Free By Choice

Free by Choice

Summary: Simon and (Y/n) don't want children. After his vasectomy, (Y/n) realizes how much the fear of becoming a father has inhibited him.

Wordcount: 1.010

She had never experienced Simon like this before.

"The tests look good. If you want to, you have green light."

As neither of them wanted children, Simon had decided to have a vasectomy.

As he had never had a relationship before and sex wasn't really a big issue, he had never given it much thought, but that had changed.

(Y/n) didn't want children either. They're cute as long as you can give them back. She was more than willing to be 'just' the cool aunt.

The decision was final for both of them. The pill worked, but this way (Y/n) could finally stop taking it and no one had to worry anymore.

"Good means absolutely safe?"

"Yes, Mr. Riley. Your last semen sample was positive... or rather negative."

Simon just nodded and held out his hand. The doctor tried to grab it, but Simon slapped it away and pointed to the papers.

The doctor handed them to him with a slight blush on his cheeks.

Simon skimmed the pages and nodded with satisfaction.

"Thanks, doc.", he mumbled.

The doctor nodded. "If there's anything, just let me know."

It wasn't until the evening, when they were both lying on the sofa, that it started. Simon began to gently kiss her jaw, letting his hands wander under her shirt.

If only she had known then, what was in store for her.

Three hours later she wasn't really sure, whether she still had a functioning brain cell. She was lying on her stomach, exhausted and drooling on the bed. She hadn't really come down from her last high when she felt Simon's lips on her back again. Her breath caught. Simon moaned with pleasure and a little laugh underneath. "Just one more little mouse. Seven is a lucky number.", he whispered in her ear and bit tenderly into the shell of her ear.

The next morning, everything hurt. Her thighs were covered in bite marks. Her back was a mess. Her neck felt like her thighs looked and all in all, she was mostly sore. No matter how gently Simon had rubbed her with ointment.

Surprisingly, he was still sleeping next to her. Usually he would have been up and away by the time she got up. He had already trained and made breakfast, but today he was lying on his pillow, slumbering, with a cute little pout on his lips.

She turned to him with a smile. What had gotten into him? They'd had good sex, but this? Despite being on the pill, he always insisted on using a condom. He usually never came more than once inside her. Despite everything, he often pulled out and came on her. She had just assumed he was into it, but after last night?

Had he been so afraid of having a child? Had this procedure taken such a weight off his shoulders?

He moves slightly.

His eyes opened slowly.

"Morning," he mumbled.

"Morning," she simply replied.

He rubbed his face and stretched. "Fuck. My back." he grumbled.

She laughed. "Serves you right."

He didn't answer that.

She snuggled against his shoulder. He buried his nose in her hair.

"You realize, you have to carry me everywhere today, right?"

"Hm. Anywhere you want."

"Why didn't you do this before, if it was weighing you down so much?"

He closed his eyes again. "I have a therapist for that kind of talk.", he mumbled.

She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "I'm serious."

He sighed. "I've never had a relationship and the one night stands were rare and sporadic." He shrugged. "Wasn't necessary up to this point. Sorry, if it was too much."

She kissed his shoulder. "It's okay. Just remember that, when I get ugly, after I get off the pill."

"Why would you get ugly?"

"Hormonal acne and hair loss are definitely coming."

He grinned. "I've been through the meat grinder once and you're worried about a few pimples?"

She pouted. "That's a sensitive subject."

He tousled her hair, "I'll help you squeeze them out, too."

She smacked him on the chest with a grin and no emphasis. He laughed.

Five months later

Simon looked at the nutritional supplement packs that had been piling up in her kitchen for the last few months.

(Y/n's) skin had rebelled briefly, but the worst of it seemed to have subsided. For two weeks, she had been in so much pain because of the inflammation under her skin that she had sometimes stood in the shower crying.

Simon had given her every bath that could even help in the least.

But now, two months later, it had subsided. Things seemed to be settling down, even if they weren't perfect yet. She had an appointment with her beautician today and Simon had thankfully stayed at home.

He was reading the newspaper, when he heard the front door open and close again.

