![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
candy_aTitle: The Fourteen Days of Valentine's Day 2013: Day Ten
Fandom: Donald Strachey Mysteries (movieverse)
Pairing: Donald and Timothy
Rating: R
Word Count: About 2335
References/Spoilers: Can't think of any.
Disclosure: I wish they were mine. Alas, they are not, so I'm just taking them out for a spin with thanks to the men who created them and the actors who brought them to life.
Summary: The guys take it easy on the Sunday after their ordeal at the house, including a visit to a recuperating Farley.
Author's Note: I'll be posting one a day until Donald and Timothy make it to Valentine's Day.
*************************************************
THE FOURTEEN DAYS OF VALENTINE'S DAY 2013: DAY TEN
by
Candy Apple
I woke up sometime just before dawn. It was that odd, gray time of day when it wasn't quite light yet, but wasn't dark, either. The fire we'd built had dwindled to just embers, but we were nice and warm under the afghan, our bodies pressed together, Donald sleeping soundly in my arms. I thought about the car, about its origins. I thought about how long Donald hadn't told me about it, and how long it took him to tell me about Kyle at all.
There were very few things in life that truly scared Donald, that could drive him to tears. Over the years, I'd only seen a couple things do that: the whole tragedy with Kyle, and the fear of losing me and our life together. Well, and maybe a few bad memories about how empty his life had been before we met. And the very minuscule number of relationship blunders he'd made over the years were mostly fear-based. He'd never cheated on me, never said a cruel word to me, never laid a hand on me that wasn't gentle and full of love. He shared everything he had with me, invested all his energy into making a better life for us. He's always there for me when I need him, and I know he'd do anything for me. I can take him for granted in the very best way. Which is why I do my best not to ever do that.
So on a few key occasions when his fear caused him to make a misstep in our relationship, it was easy to forgive him. I'm not sure I could have been harsh or punitive with him when I knew how much pain he was in. He was so afraid when he told me about the car that it broke my heart. If I didn't have his warm body tucked in my arms, what would it mean to me punish him for that? What had it cost us over the years, because he had one little secret that hadn't hurt anyone? I'd always assured him that nothing would change my love for him, and that he could tell me anything. As I lay there with his soft blond hair tickling my nose, feeling him breathe in and out in the peaceful state of deep sleep, I realized just how true that was.
He started stirring and, not for the first time in our relationship, I had the feeling he was so attuned to me that if I was thinking too loud, he'd wake up.
"Good morning, sunshine," I whispered in his ear. He angled his head back to look at me, and gave me the sweetest big sleepy smile. His eyes were slits, he wasn't really awake yet. So I nuzzled his neck and kissed his shoulder, and ran my hand over his chest, not accidentally brushing over his nipple.
"Sure is," he replied, sighing as I ran my hand back and forth, teasing both nipples now. "I love you, you know."
"Oh, I know." I kissed his ear. "I love you more."
"No, I love you more than you love me," he joked.
"Not possible. I love you the most."
"I love you moster," he cou ntered. Leave it to Donald to brutalize the English language to win an argument.
"I love you more better than you love me," I replied, and he laughed.
"Honey...I really am sorry I didn't tell you - "
"Since you love me moster, I guess it's okay," I said, cutting him off before he could apologize more. "Let's just forget it, baby. The important thing is that I still love you the most bestest," I said. He laughed out loud at that, shifting on his back so we could look at each other.
"My buttcheek is falling off the couch," he complained, chuckling. We kissed for a while.
"This was cozier last night, wasn't it?"
"Now it's just annoying," he said, and I was glad to see him laugh.
"How about a shower?" I suggested.
"What time is it?"
"About six-thirty."
"When does the animal clinic open? Farley's gotta be awake by now, and you know he'll freak out if we're not around."
"Let's go take a shower and then we'll check to see if they're open. If not, we'll stop for breakfast first."
"Sounds like a plan."
I started the shower, and wondered why Don lagged behind, digging around in the dresser. Before I could go looking for him, he came into the bathroom naked as the day he was born, with a spring in his step I hadn't seen since he landed in the ditch with what had become his controversial car. We got in the shower and lathered up, enjoying the slickness under the warm spray, rubbing against each other, kissing and caressing until we came. We shampooed each other's hair and finally rinsed off. As we were shaving and drying our hair and doing the usual dance we do in the bathroom when we're getting ready for the day at the same time, I couldn't imagine a reason to let anything get under my skin enough to rob me of this.
