I find the best way to love someone is not to change them, but instead, help them reveal the greatest version of themselves.

Steve Maraboli

I clutch the penguin in my arms tighter when I feel it being pulled. No ones going to take Mr.Jones away from me. The pulling continues before my arms become empty and something lands with a soft 'thud'. I feel the penguin being replaced by a harder, warmer penguin and I sigh. Much better.

All my plans of going back to sleep are ruined when something soft kisses my face repeatedly.

"Stop"

"No."

"I have morning cooties."

"No."

Dalaric continues kissing my face, his fingers tracing each spot that was touched by his way-too-soft lips.

My eyes open only when he kisses them, and I grin at the man below me. He's so clingy in the morning. I feel slightly bad when I notice Mr.Jones Sr. on the floor with his son. They have been replaced by a slightly larger, stronger penguin.

His hands around my waist keep me from falling off his body as I snuggle into the crook of his neck, giving it a lil' kiss before whispering with excitement.

"I love-"

"I love you." Rude. Very rude. I look at him, my eyes narrowed in a hard glare.

"I wanted to say it first." I suddenly feel very stubborn as I get off his body, forcing him to take off his caging hands. Great, I'm mad and hungry now.

"And ?" Dalaric replies nonchalantly, running a hand through his open hair before crossing his arms over his head. He doesn't think it's a big deal.

"No kisses for a day. No hugs for a week." His eyes widen, before he's by my side in a flash.

"The fuck ?" He looks really adorable with his confuzzled expression but I'm not falling for it. Isn't it too late for that, Maya ? Hmph.

"I wanted to say it first. You ruined it. Meanie." I mumble the last part, not wanting to hurt his feelings. "I need to go in, move."

Dalaric scowls at my nonchalant expression before letting me enter the washroom. I brush my teeth and wash my face- glaring at all the products and mumbling to myself about how much of a hot meanie he is.

I take one step out of the washroom and am suddenly hauled over a strong shoulder and thrown onto a soft mattress.

"Don't fucking test me." He says with a glare on his face. He squishes me between the mattress and his body, leaving no room for me to move or breathe.

"I lo-" I try to say but he interrupts me yet again.

"I love you." Dalaric has the audacity to smirk when I scowl at him.

"Stop interrup-"

"I fucking love you." I try to ignore how warm my heart feels at hearing those words. Especially because he's saying them first. It's not like I mind saying it first instead- or always initiating things. But sometimes, it feels good to be told things that you desperately want to hear. Dalaric might've just made me realize that some things have to be two-sided.

Almost as if he can hear my thoughts, Dalaric lifts his body off mine and let's me breathe before grabbing my waist and pulling me close so that we're facing each other on our sides. He pulls one of my legs over his hips and cradles my face with one of his hands.

"You're going to have to get fucking used to hearing that, Mayella. I'm not letting you start a day without knowing that you're it for me. Understood ?" I love him. I want to bite him.

I don't answer, flabbergasted at how emotional I feel. Everyday I realize that there's no limit to love. And just saying that lifts a weight of my heart. I want him to know everyday too. My thoughts race and I don't realize I haven't answered until he sneaks a hand under my shirt and grazes my- Oh my God.

"Yup, yup understood." I nod my head and leave his hold, hiding the flustered panic in my tummy. Dalaric smirks as I hastily walk towards the closet and try to find a bra. Sleeping with him, and that too braless ? How could I be so careless. I feel strong arms wrap around me as I cover my chest with mine, pretty sure he can see my nippies. I turn around in his hold and bury my face in his chest. Hmph. Not like he hasn't slept on them.

"You're beautiful, baby." He can't just say things like that and not expect me to combust. "And I can't fucking wait to see all of you." Oh my. Dalaric squishes my cheeks together so that I speak incoherently , giving me a peck before licking his lips as his eyes trail over my body. Did he leave the heater on again ?

He moves forward, both his hands lowering to my bahookie before he leans his face closer to attach his lips to mine. He only stops his actions when a throat clears from the doorway.

