TLR CHAPTER 103

Written by Snarks & Rosemarie

Jake and Duke’s Vacation Part 3

Duke woke up a knot in the pit of his stomach. He felt grumpy and out of sorts. When they had come home last night he had awakened in the night and realized Jake hadn't allowed him to split the dinner tab. In fact, he hadn't allowed him to pay for anything while they had been here except for a few souvenirs here and there. It wasn't fair that Jake should shoulder the full expense. He worried who had paid for their airline tickets. He had assumed James had out of the resort expense account as it had supposed to have been a conference the resort was sending him to and therefore the resort would have paid his expenses, air fare, hotel room and an allowance for meals as had been usual in the past, but once he had found out it was a surprise he hadn't really thought about how much this whole adventure had been costing Jake. He should be paying his fair share. He glanced over at his lover and sighed.

"That wasn't the sound of a happy, contented man, Hon.  What's on your mind?" Jake asked, opening his eyes and looking at Duke with a concerned expression.

Duke shrugged and said, "Nothin'. I was just thinkin'."

Jake put an arm around his lover and smiled, brown eyes locking with grey.  "Penny for your thoughts then."

Duke pulled back. "No... they ain't worth a penny."

"That's true, they're worth a lot more, especially to me.  If you're not happy I need to know why, and what I can do to change that.  So, c'mon, my Dove, fess up,"  Jake said, pulling Duke back toward him.

Duke snapped, "I'm not a dove, more like a pigeon! Scavangin' for whatever crumbs that are tossed to me."

Jake sat up on the bed and looked worriedly down at his lover. "Duke, what's the matter, Hon? I don't understand why you're upset," he said, taking one of Duke's large hands in his own.

Duke snatched his hand away, flung back the covers, jumped out of the bed and began to pace the room. "It ain't fair!"

Jake's eyes widened slightly at the sight of Duke pacing agitatedly back and forth. He had no clue as to what could be wrong. They'd been having a great time so far and he thought Duke had been enjoying himself.  "Talk to me, Dove.  What's not fair, Hon?" he said, getting out of the bed and sitting on the edge as he watched his lover.

"I'm not pullin' my weight...payin' my fair share! It ain't fair you gotta pay for everythin'!"

Jake shook his head slightly, letting Duke's words sink in.  "I don't want you to worry about the cost, Hon.  If it cost every penny I had to make you happy then I would be content to be broke.  You're worth it. Your happiness is worth everything to me. Do you understand that?  Besides, it's not really costing as much as you might expect," Jake continued, trying to talk sense into his agitated partner. 

He got up and walked over to Duke, putting his arms around him.

Duke stiffened. "Jake, you gotta let me pay my share. I don't want you to spend your last dime on me."

Jake smiled gently and wrapped his arms around Duke's waist.  "I'm not going to go broke, Hon.  I was just saying that if it made you happy I would.  This trip is to show you how much I love you. How much I care for you.  How much you mean to me, and all I want is for you to be happy, not worried about expenses. This trip is all about you and your happiness, and I don't want you worrying about anything. Understand me?" Jake said, looking up into Duke's beautiful grey eyes which had darkened under his furrowed eyebrows.

Duke bit his lip. "But Jake...it ain't right. I can't help but feel guilty about it...no one has ever done anythin' like this for me before and I feel like I'm takin' advantage of you."

"You're not taking advantage of me, Hon, I promise," Jake said urgently.  "You deserve this. All of this and more." Suddenly, Jake remembered a line from It's a Wonderful Life.  "What is it you want, Duke? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Duke.  Nothing is good enough for you, my Dove, can you believe that?"

The big man began to shake and turned away from Jake as he began to cry.

Jake, concerned, turned Duke back toward him and wrapped his arms around him again. "Don't turn away from me, Hon. Talk to me. I love you sweetheart, and if you hurt I hurt.  Tell me. Talk to me."

Duke sniffled. "I'm not worth all this Jake...I've been havin' a good time, but at your expense...it's just not right!"