(Y/n) came into the small kitchen. Her skin was still shiny from some cream, but she seemed to be glowing somehow.

Unimpressed, she threw her bag onto a chair and sat astride his lap. She immediately pressed her lips to his and wrapped her arms around his neck. Taken by surprise, he tried to figure out what was going on when she pulled at his shirt. He had no idea what was about to happen.

Hours later, he lay wrung out on the bed, breathing heavily.

"I want another round. When can you manage that?"

"Today?" He looked at her in shock. She nodded.

He looked up at the ceiling, shocked. "Nothing happens here for the next three to five business days."

She looked at him, pouting.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked, pulling her hand towards him, which was already exploring again.

"Not only is my skin fourteen again, but it looks like my libido is too."

"But I'm no longer fourteen mouse... My jaw hurts... And my back."

She grinned. "Will you at least take a bath with me?"

"At least? That was eight rounds!"

"Nine is a lucky number."

"Oh Fuck."

All photos from pintrest 🤟

Like a Schoolboy

Summary: Dimitri and Hoppers niece are a thing. Hopper finds out.

Wordcount: 1.335

Warnings: use of (y/n), fluff

"And this is my niece (y/n)."

Dimitri had blamed it then on the stress of the last few weeks. He hadn't given it a second thought. A survival instinct of the body. After all, he had expected to die not just once in the past few weeks.

A reproductive instinct. That was all it was, why he was immediately attracted to this much younger creature.

It probably wasn't even that far from the truth, but it just wasn't the whole truth either.

(Y/n) Hopper had done it to him. First purely out of physical attraction. Later for other reasons.

He had met her. He had seen the stubbornness in her. The same as in Hopper, only better hidden. Had recognized her intelligence. Not so hidden as in Hopper. He had found kindness and tenderness, as well as strength.

She had helped him settle into this new world. She had been a friend to him. She had even given him a home. Hopper's place had gotten crowded, when Joyce and the kids moved in, so Dimitri had ended up at (Y/n)s place.

And now Dimitri was laying here in this soft bed with her by his side, wondering how it had actually come to this.

He pulled his arm tighter around her and buried his face lazily in her hair. Breathed in her scent. He wasn't keen on the day Hopper would find out about them both. He wanted to never leave this little bubble of secrecy. He wanted to dwell in this unpolluted world of affection and infatuation. Only with her. No one else to disturb them. A little peace and quiet.

But he especially didn't want to get up.

"Not yet." he grumbled, trying to keep her from leaving the bed where he wrapped his arms tighter around her.

She laughed. "I have to go to class."

"Don't have to."

"I don't think my professor feels that way."

He grumbled. "He's an idiot anyway."

"Dimitri." she sighed with a laugh.

He pulled her close once more and breathed in her scent before letting go.

"Aren't you helping Hopper today anyway?" she asked, standing up.

He grumbled into his pillow in agreement, as he watched her get dressed with one eye. He grinned sleepily at the sight of the bruise on her shoulder.

"I thought you enjoyed beating up the rookie cops.", she grinned, tossing him one of his shirts. It hit him square in the face. He didn't bother to pull it off his head.

He grumbled. "I just get to explain.", he spoke through the cotton.

"About that jackass last time?"

"Da."

Dimitri didn't really need to prove to this greenhorn that he had no idea, but he had seen fit to bring him back down to earth. He was helping Hopper teach the new police students hand-to-hand combat techniques. The greenhorn was strutting around like a puffed-up rooster.

But with a broken jaw, it was hard to talk.

"It would have been different in Russia."

He felt the mattress beside him lower. The shirt was brushed off his face. (Y/n) smiled at him. "America takes the fun out of everything.", she grinned, brushing his hair out of his forehead.

He leaned slightly toward her touch. Enjoyed the tenderness.

"Come on. Get up."

"What do I get in return?"

She kissed him on the tip of his nose.

"Not very convincing.", he murmured with a smile. She grinned back and kissed him on the forehead.

"Colder."

A kiss on the cheek.

"A little warmer."

