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Thursday, January 19, 2017

TLR CHAPTER 101


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.
  
Image result for disney world animal kingdom dinoland usaTheir first day was full of fun and laughter as they went from attraction to attraction.  Jake's heart was near to overflowing with love for his boy, but he couldn't put aside the feeling of sadness as well. His Dove had missed out on so much as a child.  He'd never realized how good he'd had it as a kid until this moment, and he was determined to bring as much happiness into his boy's life as he could in what time they had together at the park.

Image result for disney world animal kingdom dinoland usaThey 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 enjoyed the Seven Dwarfs Mine ride and were just about to leave when they found Winnie the Pooh and Tigger at a photo spot.  Duke dragged Jake toward them and they had yet another picture taken before going on their way.  Duke kept looking at the picture and grinning until he nearly tripped, at which point Jake took the picture and put it with the other.
 
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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