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tarotgalWe have come to the end at last! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I'll be posting the sequel short story tomorrow. So there's a little more goodness to be had yet.
David woke as someone reached past him, the movement causing a small rush of air against his cheek. He pulled his eyes open to see a flight attendant switching off the call button above their seats. “What do you need, Sir?”
“Can I get a cup of hot water for tea, please?” Lucas asked.
She nodded to him, and then she looked at David. “And can I get you anything?”
He shook his head and tried to keep his eyes open, tried to stay awake. The urge to go back to sleep was tempting, but he fought it by stretching as best he could in his seat. His fingertips hit the panel above his head, but thankfully not hard enough to release the oxygen mask inside. He tilted his head from one side to the other, loosening it up after having slept sitting up for… however long he’d been out.
Finally, David’s gaze fell upon Lucas, unclipping and pulling down the tray table built into the seat in front of him. It wasn’t like him to choose tea, but David thought he knew why. It hadn’t even been a day yet, but they both still missed Troy. “Picked that up from our British friend, did you?”
“Yep. Picked up a little something else from him, too.”
“Oh yeah?” David yawned. He rubbed at his face, making sure there was no sleep in the corners of his eyes, then running his hand through his hair, though it felt like part was still sticking up funny in the back. He hoped the flight attendant hadn’t noticed. “What’s that? Some workout tip you’re about to bore me with?” Lucas had him as a captive audience on this plane. The flight wasn’t full, so they had the middle seat free in-between them. But there still wasn’t really anywhere for David to go. He could only get up to go use the lavatory so many times.
“Nope.”
“What then?”
“Think about it a second.” That was all Lucas said.
David narrowed his eyes. He thought hard about it, but absolutely nothing at all occurred to him.
Rolling his eyes, Lucas sniffed.
David’s eyes widened.
The flight attendant returned with a cup of water, a napkin, and a selection of teabags and sweeteners. Reaching past David once more, she warned that the drink was hot.
“That’s the point, thanks. I’ll be careful.” He waved away the teabags and little sugar packets.
As she headed back down the aisle, Lucas reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a teabag of the throat coat herbal tea they’d bought for Troy. Lucas tore open the packet, dunked the bag in the cup, snapped the lid back on the cup, and then covered the small opening with the napkin to keep the heat contained better while the tea steeped.
David’s heart began to race, worry and anticipation simultaneously setting in. He whispered, “You don’t feel so good, baby?”
Lucas shook his head. “At first, I thought it might be the dry air in here, but my throat’s seriously hurting. And my nose is feeling kind of tickly and sensitive. I definitely think I’m coming down with his cold.”
David reached out, rubbing his hand up and down Lucas’ upper arm. “Oh no, I’m so sorry.” He wasn’t surprised, of course, but he was genuinely sorry. No matter how much he loved to take care of his man, he never wanted to see him suffer. Even less, suffer alone. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“No point in worrying you. Besides, there’s less than an hour left in the flight.”
“There is?” David checked his watch, startled. He’d been tired, but he hadn’t realized he’d been that tired.
“You slept through the whole thing practically. You were out before takeoff, even. You needed that. And I need you well rested so that you can fuss over me and baby me when we get home.”
David felt rushes surge through him anew. Troy had been fantastic, sure, but there was nothing like taking care of his Lucas. “When we get home, you’re going straight into bed.”
Lucas reached up and laid his hand on David’s hand, making him stop with his rubbing. Their fingers intertwined and hands held fast, tight. “Sure, as long as you’ll tuck me in, all warm and cozy.”
Grinning, he added, “And I’ll make sure you stay put by climbing in with you and taking your temperature.”
Lucas grinned back, but his expression faded just a second later. He grabbed for the napkin, snatching it up without bumping the drink, and pressing it to his nose and mouth. “herrJihshuhhh!” He wiped the napkin across his nose, sniffing much more wetly than before.
“God bless you, baby.”
Lucas smiled, lowering the napkin. “Feels so nice to hear you saying that to me.”
“Feels so good to say it.” Anxious to get closer, David unclipped his seatbelt, slid over a seat, and then fastened that belt across his lap, pulling the strap tight. He slid an arm around his husband’s shoulders. Lucas leaned into him and took a few sips of his tea.
Endnotes
Abraham The Pharmacist on YouTube has far too many wonderful videos I used as inspiration, including how asthma inhalers work and how to properly use nasal sprays.
Freddie Scott’s “(You) Got What I Need” is quoted in the story, because the song is just too perfect for David & Lucas.
The fitness convention mentioned in this story is loosely based on IDEA WORLD, a fitness convention with about 14,000 attendees, which was taking place as I was writing the story. Some elements like the welcome party, the companion registration, and the places nearby the Anaheim Convention Center that deliver were inspired by this conference. Other elements like Club Fun and the fact that the conference in this story takes place in a hotel’s meeting space rather than a convention center (or at least a hotel that seems connected directly to a convention center) were products of my imagination and have no resemblance to IDEA WORLD.
Part 18: Epilogue
David woke as someone reached past him, the movement causing a small rush of air against his cheek. He pulled his eyes open to see a flight attendant switching off the call button above their seats. “What do you need, Sir?”
“Can I get a cup of hot water for tea, please?” Lucas asked.
She nodded to him, and then she looked at David. “And can I get you anything?”
He shook his head and tried to keep his eyes open, tried to stay awake. The urge to go back to sleep was tempting, but he fought it by stretching as best he could in his seat. His fingertips hit the panel above his head, but thankfully not hard enough to release the oxygen mask inside. He tilted his head from one side to the other, loosening it up after having slept sitting up for… however long he’d been out.
