TIC TAC - (CC,AU,Adult) - COMPLETE - 7/12/15

[keepsmiling7]

First thing first.......then Max and Liz will get Aaron's room ready.
I love it!
Thanks,
Carolyn

[Midnightdreamer]

I forgot to mention from previous chapter is the gang has lots of grandparents to spoil all the boys or send them to when they need alone time. It would be fun and hilarious to see all the grandparents and gang at beach house or Michael's family summer home having all sorts of fun. I like that all people are communicating or building good foundation for relationship and moving forward toward happiness they all deserve it. Okay onto new chapter...


Great chapter...

I loved the thought of Chase and Tony sharing a bed while Tony slept and chase read the story. I agree very cute and need more moments like that for all. I'm sure Max was glad when Tony and Ava left as proven by his actions. You have to love max and especially now when some of the weight he has been carrying around has lifted. I would love to see more of the four of them together and becoming good friends. I can't wait for Aaron to come home with Liz and when it happens they should have a little party for the boy or something welcoming him home. Hey Max can give fake tattoos or something are party. I guess next week Max and Liz will get to the painting...

I liked the Michael and Maria moments and knew Kyle would arrive home sooner rather than later and luckily they didn't see them in the act. It's funny seeing Michael still struggling with his best friend and sister together, but makes great entertainment. I love how much attention the tattoo ad is getting and Nana reaction to it was classic. It was good for all and Maria's career will be helped because everyone recognizes her from the ad and max shop gets recognition. Too bad you can't make a picture or template with the ad using max and Liz and Maria and Michael. It would be great to have a real visual instead of imagination. Oh well
I expect fun times are coming with Kyle back at his apartment and him being with Tess and Maria with Michael. Things should get interesting...

Another great update...can we possibly get two updates in one week? Pretty please...

[Earth2Mama]

Oh Michael... Really? Seriously? This Tess/Kyle thing is going to drive him and everyone around him cray-cray.

Oh Tony, I can image that sweet image forever captured. Now let Ava have her phone back!

Max and Liz better get their time in, cuz Aaron will be having none of that when he's around on a permanent basis!

[sarammlover]

Awww Max and Liz.....yes, they better get this done now.....and have I mentioned how awesome it is that Liz took Aaron in? Amazing sister she is! And I think Max is going to make a great older brother/father figure. Its hard to remember sometimes that Aaron is a sibling and not a child to Liz.

And Maria and Michael..smokin hot as always. I think its funny that he was almost caught by his sister. If Kyle and Michael continue to live togehter, chances are someone is going to walk in on someone else.....

Great update as always.

[begonia9508]

Max and Liz: they seem to have difficulty, chosing a thema for Aaron's bed... Why not wait and ask or even go with him to buy it... it will help Aaron to regain some confidence about his future life!
It must have been really a shock, as he was placed away from Max and Liz, even if the ones who took him were the Evans!

Thanks EVE

[Alien_Friend]

That was too funny! I am so happy for both couples they get to be so playful and carefree with each other. It is great fun to read. I wonder how long it will take either couple to want to move in together they seem like they both would enjoy the privacy. There was all this talk about babies I wonder if it is a foreshadowing of things to come for either Maria and Michael or Max and Liz or even Ava and Tony.

Very enjoyable part.

Eagerly awaiting more.

[Double Trouble]

Natalie36: It’s been a long road to get them all to this point.

Roswelllostcause: Thanks! Lol, they’re definitely not getting any painting done, that’s for sure!

CandyliciousLovah: Yeah, chances are good he’s gonna survive that little bump on the head.

keepsmiling7: Lol, yep, gotta keep those priorities in order.

Midnightdreamer: There’s just no telling what we might see happen with this gang.

Chase and Tony, that is a sweet image. Lol, Max was very ready for them to make tracks. Without that weight hanging over him he’s beginning to relax and really embrace life. Liz and Aaron have made a very big difference in his life.

Michael’s probably going to need a little time to get used to his little sister dating his best friend but we’re confident he’ll get it together. Looks like that tat ad was good for everyone involved. We agree, a visual would be nice!

