"When is the last time you went for groceries??"

There was a pause, then a confused voice said "Just yesterday, why do you ask?"

Daniel grimaced from his bent-over position halfway into the open fridge, regarding the contents exasperatedly.

"No reason."

How the heck did two grown men, who were so different in style, taste and even appearance manage to clash over something as silly as yogurt flavours? The humming appliance before him was full of yogurt, all sorts of yogurt from banana to peach to strawberry and raspberry. Each a sweet and creamy snack in itself; the only thing the boys spoiled themselves on while they lived rather frugally in their tiny one-room apartment.

But Daniel didn't want any of those flavours. He wanted blueberry. And either Darren has eaten them all (in one *day* by his own accounts) or was hiding them. Again.

Frowning one last time at the innocuous plastic cups, the guitarist stood up and closed the fridge, letting his eyes wander the cramped kitchen with a hawk's intensity.

*Where is he hiding them? There are NOT that many places one could keep yogurt around here without it going bad, especially in this heat.* And with their air-conditioner broken again without much hope of fixing thanks to a lazy landlord, Darren's options were even more limited.

*I WILL find that yogurt! He cannot keep hogging it!*

Cupboards were flung open with careless abandon, pots and pans were shoved aside impatiently, and various kitchen utensils clattered loudly as they spilled all over the counter.

"Daniel what are you doing down there?" Darren demanded from the bedroom, sounding even more confused.

"Nothing!" Daniel shouted back, his head tucked into a low-sitting cupboard and trying not to sneeze at the dust. "And I don't need any help, so stay there!"

Daniel could hear Darren muttering through the walls and for a long moment the noise sounded like it was coming from the doorway of the single bedroom. Then it receeded with Darren's footsteps and Daniel heaved a sigh of relief. He was covered in dust and bent over in a position he wasn't really sure if he wanted Darren to see him in. In the kitchen.

Setting himself on the floor with a sigh, Daniel came to the conclusion that the yogurt wasn't in the kitchen. Running his hand through his slightly dusty blond hair, the guitarist's green eyes went even slimmer than their normal slanted wont as he tried to think of where to check next.

*We don't have a basement, we don't have an upstairs. Hmmmm... Darren is more clever than I thought.*

Nibbling his lower lip with thought, Daniel got up off the floor and reached for a nearby empty glass, wanting to wet his dust-dried throat. He smiled in vague bliss as the near-icy water gushed accidently over his fingertips; it was the first spot of cold all day, besides the fridge. The weather would only be getting hotter from here and Daniel could already feel his shirt sticking ever so slightly to his back and chest from his searching efforts.

Once the glass was full, Daniel tilted his head back and gratefully swallowed it down. As the chill liquid flowed down his long neck, a sudden idea nearly blinded him, and nearly caused him to choke on his water.

"Of course! He doesn't need another fridge to hide it in, not if he put them in a container of water! Then they'd stay nice and chilled and that sneaky bastard could eat them at his leisure!" Daniel muttered, absently setting down his glass. Then his brow furrowed, "But where do we have anything large enough to hold yogurt cups?"

After rummaging noisily through their front closet and looking under the couch, Daniel had to pause to reconsider his options.

*I'm missing something, somewhere obvious..*

A little light bulb went off in his blond head and Daniel grinned, loping towards the empty bathroom. His smile grew larger as he noticed the shower curtain had been pulled all the way across the tub, totally obscuring it. It was the perfect spot to have both a large amount of water and god knows how many yogurt cups.

*Ah-ha! Gotcha now Mr.Hayes!* Daniel thought gleefully as he grabbed the plastic sheet and yanked it aside, a cry of triumph on his lips that soon died away to a whisper.

There was nothing in the tub. Not even water.

Disbelieving of his own failure, Daniel's eyes grew wide and he quickly stuck his head past the curtain, pointlessly searching the whole tiled area for the still-missing dairy treats.

"Daniel, what ARE you doing?" Came an incredulous voice from the doorway. Daniel froze in place, then slowly backed his upper body out of the tub, sneaking a glance towards the direction of the voice through the concealing cover of his dark blond bangs, which had fallen into his eyes.

Darren was leaning against the peeling-paint doorway with a confused expression that was turning to bemusement the longer Daniel remained silent. Daniel paused a moment longer, then cleared his throat and straightened up with exaggerated casualness, flinging his hair out of his face and moving away from the bathtub.

