Annals of Autumn
Jul. 21st, 2012 10:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
frogs_of_warI've finally got my 100wordwar story into chronological order for the most part (after several different failed attempts) and gave it a title, so I thought I'd share it.
Title: Annals of Autumn
Chapter: 2 — August
Series: Seth and Steven Ito-Parker
Status: Incomplete
Genre: Family, 'married' life, drabbles
Length: about 4,000 words
Summary: Seth and Steven deal with home and family and school after the boys come to live with them, but still manage to find time for each other
Note: Chapter one is Reunion (Robin is also going to fit in here somewhere.)
Prompt: #23 camera
Title: Pictures
“Papa, take my picture.” Zoe posed with a giant sunflower.
Seth clicked a few pictures. But that wasn’t enough for Zoe. “Papa, be in the picture with me.”
Steven passed Quinton his bag and sat down. Zoe looked from Steven to Seth. “Papa, you too.”
Somehow, despite the fact she used the same word for both of them, they’d had no problem figuring out which Papa she wanted at any given moment.
Javier bounced to Seth’s elbow. “Let me.”
Seth passed him the camera and allowed Zoe to pose them: Zoe between Steven and Seth while the men held hands.
Prompt: # 30 picture rhino statue
Title: at the zoo
“Papa, lift me.” Zoe put out her arms. Seth lifted her up so she could see over the bamboo half wall into the rhino enclosure.
“Look, Quinty, a baby.”
The baby was still huge, but not as gigantic as the mother.
“Did you know,” said Javier, “that rhino skin is as tough as armor? Some have skin five centimeters thick. And some have folds in their skin so they look like they are wearing plate armor.”
Seth grinned at him. “No I didn’t. Thank you.”
Javier turned away. “I’m going into the bird house.”
Seth didn’t even bother to sigh.
Prompt: #153 Ø¿Ø
Title: at the zoo
Seth’s ears rang. The Northwest Exhibit had been bad enough outside, but at least the crowd of voiced had had nothing to bounce off of in the open air. Inside the building housing the trout and otters displays, every sound bounced off the cement walls and even the echoes echoed.
Seth’s head hurt. Why was the noise of many voices in a small echo-y place always more headache inducing than the same volume of waterfall or even feet crunching on gravel?
Steven’s arms encircled Seth. “We’ll meet you outside.”
And the fresh air and sunlight did wonders for Seth’s headache.
Prompt: #5 mice, agate, breeze
“Papa, please,” begged Zoe.
“No,” said Steven. Mice were things one found in fields and trapped when they came into the house.
“I want a dog,” said Javier.
Seth grinned. “I’m sure you do.”
Javier turned away. Seth took Zoe from Steven and breezed into one of the mall’s little shops.
Quinton took Steven’s hand as they followed. “If we someday get a pet…”
“If…”
“I would want a cat.”
“Hey, Quin, you could have this cat.” Javier pointed at animals craved from agate in a display case. “And Zoe could have the mouse.”
Steven smiled. Javier was growing up.
Prompt: # 8 peacock, flowers, dragonfly
Steven smiled. Zoe was pretty as a peacock in the dress Seth’s friend made her. She twirled around the grass like a dragonfly, singing a French lullaby, happy despite her dress not being purple. She turned to Steven and grinned. “Papa, I love you.”
Seth sat in the shade of a tree and strung together daisies into a flower crown. Quinton made a matching bracelet. Javier ignored them in a way that said that they had all his attention. If Steven other three kids were here, the day would be perfect. Now it was just as close as never mind.
Prompt: # 12 outside, hot, naked
“Papa,” said Zoe. “I want to go outside.”
But it was too hot for Steven’s delicate little flower. She would wither and then become a total grump before night fell, keeping everyone in the house up.
Javier lay on the sofa in just his underwear. Steven didn’t like Javier that naked outside his own bedroom. Especially with Javier’s crush on Seth. But Seth wasn’t home yet. “Javier, get dressed and I’ll see if Seth will take us somewhere.”
“Where?” asked Quinton.
“The movies,” said Javier. “Air conditioning.”
“The mall,” Steven said. “I think we need to buy you more shorts.”
Prompt: #9 unseen, oil, touch
The sun was bright and it reflected off the ocean even brighter. How could Seth have forgotten his sunglasses? He lay on his back with his arm across his face. The kids would get hungry soon and he’d drive then down the coast for ice cream.
A hand, too small and hesitant to be Steven’s, touched Seth’s side. Seth stifled a sigh. “Does your father know what you’re doing?”
“I just wanted to see if you needed sun tan oil.” Javier was probably looking down the beach. He’d taken to looking away when Seth spoke. Was that a bad sign?
Prompt: #13 object, lotion, kiss
“I don’t want to.” Zoe stamped her foot. Then she sagged. “Please, Papa.”
Seth held the bottle of lotion sunscreen. Zoe hated being lathered with it, but he didn’t think he could stand her pitiful sobbing tonight if she got sunburned. Seth needed to buy more of the spray on kind. Zoe didn’t mind that.
“I’m sorry, Princess,” Seth kissed her head. He poured some in her hand and daubed her nose. Once he was done with her, he let her help lotion him.
Steven’s big hands covered Zoe’s on his back. “My turn.”
Seth leaned into that familiar embrace.
AND
Steven ran his lotioned hands down Seth’s sides. Seth was hot and beautiful and his. He’d never been so in love. Maybe he’d never really been in love before.