"You are worth it. Every penny. Every second, Duke. You repay me every time you laugh or smile, and that's all I want from you.  You're not a scavenger, you're not taking advantage of me, and if I have to get that through to you via your backside, that's what I'll do.  Don't put yourself down again, Hon, or that's what I'll do."

Jake understood now why Duke was feeling so guilty, and as much as he didn't like the idea of spanking his lover during their vacation, if Duke needed to release that guilt, then Jake would deliver.

Duke considered Jake's words. "I hear you Jake, I just can't seem to wrap my head around it."

Jake gently turned Duke to the side and gave him several swats on his sit spot. Not enough to hurt but hopefully enough to drive his point across.  "This is all for you Duke. Your happiness is all that matters, understand? I don't want you to worry about expenses or anything else except having the time of your life."

He turned Duke so that the big man could look at him again.  

"Now, next time we come here, we'll bring Dean, and we'll do for him what I'm doing for you now.  Deal?"

Duke had a little shocked and dazed look. He pouted and rubbed his bottom, then responded, "Yes Jake...I love you." He wrapped his arms around the man who was his top and lover.

Jake pulled Duke down for a deep kiss.  When he finally released him, he looked into the grey eyes he loved so much. "That's my Dove.  I love you, Duke, more than I can say."

Duke snuggled into Jake and he said quietly, "Thank you, Jake."

"You're welcome, my love," he said quietly.  He felt he could stay that way all day but they only had a couple of days left at the park, and he wanted Duke to experience as much as possible in the time that was left.  "So, what do you say, love, ready to head out for breakfast and Blizzard Beach today?"

Duke grinned. "Yes Sir, I can use a blizzard about now." He grimaced theatrically rubbing his bottom.

Jake laughed, relieved that Duke was feeling better.  "Well my sweet, let's get dressed and go downstairs for breakfast... I'll bring one of the bed pillows for you to sit on if it will ease the horrible pain I inflicted on you." 

Duke grinned and shook his head. "I don't believe that will be necessary, I'll just suffer in silence," he teased.

"My big tough Marine." Jake smiled at him fondly.  "Let's go, Hon, or I swear we won't get out of this room til it's time for us to leave."

Duke squeezed Jake and headed for the door. "I don't know why you love me so."

Jake grinned and began to sing softly as he got dressed, "I love you for so many reasons, which means I love you for all seasons..."

<<<<>>>>  

They spent most of the day at Blizzard Beach, enjoying the water rides and the fresh air and sunshine, and as usual, Jake enjoyed reapplying Duke's sunscreen periodically throughout the day. 

When they'd done all there was to do there Jake asked, "So, my Dove, would you like to go back to another part of the park for the rest of the day?  Maybe another trip to the Animal Kingdom? Or back to the Haunted Mansion? Pick a direction, hon, and that's where we'll go."

Duke grinned. "Let's do both, even if it means we need to travel a bit. We can take the bus maybe."

They finally decided to take the bus to the Animal Kingdom where they spent more time than they had the first day, going once again on the Kali River Rapids where they got soaked and sputtered as they got water in their mouths while they laughed which made them laugh even more.

Duke beamed with pleasure as he spent the time with Jake enjoying himself and continued to push away that nagging thought at the back of his mind that he shouldn't be allowing Jake to be paying for all this, trying to remember it was a gift and gifts should be enjoyed.

Exhausted from the sun and water, they stopped to eat at the hotel restaurant and fell asleep while watching television.  Jake woke briefly at one point and turned it off, then snuggled down next to Duke who was snoring gently.  Soon he was snoring as well, one arm cradling his head and the other thrown across Duke's chest.

<<<<>>>> 

On their last day at Disney World, they decided to go to Typhoon Lagoon. Once again, Jake reveled in the feel of Duke's smooth, tanned, taut body as he liberally applied sunscreen.  As expected, Jake was quite dark even after using sunscreen, but Duke seemed to glow golden where Jake was bronze and he couldn't take his eyes off his lover.

Duke squirmed a little as Jake applied the sun screen. "I'm kinda sorry it's our last day."

"Me too, but honestly, I kind of miss home, the feel of our own sheets and our own bed. And of course, I miss the guys. It feels funny to have another bartender waiting on me," he laughed.