He reached for her face and pulled it to him. Kissed her on the lips without haste. Just her and him and-

"Dimitri get your ass out here!"

-Hopper.

He dropped his head into the pillow with an annoyed groan. There was an emphatic pounding on the apartment door.

"I'll get it!", laughed (Y/n).

Dimitri pulled his T-shirt over his head as he also heard Hopper walking down the hall. Dimitri had barely fished his underpants off the floor and put them on when Hopper was suddenly standing in front of him.

Time stood still for a few seconds. Hopper stared at him. Dimitri stared back. The waistband of his underpants still in his hands.

"What are you doing here?" asked Hopper tensely.

"I... live here.", Dimitri answered dryly.

"What are you doing in my niece's bed?" he now asked again.

(Y/n) stood uncertainly in the doorway."The folding sofa is broken. Doesn't extend right anymore, you know..."

Hopper turned his face to her angrily. She put on an unconvincing smile.

It didn't help anyway. No one who saw this room could even draw wrong conclusions.

The sheets were rumpled. So were Dimitri and (y/n). Their clothes lay scattered on the floor and Dimitri knew for a fact that he had at least two dark spots on his neck. His little vampire had taken hold again.

Dimitri stood up with a sigh. "Go ahead. Hit it."

No moment he had uttered the words, his friend's hook threw him back onto the bed.

"Uncle!" he heard (Y/n) exclaim.

"She's my niece!" roared Hopper, throwing another punch.

"I know!" groaned Dimitri.

"Uncle!"

"You're my age!" Punch.

"I know."

"You touched her." Punch.

"Yeah."

"You fucking-"

"UNCLE!"

Dimitri saw (Y/n) clinging to Hoppers arm, trying to stop him.

"(Y/n) he did-" Hopper began, but was interrupted by (Y/n).

"Didn't do anything I wouldn't have let him do!"

"That's not the point!"

(Y/n) looked at him wearily. "Stop hitting him."

"No!"

"Let us settle this.", Dimitri interjected, smiling at her as best as his face would allow.

"By beating each other to a pulp?"

"Is the Russian way." he shrugged. "Gotta get it all out once. Deserved it."

(Y/n) stood in front of the bed and pinched the root of her nose. "Fine. I'm off to college." She reached for her bag. "When I come back, he better just have a few bruises or I swear to you BOTH, that Russian prison was shit compared to what I'm doing to you."

She gave Dimitri a hard kiss on the forehead and punched Hopper on the shoulder before whistling out of the room.

They both looked after her.

"Your niece is really something."

"Yes she is.", Hopper agreed with him.

Dimitri looked toward the bedroom door with a smile as the next punch hit him. "She's twenty years younger!"

"I know."

When (Y/n) came back that afternoon, both men were sitting on the supposedly broken folding sofa.

Both were holding a beer. Dimitri had a package of frozen peas pressed on his forehead.

"I don't know. Somehow it all started there.", Dimitri said, taking a sip from his beer bottle.

"What started?" asked Hopper.

"That I really fell in love with her.", he sighed.

"In love, huh?"

"Like a schoolboy."

"Women... Do with you what they want."

"True words."

They both toasted to each other, when they noticed (Y/n).

(Y/n) tossed Dimitri a tube of salve. "For the bruises.", she explained.

He reached for the small tube and looked at it closely.

"Are you guys done?"

Hopper held up his bottle. "Reconciliation beer." He excreted the rest and set the can down. "I've got to go anyway. It's waffle night.", he declared and left, not without hugging (Y/n) once more.

"Waffle night?" asked Dimirti.

"Eleven loves waffles more than anything. It's kind of her thing.", (Y/n) explained, reaching for the small tube. She squeezed some of the translucent mass onto her fingers and leaned over him. He dropped his head against the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. (Y/n) tenderly spread the ointment on the bruises. Dimitri heaved a sigh at the cool sensation.

"In love, huh?" asked (Y/n) into the silence.

"Like a schoolboy.", Dmitri confirmed without looking at her.

(Y/n) smiled and kissed him softly on his bruised lips. "Love you too. You stubborn, Russian idiot."

