Welcome to Gaia! ::

It had been a beautiful brunch, just like in that first couple years they'd been together. It made her long, silently, for that time, before whatever had caused his work to eat him alive had happened. But she still treasured every moment he could spare for her, and for Remy.

She was glad, though, for Remy's sake, that they had gotten together before all this happened, because she couldn't imagine how insanely depressed and lonely he would have been otherwise.

His question drew her mind back to the present, to reality, and she smiled at him. "Mmmm mostly, yeah... We'll see how things go, won't we? But let's get to the pet store."

She got Remy and herself settled, and into the car, and soon they were off to the pet store, letting her comment simmer, as she pondered places they could potentially manage a cheeky round of fun.

He smiled and got to thinking as well. He wasn't nearly as creative as Seren when it came to keeping things interesting in the bedroom, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

The drive wasn't too longer. He opted to take them to the usual spot since the goal was ultimately take Remy home before they went...anywhere else, and before they even parked Remy was already starting to yip happily from the backseat. He definitely knew where they were.

Seren was brought out of her thoughts by their dogson's excited tips, and she began to laugh in delight at his excitement. "Well SOMEONE knows that this is his stop, doesn't he?"

She slipped out of the car, and stretched, her dress tightening against her front as she did, before turning to let their boy out to join them. "Let's go, babe. I can't wait to see what he picks today. Should we also pick up some more of his food, you think?"

Nate chuckled at their boy's excitement as he got out of the car, stretching a bit much the way Seren did before turning to see that she had already gotten the pup out of the car. In his excitement he was doing little doggy taps by Seren's side. He looked up at Seren then, tongue lolling out as he waited for them to lead, a furry ball of happiness and excitement.

He moved and took Seren's other hand, and they headed inside.

"Yeah, might as well since we're here." His thoughts, as they went, mingled in an odd way. Being half distracted with the prospect of their own bit of fun...well. He eyed the collars and leashes curiously as they passed, but didn't comment. Remy obviously didn't need a new one, and they were here for treats, toys, and food for him!

Eventually they turned into the treat aisle, and Remy's butt just would not stop wiggling at that point.

"Sounds good." She took his hand more than happily, and walked with him inside, and she smirked a little, noticing where his eyes were sliding to. When they made it to the treats, she paused and leaned to whisper "Let's get the shibari out of the way before you consider collaring me." in a teasing tone, and then slipped her hand free to go gather several bags of Remy's flavors, a slight smirk on her face, and keeping a subtle eye on him to see how he reacted.

It took him a second to register what she said, and when it did his face went slack, turning a deep dark shade of red as he struggled to reign in his thoughts. Luckily there was no one else in the aisle with them, so he had ample time to gather himself and catch up to her.

His ears were fully red so it was obvious he was still blushing as he looked down, as if watching Remy as he sniffed his way through the selection.

"I'm seriously that easy to read?"

Seren had to control the urge to laugh at his response... It was just so delightful to see him being the flabbergasted blushing one, once in awhile, given how often he liked to do it to her. Her smirk DID grow a bit bigger, however, as she enjoyed watching him respond.

When he finally got himself to the point where he could rejoin her and reply, she was holding the treat bags, and thinking they had forgotten to grab a cart, as a side thought, but mostly she was thinking about him.

His question made her lips quirk to one side, and she lifted her brows, considering him for a long, silently teasing moment... And then replied with "For me, babe. We've been together how long now? I've learned to read your tells, when you're looking at something and considering how... Else... It could be used."

Her tone was carefully just loud enough that only he could hear her... Just in case someone was in the next aisle over, since the shelves were just tall enough that she couldn't see.

He watched her quietly, curiously, noted the smirk and the way she teased him in making him wait for her answer. Her reply, though, got a small smile out of him. They'd been together for years now, and it was probably a good sign that she knew him so well. "Fair enough," was all he could say to that, and then he turned and began to take the treat bags from her.

"I'll get a cart, meet you in the toy aisle?" It was only a couple of aisles over.

As he was taking the bags he leaned in, cheeks still tinged pink, and added, "You had it backwards, though, what I was thinking. You know I also love it when you take the lead, right?"

