Written by Snarks
& Rosemarie
Jake and Duke’s
Vacation Part 1
The days leading up
to their departure were full and hectic as they prepared to leave for their
vacation. Duke, always trying to be prepared, began to pack for all kinds
of weather and any situation.
Jake smiled at his
lover and put a reassuring hand on his arm. "Dove, we don't need to
pack jackets of any sort. It's going to be very hot there."
"Not even
windbreakers?"
"If you want to
pack a light windbreaker in case it's colder at night, that's fine, but I doubt
we're going to need them." Jake said, nearly slipping and telling Duke
that they'd be walking and lugging stuff around all day.
"We're gonna
need suits for the conference, right?"
Jake doubted that
they'd need suits for anything where they were going but he knew that if he
told Duke they didn't need them that might tip him off that something wasn't
quite kosher.
"Something
lightweight, if we have them, otherwise we can make due with a pair of casual
dress pants and a button down shirt, ok?" Jake didn't have any plans
for them to eat formally and wanted to travel as light as possible.
" 'Kay,
Jake."
"And we don't
need three packages of underwear and socks apiece." Jake smiled. He
didn't want to tell Duke that they would most likely not be wearing socks at
all during their trip. "There will be a laundry room at the hotel we
can use." He pulled Duke toward him and wrapped his arms around him.
"Just relax, everything will be fine."
Duke leaned into the
hug and returned one of his own. "I'm just scared, I guess.
I've never been to a conference this far away before, and I've never been
on a commercial airplane before. What if..."
"We're going to
be fine, Dove." Jake said consolingly. "I'll be there the
entire time, right next to you, and any time you get nervous you can squeeze my
hand.
Duke responded by
squeezing Jake's hand. Jake pulled Duke down for a long kiss that left
them both a little breathless afterward. When they broke the kiss Jake said,
“Now just don’t forget what Luis told us when we went through everything with
him at the airport and things will be fine.”
Duke nodded. “I’ll
try Jake.”
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
The night before
their departure Jake made slow, sensuous love to his partner until Duke finally
fell asleep with a contented sigh.
Jake stayed awake a
while longer, looking down at his lover and admiring the curves of his face and
the waves in his hair that gleamed even in the moonlight, until his eyes grew
heavy and he too, fell asleep.
Despite his
lingering pleasure from earlier, Duke woke several times during the night. He
couldn’t help going over scenarios in his head that ended up in disaster. He
carefully didn’t shift or do anything to wake his lover and alert him to his
worry.
When it was time to
get up to get going Duke, because of his extreme nervousness, lost his infamous
appetite and ate little for breakfast. He couldn’t doze as he usually did on
long drives as they headed once more to Bangor to board their plane bound for
the south and their conference.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Duke, who had been
sleeping on and off during the flight, was awakened by the pilot's cheerful
voice from over the intercom.
"Ladies and
gentlemen, we are now approaching Orlando International Airport. We will be
making our descent soon. Please put away your belongings, set your trays and
seats into the locked, upright position, and buckle your seat-belts.”
Duke looked at Jake
as they began to land. "This was a lot better than I thought. It was
comfortable. It was a bit bumpy, but it didn't last long and I didn't figure
I'd sleep part of the way. The food was good too. Maybe I'll begin to fly more
often." He gave Jake a smile.
"I'm glad you
had a relaxing time hon. Between having to get up at the crack of dawn and not
getting much sleep last night for worrying, you needed the rest." Jake
smiled back, giving Duke a hug and a peck on the cheek.
Duke blushed a
little at the knowledge that he hadn't been as unobtrusive the night before as
he'd thought, and also because he wasn't used to Jake showing him this kind of
affection in a public place. On the resort everyone did it so he didn't think
twice about it and was more comfortable.
The airplane touched
down and the flight attendant announced, “Welcome to the Orlando International
Airport. Local time here is eleven-fifteen a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Please
check around for your personal belongings and be careful opening overhead bins
as things may have shifted during the flight and landing.”
Jake reached toward
the overhead bin and began to slowly open it. The next thing he knew
their carry-on luggage was threatening to fall out and Jake's eyes widened in
surprise.
Duke stood up and
captured their carry-ons before they could fall out and hit Jake in the head.
"I've got them Jake."
"Thanks, hon. I
expected a little shifting but not that." he laughed. "Thanks for
saving me. I owe you... later." he whispered with a grin.
