(I swear the opossum will appear soonish XD Just gotta get to the right spot in the story. 4080 words) 

"Not interested? Just gonna let him go and I can do what I want?" Ammo said for the hundredth time... even after Grim had gotten him killed five times already on their current farm run. 

He was past the point of irritation. 

"Listen you fuck face, I—" Ammo cut him off with a chuckle that quickly elevated itself into a full-blown laugh "I bet you'd love for him to fuck your face!" 

Grim was seeing red!

"Aren't you going to be late for your date?" Ammo added before Grim could manage to unclench his jaw enough to verbally berate the man to his death. 

Looking at the clock on his computer screen, Grim paled. 

Ammo now completely forgotten, he jumped up and grabbed his phone, slid his tennis shoes on, then ran out the door! By the time he was down the street, zooming towards the other side of town, he realized that he hadn't even logged his character out, let alone his discord voice chat. 

It didn't matter. If his character died, then he'd die, and Ammo could just talk to himself. And fuck himself. And leave his... 

Slowing to a stop at a red light, Grim ran a hand over his face and groaned. 

"Hey there sexy!" 

Grim felt his eyebrow twitch as he lowered his hand and looked out his open window at the gorgeous women staring back at him from the car to his left. 

Normally he'd at least give them a smile, but he was already glaring at them from behind his sunglasses and didn't feel like playing nice. As soon as he looked back at the light it turned green, allowing him to floor his car and leave them in his fucking dust. 

He pulled up to Ian's apartment building with five minutes to spare, and thankfully, he'd managed to cool off a bit on the drive over. 

The buildings themselves looked surprisingly well kept. Considering how limited Ian seemed to be on money, he'd expected something a lot more rundown. 

Following the directions he'd been given, he easily found Ian's specific apartment on the second floor and knocked firmly on the door. 

It opened not two seconds later. 

He was waiting for me...

The look on Ian's face when he saw that he'd actually come to him was priceless, too. 

Grim was in the process of smirking and was about to open his mouth to tease his babe when he realized that Ian's face was turning more and more red, and he was having trouble even looking at him. 

Furrowing his brow, Grim thought for a moment, then looked down. 

Oh.

Yeah, that would definitely tongue-tie his simp. 

I forgot to put a shirt on. 

"This is your other late birthday present, my little pervert," Grim said, running with his mistake like he'd totally meant to leave his shirt at home. 

No wonder those girls were catcalling me.

Ian slowly backed up and to the side, allowing him into his little home. 

Little might have been an understatement... 

It didn't take him long to take in the entirety of the room. There was a tiny nightstand that was likely acting as a dresser, A little desk that was being propped up on one side with a stack of old newspapers, and a computer chair that had clearly been salvaged from a thrift store... with a broken lift lever. 

After a cursory glance around, he returned his attention to Ian. The man looked extremely nervous now, no doubt embarrassed by his tiny home compared to his house. 

Reaching up, he began patting Ian's head, his fingers happily sifting through his soft hair like he was petting the sweetest dog. He continued giving him attention until he began to hear a quiet little purr start up. 

There's my kitten. 

His other half wasn't nearly as excited to hear the beast within Ian, but he didn't give a shit what it thought as it began to scream in the depths of his mind. 

"I'm proud of you for having your own home and taking care of yourself," he said honestly. 

Ian looked up a little to meet his eyes, his gaze sheepish and still a tiny bit nervous. 

"Why are you living in this kind of apartment though, love?" he asked once he slid his hand down to press against Ian's left cheek. The other man quickly leaned into it. 

"When I left home I looked everywhere for a place, but everything was full with a long waiting list. After sleeping on the streets for a few nights, I found this place. It was much higher than what I could reasonably afford, but I really wanted to sleep inside..." Ian replied in a voice that was close to a whisper. 

Grim reached around the man's waist with his other hand and pressed him closer. Ian immediately sank into him, easily managing their slight height difference. 

