Wedding Cakes and Winners

Companion piece to 'Stalkers and Scones.' Time is the best spice, but every good chef knows when a dish is ready to serve.

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Hey, everyone. I'm back! Realize I have like a bajillion projects that need completing, but I'm going to be disappearing soon to go to a writer's conference in New York (so excited! ^o^), so I thought I might as well leave something before I go. Really hope you enjoy the pointless, shameless fluff, and please review!

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When Vlad awoke that morning to the sound of waves slurping and smacking against the surf, he didn't open his eyes. A warm breeze played at his hair from the nearby bay window, and the billionaire smiled absently, far too comfortable to move. His bones felt like they had melted, comfortably nestled in a warm cocoon of arms and blankets. A smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he blindly reached out to bring his bedmate closer, only to have his arms close over empty space. Vlad's eyes opened in surprise, and he found himself to be quite alone on the magnificent bed.

Rolling his eyes, Vlad buried his face into a pillow, suppressing a growl. Somewhere he could faintly detect the scent of cooking hotcakes and hear bacon sizzling softly, but this didn't do much to alleviate his other, much more predominant hunger. Damn it, Daniel, if you thought I was through with you….

With a sigh, he stood up, dragging one of the sheets with him and tying it around his nude form before he headed down the steps. The scent grew stronger as he descended the steps, and he could faintly hear his beloved humming tunelessly.

Danny was bent over the stove when Vlad trudged into the kitchen, flipping a light golden brown pancake onto a plate. He smiled faintly when he heard footsteps behind him, but didn't turn around, even as Vlad's lanky arms draped around his petite form. "Morning, sunshine."

"Good morning," Vlad breathed hotly against his ear. "I don't seem to recall giving you permission to leave the bedroom."

"Yeah well, I have needs too, ya know." Danny sprinkled a few chocolate shavings into the next pancake even as Vlad's arms smoothly dropped to his waist and made to lift him up into them. "Vlaaaaad! I wanna eat!" he whined, awkwardly turning over the pancake when his lover's mouth arrested his own, and Danny succumbed with a groan, tongues twirling around the other like two friendly cats, sighs meshing. The younger man let out a whimper as Vlad bit down on Danny's lip, only to suckle softly at it as if in apology.

It was several moments before they broke away, Danny's lips swollen, his cheeks flushed and his blue eyes dazed. "Vlad, I b-burned that one," he complained shakily, scooping up the now blackening pancake with the flipper and carelessly tossing it away. "C'mon, after all of that last night, how can you not be starving?"

"If I want for feeding, I have you. Come to bed, love."

"Please?" begged Danny, and Vlad had to turn around to avoid looking directly into Danny's childish, pleading expression. Thank heavens the young man had yet to patent the look. "…fine," huffed Vlad, poking Danny's nose playfully. "But you do, however, realize your ass isn't going to be safe from me the moment you set down that fork."

"Sure it is," said Danny cheerfully, turning off the stove and scooping generous helpings of food from the frying pans to the plates beside him. "We have to go into town today and check and see how our wedding cake's doing. THEN we gotta sample the goods so that we know we're getting good stuff."

Vlad buried his face in his hands as Danny carried their plates to the nearby table. "Daniel, we already taste-tested the three flavors of the cake and they were all quite good."

"That wasn't taste testing. THAT was tasting for freshness," said Danny with mocking solemnity. "If I'm gonna tie the knot with you Vladdie, I need a big ass cake at the reception. What would my Dad say if you didn't provide his only son a pretty, big ass, tasty cake? He'd probably bring his gun to the wedding."

"I think he'll very likely do so in any case," said Vlad shortly as he neatly spread jam on his pancakes. Danny chuckled. "True enough. But I still can't wait to see what it looks like so far. These guys are pros, Vlad—artists! I heard these people can make cake look like actual cars!"

Vlad placed his chin and hand and listened to Danny rant appreciatively. It seemed like you could take the baker out of the kitchen for five years, but never the kitchen out of the baker. How ironic. "Daniel, if we're going to be finishing up wedding arrangements today, why didn't you just let Mary cook?" And let me ravish you?

Danny raised an eyebrow. "You like my food better." Considering how many times you've convinced me to squeeze into that stupid maid's outfit and cook for you, I'd say you like it a lot.

Vlad shrugged, allowing that. "Speaking of which, where is Mary?"

"I gave the poor woman the night off," said Danny blandly as he liberally coated his chocolate pancakes with strawberries and syrup. "And the rest of today. Vlad, her bedroom is like, right under ours. I thought it might be a bit of a damper on our big day if Mary had a stroke right before it."

The billionaire shuddered. "Point taken." He watched the young man help himself to some powdered sugar, dusting it over his food like a fresh snowstorm."Daniel, you realize it's not healthy to have such a sweet tooth as yours."

Danny rolled his eyes as he popped another forkful of chocolate chip pancake into his mouth, grinning broadly. "You know, my Grandpa lived to be about ninety-six years old."

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "I hope you aren't insinuating that he lived to such an age by eating plenty of sugar."

"No, he got to be so old because he minded his own damn business," said Danny shortly, and the two laughed. "We gotta get going soon," he added, checking his watch. "We have to visit the florist and then I'm gonna have to get ready for my bachelor party."

Vlad pouted.

"Why can't I go too?"

"Because Tucker already arranged yours," said Danny, choosing to ignore the look of absolute horror on Vlad's face. "C'mon, sweetheart, tomorrow's our wedding. We won't be able to see each other until the ceremony tomorrow, so we can't spend the night together."

"Ridiculous tradition." Vlad snorted and looked away. "I'm already going to be spending the rest of my life with you, so why should I be spared a night without you in my bed?" Besides, if a stripper so much as touches you, I'm probably going to tear them into microscopic pieces.

"Cause you love me," murmured Danny, teasing tone gone. Vlad's dark blue eyes flickered over to Danny, who was smiling at the ring on his right hand as it sparkled lightly in the sunshine. Vlad's expression softened, and he took Danny's hand in his, kissing it.

"Of course I do. It only took five years to convince you."

"Would you…." Danny flushed. "Never mind."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me."

Danny was staring at his lap, wringing his hands and biting his lip nervously. "Would you…would you have been willing to wait…ten years?"

"Fifteen, twenty, twenty-five. Although I'm quite thrilled as it is to have you now." Danny's knife and fork slipped from his limp fingers as Vlad pulled him into his lap, their foreheads pressed together. "Do you have any idea how happy you make me?"

Danny's hand wandered to Vlad's and the two twined. "You make an excellent point of telling me," he said with a light grin, his small and slight fingertips rubbing over the thick gold band over Vlad's own ring finger. "I wish we had time so I could show you again how happy YOU make me."

Vlad swallowed heavily. That was a bedroom voice and he knew it and God, it did not help that Danny was already sitting on his lap. "Who says that we can't?"

Danny looked up at him in surprise. "Vlad, it's ten thirty. We gotta be ready and out of the house in twenty minutes."

"I'll be done with you in ten," promised Vlad as he scooped his fiancé up. Danny squawked and fussed, but Vlad was already rushing the two of them towards the nearby shower. Who said that a man with his time schedule couldn't procrastinate productively?