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 Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 4:34 pm
Maia smiled at Lori in thanks: that was good to know! She could make regular cookies for him next time.
When taken outside, she watched the tree with interest. She cuddled up against Toby and when the raccoon appeared she smiled brightly.
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 4:37 pm
Toby felt her excitement and leaned over to curl around her. The creature saw them, froze for a moment, and then decided it didn't care and climbed up into the center of the tree, then appeared on a branch first trying to pick the popcorn and berries off and then just deciding to chew on them until they were grabbable. Every so often it looked over at the couple under the blanket but really didn't seem to mind.
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 4:48 pm
"It likes the tree," Maia said quietly, watching the raccoon. After a few moments, a squirrel ran up to the tree and ran up the tree without hesitation. Yay, food!
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 4:54 pm
Toby was willing to bet they wouldn't see many birds until morning, and he was probably too imposing a presence for deer, which he knew for a fact lived back in the woods behind the house. He did see a couple more squirrels arrive, though.
Then, out waddled a scavenger to chew on the food that had fallen. A skunk, chubby, black and white. Toby nudged the back of Maia's neck in the direction of the creature. They were a very silly creature. He rather liked them.
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 5:03 pm
Maia watched the squirrels arrive, and then Toby nudged her. Her eyes settled on a chubby fuzzy black and white creature. "Is that a skunk?" she asked. Cute!
A deer did wander near, but froze when it caught Toby's scent and fled.
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 5:07 pm
Toby grunted an affirmative, then actually nodded his head. He pulled another blanket around them. He was getting cold. He hoped that Maia had seen the deer but really had no way of asking her out in the dark like this.
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 5:10 pm
Maia was getting cold. She snuggled against Toby and shivered. "Let's go inside," she suggested. She'd seen a raccoon! And a skunk! It was time to go inside, before they froze. "You can sleep with me and Muffin."
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 7:55 pm
Oh lord, the poor cat was staying "Muffin?" Hopefully this was just a temporary placeholder. Unfortunately he was pretty sure the bed wasn't sturdy enough to hold all of them, but again, he'd need his board to tell her.
Rather than bother with Maia standing up, Toby just shifted to a crouch and then lifted her and the blankets around them and headed inside. The one he had been sitting on would be iced to the ground by morning, but that was fine. He wasn't particularly attached to it.
The heat rushed against them as they came inside. He found his board in the kitchen with the marker. He put Maia down and wrote a note to her:
I think the bed might break. Will sleep on the floor.
He could hear Dari politely playing video games on the widescreen in the main room.
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 8:20 pm
Hot chocolate had been good, but it was nothing compared to some alone-time with Luca. Lori had spend the time with his hands wrapped around the warm mug, smiling at Luca and getting marshmallow foam in his mustache.
He'd give it to him tonight, he decided. He'd been so weird about the whole car thing. It was time. It just in general was time.
They lingered until Toby and Maia went outside, and then when asked Dari happily said he'd play games on the big-screen and keep an eye on the animals if they stayed downstairs. Lori took Luca's hand and smiled warmly to him.
"Come on. I have something I want to show you."
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 8:30 pm
Hot chocolate had always been their thing; Luca had brought it their second date. He delighted in this, though: the warmth after decorating a tree outside in the cold. It made it taste better somehow.
He followed Lori. "What is it?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 8:33 pm
"Well you'll know when I show it to you, won't you?" Lori asked. He grinned and led Luca upstairs to their expansive bedroom and sat Luca down on the bed. Then it was a matter of shifting through the drawers to find the damned thing. It was a little square box wrapped lovingly in blue snowflake paper.
Rather than sit beside Luca, he sat further up on the bed and crossed his legs, hoping that Luca would follow suit and mirror him.
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 8:42 pm
Luca crossed his legs and blinked at Lori. Hm. He was being mysterious. He leaned forward and kissed Lori's cheek before scooting back.
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 8:55 pm
That smooch also seemed a little odd, like Luca was hoping the box didn't contain a note detailing all of his faults and ending in a breakup. He was still smiling when he shook his head and held it out to Luca, but once Luca touched it too, he didn't let it go.
Rather than English, he began to speak in Gaelic, and he captured Luca's eyes and held them.
"Luca, I love you. You are my pulse. What happened was terrible, but it hasn't changed us. I still love you. You still mean the world to me. I got you this so you can remember that. So you'll be reminded every time you see it that I'm not going to leave you."
Only then did he let the box go.
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 9:05 pm
Luca didn't look away as Lori spoke, and by the nd, his eyes were shining. Before opening the small package he leaned forward and gave him a proper kiss. "I love you."
He pulled back to carefully unwrap the box, and opened it.
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 9:09 pm
Lori of course returned the kiss, and then watched nervously as Luca unwrapped it. Inside the box he'd find a rather understated but distinct claddagh band. He worried the inside of his lower lip when it was finally revealed.
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