Chapter Text
Oliver almost couldn’t believe this was happening. The past few days had been a whirlwind of shifting expectations, unravelling all of his assumptions and calling things he’d always taken for granted into question. He wasn’t sure if he’d passed through the storm, mostly unscathed, or if this was just the lull of the eye and everything would be up in the air again momentarily. He hoped, though, oh how he hoped that they were finally moving in the right direction.
He was ninety-nine percent sure they were heading back to the motel to fuck and his body was so very ready for this. His desire was simmering at a fever pitch, his skin felt hot and tight, and his senses were in overdrive. It was a good thing Cooper didn’t seem to want to talk right now, since Oliver wasn’t sure he’d be able to manage much more than grunting. He wanted Cooper so badly; had wanted him since the first moment he’d seen him, rumpled and coffee stained and reeking of greasy breakfast sandwich.
His instincts had immediately identified Cooper as safe. Oliver didn’t like to admit it, even to himself, but Cooper had felt more than safe. He’d felt like pack and Oliver had waited so long to have that again. He thought wryly of how lovely life would have been if he’d been able to trust that feeling, to trust himself. The combination of his family’s betrayal and the evidence the Trust had gathered against Cooper had served to douse those feelings in ice water, leaving him anxious and doubting. He’d been so ashamed that part of him had still wanted Cooper when it seemed he was the evil mastermind behind the rising toll of wolves missing-and-presumed dead.
Thankfully, he’d been able to deduce early on that there was no way that Cooper was the BSI unsub, neither on his own nor in conjunction with Jefferson. He’d worried at first that his attraction had biased him but his conviction had only grown as he’d observed the way Cooper investigated the case. Oliver had assumed that he would attempt to arrest the first wolf they came across and leave it at that. He’d been prepared to fight, quite literally tooth and nail, against any unjust treatment of wolves but Cooper just kept surprising him. He had clearly been fed some stereotypical bullshit but, more and more, he was leaving that behind. In fact, he seemed genuinely interested in getting at the truth of what was going on, even if it meant the evidence wasn’t pointing to a big bad wolf.
Not surprisingly, the problem with removing Cooper from the pool of suspects was that now Oliver’s growing feelings were becoming harder and harder to ignore. He longed for the chance to show Cooper how well they’d mesh as partners in ways beyond the professional. Every time he thought he was making headway, though, Cooper shut him out or, worse, shut him down. He seemed determined to pretend he wasn’t interested. Oliver didn’t know what, exactly, was holding Cooper back but there was a long list of potential reasons and their professional relationship was likely right at the top.
Oliver, on the other hand, felt none of the human qualms about mixing professional and personal relationships, especially as he couldn’t shake his initial sense that Cooper was pack. Clearing Cooper as a suspect may have shown that his instincts were still sharp but he was beginning to doubt his ability to interpret Cooper’s scent and body language. Whenever Oliver expressed concern or a wish to support Cooper, he lashed out.
Initially, Oliver had chalked it up to some bullshit toxic masculinity posturing and, though there was definitely an element of that, he thought he’d started to see past that. He could tell that Cooper was terrified of being vulnerable. He refused to admit any weakness, as though he was determined to prove himself to any and everyone. Oliver wanted to show him he truly admired his strength and fortitude, at least when he wasn’t on the verge of throttling the stubborn, prickly asshole. Maybe the problem was that he was projecting his own desperate need for a deeper connection onto Cooper.
Cooper seemed so determined to prove himself on this case. Even before the conversation at dinner, Oliver had known the case, and the lack of solid leads, was wearing on Cooper. He also didn’t seem to be eating or sleeping properly. They were under so much pressure to make this work and tonight had only reinforced just how little progress they’d made, at least in terms of gathering evidence on the wolf killings in Florence.
Oliver had taken him out in the hopes of getting him to relax and ensuring he ate a full meal. Those aspects of the venture had been a success, at least, but that only underlined the fact that Cooper needed to take better care of himself. The dark circles under his eyes had only gotten worse as time passed and he still had a haunted look in his eyes when Oliver managed to catch him unawares.