She grinned at his response, and was about to move to the toys when he took the treats. Her brows rose, until he explained his reasoning and she nodded. "Sounds like a plan, lover-mine. I'll see you in a minute."

And then he continued, and her brows rose for a long moment, and then her lips into a warm, loving smile. "I know, babe... It just didn't occur to me you'd be in the mood for being collared like that. But if you are... We should look into ones made for humans, so that it doesn't tear your skin." She pressed another kiss to his cheek, then headed towards the toy aisle, knowing he would be along shortly.

She had Remy close, wanting Nate to be here when their boy made his selections, wanted to enjoy the fun with him.

He was grinning by the time she kissed his cheek. She had always been good at getting him to smile, actually. And at her words he found himself nodding--because yes, while it was a passing thought he was curious--then turning to go get the cart.

When he eventually joined them again he was pushing a small cart ahead of him, the treats set nearly inside the basket. Remy barked excitedly at his arrival, which had him smiling wide. The amount of reminders this trip had about how long it'd been since the last time he did anything with his pup was astounding, but the more it happened the easier it was to push aside the concern.

He was here now, and that had to count for something.

"You ready, bud?"

She smiled up at him when he approached, and she moved towards him, then considered... And handed him the leash. "You handle this. Make it a moment for you two... He's missed those special moments with you. He loves me, but you are his human, his Dad."

She gave him another cheek kiss, and gently took the cart from him, then leaned back a little to wait... And watch.

A tiny part of her hoped it would remind him of how much he loved being home with them, and make him feel more desire to take a little less overtime.

Nate took the leash, a little surprised at first but after her explanation he smiled. After leaning in to give her a kiss in turn, he looked down at his pup.

"C'mon, buddy. Let's get you a new toy!"

Remy barked happily, bouncing around until they started down the aisle. Nate matched the pup's energy as he scampered about, sniffing and grabbing and dropping toys left and right. Nate made it a game of sorts, helping him decide between the various toys until finally they came to the final two.

Nate got up then, and waved the two toys at Seren. "Got 'em!"

Seren watched the two having a good time, following after and cleaning up with care after them, making sure the toys were all back in the right place and they weren't missed up or messy. Her expression was soft and loving, and she noted a few more Remy had really liked but had chosen the winning pair over... Barely... For her to come back later and grab.

Because if he was going to keep being gone like this, she wanted their boy to have a larger selection. She has noticed a few minor things had been chewed on in his stress, and she didn't want it to upgrade to shoes or furniture or books.

She gave Nate a bright grin at the Chosen Two and nodded. "So I see. Add them to the cart, then, and let's go get the food." She moved right next to them, cleaning up the last few 'rejects', while Nate did that, and gave their boy some loving pets, before glancing around... Then pulling Nate into a deep, loving kiss.

"Yep." He set the toys in the cart and turned, watching Seren and Remy with a smile of his own. There no words for how grateful he was to her for everything she did for him, particularly when it came to Remy. The pup had a very special place in his heart, and to know that the woman he loved cared so much about his dog was huge.

He blinked curiously, though, when she glanced around for some reason...and then kissed him!

It caught him off guard, but he was a quick study. He pulled her in just a little bit closer, his free hand going around her waist to settle on her lower back. He had to break it after a bit, though, considering where they were.

"Mm...babe, not that I'm complaining but that kinda came outta nowhere. Should I be worried?"

"Why would you need to be worried?" She leaned back a little, to stare into his face in confusion. "I don't understand, love. I kissed you because I love you and because I am just happy?"

She honestly was very confused about his response. He'd never acted confused or concerned about her giving him a kiss before.

He blinked at her and considered her confusion for a moment, then laughed lightly before shrugging. "Sorry, sorry. I dunno, could be work's turning me into a worrywart. Lot of bad cases lately."

It was true enough, though he'd asked because he got a sense that she had something on her mind.

She hugged him tight, and kissed his cheek, before shaking her head lovingly at him. "I promise, I will tell you if something is wrong that you don't already know about, love."