"Um- Good morning. Ricky." A disheveled Clancy who's wrapped in a thick blanket nods toward my man. "Maya." Clancy smiles as I wave at him while trying to subtly removing Dalaric's large hands from my bahookie.

"Morning." Dalaric grumbles, disappointment evident in his voice. He goes to freshen up as I walk towards Clancy, mouthing 'I love you' to my grumbling penguin.

"Sorry to disturb you guys.." He looks between me and our messy bed before scratching the back of his neck nervously. The bed does look like we had a wrestling match. I hope that's what Clancy assumes. His orange-red hair is messy and his face looks tired. My heart breaks at his state. He doesn't deserve that.

Clancy wrings his fingers together and nervously looks around. When I offered him our spare room, I assumed it was for a night or two. But judging from how settled in he seems, I'm guessing it's for longer. Dalaric won't like that a lot. Although, it's not like Clancy is a baby or something. I'm pretty sure he won't be that much of a bother.

"Can you make me breakfast ?" Oh.

Dalaric won't like that. Not one bit.

☁︎︎ ☁︎︎ ☁︎︎

"You're his damn cook now ?" Dalaric tries to whisper, his glare directed at the boy who's wrapped in a blanket and is gobbling up about ten pancakes while watching TV.

"I can't just not feed him." Dalaric mumbles something under his breath before taking the pancakes I made for us to the table. He sits me on his lap and douses the stack in maple syrup before bringing a bite to my mouth.

He said feeding me makes him happy, but I know he just wants me to eat more because he's worried. For me. I smile as he plops a few bites in my mouth, glaring at me when I tell him to open for the airplane. Why won't he open for he airplane ?

"I'm full, I can't eat more." I sigh as I lean against his body, chewing the last of the pancakes. Dalaric shakes his head before bringing another bite to my mouth. "Open."

I happily munch on it as I rub my tummy, aware that I said I was full just a second ago. Dalaric shakes his head when I poke his stomach, how does he not get bloated ? I woke up in the middle of the night with my head on his stomach, confusing it for the mattress. He's just so soft, even with his sculpted seven-pack. My soft penguin.

Dalaric kisses my forehead before wiping my mouth with a tissue, making sure I drink my tea before it gets cold. The clang of a plate and some utensils startles me, making Dalaric hold me tighter. My brows furrow when I notice Clancy's saddened expression as he leaves the living room, mumbling something under his breath before the sound of a door closing echoes in the house.

"I don't really know what to do, dude." I mumble, as Dalaric sits on the couch and lets me settle my head on his lap. I'm not sure what you're supposed to do when your friend is going through a bad breakup. I guess all anyone can do is be there for them- or let them stay in your house.

"He's eating our damn pancakes. You've done enough. It'll wear off." He sighs, running his fingers through my hair as he replies to some texts from his team. I also see a picture of a smiley-face from some guy named santa. Is that his therapist ?

My mind tries to organize the things I have to do today, since I'm only three days away from my graduation. "I have to write my application essay soon." I mumble. He stops running his fingers through my hair and I pout, before smiling as he continues.

"When's it due ?" His voice is stern, and I can tell he knows what I'm about to say.

"In two days." I mutter, embarrassed. I procrastinate a lil' bit. Maybe not a lil' but since I should've done this weeks ago. It's fine, I'll get it done eventually.

Calming fingers stop their trail through my hair and I pout again, trying to grab his hand.

"Two fucking days ? Get up." My boyfriend forcefully lifts me off his lap and makes me walk to the bedroom. I shouldn't walk when I have a strong boyfriend. That's just...rude.

He walks in before me and grabs the laptop, setting it upon the desk that's placed near the closet before bringing out a chair. Dalaric then picks me up from underneath my shoulders and plops me down on the chair. I pout again as he crosses his arms across his chest. Okay, maybe I should've done it sooner.

"B-but I want that seat.." I point to his lap, where my head laid calmly just a few minutes ago. I shouldn't have told him about the deadline. Now he's going to make me do work.

Dalaric shakes his head as he walks across the room and grabs a glass of water. He sets it down, along with some cut strawberries before walking towards the door.

