Witch68 - Marco's honoured but also suddenly fearing every little dust speck on earth, suspicious of it that everything could harm Ace. But he did great, he tried, most important! Thank you and Nice to see you again! In the other stories too! I hope you had a great New Years!

Wishfull-star - They've got a lot to experience together. Marco's cute a bit flustered haha, He's doing his best! Thank you very much! Hope you enjoy this chapter and a late Happy New year!

I wrote the start a bit hmm angsty? like something is about to happen, but don't worry! Nothing scary actually happens.

Ace

Sudden movement on the bed jolted him awake and he froze in fear as he started to hear some shuffling too.

Was someone here? Right next to him? He hadn't heard anyone entering, he normally woke up pretty quickly when there was a noise inside the house, especially if he was sleeping alone.

"M-marco?" He whispered softly into the never-ending darkness. Yet he knew that it wasn't the blond even with the inability to see. Marco wasn't supposed to be home until much later in the evening, having a big meeting in the afternoon. And besides, he wouldn't sneak up on him. If he didn't wake up from him entering the house, Marco would briefly check on him and leave since he didn't want to scare him. If he saw or hear that he woke up, then he would announce himself one way or another before getting close... At least he would never scare him on purpose like this, especially not when he called out his name.

However... no vocal reaction came. Instead he he almost screamed when a heavy weight fell down onto the bed right next to his legs. He clutched the blanket around him for dear life as he felt that heat was radiating off the object. It was big, the whole of his upper legs and even parts under his knees felt warm. But….. nothing more happened?

He's sure at least a minute had passed and still nothing, no big movements, no sounds. There was only the sound of breathing, panting almost which actually made him scared more then if the thing had moved too. Like this... Like this it felt like someone was just silently watching him...

Having started to tremble, he let go of the blanket and took it out of the blanket. Swallowing he started to trace down his own body until his hand was parallel to the breathing warmth. He so wished he could just call Marco right now, he could turn on video call and let him see. But who knows what this is and- and his phone was so far, all the way on the night stand... the night stand at the other side of the creature.

Squeezing his eyes shut, for who knows what reason, he moved his hand closer and closer until he finally touched something, instantly pulling back. But yet again... nothing happened. There was no big reaction to it. There had only been some kind of huff and... he slowly brought his hand closer and... the heat, it was soft? A soft fluffiness... fuzziness... hairiness?

"Brownie?"

Now there was movement instantly and a weight landed on his stomach that made him flinch until-

Wruf

The smallest bark, if it could even be called a bark, came from the weight on his stomach, together with some pushes to it, nuzzles. His stomach was being nuzzled.

A breath he didn't know he had been holding came out of him and he smiled as he patted over the soft fur, stroking over fluffy ears he now easily recognised to be his loyal companion's.

"Hi boy. What are you doing here?"

Brownie normally didn't go onto the bed. It's not that they really prohibited it, but he was already taught not to go on it. So they never cheered it on either. Only on the couch would he occasionally sit in his lap, for as much as he fit in it. And that was thanks to him calling Brownie in... who didn't to have the bestest and fluffiest boy in their lap to pat?

A small whine came from the canine as the dog shuffled to be more against him. Before he could ask more questions, a weird grumbling sound came from next to him.

"Brownie?"

Hoo

Another whine together with the grumbling... or maybe it was rumbling, came from the dog once again, this time accompanied by... bubbling?

Ace kept stroking as he tried to figure out where he heard the sounds before. They weren't loud and with Brownie being right next to him, he knew they came from the dog, but they weren't whines or barks or well sounds a dog made themselves. So where... where has he heard them befo-

Burp

"Ah…" Stomach noises, that was it. Which meant, "Are you feeling sick, Brownie?".

There of course wasn't an answer. He frowned as he patted over the fur, moving his hands lower and lower until he reached his soft belly. Feeling around and lightly pressing. The moment he did the dog whined and seemed to shiver.