"Your stubborn Russian idiot."

Clean up

Summary: Eddie has problems when it comes to cleaning up. (Y/n) helps him.

Wordcount: 1.086

Authors note: I found this little tool and since I believe Eddie has some kind of neurodivergence, I think it would help him a lot. It breaks all your tasks down in small an easy steps. You can even say, how detailed you want your ToDo-List to be. I'm moving at the moment and this really helped me, to organize everything. Maybe it helps some of you too.

https://goblin.tools/

But now to this stupid little story.

"Well, we can just go to your place. Wayne's not around most nights, you said."

Eddie faltered. "Um..." He laughed uncertainly. "Well... It's much... bigger at your place, isn't it? And...and..."

"And my mom storms the room almost every five minutes."

Eddie looked down at the floor. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why?" (Y/n) looked at him in confusion. Since when was Eddie Munson so shy?

"Eh you know... It's... um."

"Eddie if you don't want to have me in the trailer-"

"I do!" he interrupted her immediately.

"It's just... I don't know how to... clean up." he mumbled, holding a strand in front of his face as he always did when he was unsure.

"What?"

"You heard me.", he grumbled, playing with his rings. Sulking, he looked at the tabletop in front of him.

(Y/n) put a hand reassuringly on his nervous fingers. "I can help you."

"I don't want you to see this, though.", he continued to mumble.

"I'm not judging you for something like that. A lot of people have problems with that kind of thing."

Eddie shook his head. "I just always get bogged down." He hung his head and waved it off, but (y/n) knew there was more wanting to get out. She continued to stroke the back of his hand. "In elementary school, everyone thought I was gross because.... well because no one ever showed me how to do it all. No one told me how often to shower, or how often and how long and how to brush my teeth. My hair was so matted that my father just shaved it off." Tears glistened in his eyes. "My room looks really bad okay? I don't want you to... well..." He waved his hand around.

She reached for his hand and held it tightly. "I could explain what you need to do."

"To-dos don't work for me. You know that."

"Try. For me." She looked at him with her best puppy eyes.

He sighed. "All right."

"And if you don't know how to do something, you just call."

He nodded surrendered. If it was that important to her.

Eddie stood in his room with (y/n)s list and looked around, overwhelmed. He took a deep breath. Okay.

1. Open window.

Good. He managed to do that.

He opened the small window and checked off the item on the list.

2. Get cleaning supplies.

Very small step, but doable. He threw everything he found into a bucket and put it in his room.

3. Throw all clothes in a basket/box.

4. Put the laundry in the washing machine.

4.1. Wash clothes at 104°F (don't forget detergent and fabric softener).

Before Eddie knew it, he had thrown all the odds and ends into a laundry basket and his floor was vacuumed. (Y/n) had written everything down for him in such small steps that it was easy for him to work through. No big jumps. No 'Step two: laundry'. No it was: 'Find laundry. Put laundry in the washing machine. Fill it and turn it on.' He just had to do it that way.

But then he did have to make an unpleasant phone call.

"Hello?"

"Hey... um... (Y/n). So I've got stains in the carpet."

"Okay. What kind of stains?"

"Uh..."

"Grease stains? Paint stains? Drinking spills?"

"Let's say...organic.... Stains."

She laughed. "All right. Take baking soda. You sprinkle that on the stains until they're covered. Then you put warm, even hot water on it and let that bubble for a while. Then you scrub it with a brush. Let it dry and you're done."

"Does it also help with mattresses?"

"Baking soda helps with everything, actually."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Love you."

What Eddie didn't expect was that his carpet wasn't brown at all, but actually rust red, and the spot treatment turned into a whole floor cleaning. He didn't even notice the time passing until suddenly Wayne was standing behind him.

"What are you doing?" the old man asked.

"Cleaning." was all Eddie explained.

"Since when are you doing that?"

"Since (y/n) wants to come. She helps me."

Wayne grinned. Figures. "Uh-huh... And how exactly is she helping you?"

"She wrote me a list.", Eddie shrugged, watching as the last corner of the floor turned red again.

