Topic: A Sunny Afternoon

Juno · Date: 2012-09-05 04:39 EST

With the money that he'd earned as a private tutor over the past month, working for the yako/De Luca house as well as for the people they had recommended him to, Ethan had been able to obtain a modest apartment. And that's where he was sitting, enjoying a quiet moment with the television and a bottle of beer. His phone rang, and to his surpise, an employer was calling him. He feared that the fantasies he'd been having about Juno had been found out. He stared at the phone in concern for a long moment before picking up the receiver. The tone of Max Yako's voice set him at ease. It seemed the actor had imbibed a bit too much the night before and wasn't well enough to escort his daughter to the beach that day. Ethan sat there, stunned. Of course Max made his idle threats about dismemberment if anything should happen to his little girl. But that meant nothing when it was slurred and he could hear the sleep in the actor's voice. Naturally, Ethan agreed immediately. How could he pass up a chance like this" Once the phone line went dead, he was a whirlwind in the apartment. Shower, shave, fresh clothes; then he was outside and hailing a cab. A few minutes later, he stood before the De Luca/Yako house, hoping his legs didn't look too overly white.

It was Mataya who opened the door, looking slightly the worse for wear herself but smiling, looking Ethan over with a grin. "Very nice," she approved in a quieter voice than he might have expected, ushering him inside. "The man of the house is feeling delicate, so we're trying to maintain a level volume," the actress explained through her infinitely amused smile, closing the door carefully. "He'll make himself sick if he raises his voice, which I have no doubt Juno is counting on."

When Mataya opened the door, he looked down at his clothes and then back up at her. He returned the smile and whispered, "thank you." He'd heard Max's headache on the phone and knew that, at this stage in the game, it was best to keep the father figure happy. "Is she ready?" Stepping inside, he looked around and then back to Mataya. He hoped that Max would stay abed and let him escort Juno in peace.

"Of course I'm ready." It would seem that Juno wasn't abiding by the 'keep your voices down' rule, or perhaps she'd just come from talking to Max. Either way, she was significantly louder than Mataya as she appeared at the top of the stairs, her petite body enclosed in a loose white shirt and brief green shorts that showed off legs that were surprisingly long for someone of her size. Pink flip-flops finished the look, to match the peek of pink from her neckline, a bag slung over her shoulder to hold a towel and the requisite money, just in case. The long, vibrant red hair had been left wayward, framing her face in a floating cloud as she thumped down the stairs. "Hi," she added to Ethan, sticking her tongue out at 'Taya. The actress rolled her eyes, laughing at the entrance. "Please, take her away before she makes my life today a living hell," 'Taya pleaded with Ethan teasingly.

He turned his gaze to the top of the stairs the moment he heard her voice trailing down to them. He smiled, caught himself, and dimmed the smile a hair. He watched, counting each step as she moved down the stairs. "Hi," his version was a bit out of breath. He turned then, forcing himself to take his eyes off of her long legs. He spoke to Mataya with a grin. "I'll be happy to take the delinquent." To this he smiled and held his hand out for Juno to take.

What 'Taya missed in Ethan's wandering gaze, Juno caught instantly, and the wayward thoughts that went with that stare. She blushed a little, sweet and warmed through by his interest in her, her hand tiny in his as she gained the ground floor, more than a full foot shorter than her tutor and friend. "I am not a delinquent," she objected laughingly. "I'm a hell-raiser." "Oh god, don't start that again," Mataya laughed, waving her hands at the pair of them. "Go, now. Before he changes his mind." Her eyes sparkled teasingly as she glanced between Ethan and Juno. "Before he notices which bikini is missing."

"I stand corrected," he chuckled and gently squeezed her hand the moment it touched his palm. "We're going, we're going!" He said, rather loudly and winked playfully to Juno. "I'll have her back next April!" He called up the stairs. He didn't know why he had felt so daring and adventurous but he liked it. "Let's scram," he turned and stepped out of the door, not waiting for Juno to protest. "Bye, Ms. De Luca!"

"Have fun!" 'Taya called after them as Juno giggled, yanked out through the door before she could work out a new way to torment her foster father in his misery. The little redhead clung onto Ethan's hand, skipping to keep up with his longer strides, a-buzz with the excitement of being let off the parental leash for the first time. And with some pretty clear ideas about what was going to happen today. "Is the beach by the lake going to have people on it all day?"

"Uh, I don't know." He answered honestly. Once they were away from the house, he slowed his stride so she could keep up. "I hope not." He looked down at her with a grin. "There's something I want to show you. Something nobody else has seen before."

