| Clean Slate
(Lee & Tony, plus Darren from Under Skies Of Winter Pink) |
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It was going to be another hot sunny day; you could already feel it building at six am. I rolled onto my side spending some moments watching Lee sleeping. It being as warm as it was we had both slept naked, and even the single sheet we’d employed instead of the summer weight duvet had proven too much and had been kicked off in the night. I frowned. Lee’s ribs were too pronounced, and his stomach wasn’t just flat it was concave. He’d lost weight over the past week or so. Resentment had acted as an appetite suppressant as far as he was concerned. Thin or not, he was lovely in the morning light, his face peaceful and sweetly vulnerable. I was sorely tempted to kiss him, but he needed his rest and, I sighed, I needed to make a start on the jewellery valuation for Sextons. There were a large number of items in it and I didn’t have that much time to complete it. Down boy, I mentally chided my rising libido and gently swung my legs out of bed. A cool shower later and I felt refreshed, pulling on shorts and a t-shirt, ones that I knew Lee would approve of, before padding softly downstairs to the kitchen. It being Sunday I brewed a pot of fresh coffee instead of settling for a mug of instant. Carrying the pot and some toast and marmalade into the breakfast room I opened the blinds and the French window and sat on the bench seat to enjoy my breakfast with the sound of birdsong floating in from the garden, along with the scent of the lemon thyme and lavender that Lee had planted. The stresses of the past few weeks had eased and I was content. Lee and I were balanced again, he had accepted the discipline I’d meted out as earned and the slate was clean. After breakfast I fetched the bag of items to be valued from the workroom and sat sipping my second cup of coffee while having a casual sort through them, looking to see if anything special caught my eye. Sulky footsteps began to descend the stairs, Darren sulky rather than Lee sulky. I knew the difference. While Lee’s slate was currently clean, Darren’s wasn’t. There were still things on it that needed dealing with from the day before, plus a new item. Darren had apparently forgotten just what being grounded actually meant. He’d sneaked out the night before, or more accurately in the very early hours of the morning, at quarter past 12. I’d more or less just slipped into slumber when I heard the sly opening and closing of the front door. I got to the window in time to see someone climbing into a car parked just a little way down the road. A check of his room confirmed that Darren was indeed AWOL, no doubt going out on the date that he was suppose to have cancelled after I had spanked and grounded him for his bad behaviour. I heard him return home at just after three in the morning, but had left him alone figuring that he really needed some sleep and that the discussion we were destined to have could wait. The sullen footsteps moved into the kitchen and I heard the fridge and then cupboard doors being opened and closed, as he scavenged for a breakfast that suited his tastes. Draining my coffee cup I stood up. My peaceful interlude was over; there was a naughty boy with a full slate to attend to. Picking up the hairbrush from the table I headed for the kitchen. 607 words. |