"Um, nothing. I thought I saw a cockroach." He replied calmly, meeting Darren's eyes squarely and hoping that didn't sound as stupid as he thought it did. Darren paused in turn, regarding him with his typical quirked eyebrow, small smile still playing on his full lips.

"And did you?" Darren asked, so politely that made Daniel suspicious. He gave Darren a look that the singer returned with pure innocence, blue eyes clear and bright.

"No. It must have been a shadow or something." Daniel replied shortly. Darren nodded, and made to move back towards the bedroom, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. Daniel nearly breathed a sigh of relief when suddenly the singer paused again, and looked back at Daniel with a sly sparkle in his eyes.

"We must be on the verge of an infestation, the way you keep banging around the house. Have you found any..nests yet?" Darren asked so coyly that Daniel just looked at him for a long moment, wondering what his game was. Darren didn't seem to be waiting for a reply; he chuckled and sauntered back into the bedroom, calling out one last parting shot as he closed the door.

"Let me know if you are successful finding anything..unusual."

Daniel frowned and trotted over to the closed door, banging on it with a curled fist.

"Open up Darren! I know you are hiding something! You can't fool me, I wasn't born yesterday you know, so open up!" Daniel rattled the doorknob and was startled to see the door swing open easily in front of him, leaving the guitarist a little slack-jawed.

"Yes Daniel, we do not have a lock on the bedroom. How nice of you to remember." Darren said with a voice one uses with a small child, looking unbearably smug. Daniel stomped down the urge to throttle him and focused on controlling the flush that had filled his face.

"I knew that, I was just in a rush."

"I'm sure you were." Darren was utter solicitousness and Daniel had to take a stick to that throttling urge. Make that two sticks.

Darren was lounging casually on their one fair-sized bed, a book lying face-down with the pages open beside him. Daniel couldn't see the title but most likely it was another Anne Rice novel, seeing as they were pretty much the only books Darren had in the apartment. The singer lay in a pose that looked exactly like he had just been interrupted while reading, which was probably true, by Daniel's shout.

Still, something wasn't right.

"Now Danny daah-ling, what is it that you are ranting on about? Me hiding something? What would that be?" Darren looked at Daniel curiously, as the guitarist walked into the room and shut the door again. Daniel decided to not beat around the bush about it, which was a rather sly Darren-ish thing to do. Kinda fruity, like the yogurt. Heh heh.

"Well Darren *dear*, you know very well that you have an uncurable habit of hiding the things you don't want to share. And this time you have gone TOO FAR!" Daniel shook a finger in Darren's direction, enjoying the righteous wraith he was feeling. "Hand over the blueberry yogurt!"

Darren blinked and then pouted at him. "What makes you think I have any? I was just sitting here, innocently reading my book while you run around making crazy noises in the kitchen and bath! Maybe *you* are the one hiding yogurt, it certainly sounded like it!"

Daniel's mouth worked for a moment, stunned by Darren's attempt to turn the blame around, then he whirled and attacked the nearest piece of furniture, which happened to be a dresser. Socks went all over the place, shirts dangled dangerously from the wooden sides of the drawers and *still* no yogurt appeared! Growling to himself Daniel moved on around the room until he found himself under the bed, blinking in the dim light, confronted by dust bunnies.

Darren's muffled giggling came through the mattress and Daniel shoved himself from under the bed to glare at him. Darren looked unrepetant as he grinned back, bouncing ever so slightly on the bed. Daniel made a sound of disgust and was ready to give up to the crazy floof-head when something caught his eye.

Daniel suddenly grinned at Darren, a dangerous grin full of Daniel's long canines. Darren stopped his own grin and looked worried.

"Uhh... Dan?"

Not bothering to speak, Daniel simply pointed towards the nightstand. There, with a dirtied spoon inside as mute proof of guilt, was a single empty cup of blueberry yogurt.

Darren turned his head to follow Daniel's gaze and a little gasp escaped him as he realized his folly. The mattress creaked as he suddenly shifted his weight towards the nightstand, scrambling for the dooming evidence but Daniel was as quick as a golden panther, a leopard with a growly chuckle, and he snatched up the cup before Darren could quite reach it. The spoon went flying and hit the floor with a muffled thumping.