Green eyes sparkled up at him, not unlike the sparkle in Mataya's eyes, proving where the young woman had learned it from. "Are you going to show me your bear?" It had taken a while, but finally Juno had learned not to go rummaging in Ethan's mind when they were talking, understanding at last how uncomfortable it made him when he realised she'd seen a few things she really wasn't supposed to.

"That's the intention," he smiled back at her, finding her enthusiasm adorable. "I mean, you've seen some of what he's seen. But now you'll get to see what he looks like." Ethan thought about that for a moment, then shrugged. "Just a shaggy old bear. Big teeth and claws."

"But he's you," she pointed out. "He's not old." It was a charmingly childlike way of refuting his self-deprecation, but no less powerful for its simplicity. It was slightly overwhelmed, however, by what came immediately afterward. "Is today the day you kiss me, or do I still have to wait for that?"

"Maybe." He was being deliberately vague, not really answering either question. There was something about her wise, yet innocent, wisdom that always made him give her quizzical looks. "Alright, so he's not old." Lifting his free hand, he pointed to a street sign. "What's that say?"

Her head tipped back to look up at the sign, and as usual, she almost went looking in his mind for the answer, restraining herself from cheating since it seemed to offend him so much. This, however, meant she actually had to read the sign, and that took a little longer than she was happy with. "Westbourne Avenue," she said finally, turning her eyes to her friend to be sure she was right.

Juno · Date: 2012-09-05 04:46 EST

Ethan could see her struggling, but didn't feel the typical tingle and pull of her on his mind. He was proud of her and it shone clear as day on his face. When she gave the correct answer, he smiled wide. "Very good. You're getting better all of the time. Before too long, you won't be needing my help anymore." He didn't like the thought of that and his smile dimmed just a bit. "I mean, as a tutor."

"You're not just my tutor, you're my friend," Juno objected, not liking to see the bright smile dimmed at all. She loosed her hand from his, instead winding her arms about his waist to cuddle close in against him, all softness against his hardness. "There are auditions at the theater this week," she offered, tipping her head back to look up at him. "Am I good enough for them' People said I only got into Macbeth because Mataya's my mother."

His smile brightened once again at her objection and he had no objection of his own when she cuddled to his side. His arm went around her as they walked towards the Glen. "Well, it depends on the play and the part. I think you could handle something. And who cares what anybody else thinks" You did a good job in Macbeth, and the last few shows you didn't read the prompter's mind. Let them say that they memorized that part within two weeks. They'd be lying." He felt protective, didn't want her to feel the wrath of idle gossip.

"No, it's not auditions for a play, it's for the companies," Juno explained, content to stay with one arm looped about his back, leaning into his side as they walked along. It was more contact than Ethan usually allowed, though to be fair, he was usually under Max's beady eyes when she tried. "I can't dance and I can't sing, but I like acting. I want to be in the Repertory Company with Uncle Jon, but I don't want to cheat."

Ethan nodded his understanding. And yes, without the constant supervision of Max, Ethan lightened up a lot. Feeling her pressed to his side, he could imagine that she was well and truly his. "You can learn to sing and dance." He was sure of this. "And part of getting into any reputable company is not only talent, it's who you know. Knowing your mom and Uncle Jon can be of a big help. But it's only a foot in the door." He paused a moment and canted his head to look down at her. "If you don't make it the first time, there will be plenty of other auditions."

"What does reputable mean?" she asked mildly, unaware of the light play of her fingertips against his side, teasing his skin through his shirt. Her eyes were levelled straight ahead as they walked, enjoying the freedom of not being under the watchful eyes of her parental units but still being protected in a way. "'Taya dances. And Max sings. But I can act. Ludo says I can, he says I have something called presence."

"Reputable means a company that is known for putting on very good shows with top notch actors and actresses." He'd waited for her to finish speaking before answering. "You do have presence. When you're on that stage, all eyes are on you. People can't wait to hear what you've got to say." He smiled again, then. "At least, I know I can't wait to hear."

She giggled softly, touching her cheek to his chest as they walked out through one of the city's myriad gates toward the Glen and the lake. "Of course you can't," was her no-nonsense reply. "But that's just you. Not everyone thinks about me all the time." She realised a little late what she'd given away with that comment, casting a guilty look up toward him with wide eyes. She'd been skimming again. "Sorry."

If they'd been sitting in her living room, with Max's hound dog way of watching every move and hearing every little comment, Ethan would have given her a look of reproval. But out here, in the relative alone, he didn't seem to mind so much. Truth was, he was glad that she knew that he did think about her. "It's alright," he said softly. Coming to a stop, he brough his free arm around her and looked down at her. "You can go in there whenever you like. Just, please, keep it between us what you see."

