly entertaining. She had an undeniable affect on him and she was flattered, especially since he could get her hot and bothered just as easily.

"Auntie!!" Bailey shouted with even more ferocity.

Teddy broke from his trance with a deep, husky chuckle and reluctantly dropped Zoe to her feet. Zoe stared up at him, wishing they didn't have to part and they could start their romantic weekend now. Teddy's proposal sounded really nice and romantic but they could be trapped in a dumpster and Zoe would still be falling head over heels for just his smile.

"This weekend..." Teddy muttered, mostly to himself, as he stared—eyes hooded with lust— at his beautiful girlfriend. Zoe shyly bit down on her bottom lip, ducked her head, and took a few hurried steps away. Zoe's flustered reaction sparked a new surge of arousal through Teddy and he caught her wrist before she got too far, instantly stopping her to add, "and tonight."

Zoe fought a blush, looked over her shoulder to make sure Bailey wasn't too close by, and whispered, "after we put Bailey to bed and make sure she's asleep. And no sex. Just... maybe some of the other stuff..."

Another deep chuckle rumbled in Teddy's chest as a smile broke across his face. Teddy pulled Zoe back to him to steal another kiss, but their lips didn't get the chance to collide before a small voice rang out behind them.

"Auntie! What are you doing?" Bailey dramatically cried.

Zoe turned to look down the hallway just as Bailey stumbled up the steps. Teddy spotted Bailey, giving one last sigh, and dropped his hand from Zoe's wrist. He hated letting her go.

"Auntie, come on!" Bailey whined as she trudged dramatically towards her aunt. She grabbed Zoe's hand and pulled her away from Teddy and down the hallway. Zoe waved at Teddy and he leaned against the door frame before waving back at her.

-

Fisher couldn't stop staring. There were people everywhere, there was music blasting, people jumping into Garrett's pool, and he just couldn't do anything but stare. Liam was standing right there, talking to an older family member with his wife, and smiling carelessly. Fisher and Liam greeted each other at the door when Fisher arrived at Garrett's birthday party, but they hadn't so much as locked eyes since. Fisher wasn't a big deal with Liam but Liam was a big deal to Fisher.

After all, Fisher's boyfriend was in love with him.

"Aren't you gonna swim?" Someone asked in the opposite direction of Fisher's staring. Fisher turned to see Jessica smiling at him as she combed her soaking wet hair back, causing mini streams of water to slide down her half naked body. "You're wearing trunks."

Fisher looked down at said trunks and shrugged. The fact that he wore them here let everyone know he wanted to swim, but he couldn't get himself to get up from his seat. Jessica didn't like that answer though, and grabbed Fisher's arm.

"Come on, Fish! We're gonna play chicken when Garrett's done talking to his grandma," Jessica said as she tugged Fisher forward.

Jessica and Fisher weren't super close but they did share a class with Garrett so Jessica thought otherwise. "No, I'm alright. Really, Jess..."

Jessica let go of Fisher's arm as her happy smile slipped from her features. She lazily tossed her arms out, her expression clearly impatient. "Come on. You're really not gonna hang out with us? You're just gonna sulk?"

"He's not sulking," another person blurted. Fisher turned to see Tyler hanging on the edge of the pool as he stared up at Fisher and Jessica. "He probably got his ass blown out by his boyfriend last night and can't swim."

Fisher glared at Tyler and raised his middle finger in response. Jessica cocked an eyebrow at Tyler before she turned the confused and surprised expression towards Fisher. "You have a boyfriend? Like... you're gay?"

"Uhh.. yeah.." Fisher shrugged. Admittedly, coming out to everyone he ever talked to was one of his least favorite conversation topics. Part of him wished he could just get a rainbow sticker and slap it on his forehead so people stopped being so surprised every time.

"Oh..." Jessica frowned and awkwardly stepped away from Fisher. "Then, I guess I'll leave you alone."

Fisher watched Jessica as she turned and skipped away to join her friends in the pool. He hadn't actually realized it until now but Jessica might have been trying to flirt with him. It was either that or she was homophobic. There wasn't much else that would make her pout and then run off so quickly. Fisher didn't really care. He was too caught up in the fact that his boyfriend's dream guy was standing twenty feet away.