The big man blushed,
but grinned as he handed down their carry-ons. "Shall we get off and find
our way to baggage claim and then on to the hotel?"
"We're going to
take a shuttle to the hotel. I think you'll like it, and the ride over is going
to be fun. Let's get our luggage and find the right one." Jake
replied, still grinning. He loved it when his man blushed.
Duke followed Jake
to the area where they collected their luggage and the shuttles were located to
take them to the hotel.
The scenery was
beautiful, but all Jake could look at the entire ride was Duke's face as it lit
up, taking in everything around them.
"Look at the
beautiful palm trees. I didn't know they had palm trees in Georgia."
"There are some
palm trees in Georgia, especially around the coastal regions." Jake
answered with a sly grin, "But we're not in Georgia, hon. Our destination
was supposed to be a surprise. So, Surprise!"
Duke looked at Jake
and then it clicked. Orlando Florida He gave Jake a puzzled look. "Why
should it be a surprise?"
"Because we're
not going to a conference." Jake replied with a grin, "We're going to
the happiest place on earth. And we're going to have a fantastic time."
Duke looked at Jake
confused. "No conference? The happiest place in the world? I don't get
it."
"You and I, my
love," Jake said in a near whisper, "Are spending a week in Disney
World, starting with beautiful rooms at the Caribbean Hotel. We're going
to do it all."
Duke's grey eyes lit
up. "You mean it? We're going to Disney World? I've never been."
"I've been in
the past, the last time when I was in college with some friends of mine.
The whole place is entirely different now, and we can discover it all
together." Jake replied happily.
Duke grinned and
then his grey eyes clouded over.
"What's wrong,
hon?" Jake asked, concerned.
Duke said, "I
just wish Dean could be here to enjoy it with us. He's never been either."
Always the big brother and thinking about his baby bro.
"The great
thing about Disney World is that it's been here for a long time, and likely to
be here for a long time to come." Jake said, finally understanding.
"This time is strictly for us. We can always come again, and next time,
we'll bring Dean. Alright?" he asked, gently brushing the sandy hair away
from his lover's eyes.
Duke brightened and
nodded. "Alright, then I can make sure he gets to see and do the most fun
things."
Just then they
arrived at their hotel and Jake grinned. "What do you say we get settled
and changed and head out? Or are you still tired?" he asked, looking into
his boy's eyes.
Duke said,
"Let's go out for a while." There were small lines of fatigue around
the man's eyes. He didn't usually get up until about 1 pm when he was working.
“Do you mind if we get a bite to eat first?"
Jake said, trying
not to look worried about his love who still looked tired. "Let's go have
lunch then and rest for an hour or so, we had to get up early for our flight
and you only got a little sleep on the plane. I promise, it'll only be
for an hour or two, and then we can head out."
Duke nodded.
"All right Jake, that sounds like a good plan."
"No
problem." Jake replied, smiling. "There's a restaurant here in the
hotel where we can eat."
With a grateful
smile, Duke and Jake checked into their room. They put aside their
luggage and the two lovers went to the restaurant where they looked through
brochures of Disney World while they waited for their meals.
After their lunch
they both cuddled into the king sized bed and settled down for the nap Duke so
badly needed.
Jake woke at 3:00
and looked down affectionately at his sleeping lover. At rest, the lines of
worry and fatigue had disappeared and to Jake, Duke looked like a young man
again. He leaned over and gently kissed his boy awake.
Duke stirred and
smiled as his grey eyes opened. "Hi Jake...what time is it?"
"It's time to
have some fun." Jake said with a grin. "And you get to pick the first
place we go. We have six days and a whole park to explore. What do you say,
love?"
Duke sat up and
grinned. "When I was looking at the brochures during lunch I thought we
could start at the Animal Kingdom."
"Animal Kingdom
it is then. I think they have buses that run through the different parks. We
can take a bus or walk. Which do you feel up to?"
Duke looked at the
park map again and grinned. "Definitely the bus. And there's a
monorail that goes through the park too. Is it ok if we take a ride on
that at some point? I'd like to see the park from way up."
Jake picked up the
schedule for the transport service and grinned. "We can do both." he
promised. "And it looks like the next bus comes in about thirty
minutes. Plenty of time to put on some sunblock." He opened his luggage
and took out several tubes.
Duke wrinkled his
nose. "I really don't need that Jake, and your skin is darker than mine so
you don't need that stuff either."