"What's this Darren? A little reading *snack*?" Daniel crowed, a mocking smile on his face, fighting off Darren's attempts to steal the cup out of his hands. Daniel's mocking smile turned into an amused grin as Darren continued to fumble at his waist, unable to reach the guitarist's long, slim upraised arm.

His chuckle growing into a full laugh, Daniel gave Darren a small shove and was rewarded by an outraged shriek as Darren fell back against the bedspread, his blue eyes flashing.

"Now mate, where have you got the rest of these delicious treats?" Daniel asked pleasantly, idly tossing the cup from palm to palm. Darren glared at him and remained stubbornly silent. Daniel grinned again and crossed his arms casually over his chest.

"Nothing to say now *Dazza*? No more clever comments?" He prodded, watching Darren make a face at the use of the nickname. The singer turned and looked at him blankly, almost defiant in his persistence in admitting nothing.

"Well if you won't just tell me, I suppose I'll have to use *other* means...more constructive persuasion..."

Daniel moved with that panther grace once more, quickly towering over Darren, who in turn blinked and then his eyes went wide with real blank confusion. In another blink of an eye, Darren found himself face-down on the pale-blue comforter, a sudden weight pressing him down from above. He tried to shout but it only came out as a muffled whimper.

"Darrrrrrrrren.." Daniel's deep voice purred in his ear, sounding like a Cheshire cat. "Where is the rest of the blueberry yogurt?"

Darren's heart began to race as he discovered that Daniel had him too effectively pinned for him to struggle free. Still, he tried to thrash his way to freedom, only to be met by Daniel's iron grip, hard muscles barring him down and Daniel's laugh ghosting about his head.

"Nice try but jocks always win over freaks." Daniel laughed, shifting to tickle Darren's sensitive sides. This promoted another kind of thrashing, Daniel's hands scampering along his waist and the singer giggling against his will, gasping every time Daniel's fingertips touched somewhere particularly sensitive. Soon Darren was left weak and panting into the cotton bedspread.

"Come on Darren, just tell me where they are and I'll let you go back to reading your book."

Darren's eyes gleamed in a way that suggested he didn't like Daniel's superior tone. Daniel's grin stayed in place and he even went as far as to relax and just lean on Darren, sure of his physical prowess over the singer.

"Darren, I'm getting bored, quit being so bloody stubbo-" Daniel's teasing remark got cut off midway as he found his world suddenly spun around and his back slamming against the bed, half-knocking the breath out of him. He uttered a startled wheeze and stared up at Darren, who had taken complete advantage of Daniel's lapse in attention to bowl him over.

Sparkling blue eyes showed him the same mocking smirk that Daniel was certain he had given Darren only moments ago, and he wasn't sure it was that funny anymore.

"Ok, nice one Dare, you pulled a fast one on me, cheers to you for that one." Daniel said a little grudgingly, and then he made to get free, which he was sure would be an easy matter.

Or not.

Trying to not betray his growing unease, Daniel found out that Darren had somehow gotten better at pinning him lately. A lot better. And learned a few dirty tricks while he was at it; Daniel's arms ached ever so slightly from their position over his head and crossed at the wrists.

Darren's gaze calmly watched Daniel's attempts to get free with a slight smile that irratated Daniel like a itch he couldn't reach. Oh how he wanted to reach for Darren and just...grrrr....

Both men blinked as a angry rumbling filled the room, reminiscent of a tiger having its tail tugged. When Darren turned his disbelieving eyes towards Daniel's chest, the guitarist belatedly realized *he* was the one growling. Very quietly, and filled with plenty of frustration.

"Sexy purr you got there." Darren commented, regaining his aplomb and taking one hand from Daniel's wrist to poke Daniel in the middle of his breastbone. Taking a page from Darren's own book, Daniel used that moment to try to flip Darren back into a position of submission.

But, unfortunately, Darren seemed ready for that, and the two boys dissolved into a fierce wrestling match, pillows flying everywhere and the bedframe shaking and creaking. Yelping under his breath, Darren fumbled for Daniel's wrists again while Daniel squirmed underneath him and shoved at his chest. With a grunt, he elbowed Darren to the side and then rolled over him, putting them back to back momentarily, as the singer squeaked breathily. Daniel's move would have worked perfectly had Darren not tangled his legs in Daniel's.

As Daniel's momentum carried him towards the side of the bed, he slowly became aware of two things.

