Author's Note: I know this was a two week wait but here's an 8 page update and I hope you all enjoy it!

Juice shook his head gently to stop the train of thoughts and Chibs noticed.

"What's wrong, Juicy?"

Juice grinned softly.

"Nothin, love."

Chibs raised an eyebrow but nodded. Juice went back to his food and Chibs chewed his, considering the younger man. Love was what he usually called Juice, not the other way around. Not that he was complaining.

Through the short time they've been together, Juice had used it sparingly. So what was going on in his boy's head?

Well, whatever it was he would figure it out. Right then, he wanted to continue his breakfast. He was much hungrier than he thought. He reached a hand over to snag a piece and Kiki just happened to decide she wanted that piece for herself.

Hand and teeth gripped opposing ends of the bread and neither one was going to admit defeat.

"Uh babe why don't you just let her have that one?"

Chibs shook his head, not taking his eyes off of the thief in front of him. She'd gotten away with this for long enough. It was the principle of the thing. And he was a grown man. He would not be bested by this cat.

He'd decided to jerk the toast back towards him when the devious thing let go and dove for the pancakes instead. Chibs let out as swear as pancakes went flying across the table and into his lap.

Juice yelled at Kiki to stop, which of course would work because cats were known for their obedience. The ugly furball instead somehow nabbed two now droopy flapjacks and rushed into a far corner, bits of fluffy dough leaving a trail behind her.

Chibs gathered up the remaining pancakes and placed them back on the plate while Juice was trying to coax Kiki out of her corner. He was crouched down and had a hand reaching toward her when she abandoned the flapjacks and darted around Juice.

She jumped back onto the table and directly into the carton of orange juice. Out spilled the juice onto the remaining pancakes and the table. This time Juice swore as he rose and hurried back towards the table.

Instead of having the decency to run, which admittedly would have just annoyed both men further, Kiki rolled herself up onto the sopping plate.

Juice put both hands on the table and glared at his little girl. Yes, she was his little girl no matter what anyone, even Chibs, said. However, some of Chibs' small arguments rang a lot more true now.

Juice didn't scold Kiki enough for her kitty behavior sometimes. Well that was going to stop now. If he was going to be a daddy to this kitty, he'd better start acting like it.

Huffing lightly, Juice reached forward just as Kiki was about to make another dash. He caught her gently under her forearms and lifted her to him.

Juice ducked his head slightly and rolled his eyes. Her underbelly was matted with juice and pancake bits. Wonderful.

Tucking her close to him, he turned to Chibs with a sheepish, apologetic grin.

"Babe, I know you're probably about as thrilled with her as I am right now. But would you mind cleaning this up while I deal with her?"

Chibs, both amused and annoyed, had half a mind to say no. But Juice couldn't control the mingers actions any more than he could, but god did he wish they could on days like this.

"Yeah Juicy. I'll clean this up."

Juice smiled, though still clearly embarrassed by the cat's behavior. He nodded his thanks and then wiped the smile from his face.

"Come on Kiki, we're cleaning you up."

Turning, he walked toward the bathroom and Chibs grinned at the stern look the boy had when he left. Kiki had disappointed her daddy.

Juice closed the door behind him with his foot and despite the indignant meowing set the cat in the sink. He looked down at his chest. His skin was sticky with orange juice and flapjack bits.

After wiping himself down, he turned toward his baby with a no-nonsense look on his face. To his surprise, the cat had the decency to look ashamed. She was curled up tightly and her head was bowed, eyes peering up at Juice.

Juice raised an eyebrow at her, not giving her an inch. A soft little meow came from her, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he picked her up from the sink and carried her over to the shower. She seemed to know what was coming and attempted to squirm out of his grasp.

"Kiki, stop it. You brought this on yourself."

He opened the door and gently placed her on the shower floor. Then, considering it, he turned the water to a little colder than lukewarm. He wasn't trying to be cruel, but she had caused quite a mess.

He waited two minutes, turning his back and leaning against the shower door. When the two minutes were up, he turned back around and had to fight to keep from chuckling.

His baby really looked like a drown rat and… yep she was glaring at him. He opened the door and bent to retrieve her. She tried to evade his hands and jump out of the shower herself.

Juice deftly wrapped both hands around her middle and gently placed her back in the sink. He consciously remained silent, not offering his usual cooing.

He brusquely dried her off but decided she needed a little further punishing. He took her down to the basement and placed her in the old wooden cage that their clothes baskets sat on top of.

He locked the door and spoke in a firm tone,

"You can stay in here for a few hours. You've made enough trouble for the day."

Juice felt a little guilty at the longing look on her face but he rolled his shoulders and turned to leave.

Back upstairs, he heard glasses clinking and a rough, low voice singing something of a Scottish tune. He smiled. Chibs reminded him sometimes of the seven dwarves. He whistled, or sang, while he worked sometimes.

He'd never told any of the guys because he liked being the only one to see that side of the Scotsman. Chibs was just closing the dishwasher door when Juice stepped up behind him, wrapping his arms around him.

