I just need this love spiral ] 17 and relationship talk pre Halloween

[peaceonearth]

It's a very average night at Ruby's house. She and Sam spend most weekends there watching movies or just hanging out. They're watching some sort of suspense movie with a supernatural twist. Ruby is snuggled up to Sam, her head on his shoulder. He says her name and she raises her head, looking up at him. Her eyes go wide and she barely has time to dip her head and move to the side a bit so Sam kisses her nose instead of her lips (and she wishes she didn't have to move away). "Sam, we--" she stops him, reaching up to place her fingers lightly against his lips. She takes a breath, gathering herself for this conversation (one that she had both hoped there would be a need for and also hoped there never would be) "Puppy, I wish we could." She moves her hand and turns her body more toward him, not putting any distance between him, cupping his face with both hands.

"You don't know how many times I've wished we could, but the only reason you're allowed over here at all is that I promised your mom I wouldn't do anything with you until you were eighteen." She smiles softly, sadly at him. "You're seventeen and while I may not look it, I'm several thousand years old. I know the age of consent is 16 here. Yes, I looked it up, but that's if I were 18 or younger. Even my driver's license says I'm 21." Her smile turns a bit devilish. "However, in 193 days, you'll be eighteen."

Yes, she keeps count. There's an app on her phone.

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[talktogirls]

Even suspense movies with a supernatural twist couldn't escape the romantic elements that usually drew in an audience to watch it. From the start Sam didn't know what it was about the strangers to lovers coming together that he connected to but similarly there were signs he took from the movie that translated to the real world. Ruby was brushed up against him (not an unusual occurrence) but just like the heartbeat in the track of the movie, his heart rate sped up when he noticed her close to him. This wasn't the only sign. Her head was on his shoulder and the move seemed to have a similar moment in it where the couple could relax for a few hours of sleep in the same situation. It was intimate and left to fade to black to imply sex happend next. There were also his dreams that got more vivid in the last couple of weeks. His friends all encouraged him to date. Somehow along the lines, his signal got crossed or his hormones did. Immediately when his lips touched her nose, he pulled back with his head down apologetically. He tries hard not to look dejected but understanding of her side. "No, yeah, I thought I- We- Um, it's fine. My mistake." Before Sam says anything else that might be used against him, he closes his mouth. For the next few seconds of his racing heart it really sounds like Ruby is letting him down with an easy no.

He turns his eyes back up when it's clear that's not the case. He looks at her equal parts bewildered and surprised. "You talked to my mom?" That he never could have seen coming. It does suggest one thing though, long before Ruby even mentions him turning 18 and (implied) giving it a go, and that's her interest in return. He has to bite his lip to keep himself from smiling back to be sure he heard her correctly first. "There's a chance of us being together is what you're saying. I never cared about your age. Can I just ask why? I mean, when you knew. What makes it different at 18 than now?"

He'd say she doesn't look a day over 20 but he's distracted. Oh well. Next time. It's a thing he used to say next to 'Good Morning Beautiful/Mrs. Winchester' and a number of other flirtations.

[peaceonearth]

Whether everyone will admit it or not, almost everyone likes a little romance in their stories. It's not unusual for Sam's heart rate to pick up when she's close so that doesn't clue her in to any of his thoughts or intentions. To be fair, it was probably the signals she was giving him and his hormones. They can blame her hormones for those signals. An easy no is what she's going for, but it's far from letting him down, more like slowing him down for a few months.

She can't help but smile at his surprise that she talked to his mom. She and Melissa are friends; they have been since she got pregnant with Sam. "As you got older, it became more obvious that maybe our friendship was changing. So yes, I've talked to your mom." Oh, her interest has been there for a little while now. Ruby straightens her bent leg and puts it between Sam and the back of the couch so that she can scoot closer to him. Possibly not the easiest on either of them, but they're both going to have to learn to be close and not do anything for the next while. "There's more than a chance if that's what you want, Sam." She hesitates at his other questions; they're more complex than he realizes. "Why and when...emotionally, I'm not sure. It's been happening for a little while. Physically...around the time you turned sixteen you started looking less like a little boy. More...like you." She knows that's vague. She wrinkles her nose and rolls her eyes a little. "Honestly, I don't know. One of your mom's conditions. When I was human, you'd be married and have three kids by now." Sorry, Melissa, but it's true.

Oh, she remembers. There will be time for all those flirtations. He's even got time to practice before things become physical.