One, he couldn't seem to get his legs free of Darren's.

Two, he'd put too much energy into his roll.

Ok, three things: The bed was just too short at the moment.

"Oh damn." Daniel muttered under his breath as he slid in slow motion towards the thinly carpeted floor, dragging a completely confused singer with him, struggling all the way.

*THUNK!*

Daniel lay stunned and Darren lay confused for a long moment, once again back to back on the floor, with the beige carpet's dust tickling Daniel's nose even as he tried to get his limbs moving again. Every part of him seemed stiff and unwilling to move away from their close proximity to the singer.

Darren tilted his head ever so slightly so that he could get a better glimpse of Daniel's face, blinking a few times in effort to rearrange the scattered puzzle pieces his brain seemed to have rattled out of shape into.

"Ow."

Darren half-flinched at Daniel's quiet exclamation, noting Daniel's voice was down an octave or two.

*Well I suppose a compressed chest would account for that..*

The whole situation suddenly struck Darren as extremely funny, and he chuckled under his breath for a good few minutes, unware that his body was shaking as he did so and one of his elbows was digging deeper into Daniel's back with each guffaw. Daniel gritted his teeth and suddenly heaved, turning Darren's laughing in a undignified squawk halfway through as the singer nearly hit the side of the bed.

Darren righted himself and gave Daniel a outraged glare as the guitarist straighted up, which Daniel ignored. Making a huffing noise, Darren gave Daniel a quick shove to express his annoyance. Caught off-guard, Daniel staggered to one side, then recovered to stare back at Darren with an extra strength Narrow-Eyed Daniel Look. Darren crossed his arms and huffed again, purposely turning his head away, so that he didn't see Daniel's hand coming to cuff him upside the head until it was too late.

Darren once again made another undignified sound.

"Gawd, if I wanted to be pestered so consistently, I would have never left home!" Darren exclaimed, trying to smooth his hair as he gave Daniel an exasperated look.

"Just tell me where you hid the yogurt and I'll leave you in total peace." Daniel's voice was that of logic and reason. And when Darren gave him another exasperated look, he replied "Oh you didn't think I'd forget, did ya? My stomach is *very* empty at the moment and I have you to thank!"

"Fine, fine, FINE!" Darren shouted "I will give you a damn yogurt cup! I swear, I don't know how I put up with you!" Daniel merely smiled at the display; Darren enjoyed any excuse to indulge in some theatrics.

"Only one?" Daniel couldn't help but ask, not one to waste an opportunity to tease the singer. But Darren went strangely quiet at the comment, looking at the carpeting like it was telling him his fortune.

"Darren?" Daniel said after a minute, tugging on Darren's soft cotton shirt. Darren peeked at the blond man from the curtain of black hair that had fallen across his face, which struck Daniel as an unbearably cute look.

"Erm...there's only one left."

Daniel's eyebrow went up, ever so slightly. "You ate them ALL today? A whole carton?"

"No, no, no!" Darren interjected hastily, shaking his hand back and forth with his fingers splayed for emphasis. There was another pause, in which Daniel's interest in Darren sharpened.

"What then?" He prodded impatiently.

"I left them in my sock drawer and they all went bad." Darren said reluctantly, with a certain tone of rolling eyes at himself that Daniel found himself chuckling under his breath even before Darren had finished speaking. Darren half-glared at him and just sighed a long, suffering sigh.

Darren got up off the floor and walked over to the sock drawer that Daniel had previously plundered, carefully pushing aside the remaining socks until he found a black one tucked away in the drawer's corner. With a small noise of satisfaction, Darren stuck his hand in the sock and pulled out the one thing Daniel had been looking for all afternoon: a cup of blueberry yogurt.

"How the heck you missed finding this is beyond me." Darren commented with a hint of his old composure, grinning faintly. Daniel took his turn looking at the carpet, red creeping up his cheeks for a moment.

"I told you, I was in a hurry."

Darren smiled at Daniel's curt reply, sensing a way to gain the upper ground again. Placing the yogurt on the bedspread, he gracefully folded back into his position on the floor, bending over to get in the way of Daniel studying the floor.

"The same way you thought the door was locked? Or..." Darren's voice slide into a Cheshire cat tone. "..thought that we had cockroaches in the bathtub?"