Chibs turned his head, eyebrow raised and boyish smirk firmly in place.

"Where's the little terror?"

Juice huffed and smiled.

"She's locked in the basement and is going to stay there for the next couple of hours. It won't hurt her and maybe she'll learn."

Chibs shrugged,

"She won't learn from just one time, Juicy."

Juice loosened his grip and moved to step back. That had stung a little.

Chibs felt the change in mood and pulled the boy's arms back around him, bringing one of his hands around the back of Juice's neck, gently cradling it.

"That was me being an arshole, Juicy. I'm sorry."

Juice kissed the side of Chibs' neck, smiling lightly.

"It's okay Chibs. You're right. I let her get away with murder a little too much."

"Still, I'm sorry boyo."

"It's alright."

Juice began kissing his way from Chibs' shoulder to where the neck and shoulder met. He bit down gently and wrapped his arms tighter.

Chibs let his head drop to the side to give his lover better access. Juice took advantage and sucked firmly on the spot two inches below Chibs' left ear. A low growl was his reward and he sucked a little harder.

Chibs' body arched against his and both hands slipped under the other man's wife beater. He loved the feel of Chibs' muscles and warm skin beneath his fingertips and the palms of his hands.

The heels of his hands skimmed over tan ribs and protruding hip bones. Then those things vanished. Chibs had turned himself around pulled Juice's body flush against his.

Soft, warm lips crashed against his. A firm wet tongue massaged his own as he was guided into the living room and gently pushed down onto the couch.

He was about to reach for Chibs' shirt when the other man spoke,

"Juicy, much as I love where this is heading, I know you wanted to do some shopping today. For your sister's birthday and some groceries."

Juice looked at Chibs, gob smacked. The man was bringing up chores now?

Chibs had to hold back the laugh at the younger man's expression. He knew he was effectively killing the mood but he also knew Juice liked to get the chores done in the early part of the day. They both liked to veg out in the evenings and getting the hassle out of the way now would allow for that.

Juice bit his bottom lip, knowing that 98.9% of the time, Chibs gave in when he did that. And wouldn't you know, this wouldn't be one of those times. He pushed the other man off of him, smiling though, not really upset.

He quickly showered and then Chibs showered. Grabbing his keys, they headed for the truck instead of their bikes. As much as they both loved riding, they sometimes missed the closeness.

So that morning they opted for the truck. They had two stops to make. The grocery store and one of Chibs' least favorite places: Wal-Mart, or the Devil's Taint, as he sometimes referred to it, though that was in his more surly moods.

Chibs hated shopping anywhere with a passion and expressed that by trying to be as not helpful as possible to make Juice hurry up.

Juice didn't though, partly to piss Chibs off and because he was the one to take their health seriously. Chibs would survive on drive thrus if he had the choice.

Vegetables were a sin in Chibs' book but Juice bought them anyway. He liked carrots and celery, but not asparagus or broccoli because...just no. He liked muss melon, though. Fruits were a grudging victory but if he tried to force Chibs to eat them, it didn't go well. He knew from past experience.

And chocolate? Forget it. They were both diabetic so there wasn't much sugar in the house anyway. Even though they were used to it by now, the craving for doughnuts or what have you still hit from time to time.

Unfortunately, sometimes it hit them simultaneously and then they got cranky. And no, Chibs' suggestion of him eating Juice's doughnut hole did not help…most of the time.

Speaking of which, the older man was eyeing the powdered doughnuts. Well, if Juice was going to pick up doughnut holes, he would get glazed, not powdered. Chibs liked powdered more but who was pushing the fucking cart?

Exactly.

Juice rolled his eyes good naturedly. Chibs looked at him, a slight pleading on his face. Juice gave him a sympathetic look and shook his head no.

He huffed but walked back with Juice to their cart. He looked at what his boyfriend had picked up and was put out.

Fruits, vegetables, wheat bread, triscuits (Chibs fuckin hated those things, tasted like solidified sawdust) and one solitary packet of Oreos.

Chibs' mood brightened a little upon discovering the oreas were double stuffed. Guess Juice felt like spoiling him, as the younger man usually only got single stuffed.

He looked up and saw they were coincidently right in front of the Oreos. Juice was at the other end of the isle picking out the peanut butter. He deftly retrieved an additional pack from the shelf and placed it in the bottom of the cart.

It probably wouldn't work but it never hurt to try.

Thankfully, their grocery shopping was now done and the lines for the checkout weren't long. Chibs loved it when leaving was easier than expected. Now only one last stop, Wal-Mart. Chibs shuddered. He hated that place but Juice liked it, so more often than not he was dragged along.

As they entered Wal-Mart, Juice noticed a change come over Chibs. The taller man's shoulders hunched in on themselves and the sunnies came down.

That is what surprised and worried Juice. Chibs didn't do that sunglasses thing often but when he did it was always in larger crowds. It's like he was trying to hide and he hated that.

He was thankful the only thing they needed was makeup. His sister's birthday was coming up and a friend of hers had told him what she needed.