"Oh my poor boy." He really did feel sick, "Come here."

He shifted to his side and opened the blanket, patting the spot next to him until he felt movement. Soon the weight moved from next to his legs to next to his chest. He then pulled the blanket over his friend and put an arm around him to pull him closer, holding the dog in a hug.

"There we go." speaking softly he patted over the blanket, "Nice and coOoOzZzyYyyy-hahahhaha no problem, Brownie!" he laughed as his face was licked a few times before he heard the dog laying down. Knowing approximately where the head was, he kissed the fur closest to him with a smile, listening closely until the breath evened out. "Sleep well, Brownie, hopefully you'll feel better soon, buddy."

Stroking the fluffy being a few more times, he closed his own eyes and soon fell asleep again. He made a mental note to check if Brownie was feeling better after a little nap and get Marco to look him over too. To see if something was up, if they need to go to the vet.

Marco

"I'm home!" Marco called as he entered their apartment. He was able to leave a bit earlier. The meeting they were having having been cancelled, and he and already finished up all of his other work that had to be done, not having wanted to work on it after the meeting.

By the time he had taken off his jacket and shoes and hung them on the rack, no one had come to greet him.

"Probably taking a nap," He murmured to himself as he walked in the living room and looked around, "Brownie-yoi? Wanne go for a walk?"

...

"Brownie?"

No brownie either? He cocked his eyebrow as he went to check his basket, only to stop a few steps in front of it to a little puddle on the floor. "huh, vomit?"

Inspecting the puddle, there was a watery liquid with pieces of something yellow and green in there?

"What is this-yoi?"

He picked up a piece and felt it. And yes, he'll wash his hands after this. "Plastic?"

Holding the piece he hummed in thought, getting up a few seconds after and looking around before going to the basket and feeling in the cracks.

"Aha!" pulling out the object that he was already expecting confirmed his suspicion. In his hand was a totally demolished pineapple. A squeaker-toy the shepherd had had since he had first gotten here. Luckily, by the looks of it, it did seem that the dog had got almost everything he ate out of his stomach, which was good.

Getting up he threw the piece and toy into the trash can and cleaned the vomit off the floor before washing his hands in the sink.

Once done he decided to restart his search for the two who he lived with. If Ace wasn't in the house, and Brownie wasn't either, he had probably gone on a walk with him by himself. Which would be shame, he loved walking with the Shephard, and Ace of course. But seeing those fluffy ears bounce was just so cute. But nothing to do about it, Ace didn't expect him home for another few hours, so why would he wait for him.

Ace

Ace awoke to the sounds of footsteps and clattering in the house, not very loud, but enough to wake him. There was also the sound of water running before the steps came near the bedroom, the door creaking only for a second, signalling it didn't open all the way and someone was jsut glancing in. Checking up on him, which meant...

"Marco?"

The creaking continued, the door fully opening and the steps came in. "Afternoon, darling-yoi."

The voice of the blond came through and soon the bed dipped next to him, lips touching his forehead.

"Afternoon." He smiled towards the dip in the bed, "You're back early?", he questioned rather than said since he actually had no idea of the time.

A chuckle echoed, "I am early, the meeting got cancelled"

"Oh, and you were able to leave? That's really nic-aah Brownieee s-sto-haha-ooop." The fluffy mess that had been sleeping next to him, also known as Brownie, was stepping and tiptoeing all over his to get to Marco.

Woof!

Laughter tore from the blond and he could hear the clinking of Brownie's collar, so he knew Marco was rubbing the happy dog on top of him, "haha hello to you too, Brownie! Did you not hear me come in-yoi? I missed you too! But please don't kill my lovely freckles." He laughed again, but there was no movement to actually get the dog out of the way.

"Marrrrrrrr" Ace whined, Brownie had shifted and now with every wag of the tail he was being slapped in the face. He was sure Marco was also laughing at him.

"I got you, I got you." Thought it was another few seconds before the next words came to free him, "Down Brownie."