Daniel growled and snapped his head up, green eyes flashing like leaves in the sun. "You must be the most conniving, sneaky man on the planet! You planned this all out didn't you?!" Daniel exclaimed, shaking a finger at the bent-over singer. Ignoring it, Darren buffed his nails on the sleeve of his arm that was still lying on the carpet.

"Please, Daniel. Give me a little more credit, I do have a life."

Daniel snorted "Right, a real nice life with those vampires in your books. That's not lame, not at all!"

It was Darren's turn to have his eyes flash dangerously, the grey glittering at Daniel like an angry serpent. Daniel paused, recalling that Darren's eyes could be quite ensnaring when he was worked up. And, by his quickening of breath to the point of small pants, Darren seemed to be getting there rather nicely.

He also seemed to be getting closer to Daniel. Startlingly, unnervingly close. Daniel gulped as Darren's face came within inches of his own, those bright blue eyes unblinking and pinning Daniel to the spot.

"Did you just call The Vampire Chronicles *lame*??" Darren demanded softly, yet with an edge as sharp as a razor. Gulping again, Daniel's eyes skittered in and out of Darren's stare, not enjoying the fact that he was being intimidated by someone smaller than himself. "Uhhhh..." Daniel said blankly, trying to get his attention free from Darren's deadly eyes "...um...yes?"

The singer's eyes narrowed and then Darren got up in a flurry of motion, nearly knocking over Daniel even as the tall man tried to get out of his way. Grabbing the yogurt in one smooth motion, Darren jumped onto the bed and snagged his book, opening it with a defiantly violent gesture . He settled into the position he had been in before Daniel had barged in, except now he had his other arm was crossed over his chest rather stiffly. Actually, Darren's whole demeanour was stiff, now that Daniel thought about it. And the closed expression on Darren's face...that was trouble.

*No*, Daniel amended. *I did something very VERY stupid. Now THAT'S trouble. Oh bugger.*

Daniel slowly stood up and found himself hovering at the foot of the bed, unsure of what to do next. Darren was still ignoring him, seemingly engrossed in his book except for the fact that his eyebrows were too angry-looking for the singer to be *too* into the plot.

*Crickey, it's almost the same reaction I'd get from my girlfriend if I'd called her fat!* Daniel scratched his head and felt entirely too dense at the moment. He knew he'd better do something, and it better be quick.

"Darren, I was only kidding...it's just a book after all.." Daniel started to say but trailed off when he saw Darren's expression grow even more dark. Daniel could almost see the thunderclouds floating above Darren's head, crackling with lightning-fast anger. Daniel sighed and moved to the side of the bed, going on one knee as he approached Darren's arm resting on the comforter.

"Dare, I am sorry, I shouldn't have insulted your favourite author, I know those books mean the world to you." Daniel said with quiet sincerity, feeling somewhat alarmed at Darren's continued reaction. When Darren failed to respond except for a brief flickering of his eyes in the guitarist's direction, Daniel leaned in and put his hand on Darren's elbow.

"Darren? Isn't there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Daniel asked, willing to promise anything.... then his gaze caught sight of the yogurt cup lying on the other side of Darren. "How about I let you have that last yogurt? Or buy you a whole case?" He continued coaxingly, patting Darren's elbow gently. When Darren's full lips quirked into the tiniest of smiles, Daniel felt encouraged enough to continue.

"Maybe I should buy you a whole truck?" That won him a slightly larger smile, though Darren still wouldn't look at him.

"How about a whole swimming pool full of blueberry yogurt?" Daniel asked with a grin, getting a wee little Darren-giggle in reply.

"We could never afford that, not til we're popstars!" Darren protested, his blue-grey eyes sliding towards Daniel with their usual sparkle returning. Daniel caught his gaze and held it, smiling large into those pretty Darren eyes. "We'll just have to get rich then, won't we?"

Darren laughed, looking much cheered, while Daniel gave his elbow one last pat and then got up to sit on the side of the bed.

"Move over Dazza!" He commanded good-naturedly, giving Darren a shove with his upper body. Darren made a noise of protest, then gave into Daniel's body movements, finding himself pushed over to one side.

"Oh don't get comfy yet, Mr.Jones, you're still not off the hook!" Darren exclaimed, tossing his book onto the nightstand. Daniel froze, looking surprised.

