trish buttercup

00:15, VIENNA

“Do you think she will accept? Being a part of the Syndicate?” Lane asked as he looked at the now former MI6 agent on the floor.

The bullet proof vest she was wearing saved Laila’s life. Still, the impact made her fall on the ground and pass out.

As soon as Walker shot her and was sure she would be down for a while, he called Lane. Obviously, he was already in the city, waiting anxiously for the result of the little sick game he had created.

“Does she really have a choice? Plus, you wouldn’t go through all this trouble if you didn’t know for sure she would be in” August said dryly as he injected a sedative on her vein.

Waking up in the morgue as her body was being recognized by the MI6 wouldn’t be good, after all.

“Well, she is definitely going to be a pretty little asset to the Syndicate” Lane said with a smirk as he analyzed her. “She gave you a lot of trouble.. With some more training, she will be just as deadly and powerful as you”

“Yeah… I hope this little charade of yours will pay off” he grunted.

Lane rolled his eyes, sensing his annoyance. “Always so transparent, Walker. What is bothering you?”

“Couldn’t you just tell me you wanted to recruit her? It’d make my life a lot easier” he said as he got up and signaled to a couple of agents that were in the room to carry Laila to the car.

“And what fun would that be?”

“She could’ve killed me!” he shouted angrily.

“If she managed to kill you, then you shouldn’t even be doing this job. Stop whining. You have a newbie to train, and I have to go deal with Ethan Hunt. He’s been getting on my nerves lately... Remember: you’re in charge if something happens. Do not disappoint me”

24 HOURS LATER, SECRET LOCATION

Cold.

Everything was cold.

It was like she was drowning on her own mind and all she could feel was that cold running through her body and her bones. She couldn’t even move. She was paralyzed. Frozen.

Dark.

Everything was dark.

Laila couldn’t see anything. No matter where she looked, everything around her was dark. It was like her eyes were closed, but they were wide open.

Were they wide open in shock?

August had shot her. And although that wasn’t a complete surprise, she still felt betrayed, and angry, and… And scared.

Am I dead? Is that what being dead feels like?

The MI6 agent didn’t get frightened easily, but as that thought ran through her mind, she started to panic. And that is exactly what snapped her out of that spiraling cycle that was keeping her so still and immobilized.

Suddenly, she could move. And although everything was still dark, she forced her eyes to get used to her surroundings, looking around to check if she could see something, anything.

Taking a deep breath, Laila moved her hands, banging on the walls around her. Her mouth was dry and her throat was sore, but she found the strength to scream. She wasn’t dead, and she wasn’t giving up.

That’s exactly when everything around her moved and she was suddenly attacked by a bright white light. Blinking a few times, she looked around her and sat down, panting and shaking. If by fear, cold or both, she couldn’t really say.

“Welcome back, Laila” she heard an amused and deep voice right next to her. “Good to see you’re not actually dead” Walker said calmly, his arms crossed as he analyzed her movements.

“What the… Why am I in a fucking morgue?” Laila grunted, not quite sounding like herself. Something was wrong with her voice.

“Want some water? You probably have a sore throat… My bad” smirking, he grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to her.

She drank it eagerly, relief running through her veins. She wasn’t dead. She was alive, and drinking water, and soon this nightmare would be nothing but a bad memory.

“The drugs we had to give you to make you look dead have that effect. Expect some headaches, too” he continued to speak in a calm voice, almost as if he was bored.

“You shot me” she said accusingly, touching her bruised and aching chest, right where she felt the bullet hitting her.

“Don’t be so dramatic. I knew you were wearing a bullet proof vest” he rolled his eyes. “These things are so useless… It saved your life but it made you pass out. I could’ve killed you if I wanted to” he said in a low voice, making her shiver.

In the white light of the morgue, she looked almost actually dead.

Her skin was pale. There were dark spots under her eyes. Her lips, always colored in a dark red lipstick, were almost invisible. And she was shaking, only a thin sheet covering her body.

Walker walked towards a bag, grabbing a few clothes and throwing it in her direction.

“Get dressed and then we’ll get out of here and talk. I can’t stand this smell anymore, you took forever to wake up” he complained, a displeased look on his face as he left the room.

                                        •••

Laila was eating her fries as if she hadn’t had a meal in days. Another side effect of the drugs they gave her. August just watched her as he sipped his drink.