"When is your lease up?" Grim asked after a few moments of content silence. 

Ian lifted his head as his hands moved a tiny bit against Grim's bare chest, but didn't try to grope it at all. 

I literally press you against my bare ass chest and you won't even cop a feel. 

"I-I was going to sign again for another year next week..." 

Grim felt his eyebrow twitch.

"I called the other places but they said I still had a long wait," Ian added, reading the annoyance that Grim was clearly showing on his face. 

Of course you're still going to be waiting. You don't have a cosigner and you're now down to one job, and likely only have minimal credit, if any. 

"I just need to go find another job. I applied to several after work yesterday, so it's only a matter of time," Ian said, a smile on his lips that Grim wasn't happy with. 

"You quit the other one?" he asked, needing that information confirmed first. 

Ian's eyes lit up a little at that question. 

"Yes! They even gave me a severance package for the hassle the owner's son put me through. I'll be able to afford the raised rate for the new lease next month already!" 

He was clearly looking forward to not have to worry about the money for once, and Grim couldn't blame him. 

"I'm going to start working towards my GED, too, so I can start applying for better jobs. I already sent in a request to the local library to reserve the books I'll need," he added, excited about the new possibilities his hard work was going to provide him. 

Grim gave him another gentle head pat for his efforts. 

"I'm proud of my adorable husband."

Ian returned his words with a nuzzle of his cheek against his shoulder and a happy purr and ear wiggle from his inner cat. 

"Did you get to work alright from my house yesterday?" Grim asked after a few more moments. He might have been getting a little addicted to hearing Ian purr for him. It was becoming a tad distracting. 

He'd honestly had several subs try to get his attention by acting like cute kittens, but it always seemed disturbingly fake. 

This pussy though...

"It was actually faster than I thought it would be," Ian replied.

Leaning back a little, Grim reached over and grabbed Ian's jaw gently but firmly, then made his eyes meet his. 

His man's purring only grew louder with the comfortable attention. 

Fuck, I can feel it vibrating through my fingers. 

He silently wondered if he'd be able to feel it in other places, too. 

"What will your rent be raised to for the new lease?" he asked... instead of what he'd wanted to ask. 

Ian blinked. 

"U-um, it's going to be sixteen-hundred." 

Sixteen-hundred my ass!

"Do you smoke?" Grim asked abruptly as he released Ian's jaw. 

The man quickly shook his head as he replied with an immediate "no." 

"Drink a lot?" 

"Never." 

"Drugs?" 

"No sir." 

"I'm going to say something, but before I do, I want you to understand that this offer will have absolutely nothing to do with anything else we do together, okay?"

Ian furrowed his brow and frowned, clearly a little confused. 

"What I'm trying to say, is that what I'm going to offer you right now will not be taken away even if you do something I don't like, alright? It will be a month to month situation." 

He could see the realization dawning on his love's face. 

"Look at you getting all excited before I even say it," Grim teased, though nothing could possibly hamper Ian's enthusiasm now that he realized what was about to happen! 

Another pat to his head only seemed to make him more excited. 

Those little wiggly ears. 

Reaching down, Grim tugged on one of those ears, making Ian's purr rise in volume as the guy's eyes squinted mostly shut in pure bliss. 

He wanted to see what kind of face he'd make if he bit it...

"Right, I'll draw up a contract that will be month to month. Four-hundred dollars will include everything," he said, forcing his mind out of the gutter. 

Ian was now hopping on his heels, his hands clasped together against his chest and the biggest dorky smile on his face. 

"Since your renewal would be next week, let's plan for me to come by and pick you and your stuff up Saturday?" Grim offered, already feeling a little nervous about his decision. 

He wasn't a people person, which was abundantly clear from his streams and personality in general, but he just couldn't leave his gaming partner to suffer from such bullshit. He could handle another person in his space for at least long enough for them to save up some money to get themselves into a better situation. 