"Eh?" Was his intelligent comment. Darren laughed again, then looked smug, tapping the still-uneaten yogurt cup with his index finger.

"And I got a good idea of what you have to do to make it up to me."

Daniel looked half-suspicious, half-wary as the singer picked up the yogurt again and smiled sweetly in Daniel's direction.

"...What's your idea? What do you want me to do?" Daniel asked carefully, trying to keep as still as he could as if it would prevent Darren from getting any really bad ideas. Fat chance of that, but worth a try.

"Beg."

Daniel's eyes widened. "Excuse me??"

Looking at him coyly through dark eyelashes, Darren smiled at Daniel's apparent shock and confusion, and let the guitarist squirm for a moment or two more before taking slight pity on him.

"Yes, beg. For the yogurt." Darren said as he reached over towards the night stand and opened the single drawer it held, magically bringing out a clean spoon. Daniel boggled at it, and at Darren.

"What is that doing there?" He demanded, half-distracted from Darren's challange. Darren merely smiled and deigned to look mysterious.

"What do you mean beg?" Daniel tried again, crossing his arms over his chest unconciously. Everytime Darren moved or shifted, Daniel shied ever so slightly then stopped himself, which seemed to amuse Darren to no end. After a couple of false rushes forward, Darren finally flung out his arms and grabbed Daniel by the wrists, pulling him towards Darren until the guitarist was flat on his stomach, legs pinned and an undignified sound escaping his lips. It sounded remarkably like the squeaks Darren made when *he* was startled. Darren howled and pinched Daniel's cheeks tenderly until the guitarist blinked and scrowled, fighting off Darren's hands and touches until he was sitting up again, back ram-rod straight.

"Christ Darren, quit being such a monster! Either tell me what the heck you mean or leave a person be! I am gettin' sick of your strange drama games!" Daniel complained, drumming his fingers against a lean, tanned, crossed arm as he glared at the singer.

"It's very simple, my *simple* footy-star friend," Darren grinned, cheeks stil flushed with pleasure. "You just have to beg for this yogurt until there is no more left in the cup. Beg sweetly, beg ardently and the yogurt will go quickly. Sulk and be insincere and only the tiniest of morsels will go your way." He finished dramatically, arm sweeping upward for emphasis. Darren turned his eyes from the heavens only to find Daniel was staring at him. In complete disbelief.

"You can't possibly mean for me to do that. I won't do it."

"Ah, but you must." Darren grinned.

"No." Never was there such a tone that brooked no compromise. And yet, as Darren's eyes glimmered and his soft, full lower lip trembled, Daniel felt his resolve cracking. He was never able to resist Darren for long, no matter how much Daniel knew Darren was taking advantage of that. Which was often.

Feeling like the sucker he was, Daniel sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, eyes downcast. "Fine. But this makes us even or so help me..." Daniel trailed off meaningfully, giving Darren a look. Darren lifted his head and went from woefully to beaming in seconds.

Daniel made a sound of disgust. He was going to regret this.

Sighing, Daniel got up off the bed and stood with trepidation before Darren, who in turn smiled and waggled his feet. It was a perfectly innocent smile, the kind you normally saw children get on their faces when given a sugary treat. Which worried Daniel all the more, really.
The guitarist fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, rolling the thin cotton between his fingers as he rolled his eyes to and from Darren's beaming face.

"Uh, so what do I do now?" Daniel said awkwardly, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Down on your knees." Darren said simply, yet Daniel's eyebrows raised at the slight husky quality Darren's voice now seemed to possess.

*He's enjoying this way too much.* Daniel thought sourly, though not without some amusement. And he did comply with Darren's command, grudgingly bending down until his long legs reached the floor, moving as slow as a tense feline unsure of its surroundings. When Daniel looked up again, he saw that Darren had shifted his position so that he leaned forward, legs crossed with a pillow in his lap, eyes shining and the smile on his face twisting ever so slightly.
Daniel sighed again then dutifully changed his expression to that of pleading, his hands clasped together and raised halfway up.

"Come on Danny, say the words...say them out loud." Darren coaxed, fingers idly tracing patterns onto the pillow as he kept his eyes focused on Daniel.

".....Please, can I have some yogurt?" Daniel said quietly, struggling to make his voice something other than monotone. He wasn't very successful.

"*MAY* I have some yogurt!" Darren chided quickly. Daniel scrowled then tried again.