“Out of all the places you could choose, why here?” he asked in a low voice, staring at everyone suspiciously.

“There’s nothing wrong with a simple café or my fries, Walker. And as much as I love picking fights with you over dumb shit, we have more important matters do discuss” she said as she pushed her plate aside.

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything! Come on, you shot me and I woke up in the drawer of a fucking morgue. I think I deserve the complete explanation” she hissed, her eyes locked on his, a glint of anger on them.

August took a deep breath and nodded. “I guess you’re right... First things first, then. I shot you because I realized Lane didn’t want us to kill each other. He wanted to recruit you. And in order for that to be possible, you had to be declared dead for the MI6. Your old life had to be completely eliminated. That’s how we operate to avoid suspicions.”

“A bit dramatic, huh?”

“I thought so too, to be honest… Welcome to the Syndicate” he smiled ironically.

“All of this just to recruit a new agent? How did he even contact both the MI6 and the CIA?”

“We have our resources, Laila, and they’re pretty much unlimited… This time it caused us a lot of unnecessary drama but it’s just the Solomon Lane effect”

“It caused a lot more than just unnecessary drama. It caused the death of my only ally and actual friend, Walker. Don’t think that I forgot Ciara got killed in the middle of this shit”

“Actually… Lane was willing to recruit her too. Her death isn’t on us”

“Then what happened?”

“She got killed because she was caught in a mess created by Ethan Hunt and the IMF… Your dear cousin included. But don’t worry. We’ll get revenge. I have a feeling all of our paths will cross soon enough” Walker murmured as he tossed some money on the table and got up.

Laila followed him and they started to walk back to the parking lot.

“Where is Lane now?”

“Away. And he will be for a while.”

“Did our bosses know about this?”

“No. Sloan has no clue you’re alive, and Atlee... He’s in the Syndicate too, but be glad he didn’t know about anything, because he got busted by the IMF”

“Sounds like the IMF had a lot of work on their hands...” Laila whispered to herself as they got to the car. “So, what happens now?”

“Usually, Lane trains the newbies himself. Since that won’t be possible, you’re stuck with me. I guess that makes us… partners” Walker said that in a disgusted voice, almost as if he was choking on the word.

They both opened the car doors but, before they could enter, Laila had one more thing to ask.

“Did you ever have a partner before, Walker?”

“That I didn’t murdered? No” he said dryly as he got in the car.

“Oh, this is going to be fun!” Laila laughed loudly as she took her seat and turned the radio on.

It's a quarter past midnight As we cut through the city The streets are getting restless Good times, bad decisions

SUNDAY AFTERNOON, VIENNA

August was watching Laila attentively as she got dressed.

After they were told they needed to complete the mission in just a few hours, a plan was quickly formed. The goal was to get more information about the plutonium Lane wanted so much. This way, they’d get leverage and try not to get killed.

Not that killing each other and ending this simply and quickly didn’t go through both of their minds.

“You are aware that we will have to run, probably kill, and also be discreet on this mission, right?” he raised an eyebrow at her, checking on his guns as he checked his emails on his laptop.

“Yes, I am very aware, considering that’s how all missions have to be and considering I’ve done a lot of them already” Dunn said with an annoyed sigh, not even bothering to look at him as she answered his questions.

“Then why, may I ask, are you wearing such a high heel? It is not practical... At all”

“What about your mustache?” she asked all of a sudden, looking at him and making Walker furrow his brows in confusion.

“What about it?”

“Why don’t you shave it? It is not beautiful... At all” she fired back with a sarcastic smile. “Plus, you’ve been wearing the same clothes since last night. You’re not in position to say anything”

“Oh, sorry if I didn’t have time to bring my bags here, Laila. I was too busy saving your ass!” he replied with a sarcastic smile at the same time a new message popped on the screen of his laptop.

He looked up to check if the MI6 agent was paying attention to him, but she was only cursing him under her breath as she got everything she needed before they left the hotel.

One (1) new message from Solomon Lane

Walker held his breath. As a smart and trained agent, even in a twisted way, he knew he could never fully trust Lane. This meant he always kept his eyes open to make sure he wasn’t being double crossed by the man.

However, he never could’ve seen this situation happening. Being betrayed and killed by Lane? Yes, of course that has crossed his mind. More than once, to be completely honest. But being sent to assassinate a woman whose mission was to also end his life? That didn’t make any sense.