Seth turned to him and lifted his head for a kiss. Steven glanced at the kids, all well away from the water or the cliffs and busy poking objects in the sand, then he showed Seth just how much he loved him.
When they came up for air, Seth used Steven strength to stay upright. Tonight Steven was going to send the kids to bed early and love Seth for hours.
Prompt: # 14 mist, ordeal, shoe lace
Seth laid on the bed with a sigh. “We survived.”
“Taking the kids to the beach isn’t that much of an ordeal, is it?”
Seth loved Steven too much to reply. It wasn’t taking the kids on the Grand Tour, but back then they had all been on their best behavior. Now they were home and comfortable and safe. In a word: pills.
Between Quinton’s broken shoe lace and Javier’s rambunctiousness and Zoe’s insistence at sitting near the one rock that kept spraying her with ocean mist…
“I hope,” Steven removed his shirt, “that you aren’t too tired.”
Seth wasn’t.
Prompt: # 17 windmills, laugh, blue
Title: Next Summer
Seth lay back in the grass. The sun shone bright in the clear, blue sky. The kids plus a few neighbor kids laughed and played quietly, for them, in the side yard. Steven spread out a blanket and sat down beside Seth. “Next summer.”
“Um.”
“Let’s spend more time in the Netherlands.”
More than the few hours they spent there this last summer? They hadn’t even seen any windmills. “Let’s visit one country at a time.”
Steven ran his hand down Seth’s arm. “Good idea.”
Seth had another. He pulled Steven down under him and let his idea be known.
Prompt: # 20 bazaar, chaos, fortune
Title: Great Fortune
Steven carried Zoe through Saturday market. It was much like a bazaar with its bright colors, wonderful smells, and the crowd’s controlled chaos.
He spotted Seth and the boys. They were watching a group of men juggle flames.
Or rather Quinton was watching in complete fascination, Seth was busy keeping Quinton at a safe distance from the performers. Javier spent more time looking at Seth than the entertainment.
Steven didn’t mind his son’s puppy love on his boyfriend. Seth was a safe crush and would be aghast if he knew.
It was Steven’s great fortune to be loved by Seth.
Prompt: #22 eye-mask, noise, lust
Title: Tired
Seth closed his eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come. He liked going places and seeing things, but he’d never been one of those people who could put on an eye-mask and fall asleep wherever he was. Even if all that noise wasn’t coming through the hotel walls.
Really, the only time he’d transitioned well to a new place was when he’d moved in with Steven. That was the first move he’d ever chosen on his own, but that wasn’t the only reason.
Steven walked through the room wearing nothing and slid into bed.
He was the cure for Seth’s sleepless night.
Prompt: # 179 taste, hips, lungs
Title: Role-playing
Kitten watched Tiger, but pretended that Tiger wasn’t worth noticing. He flicked out his tongue and tasted the air. Tiger smelled so good. Kitten closed his eyes and filled his lungs with the scent.
A growl ripped the air.
Kitten had been noticed.
But he wanted to be noticed; the plan was working fine.
He stretched his hips up high and lashed his tail.
Tiger stalked him. When Tiger was close enough, Kitten pounced.
But Seth misjudged Steven’s aggressive/passive line and Tiger melted into a sweet little Bunny that practically begged Kitten to taste him.
Well, that was good too.
Prompt: # 27 little whirlwind men
Title: Spin
“Skirts look like fun,” Quinton said as he watched his little sister, the whirlwind.
“You can have one if you like,” said Steven.
Javier raised his brows. “But, Dad, Quin is a boy.”
“Men all over the world wear what we would call skirts or dresses.”
“I know someone who makes men’s kilts.” Seth sat down by Steven. “She does kid’s sizes too.”
Quinton looked wistfully at his sister. “Can I really have one?”
“Sure.” Seth pulled out his phone to make an appointment. “You can pick the color.”
“Hey,” said Javier. “If he gets one, then so do I.”
Prompt: # 33 squatting man statue
Title: high dive
“Papa” asked Zoe, pulling on Seth’s sleeve. “Why is that man doing that?”
The man was on the high dive and looked like he was going to do a cannon ball into the deep end of the pool. Seth though most guys did a running jump for that move. But as the man fell, he elongated into a straight line. He obviously knew what he was doing.
“Could I learn to do that?” asked Javier.
“Dive beautifully or walk around in a Speedo as if you were fully dressed?”
Javier blushed but his eyes never left the nearly naked man.
Prompt: # 36 spring, rose, suspicion
Title: Love Bites
“Why does he have spots?”
Normally Seth didn’t mind the hickeys Steven left on him. In fact he quite liked them. But being at the beach meant taking off his shirt and last night Steven had left his mark.
Marks.
“Excuse me,” said the child’s guardian. “Do you have something contagious?”
Seth shook his head. The woman obviously didn’t believe him.
“They are love bites,” Seth said as if he didn’t mind talking about his love life to strangers.
He rose to his feet. Javier was about to spring from behind a rock. Seth should be nearby just in case.
Prompt: # 55 sell, ring, will
Title: Spain
“Why do you wear a ring?” Javier asked. “You and Dad aren’t married.”
Seth looked at his hand. “I feel like we’re married. We will get married in Spain next summer.”
“Why Spain? You can get married lots of places.”
Seth and Steven had made friends with a gay couple while in Spain. “You don’t want to go back and see your mom and baby sister?”
Javier looked out the window. “I don’t want to see that they’ve sold my stuff and my room is now the nursery.”