Thanks! Sorry, no, just one update per week.

Earth2Mama: Lol, it probably will for a while.

Tony’s likely to hold that phone hostage for a while but we’re not sure why.

True, Aaron’s presence will put a bit of a limitation on certain freedoms, lol.

sarammlover: Yep, they’d better take advantage of it while they can! With that age gap it is easy to forget that it’s a sibling relationship rather than a parent/child relationship.

Yep, with the four of them living together it’s only a matter of time.

Thanks!

begonia9508: Having Aaron taken away was a major shock for them but they’re putting the pieces back together, one by one. They probably haven’t involved Aaron in putting his room together and furnishing it because they have no guarantee at this point that they will be getting custody of him and they don’t want to give him hope just to take it away again.

Alien_Friend: Lol, they’ve worked so hard to reach a point where they can be this way with each other. It’s quite possible it’s only a matter of time before they begin thinking about getting their own places together. You just never know what might be coming.



Part 188

Love is in the Air

She rolled her eyes and opened the door to go back out, trying to look casual. “Hey, guys, how was your date?” she asked as she made her way over to the kitchen counter. Kyle was nowhere in sight, and she assumed he was probably in the bathroom, because Tess was the only one in the room, eying the sandwiches.

“It was good,” the curly blonde answered, watching her skeptically when she went to get ice from the freezer and then the sandwiches waiting on the counter.

“Just good?”

“Well, obviously your night was... more eventful.” Her eyes dropped to the floor meaningfully and when Maria walked around the counter she saw the empty condom wrapper. “Maybe Loco put it there,” she said innocently and without much conviction in her voice.

“Yes, I’m sure that slothful little rat has use for condoms. What could he possibly do with them? Wear them like a little body suit?” She snorted when Maria opened her mouth but nothing came out. “Yeah, besides, he’s not the one who was making a run through the apartment when we came in.”

Maria shrugged, not apologizing for anything. “I’ll just grab dinner and the two of you can have the living room all to yourselves.”

Tess rolled her eyes. “Orders from big brother?” She snorted. “You can tell him we’ll end up wherever we end up.”

“Or I’ll just stay outta this.”

“Wise choice.” She tipped her head to one side. “Just for curiosity’s sake, why do you have an ice pack?”

Maria grinned. “Your brother was in a hurry.”

She nodded and held a hand up. “Nevermind, I don’t wanna know.”

“You don’t wanna know what?” Kyle asked, when he came out of the bathroom.

“Why they need an ice pack.”

He snorted and went to get something to drink. “Thought sure the guy would be past blue balls.”

“Ungh, shut up Valenti,” Maria shuddered and waved before she disappeared into the bedroom again.

Tess chuckled. “We don’t wanna know, but let’s not get anywhere near the kitchen counter.”

He froze, his bottle mere inches from the surface in question, and he made a face. “Seriously?” he muttered as he jerked it back. “Not cool, Guerin!” He turned back to the living room and shook his head. “Gonna have to come up with new house rules.”

“That’s gonna be interesting.” Tess relaxed in one of the hopefully uninitiated armchairs and smiled. Their first date had been wonderful although she had a feeling Kyle had been wishing for his body to be in better condition so they could do something a little more exciting than sitting and eating.

“Normally I don’t suck at dates,” he had apologized.

“You don’t suck, Valenti. An’ we have time for other stuff later, this is not a contest,” she had assured him and he had accepted it.

“Sharing an apartment with the two of them should be interesting.” He set the bottles on the table and dropped down on one end of the couch, stretching his right arm over his head.

“Definitely. Could get loud.”

He chuckled and shrugged. “Could be worse, right?”

“Yeah. They’ve finally made it. That’s a plus for all of us.”

“It’s funny, y’know? At the beginning of this summer we were all flyin’ solo. Well, except for Isabel, but she dumped Dick pretty quick when she found out he was bangin’ someone else. And now, just a few months later, look at us.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely been an eventful few months.”

“You any good at video games?”

