.:Author's Note:.

Part of "Zombies' Paradise" at the top.

***

Liam's POV:

A large tongue woke me out of my sleep.

I scrunched up my face as the tongue ran over it repeatedly. Turning my head to the side, I tried to get away from Blake's lion. However, that proved to be futile because I was literally buried underneath him.

"Blake!" I called out, gently pushing his large lion head away from me. It only caused him to growl as he continued to bathe me in affection. With a sigh, I kept my eyes closed, knowing that I wasn't going to get out of this until Blake's lion felt like I was thoroughly cleaned. I let him lick me as I ran my fingers through his mane.

"You know I have to take a shower after this, right?" I asked teasingly, getting a soft growl in response. After a few more minutes, Blake finally stopped licking me and stood up. I followed after him, frowning as my hair stuck to my forehead.

"Gross, Blakey!" The nickname slipped from my lips before I could stop it. I wasn't sure if he liked it much, but I decided that it was the name only I could call him, just like he called me "love."

If lions could scoff, I would have believed that that was what Blake had done in response. I giggled as he came up to me and sniffed, enjoying that I was covered in his scent. I ran my hand over his large head, surprised at myself that even in animal form, Blake still made me feel calm and comfortable.

"I-I will go shower now, Blakey." I told the lion before walking into the house, leaving him to shift back and put on his clothes. Finding my Papa and Ma in the kitchen, I gave them a small wave before running upstairs. I had a quick shower, not wanting to keep Blake waiting too long. Once done, I slipped into a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a loose shirt.

I headed back downstairs to find Ma and Papa gone, and Blake sitting at the island.

"W-where are my parents?" I asked him, nervously wringing my fingers in my lap after I sat down. Blake pushed over a tray to me that held a sandwich and a glass of cold milk before responding.

"Your mom got an emergency work call and since her car broke down, your father decided to drop her off." He explained as I sipped my milk. Almond milk was the best kind of milk!

"O-okay."

I ate my sandwich and drank my milk in silence as Blake tapped away on his phone screen. I didn't have a cell phone and didn't really see the need for one because I hardly left the house. When I did do so, I was always with someone so I didn't need my own phone. However, curiosity got the best of me and I found myself leaning over the island to see what Blake was doing. He laughed as he showed me his screen, and I saw that he was playing a game.

"What's that?"

"It's called Angry Birds." He said, swiping his screen and causing a bird to go flying. I frowned, now confused.

"Why are the birds angry?"

"Because some pigs stole their eggs."

"Why did they do that?"

"Because pigs are greedy."

"So the birds are fighting back?"

"Yes. They'll do anything to protect their young."

"That's very nice of them. C-can I play?"

Blake nodded as he started a new game for me before handing over his phone. I carefully took it from him and swiped the screen much like he was doing a few seconds ago. I frowned again when I saw that I wasn't winning.

"B-Blake, what am I doing wrong?" I asked, causing him to chuckle as I swiped the screen again. This was why I didn't need a phone.

"You can't just randomly swipe the screen, love. You have to aim for the pigs."

I nodded in understanding before aiming at the pig in a crate, cheering as my bird knocked him down. I continued playing the game for a while, my sandwich and milk now forgotten. Blake's chuckling caught my attention a few levels later. Glancing at him, I saw that he was looking at me in amusement.

"W-what?" I asked, my face heating up with a familiar blush. I went back to my game, not making eye contact with him.

"Your tongue hangs out of your mouth when you're concentrating. It's adorable." He answered. Instead of replying to him, my blush increased, making him chuckle again. I set his phone aside to finish the rest of my sandwich (and to keep my tongue in my mouth).

The shrill sound of the house phone ringing caught our attention just as I finished the rest of my lunch. I quickly got up to answer it while Blake took my plate and glass and put them in the sink. Checking the caller ID, I realized it was a number that I was unfamiliar with, but I answered anyways.

"H-hello?"

"Hi! Is this Liam?" A female's voice replied. I could vaguely note that the voice sounded very familiar.

"Um, yes. W-who is this?"

"Oh! Where are my manners? Hi, Liam. It's me, Aliyah, from the skating rink." The female, well Aliyah, replied. I smiled as I released a relieved sigh. I didn't want some random creeper calling the house.

"Hi, Aliyah. How are you?" I responded, going back into the kitchen since the phone was in the living room. Blake looked up from his own phone and raised an eyebrow at me. Putting a hand over the part where I speak into, I whispered "Aliyah," letting him know who I was talking to. He nodded before going back to his game

"I'm good. Anyways, I called because I was really sincere about spending some time together and becoming friends so I was wondering if you and your boyfriend would like to meet me and Lorenzo at the mall."

I blushed while taking a glimpse at Blake, grateful that he wasn't looking at me. Was he my boyfriend? Should I call him that now? I don't think I should. He never asked.

"Oh, um, he's not my boyfriend." I whispered more than I usually did into the receiver. However, my words still caught the lion's attention because his head snapped up and his eyes met mine. He frowned slightly as I reddened even more under his intense gaze.

"Really? I'm sorry I assumed he was." Aliyah replied sounding a little sad.