"Even when Max says silly things about what you think about me?" she asked incredulously. "I could correct him, you know. He's wrong most of the time, you don't just think about sex." Again, she displayed that childlike approach to the truth and what might possibly pass for appropriate conversation. "You think about my hair and my eyes and my mouth more than you think about sex. 'Taya says that's normal for a boy to so if he really likes me, so you must really like me." A beaming smile appeared on her face. "Which is good, because I really like you, too. You're much nicer than other boys."

Ethan was fully aware of what Max thought of him, and only a small part of him really cared. And as he listened to her ramble, on, nothing seemed to surprise him. He had grown accustomed to her telling the truth as bluntly and blatantly as possible. "I do like you, Juno. I like you a lot. And I'm glad you like me." He searched her eyes, wanting so badly to kiss her that he didn't even realize he was lowering his head and mouth towards her.

A thoughtful look crossed the innocently sultry face looking up at him as she realised what was about to happen. A low squeal erupted from her lips, delighted enthusiasm winning out over patience as she bounced up off her feet to lock her arms around his neck. "I knew you wanted to kiss me! What took you so long?" Never mind that she'd just cut him off from doing just that; Juno was beaming with triumphant enjoyment of her guess.

With her bouncing about, squealing and talking, Ethan couldn't lock on the target. He was suddenly distracted by her bouncing body. It was lush and soft and hard and warm against his chest. He moved a hand from her waist to put a finger to her lips. "Shh," he murmured before removing his finger and replacing it with his lips. A soft brush of lips to lips, a quick breath taken, then a soothing settling of his narrow lips to her much fuller ones.

Silenced by the finger against her lips, Juno quieted with a playful, guilty smile, obediently stilling to allow him close enough to follow through on his intentions. The first gentle brush of his lips to hers was a soft shock, sending ripples through her small body as her hands tightened against his back, the smile fading from her lips as he kissed her properly. Her arms curled warm around his neck, one hand snagging the hat from his head as something almost like a purr passed from her to him.

He didn't even miss his hat. The kiss sent a certain thrill through him that he'd not felt before. Aside from the rigidity of a certain body part, he felt strangeness in his chest and mind. The feeling was far from unpleasant. Breaking the kiss, he slowly lifted his head and waited for her to open her eyes to search them. He needed to know she felt the same thing he had.

It took a long moment for her to realise he was watching her, waiting to see her eyes open, still revelling in the thrilling heat that scorched her bone-deep from that kiss. When her eyes did, finally, open, they were wide and warm, burning with sweet understanding that what had passed through him had passed through her, too. Her hands slipped from about his neck to rest against his chest, her thumbnail picking at a button on his shirt. "Is it supposed to feel like that?"

Juno · Date: 2012-09-05 04:49 EST

Relief registered on his face without his realizing it. Ethan blew out the breath he'd been holding and then smiled. "God, I hope so." It came out a bit shakily and he laughed at his own post kiss nervousness. "Question is, do you want to do it again?"

She pulled a face that was so sardonic it was comical, one brow raised high above eyes that dulled with familiarly sarcastic humor. "No, I thought I'd spend the rest of my life dreaming about one kiss with a bear boy," was Juno's startlingly adult answer to his nervous question, her face blossoming to life once again as she smiled. One hand curled into his collar to pull him down to her as her mouth touched his - this time with parted lips to taste his mouth on hers as she rose onto her toes for him.

"Well if that's the case..." he began with a chuckle before she was pulling him down into a very adult, very sensuous kiss. His arms tightened on her, his hand moving to the back of her neck to support her head as he began to bend her backwards. She tasted of lemonade and whatever she'd been eating earlier. She smelled of the outside, mingling with the scents of the woods that were no more than a hundred yards away. He revelled in the scent and feel of her.

Instinct for a Sanagi, it seemed, went deeper than merely feelings and urges. There was some kind of technique there, something that made her kisses so much more than the clumsy fumblings of a virginal girl in the first pangs of young lust. As Ethan breathed her in, she breathed him in, thrilled to the core by the wildness that clung to him at the very deepest level of his being, no matter how careful and controlled he was with her. And yet for all his wildness, all her sudden desire, she felt safe, secure in his grasp as he tipped her back over the bend of his arm.

There wasn't time to realize that she hadn't been fumbling or nervous in the slightest. Maybe, later, when he reflected back on this moment he might realize that there was more to Juno than the sweet, innocent countenance. In the here and now, he was helpless to her embrace, her kiss and happily so. He let down his guard, and his mind opened to her; freely and willingly. He felt the need to share everything with her.