Seth patted Javier’s shoulder. “We will always keep a place for you.”
-
Prompt: # 56 married, turkey, hill
Title: Showing off
“Dad, Seth says you’re getting married next summer,” said Javier.
"That's right." Steven and Seth had talked about it. He wanted to take Seth on a long, romantic honeymoon, and maybe stay in a castle or two, so Seth could enjoy the architecture without leaving their bed.
But there were lots of places Steven wanted to show Seth, like that one hill in Turkey with the particularly spectacular view.
Plus he also wanted to show Seth off. He wanted lots of people at his wedding. He wanted the world to know that Seth was his. And that he was Seth’s.
-
Prompt: # 57 mince, slice, spoon
Title: Honeymoon
Seth dug his spoon into his slice of watermelon. This was no time to mince words. “On our honeymoon…”
Steven grinned.
“I want…”
Steven waited for Seth, like he always did. He had huge amounts of patience, which was good because he’d had to wait so long before he met Seth, his perfect man.
“I don’t want to be walking down the street and bump into any of your exes or one-night-stands.”
Steven touched Seth’s cheek. “I understand. But if we do meet someone from my former life, I want to hold your hand and introduce you as my husband.”
Prompt: # 58 hand, edge, moon
Title: An evening in
Steven held out his hand to Seth. The neighbors were having a late evening barbeque with music above even daytime levels. But they’d invited the neighborhood, so Steven had sent his kids over as neighborly revenge.
Steven and Seth had the evening, or at least this part, to themselves.
Seth stepped off the patio’s edge into Steven’s arms. The song that was playing was romantic and the moon was a spotlight.
They started with vertical dancing and they were done with the horizontal kind, or at least sated, when the neighbor turned off the music and sent the kids home.
Prompt: # 67 Hat, shoot, yellow
Title: paint
Seth stopped in front of the paint chips. “You have lots of colors to choose from.”
“Black,” said Javier.
“Bedroom paint doesn’t come in black.” Quinton crossed his arms.
Javier shot out his hand. “Aha, see! Black.”
“That is trim color,” said Seth. “But if I’ll let you have a black bed, will you let Quinton pick the colors for the rest of the room.”
Javier smirked. “Sure.”
Quinton smiled. “Then I want a room the color of that hat.”
Steven asked the hat lady and she was more than happy to help Quinton pick out a yellow that matched.
Prompt: # 72 tide, fading, touch
Title: Staying out
The sand dune they sat on was warm, but the sunlight was fading and the tide coming in. Seth sighed. “We should go in.”
Steven grinned. “You don’t want to?”
Seth wanted to be in bed and have Steven touch every inch of his body, but he also wanted to be here and make this perfect moment last forever.
Steven’s hand slid under Seth’s shirt. Seth purred and let Steven roll him over and kiss him until the world was just the two of them. When the roar of the surf brought them back, they dressed and went to bed.
Prompt: # 74 missionary, fixed, bundle
Title: Prank
Josh is Seth’s 14 year old half brother.
-
“Look,” said Josh, “it’s those missionaries again. We get them all the time.”
Javier looked out the window. “Are they all this good looking?”
Seth glanced out at the two young men in slacks and ties. “But they aren’t allowed to be gay.”
“Really?” asked Josh. “Let me answer the door.”
Seth did. Josh flirted better than a gay boy. From the fixed smiles on the missionaries’ faces, they’d never been in this position before. They quickly excused themselves.
Josh and Javier laughed until they cried. Then Javier looked at Seth. “Don’t tell Dad.”
“Mine either,” said Josh.
Seth promised.
Prompt: # 77 opera, rain, kiss
Title: Pain
Seth entered the TV room. Steven’s tears fell like rain as a young boy sang opera on the screen. Seth sat beside him and held him close.
Bene was tiny and pale with very dark hair. He sang like an angel but looked like an imp. Only he looked sadder here, more lost and lonely than he had after spotting Steven in the audience the only other time Seth had heard him sing.
Steven buried his face in Seth’s shoulder. “I wanted to watch, to feel closer, but this was when…”
Seth kissed Steven’s head and was there for him.
Prompt: # 90 flagrant, flower, left
Title: Interrupted
Seth pulled his shirt on as he counted to ten. Matt and Belinda were supposed to keep the kids until one and it was clearly still fifteen till.
Five minutes earlier and they would have been caught on the couch flagrante delicto.
Zoe ran inside carrying a bouquet. “Papa, we saw animals.”
Steven picked her up and carried her and the flowers into the kitchen where the vases were.
Matt sat Zoe’s bag on the table. “Sorry. I was going to try to keep them until two at least.”
Seth shrugged. It was still better than if they’d never left.
Prompt: # 103 pop, start, kid
Title: At Matt's
The kids were enjoying the BBQ at Matt’s, partly because Steven didn’t let them have pop at home. Javier must have had four cans already and the food wasn’t even done.
Seth shifted Zoe to his other knee. She was telling her cousins a story, but as she had started in English and travelled through French, Spanish, and then something Eastern European, no one but Steven could follow her. He stopped Zoe to correct her pronunciation occasionally.
Quinton leaned his head against Seth’s free arm.
Then Steven shot Seth a grin across the table. Life rarely got better than this.
Prompt: # 106 save, dream, helmet
Title: Flying
Quinton hadn’t learned how to ride a bike while with his mother. And Steven wasn’t even sure where to begin, but Seth had taught both his little sisters, so he was up on the game. He started by taking the pedals off, so Quinton could get used to the balance part of riding while saving him from making any bad habits he’d have to break later.