The command was followed instantly, dog jumping off the bed to nuzzle Marco from the floor and jumping all around him.

"I'm glad he seems to be feeling better." Ace smiled as he sat up, looking towards the direction of happy pitter pats on the floor.

"Better-yoi?"

The voice came from lower then usual so the blond much be crouching to pet the dog? "Yea," he nodded, "Brownie came to lay in bed with me some time ago and he was whining every now and then. His stomach made a grumbling noise and he burped too. So I thought he may be feeling a bit unwell. I wanted to have you check him when you got home, see if we needed to go to the vet or not. But I'm happy that he seems better so I may have been wrong too."

"Hmm, no no, you were probably right-yoi. He probably did feel bad because," Marco took Brownies face between his hands, squeezing it and ruffling the hairs, "someone ate their squeaker. Didn't you boy?"

Woof woof!

"Haha, Yes, you did!"

"Squeaker?"

"Yea, the pineapple-yoi." Marco got up and patted his knees clean before sitting back on the bed, absent-mindedly taking Ace's hand in his or rather taking it only for their roles to be switched and let Ace play with his fingers. "I found it destroyed in his basket and there was a small puddle of vomit with some plastic pieces in it, the exact colour of the toy. I cleaned it already, so don't worry about that."

"Vomit?" Ace looked towards the door that had creaked, knowing Brownie had left the room, "I didn't even hear him puke…"

"It's okay, darling, you were sleeping. It was just one puddle, so even if you woke up from it, you probably wouldn't even have known why you woke up in the first place."

Still Ace frowned, he hadn't noticed his own dog had chewed up the toy and got sick from it, yet the dog was there 24/7 to help him.

"You went to Ace for comfort-yoi?" He suddenly heard Marco say in the little dog voice he made, raising it a pitch when he spoke to solely the dog. "Good boy." Wruf "Yes! You're a good boy! So smart!" Woof "Man, you got to sleep nice and cosy cuddled in Ace's chest, I'm a little jealous. I want to lay with him t-" Grrr "You- I can sleep with Ace too!" Wrrrrruf!

Ace who was already holding in a laugh at the conversation between the two he loved, finally laughed as Brownie jumped on the bed again and nuzzled again him, successfully taking up Marco's usual spot. He patted the dog who gave a happy bark in return.

He heard Marco snort and from the increased wagging they had made peace and Marco was petting the dog.

"Do we have another squeaker?"

"Hmm no-yoi. I don't think so. We got the rope, the chewy bone, the puzzle-game, a teddy bear, hmmmm, I think that's it. None have a squeaker in them."

"He likes the squeaker."

"He does... far too much."

"Don't roll your eyes, Marco."

"I didn't-yoi."

Ace quirked an eyebrow at the other, he was blind, not stupid.

"Okay, you got me. I don't know how you do this every time."

"You're just too obvious."

"You know you're the only one who says that about me, concerning showing emotions."

"Maybe it's because I feel it."

"Feel it-yoi?"

Ace smiled, "With all my love for you!"

He was enveloped in a hug a second later, a kiss coming to his cheek.

"I love you so much."

"I love me too! haha I love you to Marco!" He embraced him back only to get all the air squeezed out of him, what was th-

"GAH- Brownie! I can lay here too-yoi! - I was here first, you know!"

Closing his eyes Ace busted out into laughter, Marco following suit the second he had won from Brownie, or at least made a truce and each picked one side of him to cuddle.

"Let's get him another Squeaker." Ace breathed out once he came down from his high.

"A pineapple one-yoi?"

Woof!

"I think that's a yes from Brownie, Mar."

His cheek was kissed once again, "Alright, let's pick one for him up in a bit. Maybe a couple extra's to hide in case one breaks. But first...", Marco moved to cuddle up to the raven, sneaking to join him under the blanket, "... cuddles."

A bit too late, but, Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone has enjoyed the holidays!