That’s why he was so sure there had to be a reason as to why they were both put in this position. And that’s why he wasn’t surprised to see Lane's cryptic message.

“Hope you are having fun with Laila.

I have to admit, putting this “mission” of yours together wasn’t boring at all. Right now, however, I have bigger issues to deal with.

That’s why both of your deadlines were shortened. I’m done playing games, Walker.

Don’t waste time. Finish the mission. We need more resources, and we need it now. Get it.”

August was analyzing every single word he had just read. He was so concentrated that he didn’t even notice Laila approaching him. As she came up behind him and he felt her presence, he quickly shut the laptop down.

“I thought we were done with secrets, Walker” she murmured into his ear, her lips brushing against his skin softly.

“We are spies, Laila. Are we ever truly done with secrets?” he asked in a low voice, grabbing her by the neck and kissing her deeply.

His lips were rough against hers. He could taste her strawberry lipstick, which only made him even more eager. Biting her bottom lip just hard enough to make her moan in pleasure and surprise, he stood up, quickly pressing her body against a wall.

Walker slid his tongue into her mouth, demanding space. One of his hands were still around her neck, choking her lightly as he moved the other to her breasts, squeezing and massaging them skillfully.

“We don’t have time for this” Laila mumbled against his lips.

She could push him at any moment. He was strong and demanding, but she was a trained agent. However, she could also be dead by the end of the night. So why the hell not enjoy her possible final moments?

“Shut up, Laila” he replied roughly, squeezing her neck tighter, making her open her eyes in a mix of surprise and delight.

Walker was watching her reactions closely. He could see her nipples were already hard, pressing through the thin fabric of her bra and shirt. “Does it look like I care?” he asked in a whisper, sliding his hand down and into her jeans.

“What are you doing?” she said after clearing her own throat. Her hands were on his chest; the goal was to push him away but her mind and instinct betrayed herself by pulling him even closer to her.

“I think you know exactly what I’m doing… We both know you’re not innocent, Laila”

As he said that, he started to slowly rub her clit through her panties. She bit her lips to prevent her from moaning, but August could see just how much she was enjoying that by the way she was breathing and panting.

“Two can play this game, Walker” she smirked, moving her hands from his chest to his belt, undoing it. Unzipping his pants, she freed his cock and started to stroke it in an agonizing slow pace.

“Well… Aren’t we both great at playing games?” he whispered, his eyes locked on hers. As he pulled her panties aside and slid a finger inside of her wet core, he also thrusted himself into her hands.

“Fuck!” with a groan, Laila moved her head, trying to rest her forehead against Walker’s shoulder. He, however, had other plans.

Holding her chin firmly, the CIA agent slid his thumb into her mouth as he continued to work his fingers on her.

“Such a dirty little mouth…” he grunted as she sucked on his thumb, their eyes locked together.

Laila continued to stroke him slowly. She was feeling so much at once that she couldn’t really focus on her hands movements, which made everything so sloppy but also so hot and sensual.

Fear. Excitement. Doubts. Mourn. All of these mixed feelings inside of her head were slowly being pushed away by the pleasure Walker was giving her. She sure as hell didn’t trust him, and she probably never would, but she couldn’t deny the way he could always make all of the voices in her mind disappear.

Suddenly, she felt a wave of heat grow so intensively on her core that she couldn’t hold her scream back. She moaned loudly as her walls clenched against his skilled fingers, trying hard not to bite his thumb.

He removed his thumb from her mouth, caressing her cheeks sloppily and making a big mess on her soft skin with her dark red lipstick. “Maybe you need something more to shut up, huh?” he whispered, pushing her down to her knees after he slid his fingers out of her.

Still high with satisfaction and desire, Laila didn’t think twice before starting to work her mouth on his member.

August sucked his fingers clean, tasting her pleasure as he started to feel his own orgasm building up. The fear of dying, his own feelings toward the MI6 agent and her skilled mouth and tongue were sending him over the edge quicker than he would like to admit.

Holding both sides of her head tenderly but firmly, Walker pushed himself deeper into her mouth, controlling her movements.

“Laila…” he groaned, thrusting his hips faster as he released himself inside of her mouth. “Fuck… I knew this mouth of yours could do a lot more than just insult my mustache” he smirked, sliding his cock out and pushing some of the spilled cum back into her mouth with his thumb. “Now we can go”.