Don went into the bedroom before I did and slipped into his shorts and an undershirt. I followed close behind him, and as soon as I'd put on my shorts, he presented me with a little square white box with a red ribbon on it.
"From yesterday. I didn't get to give it to you," he said, smiling.
"We were kind of distracted."
"How does your head feel?" he asked, touching the side of my face that was bruised.
"I have a mild headache, but nothing I can't handle. I'm okay, honey." I caught his hand and kissed it. "Can I open it now?"
"Yes, open it," he urged, smiling, watching me. I pulled the little ribbon off and opened the box. Inside was a tie tack. It was an abstract-shaped small gold heart.
"I need my glasses," I said, since I could see there was something in the middle of it. It was either inscribed or badly scratched. Without my glasses, I had no clue which it was. Don grabbed my glasses off the dresser and handed them to me. I put them on, and I could see there was a tiny "T+D" engraved in the middle. "I love it, honey. It's beautiful. I'll wear it tomorrow...and a lot of days after that," I added, kissing him.
"And you still get another present sometime today."
"I have one," I said, hugging him. "And if our dog is feeling better, that'll be another one."
"Amen. Let's go grab some breakfast and go see our pooch."
********
We showed up at the animal clinic with a gym bag of supplies. We'd put a couple of our t-shirts in there and a couple of Farley's favorite toys. As soon as the receptionist at the counter started to lead us back to where we could visit Farley, we could hear him. He howled and let out a bark that I'm sure people in the parking lot heard.
"He knows we're here," I said, laughing. It was just how Farley sounded when he was agitated with us for leaving him alone too long.
The big dogs like Farley were in large stalls with chainlink gates on them. When we got to Farley's stall, he was sitting, not standing, so I knew he was still under the weather, but he was barking and he sounded strong.
"Somebody's anxious to see his daddies," the young woman said, laughing, unlocking his stall. "Just be careful of his incision, don't get him too excited," she said.
"Hey, buddy," I said, sitting on the floor with him, collecting my share of dog kisses. Timmy crouched by us and stroked Farley's head, then started unpacking our supplies. I hated how Spartan his enclosure looked, and it was good to see his toys there and a couple of our t-shirts. "We should bring his bed from home," I said.
"We'll check with the staff and see what we can bring in for him. Hopefully he can come home soon."
Farley let out a few more barks and then flopped on his good side so his head was in my lap. He licked Timmy's hand and generally looked like he was suddenly at peace with the world with us there.
"Sarah said you were back here." Our vet approached us. We were kind of surprised to see him there on a Sunday morning, but he obviously wanted to check up on his patient. Farley was one of his favorite patients, largely because despite his age, he was strong and healthy, and his arthritis was largely under control, thanks to Timmy's diet and exercise regimen he painstakingly developed. Dr. Adams is a bit older than us, but not by a lot. He's a tall man with a large build and a deep laugh. I've always found it kind of comical when I've seen him interacting with tiny dogs. He owns two Great Danes himself, and they seem more suited to him.
"How is he?" Timmy asked.
"He's doing very well. His vitals are strong and he's alert and playful, even though he's not up and about yet. With a dog his size, you don't want to rush him putting a lot of stress on the incision too soon. We'll keep him here a couple days where we can really limit his activity, and then he'll probably be able to go home, but you should crate him for a while, to be sure he doesn't overdo it."
"We've never crated him before," I said, not able to picture putting my buddy in a cage. It seemed inhumane.
"You can get really big crates," Dr. Adams said, chuckling. "You can put a nice mattress in it and his toys, and it'll just keep him from running around too much when you can't watch him. When he's released, I'll give you all the instructions on how much exercise he can have while he's healing. He's doing great," he said, patting my shoulder. "Cheer up." I guess I did look like I was at a wake rather than visiting my recovering dog.
"Is he still in any danger?" Timmy asked. He was less obvious about his distress, but I knew he was as worried as I was.
"He's an older guy, so it's like surgery on an old person - riskier than it is on a younger, stronger person. But he's overall in good health, and you guys keep him in good shape. No reason to think he won't be fine as long we take good care of him while he heals up. I'm not worried about that," he added.