Not for the first time, he wished Cooper would let him in. They’d been working so well together and he clearly trusted Oliver with his physical self. He sent up a quick prayer of thanks that Cooper had called to him when he’d fallen. The thought of Cooper stuck in that crevice... His hackles rose and a low growl escaped before he could stop it. When he found out who had untied that rope—well, he hoped there wasn’t anyone around at that moment who would expect him to follow human laws.
Thoughts of Cooper in the crevice inevitably led him to thoughts of what had happened afterward. Of Cooper locking their gazes together and kissing Oliver’s hand. He shivered, remembering the feel of Cooper’s soft, hot tongue against his skin. He had to hope there would be many more opportunities to discover what else Cooper liked to do with his tongue.
He was still confused about what had happened after that kiss. Once again, Cooper had withdrawn into himself and shut Oliver out and it had hurt. It hadn’t been the first time, and likely wouldn’t be the last, that Cooper had pulled back but something about that kiss had changed things for Oliver. It had brought his own suppressed yearnings to the surface and he hadn’t been able to tamp them back into place. Even though Cooper had attempted to reopen dialogue, Oliver hadn’t been able to push past the pain of disappointment and focus on the case.
The back and forth had been driving him mad. There wasn’t any question that Cooper wanted to fuck him, that much at least Oliver was sure of. Well, as sure as he could be about anything where Cooper was concerned. He knew that, much like Oliver himself, Cooper had felt this attraction since that first awkward meeting on the metro. He knew that Cooper had continued to want him, despite the fact that Oliver was a wolf. At least, he hoped it was despite the wolf.
Part of him fretted that, perhaps, Cooper wanted him because he was a wolf, that he got off on the idea in an awful fetishising sort of way. Oliver’s gut was telling him Cooper’s attraction was to him and not just to his wolf. Maybe he just wanted to convince himself that Cooper’s raw desire had a more palatable form.
Then again, what else would explain the thrill he’d sensed from Cooper when he’d mentioned his pre-Trust life? He hadn’t missed the tell-tale scent of arousal, nor the way Cooper had shifted in his seat to hide his erection. Whereas when they’d discussed the pain and inconvenience of shifting, Cooper’s excitement had been the wonder and curiosity of a kid in a magic shop. He clearly wanted to know more—he eagerly soaked up every meagre tidbit of information Oliver doled out—but he hadn’t been aroused. Scents didn’t lie the way words and body language could.
Speaking of scents, Oliver’s eyes lost focus as he was hit with another wave of Cooper’s arousal. He swallowed and rolled his window down a crack. Normally, he hated having any windows down while he drove. He couldn’t stand the cacophony and the pressure. Tonight, however, the air felt good on his face, clean and cool, and helped clear his head a bit. He only just managed to refrain from sticking his nose out into the night air. Cooper seemed to be unpacking his initial issues with wolves but it was definitely a work in progress and he didn’t want to do anything that might call his humanity into question.
The attraction sizzled between them and Oliver rolled the window down even further. He needed to keep his head and he couldn’t do that surrounded by the overwhelming scent of Cooper’s arousal. If this kept up, Oliver wasn’t sure he’d be able to get them back to the motel without pouncing on Cooper which, he reminded himself sternly, wasn’t a good idea considering Cooper’s earlier injuries.
Part of him felt like it was inevitable, they’d been moving toward this moment since that first meeting on the metro but the circumstances had never been quite right until tonight. Well, he hoped they were right. He couldn’t ignore the anxious voice in his head telling him Cooper was probably going to flip flop once more. If precedent was anything to go by, by the time they got back to the motel, Cooper would be back to pushing him away.
Which was fine. If Cooper changed his mind, Oliver would manage. It wasn’t like he didn’t have his own internal battle waging about this and it certainly wouldn’t be the first time he’d had to take himself in hand during this case.
He felt a fond smile began to play at the corners of his lips and Oliver glanced over to see Cooper staring out the window, his leg bouncing frenetically. Actually, his whole body was practically vibrating with energy and Oliver felt his heart thumping in time.
With Cooper’s attention elsewhere, Oliver allowed his smile to sneak out and his gaze to linger a moment. He loved looking at Cooper. Every time Cooper caught him at it, his hackles seemed to go up. It baffled Oliver that someone so obviously desperate for a connection, for a chance to care and be cared for, was so hell-bent on denying himself—on denying them.