Duke grinned. “Yes, it does and yeah, I miss everyone too."

"Where do you want to start, Hon?" Jake asked with a grin as he finished putting on Duke's sunscreen, topping it off by giving his lover a quick little love tap on his backside, followed by a longer, deeper kiss.

Duke squirmed at the pat, but rested his head on Jake's shoulder after returning the kiss, even though he was shorter than Duke. "Why don't we ease into things and start at the wave pool? I think it's called Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool."

"Ok, Surf Pool it is then." Jake grinned, taking out the map and looking at the various attractions.  The wave pool was by far the largest water attraction there, and while it lacked the thrills and chills that the others promised, it sounded like it could be a lot of fun as they belly surfed back to shore.  "Let's head out then, love. We want to see everything we can before the fireworks tonight."  He kissed Duke deeply once more and then took his boy by the hand, practically running with him out of the hotel and onto the bus that would bring them to the Lagoon.

Duke returned the kiss in kind and rushed out of the hotel with Jake smiling as they headed for the bus. He thought about how much fun they had been having and how much he loved this man who gave him this gift.

They spent a little over a half hour at the wave pool, enjoying the feel of the water as it swelled around them. Jake did somersaults in the water as it rolled over him only to touch bottom and kick off, springing out of the water like a dolphin.

Duke watched his partner and grinned as he saw Jake's antics. He himself smiled and dove and splashed like a small whale, even blowing water out of his nose.

After about 45 minutes Jake pulled Duke to him and suggested they go to the next attraction.  "Lots to do and see and it feels like next to no time to do it all in," he laughed.  "Where to next, Hon?"

Duke said, "Let's go on the Castaway Creek ride." 

Jake looked at the map and they wound their way to the entrance of the attraction. Luckily there wasn't a long wait and they reached the front of the line in record time.  The twentyish boy who was manning the inner tubes looked up... and up... and up at Duke, realized he was staring and mentally head slapped himself.  "Sir," he said with a smile, "perhaps you'd like two inner tubes? I think you might be more comfortable."

Duke grinned as the boy looked up and stared at him, then said, "I sure think that would be a very good idea."

The boy grinned, happy that the large man hadn't taken offense. He'd had tall guests before but no one compared to this man, who, he decided, had a very nice smile.  He put two tubes in the water, helped Duke get his torso onto one and then holding the other so that the tall security guard could put his legs up on the other.  Jake followed close behind, pulling Duke closer to himself and grinning.  "I think that kid had a thing for you. He didn't help me get into my tube," he mock growled.

Duke laughed and said, "Maybe, but you don't generally need much help."

Jake looked around quickly and seeing that no one was looking at them, gave Duke a quick peck on the lips before settling back into his tube. He knew that Duke would blush and wasn't disappointed. He grinned and laid back on his tube to allow the water to whisk him away with the current.

Duke blushed red at the kiss and then scowled as he drifted away. He smiled to himself knowing that Jake was only showing his affection but he hated to blush.

The ride was relaxing with refreshing cool mists, thundering waterfalls, overhead rope bridges and rainforest landscapes, there was even 'storm-tossed debris' on the riverbanks Jake noticed as he occasionally opened his eyes to see his surroundings and to make sure Duke was alright.

Duke really enjoyed the relaxing ride. He watched the beautiful scenery as he drifted along. He glanced at Jake from time to time seeing him open his eyes to glance at him.

Once, when their eyes met, Jake winked at Duke and blew him a kiss, not caring if anyone saw.  When their tubes got a little closer, Jake couldn't resist reaching out a hand to grasp Duke's.  It was a quick touch and release, but Jake felt much better after the contact.

Duke grinned as Jake grasped his hand and felt a connection that made him feel content.

After their ride ended Jake suggested that they stop for lunch.  They had burgers and fries with chocolate milkshakes while they looked at the map and decided where to go next.

Duke looked at the map as well and said, "The Crush and Gusher sounds like it could be lots of fun...let's go there next."

Jake grinned widely. "Just the name makes me want to ride it twice. Let's go!"