Fisher had completely forgotten about Liam until he came here. He forgot Garrett even had a brother. Once Fisher saw him, he was reminded of a lot of things. Howl and Garrett knew each other from childhood, which was how Fisher was introduced to Howl in the first place. Liam was apparently the only person that called Howl by his real name as well, which only agitated Fisher further. He didn't even call Howl by his real name. Why didn't he call Howl by his real name? It's not like Howl told him not to. Would Howl like him more if Fisher did call him by his real name, since he was in love with Liam?

As if summoned by Fisher's troubled thoughts, Howl burst through the sliding glass door of the house with pizza boxes in hand. Franky and Kaliyah followed, looking around until they spotted Garrett's parents. Fisher sat up in his seat, surprised to see them. He didn't know Howl was coming to this. He watched in awe as Howl's moms skipped towards the parents and Howl made his way to Liam and his wife without skipping a beat.

Fisher slumped into his seat when he spotted the ear to ear grin on Howl's face as he so joyously greeted Liam. Of course, Liam just had to be the first person Howl gave his attention to. Fisher tried to convince himself that Howl didn't know he was here, so he couldn't prioritize him if he didn't know, but Fisher's jealousy was getting the better of him. He hated to think about all the hearts circling Howl's head as he chatted so casually with Liam.

"Thank god!" Garrett exclaimed as he snatched the pizza boxes from Howl's hands and darted away. "Howl, you're a lifesaver!"

"Garrett! The grease!" His mother protested.

Fisher snorted a laugh and watched as Garrett brought the pizza to the edge of the pool for his friends. Garrett's parents didn't want to feed a bunch of children junk food so they went out of their way to get extra healthy, and extra disgusting, food. Even the birthday cake was sugar and gluten free. Since Howl had known them for so long, he came prepared with the cheesiest and greasiest pizza he could find. Garrett appreciated it but his parents sure didn't.

As Howl watched Garrett run off with his pizzas, his eyes widened with he spotted Fisher. He didn't know Fisher was coming to Garrett's party. He would have picked him up so they could ride here together. They could have come as a couple. The thought put a smile on Howl's face. To be fair, just seeing his little Fish put a smile on his face.

Excusing himself from Liam and his new wife, Howl waltzed excitedly towards Fisher. Their eyes were locked the entire time Howl made his way over and the frown on Fisher's face slowly lifted as Howl got closer. Fisher couldn't help himself. It was always hard to be upset when Howl was around, smiling and hopping and being the huge doofus that he was.

"Hey, hot stuff." Howl curled his bottom lip between his teeth before he leaned over to plant a kiss on Fisher's temple.

Fisher was a little more reluctant to show affection in front of so many people so he simply sat up in his chair and reached to grab the belt loop of Howl's jeans. "Hey, Emmitt."

Howl's eyebrows raised as his posture did, his brown eyes bouncing between Fisher's. Howl didn't expect that.

"What? I can't call you that?" Fisher asked, his gaze briefly shifting to Liam.

Howl looked over his shoulder at Liam before his mouth fell open in realization. When he turned to Fisher again, he was chuckling low in his chest. The charming smile on his face and the fact that he could see right through Fisher made him blush. Fisher dropped his finger from Howl's belt loop and tried to look away from him, as if he was distracted by his friends in the pool, but his blush was as obvious as his jealousy. The reaction only flared even more when Howl lowered himself to kneel beside Fisher's chair.

"I don't love him anymore, Fish," Howl whispered, his charming smile unmoving. "To be honest, I'm not sure I ever loved him. It was a childish crush, really. Nothing compared to how I feel about you."

Fisher's blush deepened and he reached for his ear when he realized they felt just as hot as his cheeks. As nonchalant as possible, Fisher muttered, "yeah, I know... I didn't say you did love him."

"But you're jealous," Howl said, leaning even closer to Fisher.

Fisher awkwardly cleared his throat and put a hand on Howl's chest to keep some distance between them. That only made Howl chuckle even more and Fisher could feel it against his fingertips. "I am not jealous. I just think... if you're my boyfriend... I should get to call you by your real name."

"You can. Whenever you want. But you don't have to call me Emmitt for me to like you. I'm already in love with you."

Fisher averted his eyes from Howl to keep from blushing, though he was fighting a losing battle. As long as Howl was looking at Fisher with that glint in his eyes and the smile on his face, Fisher was damned to blush forever.

