Dinner Date [c]

"They are," Fleck agreed, pressing his forehead against Dick's knee as he stroked the ball of fluff in his hands.

Every now and then he winced when Dick tugged at his hair, but he stayed as silent as he could and waited patiently. The glider was more important thank the comfort of his hair.

"Sugar gliders. They're both Chais' little monsters." He sat back when the glider was free and leant back against his own chair.

He kept the freed sugar glider carefully cupped in his hand. The only thanks he was getting was his thumb gnawed on.

"Honestly I don't think I could be surprised any more. You could have a bear came in making tea and it would feel very normal natural."

The sugar glider stopped gnawing on his thumb to look up at him. Maybe that was his thanks?

"Do they just roam free?"

"I did warn you that we had a zoo." He hadn't been exaggerating. "But you're free from seeing any bears. We're a bear-free zoo."

He tilted his hand when the glider in his grip decided to do some climbing and exploring, watching it carefully as it crawled slowly up his arm.

"The only two that aren't free roaming are Kaa and Margie, 'cause they need specialist equipment. Otherwise its a madhouse for them all."

He knew Margie but didn't recognise the name Kaa. He assumed that they were another reptile.

"It must get hectic here when the whole family is about. It feels hectic now and it's just the animals about."

The glider in his hands copied it's friend, beginning to crawl up his arm. Even slower then the one on Fleck's bare arm. The glider seemed a little unsure, taking him in slowly.

"What are their names?"

"There are only a few animals here. It would be beyond hectic if you met the whole zoo."

Fleck had never sat down and counted the animals properly but the probably had approaching two dozen. Dick would be completely overwhelmed if he met all the animals.

And it would be even worse if everyone was in the house. "Hectic is one word to use."

His eyes narrowed when he felt scratching on his neck, and he was quick to snatch the little glider up before it could tangle itself back into his hair. "Lump and cube. Chai has a thing with tea-related names."

"Lump and cube?"

Unusual but fitting.

"I like themed names. It is cute."

Plus it pleased his organised self.

"Is this Lump or Cube?" He lifted the arm which had a sugar glider clinging onto.

"It was cute at first, but she is sort of stretching it a bit now." Everything had to be tea related with her and it got a little bit tiring after a while.

"Lump. Cube's the more energetic and angry of the two, aren't you?" he asked the little ball of malice chewing on his thumb. he could feel his skin breaking under those sharp little teeth. He'd start bleeding soon, then Cuve would leave him alone.

No matter how many times he did it, Cube never learned to stop biting before he tasted the terrible taste of blood on his tongue.

The all two familiar iron smell hit his heighten senses. He liked the top of his lip.

This time he wasn't caught in the desire to drink from Fleck. He had made sure to drink in fill of blood this morning before the date. He didn't want a repeat from the last date.

He downed his coffee in hope of pushing the desire further away.

"Could I get some more coffee? A little bit stronger please."

"You're rushing this barista off his litle feet," Fleck teased as he stood. He deposited Cube on Dick's lap. The unhappy little glider made a high pitched noise as he climbed Dick's chest to get away from Fleck.

"Every time he does it, I end up the bad guy," Fleck sighed with a fond little smile as he turned to get the coffee on the go again.

Fleck wasn't joking about Cube being the more energetic one. Only in his lap for a few seconds and he already had to stop the glider from going into his hair.

He laughed.

"The cuter they are, the less wrong they can do."

"Going by that logic I can do no wrong at all then." He winked at Dick over his shoulder as he poured the coffee.

Cube gave another loud, high-pitched noise when Dick stopped him and he was soon echoed by Lump.

"Guys shush before you wake everyone else up."

Lump fell quiet, but Cube got louder.

He missed the wink. He kept his attention on the gliders - mostly cube - to stop them crawling in places where they shouldn't be. Plus it was easier to suppress the desire for blood by concentrating on them.

He frowned to himself - he should of had enough that it shouldn't bother him, and here he was almost drooling?

Dick winced at the barking sound coming from Cube.

"They are seeming a lot less cute now."

"This is them behaving."

He wandered back over to Dick and held out the mug. "Wanna trade? I'll take them upstairs so they only bother the spiders and dust bunnies."

Chai was the only one that lived on the second floor of their house currently, so the two of them wouldn't wake anyone up with their barking.

Confronted with a shirtless Fleck it too him a moment to reply. He gave a sharp nod. One part of him wanted Felc to put a shirt on. The other didn't.

He thanked Fleck as he took the mug from him and set it on the table. He then pried Lump from himself first before giving him to Fleck. Cube was a little bit more resilient, and did not seem happy at all being pried away from his body.

"Is it horrible of me to have favourites?"

"We all have favourites."

He held Cube in his hand and let Lump crawl up his arm. "If I had to pick a favourite besides my three, it would probably be Duke." He wasn't ashamed to admit that he had his favourites.

"I'll be right back."

It took a few minutes for him to return, and when he did, he had another creature at his feet. A tiny little papillon puppy that hadn't grown into its massive ears yet was bouncing after his feet, yapping to get his attention.

"No rest for the wicked," he sighed, easing himself in his chair. The puppy jumped up onto his lap as soon his butt met wood.

His heart melt melt as soon as he saw the puppy.

"If you are trying to kill be with cuteness you are being successful."

As quick as Fleck sat down and the puppy jumped onto his lap, Dick reached out to scratch behind the puppies proportionally large ears.

"And he is?"

"Half the animals will try to kill you with their adorableness. Felice is the newest one of the movement."

He scratched Felice's neck and chest gently and the puppy melted into a pile of fur in his hands.

"Chrys bought him for his wife, but she didn't have the time to look after him with the twins to look after already, so we took him off their hands."

"Is he one of your brothers?"

It was easy to assume so with the amount of siblings he had. It also assumes that Fleck is an uncle. He could easily see Fleck as and uncle - and a fun one too.

"Yupp, the middle of my three older brothers." There was one brother betwen Fleck and Chrys in age, and one older than Chrys.

"I bet I know why you're being so cuddly. Do you want treats, huh?"

Those massive ears perked up and the puppy looked up at Fleck with wide eyes.

"Yeah, I thought that was what you were after."

Dick laughed as the puppy perked up in excitement.

"Does she know any tricks? Or learning any?"

He didn't expect her too. But if she did it would be sweet to see.

"Well, we've just mastered house training him."

Jay's shoe had been a favourite place for him up until recently. It was unpleasant for everyone until he had learned.

"We'll be teaching him the usual tricks soon."

"To be honest that sounds like the best trick of them all."

Nothing worse then finding little surprises.

"I am guessing he is the youngest of the family?"

"He is. We all have to look out for him. Especially when he's around Duke. Duke could trample him so easily."


Felice was tiny and Duke was massive. Duke would never want to harm the little pup but Duke was a little bit clumsy and it would be so easy for him to do something accidentally.

"I can imagine. He almost trampled me, let alone this little guy."

He leaned back over to fuss the papillon, smiling as he gnawed on his thumb. This seemed to be a common occurrence with the pets tonight.

"He can trample me sometimes."

Duke really was a big dog.

Felice gave a big puppy yawn. "Looks like everyone's getting tired now, huh, puppy?"