Quinton flew down the street in his pink helmet on Tessa’s old metallic purple bike with Seth cheering him on. Steven watched them with affection, scarcely believing this beautiful dream could be his life.
Prompt: # 138 queen, fairy, godmother
Title: Princess Gramma
Steven smiled at his Fairy Queen of a mother as she bustled around the kitchen. Zoe, Dani, Hannah, and Tess had piled her white hair on her head, put her in a long white dress, and given her a crown of silk flowers. The girls entered the kitchen.
Steven mother’s piled cookies onto a plate. “Are my fairy godmothers ready for tea?”
“We’re not your godmothers,” said Dani. “You’re our grandmother.”
“But look,” Steven’s mother gestured to herself. “You four turned me into a princess.”
The girls giggled.
“Princess Gramma,” said Zoe. “Come on.”
And they all trooped happily out.
Prompt: # 152 Õ¿Õ
Title: Texts
“What’s that?” Quinton leaned so far over Seth’s arm to look at the phone that he was practically in Seth’s lap.
Josh’d texted, Mom’s taking spring cleaning to extremes. Õ¿Õ
“The face?”
Quinton nodded.
“It’s letters and punctuation from different languages and Josh means ‘what’s up with you?’ He’s bored.”
“But the face doesn’t look bored.”
“Maybe he’s asking if what I’m doing is more interesting than what he’s doing and he’s trying to look interested.”
Quinton looked up at Seth. “Is it?”
Seth pulled Quinton into his lap and gave him a quick squeeze. “You guys are always interesting.”
Prompt: #159: ßÞ
Title: Out in the yard, part 1
Steven wanted to be outside with Seth, sitting on the blanket in the sun and watching the kids run through the sprinkler. But he’d stayed inside to move a load of laundry and just as he started the dryer the phone had rung.
So he was talking to his sister Stacy. They’d never be as close as they once were, but he wasn’t going to rush her off the phone now that she’d forgiven him for his relationship with Seth.
Seth looked his way, pulled down his shades and stuck out his tongue. Steven could hardly wait to taste it.
-
Prompt: #160 belly, care, senseless
Title: Out in the yard, part 2
They were out in the yard watching the kids dance through the rainbow the sprinkler produced. But that didn’t stop Steven’s fingers from brushing up under Seth’s shirt. Seth tried not to squirm and give Steven’s actions away, or Steven would stop.
Those wonderful fingers took care not to caress anything too sensitive, but Steven’s definition of sensitive was obviously different from Seth’s because the way Steven played with Seth’s nipple and stroked just under Seth’s waistband were nearly enough to make Seth senseless with pleasure.
No matter what else happen today, the kids were going to bed early tonight.
Prompt: # 166 north, waste, shakes
Title: Forest hike
Seth was tired. Their hike today hadn’t even been that long, but all he wanted to do was sit down. He’s thought he was in shape, but the boys raced up the hill as if they climbed cliff faces every day and Zoe bounced each step enough make her ruffled skirts shake.
“Dad, which way?” Javier asked from the switchback.
“North.” Steven pointed. “We’ll meet you at the bottom.”
The kids grinned and took off.
Then Steven wrapped his arms around Seth and smiled like he wasn’t about to waste their almost-alone time.
A few kisses later, Seth was revived.
Prompt: # 183 sun, surf, art
Title: At the beach
The tide was coming in and the sun was close to setting, but the kids were having loads of fun attempting to protect their sand art from the surf. It was a losing battle and after a valiant attempt they stomped the castles themselves rather than let the sea take them.
Steven held Seth against his chest even after the kids joined him. After a long exhausting day like this, Seth needed a little affection.
Maybe they all did. Quinton leaned on Steven’s left and Javier on his right with Zoe on Seth’s lap.
And they watched the sun set.
Prompt: # 185 crystal, lachrymatory, sigh
Title: Picnic
Steven suppressed a sigh. They were at a picnic with Seth’s friends. Some of these people Steven liked and he’d feel their loss along with Seth as they left the area for college and career.
But Steven had been cornered by a guy who used words like lachrymatory and sagacious when telling antidotes. Steven was a believer in talking to people in their own language and this wasn’t even close to crystal clear, especially for the exchange student someone had brought along.
Steven, tired of the bore’s voice, started up a conversation with the student in the kid’s native tongue.
Prompt: # 200 fountain, market, buskers
Title: Day out
Steven sat on the stairs above the fountain, balancing both his and Zoe’s food cart lunch on his lap.
Zoe was less interested in food than in playing in the water with her new friends. Quinton, his money still tight in his hand, watched a magician juggle plates while balancing on a board over a barrel. Javier was probably pacing the food court of the Saturday Market, picking his food.
Seth sat beside Steven and the kids finally came to eat. After the food was gone, Steven and Seth sat in the shade and let the abundant buskers entertain them.
Prompt: # 204 connubius, food/eating
Seth pried open the waffle iron. The waffle had stuck to one side, but this one hadn’t split like pita bread like the last few. “Who’s up next?”
Javier asked for the waffle before Seth finished speaking. Zoe brought in her sticky plate and wanted her hands washed. Quinton politely asked for seconds. Steven put his empty plate the sink and kissed Seth. “Have you had any?”
