The Runetales series is an ongoing sexual work of fiction. Check out previous chapters for all the details.
All characters in the series are above the age of consent.
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The drive to Santa Cruz was normally a short one, less than an hour in good traffic. That night, traffic exemplified why Californians live in their cars. Behind the wheel of Cora's compact, Rune sighed.
The mix CD Ken had made kept him amused, from going insane. He looked over at his girlfriend in the passenger seat. That and Cora's shorts. Sighed again.
The last two months with Cora had been ... the only word he had for it was blissful. The mild winter weather had given them a lot of chances to get outside. Cora had an enthusiasm for jogging and hiking that matched his own. It didn't hurt that she was inventive and enthusiastic in the sack.
Cora had her legs up on the dash, her shoes off, showing a generous stretch of calf and thigh. At his look, she put down the biology text to rest on her chest. She was studying ahead, already planning her way into pre-med coursework. She knew she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps. Right now she was looking at Rune with affection, and a little concern.
"You okay?" She shifted her feet against each other. "You've got that murder-everyone-in-fifty-feet look on your face. I get nervous."
He smiled. "You know I'd kill you last." Turned back to the traffic to scowl. "Nah, I'm fine. I just don't want to miss the concert."
He sighed. "And also dinner overlooking the water! I have a suit in the trunk, and your pretty dress ... I wanna be romanced damnit!"
Cora laughed. "We'll get there in plenty of time." She put her legs down and stretched her back and arms as best she could inside the little car. He enjoyed the way her large pert tits popped forward in her top. She slid the book onto the floor. "This gives me some time to ask you something."
He raised an eyebrow. "Should I be worried?"
She shook her head. "We're not getting married. Don't worry." She paused, thinking. "Are we strange? And by we I don't mean just you and me. I mean we, Vince and Alex and Madison and Sydney and Ken and Amanda. And Heather, even. Are we strange?"
He cocked his head. "Strange how?"
She crossed her legs on the seat. "We get along really well. Like, there are a bunch of cliques at the school. But they're all ... I dunno. They tend to be all of a sort. We're not like that, we're all different kinds of people. All just kind of getting along."
She looked out the window again, quiet. "We're like a little family. I've never had that." She smiled. "I mean, I have my folks. But I don't have any brothers or sisters. And Madison's always bounced around between homes, and Amanda's as much as latch-key kid as you are, and ... you know."
He nodded. "I know. And you're right. We are like a little family. It's not ... strange. It's just how it is sometimes." He smiled. "You remember Firefly?"
She smiled back at him. "Yeah. I'm glad you made me watch them. Good show." She stuck out her tongue. "I liked the show better than the movie."
"Right, it's an archetypal Whedon show. Powerful lady characters, disparate people form a family unit, wacky hijinks ensue." He made a thoughtful face. "A pretty good description of us."
She smirked. "Most of those casts are pretty weird. Am I the ex-demon or the psychic assassin?"
"Sexy brainwashed agent?" He laughed.
"Eh?" She looked puzzled.
"Nevermind, just being a dork. To answer you: no. We're not strange. We're just ... a family. Every family is different." He looked at her, raising his eyebrows. "Plus family isn't the best analogy. Cuz, you know. The sex."
Cora rolled her shoulders, an expansive shrug. "True!" She put her hand on his knee. "And that would be something to miss."
He grinned at her as the traffic thinned and cars began to move again.
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Dinner was fantastic, seafood on the water. Fresh as fresh can be. They changed in the bathroom before they sat down, Rune slipping on his suit and Cora her little black dress.
Conversation focused on the upcoming year, their plans and the plans of their friends. Their little family had big plans. Holidays, sports, lots of parties. Plus there was the fall. The fall semester of sophomore year was known as "Fall Forward". Everyone worked with the school to get internships in the fields they cared about. If you swung it right, some folks ended up splitting their time between interning and classes the rest of their time at Turing.
Rune spent dinner enjoying the food, the conversation, and Cora's beautiful chest. She had a couple of LBDs, and she was wearing by far his favorite. It was a strapless number that showed off a generous length of leg and the gorgeous line of her shoulders. She was wearing pearls around her neck and at her ears, and tonight her lipstick was a dark red to set off the dress.
He would estimate a full 10% of his enjoyment during dinner was from watching other guys trip as they stared at her. It happened often enough that it reflected poorly on his gender.
Afterwards, they walked down the boardwalk in the direction of the oceanside concert hall. Rune took off his suit jacket as they walked, passing it to Cora without a word. She thanked him with a smile. He leaned an arm around her as they walked, and she leaned against him. She had almost three inches on him in height, and Rune admitted to himself that dating a tall girl was just one of the many aspects of Cora he loved exploring.
At the edge of the amphitheatre Rune passed on their tickets, and the couple worked their way down the stairs to their seats. At fourth row, center, they had a great view of both the stage and the ocean. Lit brilliantly by the setting sun, it was one of the moments where California living more than made up for the traffic. Cora and Rune certainly didn't resist. They shared a long kiss, and Cora snuggled down into the crook of his arm.
The concert was just as brilliant as Rune hoped. Blending a combination of classic and new jazz, it was a fantastic way to spend two hours.
After the concert let out they took a walk along the wharf, enjoying the cool breeze and the sound of the surf. The lights of businesses and walkways fell away behind them, and soon they were out on the boardwalk with just the moon overhead for illumination.
The two of them found a little nook, a bench built into the railings on the walk, and settled in. Rune was feeling very content with the world. He had his feet up on the lower rung of the railings, looking out over the top at the wide ocean.
A few hundred feet offshore he could see a few yachts parked, spread across the horizon. One in particular was relatively close in, maybe 50 feet from shore. Rising and falling with the swell of the waves, it must have cost a million easy.
Cora returned to his shoulder, shivering a little as she did. "You cold?" Rune asked.
She shrugged. "A little. Mostly my legs." She slipped off her shoes and pulled her long, beautiful legs up to her chest and inside Rune's coat. "I don't want to leave, though. I love being here in your arms."
Rune leaned in to kiss her, scattering little pecks across her cheeks and lips. She giggled, and kissed him back.