VIENNA, SUNDAY, 9pm

“This is too easy…” Laila said as they stood in front of the building the plutonium was supposed to be hidden.

August looked at her, uninterest all over his face. “What do you mean?” he asked slowly, almost as if he was bored.

“The files we got at the opera… They gave us the exact location of this weapon Lane wants so much. Don’t you think that is a little odd? Use your brain, Walker” the MI6 agent whispered as a group of friends walked close to them. Attracting unwanted attention was the last thing they needed.

“I am using my brain. And my brain is telling me we have no other leads to follow and just a few hours until we hit our deadline. It’s this or nothing, Laila. Don’t start acting like a coward. I was just starting to like you” he gave her an ironic smile as he quickly unlocked the door and opened it up. “Are you coming or what?”

Dunn took a deep breath. “Fuck it” she murmured under her breath before entering the building with Walker.

Splitting up was something that happened naturally.

None of them trusted the other enough to suggest going separate ways. The chances of one finding the plutonium and just killing their rival were big.

However, they were running out of time. They needed to be fast. The building was big, and they needed to go through every inch of it.

In an unspoken agreement, they went to opposite directions as soon as they passed through the door.

After a couple of hours, however, it was clear that they were being played. There was nothing in the entire building but dust. No sign of the plutonium.

“There’s nothing here” Laila said angrily, kicking one of the cardboard boxes that were on the floor.

“We must be missing something... We have to keep searching”

“For fuck’s sake, August. We’re just wasting time here. Ciara died for nothing and apparently so will we! Come on, we could be trying to run away or something but instead we’re in an abandoned dusty building searching for some apocalyptic resource that is not even here! Great way to spend our final moments!”

“Resources… We need more resources… Of course.” Walker mumbled to himself before looking at Laila. “I know what Lane wants. I know how to get us both out of this mess. But you have to trust me.”

“Trust you? Are you on crack? Do you think I’m stupid?” Dunn groaned, rolling her eyes as she continued to kick everything that was on her way.

She was so angry that she barely noticed when Walker took a gun and pointed it at her. 

She was an amazing agent. Probably the best of the CIA. But even she could never pull her own pistol faster than he could pull the trigger.

Laila laughed humorlessly, her eyes locked on the gun. “Is that supposed to make me trust you, Walker?” she asked defiantly.

“It’s just the job, Laila…” he said slowly.

Although the MI6 agent was putting on a brave face, he could see just how scared she was.

Her hands, always so firm, were shaking; she was trying to hide by closing them into a fist, but it wasn’t really working.

Her eyes, always so challenging, had a hint of fear. Not only that: it was moving constantly from the gun to his eyes to all around the room. She was trying to find a way out; even at the end, she didn’t lose hope of, somehow, defeating him.

Her breath, always so steady, was out of rhythm.

Her chest was going up and down at a fast pace. It seemed like there was something wrong, pressing against her thorax, preventing her from breathing properly.

“Well, I guess that’s what I get for sleeping with the enemy” she whispered to herself, trying to buy herself some time, maybe even distract him long enough so she could pull her gun and have some chance to at least try to fight for her life.

Walker was having none of it.

SUNDAY MORNING, VIENNA

“I don’t understand. What’s the catch?” Laila groaned, shaking her head after everything August Walker – or should she say John Lark? – was confessing to her. “Why the hell are you telling me all this? We fucked a couple of times, we’re both being hunt by the same person… That doesn’t make me trustable.”

Walker didn’t answer. Instead, he just continued playing with his knife, like he was doing for the past hour. “Stop playing with this goddamn knife” she exploded, grabbing it from his hands and throwing it all the way across the room.

“There’s no need to be hysterical, Laila. I told you because you’re smart… You’d find out eventually. And I told you because, like I said, you’re not stupid. I know you’re not going to open your mouth about this because, if you do… I’ll kill you. Simple” August shrugged, unbothered by her reactions.

The CIA agent scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Bold of you to assume you’d be able to kill me” she said, pretending to check on her nails, still perfectly painted with a dark tone of red.

“Bold of you to assume I wouldn’t” he whispered, his eyes locked on hers on a challenging stare.

Laila rolled her eyes, standing up and walking around the room, looking for some clean panties to wear. Suddenly, she wasn’t feeling so excited anymore. “Okay, so… You’re working for Lane?”

“With Lane” Walker corrected her dryly, watching her moves carefully. He didn’t want to kill her just yet, but if she became a threat, he wouldn’t hesitate.

