Pandemonium | Dream SMP

200k Special

"Thanks for coming to help me, Ares." Niki chimes, twisting her waist to dump another ball of clay into the plastic bucket. "But what happened to your training session with Tommy? I thought you were teaching him how to use a trident today?"

I give a half shrug, dipping down alongside the short woman to dig my hands into the small clay deposit we'd found earlier that week. Niki has been wanting to make new flower pots for her bakery for a while now, and also to decorate our bedroom with. I'd suggested we simply buy some plant pots, but she'd been insistent on handcrafting them herself, to even go as far as to collect the clay from a nearby river.

"He said he had to do something with Tubbo today," I say, scooping up a healthy amount of wet clay into my cupped hands.

"Oh? And what was that?"

"I'm not entirely sure, he was already running off by the time I'd finished asking. But I think I caught the words 'bath water' and 'profit'."

Niki's brow pinches cutely together in thought. "How odd."

"Not that I'm complaining," there's a hollow thunk as a handful of clay lands in the bucket, "it just means I get to spend the day with my cute girlfriend instead."

"Aww, you think I'm cute?" Niki giggles, raising the back of her hand to her forehead, shielding her eyes from the sun as she beams at me.

"As a button," I confirm, my expression deadly serious.

Niki laughs and I crack a smile. I love her giggly laugh. It's so sweet and contagious. Hearing it always lightens my mood, even when I'm having a tough day.

Seeing her grinning face has a mischievous thought come to mind, and I immediately act upon it.

"Hey, you've got some clay on your face," I say, leaning over.

"Oh? Whe-"

I wipe a hand down the side of her cheek, smearing the grey mud into her skin.

"Ares!" She gasps, a mix of laughter and disbelief.

"Oh, wait, I missed a spot."

"Nooo!"

She shrieks as she kicks up water in an attempt to distance herself from my muddy hand, raised and ready to attack.

"Come on, Niki! Let me finish the job! Mud is good for your skin, isn't it?!" I laugh, chasing her through the ankle-deep river, disturbing the small fish and pebbles beneath my bare feet.

"Then you wear it!" She calls back, making a beeline for the river's sandy bank.

There's a small 'eep' followed by a loud splash, and suddenly Niki isn't in front of me anymore but knelt on all fours in the water.

My grin vanishes, and I kneel quickly at her side, my stomach twisting with concern.

"Hey, are you-"

A hand reaches up and drags mud down the middle of my face.

"-Okay." I finish, my eyes scrunched closed beneath the mud. I hear Niki start to giggle uncontrollably, and it isn't until I raise the back of my hand to wipe the mud from my eyes that I see her sat in the shallow water, hands propping her upright, her face positively glowing even beneath the mud mask she wears.

"Sorry, I just had to." She explains herself between the contagious giggles. Her face has turned red in that cute way it always does when she has a laughing fit. She looks like a little tomato. A cherry tomato.

"No, I definitely had it coming," I laugh lightly, kneeling down in the water beside her so we're at the same level. It's a little chilly against my skin, and I can feel the water soaking straight through my shorts and underwear. I'm going to feel disgusting when I finally crawl out of this river, but for now, it's fine. I'm enjoying my time with Niki too much to care about such things.

"But really, though. Are you okay? Your knee is a little scuffed." I say, directing my gaze to her left knee where a patch of skin has begun to discolour.

She pushes the hair from her eyes before responding, "oh, is it? I didn't even feel it."

"Even so, it requires first aid," I say seriously, and then lower my head to kiss the top of her knee. "There, first aid applied." I turn to give Niki a grin but find her hands covering her face. Her ears have turned a bright pink.

"I hate how cute you are sometimes." She mumbles against her palms, her words soft and muffled.

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that to you?" I smile, pulling one of her hands away to see her blushing expression. "You're the cute one." I press a kiss to her hand, then lean in to peck her cheek. Then just because I feel like it, I smear more clay on her face.

She splutters, laughs, and makes a miserable attempt to push me away.

"What's the matter? Don't you like my kisses?" I tease.

"Not when you're covering me in mud!"

"Everyone's a critic."

I plant more kisses to her muddy cheeks and nose, grinning against her skin when she starts giggling under my barrage of affection.

Only to be interrupted at the loud exclamation of, "Ahhh! Tubbo! Cover your eyes!"

I blink and pull away from Niki, turning to look over my shoulder. Tommy and Tubbo stand at the river bank. Tommy has a look of pure horror on his face, his mouth agape. Tubbo's face is hidden beneath his hands, obscuring the boy's view of us.

"Oh, hello, Tommy." Niki beams. "What are you two doing here?"

"Forget what we're doing! What are you two doing?! That's disgusting! And in front of Tubbo, too!"

"Tommy, you're being rude." I smile. It's a cold smile. "Just because you've never kissed a girl doesn't mean you can patronise those who have."

"I have too kissed a girl!" Tommy rages, yanking his hands from Tubbo's face to jab a finger at me. Poor Tubbo teeters, blinking rapidly at the harsh treatment. "I have kissed so many girls! Way more than you!"

"Is that so?" I smirk. Niki raises a hand to her mouth, stifling a laugh.

"I've kissed a girl before."

All attention is jerked towards Tubbo, our eyes the size of saucers. It's clear we're all thinking the same thing.

What?!

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