Wayne looked at the list hanging on the door to the room. "I'm not getting in the way of this miracle.", he said, raising his hands defensively. "Maybe she'll write you a list for the kitchen sometime.", he grinned.

Eddie gave him a nasty glare and threw the brush at him. Wayne laughed before looking around the room.

It was all still messy, but progress could be seen. "Doing a good job... Keep it up." He patted him fatherly on the shoulder. "I'm sure she's proud of you."

Eddie sure hoped so.

It was another entire week until everything had found its way from the collection hamper back to its place and Eddie was ready to invite (Y/n). He had given it his all. Even his mattress was white again.

He stood nervously behind her as she stepped into his room for the first time.

"It's not perfect, but-"

"Eddie this looks good. Very good, in fact."

"Really?"

She put her arms around his neck and stroked his neck. "Eddie you did very well."

He exhaled in relief. "Thank you." he smiled.

"Your list really helped, and they never help me usually."

She smiled. "Well you always said that even with a list you like to forget half of it." He nodded. "So I thought I'd write down each action one by one. My clean-up to-dos don't really look much different."

"Well then... Welcome?" Eddie smiled and stretched his arms out to the side in a presenting gesture.

(Y/n) pulled him down by the head and kissed him. Eddie didn't miss the opportunity to deepen it and pull her to his bed.

"Don't get that bed dirty again. The boy scrubbed that mattress for three hours."

They both turned to Wayne in surprise.

"Nice to meet you." he turned to (Y/n). "You must be someone special if the boy is cleaning up for you."

"Uncle!" hissed Eddie.

"Uncle.", Wayne mimicked him in amusement.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were on shift."

Wayne held up the small metal can in his hand. "Forgot lunch."

He reached for the door handle. "It's none of my business what you're doing, so shut the door when you're... scrubbing."

"Wayne!"

"Don't wet yourself."

i love listening to MUSIC!!!!!! and imagining things happening

Yogi's Choice

Summary: The CoD guys with a girl who is into yoga.

Characters: Soap, Ghost, Alejandro, König, Rudy

Wordcount: 1.995

Soap

"What are you doing?"

Johnny's voice snapped me out of my concentration. I put my feet on the floor and sat down on the mat beneath me. Slightly annoyed, I looked up at him. "Yoga."

He was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed, one eyebrow raised. "And you always look like a pretzel? Apart from that. Why didn't you ever tell me that you can put your feet behind your head? As your boyfriend, I should know that!"

I just rolled my eyes and tried to get into my next pose.

"What's that called now? Warrior something?"

"Super Soldier." I mumbled, concentrating on keeping my balance.

Johnny laughed. "Looks pretty wobbly, soldier.", he teased me.

I didn't let myself be put off. "Then why don't you try it yourself?" I mumbled and changed sides.

I heard him clap his hands. "All right."

I slowly stood up again and watched Johnny trying to sort out his limbs, which only resulted in him standing very stiffly on my mat with his legs a little wide and looking down at himself in confusion.

I smirked. "What's wrong Sergeant?"

He looked at me stubbornly. "Hey I've only seen the pose once. Let me think!"

I grinned. "Legs hip-width apart. Good. Upper body down. Put your weight on one leg and slowly lift the other. Now grab your foot with your hand and-" BOOM. Johnny fell over like a sack of rice. I stifled my laughter with all my might.

"Fuck.", he grumbled, but immediately stood back up and tried again... and again and again.

I watched him sit cross-legged until he looked down at his legs angrily and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Looks pretty wobbly.", I grinned.

He grumbled to himself, his accent becoming so strong again, that I could hardly understand anything. "I'll figure that out!", he promised and quickly left the room.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm getting a stupid yoga mat!", he shouted and I heard the door slam.

Knowing him, he wasn't going to let that down until he managed to hold this not-so-easy pose.

I could have just told him, that he has to bend his knee, but what would be the fun in that?

Ghost

"What are you doing here?" I mumbled, still slightly sleepy.

Simon was sitting on the stairs of the terrace, looking out over the moonlit farm. "Can't sleep.", he mumbled. He tapped his temple lightly. "Too loud."