"It's hotter
here than it is in Maine, hon. There's a good risk of burning if we're not
careful. It's not a high SPF, just enough to keep us from burning. We're
going to be sweating and getting wet as well, so we'll need to reapply it
frequently."
Duke frowned.
"Maybe we can get some of that waterproof stuff."
Jake gave a little
laugh. "This is that waterproof stuff, and if you read the label on the
back it'll tell you what I told you. It has to be reapplied. If we don't do it,
you'll feel it tonight on your shoulders especially." Jake said as he put
on a tank top and shorts, and applied the sunblock to himself before slipping
his feet into flip flops.
Jake, as a rule,
didn't burn, but he felt it was important to set a good example for his fairer
skinned lover, even though his boy’s skin was lightly tanned from the amount of
time he spent in the sun on the resort, the chances of being burnt were greater
here than at home because of the more direct sunlight.
Duke sighed and
nodded. "All right." He also put on a tank top, shorts and sandals
that Jake had packed for him.
"Would you help
me with the sun block?" Duke asked Jake.
Jake grinned and
leered theatrically at Duke. "My pleasure." he said, rubbing his
hands together and stalking Duke.
Duke pretended to be
afraid. "Oh no....top on the loose!" He teased.
Jake started humming
the music from Jaws and swooped on his lover, grabbing Duke and pulling him
down for a deep kiss. When they finally broke apart, Jake seemed a little
flustered and grabbed the tube of sunblock to begin applying it to Duke's toned
body.
Duke squealed at the
Jaws music and allowed Jake to capture him and kiss him, kissing his lover
back. Then he grinned as Jake helped him with the sun block.
"Oh, my Dove,
we'd better get a move on. The way I feel right now, if we don't leave this
minute we won't make it out of this room until it's time to go home." he
laughed, his face flushed a little.
Duke blushed,
but said, taking Jake's hand, "Let's go...I wanna see everythin' I
can."
"Oops, one more
second Hon," Jake said, picking up his satchel and making sure that he had
his wallet and more sunblock before they left. He looked up at Duke and
clapped his hands.
"Animal
Kingdom, here we come!" he grinned as they ran toward the bus stop.
Duke covered the
ground easily with his long legs and grinned as the bus arrived. He
dragged Jake inside. "This is really nice Jake, thank you."
"My pleasure,
Dove. My pleasure." Jake said gently, smiling at the look of boyish
excitement on his lover's face.
When they finally
stopped at the Animal Kingdom Duke took Jake's hand. "Let's go!" He
practically dragged Jake to get in line.
Jake shook his head
and grinned at his boy. He was glad that he'd kept in shape over the years
otherwise his feet would never touch the ground with Duke dragging him all over
the place. But, he reminded himself, this was all for and about Duke, so he
could put up with a bit of dragging for a little while.
Duke shifted
anxiously while the line crept along. "Why don't they go faster
Jake?" He almost whined.
"It's a busy
place, Hon. We just have to be patient." Jake said in a soothing tone.
"We'll get there in no time, meanwhile, let's think about the other places
we'd like to see... do you have your map with you?"
Duke sighed and
nodded. "Yes, I do."
They passed the time
looking at the map and making their plans, and before they knew it they were at
the front of the line. Jake smiled at the look of surprise on Duke's face.
Duke grinned.
"Let's go, now we can really see where we want to go!" He pulled Jake
toward the tram that would take them on their tour.
As they set out,
Duke glanced excitedly at his map and marked off the exhibits and things he'd
like to see or do. Cretaceous Trail Exhibit was one of the first things he
marked off. Then he marked off the Dinosaur Ride, Expedition Everest Ride, It's
Tough to be a Bug Movie, Pangani Forest Exploration Trail Exhibit, The Tree of
Life, and the Wilderness Explorers Interactive Activity. He looked at Jake.
"I think I've got the things I'd like to see and do marked off here
Jake." He handed him the pad he had written on once they had completed the
tour.
"Excellent.
Pick a direction, love, and let's do it all." Jake smiled, allowing Duke
to tug him in the direction he wanted to go first.
They made the rounds
of the Animal Kingdom, starting at Dinoland, in which Duke couldn't get enough
of the Primeval Whirl roller coaster. His eyes widened as he viewed
'Dino-Sue', a replica of the largest intact T-Rex ever found and laughed when
he was told how she got her name. And even though Jake felt that the
Boneyard was more geared toward kids, he couldn't say no to Duke when he wanted
to go fossil hunting, and they spent some time there.