I'm gonna have to lock that closet in the spare room... or move my stuff. 

He doubted Ian would be happy opening it to find a bunch of different ropes and what not. 

"Ah right, did you eat everything I gave you last night?" he asked, changing the topic before he imagined tying the man down to his bed, again. 

"Yes! It was all fantastic," Ian said cheerfully. 

Grim grinned. 

"Good, now let's go get some food to make for dinner," he said, then turned towards the door... only to have his hand gently grabbed, drawing his attention back over his shoulder. 

"U-u-um," Ian stuttered, clearly struggling to speak as he looked down slightly, drawing Grim's attention downward, too.  

 Oh, right.

He'd forgotten to put on a shirt, again. 

"Lend me a shirt?" he asked as he looked up nonchalantly. 

Ian, face redder than a tomato, hurried toward his tiny dresser and quickly sifted through his items before tugging out a perfectly folded shirt. 

He presented it to him with shaking hands. 

"I-I just washed it."

Grim was a bit surprised by his reaction to the shirt request, but then he remembered something and bit back a chuckle. 

Right, my simp is probably in heaven with me wanting to wear one of his shirts. 

Deciding not to tease him more, Grim simply said "thank you" and tugged the black and gray shirt on. It was soft from being worn and washed so many times, but it was comfortable and fit like he preferred. A little bit long. 

"Alright, let's head out," he said as he took Ian's wrist and tugged him out the door. 

Ian locked it with a shaky hand, then after failing to slip his keys into his pocket for the third time, Grim gently took them from him and slid them into his own pocket. 

"Come on, babe," he said to try and calm him down a bit, realizing that he might have messed with him a tad too much already. 

Sliding his hand down to slip into Ian's, he lead him to his car and buckled him in once he sat down.  

They were soon on their way, but Ian's phone rang as they pulled into the parking lot, so Grim just put the car in park and waiting patiently. 

It seemed like he was talking to a police officer about something that had happened, but for some reason, it irked him when he kept referring to the officer as sir. 

By the time he had finished Grim was fidgety. He tried to hide it, though, and quickly hopped out to retrieve Ian from his side. As soon as they started for the building he slid his hand, which was still holding Ian's, into the pocket of his cargo pants. 

Their hands fit perfectly. 

"What would you like to eat?" he asked as they stepped inside and he grabbed a cart, easily steering it with one hand. 

Ian grabbed the corner of the push bar but left him to direct where they were going. 

"I-I'm fine with anything," he replied after a moment of thought. 

That wasn't the answer he wanted, though. 

"What are your favorite foods?" Grim asked, wanting more specific information. 

Ian looked a little surprised, but he quickly wracked his brain, then responded with, "hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, and fruit salad." 

That stuff was easy enough to make. 

They started near the fruit section and within moments their cart had quite a few fruits and veggies in it. With each new item he put in, he could see Ian's eyes widen slightly, no doubt nervous about the cost. 

"I'm paying," he stated firmly as he put a bag of potatoes in the cart, then continued tugging Ian along. 

Their hands eventually slid from his pocket, but he still refused to release Ian's... and the guy didn't seem interested in being let go, anyways. 

Soon they had more than enough fruit for a nice big salad, as well as some good veggies and spices. 

Alright, next. 

There were plenty of types of pasta in the store, but he actually preferred the brown rice variety on the rare occasions when he made macaroni and cheese. It was a little more expensive, but the texture was perfect as long as you cooked it right. 

The cheese was next, and while he saw Ian eyeing the simple bag of shredded cheddar, he was far more interested in the gouda and pepper jack. He did grab some sharp cheddar for Ian, too, but he made sure to get it as a block instead of bag. They were usually fresher and were simple to grate. 

Before they got to the meat section he made sure to grab a grater and extra large pot and pan, since Ian mentioned that he only had tiny ones. 