I sat down next to him. I put half of the blanket I had wrapped around me around his shoulders and leaned against him. "Sorry."

He just mumbled.

We sat there quietly and listened to the nocturnal animals. "Don't you want to go for a walk?" I mumbled into the silence. That was usually his way of dealing with insomnia.

He sighed. "I'm already done."

I looked at him in surprise. "How long have you been awake?"

He shook his head. "Since we went to bed."

"Si." I sighed.

He rubbed his tired eyes. "I'm open to suggestions.", he mumbled devotedly.

"How many nights has it been?"

He looked at his hands. "The third."

"You haven't slept for three nights?", I asked, shocked. "Why didn't you say anything?"

He sighed. "I slept. Just very little."

I rubbed his back. "I'd say do yoga, but-"

He dropped his head onto my shoulder. "I do everything now.", he mumbled devotedly.

I laughed in surprise. "Really?"

He nodded.

He let me gently maneuver him into the house until I sat him down on the soft carpet in the living room.

He followed my little lesson without hesitation. Copied the gentle stretches. Followed the breathing I instructed him to do. We both lay on the floor in shavasana. "Concentrate on your breathing. I like to imagine a circle that gets bigger, when I breathe in and smaller, when I breathe out.", I explained. "This gives your head somthing to do."

He nodded almost imperceptibly and found his rhythm. "Let your limbs consciously become heavy. Push the tension out of them in a controlled manner. Relax your face."

I listened to his breathing and the soft noises that came through the open window. Simon was lying next to me. His eyes closed. His face relaxed.

He seemed calm. I was just hoping, that he would at least get some rest, even if he couldn't fall asleep, when his all-too-familiar loud snoring made me look up.

I grinned. There you go.

As carefully as possible, I laid the blanket over his tall form and trudged to the sofa to lie down again. We could always deal with any back pain later.

Alejandro

I felt a couple of big hands on my bottom.

"Hot." Alejandro grinned down at me.

I stood up again. I rolled my eyes, smirking slightly. "You really use every cliché.", I said and poked him on the forehead. "Weirdo."

Alejandeo wasn't impressed at all and simply pulled me towards him, until there wasn't a hair's breadth between us. "I am a man. We're simple creatures.", he beamed and tampered with my neck while he kneaded my bottom extensively.

"Ale!" I protested with a laugh and pushed him away from me. "I'm not finished yet.", I complained.

He looked at me closely. "I want to watch.", he said.

I just rolled my eyes again. "But shut up.", I admonished, poking him in the chest.

"Whatever my angel wants.", he just grinned and sat down next to my mat.

I ignored the presence of the born macho next to me and resumed my exercises. I let my breathing and movements carry me and felt myself becoming more relaxed with every stretch and every pose, until I almost forgot that Alejandro was watching me.

When I opened my eyes again and got ready for the real world, I saw Alejandro watching me intently. He was smiling gently. Almost like a schoolboy he was beaming.

"What?" I asked, confused.

He crawled up to me and kissed my forehead. "You're beautiful.", he smiled.

I felt the heat in my cheeks. "Shut up." I smiled sheepishly.

Alejandro just grinned. "You'll have to teach me a few things.", he said.

I laughed. "You want to learn yoga?"

"Hm. Some of it would be the perfect punishment for a couple of rookies... And some of it could be very helpful in private, of course." He waggled his eyebrows playfully.

I laughed. "An absolute cliché. You macho."

"You're into it."

"Admittedly." I confessed and kissed him.

It didn't take long for Alejandro to misappropriate my yoga mat.

König (Klaus)

"I'll kill you.", Klaus bit out quietly between his teeth.

Horangi laughed in amusement. "What's wrong, big guy? You said we need to relax more."

"What's relaxing about this, please?", he hissed. Klaus found himself in a very tense version of downward-facing dog, trying to remember what his back should feel like.

"Dig your left heel into the ground and lift your right leg. Keep your hips parallel to the floor.", instructed the yoga teacher of the class, walking through the rows in a relaxed manner.