She assumed he knew that she was lonely a lot lately, he acted like he knew on the rare times he was able to spend real time with her, so that was not something she figured needed mentioning... Same with Remy's loneliness, in the end. He was not an idiot, he knew they wanted him around more.

"Let's go get the food, yeah?"

Her reassurance soothed him a bit, and he did trust that she would talk to him if there was something she needed him to know, so he nodded and he returned the cheek kiss with a kiss on the lips.

"Let's."

As if on cue, Remy took a seat and barked up at the both of them, as though demanding a snack or a toy or for them to give him some attention as opposed to just each other.

She gave him a happy smile at the kiss and then nodded. She was about to move the cart when their boy demanded attention too. She looked down at the silly dog, and chuckled, shaking her head at him. "This entire stop is about you, sir, you needn't act like we're ignoring you."

She laughed again, leaned down to give him a rub, before getting them moving to the food aisle, and selected a good variety of flavors in the food he ate, and it wasn't too long before they were on the way home to drop off the dog and the purchases, before heading back out.

She took the keys and got them on the road... In the opposite direction of the grocery store. In fact, soon they were on the edge of town, at a park with a lot of secluded areas for people to hang out in. She grabbed the picnic blanket she kept in the back of the car, gave him a wicked grin, and moved down the path, looking back to see if he followed.

There was a part of him that wondered why she suddenly wanted to drive, and when they headed in the opposite direction of the grocery store he gave her a curious glance but didn't comment. When they eventually came to a park he got out of the car, a knowing smile on his face as he watched Seren walk ahead of him. He followed quietly, wondering what exactly she had in mind for them.

They were home in no time at all, and upon entry Remy greeted them with happy, excited barks. Nate knelt to greet him in turn with a few kisses to the head, and then he picked up the pup and headed for the couch.

"So what's on the grocery list, anyway?"

"Dunno, never ordered with them myself. But yeah we can check at home."

The kiss to her hand earned him a warm, loving smile, and she followed him happily to the car, relaxed and just comfortable after that wonderful little interlude.

When they got in, she chuckled, watching her boys together, as she moved to strip down... She wanted to rinse the sweat and scent off, and change into home-comfy clothing. She paused at his question, though, and considered. "Well the usual stuff we get, plus anything we need since we aren't going anywhere after this?"

She pointed at the pad she kept on her desk, that she used as a grocery list. "There's stuff there, if you want to add anything... Gonna clean up, be right back."

Nate was petting Remy as he listened, then glanced over at her desk to get a look at the pad she was talking about, and then looked at her. "Okay, I'll get started on a cart."

He stayed on the sofa, cuddling Remy, for a few more minutes before finally setting him down to get started on the shopping. He settled at her desk and scanned the list, scribbled an item or two down that came to mind, and then pulled up her laptop and got to work.

She smiled back towards him, before sliding into the bathroom. She stripped down, and got a washcloth damp with cool water, then cleaned herself up. Once the towel was on the 'used' rack to dry, she grabbed her clothes and walked out into the room, and to the closet, not at all concerned about being nude... After all, only Nate and Remy could see and only n Nate would care... And he appreciated the view, usually.

She just leaned in, dropped the pile into the laundry basket, then casually walked over to Nate, kissed his cheek, then continued to the dresser. She pulled out a cute but comfy bra and panty, pulled them on, and then grabbed out a super long t-shirt that she could wear like a dress, and once that was on, she went back over to him, leaned on the back of the chair, and glanced at the shopping list so far.

He heard her moving about the space but was focused on the list. He did glance up when she kissed his cheek, though, and was pleasantly surprise by the view as she walked on to the dresser.

He paused, at that point, to watch her for a moment, a loving, very appreciative smile on his face. Eventually he did tear his eyes away from her and got back to the list, which was about halfway done by the time she joined him.

"Getting there," he said as he carefully leaned back, wanting to close the distance between them. It wasn't much, but he still felt it.

She rested her cheek against his when he leaned back, and draped her arms across his shoulders, to add more points of contact between them. "I see that... Hmmm can you add a bag of white sugar, a bigger bag of flour then I originally wrote, two boxes of brown sugar and some raspberry jam to the list? Oh and a big bag or a few boxes of Dutch process cocoa powder."

