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“No. I want this, want you. But I’ve never… Guardians don’t have sex unless we have mates. I don’t…you know.” Rook was doing his best not to be embarrassed. “I don’t have extensive experience to draw from, beyond what I’ve seen...in films and television and things like that,” he added in a rush in case Ethan thought he was some sort of pervert spying in people’s windows to see what they did at night.

“I’m not that experienced either.” Ethan’s mouth curved slightly. “We’ll figure this out together with a combination of deductive reasoning and clear communication. Yes?”

Only Ethan could make bonding sound like an experiment, but Rook knew that was just another way his mate kept himself safe. He closed the distance between them, raising one hand slowly, giving Ethan time to retreat. When he didn’t, Rook cupped his jaw.

“Tell me if anything feels wrong. Physically, emotionally, any of it. Promise me, please.”

“I promise.” Ethan leaned into the touch, and Rook’s shadows surged forward, wrapping around him in eager spirals.

Rook kissed him slowly, taking his time, tasting the focaccia and coffee on Ethan’s lips. Ethan made a soft sound, his hands coming up to grip Rook’s shoulders, while the shadows vibrated with satisfaction.

“Clothes,” Rook managed after a long moment. “Need them off.”

Ethan pulled back, his fingers already working his shirt buttons one after the other. Rook stripped faster, desperate for skin-to-skin contact, and his shadows helped - sliding under fabric, easing cloth away from flesh. When Ethan stood naked, the shadows immediately poured over him, exploring and mapping every inch of exposed skin.

Ethan gasped, eyes flying wide. “That’s…”

“Too much?” Although Rook doubted his ability to hold them back now that his shadows could finally explore.

“No, nothing like that. It’s strange, and warm, a bit like being submerged in bathwater.” Ethan’s hands rose, catching shadow-tendrils that were wrapped around his wrists and fingers. “They’re more substantial than before.”

“They’re trying to learn you.” Rook guided him toward the bed, making sure Ethan was comfortable before following him down. “They’ll want to know exactly how to touch you.”

From Rook’s perspective, it seemed like his shadows were going on a crash course as they caressed every inch of Ethan’s body. Ethan relaxed against the mattress as the shadows started to move him, so they could reach around his side and back. Rook kissed Ethan again until his mate was crying out and then moved down Ethan’s body, sucking his nipples, his belly button, and finally sucking Ethan’s firm cock into his mouth.

The taste of his mate had Rook closing his eyes so he could savor it, but he just as quickly opened them again, keen to watch Ethan’s face. His mate was moaning, not in pain but in pleasure, and Rook sucked harder, bobbing his head up and down, making sure his teeth stayed away from the sensitive skin.

The shadows had moved around to Ethan’s ass, stroking and gently probing over the butt cheeks. Ethan moaned again, rolling to one side, his knee almost clocking Rook in the eye, and Rook drew back.

“Lube,” Ethan muttered, tossing his head from side to side.

“Don’t need it, I promise,” Rook said, sucking his mate’s cock back into his mouth as his shadows coaxed those butt cheeks open and pressed inside.

“Rook?” Ethan’s voice rose.

“I know. They’re preparing you.” Moving up Ethan’s body, Rook kissed him again, swallowing Ethan’s broken sounds. “They’ll make sure this absolutely won’t hurt.”

The shadows worked patiently, stretching and slicking until Ethan was shaking, pressing down against them, silently begging for more. Only then did Rook position himself, his shadows holding the base of his cock as he pressed slowly inside. There was absolutely no resistance, but Ethan cried out. Rook stopped immediately, but the moment he did, Ethan was shaking his head. “I need you to move.”

Nine hundred years, and Rook had never felt a body around his cock before. Sure…there might have been a bit of shadow experimenting, back when he was a lot younger, but the feel of Ethan’s warmth around his cock, the sweet moans Ethan made as he was lost in his pleasure…even the small beads of sweat on Ethan’s flushed face were so sexy Rook wanted to roar loud enough to rattle the ceiling.

And the shadows hadn’t stopped moving either, surrounding them both, caressing and teasing as they slid over sweat-slicked skin. When Rook moved, they moved with him, amplifying every sensation until Ethan was gasping, moaning, and groaning in a constant stream.

Rook could feel his orgasm fast approaching, sensing Ethan’s as well, and it seemed the shadows knew too. They began to sink, slowly but very deliberately under Ethan’s skin, merging with blood, bone, and Ethan’s racing heart. Ethan’s eyes went wide, his pupils blown black, and Rook felt the exact moment the last part of their bond snapped fully into place.

Fierce protectiveness crashed through him, followed by desperate love, bone-deep terror of losing his person, and hunger…so much hunger, not for food or violence but for Ethan - his laugh, his honesty, and the way he made the world a better place just by breathing.

And beneath it all, Ethan’s emotions flooded back: fear and fascination, trust layered over vulnerability, desire mixed with the relief stemming from the idea that someone finally saw him and didn’t turn away.

“Rook.” Ethan’s voice shook. “I can feel everything. You’re…”

“Yours.” Rook kissed him as he moved faster, the shadows still working beneath the skin. “Always. Mine. Forever.”

On that last word, Ethan came apart, the shadows blazing beneath his skin, and Rook’s orgasm hit him at the same time. Suddenly Rook could feel Ethan’s heartbeat like a second pulse in his chest, steady, real, and very much alive.

“Oh, my gods, oh, my gods.” Ethan’s eyes were wide, his nostrils flaring, his mouth half open as he stared up at Rook. “That was...”

“Yeah.” Rook was feeling a bit the same, and he had no idea what he was looking like in that moment, but it probably wasn’t a hundred percent human. Ethan didn’t seem to care, his hands were there, pressing against Rook’s chest, right over his heart.