Opossum Five

He hadn't felt so relaxed in years.

The bed was so comfortable.

The temperature in the room? Perfect.

And the gentle feeling of someone running their fingers through his hair just light enough to be soothing, but not fully wake him? Bliss.

Even his cat was content and began curling and uncurling the fingers of his left hand in the soft fur of the plush he was snuggling. The texture making his feline purr happily through his slightly-parted lips.

"Sweet Ren..."

Ian purred louder as he nuzzled his face into the stuffed animal and curled up a bit more. He didn't remember having a blanket over him, but he could feel its softness against his arms and legs.

"Comfy, sweetheart?" Grim asked as his hand wandered downward along Ian's cheek, then gently grasped the tip of his nose.

"As much as I could watch you sleep all night, we have to go eat, babe."

Ian's stomach growled loudly in response, making Grim chuckle quietly and squeeze the tip of his nose a little.

"Let me take my gorgeous chain-wielder out to dinner, hmm?"

Ian finally blinked open his eyes slowly, then look up at Grim, who was evidently lying next to him, propping himself up on his elbow with a smirk that fit him far too well.

At first, Ian froze, startled by the man's proximity, but he quickly relaxed as Grim moved his hand from his nose to his cheek, then rubbed it gently with his thumb.

"I was thinking, let's go to a big Chinese buffet down the street? They have tons of good stuff and I can put it all in your mouth until you can't handle anymore," he goaded as he squeezed Ian's cheek.

Ian's heart thumped hard in his chest, but he knew that Grim was just trying to provoke him into blushing.

Pressing his nose into the stuffed possum he still held in his arms, he replied with a sleepy yet firm voice.

"I'll let you fill it with anything you'd like."

Grim's smirk faltered slightly as his eyes widened the slightest fraction.

"Oh?" he rasped as he leaned closer, moving his fingers along Ian's jawline until he could grip his chin.

"Anything?" Grim asked quietly as he leaned over him slightly, then nuzzled his nose partially against the stuffed animal and partially against Ian's burning cheek.

His stomach twisted with nervousness as a yawn forced him to open his mouth a little... only to feel something soft brush against a few of his upper teeth before quickly withdrawing!

His mind short-circuited for a solid ten seconds before he clamped his jaw shut with a loud, startled squeak!

He sat up moment's later, holding one hand over his mouth as the other held up part of his weight.

Grim was nonchalantly grinning down at him, having gotten up while Ian was resetting his brain. It was still tweaking a bit, too, because Grim was now licking his own lower lip slowly.

So hot...

"You did say anything. I just wanted a taste," Grim said when Ian continued to silently stare up at him.

I... you...

"Alright babe, time to go get dinner," Grim said as he walked over to a small dresser and picked up something that had been folded on top of it, then returned and promptly tugged it over Ian's head.

"I washed your clothes since you slept for four hours," Grim said as he helped him settle it on himself correctly, then tugged him up onto his feet.

The guy then looked further down on him, drawing Ian's attention downward until he noticed the shorts he'd borrowed from Grim.

"O-oh," he said as he quickly grabbed the waistband, but stopped right before he was going to yank them off.

Slowly looking up, he met Grim's entertained eyes and impish grin. He opened his mouth to ask him why he was staring, but then slowly closed it and averted his eyes.

Does he actually want to look? He'd said that he wasn't gay, but then he just put his tongue in my mouth and n—Grim turned around, giving him his back.

Ian frowned and his brow furrowed, further confused.

He didn't comment on the man's response, however, and instead just quickly changed into the pants Grim had tossed onto the bed beside him a moment ago.

"O-okay," he mumbled in a rather late response as he finished buttoning his pants, then smoothed his shirt down comfortably over them.

Grim immediately turned around again once he was done, then gave him a quick appraising look before nodding... and reaching out toward the stuffed possum that Ian was somehow still holding.

Oh yeah.

Ian held it out to him, but retracted his hand a second before Grim could grab the plush.

"Wasn't he wearing a collar? I was going to check what you named him..." he asked as he looked through the thick fur around its neck that had clearly been displaced by something pressing against it for a long while.

Grim was silent for a moment before stepping closer and gently taking the stuffed animal from him.

"He doesn't have a name. Don't worry about him," he said before setting the plush on the pillow on the bed, then turning to offer Ian a hand.

"Let's go eat, hmm?"

Ian stared at the possum for a few more moments before taking Grim's hand and allowing himself to be lead out of the room.

The gym was quieter now, but there were still a good amount of people working out. The lights had dimmed in a few rooms, including the one Grim had been teaching in earlier, leaving the atmosphere more relaxed.

He wasn't normally someone who ever considered going to a gym since he was always working or on the game helping Grim, but he could definitely see himself going if Grim wanted to workout with him.

I need to start looking for another job...

Grim started swinging their joined hands as they walked, distracting Ian enough to bring him out of his stressful thoughts rather quickly.

"How long will it take you to get to your other job from here tomorrow?" Grim asked, making Ian chew on his lip for a moment as he considered where he was.