“Whatever. Then why does he want you dead? What did you do?” she asked as she rolled her hair up in a bun.

“What? I didn’t do anything!” the CIA agent growled. Suddenly, the sensual vibe of just a few moments ago had disappeared for him too. Now he was angry.

“Walker, I know psychopaths are kind of unstable, but he wouldn’t just snap at you for nothing! If he wants you dead, there must be a reason”

“He is not a psychopath,” Walker said slowly, his teeth gritted in anger.

“Oh, of course. He just wants to kill pretty much half of the world” the MI6 agent said with an ironical smile.

“He wants to save the other half!” he snapped back, walking towards her at a fast pace. “You are really starting to annoy me.”

“I don’t care what he wants to do with the world, and I’m not here to discuss semantics, Walker” she stared at him, their faces close to each other as they panted in anger. “I’m just trying to put the pieces together to try and figure out why the fuck he wants us both dead! You work for him, with him, whatever. I know that he’s the leader of this Syndicate shit, but I’m not interested in sharing that information. That just doesn't make any sense” she grunted in frustration.

“He has a plan! We just need to find a way to understand it. Why do you have to be so fucking stubborn?”

“What do you want me to do? Just sit and wait for him to kill me?” she screamed, losing her patience. “I bet you’d love that, wouldn’t you?” Laila groaned, her finger pressed against his chest.

As he was about to say something, both of their cellphones started to ring. Their bosses, of course. 

They took a deep breath, stepped away from each other as they snapped out of their fight for at least a few moments.

LAILA, HOTEL BATHROOM

Dunn quickly went to the bathroom, closing the door and locking it. She leaned against it, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Calm the fuck down, Laila she thought to herself before finally answering the call.

“Hey, boss” she said with a serene voice. She could feel her heart beating so strong it felt like it was gonna explode out of her chest; her ears were ringing, but she did her best to focus on Chief Atlee’s voice.

“Why is Walker still alive?”

Laila bit her lower lip to prevent her from saying what she was actually thinking. Because I was too busy fucking him to actually kill him, after all, wasn’t the best response to give to her boss.

“Sorry, boss. It’s like you said, the guy is really bad, this mission has been… Complicated” to say the least, she completed mentally.

“You were the one begging to go back to the field, agent Dunn. Figure out a way to kill him, and fast. You have until quarter past midnight”

“Wait, what? I thought I had a few more days” she snapped her eyes open. She tugged her nails on the palms of her hand, trying not to sound too desperate.

“Yeah, I thought so too. Whoever wants Walker dead, wants it to be done as soon as possible. So move your goddamn ass, Laila” he said firmly and finished the call.

AUGUST, HOTEL ROOM

“You used to be better at your job, Walker,” he heard Sloan’s harsh voice as soon as he pressed his phone on his ear.

The CIA agent took a deep breath. He needed to remain calm and try not to say anything that would compromise him, though that was easier said than done.

“It’s like you said, ma’am. Dunn is almost as bad as me” Walker said, and that wasn’t a complete lie.

Yeah, he haven’t finished the job yet for bigger and greater reasons. But, still, as much as it hurt to admit, he had found someone just as tough and complicated and ruthless as him.

“I don’t care how bad she is, agent. Your job is to kill her. So do it”

“I have a few more days, don’t I? Don’t worry, she will be dead soon”

“You better be telling me the truth, Walker. Because Laila Dunn has to be dead by quarter past midnight” the CIA director didn’t waste any time, quickly hanging up after giving him the news.

August slowly put his phone down. At the same time, Laila left the bathroom. They looked at each other and instantly knew: they had gotten the same news.

Waking up before Henry was always a very hard task to fulfill. Not just because I absolutely love to sleep, but also because he was so used to his insane sleeping schedule that staying in bed after 6a.m. sounded like a really crazy thing to do. There were special occasions, however, in which he allowed himself to have a lazy and quiet day. Gladly, his birthday was one of those exceptional moments.

Even Kal, the giant American Akita who required a very long morning walk, felt the mood around him and didn’t crazily barked on top of his human on these days… he at least waited until 10a.m. to do so.

With that in mind, I challenged myself to wake up before Henry so I could prepare a little surprise for him. Surprisingly, I didn’t fail at it! I woke up at 7:30 and felt his arms around my waist, keeping me close to him. He was so warm that, for a moment, I almost forgot what I was supposed to do, but I managed to escape his embrace and quietly leave the bed.