She didn't mention why, just that she wanted them. Part of her regretted not thinking of this sooner... But it had been awhile since she had taught him something new and delicious to cook, so maybe it would work out even better.

He gently leaned into her touch, a contented sound leaving him as he did. He just naturally gravitated toward her, and as long as she was near there was just a certain kind of peace and calm and would overtake him.

He typed as she spoke, popping the requested items into the cart in real time. He had no idea what she had planned, but he trusted that whatever it was, it would be amazing.

"Cake?" he hazarded a guess.

She gave him a gentle squeeze of a hug, happy to be here. Oh, she'd want to move eventually, leaning like this wasn't the most comfortable, but she hadn't replaced her desk chair as yet, and it wasn't strong enough for her to be cuddled up on his lap while he sat in it... Breaking it would really put a damper on the mood, after all.

His guess had her laughing delighted, because he had figured out her little plan so easily. "Cake." She confirmed. "I was thinking I could make it and teach you how at the same time... It's such a tasty recipe, after all."

His brows went up in pleasant surprise when she confirmed he got it right. "Sounds like fun." He wondered why she wasn't trying to cuddle up on his lap right then, so they could comfortably do the shopping together, but he didn't ask. Instead he reached for the grocery list.

"Let's finish this on the couch? I'm curious about this recipe, too."

"Couch sounds good, we can snuggle without breaking my desk chair." She kissed his cheek, then stood up again, walking over to the couch with a 'Come on, babe.' glance over her shoulder... But she didn't sit down, waiting for him to sit first.

"And what's to be curious about? It's a delicious chocolate cake recipe."

He chuckled when she mentioned snuggling--that was exactly why he suggested it in the first place. So he waited for her to stand up, then stood up as well and followed her to the couch. He took a seat and opened his arms to her.

"I just thought there might be something special or different about it, that's why you picked it to teach me."

As soon as he opened his arms, she slipped into his lap and snuggled in close, draping herself so that they could both see the screen of her laptop and be comfortably snuggled together. "Mmm much better, since the couch can handle both of us. I really should get around to replacing the cheap a** chair..."

She glanced to the side at his comment and chuckled a little. "Well it IS my favorite chocolate cake recipe, and it's really tasty, but you'll learn all about it when we get the stuff and I show you. I want us to have it for dessert tomorrow."

The last night of this weekend, the last night she knew he'd be definitely home for whoever knew how long. She wouldn't comment but at least she could give him something delicious to think about, another thing to make him want to come home more.

He snuggled into her as soon as she made hersel comfortable on his lap, setting up the laptop so they could both see. It was tempting, at this point, to kiss her in some way, but he stopped himself for the sake of their groceries.

"Alright, sounds good," he said, then set the grocery list diwn and started working on the rest of the list. The cake was definitely something to look forward to, but rather than focus on the fact that they would be eating it on the last night of their weekend together he chose to just focus in the here and now.

He rested his head against hers as he worked, comparing the list on the notepad and the cart on the screen. "Is that everything? Did we miss something?"

She smiled at his attention, and just cuddled against him, watching him work through the list, making sure to take note in case he missed anything. However, as she expected, he didn't... When he had a list or a clear set of instructions, he rarely forgot things, she had noticed, and it's why she tended to write things down these days, when it was important like this

"Mmm? No I think you got everything... If I discover anything that got missed, I'll get it during the week."

She pressed a kiss to his cheek, then smiled happily. "In the meantime, let's get this order in so that we can get it delivered at a decent hour."

On her confirmation he gave a nod, a small smile once again on his lips at all the affection she was showering on him. "Sounds good," he said, turning to steal a kiss before finishing up the groceries.

"Alright, we've got a few hours it looks like." Setting the laptop and the list carefully on the coffee table, he wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a little squeeze. "What do you wanna do, babe?"

She made a happy sound into the kiss, stolen only because she did not have time to give it freely (all her kisses of this nature were for him, after all), and snuggled while he finished up. She made note of the delivery window, and set an alarm on her laptop... This way, no matter what they were doing they'd have time to prepare for the driver to arrive.