"Come back...please ?" Maybe my best puppy dog eyes will work. Dalaric only shakes his head again and opens the door to leave. I make grabby hands towards his form but he reluctantly closes the door.

So much for true love. He's doing this because he loves you. Yeah I know, shut up, rational part of me.

I groan audibly when I hear the door lock. I just want my man. Maybe if I get this done sooner, i'll be able to get some reward smooches.

Yup, good plan.

Oh, and I'll also not miss the deadline for my only chance at a scholarship. Yup, that's important too.

☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎

Three hours.

Three hours of typing and deleting. Three hours of making sure I'm not plagiarizing any of the 'best tips for your university application' lines. Three hours of wishing I was wrapped up in a blanket with the love of my life and kissing his soft face. Dalaric didn't open the door, only sliding plates of strawberries through the space below the door. Clancy only came by to ask me where we kept the ranch sauce. Kipp kept pecking on the door.

I groan as I click save, and attach it to the email. This defines a lot more than my future. I love working with technology, and this may be my only chance at doing it near the love of my life. The courses are great for what I want to be- A software engineer. I never thought I would get this far, especially with how things were going before I met my penguin. Now I get to fulfill my passions without the worry of not waking up the next morning.

There's a knock on the door and Dalaric comes in soon after. My head is almost glued to the desk as I mumble, "Long time no see, babycakes."

My fingers hurt. Dalaric walks towards me and spins the rolly chair so that I face him, making me resist saying 'wheee'. No, I did not spin around at-least once every ten minutes. That would be absurd.

"My girl's done ?" I nod, opening my arms so he can carry me in his. Dalaric picks me up, letting me wrap my legs around his form and sigh in relief. He takes my fingers and gently massaging them, almost lulling me into a nice nap.

"And my girl won't leave important work till the last damn minute ?" Dalaric raises a brow, reprimanding me. I shake my head with an embarrassed smile and he kisses my forehead. It makes me very happy that he cares about my future just as much as I do. Maybe even more than me. Like right now. Oopsies.

"Good, because he's driving me fucking crazy and I can't anymore." My brows furrow in question but my eyes widen in realization when I notice Clancy on the couch, with two stacks of pancakes, three boxes of pizza and one whole two-tier cake around him as he flips through channels on the TV. I smile at the fact that Dalaric made him more pancakes, knowing he would've kicked him out or shot his legs if this was a few months ago.

"Oh."

"Yes. A big fucking 'Oh'" Dalaric mutters, setting me on the kitchen counter. I get momentarily distracted when I notice that he's dressed in some yummy grey sweats and a full sleeve v-neck that shows me just how sculpted he is. I make a note to tell him to cover up if he goes out. His braids are intact from this morning and I smile at the thought of how much he likes getting his hair done. That makes his sound like he's one of those girls who goes to the salon everyday. I giggle at the thought of a girly Dalaric but stop when Dalaric clenches his jaw.

"You think this is funny ?" His eyes move behind me, towards the abnormally quiet Clancy who is now eating peanut butter straight out of the jar while scrolling through his camera roll. It's getting bad.

I shake my head, not having the guts to tell him why I actually laughed. He's going to make me take off more than my pants then, and I'm going to get flustered and panic even more because of that heated look in his eyes- well, that's just how it goes.

Pulling my man in between my legs that are swinging off the counter, I wrap my arms around his waist. Dalaric leans his head forward for a kiss and I grin before biting his soft cheek. Yummy. I go back to munching on the apple in my hand and get off the counter, leaving a confused Dalaric who's rubbing his red cheek that's marked with an imprint of my mouth.

I just wanted to know what he tastes like. Not my fault he's so scrumptious. Or fergilicious, something like that.

"Hey Clancycoo.." I purposely ignore the angry scowl Dalaric sends me from the other side of the room before he walks away.

Clancy nods at me, continuing to munch on his- our chips and letting some crumbs fall on the couch. He's a bit messy but it's fine, he's my friend.

"How are you ?" Clancy turns to me, leaving his chips before narrowing his eyes.