"Yeah, I get it..." Fisher murmured  as he squirmed anxiously in his seat.

Howl couldn't stop himself from grinning even wider. "Kiss me."

Fisher rejected that idea almost instantly. "No."

"Kiss me. If you won't admit you're in love with me too, at least show some affection."

"No. My friends and your parents are here. It's inappropriate."

"Bullshit," Howl whispered. Fisher finally looked at Howl again and wasn't surprised to see he was still grinning like a fool. "Kiss me, Fish."

"No." Fisher turned away again, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Kiss me."

"Not happening."

"Fine."

At Howl's relent, Fisher looked back at him. Before Fisher could catch his lie, Howl grabbed Fisher's face and planted his lips on him. Fisher grabbed Howl's wrists to try and push him away but Howl only deepened the kiss in an attempt to catch him off guard. Fisher didn't let Howl get the best of him though, and eventually managed to shove him away.  Howl snickered and tried to escape before Fisher could retaliate but that only gave Fisher an easier opportunity to stand up and push him with his hands on his chest.

Howl easily fell backwards from Fisher's push and went tumbling into the pool with a loud splash. With a mouthful of pizza, Garrett threw both fists up and cheered. Others in the pool gasped and laughed as well. Fisher stood at the edge of the pool and waited with a smile on his face for Howl to resurface. When he did, that familiar charming expression broke across his face in a millisecond. Fisher held his chin high and proud as he watched Howl tread water in all his clothes, like the fool that he was.

"I have my phone on me, Fish." Though smiling, Howl's words sounded like a threat.

Fisher shrugged. "I was being assaulted."

"Assaulted? I recall you enjoying it quite a lot the last time I assaulted you." Howl teased, causing the others around them to laugh.

Fisher's proud smirk vanished as his cheeks flushed once more. Howl chuckled at Fisher's reaction and reached to tear his soaked shirt over his head, revealing the tattoo on his chest and all his glowing, dark skin. He then reached for his phone and his wallet, slapping them on the edge of the pool before he reached his hand out towards Fisher.

"Come on. Help me out of here," Howl playfully demanded.

Fisher scoffed and dropped his arms from his chest. "I'm not that stupid, Howl. I mean, I know it doesn't seem like it because I'm dating you, of all people, but it's true."

"Ooh, burn..." someone whispered from behind Fisher, making his proud smirk return in an instant.

Howl's charming expression shifted as his eyes narrowed and he nibbled thoughtfully at one of his lip piercings. "Fine. At least, take these. Put them on a towel for me," Howl requested as he pushed his wet shirt, wallet, and phone towards Fisher. "It's the least you could do."

A small twinge of guilt pricked at Fisher's heart as he realized he might've actually ruined Howl's things and Howl might've actually been pissed about it. The hint of something fierce in Howl's eyes gave that much away. All of sudden, Fisher wasn't too proud of his jab about being stupid enough to date Howl. He had a bit more of a conscience than he wanted to admit and it was very disappointed in him right now.

"Alright. It's the least I could do," Fisher murmured as he stepped forward.

Howl watched Fisher take careful steps forward and fought a smirk when he slowly knelt to collect Howl's things. He knew to be careful around Howl's conniving ass. It wasn't enough though, because Howl was quick enough to push himself up from the edge of the pool to grab Fisher's arm and pull him in. Fisher flew over Howl's head and crashed into the water. The others in and around the pool that were watching their exchange laughed and clapped at Howl's quick reflexes.

Fisher resurfaced with a gasp, treading water as he wiped water from his face and out of his hair. At the sight of Howl's ear to ear grin, Fisher splashed water at him. "Asshole."

Howl ran a hand down his face to rid of the water as he laughed. "Trust me, I know."

Fisher shook his head and took wide strokes through the water to get to Howl and the edge of the pool. Fisher rested there for a moment, his eyes scanning the party to see just how many people were watching them. One by one, his friends lost interest and returned to crowding around the pizza. Meanwhile, the older folk near the house chatted idly among themselves without a care in the world of who was in the pool. Though Kaliyah and Franky stole a glance and a wave at Fisher before they returned to their conversation.