Duke allowed Jake to tug him along as they headed for the line. Duke huffed as he was waiting. He didn't like standing in line for a long time. "At this rate, we won't be able to go on anythin' else," he groused.

Jake was tempted to give Duke a little smack on the backside but knew that Duke would be embarrassed.  He only put an arm around Duke's waist and chatted with him about anything he could think of to pass the time away. When they finally made it to the front of the line he saw that it was a two-seated raft.

 "Do you want to go on one yourself or try to squish us both onto one."  Jake grinned.

"Let's squish in together, it would be more fun.” Duke waggled his eyebrows.

Jake grinned widely, his teeth very white in contrast to his sun darkened skin.  They decided that Duke should be in the back so that his legs wouldn't dangle and down and around they went as powerful jets propelled them up hills, and they shouted with glee as they lost contact with the surface on occasion to fly above the water. 

Duke whooped and hollered as they flew through the air and laughed heartily as they rounded curves and was sad when the wild ride finished. "Let's go again!" he said to Jake.

Jake laughed, pleased that his boy was having so much fun.  They re-queued and did it all over again, this time, with no complaints about the wait from Duke.  "Where to next, Hon?  The park is ours!"

Duke said, "Mayday Falls sounds and looks interestin'. Let's head there next."

Jake read the description of the Falls and had to agree that it looked like it would be a blast.  They made their way around the park and queued up. The wait was mercifully short as Duke kept looking over the heads of the other people in line, constantly taking count of how many people were ahead of them.

"I feel like I have my own little cuckoo clock with me." Jake grinned.

Duke laughed. "Well, I can't help it." 

Jake got on his tiptoes and pulled Duke down a little so that he could whisper in his ear.  "And yet another reason why I love you so."

Duke blushed, but put a heavy arm around Jake's shoulders in a friendly manly gesture.

Knowing that the water park closed at 7pm they made the best of their day, going on each water ride as many times as they could in the time they had.  They especially liked Gangplank Falls. Since it was a four-person raft, they shared it with a couple of teenagers who grinned widely at the two men who welcomed them with hearty hellos as they sat closer together to make room for the kids.

Duke had grinned and enjoyed the company and the time. He smiled at Jake and whooped like the kids as they whirled and twirled their way down the rapids.

As they came off the ride they were breathless. Duke smiled at Jake. "Let's go to the Keelhaul Falls."

Keelhaul Falls was another tube ride. Duke copied Jake and pulled his legs in, crossed, so that he could enjoy the tube spin as they went through caverns and waterfalls to come to a major splashdown at the end.  Jake got out of his tube and said, "Whew! That one made me dizzy!" He laughed as he staggered slightly, grabbing onto Duke to keep his balance.

Duke also had his head spinning and leaned on Jake a bit like two drunken sailors, laughing the entire time.  That earned them a few amused looks from people going by, which made them laugh more. Jake waved good naturedly at some of the more brazen gawkers who smiled uncertainly and waved back before going on their way.

Once Duke's head stopped spinning and he regained his equilibrium he smiled at Jake. "I'd love to go swim with the sharks...wouldn't you? Shall we head over to Shark Reef?"

Jake grinned and nodded. He knew the sharks in the tank weren't dangerous, but he could imagine that if a shark ever attacked Duke, his boy would just bite it back.  "Let's go, my darling man!  To the sharks!"

Duke led the way and grinned widely as they approached. "I hope we don't have to wait real long."

Jake looked at his waterproof watch and checked the time against the listed hours.  "Don't worry, we have plenty of time yet.  Besides, I don't think we're going to find many people there at this time. I swear every person on the resort is right here," he laughed, gesturing around the water park in general.

Duke grinned. "I hope so. Maybe not too many people want to swim with the big bad fishies."

"The biggest, baddest fishie is yet to arrive," Jake quipped.  "C'mon, let me see those choppers!"  He tickled Duke til the other man gave a full, toothy smile.  He had beautiful teeth.

Duke couldn't help but laugh heartily at Jake's tickling and teasing, showing his teeth. As they arrived Duke was in high spirits and didn't mind the wait at all.