To his surprise, it wouldn't be too bad.

Looking back at Grim, he gave a small smile and replied, "about the same amount of time from my apartment. An hour or so."

It would be an easier trip, too, though a tiny bit more expensive, since he would be riding the train instead of walking.

"Cool, then you'll stay at my place tonight," Grim said nonchalantly, making Ian's eyes go wide as he was silently tugged along down the sidewalk.

I'm staying with Grim?

His heart was in his throat the entire walk. Thankfully, it was pretty cool outside, but that didn't stop him from sweating a little from nerves.

Grim didn't seem bothered by his silence, though, and happily walked him into a large buffet-style restaurant and got them a booth in the back.

The place smelled amazing and as they walked past the lines of food, Ian couldn't help but stare... and nearly trip over his own feet.

Grim was thankfully paying attention and gave his hand a firm squeeze, pulling his focus back to where they were walking with a gentle but admonishing look.

Ian made sure not to get distracted again as they sat down on the same side of their booth, then gave their drink orders of two waters. Once the waitress left to fill them, they got up again and Ian obediently followed Grim over to the closest buffet line.

It was honestly a little overwhelming since he'd never been to one, but after watching Grim for a moment, he figured that he could just get whatever he wanted.

The sheer amount of food was a little intimidating, though, and since he wasn't one to waste anything, he only filled his plate about halfway before returning to their table and scooting in so that Grim had plenty of space.

Soon the other man returned, but with two heaping plates of food!

Oh wow, that's a lot.

It all looked fantastic, though, and to his surprise, Grim began putting it away much faster than he ever thought possible! He was so entranced by the guy noshing away that he jumped slightly when he felt something soft, yet slightly firm, press against his lips.

He didn't hesitate for even a second and opened his mouth to accept the food. It was something he'd never tasted before, but as he slowly chewed, then swallowed, he wasn't sure what to honestly think of it.

The rice, he was familiar with, but it didn't taste like normal white rice. There was also a lot of different flavors wrapped up inside it, making his mind whirl a little as it tried to place each one.

"Never had sushi before, love?" Grim asked as he popped a small piece into his own mouth and happily chewed.

Ian licked his lips and shook his head.

"I've never had it before. It tasted interesting, but good," he said as he looked at the different colored pieces on one of Grim's two plates.

Now he was curious, though he knew better than to ask for someone else's food. He could just go get his own once he fini—another piece was pressed against his lips and he immediately opened his mouth to accept it.

This one tasted completely different!

Spicy, but crunchy.

"You look like you're about to orgasm. It seems we have a winner," Grim said with a big grin as he easily picked up another piece of the same type with his chopsticks and slid it between Ian's waiting lips as soon as he swallowed the first one.

So good!

Grim took another bite for himself afterward, from a different kind, and gave Ian his last crunchy one a few moments after that.

"That's barbeque eel with sweet sauce, avocado, cucumber, and cream cheese," he said before picking up something else with his chopsticks.

Ian was already eagerly waiting, leaning closer to Grim and the incoming food, not even realizing that he had settled one of his hands on the man's left leg, his excitement distracting him.

Grim clearly didn't mind, however, because he was contently picking apart their three plates, looking for better and better things to feed Ian, instead of himself.

He was honestly glad that the man didn't give him everything outright, though, and was taking the time to eat what he wanted, too.

"What about this? Don't worry if you don't like it. You can spit it out," Grim said as he held up a piece of what appeared to be some sort of fried item covered in seasoning.

Ian, once again, didn't hesitate, but after a few moments of chewing his eyes began to squint and water and his lips pursed in distaste.

He'd never spit out food is his entire life, but when Grim pressed a napkin to his lips and stroked his cheek, he relented and nudged the spicy food from his mouth with his tongue.

"I wasn't sure how well you'd handle heat, but I guess this is a bit much," Grim noted as he folded up the little disposable napkin and set it aside, then quickly lifted his own glass of water to Ian's lips, not even caring that he'd grabbed the wrong one.

Ian drank a bit, but his eyes were still watering when Grim lowered the glass. Thankfully, he replaced the water with a spoonful of something sweet that quickly took the pain from the spices away.

"Like that, babe? It's rice congee, or porridge. They make it sweet here and with milk, so it should help the heat since the water didn't," Grim said as he took a spoonful for himself... using the same spoon he'd just fed him with.

Wiggling a little on the inside from excitement, and his cat's intrigue, Ian gladly accepted another spoonful of congee, then a bit of some sweet and savory pork.

Grim ate a few shrimp as Ian slowly chewed, then lifted a tiny bowl of soup up to his lips for a sip.

"Egg drop soup," Grim supplied.

The man finished off the little bowl, then grinned down at their empty plates before smirking back at Ian.

"Round two?"

Ian blinked, then looked down at their empty plates, too, shocked that they'd eaten so much so quickly. By the time he looked back up Grim was already standing at the end of the booth and holding a hand out to him.

Grinning so much his cheeks hurt, Ian gladly accepted the man's proffered hand and followed him to the next buffet area.