She gasped against his lips as she felt his mind open, her fingers clutching tighter to his collar, into his hair, as she clung to him, letting his thoughts and feelings wash over her. Each nuance that was him struck some chord inside her, urging her to mould herself closer, more snugly to him, until there was barely a hair's breadth between them. The more he showed her, the more she absorbed, until there was nothing he could hide from her. Nothing at all.

There was an immense feeling of freedom in sharing of his life experiences with another. He felt exuberant when she melded to him and accepted everything he had to show. Before he'd felt vulnerable and even afraid when around psychics. Now he felt free and unafraid of everything.

When his animal senses swept over her, Juno stilled, somehow knowing how dangerous it was to prod a bear when he was at his most exposed. Her lips eased gently from his as every part of being a Kodiak bear rippled through her, resting close in his arms as the primal, wild, feral side of him made itself known to her. And in that knowing, she realised something she could never have guessed at. Her eyes opened, looking up at him to stroke her fingers against his cheek, her breath hot against his lips. "What is a ....a lifemate?"

Ethan grimaced, the overwhelming feeling bleeding from her and into him. He'd shown too much, pushed too far. And when she started to pull from him he didn't fight her. Joy turned to dispair as he finally let her go. He shivered, but not from the cold. "It's just as it sounds," he said softly, suddenly feeling the need to hide. "I'....I'm sorry. I shoul....Let's get to the beach before we miss the fireworks."

"But it's the middle of the afternoon," she pointed out in a soft voice, her fingers tightening on him, not allowing him to escape from her. Had he forgotten so soon that she wasn't human' Juno's approach to things a human would find shocking, overwhelming, terrifying, was far more practical. "I just wanted to know what it means. To you. Not your bear."

"To me, and the bear," he began, seeing that she wasn't going to back down, "it's the same. I won't make love, mate, until I've found my lifemate. And then it's for the rest of my life." He swallowed then and blew a breath out slowly. Every part of his being screamed at him that Juno was his lifemate. He didn't want to scare her off by sharing that much. Or had he already"

There was a long moment of silence, of Juno carefully thinking this over. She knew more about Ethan now than she could possibly have discovered in normal, human ways, and she could not see anything about him that would make her want to walk away. He had held her attention right from the start, and though it was only a month ago that they had met, she could see no reason to reject him out of hand. On the other hand, it was a little ....fast for her.

"Do you have to mate right away?" she asked quietly. "I don't ....I'm not very experienced, and 'Taya said I should take things slowly. I don't think she meant taking a long time to do one mating." It wasn't a no. It wasn't a rejection. It was a plea for a little more time, that was all.

More relief washed over him as she spoke. He hadn't expected her to jump into something that meant a lifetime commitment. And unlike humans, a lifetime commitment meant just that. His arms tightened around her and he pulled her head to his chest. "Thank you," he murmured into her cloud of red hair. "For understanding. Thank you."

"Of course I understand," she scolded him lightly, her tone declaring her fondness for him as he drew her close, her arms warm and tight about his waist. "Besides, you have to ask Max. It's how humans do it." And that little snigger as she said this? It was entirely for the expectation of Max's outrageous reaction. Ethan didn't have to worry that Max might change her mind, either - Juno was a stubborn little thing.

"Ugh," he groaned and kissed the top of her head with a laugh. Then he let her go and stepped away. His hands moved to her shoulders to keep her steady for just a moment before those were away from her, too. "I hope Max doesn't go too far. I'd hate to put him in his place." There was something bear like in his smile and his eyes glimmered slightly.

She giggled up at him, already missing the warmth of his arms around her, the sense of being completely surrounded by someone she trusted more than almost anyone else. "No biting or swatting," she told him, wiggling a finger in his direction. "You could always talk to 'Taya first. She's good at talking to him."

Juno · Date: 2012-09-05 04:53 EST

"I think," he started slowly. "I think you should think about it long and hard. If you're not completely sure, there's no sense in talking to either of them." He knew she was going to say, demand, that she was sure. "A month from now. I'll talk to them in a month and only if you're ready."

He knew her better than she'd given him credit for, laying down his condition just as her mouth opened to insist that she knew her own mind. Forestalled, Juno pouted, stamping one small foot. "Fine," she said with a distinct lack of grace in defeat. "But only one month. And only if I can't convince you before then."