"This is the second time he's saved my life since we adopted him," Timmy said, stroking his back, looking at him like a loving parent. He's as big a sucker for that dog as I am. He just likes to be more dignified about it. "This time, he saved Don's life, too."
"Guess he's returning the favor," Dr. Adams said.
We spent a while hanging out with Farley, and I hated to leave him, but we had to give up and head home. He seemed a bit lethargic anyway, so I figured he'd sleep with a couple of his toys and our t-shirts in there to remind him of home.
As we headed out to the car, Timmy slipped his hand into mine.
"He's gonna be okay, honey. We'll get him back home soon."
"I know. Close call...for all of us," I added, squeezing his hand. I loved Farley and worried about him, but if I'd lost Timmy, I'd have died with him. I'd had to spend too much time thinking about life without Timmy in the last few days, and I just wanted to think about life with him. "How about spending the rest of Sunday at home? I've got today's present yet to give you."
"That sounds promising," he said, putting his arm around me and pulling me against him.
********
I closed the blinds in the bedroom and lit candles. We'd agreed on a lazy afternoon in bed, starting off with some movies and going wherever things led. Timmy went downstairs to get a few snacks, and I was using the time to spring my surprise. With the room bathed in candle light, I put on some romantic music and then got out my massage oil. It was supposed to have a warming sensation. I couldn't wait to try it on Timmy.
"Wow," he said as he entered the room with a tray of goodies. He set the tray on the dresser, and I held up the bottle of massage oil.
"It's supposed to have a warming sensation. That, and my magic hands, are at your service." I wondered why he laughed quite as hard as he did. Then he went to his night stand and pulled an identical bottle out and held it up.
"Great minds," he said.
"This one is vanilla spice," I said.
"Oh, perfect. This one is chocolate covered cherries."
"Whaddya say we get naked and make dessert?"
"Let me get the cheap sheets," he said, and I just laughed. I love my life with him so fucking much it leaves me speechless.
********
Fandom: Donald Strachey Mysteries (movieverse)
Pairing: Donald and Timothy
Rating: R
Word Count: About 2335
References/Spoilers: Can't think of any.
Disclosure: I wish they were mine. Alas, they are not, so I'm just taking them out for a spin with thanks to the men who created them and the actors who brought them to life.
Summary: The guys take it easy on the Sunday after their ordeal at the house, including a visit to a recuperating Farley.
Author's Note: I'll be posting one a day until Donald and Timothy make it to Valentine's Day.
*************************************************
THE FOURTEEN DAYS OF VALENTINE'S DAY 2013: DAY TEN
by
Candy Apple
I woke up sometime just before dawn. It was that odd, gray time of day when it wasn't quite light yet, but wasn't dark, either. The fire we'd built had dwindled to just embers, but we were nice and warm under the afghan, our bodies pressed together, Donald sleeping soundly in my arms. I thought about the car, about its origins. I thought about how long Donald hadn't told me about it, and how long it took him to tell me about Kyle at all.
There were very few things in life that truly scared Donald, that could drive him to tears. Over the years, I'd only seen a couple things do that: the whole tragedy with Kyle, and the fear of losing me and our life together. Well, and maybe a few bad memories about how empty his life had been before we met. And the very minuscule number of relationship blunders he'd made over the years were mostly fear-based. He'd never cheated on me, never said a cruel word to me, never laid a hand on me that wasn't gentle and full of love. He shared everything he had with me, invested all his energy into making a better life for us. He's always there for me when I need him, and I know he'd do anything for me. I can take him for granted in the very best way. Which is why I do my best not to ever do that.
So on a few key occasions when his fear caused him to make a misstep in our relationship, it was easy to forgive him. I'm not sure I could have been harsh or punitive with him when I knew how much pain he was in. He was so afraid when he told me about the car that it broke my heart. If I didn't have his warm body tucked in my arms, what would it mean to me punish him for that? What had it cost us over the years, because he had one little secret that hadn't hurt anyone? I'd always assured him that nothing would change my love for him, and that he could tell me anything. As I lay there with his soft blond hair tickling my nose, feeling him breathe in and out in the peaceful state of deep sleep, I realized just how true that was.
He started stirring and, not for the first time in our relationship, I had the feeling he was so attuned to me that if I was thinking too loud, he'd wake up.