They put on their snorkels, both men deciding not to use the optional life vests which were offered, and they spent quite some time swimming around, looking at, and in Duke's case, occasionally gently reaching out to touch the smooth skin of a nearby shark.  He looked at Jake, his pleasure obvious in his eyes even through the goggles.  Jake grabbed his lover into a brief, one-armed hug and they continued on their way.

When it was time for them to surface, and leave Duke pouted. He had wanted to touch a few more sharks before they left, but knew also they were on a time line if he wanted to catch the Humunga Kowabunga.

Jake looked skeptical.  Humunga Kowabunga?" he asked in disbelief. "I'm not sure if I want to go on anything with a name like that.  It's... ridiculous sounding," he explained.

Duke said, "It will be fun Jake, it sounds like a lot of fun from the description. Please?" he wheedled.

Remembering that this was all for Duke, Jake put aside his reluctance and smiled.  "Alright my Dove, lead the way."

Duke hugged Jake tight. "Thank you." He led the way, walking quickly.

The look on his boy's face was more than ample repayment for the indignity of being caught riding on anything with such a silly name, and he followed along as quickly as he could, trying to keep up with Duke's longer stride.  He looked at his watch again.  There were only a couple of hours left til the major attractions at the water park closed and he wanted Duke to have as many of the best experiences and memories as possible before they had to head back home.

When they arrived, Duke grinned broadly. "This looks like it will be really, really fun. Are you ready?"

Jake read the description of the ride and reluctantly admitted that it sounded like it would be fun, despite the silly name.  A near-vertical, 5-story drop in the dark did sound like his cup of tea.  "Ready my love. Let's go."

They took position beside each other since they couldn't go down the same slide together, and on the count of three, they swung their bodies into the rapid current and began their descent.  Jake had to keep himself from smiling since the water frequently splashed up into his face as he plummeted down.  Maybe the name was silly, in his opinion, but the ride was definitely worth it.  They splashed down at the end, shaking water out of their eyes and hair, grinning like crazy men.  Jake looked at the queue and debated going one more time. He looked at Duke, the question not needing to be asked aloud.

Duke nodded and grinned. "I told you it would be great! Next time when we fall we need to cry 'Kowabunga!' as loudly as we can!" he told Jake as he led the way to line up again.

When they were once more dry and properly clothed, they made their way to the Epcot Center to take advantage of some of the attractions they'd skipped over the first time.  First, they went to Mission: Space where they were greeted by the talented and handsome Gary Sinese, who brief them on their 'mission'.  They were led to the X-2 Deep Space Shuttle at the International Space Training Center where they were split into teams of four and ushered into the shuttle, each with his or her own role to play as the simulator then blasted off, arcing them around the moon, destination Mars.  It was one of the most thrilling things Jake could ever remember being on.

Duke thoroughly enjoyed being an astronaut and said to Jake once they exited, "We should take all of us at TLR and go to Mars. It would be great." He couldn't help but grin.

"I'd like that," Jake said thoughtfully.  "We'd definitely know if strangers came around." He laughed, thinking of the story he'd heard about Jaxon's father.  "Imagine, our own airspace, our own planet.  Yeah, I'd like that." He grinned.

"So, what's next on the agenda, Hon?  The Test Track? I've seen you look at the description at least five times now," Jake observed as they slowly walked around taking in the sights, sounds and smells. He was beginning to get hungry.

Duke grinned. "I'd like to try that. Create my own car...I'll call it the Dukemobile." He grinned. "Let's head over to the test drive."

They had fun designing their own cars.  Jake took the best feature from every car he knew and created a futuristic looking vehicle.  When they were done, they were able to take it for a virtual test drive.  Jake had to laugh at his car.  It was speedy.  It also had a tendency to become airborne at times.  He decided to add thrusters and the best part of a hover car the next time he came here... and he hoped they'd be able to come down again soon.

Duke's car fairly flew. He had added the ability for it to drive itself as well as to hover and fly in a sense until it stalled and landed with a thump. He laughed, his grey eyes twinkling and looked over at Jake. "Not very practical, but fun."

"Great design though. I really like your Dukemobile." Jake laughed. Then his stomach growled. Loudly.

