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The sun shone down through the forest, a breeze jostled the treetops, sending small flocks of birds into the wide, blue sky. Beneath the summer bright canopy, the air was alive with birdsong, whistles interrupted trills and birds chased each other on colorful wings. On the forest floor, sunlight painted warm, dappled mosaics on the leaf litter and undergrowth.
In a grassy clear, a pink-haired man was crouched on the ground, a pair of binoculars firmly affixed to his face observing the surrounding hubbub. Birds vied for prime nesting branches, bristling at each other. The man was not alone, there was another, with dark hair and darker wings sprouting from his bare back. He was leaned back on his hands, taloned feet stretched out in front of him, twirling a stalk of long grass between his lips; lounging in the filtered sunlight. He was clearly less amused by the chirping and fluttering of the forest's inhabitants.
Raven stretched his wings, relishing the wind ruffling his feathers. Everything smelled fresh and wild here, far from the smog of the city that bore down on him, dulling the shine of his feathers. In the shade, the grass was still crowned with morning dew. Bursts of wildflowers clustered in sunny spots, dotting the clearing with white and purple and blue. Further away, Raven could smell the rich soil that had been turned by the recent rain. Everything was untamed, resonating together, he took a deep breath, eyes closing in appreciation.
Harley had insisted on bringing Raven out to birdwatch, although Raven wasn’t doing much watching with his eyes closed. At the very least he seemed happier, relaxed even, the troublesome wrinkle between his brow smoothed away. He seemed close to dozing off in the sunshine. With a pleased, private, smile Harley turned back to the territory dispute he’d been distantly refereeing.
As peaceful as the morning was, Raven had quickly grown bored of it. He was bad at relaxing. Not doing anything made him antsy, with a huff he pushed himself up, looking at Harley-- who was still focused on the other birds fluttering around the clearing.
Every minute movement Harley made, each quiet gasp, pricked Raven’s ears. For all his talk of being a masterful archer and how that takes physical control, it didn’t seem like Harley was any better than him at sitting still. The brush of Harley’s jacket against his shirt drew Raven’s attention. Lazily sliding his gaze over to the rosy raccoon, Raven watch him reach blindly for the bird book he’d brought along; unwilling to tear his attention away from whatever avian drama that had captured his attention.
Harley was pawing blindly for his pocket field guide to identify the striking violet bird that had inserted itself into the wren and finch nesting dispute. The grass was soft under his hand, as he ran his palm above the ground beside him.
Just as he felt the cool corner of the book, his magnified vision was jostled by a warm body invading his space.
Harley landed on his back, Raven looming over him, one arm planted on the ground near his shoulder, the other bent in front of Raven's face to shade him and Harley from the sun. Raven's eyes were locked on his, blinking slowly.
Harley's grip on his binoculars tightened. A dove cooed from the otherwise quiet forest.
"Raven?" Harley asked, voice low to keep from further disturbing the birds.
"This is boring."
Raven had become more willful about his likes and dislikes. Only about thirty percent of the time that resulted in Harley pinned to something under Raven. Harley cleared his throat, feeling exposed despite being physically hidden by Raven's wings.
"We can leave in a while," Harley tried sounding assertive despite their compromising position.
Raven frowned, but sat back enough for Harley to slide out from under him and sit up.
"Just a little bit longer," Harley said.
Raven arched his brow, having mastered the incredulous 'sure you do' look he learned from Harley's friends.
"I promise."
With a huff, Raven slumped down into Harley's lap, turning his face into Harley's thigh. His wings went slack, protecting him and Harley from the cool breeze swirling through the clearing as his arms found their place looped around Harley's waist; keeping him close without holding him in place.
"Oh," Harley whispered, startled by the jolt in his stomach from Raven's arms settling around him so naturally. Raven grunted quietly in response, nuzzling into Harley's leg with his eyes closed. For a moment, Harley was paralyzed, not wanting to disturb Raven just as he settled down. The cool breeze from the nearby lake stirred the wild grasses and the short downy black feathers between Raven’s relaxed wings. Holding his breath, Harley sunk his fingers into the soft feather there, feeling the heat of Raven’s body underneath them.
A low, agreeable noise rumbled out of Raven’s chest as he sighed against Harley’s thigh. Harley’s heart jumped in his chest at the sound, forcing himself to choke back a cooing response. This was a moment he didn’t dare ruin, if he could he would have bottled it, keeping it safe forever.
Harley was tense beneath Raven’s body. The raccoon’s body heat and familiar scent were lulling Raven into an easy sleep. Despite himself, Raven couldn’t help the contented purr in his throat. Everything was peaceful, they were in no danger, the air was clean and clear. The forest was alive around them, and Harley was safely within arms reach. Raven began to drift off to Harley’s gentle hand smoothing through his downy feathers.
As Raven’s breathing evened out and he leaned heavier on Harley’s legs the raccoon went back to watching the birds-- managing the binoculars as best he could with one hand-- the other hand running repetitively up and down between Raven’s wings, his feathers soft against his hand, smiling to himself at the way his low purr strengthened with each pass.