Duke pulled Jake to
the Expedition Everest in 'Asia' and pretended to be frightened as the polar
bears jumped out unexpectedly and roared at them.
Jake laughed at
Duke's antics and willingly participated. Once again he found himself
more entranced by Duke's reactions than to the things going on around them.
The Kali River
Rapids left them both soaking wet and laughing with delight.
They toured
'Africa', admiring the beauty of the animals. Duke was thrilled to run
into Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Mickey Mouse and Goofy, all dressed in safari
gear, and the two men had their pictures taken with them as a souvenir.
Duke was a little disappointed that the characters didn't speak but he
was too happy to have the opportunity to meet them that he quickly let that
small detail go.
They spent the rest
of the day enjoying the talent of the Tam Tam Drummers and the Harambe Village
Acrobats as well as a man on stilts, and as the sun set, another entertainer
who played an African harp. They were caught up in the light heartedness
and laughter of the evening Harambe Wildlife Parti, and topped everything off
by watching an amazing water and light show that had both of them wide eyed
with wonder.
Happy but exhausted,
they boarded the bus back to their hotel. Jake put an arm around his
lover and led him back to their room where they showered and fell into bed,
Jake's head on Duke's shoulder and one arm wrapped around his large lover's
chest. They were asleep before either of them knew what had happened.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Even though their
hotel was much closer to the Epcot Center, the two decided to spend the next
day touring the Magic Kingdom. As they entered the park Duke's eyes widened as
he saw Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He hadn't seen the movie since
he'd been a very small child but he always remembered it as one of his happier
memories.
Jake saw the look of
longing and sadness on his lover's face so he took Duke by the hand and drew
him toward the princess and her entourage. The two men were immediately
entranced by the woman playing Snow White. She was so perfect for the role and
her voice was like a bell as she welcomed them to the park. She drew Duke down
and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek, blushing prettily and giving him a shy
smile.
The Dwarfs pretended
to be jealous, and Grumpy shook a finger at Duke. Duke merely looked at
Grumpy and the Dwarf ran behind Snow White, peering out at the giant man from
behind the princess's skirt, causing everyone to laugh, including Snow White.
Her voice and laughter were so lovely that both men decided on the spot
that she was their all-time favorite Disney Princess. They both, with her
permission, gave her pecks on each cheek before having their picture taken with
her and the Dwarfs and taking their leave. Jake laughed at the picture
when he realized that Grumpy had his arms crossed and had been looking at Duke
while the picture was being taken.
One of the first
things they had on their list of things to see and do was go to Tomorrowland
and ride Space Mountain. They bypassed several attractions that they knew
were aimed at youngsters and went straight for the roller coaster. Duke
couldn't seem to get enough and they rode it three times before Jake laughingly
called a halt to it.
"We can always
come back another day, Hon. There's a lot to see and do and we only have
a week to do it in."
Crestfallen at the
reminder that they didn't have as much time as he'd have liked, Duke
replied, " 'Kay."
and followed Jake to the next area. His sullen mood lifted as they came
upon the Haunted Mansion. It had been one of the things on his list of
top places to visit.
Duke was excited. He
hadn’t ever been in a place like Disney World and hadn’t been exposed much to
rides or exhibits. He entered the Haunted Mansion with Jake. He listened to the
man who talked to them about the mansion. As he looked around at the paintings
that were all over the wall, he noticed as they stretched vertically and became
distorted. It was an odd feeling. He didn’t feel anything moving and wondered
how they did that. He was a little unnerved by the way the eyes of the people
in the pictures seemed to follow them wherever they walked.
When they were
ushered into a small round room where a voice welcomed the 'foolish mortals'
and directed them to the 'dead center of the room', Jake looked at Duke to make
sure he was alright and grinned when he saw his boy, wide eyed and fascinated
by everything around him, soaking up every detail like a sponge. Duke
became a little nervous when the floor began to drop and the voice pointed out
that there were no windows or doors and therefore no exit. He grabbed Jake's
hand and looked at him for reassurance. Jake grinned back and whispered,
"They wouldn't hurt anyone who visited here, Hon. We'll be fine."
Once they moved on
Duke got into one of the Doom Buggies with Jake. As they moved around the
mansion they heard eerie music and noises. He was entranced by the ballroom,
where ghostly figures in gowns and formal wear were dancing to discordant music
and was thoroughly enjoying the experience. As they neared the end, a green
ghostly figure appeared to be sitting with them in their buggy and spoke. It
made Duke jump a bit at the unexpectedness of it, but it also made him grin. As
they left the mansion Duke said to Jake, “I think that was amazin’! I really
enjoyed that Jake.”