They really were a ridiculous pair, both of them clearly Schrödinger’s desire. The trouble was that Oliver knew why he felt conflicted but the reasons behind Cooper’s changeable temper were as yet unclear. If he could just figure out how to get Cooper to let down his emotional guard, he knew he could convince him they could have a real future.
Then again, he wasn’t exactly offering up himself as an open book. He felt a momentary twinge of guilt that Cooper didn’t seem to suspect that there was more than one investigation going on and squashed it ruthlessly. The Trust’s evidence had pointed directly at Cooper and they’d all learned the hard way that humans were deadlier than they appeared, especially when driven by fear.
He’d known that Cooper had been attacked by a werewolf but it had still been a shock to feel the extent of the ropey strands of scar tissue on Cooper’s belly. The sight of them had been even harder to take and he’d been forced to concede that Cooper might have had good reason to be afraid of wolves. Those scars troubled Oliver. Symer had been the wolf who’d attacked Cooper and the first missing wolf they could link to the BSI. Cooper may not be the unsub but he was definitely connected and Oliver needed to understand how.
He pulled into the parking lot and turned off the ignition. Cooper’s leg stopped its twitching as he sat up. He blinked slowly and turned a heavy-lidded gaze on Oliver, his lust palpable. Suddenly Oliver’s need for more information about Cooper’s past felt momentarily irrelevant. All his musings about what Cooper wanted beyond sex had become distant and immaterial. They got out of the car and walked up to Cooper’s door, heat crackling between them.
Oliver waited for Cooper to say something, do something, to indicate what he wanted but there was nothing forthcoming. Alright. Maybe this wasn’t going to happen tonight. He tried unsuccessfully to resign himself to the fact that it might never happen. Well, he didn’t have to let go of the idea just yet. He would have plenty of time to get used to it once they figured out what was going on in Florence and he was back to his main objective of finding the unsub within the BSI.
However much he was willing to back off on the sex, though, someone had tried to kill Cooper today and he couldn’t just leave without making sure he felt safe.
“Do you think you’re in danger?” he asked.
Cooper looked at him blankly, then at the door. “The lock looks untouched,” he replied. He fumbled out his key, wobbling more than Oliver liked, and opened his door, clearly planning to go right on inside.
Oliver stopped him. “Wait here,” he ordered. He checked the room over carefully but there didn’t seem to be anyone inside and he wasn’t picking up any new scents. He reluctantly headed back outside to Cooper. “All clear.”
Cooper nodded. “Good.”
Oliver waited for another moment, unable to entirely suppress the hope that Cooper still wanted him, that Cooper would invite him in.
“Well,” he said, trying not to let his disappointment show. “Goodnight, Dayton.
“Wait,” Cooper said.
Oliver paused. Cooper probably just wanted to coordinate schedules for tomorrow or something. There was something about his tone, however, that had Oliver waiting on a razor edge to hear whatever he said next.
“Aren’t you going to check under the bed?”
Oliver raised his gaze to Cooper’s, trying to decipher what was happening. Did he mean ... ? Cooper looked back at him, pupils blown wide with desire, the scent of his desire coming off him in waves once more, and that was all the confirmation Oliver needed. He grabbed a hold of Cooper, got him inside the room, got the door closed, and Cooper up against it. There was less than an inch between them, Cooper’s lips were so close and Oliver wanted nothing more than to finally taste them. He needed Cooper to give him something first; something that made his consent as clear as his desire. He couldn’t stop his hips from rocking forward into Cooper’s without his conscious intention but he managed to hold himself back from anything more.
If Cooper would only let him, he was going to take such good care of him, he was going to show him just how good this could be between them. He was more than willing to take control, to give Cooper what they both so desperately needed, what he knew Cooper would struggle to articulate, but he needed to be sure.
Just when he thought he might combust with unrequited need, Cooper grabbed him by the back of the head and brought their lips together in a hot kiss. It wasn’t quite the verbal assurance Oliver wanted but it was easy enough to forget that in the feel of Cooper’s mouth. Maybe Cooper wouldn’t give him everything but, tonight at least, he was giving Oliver this and Oliver accepted it gladly.