Thank god, too. His sister, Marisol, needed something called foundation and from what he could see as he stared at the selections there were way too many choices.

He had a slip of paper with him that had the exact name of what he needed and he started sifting through the various bottles, searching for the right one. He'd rejected exactly five choices when Chibs' voice from the other end of the isle caught his attention,

"Hey Juicy, do you think this shade suits me?"

Juice looked over and nearly choked on his laughter. Sunglasses pushed back, Chibs was holding a bottle of nail polish; the ugliest shade of yellow he'd ever seen against the back of his hand, batting his eyes obnoxiously. Juice couldn't control his laughter.

Chibs changed polish and picked up a nauseatingly bright pink, which looked absolutely garish against his tan skin.

"What about this one?"

Juice was about to answer when a high-pitched voice beside him said,

"Dude, you don't need nail polish. You need some cover up for those nasty scars."

Juice's head whipped around to his left. He hadn't noticed anyone else with them. His eyes landed on a thin 16-17 year old blonde with a little too tanned skin and not enough makeup.

Juice's entire posture froze, his eyes boring into the girl. She just snapped her gum, cocked a hip and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What? Some foundation would work wonders I bet. No one should have to look at those."

Juice looked over at Chibs, praying to any god that was listening the other man hadn't heard a word of the conversation. His stomach dropped at what he saw.

Chibs' hands were jammed into his pockets, sunnies firmly in place, and head bowed. He was still in front of the nail polish but Juice had a feeling he wasn't seeing anything in front of him. Juice had to force himself not to slam the makeup bottle he'd had in his hand onto the shelf.

Straightening to his full height, he was pleased to see he had five or six inches on the girl. He turned towards her, and quicker than even he thought possible, wrapped the palm of his hand around the base of her neck.

He jerked her towards him hard, causing her to stumble into him. He wrapped his arm around her waist, cupping her hip in his hand. She opened her mouth to scream but the look he gave her caused her to snap her mouth shut, the click of teeth audible.

In the back of his mind, he prayed his mother forgave him for what he was about to say. Lowering his voice to a near hiss, he leaned down towards her ear.

"Listen to me you useless, shallow cunt. Not enough makeup in the world can hide your dog shit personality. That man is my friend, lover and brother. Say another word and I won't hold myself responsible or feel any goddamn remorse for what I do to you. You understand me bitch?"

On the last word, his hand cupping her waist tightened considerably, almost sending her body buckling in on itself. He only gripped tighter and pulled her closer to him.

"I said do you understand me slut?"

She whimpered and frantically shook her head yes.

Juice didn't say anything else. He damn near flung her from him and glared at her, daring her to say something. She backed up quickly and disappeared around the corner.

Juice decided they needed to leave and now. He hurriedly searched through a few more bottles and luckily picked the right one.

Gripping it tightly, he walked over to Chibs. He stepped up next to the older man and glanced at him from the corner of his eye. What he saw hurt.

Chibs wouldn't look at him, even with the sunglasses on. He'd untucked his hair so it was hanging loosely over the sides of his face. His shoulders were tensed and hunched.

Juice wanted to say something but he didn't know what to say. He squeezed Chibs shoulder lightly. The other man turned his head and attempted a smile.

It fell so short of his usual smirk Juice felt his anger flare up again. He'd never wanted to hit a girl or woman but in that instant, he'd gladly have made a fucking exception.

What mattered now though was getting Chibs back to where he'd be comfortable. Back at the house. He told Chibs to go on ahead back to the car and he'd check out. He left without a word.

The drive home was far from calm. Juice could tell Chibs wasn't upset or angry. He was embarrassed and quiet. He wouldn't look in Juice's direction at all and he refused to tuck his hair back, instead shaking his head whenever the locks obscured his vision too much.

When they got home, Chibs was out of the truck first and he slowly walked toward the house. Juice hung back, letting the man have some space.

When both men entered the house, Juice put his keys on the counter and started putting the groceries away. He sure as hell wasn't going to bug Chibs for help putting stuff away. Chibs surprised him though when he started unloading food.

It was a small thing but now he was glad he'd kept the second package of Oreos.

When the food was put away, Chibs moved to the living room. Juice stood in the kitchen, letting the other man settle in. When he walked over and poked his head in, he saw the TV on low and Chibs was staring in its direction. That doesn't mean he was watching it though.

Juice quietly made his way into the room and sat down next to Chibs. To his surprise, an arm curled around him. He cuddled himself into the warm side.

He was grateful Chibs wasn't pushing him away but this was far from fixed. They needed to talk this out or something and Juice wasn't dropping it until they did. He had a feeling what happened today went back farther than just today.

They sat in silence for a few minutes and then Juice decided then was as good a time as any. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

Author's Note: I hated typing the Wal Mart part because it's just so damned RUDE and cruel and shallow..and bitchy. People can be fucking idiots while out in public and I can see this happening very easily. Other than that, I enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope it made you smile (except for that one part because fuck that girl). Have a good evening everyone!