Mila had been working on a list of rules all day, eager but a bit nervous to show it to Buck.

The truth was, she missed training daily. Being a submissive, even though it had been forced upon her, was an important part of who she was. She was curious about how she would respond to it when it was Buck who was in charge, the man who adored and cared for her more than anyone else ever had.

She also liked routine, and while she was thankful that there was nothing expected of her, she would like to pull her weight some way, like chores.

"You're nervous," Buck observed as they ate dinner. "What's wrong?"

She froze, beginning to overthink everything completely.

"Darlin'," his deep voice cooed. "Look at me."

She looked up from where she was pushing her dinner around with her fork, and he gave a gentle smile. She relaxed a bit.

"You can talk to me," he encouraged.

"It's just - I just-" she faltered, before reaching into her pocket to grab the folded and ruffled paper. She slid it to him.

He accepted it curiously. He took a moment to read through her list.

"Is this what you want? Not what you think I want?"

"Yes, it's what I want," she confirmed softly.

It was silent for a moment as he gathered his thoughts.

"Mila, if there are rules, there are punishments. I'd never want to put you in a situation that was triggering."

She scooted closer. "I know you wouldn't. We can talk about it, and at least try. Please?"

"Honey, it's only been a few weeks. I'm getting the feeling that you think this is what I want, but what I want is for you to be happy and healthy." He took her hands, sighing when he saw her adorable little pout.

He gave in. "Five days. That's it. If I think it's too much I'm stopping it." He cupped her cheeks, smoothing back her hair.

She smiled, a nice bright one that made him smile too. He leaned down to nuzzle her cheek.

"I want to learn to ride Sugar, too," she added.

He laughed, "Finish your dinner and then we will talk."

After dinner, Mila and Buck curled close. She was between his legs, cuddling his chest. He threw a soft blanket over their legs.

"Let's go over each one of these and make an official list of rules, okay? I will add and edit the ones you created." He handed her a sparkly blue pen and a notebook, telling her to write as neatly as possible.

The first one was to take care of Sugar and the chicks. She had to groom, muck, feed and water. She was already doing that, so he felt comfortable allowing her to continue to do so.

The next was cleaning house and making meals.

"I don't want you cleaning the whole house. I live here, too, and we can dedicate a day to clean together. Just keep your spaces tidy. Make your bed every morning and clean any messes in the kitchen. You're in charge of dinner. I'll do breakfast, and most days I don't see you for lunch."

That was more of the daily routine aspect. Buck made her seperate out an area for general rules.

No lying. No hiding feelings, tears or thoughts. Answer verbally when spoken to. There were a few more, but he was trying to simplify it as much as possible.

"I also want you to keep a journal or something for me to look over at the end of the day. I know I am not always here, and I want to be able to know what you are feeling."

"Okay," she nodded. "What do you want to be called? And what about sex?"

He rubbed her back, proud she was opening up about topics that may be sensitive or embarrassing. It was pleasing to know that she was comfortable enough to do so.

"I called Dave sir," she admitted, a sad whisper and he kissed her cheek.

"Thank you for telling me, honey. I don't care what you want to call me as long as it's respectful. Even if it's just Buck, I am more than okay with that." She curled closer, stretching her head to rest in the crook of his neck and shoulder. He pulled the blanket higher around her waist.

Mila had never considered sex for a moment, but she could feel the butterflies with Buck, and she could feel an attraction she had never felt before.

"As for sex, let's leave it off for now. We can make rules for it later, but we won't need it for our trial week. However, that does not mean I don't want to know if you need me or my help, okay? If you're too embarrassed to ask, you can write it down."

He knew it was unconventional. A dom/sub relationship tended to be more focused on sexual aspects and incorporating it into lifestyle. But, he knew Mila was still adapting, and there was no rush to pile things on.

She wrote it down, admiring the pretty list.

"Punishments next. It will probably be restrictive, like taking away TV or something of the sort. It can also be timeout."

She blushed deeply, "I wrote down spanking."

"Okay," he agreed. "Stoplight for safe words?"

"Yes," she agreed. She finished writing the punishments and then drew a little stoplight. "All done."

"Great job," he smiled. "Let's hang it somewhere we can see it."