53- Anticipation

Scott smiled fondly at the picture frame on his desk. The shell Ryan found for him was taped to the glass, and inside was a picture of Ryan from the Butterfly Pavilion. It was Scott's favorite photo from their trip. Ryan was practically covered in rainbow lorikeets, a smile on his face, and the sun hit his eyes just right, making them glow a honeyed gold. His birthday gift graced his office couch, and a picture of the two of them on the beach was his new phone background.

He knew that trip was a good idea. Just last week he'd put their newfound knowledge of Ryan's kink to good use, when they had their own private Halloween party. It had been a super memorable night. There were families with young children that lived in Scott's apartment complex, and while they had fun for a while passing out treats at the door with a scary movie playing in the background, eventually they'd decided to leave the bowl outside with a "take one" note on it in favor of some more adult entertainment

A set of theatrical vampire teeth and a bottle of strawberry syrup was well worth the stained sheets. Coupled with some party store accessories, Scott had made quite the handsome vampire. The syrup's color was bright enough to not look too much like blood, which was nice because he had been conscious about triggering Ryan's phobia. And Ryan had looked just as great in his own costume, conceding to wear whatever Scott picked out for him. A set of red horns and a tiny red cape, and Scott had his own personal succubus.

In just a few days' time, they would finally be mates. The paperwork to add Ryan to his insurance went through a few weeks ago, which was one less thing to worry about, since injuries during mating were a very common occurrence. He'd made sure to adjust his diet, and Ryan's too, so they'd have enough energy to get through this. He'd even started Ryan on some additional supplements, hoping to beef up his body's reserves.

His fridge was stocked with protein and sports drinks, and he had several boxes of meal bars in his cabinets. Their appetites would nosedive once things got underway, but maintaining energy would be crucial. He was about as prepared as any professional reproductive health expert could ever hope to be. Tomorrow, he'll go off his own hormone blockers. In two days, Ryan will start staying with him. Then, it will be a waiting game for things to get started. Everything was very meticulously planned out.

Of course, being off his blockers also meant that he couldn't perform his job safely. So, he had been rushing around these past few days trying to get everything done in order for things to operate smoothly while he was on leave. All his active patients and appointments were either rescheduled or temporarily transferred to another doctor on staff. He double checked again on the status of prescriptions. He was twice as busy as usual.

His co-workers were in good spirits about the whole thing, offering their support and congratulations. Dr. Bromsfeld even made sure to pull him aside and give him a little one-on-one firsthand advice about what to expect in the moments right up to and immediately after the mating mark itself was made. It was the same advice his father had given him, but Scott thanked him all the same. Coming from two sources, it had to be legit, right?

Scott's family was almost more excited than he was. They were planning a big dinner out with some extended relatives to officially welcome Ryan in. Never mind that there was still a small wedding being planned. Scott's mother insisted that a wedding and a mating were two different things, and both deserved to be celebrated. Ryan was excited for all of it, so Scott let himself go along for the ride.

His parents were also planning to go big for Christmas this year. Once he found out, Ryan had told him he was looking forward to it. It would be his first Christmas ever, since his family didn't celebrate Christmas growing up. Scott was surprised to learn that Ryan didn't really participate in any holidays growing up, mostly because of financial constraints.

They'd discussed it several times before, but another reason for Ryan's family not celebrating some of the common secular holidays was because they were Muslim. Ryan was never clear on if it was because of their religious beliefs that his parents had disowned and estranged him, though it was possible he was simply too young to remember. All he knew, was his father was a devout believer, and that somehow had something to do with it. They certainly had nothing to do with him now.

His grandparents didn't have such strong beliefs, neither for nor against what Ryan was, and so had taken him in. They didn't raise Ryan to any particular religious belief system, trying only to prepare him for a world that could be less than kind, and making sure he knew how to take care of himself. Scott still wished he could have met them before they passed. They sounded like amazing people.

Ryan did say that once he was old enough to start looking after himself, his grandparents had started going back to their mosque for some of the more important services. There was one in particular held twice a year called Eid that was a big deal, though Ryan admitted he was never allowed to attend. All he knew was that his grandparents always dressed in the nicest things they owned and always came back with a bunch of food. It was nice, since they couldn't afford to eat that well on their own.

He'd also said that he'd help his grandma make these special cookies called ma'amoul which were stuffed with date puree. Scott made sure to get every bit of information he could on those, and passed them along to his dad. More cookies at Christmas was never a bad thing, and Scott was hoping it would be a nice surprise. He was looking forward to those, too.

On that note, Scott's family wasn't exactly religious at all. They celebrated the secular side of the Christian holidays, but mostly everyone in the city did. If there were decorations for sale, they celebrated it. Easter was a family dinner with egg hunts for the kids because it was a fun excuse to get together and do those things. Christmas was the same. It was a fun excuse to get together and enjoy everyone's company.

But thinking about such things and the fun that was to come was getting Scott off task. He still had a lot more to do before quitting time today. Time to focus!

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Ryan was practically buzzing with excitement as he was scrubbing the seemingly never-ending stream of dishes. In two days' time he was going to start staying over at Scott's place so they could finally become mates. He already cleared the time off with all three of his jobs, and filed the proper forms with his apartment for extended leave. His heat was due by the end of the week, and this time he finally, FINALLY won't be alone! It wasn't easy to get the additional days with the holiday season coming up, but he did it!

They were going to spend an entire week together! No work, no distractions, just the two of them! And when the pheromones kicked in… hoo boy! He couldn't wait to see what Scott looked like in rut! It sent shivers down his spine just thinking about it! The good kind of shivers…

He'd done his best to stick to the diet Scott suggested, and was diligent in taking his new vitamins every day. The diet part actually wasn't that hard, since Scott had provided all the food. Normally Ryan wouldn't have accepted, but considering it was in preparation of something so important, he set aside his pride for once. His fridge hadn't been that full in all the years he's used it. Once they were officially living together, he won't ever have to worry about food scarcity again.

Part of him was sad the whole affair would only last a week. After it was all said and done, Ryan still had to live at his own apartment until the end of the year to satisfy the lease. He told himself it wasn't that long. Almost seven weeks. He could handle it. No problem. Then, he could finally cut back on work. Maybe pick up a hobby or two. It was going to be great!

"Oy, busboy! Get your damned head out of the clouds! We need those pans for orders! Hurry up!"

The shout of the kitchen manager quickly brought him back to the task at hand. He called out an apology, and abandoned the plates he was working on to scrub the requested pans instead. Almost seven weeks. He could make it.