[saxton]

Pentheus' breath hitched as Alexander whispered in his ear and he couldn't help but let a moan fall from his lips once the man began to rub along his gravid stomach. Memories from their first night together sprang up in his mind, the younger boy recalling how passionate and sensual their encounter had been, and it was nearly enough to have him offer himself up right there on the spot.

"That you did," he murmured, allowing yet another moan to slip out of his mouth. "If I didn't have to tend to our food, perhaps we might even be able to sneak off to bed and you could have your way with me now." With a small sigh, he placed a hand against Alexander's chest to signal for him to stop, although he didn't do much else to keep him from touching along his swollen belly.

[cashewmanz]

Alexander brought himself back to reality a bit and returned his hands to himself. "I suppose I can wait," he said, trying to sound more disappointed than he really was. "The food smells delicious, Pentheus."

[saxton]

"My mother taught me all she knew about cooking," Pentheus said as he managed to wobble up onto his feet, briefly grabbing onto Alexander's shoulder to steady himself. "I hope you like my cooking, especially since you'll be staying here with me for so long."

Carefully making his way over to the fireplace, he picked up a wooden spoon and flipped the meat around the pot to see if it was properly cooking, one hand resting against his back to ease his growing aches and pains. "Do you know how to cook too?" He asked. "Or have you not quite learned that skill yet?"

[cashewmanz]

"I'm not a terrible cook, I suppose," Alexander thought as he watched Pentheus continue. "I know how to make a few things, and I don't mean to brag but they're pretty good. If I can get my hands on the right ingredients I'll make something for you in the future. How's the food coming along? Is there anything I can do?"

[saxton]

"Perhaps I can accompany you to the local marketplace and help you familiarize yourself with all of the shops, that way you'll have an easy time fetching these ingredients on your own when I get too big to go there myself." Pentheus suggested, turning back to face his lover. "Well, I think you could start by slicing up the loaves of bread I bought -- I'd only like one loaf for myself, but you're free to have two if you wish."

[cashewmanz]

"We'll have to do that, then! Though I don't know if a local market will have everything I'm looking for..." Alexander trailed off, thinking of when he could find the time to get what he needed. "And that's very kind of you, thanks! Are you sure you don't want more?"

[saxton]

"Perhaps one of the merchants that come here from neighboring cities might bring whatever you need," Pentheus suggested. "Sometimes they bring foods or goods from far away lands, so chances are you might be able to find whatever it is you're looking for. If not, you can always take a trip out to a place you can get it." The boy didn't mind if Alexander went off to find food, so long as he would return to him and continue staying by his side.

"I'm not much of a bread eater -- the little ones don't like too much of it in one sitting," he explained with a fond smile. "I usually just eat more meat than you might expect. They seem to like it quite a bit, and the more meat I eat, the heartier the children will get. There's plenty for both of us, but I'll admittedly eat at least half of it on my own. I'm eating for five more mouths, after all."

[cashewmanz]

"At least five, yeah. I won't question your methods then, you would obviously know better than me," Alexander smiled. "I'll keep on the lookout for the right merchants, don't worry. For now, can we finally eat? The food smells delicious and I'm starving!"

[saxton]

"Don't worry, you'll eventually figure out how the little ones work as well." Pentheus reassured, carefully removing the pot from the fireplace and rushing it over to a table to cool down. "Since you'll be spending plenty of time around here, you'll get used to all the odd quirks and habits I have thanks to the pregnancy. Pretty soon you might even know which foods I prefer over others and which foods the babies don't agree with."

He pressed a small kiss against the man's cheek as he passed him by, picking up the loaves and taking them over to where he kept a few metal plates for his food. "And the food will be ready as soon as the meat cools down. Don't worry, you'll get your fill soon enough."

[cashewmanz]

"I look forward to getting to know them," Alexander smiled, "and you," he added quickly. He wanted to make Pentheus comfortable with him. If they had to be living together and taking care of one another, it was important that they built their relationship quickly. He regretted not having spent the past six months doing so, but soon enough he'd have to take care of living breathing children, and his relationship with Pentheus would be secondary to them.  
  
"Fine, I'll be patient," he frowned. "They say patience is a virtue, but it's always been a struggle to make it one of mine. I suppose that's my little brother rubbing off on me."

[saxton]

Pentheus grinned over at Alexander and seemed to perk up at the idea of his lover having other siblings. "You have a brother?" He asked curiously. "Do you have any more brothers? Or even any sisters? I'm an only child, so I've always wondered what it was like to have siblings. Perhaps I can meet them one day, maybe even before I get too big and wind up bed-ridden."

The thought of his children having more family members aside for their own parents delighted Pentheus, but he tried his best to remain calm and not get his hopes up. "I used to be a very impatient boy myself," he added while beginning to serve Alexander a hearty helping of meat on one of the plates. "I've been teaching myself patience since my parents passed away, but now I find that I need to be even more patient for the sake of the children since mothers are meant to be that way."

