From: howemuchtrouble	Date: November 13th, 2010 12:52 am (UTC)		(Link)

At her answer, he stuffed a large chunk of his thick slice of bread in his mouth to free up his hands to be able to pull another piece from the box it came in and hand it over to her. Once it was passed off, he bit down on what was already in his mouth and chewed that before he bothered answering. It would have come out as complete nonsense otherwise. He did manage to nod, though, at the question about it being his mother's.

"Oooh, yes," Keegan replied with a nod and an interested look. He was a sucker for chocolate chip cookies, and aside from then being over or undone, it was hard to screw them up. There was one other thing he wanted and naturally leaned towards her to get it. Though, she'd have to come down to him a bit. "But I also want a proper greeting."

	From: cabotine	Date: November 13th, 2010 01:02 am (UTC)		(Link)

She took the offered pumpkin bread in one hand, her now discarded jacket placed over her bag for the time being, and moved her hair over her shoulders as she moved to lean down to him. "Oh, o-of course. Hi." and she leaned down to kiss him happily, even as her cheeks turned a bit pink.

This was still so new to her that it thrilled her each time. In the beginning, the very beginning, just after her birthday when she had to ask for each kiss she got, she found herself wondering if she would ever get enough of him to satisfy her. Now, months later, she was happy that the answer was still no.

It also brought the butterflies back a little.

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: November 13th, 2010 01:12 am (UTC)		(Link)

Keegan smiled when he saw her leaning down towards him, and remained smiling for a moment within the kiss before he fully returned it. The smile returned when the kiss broke and he lingered there for a moment, just smiling up at her.

He moved back to his place on the bed after a moment and took another bite of the pumpkin bread. Regardless of the fact he moved back to lounging with his head on his pillows, his eyes never left her. "And now I believe you owe me a cookie." She had her bread at the moment, after all.

	From: cabotine	Date: November 13th, 2010 01:20 am (UTC)		(Link)

"Sheesh. A kiss and a cookie? You're certainly living the good life..." she teased him as she leaned over to dig the cookies out of her bag. She ended up needing to lean down further to get into the recesses of her gray bag to get the cookies out, so instead of getting off the bed, or bringing the bag up, she moved to swing her legs over and lay down on her stomach to get them.

Now lying down next to him, propping her torso up on her elbows, she offered him the bag of chocolate chip cookies. Once he had one, she promptly took a bite of the pumpkin bread. "Mmm. Oh this is really good, even a few days removed from baking..."

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: November 13th, 2010 01:24 am (UTC)		(Link)

"Hey," he gave Rowan a rather pointed look, "The cookie was a barter for the pumpkin bread. The kiss, well, you know that is part of a proper greeting so I don't know why you're at all surprised." It was true. Keegan was a rather affection being and part of his greetings always involved at least a small kiss unless they weren't in the right company.

The last bit of his bread was easily stuffed in his mouth as he took the bag from her. He plucked only one from it before he set it aside so that she could either have some or put them away again. "It's one of the best parts about Halloween. My mom makes bread from the leftovers and roasts the seeds from the pumpkins we carve."

	From: cabotine	Date: November 13th, 2010 01:39 am (UTC)		(Link)

"I'm only teasing you. I know full well that the cookie was a barter item. And... yes, I know, you're r-right." It wasn't that it was because it was expected, it was because it was desired and becoming a part of her almost everyday life that she blushed deeper. She knew she had made the right decision about a few things.

Rowan took her own cookie from the ziplock before setting them back in the bag. "Oh man. I haven't had toasted pumpkin seeds in... forever. They were my favorite thing to snack on as a kid around this time of year, especially while reading."

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: November 13th, 2010 01:51 am (UTC)		(Link)

Keegan took a bite of the cookie, making a sound that marked that he was very much happy with the way it tasted. It wasn't as quite as good as his mother's, he didn't think, but it was also a bit hard to compare as every one had their own cookie recipe.

"Mom would have sent me some of those, only dad ate them before she really had a chance to send some. That's what she gets for leaving them on the kitchen island." He set the box containing the bread onto his nightstand and pushed the sleeves of his shirt up past his elbows. "So. Got anything special planned for the weekend?" Keegan smiled with the words, clearly joking.

	From: cabotine	Date: November 13th, 2010 03:03 am (UTC)		(Link)

"Well, I'm not sure I can blame your dad, really. Your mom makes some really delicious food." That statement was emphasized as Rowan took another large bite of the pumpkin bread in her hand.

It was a good thing that she had already swallowed when he asked that joking question or Rowan would have choked on that delicious baked good. As it was, she stared at Keegan for a moment with a look of shock on her face before trying to regain her composure.

"I. Uh, I mean,... no, why? Do you... what do you have planned? Anything?" Oh brilliantly done, Rowan. There's no way he's not going to pounce on that one.

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: November 13th, 2010 03:10 am (UTC)		(Link)

Well, he had been joking. Any reply on the topic of his mother was lost when he saw the way she simply stared at him in shock. Then she attempted speaking, which did nothing but confirm what her look said: she had something up her sleeve.