Fisher awkwardly waved back and did one more scan. Nobody was paying attention. Turning back to Howl, Fisher braced himself on Howl's shoulder and leaned in to plant the quickest kiss on his lips. Howl hummed in satisfaction, his eyes dropping to Fisher's lips as he licked his own. Even though they were in public, Fisher couldn't help himself. Howl looked really, really hot with water dripping down his face and making his dark complexion glow so beautifully.

"Do it again," Howl purred, his eyes hooded with lust.

Fisher chuckled and pushed off Howl's shoulder to grab the edge of the pool and pull himself out. "Don't be greedy."

"Tease!" Howl shouted back at him.

Fisher happily chuckled as he looked back at Howl but quickly raised his head again, flinching when he spotted Kaliyah rushing directly at him with the same ear to ear smile that Howl always wore. Before Fisher could react, Kaliyah had his face between her hands.

"Hello!" Kaliyah squealed. "It's so good to see you again, Fisher. Why haven't you come by recently?"

"Probably because you baby him," Franky said as he grabbed Kaliyah's hands and physically returned them to her wives side. She then flashed Fisher a polite smile. "Hello, Fisher. Do you need a towel, sweetheart?"

"You're offering him a towel?" Howl exclaimed from the pool with his arms out wide. "He pushed me in the pool in all my clothes! My phone and wallet are soaked!"

Kaliyah waved a hand dismissively at Howl and hurried to grab a nearby towel. Fisher stayed completely still and perpetually nervous as Kaliyah wrapped a towel around his shoulders and tucked it into his hands. Howl's moms liked him so much that Fisher was always scared of saying or doing something that would disappoint them. Kaliyah's constant gushing over him and his relationship with her son also made him extremely embarrassed.

"Thank you," Fisher muttered to Kaliyah as he clenched the towel in front of his chest. "It's nice to see you both again."

Franky nodded at Fisher, silently accepting his greeting, and then moved to grab another towel and help Howl out of the pool. Kaliyah couldn't help but fix Fisher's wet hair as she said, "the next time you come to the apartment, you should stay and play Mario Kart with us. We play every Thursday but we can make an exception if you come another day."

Fisher stole a desperate glance at Howl as Franky wrapped a towel around him. Howl scoffed at his over-eager mother and hurried to his boyfriend's rescue. "You don't have to agree to that, Fish."

"Oh, come on! We have so much fun! We order take-out, play a few races, and the winner doesn't have to do dishes for a week. But, I guess, you wouldn't have to worry about that..." Kaliyah frowned as she realized she wasn't doing a very good job at persuasion. "You know what? Come over and play, and if you win, we'll think of something then. You can have a second serving of desert or something."

A smile broke across Fisher's face as he chuckled at Kaliyah's proposal. He really liked that Kaliyah liked him so much, since she was so nice and funny (and his boyfriend's mother), even if it did intimidate him sometimes. It wasn't like Fisher didn't want to play because he didn't like Howl's moms, he was just nervous. Howl thought differently though, and placed himself between Fisher and his mother.

"Don't pressure him, mom. He doesn't want to play," Howl grumbled.

"No, it's okay." Fisher placed a hand on Howl's arm to move him out of the way, since he was stood in front of Fisher like he was protecting him from a predator. Fisher pushed his nerves down and forced a calm smile. "I think it'd be fun..."

"You don't have to be nice about it, Fish." Howl turned back to his mother. "Mom-"

"No, really," Fisher insisted, drawing curious looks from Howl and his mothers. "I think... it'd be fun. And... I'm free Thursday."

Howl, Kaliyah, and Franky were silent as they absorbed Fisher's reluctant answer. Howl was surprised that is shy, nervous boyfriend was agreeing to spend an evening playing video games with his parents. Fisher wouldn't even admit he loved Howl yet, but he was better at showing it through his actions anyways. That made Howl happy, as did the idea of including Fisher in Thursday night Mario Kart with his moms.

It was a tradition they hadn't shared with anyone else, but Howl was more than excited to share it with Fisher, if he truly wanted. And by the grin on Kaliyah's face, it was obvious she was just as excited too.

"Okay! That's so fun! I'm so excited!" Kaliyah cheered with rapid clapping of her hands.

Franky smiled fondly at her wife and took one of her hands before pointing towards the older folks. "Okay, honey, there's Garrett's aunt. We never thanked her for the gift she sent after our wedding, which she wasn't happy about not being invited to, so we should at least say hello..."