He grunted a bit, of course, but after a few seconds he hugged one of my pillows and continued to sleep soundly. I tiptoed as I left the bedroom, closing the door behind me quietly, just to see Kal waiting for me, as if he knew I was up to something.

“Hey there, Bear. Wanna help me bake a cupcake for your lazy human?” I asked with a silly voice as I went down the stairs, to the kitchen, with him happily following me.

Of course he didn’t want to actually help me bake a cake; he was more interested in getting a morning treat. After I gave it to him, though, he followed me around in the kitchen as I quickly prepared a bunch of cupcakes. I knew Henry’s parents and brothers were coming to a simple birthday celebration later, so I decided to make a few more and spare us some time in bed later.

While the baked cupcakes cooled down a bit, I prepared the icing so I could put it on top of them. After everything was ready, I got just one of the cupcake and put a small candle in the middle of it. Satisfied with the result, I ran upstairs with Kal following me. It was almost 9 already and I wanted to wake him up.

In the bedroom, I put the cupcake on the nightstand before getting in bed, Kal laying on our feet. “Wake up, sleepy head” I whispered softly, my face so close to his we could feel each other’s breath. I caressed his hair gently, pulling some curls away from his forehead as I watched him smirk softly.

Henry slowly opened up his eyes, blinking a few times to let it adjust to the light. “Good morning, my love” he said in his morning voice, his accent even deeper. Kal, finally hearing his human’s voice, nudged his nose against Henry’s arms, whining and demanding attention. “And good morning to you too, Bear” he chuckled, scratching the American Akita’s ear gently.

“He’s been impatiently waiting for you to wake up” I chuckled, kissing his cheeks lightly. “So… I heard it’s someone’s birthday today… Do you know anything about it?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “Do you, Kal?” I smiled, teasing him.

Kal barked and Henry laughed loudly, shaking his head at me. “I don’t think it’s your birthday, Bear… I believe it is mine.” he said, looking over at me with a smirk.

“Oh, is it now?” I teased him more before cupping his face with my hands and kissing his lips slowly. “Happy birthday, baby” I whispered, my lips brushing against his.

“Thank you, gorgeous” he mumbled, not breaking the kiss. I had my hand on his chest, over his own, and he rubbed his nose against mine, sighing happily. “I smell chocolate. Am I correct?”

I chuckled, pecking his lips one more time before letting go of him to light up the small candle. “Yes, you are. Figured you could have a cheat day today” I winked at him, holding the cupcake in front of his face. “Make a wish” I whispered.

Henry winked at me – or at least tried to. We all know the man can’t properly wink, but he sure as hell was really cute trying to – before blowing the candle. “All my wishes are already right here, my love” he said in a low voice, his eyes locked on mine as he moved his hands to caress my almost imperceptible pregnant belly.

I smiled sweetly at him, kissing him slowly and deeply. “I love you so much” I whispered between kisses. “We love you so much” I corrected myself.

“I love you more” Henry replied, sucking on my bottom lip teasingly. “My two princesses…”

“Oh, do you now?” I chuckled, moaning softly. I was about to deepen the kiss as I heard Kal whining. “Looks like Kal wants to be a part of the celebration… Or he’s just interested in the cupcake” I laughed before letting go of him.

“Probably a little bit of both… Kal can be a very needy boy” Henry chuckled, shaking his head. “You can have some dog chocolate later, Bear. This one is all mine” he winked.

As he was about to bite the cupcake, I pushed it against his face, giggling and making a mess in the bed. “Shit, you were supposed to hold it!” I said as it felt down on the mattress and Kal quickly ate it. I fell back on the pillows, unable to stop laughing. “Looks like it’s not all yours, after all”

“Oh my God…” Henry grunted, a smile growing on his face as he licked his lips to try to get all of the icing off of his face, making me laugh even harder. “Look at the mess you made!” he said, tickling my sides lightly.

“Hey, Kal already cleaned it!” I squealed, trying to get away from his touch. Of course that, in the middle of that mess, we had chocolate all over the bed, especially on our faces. But of course I didn’t really care. Neither did Henry. All that we cared about was our little happy bubble, where no one could touch us.

“You know, on your next birthday we’re gonna have a very messy baby with us… You should get used to it” I smiled at him, sucking some of the chocolate off his chin.