The look of interest and curiousity was unmistakable on his face. Keegan sat up enough so that he could lean back on one elbow, tilting his upper half on it so that he could look at her more directly. "No, I don't have anything planned," his eyebrow lifted, as did the corner of his mouth as he added, "Liar."

	From: cabotine	Date: November 13th, 2010 03:25 am (UTC)		(Link)

Well, she couldn't keep up with the awful lie now, that much was certain. She was just bad at it with him, apparently. Especially after a fantastically muddled opening line like that. So instead of trying to insist, which would never work, she tried to downplay what she had planned instead.

"W-well, ok, maybe I do have something planned..." At least he looked curious and not angry. "And I think it's pretty special..." Her voice lowered on that last bit, just a hair lower than her normal volume.

"It's... all part of your birthday gift."

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: November 13th, 2010 03:33 am (UTC)		(Link)

He was almost surprised she didn't try to outright deny it. She made it easier on herself that way, as he didn't have to prod her to get her to admit that she did have something planned. Now he just wanted to prod her to see what it was.

"Oh, really?" Keegan's smile widened as he continued to look at her. Gods, he wanted to know. He hated knowing there was a surprise and wasn't able to find out what it was. "So... do I get a hint of any kind?"

	From: cabotine	Date: November 13th, 2010 03:42 am (UTC)		(Link)

"Y-yes, really..."

Rowan almost wanted to tell him. She hated keeping things from the people she loved, and even if it was a surprise for his birthday, she still wanted to spill the beans. But then she thought about how awkward the wording would be. Yeah, I'm about to give you something I can only give once, something you've probably done a thousand times and I'm nervous as hell about... Yeah, piece of cake.

"Hint?" Rowan was about as good with hints as she was with lying. She decided to try a different route. Um... How about I'll give you three questions instead" She thought a moment before adding slyly, "I'll give you a hint later if you don't get it now."

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: November 13th, 2010 03:46 am (UTC)		(Link)

Crap. She was making him think.

As often as that happened, sometimes not to his liking, he shouldn't have found himself surprised by it. With a sigh of thought he let himself fall back onto his bed.

"I hope so because I'm certainly not going to figure this out." Keegan answered and took a moment to come up with the questions. "Is it something handmade?" Considering she sometimes made things for him as it was, it was a good start.

	From: cabotine	Date: November 13th, 2010 04:06 am (UTC)		(Link)

Rowan gave in to a small smirk at the thoughtful sigh. It was a pity that she couldn't exactly answer his question with a yes or a no.

Handmade? Well, it wasn't exactly made was the problem. So she answered him as best, and as honest as she possibly could, given the nature of the larger 'gift' itself.

"Well, it's something I put a lot of work into, but the main gift itself not handmade, no." That was true, and probably very frustrating as well. So it would do as an appropriate answer for that question.

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: November 13th, 2010 06:03 pm (UTC)		(Link)

She was right when she thought it was a bit frustrating. Both of his eyebrows rose in interest at the 'main gift' part, though. That meant there was more than one.

The answer he got didn't exactly help and he glanced up at the ceiling, biting his lip to come up with a good second question. Or at least one that would give him some sort of answer that wasn't completely stupid. "Okay... is the main gift material or immaterial?"

	From: cabotine	Date: November 13th, 2010 06:15 pm (UTC)		(Link)

She had to smile at the response to her answer. She knew he was probably frustrated with games like this with her, and Rowan had to admit it was somewhat nice to see him frustrated. Usually it was her being frustrated with his teasing.

At his second question she thought a moment, her face mirroring her attempt to try and word things carefully once more. "While you can put your hands on part of it, the actual gift itself is not a material thing." She was trying very hard to school her expression into one that gave nothing away, but she couldn't help the blush that appeared, faintly pink on her cheeks. She took another bite from the pumpkin bread in her hand to try and distract herself.

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: November 13th, 2010 06:26 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Keegan certainly was frustrated. He hated guessing games like this with her. It was the downside to having a really intelligent girlfriend and one that wasn't likely to change any time soon. He always lost games like this.

His next question was obviously not really planned out. "So how many gifts are there total?" She mentioned the main gift, which there were others. It was a half-assed question as he'd given up trying to get anything that made sense out of her. Her answers were just as cryptic as knowing nothing at all. Which was fine; he was just going to have to give the tables a little turn.

	From: cabotine	Date: November 13th, 2010 06:54 pm (UTC)		(Link)

She sensed he wasn't really trying on the last one, and her smile changed from a slightly devious one to a sweet one as she answered. She knew how frustrating games like this could be. Hell, her father did this to her all the time.

"There are two. The main one, and one other." She leaned down to kiss him again, sweetly and tenderly. "You'll have a better idea later, I promise."

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: November 13th, 2010 07:02 pm (UTC)		(Link)

He didn't move as she leaned down to kiss him, other than returning it lightly before she finished. Keegan, however, had no intention of giving up without a proper fight, or getting some revenge in while he was at it. Either way worked for him.