"*May* I have some yogurt?" And when he discovered his voice was flat again, Daniel belatedly added ".....Please?"

Darren tsked and rolled his eyes, taking the yogurt cup and carefully removing the foil cover. The creamy scent of the blueberry yogurt reached Daniel's nose and he remembered how badly his craving for the desert had been; it stirred again inside him and caused him to unconciously lick his lips. Daniel found himself moving towards Darren's knee, trying to get closer to the blueberry delight. The smell of it was driving him mad.

"Now that was so poor I shouldn't even open the cup," Darren was saying, "but I suppose it being your first try and all I'll- Hey!!" He exclaimed, swatting away Daniel's hand as it reached upwards. Letting it drop to Darren's thigh, Daniel narrowed his eyes and gave Darren a little squeeze until the singer yelled even louder.

"I can't believe how bad you are at this, Daniel Jones, that's NOT how to beg and you know it! Maybe I'll just put the foil back ON!" Darren was worked into a fine froth, practically seething with those wide eyes. Daniel couldn't resist one final squeeze, still without any comment, and Darren closed his eyes and put his head back, like he was asking the gods for mercy. Then he took a long, shaky breath and opened his eyes, pinning Daniel to the floor with them.

"Now Daniel, do it right or pay the price." He near-growled, his voice rough and deeper than normal. It raised the hairs on the back of Daniel's neck and he meekly pulled his hand back.

Daniel cleared his throat and prepared to try again.

"Darren may I please have some yogurt?" This time Daniel was quite sincere, keeping his gaze locked with Darren's as his emerald eyes shone with quiet intensity. Darren was silent for a moment, and Daniel nervously licked his lips, swaying ever so slightly from his kneeling position.

"I suppose that's better." Darren conceeded. He took the now-opened cup of blueberry yogurt and stuck the front of the spoon into the creamy surface, coming up with it covering the spoon's tip. Daniel reached up a hand to take it only to have Darren shake a finger at him.

"Oh I don't think so, Daniel Jones. I've now decided *I* shall be the one to feed you the yogurt, as punishment for your insolence." Darren said primly, holding out the spoon within reach of Daniel's lips.

*Who does he think he is? My master?* Daniel thought resentfully, but still he curved his long neck and tilted his chin ever so slightly. Daniel opened his mouth and carefully let his tongue lap at the spoon in a series of little licks, trying to not miss a single bit. The creamy yogurt mixed with tasty berries filled his mouth exactly how he had imagined and Daniel closed his eyes for a moment, making a low, breathy sound of appreciation. It was just *so damn good!*

He licked his lips for any stray morsels and opened his eyes to find Darren watching him closely, a strange little smile on his face.

"That was *much* better, sweetheart." Darren nearly purred, looking pleased. If he hadn't been so caught up in his need, Daniel might have been annoyed at Darren's attitude. But, as it was, Daniel was at the moment in the palm of Darren's hand, just wanting more. He burned with need, with desire. And all for what Darren was coyly willing to give him.

"Pleease may I have some more Darren?" Daniel pleaded without prompting, his voice husky and ardent, no longer caring if he looked silly or anything, just as long as he got another taste.

Darren paused long enough that Daniel continued hurriedly.

"I'll do anything Darren... please?" It was a tone that Darren had never heard Daniel use with him before; soft and persuasive and so perfectly pleading that Darren found his hand moving forward almost of its own accord, a dollop of yogurt already on the spoon's tip.

Eagerly Daniel leaned forward again, wetted lips already open and tongue darting out. Another bob of his head and Daniel had his lips against the cold metal of the spoon, lazily sucking the creamy yogurt from the edges of the spoon. Darren remained curiously motionless as Daniel made short work of the morsel, the hissing rasp of tongue the only noise in the room. Daniel wasn't sure if Darren was merely startled or intrigued; the way Darren's eyes tracked Daniel moving was certainly novel. Daniel rather liked it, felt a excited tingle in the base of his spine at the small revenge. He was beginning to enjoy the complex game of wits and wills he and Darren were playing.

So Daniel purposely let his eyes gleam at Darren's as he slowly let go of the spoon and reposed gracefully on the floor, arms casually laid on either side of his slim form. He put on his best Mona Lisa smile and shone it full force on Darren, rewarded with Darren blushing in spite of himself in response.

