“Can I... May I touch your face?”
Doc’s breath froze in his lungs.
“You don’t have to let me,” Ottis said quickly. “It’s just a thought. I just... Maybe if you’re comfortable with it at some point, maybe we can talk about it then.”
But it was exactly like Ottis said, wasn’t it? The fact that Ottis was giving him this choice, this courtesy... It changed things.
Doc swallowed past the tightness in his throat. He had to swallow again, his heart suddenly racing.
He tried not to think about all the omegas who had taken one look at him and walked away. “Y-yeah,” he croaked, more nervous than he had been in a long time. “You may.”
Ottis touched his chest first. He pressed his small hand over Doc’s heart, where it thundered between them. Then Ottis leaned in, his lips brushing Doc’s collarbone. Slowly, his hand crept up Doc’s chest to his throat, then higher, to his jaw.
The kraken had cost Doc most of the nerve endings in the lower half of his face. Whenever something touched him there, he felt it as a muffled pressure. Now, as thin fingers skimmed along his jaw and smoothed over his cheek, Doc held his breath.
“Huh,” Ottis whispered, sliding his fingers gently back and forth, over the horrific scars. “They’re just... bumpy. Like mine.”
“You don’t have to look at yours,” Doc said dryly.
“This is a part of you. In fact, you shouldn’t be judged on them at all. You got these from saving a village,” Ottis said, his voice growing stronger and more indignant. “You go on missions to save people. You’re agoodalpha.”
“And yet,” Doc said, his pulse stuttering.
“Those omegas missed out.” Ottis pushed lightly until Doc rolled over onto his back. Then he climbed onto Doc; his hands returned to Doc’s face.
Instead of lingering on the scars, Ottis swept his thumbs up, caressing the unblemished parts of Doc’s cheeks. He carefully stroked Doc’s eyelashes, then followed the ridge of his nose up to his eyebrows, gently tracing them. Ottis smoothed his fingers over Doc’s forehead, running them down the sides of his face, rubbing light circles over Doc’s scars.
Just when Doc thought Ottis might be done, Ottis brought his thumbs up to Doc’s lips, stroking them from one corner to the other.
“Your mouth is so soft,” Ottis whispered.
Doc grinned. He felt his lips stretch, Ottis’ fingers resting lightly on them. Ottis kept petting Doc’s mouth, back and forth like he was trying to map Doc’s smile.
This... This felt like care.
Doc’s heart stuttered again.
Careful not to scare Ottis away, he gently took Ottis’ hand and pressed Ottis’ fingertips to his lips, lightly kissing them.
Ottis’ heart stuttered too.
“You’re perfect,” Doc whispered, leaning up to nudge their faces together. He hesitated, then brushed a barely-there kiss to Ottis’ cheek.
Ottis’ breath hitched. “So are you.”
In the dark, while Ottis still couldn’t see him, Doc caught Ottis’ lips in a gentle kiss.
17
GIVE ME THE FACE-SUCK
Ottis’heart stopped. “You’re kissing me,” he blurted against Doc’s soft lips.
Doc froze, his warm breath puffing against Ottis’ skin. “Should I stop?”
“No!” Ottis yelled. And winced, because that was definitely too loud. “I want the face-suck. Give me the face-suck!”
The words settled between them like heavy stones.
