26. Pet Names
Little Mac didn't seem to mind the pet name Ryu had given him. Over all the years they'd been together, Ryu had started to call him "Mac n' Cheese", and tended to constantly crack jokes about the name. In fact, Little Mac remembered the time he'd been out training with Doc, and Ryu had made some macaroni and cheese for dinner. Of course, Little Mac punched him in the gut for making that joke, but he'd enjoyed the food Ryu had made, even though he didn't admit it out loud. He loved how the pet name came out from Ryu's mouth. He felt special—special only to Ryu.
Little Mac also had a pet name for Ryu: "Muscle Man". The boxer usually teased Ryu about his large muscles, and he even joked that Ryu must've been taking steroids to get that muscular. To Little Mac's surprise, Ryu seemed to have taken that pet name in stride, and he usually laughed about the "steroids" joke.
Today, Little Mac returned to their shared home, and the smell of macaroni and cheese wafting from the kitchen hit his nose. He sighed and shook his head. "Ryu? Again with the joke?" he called.
"Oh come on, Mac n' Cheese," Ryu called from the kitchen. "You like it, don't lie to me!"
Little Mac chuckled. "Don't make me punch you again for that name and the joke!"
He could hear Ryu laugh before replying, "Well, I made it extra special."
"How?" Little Mac asked with an eyebrow raised. When he walked down the hall and entered the kitchen, he saw Ryu already scooping the mac n' cheese from a pot and placing it on two plates.
"Extra cheddar," Ryu spoke.
Little Mac chuckled as he sat down at the round, wooden table. "I've never admitted this, Ryu, but…" he whispered. "I do enjoy your cooking."
Ryu smiled as he placed the plate of food in front of Little Mac, and he sat across from his lover. "Thanks, Mac n' Cheese."
"Oh, stop it, Muscle Man," Little Mac chuckled as he grabbed his fork to dig into the mac n' cheese. In the first bite, the taste of the extra cheddar mixing with the chewy macaroni made him groan. "Wow, Ryu…you really worked hard on this, huh?"
Ryu nodded. "Yeah. I made it just for you, Mac n' Cheese."
Little Mac had a playful look in his eyes. "Thanks, my Muscle Man," he spoke. "You'll definitely be getting something good tonight."
The two laughed as they continued to eat their food. Once the food was gone, they placed their plates in the sink. Ryu turned on the sink's faucet, about to wash the dishes, but Little Mac stopped him.
"I'll do them tonight."
Ryu raised an eyebrow. "Really? Aren't you tired from training with Doc today?"
Little Mac shook his head. "You worked hard on dinner, so I felt it would be better if I do the dishes tonight."
Ryu smiled as he hugged his lover. "Thanks, Mac n' Cheese."
Little Mac chuckled. "No problem, Muscle Man." With that, Ryu left the kitchen to go to their shared room upstairs as Little Mac worked on the dishes.
After about a half an hour, Little Mac trekked up the stairs to their room. Opening the door, he smirked when he saw Ryu taking off his white shirt.
"Getting ready?" Little Mac asked, which made Ryu jump in surprise. The martial artist turned to smile at the boxer.
"Of course. You're a big help, Mac n' Cheese," Ryu said with a smirk.
Little Mac laughed as he looked over Ryu's muscles. "Y'know, there's a reason why I call you Muscle Man."
Ryu chuckled as he sat on their bed. "And there's a reason why I call you Mac n' Cheese."
Little Mac raised an eyebrow at this. "Why? Because I'm cheesy and chewy?"
Ryu smirked as he spoke in a low baritone. "Oh yes. Because your jokes are cheesy, and you're very chewy in bed."
Little Mac laughed at this. "Thanks, Muscle Man."
The two took off their clothing, staring at each other's muscular bodies. After throwing their clothes to the side, Little Mac laid in their bed and covered himself and Ryu up with the blanket. Within a few minutes, the jokes had subsided and the mood in the room heated up. The night ended with matching smiles on their faces. The two lovers enjoyed calling each other pet names, and that would not change anytime soon.
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