*This is almost fun. Maybe I should let him be the master more often.* Daniel thought with sly amusement, waiting for Darren's next move.

Darren cleared his throat and idly tapped the spoon on the side of the plastic cup. "That was much better." Then the singer took the spoon and stirred the yogurt, next bringing a fully laden spoon towards his lips.

"Hey!" Daniel exclaimed, jarring Darren into stopping his arm. "What do you think you are doing??" Darren blinked at him, seeming sincerely innocent this time.

"You don't expect me to continue on an empty stomach, do you?"

Darren's shriek was loud in the bedroom as Daniel suddenly lunged and snaked his hand out to grip Darren's wrist, pulling his lean body forward while wrenching Darren's body until it was bent over and near the bed's edge. Darren's attempt to struggle slacked off as he watched Daniel grab the yogurt-holding hand's wrist with his other hand and violently turned the cup towards him. Abandonning the spoon completely, Daniel stuck his nose into the tilted cup and attacked the remaining desert, making frighteningly animal sounds as he worked. Any movement from Darren brought a sharp, hawk's glare in his direction, leaving Darren to wonder if he'd finally pushed Daniel too far.

He never did know when to stop a joke, especially when Daniel was always so slow to get riled. But it seemed that everyone, even Daniel, had a breaking point. And Darren's teasing had pushed him right to it.

*Oh admit it Darren. You knew exactly what you were doing.* Darren ignored the smug little voice in his head, ignored the pleasure he felt at watching Daniel so out of control. He had just been trying to pay Daniel back..wasn't he?

When Daniel finished off the cup and turned his predatory eyes once again in Darren's direction specutatively, Darren gulped and paused, nervously licking his lips. Daniel idly flicked away the empty cup, not even looking where it landed and still kept Darren's wrist pinned by his slim hand.

"So." Daniel's voice was startling in the sudden quiet of the room, "It seems once again I have the upper hand."

Darren tried to shift from his uncomfortable position, attempted to pull away his wrist without being obvious. But he gave up when it seemed that the only way he was going to free himself was with some extreme flailing about. And he'd had enough ridicule for today. Ok, so had Daniel but that was besides the point, really.

Caught up in trying to be unobtrusive with his efforts, Darren didn't notice that Daniel had been successful with his own; slowly sneaking his other hand towards Darren's other wrist. He watched as the world went into the strange slow motion mode that it does when you can see something bad about to happen but for the life of you can't move fast enough to stop it. Daniel's hand closed about his wrist and he suddenly pulled outwards a little with both Darren's arms. Nearly spread-eagled over the edge of the bedspread, Darren found himself feeling even more helpless, wondering what awful plans for revenge Daniel had stored behind those mysteriously intense eyes. And the smug guitarist was sure taking his time, letting the moment of silence drag on like an itch that couldn't be scratched.

Darren wanted to scratch so badly. There's nothing worse than that feeling. If he knew that Daniel had thought the exact same thoughts a few minutes earlier, he would have died laughing.

"What do you want me to do?" Darren found himself demanding, his voice spiralling higher with each word because of his agitation.

"What do I want you to do?" Daniel reiterated, sitting casually on the floor, head tilted. "How nice of you to offer yourself up. Thank you *sweetheart.*" Darren could have done without seeing that Cheshire, Mona Lisa grin grow once more on Daniel's lean face, signifying a bad idea forming, but his position didn't give him much leeway. Daniel made a little chuckling noise in his throat at Darren's obvious discomfort.

"There's just one thing I need from you Darren, you hold the key to my...heart's desire at this moment," Daniel murmured in that sexy croon that was his version of a whisper, putting himself eye to eye and nearly cheek to cheek with Darren, his green eyes lazily tracking a lone sweatdrop as it slid down the side of Darren's face. Daniel made a sudden licking motion, his tongue looking obscenely long, wickedly grinning as Darren blanched and gasped.

*Tease. He always like to push me when I'm already down...gone...whatever.*

"Do you know what that one thing is Darren?" Daniel asked gently, acting like he hadn't just screwed with Darren's head.

"No." Darren whimpered, feeling rather overwhelmed and weak in the knees. Daniel leaned in even closer, so close Darren could smell the cologne on his neck and the shampoo smell in his hair, and whispered right into Darren's ear.

"Time for an emergency yogurt run to the grocery store."