“It’s been an eternity since the last time I played. But I was good when I was like... 13.”

“13,” he said and chuckled. “When I get use of my hand back we’ll have to see if you’re still any good.”

“Sounds good.” She grinned at the thought.

“I don’t play any of those kids’ games though so if you were like the champion of Super Mario Brothers or somethin’ you’re gonna have to step it up.”

“What’s your choice? Oh no, let me guess. Hmm... you could be either a GTA or a Resident Evil kinda guy.”

He laughed and shrugged. “Yeah, they’re on the list. I’ve been stuck on Call of Duty recently.”

“Anything with a gun, huh?”

“What can I say? It’s a guy thing.” He relaxed into the cushions, falling silent for a few minutes as he watched her. “It’s been a good night, huh?”

“Yeah,” she agreed simply.

He smiled as he went over the night so far. He wasn’t an animal or anything but he rarely bothered to take girls out. He usually just smooth talked them to get them into bed and that wasn’t what he was doing with Tess so this was completely new territory. They were headed in that direction but he was doing his best to take this at the right speed. He rubbed Loco when the ferret slinked across his lap, bracing his clawed paws on the cast as he sniffed all over the thing before he started to pull at its edges with his teeth.

“I think Loco likes it stinky.”

Kyle made a face. “Well, he’s a weird one.” He gently jostled the animal. “Why don’t you just chew the damn thing off?”

“Doubt that’s gonna help either of you.” Tess leaned forward to grab her bottle. “How much longer you have to wear the cast?”

“They said four to six weeks, so I’ve at least got a couple more to go. I’ve gotta go in again on Tuesday morning for x-rays so they can make sure it’s healing correctly and nothing’s slipped outta place.” He sighed. “And then the real fun starts.” He wiggled his fingers carefully. “Physical therapy.”

“It’s nerve wracking I suppose, but at least you’re alive.” She smiled. “I’m very glad about that.”

“Yeah, it’s a lot better than the alternative.” His thoughts immediately went to Dan but he put them away before they could bog him down. “I’ll probably need some help with the exercises.”

“I’m all for exercises!”

He smirked. He could think of plenty of exercises she could help him with and none of them had anything to do with rehabilitation. He didn’t realize he’d spoken aloud until he noticed the way she was staring at him and he winced. “TMI?” he asked and cleared his throat. Damn, he couldn’t even blame that slip on meds or injuries or anything else but an overactive libido.

“Not at all.” Tess felt the heat in her cheeks. “Actually my mind was kinda wandering in the same territory. Maybe we can agree on blaming it on a too long abstinence.”

“We could go to my room.”

Her eyes shifted to the closed door. “Yeah, we could.”

He smiled slowly. “Probably be better than havin’ him walk in on us. I don’t think he’s ready for that. I think it makes him nervous.”

“He’s gonna get used to it.” At least she hoped her relationship with Kyle lasted long enough for her brother to get used to it.

“At least he’s not completely against the idea of us bein’ together. If I’d handled things better at the beach house it might not be that big of a deal for him, but since things kinda blew up with me an’ you after that it makes sense that he’s hesitant.”

“I know he has his reasons an’ I can’t really blame him.” She put her feet on the floor and stood, heading over to him.

He took her hand when she held it out and he got to his feet. “No, I don’t blame him either. If I had a sister I’d be cagey about this kinda situation too.”

“We’re all a mess at this point, that’s for sure.”

He turned to drop Loco on the cushion, giving him a gentle shake when he wouldn’t let go of the cast. “C’mon, Loco, let go.” The ferret finally released his grasp on the plaster and chattered angrily as he paced back and forth on the cushions. “I know, I know, you’re pissed now.” He leaned over to grab one of the little balls that belonged to Loco, jingling it so the bell inside caught his attention and distracted him from the fact that he was being denied what he wanted. He tossed it across the room and Loco took off after it like a shot. “Now, let’s get outta here while he’s distracted.”

“Sometimes I really wonder why he always falls for that.” She snorted.

“Short attention span,” he said as he led the way down the hall to his room.