Seth nodded and picked up a cut up piece of waffled dripping with syrup and ate it. Steven intercepted his hand on the way back down and licked each of Seth’s fingers clean.
Title: Annals of Autumn
Chapter: 2 — August
Series: Seth and Steven Ito-Parker
Status: Incomplete
Genre: Family, 'married' life, drabbles
Length: about 4,000 words
Summary: Seth and Steven deal with home and family and school after the boys come to live with them, but still manage to find time for each other
Note: Chapter one is Reunion (Robin is also going to fit in here somewhere.)
Prompt: #23 camera
Title: Pictures
“Papa, take my picture.” Zoe posed with a giant sunflower.
Seth clicked a few pictures. But that wasn’t enough for Zoe. “Papa, be in the picture with me.”
Steven passed Quinton his bag and sat down. Zoe looked from Steven to Seth. “Papa, you too.”
Somehow, despite the fact she used the same word for both of them, they’d had no problem figuring out which Papa she wanted at any given moment.
Javier bounced to Seth’s elbow. “Let me.”
Seth passed him the camera and allowed Zoe to pose them: Zoe between Steven and Seth while the men held hands.
Prompt: # 30 picture rhino statue
Title: at the zoo
“Papa, lift me.” Zoe put out her arms. Seth lifted her up so she could see over the bamboo half wall into the rhino enclosure.
“Look, Quinty, a baby.”
The baby was still huge, but not as gigantic as the mother.
“Did you know,” said Javier, “that rhino skin is as tough as armor? Some have skin five centimeters thick. And some have folds in their skin so they look like they are wearing plate armor.”
Seth grinned at him. “No I didn’t. Thank you.”
Javier turned away. “I’m going into the bird house.”
Seth didn’t even bother to sigh.
Prompt: #153 Ø¿Ø
Title: at the zoo
Seth’s ears rang. The Northwest Exhibit had been bad enough outside, but at least the crowd of voiced had had nothing to bounce off of in the open air. Inside the building housing the trout and otters displays, every sound bounced off the cement walls and even the echoes echoed.
Seth’s head hurt. Why was the noise of many voices in a small echo-y place always more headache inducing than the same volume of waterfall or even feet crunching on gravel?
Steven’s arms encircled Seth. “We’ll meet you outside.”
And the fresh air and sunlight did wonders for Seth’s headache.
Prompt: #5 mice, agate, breeze
“Papa, please,” begged Zoe.
“No,” said Steven. Mice were things one found in fields and trapped when they came into the house.
“I want a dog,” said Javier.
Seth grinned. “I’m sure you do.”
Javier turned away. Seth took Zoe from Steven and breezed into one of the mall’s little shops.
Quinton took Steven’s hand as they followed. “If we someday get a pet…”
“If…”
“I would want a cat.”
“Hey, Quin, you could have this cat.” Javier pointed at animals craved from agate in a display case. “And Zoe could have the mouse.”
Steven smiled. Javier was growing up.
Prompt: # 8 peacock, flowers, dragonfly
Steven smiled. Zoe was pretty as a peacock in the dress Seth’s friend made her. She twirled around the grass like a dragonfly, singing a French lullaby, happy despite her dress not being purple. She turned to Steven and grinned. “Papa, I love you.”
Seth sat in the shade of a tree and strung together daisies into a flower crown. Quinton made a matching bracelet. Javier ignored them in a way that said that they had all his attention. If Steven other three kids were here, the day would be perfect. Now it was just as close as never mind.
Prompt: # 12 outside, hot, naked
“Papa,” said Zoe. “I want to go outside.”
But it was too hot for Steven’s delicate little flower. She would wither and then become a total grump before night fell, keeping everyone in the house up.
Javier lay on the sofa in just his underwear. Steven didn’t like Javier that naked outside his own bedroom. Especially with Javier’s crush on Seth. But Seth wasn’t home yet. “Javier, get dressed and I’ll see if Seth will take us somewhere.”
“Where?” asked Quinton.
“The movies,” said Javier. “Air conditioning.”
“The mall,” Steven said. “I think we need to buy you more shorts.”
Prompt: #9 unseen, oil, touch
The sun was bright and it reflected off the ocean even brighter. How could Seth have forgotten his sunglasses? He lay on his back with his arm across his face. The kids would get hungry soon and he’d drive then down the coast for ice cream.
A hand, too small and hesitant to be Steven’s, touched Seth’s side. Seth stifled a sigh. “Does your father know what you’re doing?”
“I just wanted to see if you needed sun tan oil.” Javier was probably looking down the beach. He’d taken to looking away when Seth spoke. Was that a bad sign?
Prompt: #13 object, lotion, kiss
“I don’t want to.” Zoe stamped her foot. Then she sagged. “Please, Papa.”
Seth held the bottle of lotion sunscreen. Zoe hated being lathered with it, but he didn’t think he could stand her pitiful sobbing tonight if she got sunburned. Seth needed to buy more of the spray on kind. Zoe didn’t mind that.
“I’m sorry, Princess,” Seth kissed her head. He poured some in her hand and daubed her nose. Once he was done with her, he let her help lotion him.
Steven’s big hands covered Zoe’s on his back. “My turn.”
Seth leaned into that familiar embrace.
AND
Steven ran his lotioned hands down Seth’s sides. Seth was hot and beautiful and his. He’d never been so in love. Maybe he’d never really been in love before.
Seth turned to him and lifted his head for a kiss. Steven glanced at the kids, all well away from the water or the cliffs and busy poking objects in the sand, then he showed Seth just how much he loved him.