[talktogirls]

Sam has two choices when Ruby straightens out her leg and positions herself closer to him and what he decides not to do is back up. He swallows and remains as cool and collected as he can be in her proximity. His hand inches away from her leg though, keep to himself. There's still a big part of him that remains taken aback that Melissa and Ruby talked. He never could have seen that coming in all his years of life. But it slowly brings a confident building feeling to come forth. If anything, it confirmed Ruby was jerking his chain (not that he thought she ever would be so cruel); at the same time he isn't sure how to process some of the context clues in her phrasing. More like you, for instance, must have meant something like his current physical state now. Boy was he far from the mark. He looks at Ruby with increasing wonder though. He was thinking about being her boyfriend only seconds ago, but kids now? A grander and complete life than just being her boyfriend. He smiles a little sheepishly, ducking his head to try to hide his growing excitement.

"Okay. If that's all that's required of us, I'll wait for my 18th birthday... if you can wait for me. Being married with three kids doesn't sound like a bad thing though. Not really."

[peaceonearth]

Good decision. She leaves a little space between them for now. He never has to worry about remaining cool and collected in her presence. She doesn't take offense to the way he moves his hand and keeps to himself. She knows this is a lot and he might need a little time. Later, he'll understand all the behind-the-scenes things that have happened leading up to this moment and all the ones that follow. She definitely isn't jerking his chain and she is referring to his physical appearance, though there are a hundred little ways he's becoming more him that have nothing to do with his appearance. Sorry if she's overwhelming him. She just meant that she didn't understand Melissa's insistence that she wait until he's eighteen either. She doesn't think they're ready for three kids (yet). She does notice that excitement though and the way that he's processing everything she's saying far beyond the actual words.

"Oh, Samuel. My patience is infinite when it comes to you," she assures him then grins. Little does he know they're already married and have two kids. "Let's enjoy the whole dating thing first for a little while," she suggests.

[talktogirls]

He'll figure out that he doesn't have to remain cool and collected with her in time; he'll come to know that remaining cool and collected is for dating girls his own age, which never clicked anyway. He definitely could do with some time to cool down and come back to the conversation. But at the same time he doesn't want to run away from it too. Her assurance that they have all the time in the world (read: her patience is infinite) allows him to stop thinking they have to jump into things right away and nod in agreement.

"So... Can we still call it dating? I mean I want to with every fiber of my being. We can't kiss. Where's the line? If we date, are we girlfriend and boyfriend?"

[peaceonearth]

One of these days she'll tell him how much she hated watching him date other girls even though she knew it was necessary. He couldn't choose her if he didn't have some idea of what his choices were.

That's something they'll eventually discuss as well: it's okay to take time alone to cool off and come back to hang out. She expects this to be equal parts temptation and frustration. Ruby will reassure him as often as she needs to that they've got time for everything and that her patience is intact.

She can't help but smile at his words. "We can call it dating and if you want me to be your girlfriend, we can call each other that." She bites her bottom lip as she considers 'the line'. "We can't kiss. We can't have sex or anything physical that's like sex." She glides her hand from his cheek, over the curve of his neck slowly to rest on his shoulder. "We can cuddle. We can hold hands. We can...write letters and talk and text on the phone about anything you want, including your dreams." She lets her voice trail off, curious if he'll get the point. "Of course, anything we do, you are in control of. If any of it, or all of it, is too much. Tell me. We'll figure this all out together."

[talktogirls]

They'll both tell each other about that point of time in his life then. No girl or women could compare to her.

That's all he needs is a little reassurance. Of course he'll let her know the same every single day in just the way he smiles and looks at her. Sometimes even, he trips over nothing at all when he sees her.

Like now, for instance, he agrees with her terms with a smile that ebs and flows at her conditions. He leans into her hand and runs his tongue over his lips and pulls back the bottom lip to bring in his control and reign in the confidence. He blinks at the last detail. "What do mean? Like give you permission? Text you first?" Hes all for parameters and concent but he doesn't want her to feel she can't initiate within her own terms.

[peaceonearth]

It'll be good for both of them to hear that.

She loves it when he does that. It's endearing and bolsters her ego. She presses her lips together, attention focused on his mouth before she manages to look back up to his eyes. "Sort of," she hesitates, well aware this could be the beginning of an awkward conversation, but it's one that she wants to have (she's been waiting for him for a long time). She bites her bottom lip. "Like...if you want to share some of your dreams over the phone or text or in a letter, you have to let me know if you want me to share my reactions to that. Or if you...want to sext, you have to let me know that and when or if it's too much, or uncomfortable, or not something you're into." Once she knows where his boundaries on that stand, she'll be happy to initiate sometimes.