“Short is still flattering.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Are you tryin’ to insult the mascot for party central?”

“You can’t really insult someone who’s forgotten within five seconds that he’s been insulted in the first place.”

“Well, that’s probably true.” He pushed the door open and waited for her to enter ahead of him.

Tess stopped in the middle of the room and glanced around. She’d been in here before, but never to stay.

He leaned over and snapped the lamp on the nightstand on, filling the room with soft light. He grabbed the remote and turned on the stereo that sat on the shelf on one of the walls, scanning through stations until he found one they both agreed on. He tossed the remote on his desk where it landed on top of training manuals for work that he’d been studying before he’d been injured. “This’s kinda nice, huh?” he murmured as he shut the door and moved closer to her.

“Not sure if nice is the right word,” she whispered, watching him as he neared.

“I’m open to suggestion,” he said as he carefully wrapped his casted arm around her waist and pulled her close, swaying slowly to the music. He’d never really gotten the point of dancing, but with her it might not be that bad. As long as they were alone where no one else could see them, he thought.

“Exciting,” she suggested, “maybe also a bit nerve wracking in a good way.”

“Okay, so I tend to understate things.” He shrugged and lowered his head to brush his lips against hers.

She kissed him back, but then snorted when his words registered. “Yeah, sometimes you do.” He was a man of action and then he downplayed it with words.

His free hand roamed over her back and side as his kisses alternated between teasing and light and then long and deep. He shifted when one of her hands moved over his chest, tensing when one of them grazed the surgical scars that were no longer covered by bandages.

“Does it hurt?” she whispered.

“No, not really.” He cleared his throat quietly. “They’re just still pretty…” he shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve done everything they’ve told me to do since the bandages were removed, and luckily I heal quickly, but…”

He was worried about what she would think, she realized.

“I know in time they’ll start to fade and not be so obvious, but right now they stick out like a sore thumb.” And they made him look like Frankenstein’s monster, he thought, but this time he didn’t voice it.

She could relate to his feelings, but she saw no reason to worry about it. “Scars make people interesting,” she said softly and squeezed his biceps when he gave her a wary look. “No, really! They tell a story, they’re a part of who you are and your history.”

“That’s one way to look at it.”

“It’s the right way to look at it. I mean, this accident is a memory that’ll shape your future and the scars are the visible proof of it. They don’t make you less attractive, they make you even more interesting!”

“You’ve got an interesting way of lookin’ at things.”

“I know,” she said and grinned at him.

“I’m serious, Tess. I’m not the kinda guy that’s ever really worried about feelin’ insecure about the way I look. It’s just one more thing I took for granted. I may not be modeling for the cover of GQ or whatever, but I’m a decent lookin’ guy and – “

Tess reached up to cover his mouth with her hand. “I’ve never really paid much attention to those magazines anyway.” She rested her weight against him and wrapped her arms around his waist, her fingertips grazing over his back as she looked up at him. “I’m partial to firefighter calendars.” She pressed a kiss against his chest through his tee shirt. “And I’m just as serious, Kyle.”

He held her close and they stood there in the middle of his room for several long moments before he spoke again. “So, you wanna tell me the story behind any of your scars?”

She chuckled and leaned back. “Sure, which one you wanna hear? I’ve got quite a few.”

“Really?” Kyle lifted one eyebrow. “So maybe you’ll answer as soon as I find them?”

“Maybe I will.”

He leaned back and let his gaze travel over her body. “You can’t have that many scars.”

“Don’t think so?”

“Huh-uh,” he pulled her close again, “I’d bet against it.”

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

He lowered his head and nuzzled her neck. “So… just how long do I have to wait?”

“I don’t know. I’ve got scars in pretty innocent territory and then there are some that are…” Her voice trailed off and ended in a groan when he sucked the soft spot right above her pulse.

“You’ve got a small one at the top of your left hand,” Kyle whispered and grazed it with his fingertips.

She raised her hand and looked at it with a tiny frown. “How did you know?” It was a childhood scar and it wasn’t really that obvious. To be honest, she could hardly tell where it was anymore.