When they came up for air, Seth used Steven strength to stay upright. Tonight Steven was going to send the kids to bed early and love Seth for hours.
Prompt: # 14 mist, ordeal, shoe lace
Seth laid on the bed with a sigh. “We survived.”
“Taking the kids to the beach isn’t that much of an ordeal, is it?”
Seth loved Steven too much to reply. It wasn’t taking the kids on the Grand Tour, but back then they had all been on their best behavior. Now they were home and comfortable and safe. In a word: pills.
Between Quinton’s broken shoe lace and Javier’s rambunctiousness and Zoe’s insistence at sitting near the one rock that kept spraying her with ocean mist…
“I hope,” Steven removed his shirt, “that you aren’t too tired.”
Seth wasn’t.
Prompt: # 17 windmills, laugh, blue
Title: Next Summer
Seth lay back in the grass. The sun shone bright in the clear, blue sky. The kids plus a few neighbor kids laughed and played quietly, for them, in the side yard. Steven spread out a blanket and sat down beside Seth. “Next summer.”
“Um.”
“Let’s spend more time in the Netherlands.”
More than the few hours they spent there this last summer? They hadn’t even seen any windmills. “Let’s visit one country at a time.”
Steven ran his hand down Seth’s arm. “Good idea.”
Seth had another. He pulled Steven down under him and let his idea be known.
Prompt: # 20 bazaar, chaos, fortune
Title: Great Fortune
Steven carried Zoe through Saturday market. It was much like a bazaar with its bright colors, wonderful smells, and the crowd’s controlled chaos.
He spotted Seth and the boys. They were watching a group of men juggle flames.
Or rather Quinton was watching in complete fascination, Seth was busy keeping Quinton at a safe distance from the performers. Javier spent more time looking at Seth than the entertainment.
Steven didn’t mind his son’s puppy love on his boyfriend. Seth was a safe crush and would be aghast if he knew.
It was Steven’s great fortune to be loved by Seth.
Prompt: #22 eye-mask, noise, lust
Title: Tired
Seth closed his eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come. He liked going places and seeing things, but he’d never been one of those people who could put on an eye-mask and fall asleep wherever he was. Even if all that noise wasn’t coming through the hotel walls.
Really, the only time he’d transitioned well to a new place was when he’d moved in with Steven. That was the first move he’d ever chosen on his own, but that wasn’t the only reason.
Steven walked through the room wearing nothing and slid into bed.
He was the cure for Seth’s sleepless night.
Prompt: # 179 taste, hips, lungs
Title: Role-playing
Kitten watched Tiger, but pretended that Tiger wasn’t worth noticing. He flicked out his tongue and tasted the air. Tiger smelled so good. Kitten closed his eyes and filled his lungs with the scent.
A growl ripped the air.
Kitten had been noticed.
But he wanted to be noticed; the plan was working fine.
He stretched his hips up high and lashed his tail.
Tiger stalked him. When Tiger was close enough, Kitten pounced.
But Seth misjudged Steven’s aggressive/passive line and Tiger melted into a sweet little Bunny that practically begged Kitten to taste him.
Well, that was good too.
Prompt: # 27 little whirlwind men
Title: Spin
“Skirts look like fun,” Quinton said as he watched his little sister, the whirlwind.
“You can have one if you like,” said Steven.
Javier raised his brows. “But, Dad, Quin is a boy.”
“Men all over the world wear what we would call skirts or dresses.”
“I know someone who makes men’s kilts.” Seth sat down by Steven. “She does kid’s sizes too.”
Quinton looked wistfully at his sister. “Can I really have one?”
“Sure.” Seth pulled out his phone to make an appointment. “You can pick the color.”
“Hey,” said Javier. “If he gets one, then so do I.”
Prompt: # 33 squatting man statue
Title: high dive
“Papa” asked Zoe, pulling on Seth’s sleeve. “Why is that man doing that?”
The man was on the high dive and looked like he was going to do a cannon ball into the deep end of the pool. Seth though most guys did a running jump for that move. But as the man fell, he elongated into a straight line. He obviously knew what he was doing.
“Could I learn to do that?” asked Javier.
“Dive beautifully or walk around in a Speedo as if you were fully dressed?”
Javier blushed but his eyes never left the nearly naked man.
Prompt: # 36 spring, rose, suspicion
Title: Love Bites
“Why does he have spots?”
Normally Seth didn’t mind the hickeys Steven left on him. In fact he quite liked them. But being at the beach meant taking off his shirt and last night Steven had left his mark.
Marks.
“Excuse me,” said the child’s guardian. “Do you have something contagious?”
Seth shook his head. The woman obviously didn’t believe him.
“They are love bites,” Seth said as if he didn’t mind talking about his love life to strangers.
He rose to his feet. Javier was about to spring from behind a rock. Seth should be nearby just in case.
Prompt: # 55 sell, ring, will
Title: Spain
“Why do you wear a ring?” Javier asked. “You and Dad aren’t married.”
Seth looked at his hand. “I feel like we’re married. We will get married in Spain next summer.”
“Why Spain? You can get married lots of places.”
Seth and Steven had made friends with a gay couple while in Spain. “You don’t want to go back and see your mom and baby sister?”
Javier looked out the window. “I don’t want to see that they’ve sold my stuff and my room is now the nursery.”
Seth patted Javier’s shoulder. “We will always keep a place for you.”