When they did finally get to the meats, he was extremely picky. He had no doubt that Ian wanted to grab the premade and seasoned burger patties by the way he was staring at them, but Grim quickly tugged him over to the fresh ground meat and picked up two packages of the best stuff. 

They stopped and grabbed a container of eggs, cream, and a few other things, too, before wandering down the frozen sections. 

"What's your favorite kind of ice cream?" he asked as they stopped in front of a wall of the stuff. 

Ian looked from brand to brand, but it was clear what he was going to say before it even left his mouth. 

"I haven't really tried most flavors. Vanilla and chocolate are always good, though." 

Grim held back a seriously? stare as he stepped forward and took out four miniature containers of ice cream and tossed them into their cart. He made sure that one was chocolate and another vanilla, but the other two were specialty ones. 

"Alright, I think we're good now," he said as he pushed their cart to the checkout line and finally released Ian's hand to begin scanning the items. 

Ian scurried around him and quickly began bagging, allowing them to finish their task promptly. 

The last thing he scanned was a Snickers bar, which he immediately handed to Ian, remembering that it was his favorite. 

"Thank you!" 

Grim pushed their groceries out the door as Ian happily walked at his side, munching on his treat. 

"So, how was work?" he asked once they stopped at his car. 

Ian was just picking up a bag to begin unloading the cart when he looked over, a little surprised by the question. 

"I-It was g—" his words were cut off from shock as Grim leaned over and took a bite of his candy bar. 

Eh. 

It had been years since he'd had one and it definitely wasn't his favorite, but it was reasonable.

He put four bags in the trunk before Ian managed to snap back to himself. The guy then quickly grabbed the rest, then ran the cart back to its proper place before sliding into the passenger's side seat. 

He allowed him to buckle his seatbelt without a word, then waited patiently as Grim walked around to his own seat and slid in. 

The drive back was comfortable and quiet, his previous question evidently forgotten from the surprise of him having taken a bite of Ian's candy bar. 

The guy was still working away at the big treat, and each time they stopped at a light he couldn't help but look over at him. 

How do you not have a boyfriend yet? 

Well, safety was the real answer for that one, because he could have definitely acquired one at his last job, but that guy had been a sleaze-ball.  

Ammo's words replayed in his mind as they headed up the stairs to Ian's apartment. As much shit as he gave the guy, he was a really nice person. 

"U-Um, is it okay if I grab the keys?" Ian asked with a fresh blush on his face. 

Oh right, I took them. 

He also had six bags split between his two arms. Unless he put them all down, they wouldn't be able to get inside. 

"Yeah, grab them," he said nonchalantly. 

Ian began to do as told, but he was clearly losing steam as his hand approached Grim's pocket. 

"Come on babe, these are heavy. I'm giving you permission to grope your husband, take advantage," he teased, though the bags were getting pretty heavy. 

Ian fidgeted for another moment before shoving his hand right into Grim's pant's pocket. The look on his face as he fished out his keys was so adorably determined that he nearly leaned forward to kiss him, just to add fuel to the fire, but he knew that the guy's poor heart might give out with too much more, so he restrained himself... but just barely. 

I feel like I'm teasing a high school girl. 

Grim watched as Ian turned and unlocked the door, then stepped inside. Before he turned to hold it open for him, Grim glanced down. 

He doesn't even have an ass. Literally nothing. 

Of course, he was also malnourished and could likely build up a decent bit of muscle if fed right with a dash of exercise, but still...

Why am I even here? 

 "Grim?" 

Blinking out of his thoughts, Grim looked up to see a nervous smiling Ian. 

"Ah, right. Sorry, got distracted," he said as he ducked inside. 

They got everything they weren't going to use immediately put away, then Grim started getting the pots and pans ready after giving them a quick scrub. 

Somehow, they worked like a well-oiled machine with Grim doing the main cooking and Ian preparing each item before it was added to this and that. 

By the time the sun had gone down outside they had a buffet of garlic onion burgers with fresh baked bread as the buns, a mushroom and potato macaroni and cheese bake, and a big bowl of mixed fruit salad for dessert.