Before she could move away, he caught her in another kiss. It started as sweet and light as hers, though it ended with catching her bottom lip between his teeth as he smiled. "Well," he began before letting go, slowly, letting his teeth drag before her lip was finally released. "You did say if I didn't get it from the questions, you'd give me a hint later. It's later."

	From: cabotine	Date: November 13th, 2010 07:17 pm (UTC)		(Link)

It always undid her when he did that to her lower lip. She had been planning on going to make herself cozy next to him for a while, but now that just wasn't going to be possible. Not when her brain was trying not to just breathe and think for the moment.

"Y-you... yes, I did, but..." When she said that, the hint she had been thinking of was sitting folded up on a piece of her stationary in her bag. But now she really wanted to tell him something, to pique his curiosity further. But she had to be careful not to give it completely away.

"A-alright, then. I did promise that. S-so... your hint is this. I know it's something you want me to give you." She took a breath, willing with all her strength to not let any of the feelings she had into her eyes, or to color her cheeks. For once, and by some miracle, it worked.

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: November 13th, 2010 07:30 pm (UTC)		(Link)

That hint could be several things. It certainly narrowed down what it could be, but he still wasn't sure exactly which of those it was. Keegan didn't take the time to sit there and analyze that along with the answers to his questions just then. He could do that while he was putting on the rest of his uniform in the locker room before gearing up for the game.

"Good to know," he replied in a perfectly casual tone of voice. Keegan was still feeling a little devious and while he had to start grabbing his things soon to get down to the field, he didn't lose the opportunity to move his head to the side of hers so that he could gently bite the skin of her shoulder that her shirt didn't cover before moving away.

	From: cabotine	Date: November 13th, 2010 10:32 pm (UTC)		(Link)

It was good that he seemed satisfied with that hint, since she wasn't sure anything else she said wouldn't just give it away entirely. Not that he probably hadn't guessed already. But there was always a chance he hadn't, so she went with that.

She was just starting to calm down when he moved his head to the side. Her off-the-shoulder sweater certainly offered him ample area to reach, and as she wasn't expecting it she wasn't moving to stop him.

She bit her lip as she let out a little moan of enjoyment. Rowan loved it when he did that, absolutely loved it. She wasn't sure why exactly, but she wasn't going to spend her nights worrying over it. She liked it, and he liked to do it it seemed. It was a very good exchange. Rowan found herself thinking that it was a pity he had a game to get to and was moving away.

But there would be time for that later.

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: November 14th, 2010 07:30 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Keegan gave his girlfriend a mischievous smile before he sat up and swung his legs off his bed so that he could get up. He needed to throw the rest of his gear in his bag before he completely forgot about it. That tended to happen on occasion when he was with her.

"Be right back," he said and pushed himself onto his feet with a small grunt of effort and headed into the bathroom. He came back out a minute later with both hands pulling back his hair as a hair tie dangled out of his mouth.

	From: cabotine	Date: November 15th, 2010 12:16 am (UTC)		(Link)

"Sure thing." Rowan moved to sit up as he left the room. As soon as he was out of site she swung into action, as quickly and as quietly as she could possibly manage.

Her hand went into her bag, grabbing the note she had written, moving immediately to the bag he usually packed for when he was going home for the weekend, as she knew he was going to, and put her note inside, where he was sure to see it when it was opened.

She went immediately back to the bed, sitting where she had been, and finishing the last of the pumpkin bread. She nibbled on the cookie as he came out, looking for all the world as if she had not moved from the spot, and smiled at him as he came back in.

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: November 15th, 2010 03:24 am (UTC)		(Link)

It was pretty certain that he was none the wiser, as he wasn't paying attention to what may or may not have been going on out in the main part of the room while he was in search of his pack of hair ties. Keegan had a horrible habit of losing them, and looking whole packs, too.

"I should be getting down to the field soon," Keegan said as he looked past her to the clock that sat on his nightstand. His arms dropped after a moment, when his hair was in as much of a ponytail as it was going to get. "I don't know if you plan on walking down with me a little early or waiting until later, or what."

	From: cabotine	Date: November 15th, 2010 03:49 am (UTC)		(Link)

Mentally smiling that the first piece of the scavenger hunt that she had made for his birthday present was in place, Rowan continued to smile at him as she answered his statement.

"I'll walk over with you early. Get a good seat." Read a book or something until the start... She knew that she was going to have to leave as soon as the game was over in order to get everything set up, so going over early meant she could spend a little more time with him tonight before he had any idea what was going on. She bent over to pick up her things and put them on the bed.

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: November 17th, 2010 02:31 am (UTC)		(Link)

"And read a book," Keegan added with a smirk without having any idea of her own inner thoughts. It was just something he saw her doing. Reading came to her as natural as breathing.

Keegan moved to grab the remaining parts of his uniform as well as a smaller duffel bag. It wasn't the one he usually packed to go home for the weekend, but one that was specially used for Quodpot. He threw his guards in as he continued, "So are there any specific instructions I am to follow, or will I find that out later, too?"