[talktogirls]

He doesn't realize he has a habit of leaning in closer when she talks. He knows and truly believes in his heart that it's important to listen. He's never shied away from an awkward conversation. Except the one time when his mother tried to explain sex. That was already four years ago. He knows deep down he is more mature now. Her answer is almost too good to be true and he nods again . "You're right. I guess... Is it fine with you if I take some time to think about it? I never really thought about what I wanted from dating before. But I want to tell you everything, still say good morning. I don't want things to change where we can't even talk and ask each other how our days went."

He knows he has to act responsibly at least where as sexting and sex goes. It's clear that they're not going to be at that stage anytime soon though. He thinks maybe it's better to start slow so he can focus on learning more about this side of Ruby.

[peaceonearth]

It's a very good habit as far as she's concerned. His willingness to confront awkward conversations head-on will help them both navigate this relationship. He may not realize it now, but her answer is really an expression of the things that she wants (at least what she wants within their boundaries). "You should think about it," she tells him. She curls her legs around his waist, settling a little more into his lap, arms going to his shoulders. "I promise you, Puppy, that isn't going to change even if we have the most awkward sex-fail phone conversation in the history of phone sex. In fact, I would be personally offended if you didn't tell me good morning and ask me how my day went in the evening after that," she tells him teasingly.

He does and she doesn't want to push him further than he wants to go. She also doesn't want him feeling needlessly frustrated because all of his friends are having sex and he can't. She means it when she tells him that he gets to decide all of that; she'll follow his lead. He's welcome to ask her anything he wants dating, sex related, or even just Ruby related.

[talktogirls]

The day he feels he can't be upfront and honest with her is also a day he needs to be upfront with her to resolve it. See how that works? It's not in his nature not to be. He thinks he understands what she wants and it's not frustrating in the least. He smiles meekly when she tells him basically he's on the right course and can think on it as much as he needs. To him it feels like the biggest part of the conversation already is discussed with their understanding of there are some boundaries for now. "What about you? You'll think about it too?" He knows what she just said but he wants to be sure she has no second thoughts. Touching clearly isn't an issue between them but he still swallows a bit when she navigates herself on his lap, his hands fall to the sides of her waist due to trust. He bites the bottom of his lip, thinking about kissing her again but resisting the urge. Sex is definitely somewhere between the forefront and back of his mind given his position. "Promise I won't forget," he answers her.

Some of that frustration he's certain to experience neither of them can help. He's already at that age where it's natural to be curious or feel like he's missing out. He firmly believes the right girl is worth waiting for. That girl is a woman who happens to be Ruby.

[peaceonearth]

Oh, he's definitely on the right course. Of course, there is no specific 'right' course. There's only what's right for them and him. She absolutely wants to do things 'his' way. She's been celibate for over a century. She knows how to deal with frustration and peer pressure. She also knows what she's missing, which may work against them, but she can roll with however he wants to approach this aspect of their current relationship. She can't help the flirty, dangerous tone to her voice when she says "Oh, Puppy. Trust me. I'm thinking about it." No second thoughts at all. Touching is only an issue if he decides it's too much and he needs a break from it. If sex weren't on his mind given their position, he wouldn't be a normal seventeen-year-old boy attracted to the woman in his lap. Even if they can't do much more than this, Ruby desperately wants him to be attracted to her. She also wants him to know that she is very much attracted to him regardless of his age or their boundaries.

Selfishly, she's very glad that he's waiting to have sex until he can have it with her. She'd deal with it if he weren't willing to do so, but she'd hate every second of it. She very much wants to be Sam's first everything in this life.

[talktogirls]

He swallows because her voice isn't only dangerous and flirty, but he is half certain he's not imagining the sultry tone. He absolutely has not watched porn before but he doesn't need to with his imagination and Ruby the way she is.

The first time with someone is too important to give away without a care. He cares a lot about Ruby. The events tonight just prove all that. When he finally is able to respond, it's as if he went through every possible human shade of color on his face first. He mentally waves away his imagination. "So, let's make a promise to wait until my birthday..."

[peaceonearth]

Oh, he's not imagining it. She's flirting with him. As for porn, he's better off just not watching it. Ruby will be happy to teach him everything he needs to know and, depending on how far he wants to take things, she'll be happy to draw him into a little bit of it with her.

It's incredibly sweet that he believes that. She knows that he cares, and suspects he even loves her. She knows that she loves him. She watches him turn various shades of red with an amused grin. "That's an easy promise for me."

[talktogirls]

Whether he knows it or not, he could never say no to her because she has the advantage of what he likes and doesn't like and would never intentionally make him uncomfortable. Is he ready for the day he turns eighteen? Absolutely.

He feels satisfied with everything that's been said and returns to watching the movie. The two of them remain snuggled together.