"I'm glad, Hon.
Where to next?"
Duke was drawn to
The Hall of Presidents and pulled Jake into the building excitedly. He watched
as a screen opened and the history of the presidents and America's history
flashed across the screen. He seemed very impressed toward the end when the
screens parted and life sized figures of the presidents were introduced.
He was amazed at how
lifelike each of the presidents were as they nodded politely and turned their
heads as each president was announced. Duke watched as Washington stood and
delivered a speech. He watched Washington's mouth and gestures with
fascination, wondering how their creators had managed to make them look and act
so real.
After that they
walked over to the classic ride It’s a Small World. The ride had been created
for the New York World’s Fair in 1964-1965. Duke said to Jake, “This ride is
older than you, and I was just a baby in '64," he laughed, "I’ve
never been to a World’s Fair.”
Jake said, “When we
go to Epcot Center tomorrow, you’ll get a taste of what a World’s Fair is like.
If another one comes to our country, we can go see it.”
Duke’s grey eyes
grew wide. “We can?”
Jake grinned. “Yes,
we’ll even bring Dean.”
Duke hugged Jake
tight. “Thank you.”
Jake chuckled as he
was squashed by his large brat. “You’re welcome," he gasped. “But if you
don’t let me breathe I might not make it til then.” He teased.
Duke blushed and
grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, sometimes when I get excited I get carried away.”
Jake grinned and
said, “It’s one of the things I love about you, Dove.”
The men got in line
for the ride. Once they climbed into the car, Duke was fascinated by the
costumes of each country they passed and the figures moving and singing in
their native languages.
As they stepped from
the ride Duke grinned. “I really enjoyed that Jake. I never knew somethin’ like
this could be so much fun.”
Jake’s heart swelled
for his boy. “I’m glad you’re enjoying your surprise.”
They toured
Fantasyland for a little while, going on the Barnstormer roller coaster, the
Mad Hatter's Tea Party; the two of them turning the teacup as fast as they
could until they couldn't sit upright anymore between the force of the spin and
their laughter.
They meandered their
way through Adventureland and ended up in Frontierland where they found the Big
Thunder Mountain Railroad which they rode three times before Jake suggested
that they move on. Duke was a little put out until they found the
Shootin' Arcade where his military and police skills made him a stand
out.
Duke's eyebrows rose
in delighted surprise when Jake did nearly as well as he had.
"I didn't know
you could shoot!" he said.
"I used to do a
lot of skeet shooting, and my dad gave me a black powder revolver for my 25th
birthday, so I used to go to the range and practice target shooting
there." Jake replied with a grin. "You're going to have to
teach me to shoot like you though. That was impressive."
Duke blushed with
pleasure and grinned. "You're on. I’m sure Ryan won’t mind if we go
to his shootin’ range. " he said.
They spent a little
time at Splash Mountain, where Jake enjoyed reapplying Duke's sunblock more
than he did the water attraction itself. On the way out Duke was
approached by a female character that looked like a cowboy... cowgirl... he
corrected himself. She paid him a lot of attention, seeming to admire his
height and miming to him to flex his arms, which Duke happily did. The
cowgirl, who Jake told him was named Jessie from the movie Toy Story, fanned
her face and shook Duke's hand with gusto.
Another character
came along, Woody, Jessie's boyfriend Jake explained, as he stepped forward and
crossed his arms, tapping his foot at Jessie who waved a dismissive hand at him
before giving him a hug that seemed to take his breath away. Jessie and
Woody both posed for a photo with the two men and waved them off. Jake
made a mental note to buy some Disney movies, including the Toy Story series,
so that they could have a movie night back home.
Toward the end of
the day, when both of them were tired, but happy, they went back to Liberty
Square to the Liberty Tree Tavern where Jake had made reservations. The
ceilings were so low that Duke felt as though he had to duck all the time, but
he had to admit that he thoroughly enjoyed himself, where the waitresses in
period piece costumes took their orders; as did Jake who kept trying not to
laugh every time Duke stood up and covered his head for fear of hitting it
against the ceiling beams. Afterward they went back outside and enjoyed
the Main Street Electrical Parade before returning to their hotel where they
relaxed in the Jacuzzi and then went back to their room and crawled into bed
where they showed each other how much they were in love.
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