"Good morning, sunshine," I whispered in his ear. He angled his head back to look at me, and gave me the sweetest big sleepy smile. His eyes were slits, he wasn't really awake yet. So I nuzzled his neck and kissed his shoulder, and ran my hand over his chest, not accidentally brushing over his nipple.
"Sure is," he replied, sighing as I ran my hand back and forth, teasing both nipples now. "I love you, you know."
"Oh, I know." I kissed his ear. "I love you more."
"No, I love you more than you love me," he joked.
"Not possible. I love you the most."
"I love you moster," he cou ntered. Leave it to Donald to brutalize the English language to win an argument.
"I love you more better than you love me," I replied, and he laughed.
"Honey...I really am sorry I didn't tell you - "
"Since you love me moster, I guess it's okay," I said, cutting him off before he could apologize more. "Let's just forget it, baby. The important thing is that I still love you the most bestest," I said. He laughed out loud at that, shifting on his back so we could look at each other.
"My buttcheek is falling off the couch," he complained, chuckling. We kissed for a while.
"This was cozier last night, wasn't it?"
"Now it's just annoying," he said, and I was glad to see him laugh.
"How about a shower?" I suggested.
"What time is it?"
"About six-thirty."
"When does the animal clinic open? Farley's gotta be awake by now, and you know he'll freak out if we're not around."
"Let's go take a shower and then we'll check to see if they're open. If not, we'll stop for breakfast first."
"Sounds like a plan."
I started the shower, and wondered why Don lagged behind, digging around in the dresser. Before I could go looking for him, he came into the bathroom naked as the day he was born, with a spring in his step I hadn't seen since he landed in the ditch with what had become his controversial car. We got in the shower and lathered up, enjoying the slickness under the warm spray, rubbing against each other, kissing and caressing until we came. We shampooed each other's hair and finally rinsed off. As we were shaving and drying our hair and doing the usual dance we do in the bathroom when we're getting ready for the day at the same time, I couldn't imagine a reason to let anything get under my skin enough to rob me of this.
Don went into the bedroom before I did and slipped into his shorts and an undershirt. I followed close behind him, and as soon as I'd put on my shorts, he presented me with a little square white box with a red ribbon on it.
"From yesterday. I didn't get to give it to you," he said, smiling.
"We were kind of distracted."
"How does your head feel?" he asked, touching the side of my face that was bruised.
"I have a mild headache, but nothing I can't handle. I'm okay, honey." I caught his hand and kissed it. "Can I open it now?"
"Yes, open it," he urged, smiling, watching me. I pulled the little ribbon off and opened the box. Inside was a tie tack. It was an abstract-shaped small gold heart.
"I need my glasses," I said, since I could see there was something in the middle of it. It was either inscribed or badly scratched. Without my glasses, I had no clue which it was. Don grabbed my glasses off the dresser and handed them to me. I put them on, and I could see there was a tiny "T+D" engraved in the middle. "I love it, honey. It's beautiful. I'll wear it tomorrow...and a lot of days after that," I added, kissing him.
"And you still get another present sometime today."
"I have one," I said, hugging him. "And if our dog is feeling better, that'll be another one."
"Amen. Let's go grab some breakfast and go see our pooch."
********
We showed up at the animal clinic with a gym bag of supplies. We'd put a couple of our t-shirts in there and a couple of Farley's favorite toys. As soon as the receptionist at the counter started to lead us back to where we could visit Farley, we could hear him. He howled and let out a bark that I'm sure people in the parking lot heard.
"He knows we're here," I said, laughing. It was just how Farley sounded when he was agitated with us for leaving him alone too long.
The big dogs like Farley were in large stalls with chainlink gates on them. When we got to Farley's stall, he was sitting, not standing, so I knew he was still under the weather, but he was barking and he sounded strong.
"Somebody's anxious to see his daddies," the young woman said, laughing, unlocking his stall. "Just be careful of his incision, don't get him too excited," she said.
"Hey, buddy," I said, sitting on the floor with him, collecting my share of dog kisses. Timmy crouched by us and stroked Farley's head, then started unpacking our supplies. I hated how Spartan his enclosure looked, and it was good to see his toys there and a couple of our t-shirts. "We should bring his bed from home," I said.
"We'll check with the staff and see what we can bring in for him. Hopefully he can come home soon."
Farley let out a few more barks and then flopped on his good side so his head was in my lap. He licked Timmy's hand and generally looked like he was suddenly at peace with the world with us there.