“It’s funny what you pay attention to when you’re blind,” he mumbled. Countless times he had run his fingertips over it, wondering where the small uneven place had come from.

“I got that one when I was about fifteen.” She flexed her hand at the memory. “I tried out for the drama club.”

“Really?” He was surprised. He’d never imagined her being involved in the theater.

“Yeah, it was a very short-lived career as far as the acting was concerned. Basically I sucked and the only reason I even tried out was because there was this guy…” she cleared her throat. “Anyway, for the tryout we had to read the tower scene for Romeo and Juliet and somehow I managed to fall out of the tower.” She smacked his arm when he started laughing. “Needless to say the guy I had a crush on nearly passed out from laughing so hard, which pretty much ended any romantic notions I had of him and me.”

His thumb brushed over the nearly unnoticeable scar again. “You didn’t get hurt bad, did you?”

“No. The stupid tower wasn’t that high. I caught my hand on a broken board when I fell. The instructor decided maybe I’d fit in better working on the sets, but I got into the costumes and I realized I really enjoyed that side of the theater.”

“That where you wanna go in the future?”

She gave him a one-sided shrug. “I’m considering it. I’ve always had an interest in fashion an’ it would be kinda cool to make something out of it.” Her eyes studied his expression. “Do you think it’s stupid?” A lot of people didn’t believe in that kind of career choice and admittedly, it wasn’t the most promising future.

“I don’t think it’s stupid,” Kyle gave her a nudge. “If that’s what ya want then go for it – no matter what others say. You have to go after your dreams. Always.”

Tess nodded. “Yeah. And hey, I’ve already got a model, right? Maria would be the perfect woman to wear my clothes.”

“Yeah, especially now that she’s startin’ to get some decent jobs – not to mention the little fact that she got the lead in that Usher video. She wears somethin’ you design and it’s gonna get some notice. Maybe by the right people. I don’t know much about clothes as far as fashion and designers are concerned, but I’d guess that’d be pretty important.”

“Are you kidding? Getting noticed by the right person in the fashion industry makes all the difference. That’s the kinda thing that makes or breaks a career in that business.”

“Shouldn’t that be based on whether or not the designs are any good rather than who notices ‘em and thinks they’re good?” He didn’t know much about such things but it made sense to him.

“Yeah, well, it’s the same with everything in life, isn’t it? You do things a whole lot better than others but it doesn’t matter because no one notices. Or someone important does notice and you’ll suddenly be swamped with offers and great deals. If none of the people already established in the industry notices a new designer, then you hardly have a chance.”

“I guess you’ll have to work to get some attention then.” He stared at her while his mind worked out a plan that would help her get the attention she needed to start in that field. “You have Maria, so there’s that. An’ she knows that photographer… Graham something. The guy likes her, so maybe he’d do her a personal favor.”

Tess smiled when she realized he was seriously thinking about a way to get her some notice in the fashion world.

“Now all you need is a location.”

“Uh-huh,” she trailed a finger down his chest gently. “Got something in mind?”

“Well, if location’s anything like it is for a business, the right one really sells it.” He shrugged. “I guess it really depends on what your theme or whatever is. Doesn’t that kinda determine the setting you need?”

“You’re very good, Valenti,” she teased.

“Guess all that talkin’ Maria does about her job stuck in there somewhere.”

“Obviously you’ve been around women for too long,” she snorted.

“Well, if you wanna be like that I’ll just grab a beer and go fall asleep in front of the TV watchin’ sports.”

“The hell you will.”

He laughed and his arms around her tightened momentarily. “No?”

“No sports, no. That’s boring unless it’s football.”

“Okay, hold it right there.” He leaned back to look down at her. “Hockey isn’t boring. Boxing isn’t boring. Baseball isn’t boring.” He grinned and dropped a kiss on her lips. “You get a pass though since you excluded football from the list of so-called boring sports.”

She smirked. “Hockey’s just... too fast. I mean, really? How do you even see where the ball... uh, puck is? Boxing is like two guys doing a hugging dance and baseball’s only okay when you’re in the stadium. Basketball?” She made a yawning sound.

