Weston
Morning camebefore I had even realized I'd fallen asleep. It took me a moment to notice that it wasn't just me, but we.
Nishiki was lying on my chest, his head resting on my pec while his hair draped around us.
The memories of the previous night came to me in a slow wave. I sucked in a soft breath. I sorted through the memories, analysing them to make sure that they were real and not a dream. But Nishiki's sleeping form on me seemed to be evidence enough.
I felt my skin heat up a few degrees. My heat was not yet over, but the intimacy I shared with Nishiki seemed to have sated it for now. In the back of my mind, though, was the intense yearning for his knot. That wouldn't go away until it happened in real life or until my heat ended.
I was going to have to wait. With my head a few degrees clearer, our previous task took priority. We couldn't laze around here on the forest floor all day, as much as I would have liked that. Despite wanting to spend as much time with Nishiki as possible, I knew I couldn't keep him away from his family. It wasn't fair to them that I had snatched him away. They were probably worried sick.
The guilt made me stand up, though I was careful not to jostle Nishiki too much. He made an adorable little sleepy sound as he woke, blinking up at me.
"Morning," he mumbled. "You're still here?"
My heart broke. Was he so used to people disappearing the next morning?
"Of course I am," I told him.
And I always would be, if you let me.
I offered a hand to help him up. He got up on shaky legs, then yawned and stretched before combing his fingers through his hair. I smiled at the obviously instinctual habit.
"Do you not have a real comb?" I asked.
Nishiki's lower lip stuck out in a slight pout, showing that he was self-conscious. "Not anymore. When me and Nero left human civilization to look for our mother, we didn't bring that many possessions with us. One of mine was a comb, but combs are one of those things that are so easy to lose, you know?"
I grinned and ran a hand over my smooth head. "Not really. I've never had that problem."
Nishiki blushed, then let out a little laugh. "Maybe that's a good thing. Hair only seems to cause problems."
Without thinking, I reached out a hand, wanting to touch a strand of his golden locks. I stopped myself at the very last second when I realized it might've been inappropriate. But Nishiki just smiled and took my hand, bringing it over that last span of space. His hair was a silky curtain around my fingers, cascading through them like water.
"Just so you know, I wouldn't let anyone else do this," he said.
It was said with a hint of amusement, but I could tell he was one-hundred percent serious. He said as much before when we were untangling his hair. My heart beat a little faster.
A mischievous streak got into me and I asked, "You're saying I'm special, then?"
Something sparkled in Nishiki's eyes. "Maybe." He bit his lip. "No, you definitely are."
I became aware of how close we were standing together.
My chest grew tighter as my heartbeat quickened. It didn't seem to matter what we had done the previous night. This was still new, still foreign and novel, still the most exciting proximity I had ever had to somebody. And I didn't think it was just because of my heat. No other alpha had inspired this particular thrum of joy in me before.
I felt my body reacting to Nishiki's physical presence. I forced myself to take a step back and remove my hand from his silky hair. There would be opportunities to do that again later. I hoped.
"We should get moving," I said. "That lake isn't going to pick itself up and find us."
"Oh, right." Nishiki nodded, almost as if he had forgotten about that. There was a distracted look in his eyes. "Okay, Weston, lead the way."
I recalled the lay of the land during my earlier scouting. As a bird shifter, it was natural to me to create an accurate natural map of the surrounding area in my mind from only a single glance. The route to the lake didn't seem too difficult. There were no mountains cutting through it like there were on the return to the canyon.
As if reading my mind, Nishiki laughed and said, "Things would've been a lot easier if I were a mouse shifter or something, huh? That way you could have just flown and carried me there."
I quirked an eyebrow at him. "That's true, but I can't imagine you as a mouse shifter at all."
"Neither can I." He shuddered. "That seems even more dangerous than being a fish. Everything in the whole world is trying to eat you."