-
Prompt: # 56 married, turkey, hill
Title: Showing off
“Dad, Seth says you’re getting married next summer,” said Javier.
"That's right." Steven and Seth had talked about it. He wanted to take Seth on a long, romantic honeymoon, and maybe stay in a castle or two, so Seth could enjoy the architecture without leaving their bed.
But there were lots of places Steven wanted to show Seth, like that one hill in Turkey with the particularly spectacular view.
Plus he also wanted to show Seth off. He wanted lots of people at his wedding. He wanted the world to know that Seth was his. And that he was Seth’s.
-
Prompt: # 57 mince, slice, spoon
Title: Honeymoon
Seth dug his spoon into his slice of watermelon. This was no time to mince words. “On our honeymoon…”
Steven grinned.
“I want…”
Steven waited for Seth, like he always did. He had huge amounts of patience, which was good because he’d had to wait so long before he met Seth, his perfect man.
“I don’t want to be walking down the street and bump into any of your exes or one-night-stands.”
Steven touched Seth’s cheek. “I understand. But if we do meet someone from my former life, I want to hold your hand and introduce you as my husband.”
Prompt: # 58 hand, edge, moon
Title: An evening in
Steven held out his hand to Seth. The neighbors were having a late evening barbeque with music above even daytime levels. But they’d invited the neighborhood, so Steven had sent his kids over as neighborly revenge.
Steven and Seth had the evening, or at least this part, to themselves.
Seth stepped off the patio’s edge into Steven’s arms. The song that was playing was romantic and the moon was a spotlight.
They started with vertical dancing and they were done with the horizontal kind, or at least sated, when the neighbor turned off the music and sent the kids home.
Prompt: # 67 Hat, shoot, yellow
Title: paint
Seth stopped in front of the paint chips. “You have lots of colors to choose from.”
“Black,” said Javier.
“Bedroom paint doesn’t come in black.” Quinton crossed his arms.
Javier shot out his hand. “Aha, see! Black.”
“That is trim color,” said Seth. “But if I’ll let you have a black bed, will you let Quinton pick the colors for the rest of the room.”
Javier smirked. “Sure.”
Quinton smiled. “Then I want a room the color of that hat.”
Steven asked the hat lady and she was more than happy to help Quinton pick out a yellow that matched.
Prompt: # 72 tide, fading, touch
Title: Staying out
The sand dune they sat on was warm, but the sunlight was fading and the tide coming in. Seth sighed. “We should go in.”
Steven grinned. “You don’t want to?”
Seth wanted to be in bed and have Steven touch every inch of his body, but he also wanted to be here and make this perfect moment last forever.
Steven’s hand slid under Seth’s shirt. Seth purred and let Steven roll him over and kiss him until the world was just the two of them. When the roar of the surf brought them back, they dressed and went to bed.
Prompt: # 74 missionary, fixed, bundle
Title: Prank
Josh is Seth’s 14 year old half brother.
-
“Look,” said Josh, “it’s those missionaries again. We get them all the time.”
Javier looked out the window. “Are they all this good looking?”
Seth glanced out at the two young men in slacks and ties. “But they aren’t allowed to be gay.”
“Really?” asked Josh. “Let me answer the door.”
Seth did. Josh flirted better than a gay boy. From the fixed smiles on the missionaries’ faces, they’d never been in this position before. They quickly excused themselves.
Josh and Javier laughed until they cried. Then Javier looked at Seth. “Don’t tell Dad.”
“Mine either,” said Josh.
Seth promised.
Prompt: # 77 opera, rain, kiss
Title: Pain
Seth entered the TV room. Steven’s tears fell like rain as a young boy sang opera on the screen. Seth sat beside him and held him close.
Bene was tiny and pale with very dark hair. He sang like an angel but looked like an imp. Only he looked sadder here, more lost and lonely than he had after spotting Steven in the audience the only other time Seth had heard him sing.
Steven buried his face in Seth’s shoulder. “I wanted to watch, to feel closer, but this was when…”
Seth kissed Steven’s head and was there for him.
Prompt: # 90 flagrant, flower, left
Title: Interrupted
Seth pulled his shirt on as he counted to ten. Matt and Belinda were supposed to keep the kids until one and it was clearly still fifteen till.
Five minutes earlier and they would have been caught on the couch flagrante delicto.
Zoe ran inside carrying a bouquet. “Papa, we saw animals.”
Steven picked her up and carried her and the flowers into the kitchen where the vases were.
Matt sat Zoe’s bag on the table. “Sorry. I was going to try to keep them until two at least.”
Seth shrugged. It was still better than if they’d never left.
Prompt: # 103 pop, start, kid
Title: At Matt's
The kids were enjoying the BBQ at Matt’s, partly because Steven didn’t let them have pop at home. Javier must have had four cans already and the food wasn’t even done.
Seth shifted Zoe to his other knee. She was telling her cousins a story, but as she had started in English and travelled through French, Spanish, and then something Eastern European, no one but Steven could follow her. He stopped Zoe to correct her pronunciation occasionally.
Quinton leaned his head against Seth’s free arm.
Then Steven shot Seth a grin across the table. Life rarely got better than this.
Prompt: # 106 save, dream, helmet
Title: Flying
Quinton hadn’t learned how to ride a bike while with his mother. And Steven wasn’t even sure where to begin, but Seth had taught both his little sisters, so he was up on the game. He started by taking the pedals off, so Quinton could get used to the balance part of riding while saving him from making any bad habits he’d have to break later.