Klaus knew her. Unfortunately. She lived in his apartment complex. He'd had a crush on her for a while. He had never spoken to her before. He wasn't sure if Horangi had planned this somehow, although he couldn't know anything about it. Klaus just concentrated on not making an absolute idiot of himself and lifted his right leg up with perhaps a little too much momentum. His foot banged against something.

"Hmph."

Klaus quickly pulled his leg back and looked into the face of his neighbor, who was rubbing her jaw. He turned bright red. Horangi next to him almost burst, it looked like, because he was trying to suppress his laughter. He was only partially successful.

"I'm so sorry.", Klaus stammered, but she just waved him off with a smile. "More shock than damage. Normally, the legs I walk past are shorter. I should have been more careful."

Klaus remained silent. Once again, he didn't know what to say. However, she only gestured for him to get back into position.

"Now pull your right leg towards your chest. Move your shoulders over your wrists. Breathe out. Breathe in. Bring your leg back up and forward again. Find your rhythm."

Klaus was still trying to suppress his shame, when he felt two delicate hands on his hips. He flinched slightly. "Hold it straight. You're bending to the left.", she explained gently.

Klaus quickly shifted his hips as he should and looked stubbornly at the mat. "Perfect." He heard the smile in her voice.

"And put it down. Very good. Go into plank and then transition to cobra or upward-looking dog."

She went on relaxed and corrected the contestants. Horangi was still laughing his head off.

Klaus just tried to breathe away his erection. For the rest of the lesson, he stubbornly looked at the floor and prayed that the time would pass more quickly.

Horangi put both their mats away as the teacher moved towards Klaus. His heart immediately raced.

"You live above me, don't you?" she asked cheerfully.

Klaus nodded quickly. Too quickly, he realized. "Uh... Yes."

She smiled. "Say, do you fancy going for a coffee or something?"

His heart skipped a beat. "Coffee? Uh? With you? The two of us?"

She laughed again. "Yes, both of us."

Klaus would have liked to slap himself. "Yes. Yes, that sounds... Yes."

"Okay. This afternoon? At three?"

Klaus nodded.

"Will you pick me up?", she winked teasingly.

A smile crept onto his face. "I hope I'm on time... Traffic."

She laughed. "See you later."

Klaus smiled and looked after her.

Horangi joined him. "You're the only guy I know who can kick a woman in the face and then get a date out of it."

Klaus looked down at him, annoyed. "You have to be over 6'3" for that."

Rudy

"Ow! OW!"

I jerked my upper body forward again and turned to Rudy, who was red-faced and pulling his legs to his chest.

"You said push." I tried to explain myself.

He just nodded. "And I made a mistake with that.",he whimpered.

"Are you okay?" I asked carefully and stroked his head.

Rudy put his head in my hand. "I'm just waiting for my adductor muscles to reattach to the bones."

I grinned and continued stroking his hair. "You really don't have to do this with me. You know that."

Rudy shook his head. "It was my idea."

Rudy had offered to get a little more involved in my yoga hobby and maybe practice a few couple yoga poses with me. Rudy was strong. He had proven that more than once. Many people underestimated him, but he simply had working muscles, not gym muscles. Unlike any man I'd ever been with, he just threw me into his arms and made me feel like I weighed as much as a squirrel. So he had fun holding me into the air, while I let myself fall into the poses, knowing he would always catch me.

Only the stretching exercises weren't his thing. We sat down with our backs to each other and our legs spread apart. First he leaned backwards and pushed me forwards. Then it was my turn. "Realy press yourself against my back.", he had said and then immediately yelped in pain.

"Are you sure everything's okay?"

He opened his eyes, which he had closed due to my stroking. "Everything is fine. I'm just stiff.", he winked.

I sighed. "Injuries are no joke, if-"

He reached for my free hand and squeezed it lightly. "Torn muscles and tendons feel different. Trust me." He grinned. "I'm just old."

I grinned. "At least it's good for the joints."

He nodded, still grinning. "Then we know what we can do together in the old people's home." He kissed me gently.

I smiled. "I'll get you stretched by then."

He laughed. "I'm counting on it."