Kaliyah looked in the direction that Franky was pointing and cringed. "Oh, you're right... Okay... Gotta go, Fisher. Can't wait to see you Thursday. Dress comfy."

Fisher and nodded, staying close to Howl's side as he waved at his mothers. With a proud smile, Howl slung his arm over Fisher's shoulder. He was proud of his cute little boyfriend for agreeing to something that would probably make him stop breathing, as he often did. After all, the last time Fisher ran into Howl's mother, he was a panicked mess. Fisher didn't have to say it. Howl knew he loved him. He wouldn't agree to something like this if he wasn't.

"My hands are shaking," Fisher said to Howl as he raised a hand to show him.

Howl chuckled at the subtle tremble of Fisher's hand and gently grabbed it to place a kiss on his knuckles. Fisher smiled at him, his eyes dazzling, making Howl's heart race. Fisher was so adorable, it made Howl melt into a pile of sappy goo.

"When you come over on Thursday, you wanna spend the night?" Howl asked, his voice low but suggestive.

Fisher blushed and stole a glance at Kaliyah and Franky. "They didn't say I could... and wouldn't that be weird? Would they even say yes?"

Howl shrugged. "I don't see why they'd say no. My mother loves you. She might give us a super awkward, embarrassing lecture before we go to bed, but before and after that will be fun."

"Right... Just a few minutes of humiliation..." Fisher muttered to himself, letting his mind wander to explore what that few minutes would be like.

Fisher could only imagine the kind of things Kaliyah would warm them not to do that night. Kaliyah would so obviously know what they planned on doing when he asked to spend the night. Fisher wouldn't want to do anything too graphic with parents sleeping in the other room but he already Howl didn't give a shit. He'd probably coach him into something that would cause an accidental moan to escape. And then Fisher would sink into hell before he could even blink.

Looking Howl's parents in the eye after that would be physically impossible. Especially if Kaliyah warned them not to do anything dirty beforehand. Fisher already couldn't breathe just thinking about it.

"No. We can't do that. No sleepover," Fisher declared with a shiver, both because his wet clothes were making him cold and because the image put in his head horrified him.

"It won't be as bad as you think," Howl insisted.

"No, no, no. I can't do it."

"Then I'll just have to convince you," Howl purred as he leaned in to playfully nip at Fisher's ear, which made him flinch away and shiver.

Howl could only chuckle. Fisher was always so shy when they were out in public, but it was Howl's favorite place to tease him. It earned him a lot of glares though. The scowl on Fisher's face was almost permanently glued to his face before he realized someone was approaching him and Howl. When he looked, his face drained of blood when he realized it was Liam. Something about the guy, maybe his height or masculinity or the fact that Howl was obsessed with him, made Fisher's heart race.

"Hey guys," Liam casually greeted as he stepped up to Fisher and Howl. His eyes lingered on Fisher before he said, "I just wanted to apologize for getting involved at that party a few months ago. I don't know if you've already forgotten about it or maybe you've hated me since but... I'm sorry either way. Kinda felt like I was overstepping my bounds..."

Fisher was silent, unable to form coherent thoughts. He didn't really have anything to say. He eventually looked up at Howl, hoping he had something to say about this so that Fisher didn't have to. Howl caught sight of Fisher's clueless expression and threw an arm around his shoulder before offering Liam a smile.

"It's all in the past. No big deal. Fish and I are in a very different place than we were then, anyways." Howl was always an easygoing person so it wasn't hard to believe him when he brushed the whole thing off like that.

Liam nodded, a glint in his eyes as if he was remembering the last conversation he had with Howl. He said was in love with Fisher the last time they spoke and Howl and Fisher were together now, so they really must be in a different place. That was a relief to Liam. A few things had happened that made Liam feel like an unnecessary third party in their relationship, so he was glad they were okay now.

"Well, good. I'm happy for you guys." Liam smiled, his eyes bouncing between Howl and Fisher. His smile only broadened when he reached to slap a hand on top of Howl's head. "You look so grown up when you're in love."

Fisher frowned as he watched Liam put his hand all over his boyfriend's head. He didn't hate the guy but there was something about him that rubbed Fisher the wrong way. Maybe it was just his own jealousy that made him dislike the guy. After all, he seemed nice. Howl could already tell Fisher didn't like Liam though, and decided to push Liam's hand away so he didn't infuriate his boyfriend. When Liam's hand fell and he chuckled, Howl held Fisher even closer to him.