Quinton flew down the street in his pink helmet on Tessa’s old metallic purple bike with Seth cheering him on. Steven watched them with affection, scarcely believing this beautiful dream could be his life.
Prompt: # 138 queen, fairy, godmother
Title: Princess Gramma
Steven smiled at his Fairy Queen of a mother as she bustled around the kitchen. Zoe, Dani, Hannah, and Tess had piled her white hair on her head, put her in a long white dress, and given her a crown of silk flowers. The girls entered the kitchen.
Steven mother’s piled cookies onto a plate. “Are my fairy godmothers ready for tea?”
“We’re not your godmothers,” said Dani. “You’re our grandmother.”
“But look,” Steven’s mother gestured to herself. “You four turned me into a princess.”
The girls giggled.
“Princess Gramma,” said Zoe. “Come on.”
And they all trooped happily out.
Prompt: # 152 Õ¿Õ
Title: Texts
“What’s that?” Quinton leaned so far over Seth’s arm to look at the phone that he was practically in Seth’s lap.
Josh’d texted, Mom’s taking spring cleaning to extremes. Õ¿Õ
“The face?”
Quinton nodded.
“It’s letters and punctuation from different languages and Josh means ‘what’s up with you?’ He’s bored.”
“But the face doesn’t look bored.”
“Maybe he’s asking if what I’m doing is more interesting than what he’s doing and he’s trying to look interested.”
Quinton looked up at Seth. “Is it?”
Seth pulled Quinton into his lap and gave him a quick squeeze. “You guys are always interesting.”
Prompt: #159: ßÞ
Title: Out in the yard, part 1
Steven wanted to be outside with Seth, sitting on the blanket in the sun and watching the kids run through the sprinkler. But he’d stayed inside to move a load of laundry and just as he started the dryer the phone had rung.
So he was talking to his sister Stacy. They’d never be as close as they once were, but he wasn’t going to rush her off the phone now that she’d forgiven him for his relationship with Seth.
Seth looked his way, pulled down his shades and stuck out his tongue. Steven could hardly wait to taste it.
-
Prompt: #160 belly, care, senseless
Title: Out in the yard, part 2
They were out in the yard watching the kids dance through the rainbow the sprinkler produced. But that didn’t stop Steven’s fingers from brushing up under Seth’s shirt. Seth tried not to squirm and give Steven’s actions away, or Steven would stop.
Those wonderful fingers took care not to caress anything too sensitive, but Steven’s definition of sensitive was obviously different from Seth’s because the way Steven played with Seth’s nipple and stroked just under Seth’s waistband were nearly enough to make Seth senseless with pleasure.
No matter what else happen today, the kids were going to bed early tonight.
Prompt: # 166 north, waste, shakes
Title: Forest hike
Seth was tired. Their hike today hadn’t even been that long, but all he wanted to do was sit down. He’s thought he was in shape, but the boys raced up the hill as if they climbed cliff faces every day and Zoe bounced each step enough make her ruffled skirts shake.
“Dad, which way?” Javier asked from the switchback.
“North.” Steven pointed. “We’ll meet you at the bottom.”
The kids grinned and took off.
Then Steven wrapped his arms around Seth and smiled like he wasn’t about to waste their almost-alone time.
A few kisses later, Seth was revived.
Prompt: # 183 sun, surf, art
Title: At the beach
The tide was coming in and the sun was close to setting, but the kids were having loads of fun attempting to protect their sand art from the surf. It was a losing battle and after a valiant attempt they stomped the castles themselves rather than let the sea take them.
Steven held Seth against his chest even after the kids joined him. After a long exhausting day like this, Seth needed a little affection.
Maybe they all did. Quinton leaned on Steven’s left and Javier on his right with Zoe on Seth’s lap.
And they watched the sun set.
Prompt: # 185 crystal, lachrymatory, sigh
Title: Picnic
Steven suppressed a sigh. They were at a picnic with Seth’s friends. Some of these people Steven liked and he’d feel their loss along with Seth as they left the area for college and career.
But Steven had been cornered by a guy who used words like lachrymatory and sagacious when telling antidotes. Steven was a believer in talking to people in their own language and this wasn’t even close to crystal clear, especially for the exchange student someone had brought along.
Steven, tired of the bore’s voice, started up a conversation with the student in the kid’s native tongue.
Prompt: # 200 fountain, market, buskers
Title: Day out
Steven sat on the stairs above the fountain, balancing both his and Zoe’s food cart lunch on his lap.
Zoe was less interested in food than in playing in the water with her new friends. Quinton, his money still tight in his hand, watched a magician juggle plates while balancing on a board over a barrel. Javier was probably pacing the food court of the Saturday Market, picking his food.
Seth sat beside Steven and the kids finally came to eat. After the food was gone, Steven and Seth sat in the shade and let the abundant buskers entertain them.
Prompt: # 204 connubius, food/eating
Seth pried open the waffle iron. The waffle had stuck to one side, but this one hadn’t split like pita bread like the last few. “Who’s up next?”
Javier asked for the waffle before Seth finished speaking. Zoe brought in her sticky plate and wanted her hands washed. Quinton politely asked for seconds. Steven put his empty plate the sink and kissed Seth. “Have you had any?”
Seth nodded and picked up a cut up piece of waffled dripping with syrup and ate it. Steven intercepted his hand on the way back down and licked each of Seth’s fingers clean.