"It's okay. Um, he took me out on a date but he hasn't asked to be my boyfriend." I explained, slightly embarrassed because Blake wasn't hiding the fact that he was listening to my conversation. I saw him smirk before he went back to playing with his phone.

"So you guys are dating? That's good too! Is he with you right now? Do you think he would be okay with you two coming to the mall?"

"I, well, I've never been to a mall."

"How come?" She asked worriedly. I frowned as I tapped my fingers on the top of the island, watching as they moved.

"Well, I have social anxiety and people make me nervous so I've never tried to go to one."

"I'm sorry! Shoot, this was a bad idea then. Maybe we can do something else?"

"N-no! It's okay. B-Blake has been helping me to come out of the house more and I think this can be a good thing."

"Really? I don't want to put you in an awkward situation."

"Yes. I think I will be okay. Let me just ask Blake." I said before I pulled the phone away from my ear, looking at Blake who was already encouragingly smiling at me. With a small giggle, I put the phone back to my ear, not bothering to ask him again.

"He said yes."

***

There was only one mall in Grave Town. It was where you got anything and everything ranging from clothes and food to tools and equipment. Unfortunately, much like everything in Grave Town, its name was related to death. It was known as "Zombies' Paradise."

I hid behind Blake as we walked around Zombies' Paradise, looking for the location Aliyah had told us to meet her and Lorenzo. There was a lot of people walking around and I was basically trying to mold myself into Blake so that I couldn't get lost. He didn't seem to mind as I held a tight grip on his shirt which was most likely wrinkling it.

Despite how wary I was, I still looked at all of the pretty stores and booths. Sweet scents drifted up my nose and I followed it, causing my eyes to land on a café. I hope we can go there later.

I could feel as predators and preys of all kinds took glances at me, but I did my best not to focus on it. Blake had helped me destress before we left the house, and it also helped that I was still covered in his scent. It gave other predators the clear sign that I was untouchable (at least that's what Blake said).

It took us a few minutes to find Aliyah and Lorenzo. Zombies' Paradise was large and had many different levels to it. We (mainly Blake) did manage to find the Victoria's Secret store though, and Aliyah squealed when she saw us. Tentatively, I moved from behind Blake so that she could see me properly.

She was bouncing on her toes and looking at her boyfriend excitedly. He only gave her a small nod before she was running over and hugging me. Immediately, I tensed. However, knowing that she was a prey much like myself caused me to relax and hug her back.

"I'm so happy to see you!" She exclaimed when she pulled away. I smiled as I blushed and told her that I felt the same. Glancing over at her boyfriend, I gave him a small wave. He responded with a polite smile and wave of his own.

"Okay, well we have tons of shopping to do today. Do you have money?" Aliyah asked me after she greeted Blake and rocked on her heels. Looking at how she behaved, I could tell that we were just alike. She probably didn't have social anxiety like me, but I could definitely see myself in the way she bounced and rocked.

"Y-yes, I do. Papa gave me a card for emergencies." I finally replied, causing her to smile wider.

"That's great! Master buys all my things." She said with a grin before her eyes widened in realization.

"Master?" I repeated, unsure of who she was talking about.

"Lorenzo. I meant Lorenzo." She said quickly before looking over her shoulder at her boyfriend. I looked too and saw that his eyes were dark, and it was the same look Blake gave me after we kissed, many times. Deciding not to ponder on it too much, I turned to Blake who was looking at the couple interestingly. When he felt me staring at him, he looked at me with a sheepish smile.

"Lorenzo and I will follow behind you two. Enjoy shopping with your friend, love." He voiced before kissing my forehead. I smiled and blushed before Aliyah was looping her arm around my own and tugging me into Victoria's Secret.

I looked around the brightly pink store, frowning when I noticed that Blake, Lorenzo, and I were the only males. The workers didn't seem to mind as they welcomed us in and told us to call if we needed any help. Aliyah walked around the store with me beside her, looking at all of the bras and panties. Was I really supposed to be here?

"Do you see something nice, Liam?" Aliyah asked me a few minutes later, snapping me out of my thoughts and making me realize that I had been staring at a specific rack of women's underwear. My face erupted in flames as I quickly looked away from it and shook my head no.

"Are you sure? You seem to like the lace underwear. Come, we can look at them if you'd like."

I really wanted to, but how would Blake react if he knew that I was looking at them? He'd think that I was a freak and probably never talk to me again. So once again, I shook my head no, looking for Blake in the store and finding him in a deep conversation with Lorenzo a distance away.

"Hey, Liam, look at me. Do you like women's underwear?" Aliyah asked me lowly, pulling me even farther away from listening ears. I was crimson by now, not really wanting to answer the question, but I guess I didn't need to because she smiled before dragging me over to the rack of lacy panties.

"Pick up whatever you like." She said it with a smile, but I could hear the slight demand in her tone. Not wanting to upset her, I took out the panties that I thought were the cutest and softest.

I was up to ten different pairs when I felt eyes on me. Glancing up, I immediately found Blake staring right at me. I was going to look away and put the underwear down immediately, but Aliyah stopped me.

"Can you see how much he's lusting after you right now?" She whispered into my ear causing my face to practically melt. Looking closer, I could tell Blake was staring at me the same way he does after we kiss.

"Looks like someone likes the lace panties as much as you do."