She then set her phone aside and said "Anything, really. It's a pity this house doesn't have a pool, I'd love to go swimming but I do NOT want to go anywhere. I just want to be here with you. Oh well."

She looked thoughtful, then shrugged. "Other than that, yeah anything you want to do. We could just cuddle, we could watch something, we could take a nap... Whatever make you happy, I'll be happy too... Because it's with you."

He squeezed her gently against him again, when she said she just wanted to be with him, guilt shooting through him again. "We can be cuddling while we do all of that," he chuckled. "And like you, just being with you makes me happy so I don't really care what we do either."

Leaning in, he playfully whispered a suggestive little something. Just for fun though, because he imagined she was tired and more fun could be had later that night if the mood was right.

"The Witcher is pretty good," he said as he pulled back, still smiling. "We need a new show."

"We can, it's true." She said with a beaming smile, having no idea that he was feeling guilty, just feeling happy to be with him. She loved these cuddle moments, loved being close to him. These were the best moments in her days.

And then his suggestion made her blush red, but also smile and shake her head lovingly at him. "Insatiable, I swear. Later, even with the AC on it's too warm right now. Let's wait until things cool off."

And then his suggestion had her nodding slowly. "Sure, I'll give that a try."

Her reaction had him grinning playfully, and he nodded. "I'll be ready whenever you are, love."

He grabbed the remote when she agreed on what show they could start, navigated to it, and hit play before settling in.

She hugged him tight, laughing at her loveable, silly man, then settled in against him, so that she could see the TV while cuddling with him.

They enjoyed the first two episodes, and had discussed starting the third, when her alarm went off and an email notification that the delivery guy was on the way popped up. "OOP time to meet the guy at the door "

Everything felt so right in that moment, Seren in his arms and them just enjoying some time together. Thoughts settled there for a while, as did the guilt associated with them. When she announced that the groceries finally made it, he instinctively wrapped his arms a bit tighter around her.

"Let's wait for the knock," he said in the tone he normally used when asking for five more minutes in the morning. "Let me hold you just a little longer..."

She blinked in surprise at the way he tightened his grip, instead of letting go, confused for a moment... Then smiled, a little sadly, because she knew exactly what he meant and how he felt.

As such, her tone was gentle. "Love, I want to but our phones are off so we can't receive texts... And we can't really hear the front door from our set of rooms. I promise that as soon as we've put everything away, we can come right back up here and snuggle back up. I'm just making a salad for dinner, so even then we'll barely have to step away, ok?"

Her gentle tone was soothing, and by the time she finished he was convinced enough to loosen his grip. "Alright," he said, finally letting her go. "Just wanna make the most of the weekend. It's..." He stopped there, and sighed, not wanting to continue since he was sure she was well aware and he didn't want to risk ruining the mood.

"Yeah, alright. Let's go?"

She noted the way he cut himself off, and reached to to caress his cheek. Once he let go, she stood up, waited for him to join her, and leaned up to give him a BIG kiss to remind him she loved him so much and was never going to stop loving him.

After that, she nodded and took his hand, leading him down to the front porch. It didn't take long for the delivery dude to arrive, and they got all the bags inside, unpacked and accounted for. As soon as that was done, she took his hand and pulled him upstairs, back to their room and the bed... She thought about going back to the couch but decided she wanted to lay down and cuddle.

As such, she kicked off her flip-flops, flopped onto the bed and held her arms out for him, waiting for him to rejoin her.

Nate followed her up to their bedroom, and like her he kicked off his sandals and happily joined her on their bed, snuggling in and sighing contentedly once they were settled.

She cuddled right in and murmured "Here we go... Right back where we belong." She closed her eyes, feeling safe, happy and content. She'd been in his arms for hours today, and it was heaven. For the moment, at least, she was able to push away her worries, her fears and her loneliness.

For the moment, she was able to pretend life was normal, like it had been before... Whatever... Had happened... Caused the changes in their lives.

She was able to pretend nothing was wrong.