"I'm happy for you too, Liam. Nancy is great," Howl said.

"Yeah, yeah, she's amazing. I've actually been meaning to tell you, Nancy got accepted for a job at a marine sanctuary in Florida, so we'll be moving down there this fall," Liam explained.

"Oh," Howl said, falling into a whirlpool of thoughts.

Fisher looked up at Howl, trying to figure out if the absent look in his eyes was because he was devastated that the love of his life was moving across the continent from him. Howl's expression was blank and unreadable though. He was shocked and felt a bit remorseful, but only because Liam had been such a big part of Howl's life for so long. He didn't like him anymore. It wasn't that. It was just weird. Howl had liked him forever, had been fawning over him forever. Now he was married and was moving away and would probably build a family. It was strange. It was surreal.

"That should be fun," Howl finally said with a weak smile. He looked dazed, which didn't end up making Fisher jealous. He actually felt kind of bad seeing Howl like this. "You've got a whole new chapter of your life ahead of you. That's exciting."

Liam chuckled. "So do you, Emmitt," he said with a nod at Fisher.

Fisher blushed. Liam made it sound like they were getting married or something. He was really only referring to how much Howl had grown. Howl's life was changing. So much so that he realized what love was. He was growing and Liam was proud of him because he wasn't doing such a bad job at it.

"I'm gonna let your moms know so they don't scold me for being the last ones in the know." Liam chuckled and turned to walk away. "See ya later, Emmitt. Nice to see you again, Fisher."

Fisher gave a little wave and watched Liam skip up to Franky and Kaliyah. They greeted him with smiles and instantly dove into a conversation, as if Liam was a long time friend that they always enjoyed talking to. Fisher kind of wished he could talk to Kaliyah and Franky that easily. After all, they were his boyfriend's parents, even though they had known Liam much longer.

Fisher looked at Howl again and frowned when he realized Howl still looked dazed and distracted. Placing a hand on Howl's chest, Fisher whispered, "you okay?"

Howl shook himself out of his thoughts and flashed Fisher a forced smile. "Yeah, I'm good. Why wouldn't I be? It's nothing."

Fisher scoffed. "I know you were in love with the guy, Howl. I may be jealous but I'm not a monster. Liam means something to you. That's okay. As long as... I mean more..."

Howl's smile turned genuine as he seeped his fingers into Fisher's soaked hair and placed a kiss on his forehead. "You do mean more to me, Fish. I love you, and I don't love him. It's just..." Fisher turned to stand in front of Howl, leaving a small gap between them so Fisher could lay his cold fingers on his warm, muscular skin. "I don't know... It's weird. Ever since I was, like, eight... I pictured us together. That was always it for me. But I suppose it's okay because now you're it for me."

Fisher blushed as he fought the smile creeping onto his face. He kept his head down as he felt up Howl's abs. "I'm it for you...? Really?"

"Fisher, I'm in love with you. That means I want to keep you for a very, very long time," Howl explained with a bit of impatience in his voice. "God, Fish, it's like you don't listen to me when I tell you these things."

Fisher chuckled and snaked his hands around Howl's waist. He was so pleased and giddy that he didn't even care that they were in public. Most of the people here knew they were together anyways. Fisher could hug his boyfriend all he wanted. It wasn't like they were making out.

"I kind of like that idea, actually..." Fisher shyly murmured.

Howl grinned and wrapped his arm, and his towel, around Fisher, effectively wrapping him in a warm cocoon that he was hidden inside. "Yeah? Does that mean I'm it for you too?"

Fisher shrugged as he hugged Howl tighter. "I don't know.. I guess.. Maybe."

Howl happily chuckled. He really did have the cutest boyfriend on the planet. He couldn't help himself from ducking his head under his towel and tilting Fisher's head up so he could kiss him. Fisher kissed him back, feeling bold under their towel, which shielded them from prying eyes.

I really missed Howl and Fisher so I wanted to give them some pages, even if they got more than Zoe and Teddy. This little portion of the book is gonna be fun and cute and sappy and nobody's gonna die so don't worry guys. I just think we all need some good in our life right now, as do they. Won't last forever though, unfortunately.

What kind of cute or R-rated scenes do you wanna see from the gang?