He winced when she called the puck a ball even though she made a save at the last second. “Yeah, basketball I’ll agree with. And yeah, baseball’s best when you’re actually at the game.” He rolled his eyes. “And okay, I can see where someone who doesn’t enjoy boxing would get that impression. But hockey? That’s a great sport.”

She smirked and walked backwards until the backs of her legs hit the mattress. Plopping down on the bed she bounced up and down a little. “You know what’s even more boring than basketball?”

“Talkin’ about it?”

“I was gonna say tennis.”

He snorted and took the few steps necessary to bring him close to her again. “How is that even considered a sport?”

“I don’t know. Or Curling?” She shook her head.

“Don’t really get that one either,” he mused as he closed the small distance between them. Why were they talking about this again? Her scent was driving him crazy and he wanted to get as close as possible. If not for his bum arm he’d be nudging her back and crawling over her, but he was gonna be pretty useless for that kind of move for a while yet.

Tess saw the slight frustration in his eyes and believed she knew where it came from. Sliding higher on the bed, she rested her upper body against the pillows and ran her hand over the spot next to her.

“This’s really annoying,” he growled as he settled into the spot beside her.

“It’s just temporary.”

“Yeah, I keep tellin’ myself that.” He forced his mind away from the questions that seemed to assault him out of nowhere when he thought about the time it was going to take for rehab once his arm had finally healed.

She moved a little closer and rolled on her side to face him. “How’s it going besides the arm?”

“Doc says everything looks good. The chest plate’s doin’ its job, the lung injury’s almost completely healed and he said if everything continues to look good he’ll take me off the monitor after my next appointment. There were a few heart rate spikes I had to explain at my last one, but at least after that talk he was able to get a better understanding of my reading.”

“Uh-huh, and what caused those heart rate spikes?” she asked, interested.

“Like you don’t know.”

She tried to hide her grin. Well, she knew what she was hoping for. “No, tell meeee.”

Okay, this was kind of embarrassing, he thought, but a moment later he looked at her and it passed. “For some reason they seemed to occur when you were around.”

“Good, so it’s not just my heart.” She frowned then and leaned a little away from him. “It’s not going to cause any trouble right? I mean, your heart was bruised...”

He shook his head. “No, I got lucky or someone’s lookin’ out for me, I dunno. An injury like that can put an end to more than just a career. If it had been worse I would’ve been at risk for problems maintaining a regular heart rhythm at best and heart failure at worst, but he’s taken that prognosis off the table.”

“Good.” She bit her lip. “We probably shouldn’t tempt it.” If recovering quicker meant they had to keep his heart rate more normal, then she was willing to take it slow.

“Well, there’s no need to go overboard,” he protested.

She chuckled. “Indeed.”

“I know it’s gonna take time and I’m not always the most patient person when it comes to takin’ things slow.”

“Like at the beach house?” she mocked.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, well, that wasn’t one of my finer moments.”

“What happened afterwards aside, it wasn’t bad at all.”

“Yeah, for a quickie.” He snorted. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re great, but if I’d been payin’ attention that’s probably not the way it would’ve gone down.”

“It’s okay. The whole thing was bound to fail the way it happened. And I was aware of... my feelings for you. I should’ve known better.”

“So I guess we chalk it up to a hard lesson learned and let it go so we can move forward?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

“Cool.”

She glanced along their lined up bodies and reached over to take his hand. “Cool.”

He was feeling anything but cool as her gaze awoke the heat in his veins. “You ever done the relationship thing?”

“Once, my senior year of high school.”

“Why didn’t it work out?”

[CandyliciousLovah]

Awe, poor Tess. That scar just led you to the greatest love you could ever imagine

[Roswelllostcause]

Great part!

[Earth2Mama]

I wanna know more about this relationship if Kyle's in high school. Somehow I think it's the one of the reasons why he was only vested in casual hookups for so long.

That was so sweet with the scars... I think Kyle and Tess taking things slowly is going to work out just fine for them.