Finally, David’s gaze fell upon Lucas, unclipping and pulling down the tray table built into the seat in front of him. It wasn’t like him to choose tea, but David thought he knew why. It hadn’t even been a day yet, but they both still missed Troy. “Picked that up from our British friend, did you?”
“Yep. Picked up a little something else from him, too.”
“Oh yeah?” David yawned. He rubbed at his face, making sure there was no sleep in the corners of his eyes, then running his hand through his hair, though it felt like part was still sticking up funny in the back. He hoped the flight attendant hadn’t noticed. “What’s that? Some workout tip you’re about to bore me with?” Lucas had him as a captive audience on this plane. The flight wasn’t full, so they had the middle seat free in-between them. But there still wasn’t really anywhere for David to go. He could only get up to go use the lavatory so many times.
“Nope.”
“What then?”
“Think about it a second.” That was all Lucas said.
David narrowed his eyes. He thought hard about it, but absolutely nothing at all occurred to him.
Rolling his eyes, Lucas sniffed.
David’s eyes widened.
The flight attendant returned with a cup of water, a napkin, and a selection of teabags and sweeteners. Reaching past David once more, she warned that the drink was hot.
“That’s the point, thanks. I’ll be careful.” He waved away the teabags and little sugar packets.
As she headed back down the aisle, Lucas reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a teabag of the throat coat herbal tea they’d bought for Troy. Lucas tore open the packet, dunked the bag in the cup, snapped the lid back on the cup, and then covered the small opening with the napkin to keep the heat contained better while the tea steeped.
David’s heart began to race, worry and anticipation simultaneously setting in. He whispered, “You don’t feel so good, baby?”
Lucas shook his head. “At first, I thought it might be the dry air in here, but my throat’s seriously hurting. And my nose is feeling kind of tickly and sensitive. I definitely think I’m coming down with his cold.”
David reached out, rubbing his hand up and down Lucas’ upper arm. “Oh no, I’m so sorry.” He wasn’t surprised, of course, but he was genuinely sorry. No matter how much he loved to take care of his man, he never wanted to see him suffer. Even less, suffer alone. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“No point in worrying you. Besides, there’s less than an hour left in the flight.”
“There is?” David checked his watch, startled. He’d been tired, but he hadn’t realized he’d been that tired.
“You slept through the whole thing practically. You were out before takeoff, even. You needed that. And I need you well rested so that you can fuss over me and baby me when we get home.”
David felt rushes surge through him anew. Troy had been fantastic, sure, but there was nothing like taking care of his Lucas. “When we get home, you’re going straight into bed.”
Lucas reached up and laid his hand on David’s hand, making him stop with his rubbing. Their fingers intertwined and hands held fast, tight. “Sure, as long as you’ll tuck me in, all warm and cozy.”
Grinning, he added, “And I’ll make sure you stay put by climbing in with you and taking your temperature.”
Lucas grinned back, but his expression faded just a second later. He grabbed for the napkin, snatching it up without bumping the drink, and pressing it to his nose and mouth. “herrJihshuhhh!” He wiped the napkin across his nose, sniffing much more wetly than before.
“God bless you, baby.”
Lucas smiled, lowering the napkin. “Feels so nice to hear you saying that to me.”
“Feels so good to say it.” Anxious to get closer, David unclipped his seatbelt, slid over a seat, and then fastened that belt across his lap, pulling the strap tight. He slid an arm around his husband’s shoulders. Lucas leaned into him and took a few sips of his tea.
Endnotes
Abraham The Pharmacist on YouTube has far too many wonderful videos I used as inspiration, including how asthma inhalers work and how to properly use nasal sprays.
Freddie Scott’s “(You) Got What I Need” is quoted in the story, because the song is just too perfect for David & Lucas.
The fitness convention mentioned in this story is loosely based on IDEA WORLD, a fitness convention with about 14,000 attendees, which was taking place as I was writing the story. Some elements like the welcome party, the companion registration, and the places nearby the Anaheim Convention Center that deliver were inspired by this conference. Other elements like Club Fun and the fact that the conference in this story takes place in a hotel’s meeting space rather than a convention center (or at least a hotel that seems connected directly to a convention center) were products of my imagination and have no resemblance to IDEA WORLD.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-14 06:40 pm (UTC)So amazing!
Date: 2019-10-02 08:57 pm (UTC)Re: So amazing!
Date: 2019-10-03 01:53 am (UTC)I've been struggling lately with some parts of my life, and when you left your comment on the blue forum, I wasn't in a place mentally where I could respond. But I did read and re-read your comment at least a dozen times that day. It was a really big bright spot in an otherwise difficult day/week. So I want to thank you more than I can express for sharing your thoughts and feelings with me. And I definitely want to thank you for reading it all and loving it so much, That means the world to me.
Re: So amazing!
Date: 2019-10-10 11:06 pm (UTC)I just wanted to tell you that your book arrived today, and even though I have semi-uninvited guests—my mom’s been staying with me—I was so desperate to read the Lucas & David story that I hid out in my own bathroom to do so! tg, I loved it. I hadn’t realized that it was a direct sequel to “That One Regret”; for some reason, I thought it took place later on. So I was surprised by the specific relationship stuff in it, but not in a bad way! It just made me love the end part so much, watching them find their way back to each other...I can’t even describe it. And, unsurprisingly, I did love their temperature-taking thing, both the details of it, and how it makes Lucas feel. They are just so gorram sweet!
Anyway, I’ll hopefully be alone (in my own gorram studio apartment) again soon so I can read the rest of the book exclusives before I start in on rereading my favorites, but I just wanted to let you know everything I said above as soon as I could.
P.S. I hope you’re doing better than you were last week, even though I know it’s not that simple. If it helps, you saying how good my posts made you feel made me feel really good about myself, and even happier that I could (100% truthfully!) tell you those things. So we’re kind of in a loop of feel-goodness.