"Do what?" Lance sat down beside him and played with one of the pillows.

"Try to be funny," Chris said. He pulled the pillow away from Lance and hugged it close. "I guess it doesn't work like it used to."

"You're just surly, because we talked about Dani," Lance said.

"Do not use the 'D' word. I'll smack you with this if you do," Chris said, holding up the pillow threateningly.

"Okay, okay, I won't mention D-- her again."

Chris whacked him anyway.

"What was that for?!" Lance rubbed his arm and grabbed the pillow from Chris. He chucked it across the room.

"Just because."

"Because why?" Lance looked around to make sure there weren't any more objects that could be thrown at him.

"Just because you're you."

"Oh, THAT'S a good reason," Lance picked up the box of jellyrolls sitting on the table before Chris could use them as ammunition.

"Hey, gimme one of those," Chris reached for the box, but Lance swatted his hand away.

Lance held the box over his head. "You want one of these? Nope. I don't think so."

"Come on Lance, be a friend? Allow an old, bitter man a snack cake?"

"Nu-uh." Lance moved the box further out of Chris' reach. "You gotta tell me something first."

"Tell you what?" Chris lunged for the box, but Lance stood up. Lance danced around the couch, dangling the box in front of him.

"Tell me that you love me? And that you're better off without D-- her because, you know you want me?" Chris reluctantly slid off the couch and chased Lance. He was jumped around, getting more air than Michael Jordan.

"Dammit Lance, I love you, okay? Now give me a jelly roll?" Chris rested against the couch with one hand out.

"You have to say it like you mean it." Lance sat down, cradling the jellyrolls protectively.

Chris rolled his eyes and leaned over the arm of the couch. "Is this about earlier? When I said you were dating me? Because, you know, that was a joke."

"It was huh? I thought you were letting your intentions towards me known since you finally broke up with D-- her," Lance said. He opened the box and unwrapped a coveted snack cake.

Chris' mouth watered, and Lance noticed that his eyes kind of sparkled, took on an effervescence that reminded him of coca-cola. Lance bit into the jellyroll and Chris' mouth opened wide. "Dude. I can't believe you're eating that in front of me."

"Should I get behind you then? 'Cause I can do that," Lance said and wiggled his eyebrows as he took another bite.

"I love you," Chris said. He crawled over the arm of the couch and took a bite out of the half-eaten jellyroll in Lance's hand. Lance just kind of stared at him, expecting him to start laughing, for his honesty to fade back into sarcasm.

But he didn't. He just kept eating the jellyroll. And Lance let him.

When it was gone, Lance tried to pull his hand away, but Chris leaned in again and licked the leftover strawberry filling off his fingers. "Chris, I-- ohhh."

Chris grabbed hold of Lance's wrist and sucked on his fingers a little longer than he should have. Lance's middle finger slid from his lips and he smiled. "I want another one -- that was only half."

"Ohhh--okay," Lance reached behind himself for the box and Chris scooted closer to him. Lance felt Chris' hand slide up his back and rest on his shoulder.

Lance unwrapped this next jellyroll carefully, slowly and Chris audibly smacked his lips. "You've got to tell ME something now," Chris said.

"Tell you what?" He moved the jellyroll around in a circle in front of Chris' face.

"Anything. Tell me anything," Chris said.

"JC is a Mennonite?" Lance said and grinned.

Chris laughed and took his eyes off the jellyroll briefly. "You should be the funny one."

"Naw, then you'd have to be the shy one -- and that wouldn't work."

"Probably not. But if you don't feed me that jellyroll soon, I'll continue being the bitter one." Chris chomped at the air as the jellyroll passed his mouth.

Lance placed a steadying hand on Chris' chin and guided the jellyroll towards his mouth. He resisted the urge to just shove it in, even though Chris might like that despite the discomfort it might cause.

He slipped it just past his lips and Chris bit down. As he chewed and swallowed, Lance took a bite. He took another bite just so he could see Chris' mouth open, greedily awaiting more jellyroll.

Chris reached for the jellyroll but Lance pulled it away, then threatened to take another bite. "Lance, you're not playing fair."

"Who said anything about fair?" Lance took another bite and made a spectacle of enjoying it. "MMmm. Chris. This is so good."

"Just, gimme, before I take drastic measures." Chris was clawing at Lance's arm, which had been raised to keep the precious pastry out of reach.

"Oh, I'm scared, drastic measures." Lance laughed and moved the jellyroll to the other hand.

"Yeah, you'd better be." Chris crawled into his lap and pinned his shoulders to the back of the couch.

"Nope, not working," Lance said, still keeping the jellyroll out of reach.

"Fine. You asked for it." Chris leaned in and pressed his lips against Lance's. Lance struggled for a second, then his arms came down on Chris' shudders and pulled him closer.

When Chris felt that Lance's guard was down, he pulled away and snatched the jellyroll and ate the last of it in one bite.

"Hey, no fair." Lance said, making no effort to push Chris away or remove his hands from Chris' shoulders.

"You can still have some. It's still in my mouth -- you just have to come get it," Chris said with a full mouth.

"Eww. I think I'll wait until you're finished chewing and swallowing."

"Swallow?" Chris asked and did precisely that. He ran his tongue over his teeth. "Hey Lance, do you swallow?"

Lance laughed and almost pushed Chris off of him. "Now how am I supposed to answer that?"

"Answer it honestly?" Chris said. Lance made a funny face. "What? I'm trying to put the smooth moves on ya, Bass. A guy needs to know stuff like that."

"Well, your moves ain't that smooth." Lance turned his head and acted disinterested, which was hard since Chris was sitting on him.

"Aw, shucks." Chris squeezed Lance in the sides. "How 'bout this? For every day I've loved you I'll let loose a white winged dove, then shower you with roses until you give up and make love to me -- passionately."

"That would be, what, a half of a dove? And who says I give it up that easily?"

"Yeah, true, I bet you always say you've got a headache," Chris said. "But I don't think I could find that many doves." He leaned in and kissed the cheek that Lance had turned to him.

"Now you're just getting cheesy," Lance said. He turned to look at Chris again.

"So what's it gonna take?"

"Just kiss me, please."

And Chris did. He licked the sweetness off Lance's lips and Lance's mouth opened for him. Lance was gripping his shoulders tightly, and he leaned forward.

Chris rocked his hips back and forth, which would have been a good idea, had Lance been expecting it. Lance lurched forward and Chris fell out of his lap, his head bumping on the table.

"Ouch, I like wood," Chris said and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry," Lance said. He helped Chris back up and onto the couch. "Okay, let's try this again."

Chris pushed Lance down and kissed him again. Lance pulled him on top of him, allowing him to rest between his legs.

Chris bit Lance's bottom lip gently, causing Lance's leg to spasm and knock the box of jellyrolls to the floor. They both turned to look, then looked back at each other and grinned, evilly.

"Lance, just tell me that you want to eat jellyrolls off my bare stomach, and I'll be a very happy man."

Lance didn't say anything, but the tongue licking its way down Chris' neck said at least a dozen words.

End.

Originally written as an *Mprov on 1/9/00, with the words effervescence, jellyroll, white winged dove, Mennonite, smack, Michael Jordan, I like wood, headache.