"You've told him you love him ?" My eyes widen, wary about his slightly angry expression. What's up with him ? I nod to his question and all of a sudden, his expression morphs into one of sadness and he munches on the chips again as if he's stifling a sob.

"O-Oh, don't cry!" I try calming him down by patting his back, his sobs sounding a lot like mine. Twinsies.

"Mayella ? The fucks wrong ? Swear I didn't sit on the fat penguin-" Dalaric, probably hearing the cries comes into the room before crossing his arms at the scene before him. Clancy starts crying again once Dalaric sits on the couch and puts me in between his legs. I snuggle into my man, a worried expression still plastered on my face due to Clancy's mood switch.

"Are you okay ?" I ask Clancy, as Dalaric kisses the side of my head before laying his chin on my head. Clancy doesn't reply and cries harder when he sees this. What's wrong ?

"I-I hate you all. St-Stop being so c-cute !" I let out a yelp when Clancy throws a donut at my face before he walks out of the living room with his blanket wrapped around him and a can of pringles.

"The fuck's wrong with him ?" Dalaric mutters before kissing off the frosting of the donut that hit my cheek. I giggle when he bites the same spot but mumble an 'ow' when it starts hurting.

A loud clang sounds out and a door shuts close. "I hate all of you stupid cute couples ! Go rot !" Clancy yells across from the guest room and my eyes go wide. Maybe he's just a bit salty.

"Did you send it in ?" I shake my head at his question and he sighs. "I just have to edit some parts and I'll send it in. I promise." Dalaric nods and kisses my cheek, his eyes proudly staring at the bitemark.

"What did you want to be when you were younger ?" I blurt out. I turn in his hold when he doesn't answer, his beautiful eyes somewhere far away.

"You'll laugh."

"No I won't."

"I wanted to own a restaurant with the Ale. We had it all planned out but...shit happened."

"That's such a good idea! Why can't you open one now ? We could name it- Mr.Jones Eatery ! That'd be so cool." We could also have little penguins waddle around and serve people. I don't say that just in case Dalaric doesn't want me as his business partner.

"I can't, baby. My contract's not done." Oh. I hate that contract of his. It's the deal he has with the government- either work for them or go to jail. I hate it. Although I don't know what he would be in jail for, I can't fathom the thought-

"Three assault charges." Dalaric mutters, his hands rubbing the sides of my waist. His head hangs slightly and I hold it up, not liking the way he looks so ashamed. Yes, violence is wrong in this case but I just know that he didn't do it out of choice. My Dalaric would never.

"Oh." He studies my face, probably looking for a reaction. All I can think about is what he must've done, he'll tell me when he's ready.

"So it was either two years in jail or two years working for them ?" My heart sinks at that ultimatum. It's so trapping- keeping a man from freedom either way.

"You don't wanna know?" Dalaric inquires, his brows creased. I rub it away and shake my head. "Not if you don't want to tell me, babycakes."

Dalaric only sighs and pushes my head towards his chest, mushing my face into his warm form. My mind races with thoughts of how a person can be this good. Good to me. Good to everyone. I'm so lucky.

"You're inspiring, y'know dude ?" He scoffs, shaking his head. I determinedly add, not thinking of stopping my ramble anytime soon.

"You ran away from your foster home, had to adjust to a new family and choose between being in jail and doing something you absolutely hate. You turned your life around and you're the best person I know. I also- Mmmmm."

Dalaric steals my words away with his soft lips and leans his forehead against mine, whispering with so much genuineness that I will most likely faint.

"I'm so damn in love with you." I smile at him, rubbing my nose against his. My sad panda scar has almost healed which allows me to mush my cheek against his anytime I want.

"I love yo-"

"I hate you both." Our heads turn to the doorway, where Clancy stands glaring at us angrily, still wrapped in a thick blanket but this time he has a whole plate of lasagna in his hands. Hey, that was our dinner.

My mouth forms an 'O' , not knowing what to say to that. Clancy groans, clutching his hair.

"Stop being so- Ah! Just stop! I want to shoot myself in the damn head !" His arms flay around and he sobs again before going back into the room.