[cashewmanz]

"I come from a large family. Lots of brothers and sisters," Alexander said, "they're always terribly busy, however. Maybe you'll meet some of them, but I'm afraid I cannot make any promises..." he grabbed Pentheus' hand and ran a thumb over the top. "At least our children will grow up with siblings and parents who love them."  
  
"We'll certainly need patience," he continued, moving his hand to his lover's belly, feeling wriggling from within once again. "If these kids are active now just imagine what they'll be like once they're actually born!"

[saxton]

"It's alright, I don't expect you to make any promises on the behalf of others. If fate happens to allow our paths to cross, then so be it." Pentheus replied with a small smile, blushing when Alexander took his hand. "I do hope they're able to come by one day and visit the little ones, but I won't be too upset if they can't. Everyone is so busy these days that I can't expect everything to go my way."

As his lover placed his hand against his swollen belly, he could feel the children begin to shift and push against their father's touch. It was almost like magic; they were able to sense him right away and were quick to respond to every press of his fingertips. "They really do seem to like you," he giggled, handing him his plate of meat and bread. "We might need to find a larger home to fit so many rambunctious little ones, especially if they're already this energetic. They'll tear this place apart once they get older, especially the boys."

[cashewmanz]

"Thanks for understanding," Alexander said with some relief. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his lover. "Why wouldn't they like me? I'm their father after all. It pleases me to know that they're strong and healthy in there. And after all, we've got a lot of catching up to do, and they really seem to understand that!"  
  
"Mmm! This is delicious," he moaned, shoveling more and more food into his mouth. "You're really quite the cook, Pentheus!"

[saxton]

"True, true, very true," Pentheus giggled. "I'm just a bit amazed that they've taken so well to you. I don't think I've ever felt them move around so much before; it's almost as if you've got a magic touch. Surely the Gods have blessed our blossoming family and are sending us a sign that my pregnancy will be smooth from here on out."

He served himself a helping nearly as large as his lover's and went to fetch two cups from the nearby cabinet, where he had most of his plates and cups stored away.After that, he took a seat at the table, but had a bit of difficulty trying to reach it over the enormous swell of his belly. Instead, he opted to keep his plate balanced on the top of his heavy stomach. "Would you mind serving us both some water?" He asked. "The jug is right by the edge of the table and I'm afraid I'd knock it over if I attempted to get it."

[cashewmanz]

"How do you know I don't?" Alexander responded with a sly, but silly wink. "But I do believe you about the blessings. I think this will go perfectly." Seeing his lover trying to eat so precariously made it impossible not to giggle. He felt a little bad about it, but Pentheus seemed to be in good spirits. "Of course," he then poured them both plenty of water and began to drink immediately. "I can't imagine what you'll look like in just a few months, if you're already knocking stuff over."

[saxton]

"I'd like to think you would have used your magic to do all of this cooking for me instead of allowing me to slave over a hot fire. If you had magic, of course," Pentheus teased, a blush collecting on his cheeks as he continued to eat. "I'm just glad everything seems to be falling into place; I'm not quite sure what I would have done if I'd had so many little ones to care for on my own."

He placed a hand against the curve of his gravid stomach and groaned quietly when he could feel the children fussing about beneath the taut skin, woken by their father's previous touch and the food their mother was digesting. "I feel as if I'm already too full to function," he giggled. "I'll probably be bed-ridden in a few months time, if not sooner. You'll be there to help through it, though, so I'm not too worried."

[cashewmanz]

"Yeah...if only I could get my magic wand back..." Alexander continued to joke. Being able to laugh with Pentheus was nice. "Well as I've said, I'll take care of anything you might need. From here on out you just need to rest up and focus on that storm you've got brewing in there," he said, pointing to a bulge rising on the young man's bump. They sat like that for another hour or so, letting their food settle and making small talk while Alexander cleaned up the table and kitchen.

[saxton]

Being able to simply lounge about with Alexander and talk so easily with the man was a comforting change for Pentheus. It had been so long since he'd had anyone to keep him company, let alone a lover who would willingly dote on him as Alexander was doing right now. Although his lover probably thought it a small task, Pentheus was relieved and thankful that Alexander was cleaning up after they'd finished.

"Would you mind helping me to bed?" He asked once his lover had finished. "I'd just like to sit down and rest my back for a bit, if you don't mind."

[cashewmanz]

"Of course," Alexander said, walking with an arm around Pentheus as they went to his bedroom. Summoning his strength, Alexander lifted the boy off of his feet and laid him down on the bed, before pulling up a chair next to him to sit down. "How's that, are you comfortable? Can I get you more pillows? What can I do?"