Ethan couldn't help but grin at her childish response. "You won't convince me to rush this, Juno." And he was as stubborn about this one thing as an Irishman is about parting with a full glass of whiskey. It won't happen. "Now, stop pouting and let's go have a dip in the lake before everybody gets there and crowds up the place."

She exagerrated her pout for him, sticking her lower lip out as far as it could go, hands on her hips as she looked up at him. "I want another kiss first, and you're too tall for me to steal one," was her mild complaint. "And I don't think you'd like being climbed like a castle."

"That could be fun," he chuckled, then dropped to his knees. "There, now I'm Juno sized." He smirked with a twinkle of mischief in his ees, and opened his arms to welcome her into his embrace. "Just one more?"

She swarmed into his arms the moment he knelt down, feeling a strange flush when the wrap of her own arms pressed his face into the generous curve of her bosom for a moment. Drawing back, her face lit up with heat and laughing delight at his teasing, she bent down to him, covering his lips with her own.

Her bosom was warm, and soft and firm. He sighed contentedly as she guided his head there. He could have slept like a child in that moment. He nearly pouted when she lifted his chin, in the moment before her lips met his. Ethan's hands went to her jaw, gently tilting her head to one side so the kiss could deepen. And every nerve ending in his body screamed to take her, that she was his and she was the one. He fought that urge, merely shaking with the fight. Anything to keep from hurting her delicate and perfect self.

Guided to something deeper yet than the kisses they'd shared before, Juno found herself trembling with him, though for entirely different reasons. She sighed happily into his mouth, her body softening until she slid down, her knees just barely off the ground as her lips played against his.

He had to break free or he'd go too far. With that thought, he lifted his mouth from hers with an audible gasp. "Gah," he let go and sank back onto his knees. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I can't." He shook his head, as if trying to clear it. "I'm not going to. Not yet. It's too soon and you know it." He was speaking to her as well as himself. "Too soon." Relaxed gently back from him, Juno didn't pull away, didn't fight him drawing back. He'd opened himself to her, she could feel how hard he was trying to protect her virtue from himself and his need to mate with her before she could get away. "I know," she promised him softly. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," he sighed and brought his hands to his face. He scrubbed his eyes with his palms, then shook his head again as he brought his hands away. "I think he's in the male version of heat." His smile was crooked and he laughed a short, sarcastic laugh. "I should free him and let him go rub a tree or eat a trout or something."

"We can do that before we go to the beach," the little redhead suggested, relieved by his laugh and smile. "I promise, I'll stay out of the way so he doesn't try to ....you know. Because that would be weird." And probably fatal, but she didn't add that.

"No." There was no discussion about it, his tone said. "It knows what it wants and if I set him free, you will not be safe. I won't do it. Before all of this," he swept his arm indicating the walk, the kissing, the sharing of life experience, "I could control him. But not now. Not while his blood boils for you."

She blinked, her wide eyes alarmed as she looked at him. "Are you telling me to go?"

"No," his tone softened. "In this form I have much more control. You're safe, so long as I don't get all fur, claws and fangs." He smiled wanly and shrugged helplessly.

"But ....if he's always like that, if you always have trouble controlling him, won't I always be in danger?" she asked him worriedly. "I don't want to cause you pain, Ethan, not ever."

"A month," he reminded her. "By then you'll know for sure. And if you are sure, then we'll take the chance." He sighed and shrugged again. "And this is why we wait. It's going to hurt, a lot."

"Who will it hurt more, me or you?" Perhaps it was an odd thing to ask, given how innocent she seemed to be, but it made sense to Juno. If waiting was going to hurt him more, then she would not let him wait. She was fairly certain Mataya knew more than a few ways to make a man stop saying no.

"You," he said honestly. "And if you get pregnant..." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Who knows how it will be. I don't know how it'll affect a human to mate with a bear, much less a Sengali." He hoped he was saying it correctly.

"A what?" Her lips curved in a sweet, open smile. "A Sanagi?" She couldn't help giggling, dismissing the prospect of pain to herself as she surged close in a warm hug that wrapped her arms around his waist. "Isn't a Sengali a kind of tiger?"

"That's it!" He laughed and then held her close. "Lions, tigers and bears, oh my!" He sang into her ear, playfully. And just like that the heaviness in the air was gone. In her arms, he felt like what he thought any normal, red blooded human would feel. Horny, happy, hungry and thirsty. The urge to maim, kill and mutilate gone with the wind. For now.

((For some reason, now I have the love theme from Disney's Robin Hood going around my head. :lol: This was our set-up prior to the BBQ that we failed to attend - whoops! Thanks to Ethan's player, though, fun scene!))