"Sarah said you were back here." Our vet approached us. We were kind of surprised to see him there on a Sunday morning, but he obviously wanted to check up on his patient. Farley was one of his favorite patients, largely because despite his age, he was strong and healthy, and his arthritis was largely under control, thanks to Timmy's diet and exercise regimen he painstakingly developed. Dr. Adams is a bit older than us, but not by a lot. He's a tall man with a large build and a deep laugh. I've always found it kind of comical when I've seen him interacting with tiny dogs. He owns two Great Danes himself, and they seem more suited to him.
"How is he?" Timmy asked.
"He's doing very well. His vitals are strong and he's alert and playful, even though he's not up and about yet. With a dog his size, you don't want to rush him putting a lot of stress on the incision too soon. We'll keep him here a couple days where we can really limit his activity, and then he'll probably be able to go home, but you should crate him for a while, to be sure he doesn't overdo it."
"We've never crated him before," I said, not able to picture putting my buddy in a cage. It seemed inhumane.
"You can get really big crates," Dr. Adams said, chuckling. "You can put a nice mattress in it and his toys, and it'll just keep him from running around too much when you can't watch him. When he's released, I'll give you all the instructions on how much exercise he can have while he's healing. He's doing great," he said, patting my shoulder. "Cheer up." I guess I did look like I was at a wake rather than visiting my recovering dog.
"Is he still in any danger?" Timmy asked. He was less obvious about his distress, but I knew he was as worried as I was.
"He's an older guy, so it's like surgery on an old person - riskier than it is on a younger, stronger person. But he's overall in good health, and you guys keep him in good shape. No reason to think he won't be fine as long we take good care of him while he heals up. I'm not worried about that," he added.
"This is the second time he's saved my life since we adopted him," Timmy said, stroking his back, looking at him like a loving parent. He's as big a sucker for that dog as I am. He just likes to be more dignified about it. "This time, he saved Don's life, too."
"Guess he's returning the favor," Dr. Adams said.
We spent a while hanging out with Farley, and I hated to leave him, but we had to give up and head home. He seemed a bit lethargic anyway, so I figured he'd sleep with a couple of his toys and our t-shirts in there to remind him of home.
As we headed out to the car, Timmy slipped his hand into mine.
"He's gonna be okay, honey. We'll get him back home soon."
"I know. Close call...for all of us," I added, squeezing his hand. I loved Farley and worried about him, but if I'd lost Timmy, I'd have died with him. I'd had to spend too much time thinking about life without Timmy in the last few days, and I just wanted to think about life with him. "How about spending the rest of Sunday at home? I've got today's present yet to give you."
"That sounds promising," he said, putting his arm around me and pulling me against him.
********
I closed the blinds in the bedroom and lit candles. We'd agreed on a lazy afternoon in bed, starting off with some movies and going wherever things led. Timmy went downstairs to get a few snacks, and I was using the time to spring my surprise. With the room bathed in candle light, I put on some romantic music and then got out my massage oil. It was supposed to have a warming sensation. I couldn't wait to try it on Timmy.
"Wow," he said as he entered the room with a tray of goodies. He set the tray on the dresser, and I held up the bottle of massage oil.
"It's supposed to have a warming sensation. That, and my magic hands, are at your service." I wondered why he laughed quite as hard as he did. Then he went to his night stand and pulled an identical bottle out and held it up.
"Great minds," he said.
"This one is vanilla spice," I said.
"Oh, perfect. This one is chocolate covered cherries."
"Whaddya say we get naked and make dessert?"
"Let me get the cheap sheets," he said, and I just laughed. I love my life with him so fucking much it leaves me speechless.
********
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-02-11 09:32 am (UTC)This was a nice counterpoint to the intensity of the last chapter. I'm glad Farley is well and going to be able to come home soon.
no subject
Date: 2013-02-11 09:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-11 02:49 pm (UTC)So ... this goes to July 4th, right? (I think we decided.)
no subject
Date: 2013-02-11 09:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-11 08:55 pm (UTC)"Let me get the cheap sheets".LOL!That was really funny.
Now I hope that they can take Farley home really soon(Tomorrow???)and I'm looking forward to Don's further surprises.Still four days left and knowing you a lot can happen during these four days!
Thank you for writing these series!
no subject
Date: 2013-02-11 09:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-12 01:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-14 03:30 am (UTC)