He filled his plate with teriyaki skewers, noodles, and a big pile of fruit, since it was always a treat for him due to its cost, while Grim stacked his third plate with crispy wantons, more sushi, and little egg tarts and tiny sugar donuts.

The guy was clearly much more adventurous than him, but just like their first few plates, Grim quickly took over their meal and began feeding him from both.

Ian realized as he began to get full, that the guy actually wasn't taking much from his place, but was gladly giving him bites of everything from his own.

Out of all the stuff they managed to go through, Ian had to agree that the congee, with its light, sweet flavor, and the egg custard pastries, were his favorite desserts, while he definitely fell in love with the savory teriyaki chicken and noodles as main course items.

Leaning back in the booth, Ian pressed his hands against his overly-full belly, feeling, for the first time in months, absolutely stuffed. He closed his eyes for just a moment, only to have to slowly force them back open when he felt a warm hand press against his right cheek.

"Time to go home, babe."

Huh...?

Groaning quietly, Ian leaned forward, rubbing at his eyes before hiding a yawn behind one hand. He'd already napped for quite a while, but that evidently had no affect on his new sleepiness gifted to him by his very full belly.

"I already paid. Let's get home and get you to bed," Grim said as he gently guided Ian out of the booth, then took his hand again and led him out into the crisp evening air.

That thankfully woke him up a bit, making the twenty minute walk home honestly rather nice.

Grim pointed out a few things here and there that he liked about the part of town they were in along the way, but the majority of the walk was comfortably quiet.

"Hey Ren?" Grim asked as they finally turned onto a little walkway leading up to a small, cozy home.

They slowed to a stop at the front door, then turned to face each other.

"What's my babe's real name?" Grim asked, surprising him a bit.

My real name?

He'd honestly thought that he'd never want to know. It would break the fictional bubble currently wrapped around them.

And yet, he found that he couldn't, and wouldn't, stop himself from answering.

"My name is Ian. I-Ian Wielder."

Grim chuckled and shook his head, clearly getting the unintended joke about his last name being the same as part of his in-game job.

"Ian, hmm? It fits you well," Grim eventually said, his cheeks a faint pink from laughing.

How cute...

"Mine is Chester Berringer," Grim said, making Ian smile like an absolute goofball.

I know his real name!

"I do prefer Grim, but you can call me whatever you want, as long as we're not on the game," he said, making Ian quickly nod.

"Grim, then!" he said, having no problem with calling him the name he preferred.

He was just overjoyed that he'd told him his real name!

The guy seemed pleased with his response because he got a gentle head pat and a smile from Grim before he turned and opened the door, then stepped inside and held it for him.

Ian gladly walked in, slipped off his shoes, then paused as he took in the little home.

It was extremely clean, with no extra anything sitting around to collect dust. The kitchen to his left was shrouded in darkness but seemed cute and comfortable. He wanted to turn the light on and look, but when Grim began walking past him and took his hand again, that thought slipped right out of his mind.

They were soon standing in the little bathroom, the space barely big enough for the two of them.

When he was handed a toothbrush with some toothpaste already on the end, Ian quickly realized what Grim wanted him to do and accepted it, then began brushing.

As soon as he spit into the sink a minute later, he was handed a cup of water to rinse his mouth with, then a tiny plastic one half full of mouth wash.

He used it right away, swishing it around in his mouth for about thirty seconds before spitting it out, too.

Grim finished with his own routine a few moments later, then they took turns relieving themselves and washing their hands before he was lead into what appeared to be a very neat spare bedroom.

A real bed...

His tired mind didn't even register that he should get undressed first before having him climb right up into it with the biggest sleepy smile on his face.

He turned around to face Grim just in time to receive another pat to his head.

"Bed time for you, sweetheart. You need to leave around five-thirty for work, right?" Grim asked as he continued running his fingers through Ian's hair, lulling him to sleep even as he tried to stay upright.

"Mhm..." he mumbled in response, his eyes already closed as he leaned into Grim's hand that had descended to settle against his left cheek.

They stayed that way for some time before he felt Grim's other hand gently press against his neck, making Ian instinctively tilt his head back for him.

He wasn't sure why he wanted to look at his neck, but he gladly allowed him access, since he seemed to want it.

"You trust me too much, babe," Grim said after a few silent moments as his thumb moved to the middle of his throat and rubbed gently.

Ian swallowed in response, feeling the man's thumb slowly rise and fall with the action.

There was another stretch of silence before he felt a warm moisture brush against his throat, but before he could make his sleepy mind decipher what it was, the sensation vanished, along with both of Grim's hands.

"Good night, Ian."

By the time Ian returned his head to its normal position and forced his tired eyes open, Grim was gone and the door to the bedroom was mostly shut, leaving only a tiny bit of comforting light to slip in through the gap.

Reaching up to rub lightly at his neck, Ian yawned quietly, then tugged off his shirt and set it aside before slipping beneath the blankets, too tired to bother with his pants.

Once comfortable, he took the spare pillow and hugged it to his chest, then snuggled his nose into it as he whispered a barely-audible "...good night, Chester."