Disclaimers: Vampire Diaries, L.J. Smith's, etc etc

Written for the LJS100 'Food' challenge. For Ashke. Because he's dealing with shit lately, and fed my ego by saying he misses my work. ;) And to Elektra, because duuuuude, Matt/Stefan!

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Matt grimaced at the taste of the pickle remaining in his mouth. Stefan hadn't managed to grasp the idea of food and taste that well, and his selection of food to test Matt with left something to be desired. He tweaked up his blindfold and stared at Stefan suspiciously, then peeked inside the refrigerator to see what other horrors Stefan was likely to be able to inflict on him. Too many to risk continuing, he decided, and pushed the blindfold to the top of his head.

"Why pickles?" he asked, pulling a face at the open jar by Stefan's knee.

Stefan shrugged, sparing the half pickle in his grasp a glance. "It looked interesting. Smells a bit... sharp, though. But your mom seems to like them."

"Yeah, well, I don't think my mom recovered from her last pregnancy, and she's been stuck with weird cravings ever since." He pulled a carton of orange from the door, and took a swig to get rid of the overwhelming taste of vinegar. "Okay, how about I pick the food, and we go from there? Only, I think we'll forget the blindfold, because you won't know what half of this stuff is by taste, anyway."

"Looks better on you, anyway," Stefan said idly, and Matt hoped that the heat that suddenly rose to his cheeks wasn't as visible as he suspected it was. To cover, he turned to inspect the shelves in more detail, putting thought into something that would appeal to Stefan. Yoghurt was dismissed as too plain, carrot sticks too healthy, leftover lasagne Italian overkill, and the pot of green stuff at that back frankly looked too dangerous. Then his eyes passed over something perfect.

Matt grinned wickedly. "How about this?" he asked, plucking a canister of whipped cream out. Stefan looked at him quizzically as he began to shake it vigorously. "You'll like this. Trust me," Matt assured him, taking the top off, and then deftly squirting a blob on Stefan's nose.

The look of pure surprise on the vampire's face was amusing enough, but the sight of those oak green eyes crossing over, trying desperately to see what had landed on his nose sent Matt into hysterics. After glaring at him, Stefan scooped the cream off with his finger, stared at it for a moment, and then popped it into his mouth.

"Not bad," he declared. "But there's something missing." He looked ponderous for a few seconds, then snatched the can from Matt's hand. Before the boy had time to react, he found himself staring at a blob of cream on the end of his own nose. He opened his mouth to protest, but before he could utter a word, Stefan loomed over him, and swiped the cream up with his tongue. "Mmm. Much better," he said, rocking back, a satisfied smile on his face.

Matt stared at him, shocked at Stefan's bold, intimate action. Had Stefan really just licked him? He was usually so... reserved. But no, now he was squirting more cream onto his finger, a playful expression on his face. And now that finger was heading for his mouth... and... and... Matt opened his mouth reflexively, tongue slipping around Stefan's finger to lick off the cool, rich, cream, lips closing gently around the digit. Stefan lingered a moment, before pulling his finger out slowly.

Matt watched the vampire sit back, an almost smug tinge to his expression. Well, who knew Stefan had such a playful side to him? It was an interesting and certainly pleasant discovery, one that needed exploring. He lunged forward, tackling Stefan, and attempted to snatch the can away from him. The pair of them went sprawling across the kitchen floor, Stefan still holding the cream, Matt tugging at his arm to bring it within reach.

Somehow, he managed to force Stefan's arm down, between their bodies. Squirming to get a better grasp, certain he'd succeed, he suddenly found himself jerking back at a muffled hiss. He stared down in shock at the lump of cream on his shirt. Stefan was staring at it, too, looking like he wasn't sure whether he should laugh out loud or apologise profusely. Matt seized the moment, and grabbed the can.

"Right, you asked for it," he said, squirting a pile of cream at Stefan, laughing in glee as it streaked up his shirt and onto his chin. And so began a playful tussle as they fought for control of the canister, covering each other with cream, their delighted laughter ringing through the Honeycutt household.

Eventually, the canister gave out with a final hiss and dribble, and Matt's furious shaking failed to make it work anymore. Stefan stared down at it forlornly for a moment, and then pouted at Matt. It was perhaps one of the most adorable expressions he'd ever seen grace Stefan's face, and the blob of cream that sat temptingly on the vampire's lower lip just added to the appeal.

On impulse, he leaned forward, tongue flicking out to lap up the cream. Giving into temptation, he lingered to briefly suckle on that lower lip, before pulling back slowly. He stared into Stefan's eyes, searching, wondering what was going on behind those dilated green eyes...

Almost casually, Stefan plucked the can from Matt's grasp, tossing it to the side. "I don't think we'll be needing that anymore," he whispered as he moved in to share deep, creamy kisses.

Fin.