"Hey, you hungry?" Jake asked.  "I'm reading here where there's the International Food and Wine Festival.  Sound like something you'd like to do?"

Jake took the brochure and read the key features aloud.  "There's 30 different places to get international foods, places to shop... dancing," he added, looking at Duke with a sparkle in his eyes.

"And... for dessert... we can go to The Chocolate Experience.  I don't know about you but I'd love to see those chocolate sculptures... I wonder if they chip pieces off for people to sample."

Duke nodded. "Sounds great Jake and I'm starvin'. Chocolate sounds great. Maybe we can buy one of the sculptures and eat one." He grinned.

"Hmmm," Jake mused, "I guess it depends on how big the sculpture is... maybe I can hide a smaller one under my shirt and run with it. I'm still pretty quick when I need to be," he joked.

Duke gave Jake a funny look. "Some top...what would you do if I did somethin' like that? I'd like to buy one the size of me and ship it home and share it." He grinned.

"We can even get a smaller one and I can watch it melt on you and lick it off you. What do you think?" he asked innocently.

Jake arched his eyebrows.  "For chocolate... and the chance to have you do what you just proposed... it might be worth it," he said thoughtfully. "But yes, buying it would be the right thing to do." He laughed. "I doubt we could afford a giant chocolate statue of David, plus everyone would be fighting over choice pieces."

They went to the festival and thoroughly enjoyed themselves, though both of them made sure to drink in moderation, they did sample quite a few different wines, and even got up to dance The Peppermint Twist when it was played.

"I'd love it if they played Monster Mash," Jake said with a grin.  "Or One Eyed, One Horned, Flying Purple People Eater. What can I say, I love the oldies?"

At 8:30 they got up from their comfortable seats at The Chocolate Experience and headed toward the park's World Showcase Lagoon, where the IllumiNations display was due to begin.  They'd read the blurb about it, but it was much different reading it than actually experiencing it.  The music, the colors, the pyrotechnics and at the finale, fireworks, were definitely worth the wait.  The ending was met with loud cheers and applause before the guests began to disperse, and head toward their cars or the waiting shuttles.

Duke shook his head, eyes shining with happiness. "That was awesome. I never saw anythin' like it in my life. I do hope we can bring Dean. He'd love this," Duke said a bit wistfully. "Well, I suppose we should go back to our hotel now."

Jake put an arm around his boy and hugged him close.  "We had a lot of fun, didn't we, Hon?  And yes, next time we'll bring Dean.  And tonight, we'll make our own fireworks. If you like, I'll call the kitchen and ask if they have any chocolate syrup." He grinned slyly.

Duke snuggled close to Jake. "That sounds like a real plan." He drew a fish on Jake's chest with his finger. "A little fish," He teased, "with a huge bite."

Jake grinned, "Don't give me any more ideas, little boy," he said. "Oh, the plans I have for you tonight...  come on, Hon.  Let's get the party started."

He took Duke by the hand and the two of them strolled toward the shuttle.

Duke went along more than willingly with Jake, anticipating the night still ahead.

<<<<>>>> 

Duke pouted as they began to pack to catch their flight. "I don't wanna go back yet. Can't you call James and tell him we're spendin' another week here? That the conference went longer than we anticipated?"

Jake sat Duke down on the bed and stood beside him, holding him close.  "I don't want to leave either, Hon, but it's time to get going back. Besides, James knows we're not at a conference, so I don't think he'd appreciate us fibbing to him."

Inside, Jake was tempted to take James up on his offer to extend their vacation, but he knew that as much fun as they were having, it really was time to go back to work, and to their friends.

Duke snuggled into Jake's hug. "I suppose not, but I really hate to leave."

"Well, we can use the time on the trip back to plan our next one.  If you want to come back with Dean, we will, or we can choose another vacation spot. But," Jake said, a hint of sternness in his tone, "I don't want to hear anything from you about being too busy to go on vacation, like you usually do. It's necessary to have some down time, for everyone, including and especially you."

"Well, all the more reason why we should stay longer. Then it can be longer before we go on vacation again," Duke said. "I'd love to take Dean along though."