Ian seemed a little embarrassed by his lack of seating available, but Grim didn't hesitate to settle himself against the wall, then pat the spot between his spread legs. 

Ian happily settled there, then went to town on his food like a starved teenager. Grim was the opposite and ate slowly, not quite hungry enough to stuff his face at the moment. He was honestly just enjoying watching Ian. 

It had been a while since he'd actually cooked for someone and he'd even made the bread from scratch, too. 

Girls usually only eat three bites and say they're full...

He considered asking if he liked it, but there was really no reason. The guy was already halfway through his plate of two burgers and a giant scoop of macaroni bake, and he didn't seem like he was planning to slow down anytime soon. 

 In fact, he didn't actually stop until nearly an hour had passed. 

He ended up eating three burgers and two huge scoops of pasta, as well as a bowl of fruit salad and drinking two cups of water. 

It was no surprise then, that after a quick bathroom break and a few minutes to put away the leftovers, Ian changed into pajamas, then passed out within seconds of settling into Grim's arms. That left him with a bit of a predicament now, though...

I have a match soon.

Grim unlocked his phone and turned his Discord on to see several messages from Ammo. The newest one was currently being typed, however, so he waited for the wrath of his friend. 

Ammo: Dude! Our match is in thirty minutes, where are you?! It's showing you're on your phone right now!

Sighing, Grim moved his left hand a little, then blinked and realized that he'd slid it underneath Ian's shirt at some point to rest it against his full belly. 

The guy ran quite warm, especially after eating. 

Moving his thumb over the warm skin, he began typing with his free hand. 

Grim: Got distracted, won't make it in time. 

Ammo: ...

Ammo: Get on his computer, man.

His computer? 

Grim looked up, furrowing his brow. 

He technically could, but that wasn't his to just use. 

Looking down, he slowly removed his hand from beneath Ian's shirt and began to gently brush the man's bangs away from his face. 

"Babe?"  

Ian groaned quietly, then nuzzled against his shoulder a little more. 

"Babe, may I use your computer for a little bit?" he asked as he switched his attention to gently tugging on one of his cute ears. 

Ian yawned, then twitched his nose before his eyelids began to flutter. 

Cute little fucker. 

"Ren Ren, can I borrow your computer for a bit?" he asked again as he pressed a kiss to that cute nose. 

He felt Ian move a little more against him. 

"Of course," he eventually rasped out as he tried, unsuccessfully, to get out of Grim's lap. 

With a deep chuckle Grim got up, easily lifting Ian up with him. The man really was too light. 

"To bed with you, though," he said as he carried him over to his sleeping mat. 

When he sat him down, however, Ian seemed quite determined to suddenly stay awake. 

"Bed, love. I just have a quick match with Ammo I need to do," he said as he tugged Ian's small blanket over him and guided him to lie back down. 

"I wanna watch..." Ian whined, his voice barely above a whisper as he finished his sentence with another yawn. 

"Not tonight, babe. You have work in the morning, now be good and go to bed," Grim said as he pet his head. 

Ian grumbled a little even as he began to purr, but after only a few moments, he relented and closed his eyes. Soon, he was sleeping soundly with Grim's hand settled against his soft hair. 

"Dream of me." 

When he got no response from Ian, Grim stood back up and got himself settled in the man's old computer chair. It was actually reasonably comfortable, though he fell a bit short of the height he normally liked to be while playing. 

After turning the computer on, he opened Discord, then the game. While those were loading, he got Ian's headset on, then clicked into the voice chat that Ammo had waiting for him. And, of course, the guy didn't hesitate to immediately sour his mood. 

"Fuck, you really are at his place. Well, how was your first experience with gay sex? Are you a newly-awakened bottom now?"

Leaning back in his chair, Grim withheld a groan and glanced over his shoulder at Ian's sleeping form.  

This is going to be a long night...