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“You still with me sweetheart?” Milo asked, voice soft and hushed while fingers lazily curling a piece of hair at the nape of his partner's neck. A noncommittal hum was all he got in lieu of an answer, their head not moving from where it had been laying on his chest for the better part of an hour.
The pack had taken a trip to a set of cabins at the base of a mountain, secluded and peaceful. The nearby river made its presence known, the running water melding with the rustling of leaves playing a quiet symphony for the couple. In the distance they could hear the laughter of the other pack members, far off and faint, but no less comforting
.
Crickets chirped in the distance, signaling that the warm summer sun would likely be gone soon, leaving the moon high in the sky as their only light source. For a moment Milo considered moving inside, not wanting to traverse the walkway back to the cabin in the dark. Still, after one look at his partner, their chest slowly rising and falling, he decided that another hour in the hammock wouldn't be the end of the world.
They found the hammock the day before by coincidence, having gone out for a walk and seen Asher and his mate using it as a makeshift swing. When it flipped them both and left them sprawled on the dirt beneath, Milo wasted no time in making sure that the Beta was well aware that he would not let the other live it down.
When the sun rose the next morning, it was mentioned that the hammock, secluded and serene, would likely be empty today, the only other pair that was aware of it unlikely to return in favor of alternate amenities they could explore.
After a small lunch with a handful of the pack members, the couple made their way up, nestling comfortably in the cotton, limbs tangling together. As the day went on, enthusiastic conversations turned into placid touches, which in turn became comfortable silence, until Milo noticed part way into a novel that his companion had dozed off, small snores audible and brow long since unfurrowed. The shifter took in the sight with reverence, his heart filled with only bliss as he let his mate sleep, aware of the trust that they instilled in him for them to rest like this.
“ ‘s gettin’ dark,” they said after a time, an observation more than a suggestion to get up. They could feel Milo’s chest rumble with a low chuckle, the hand in their hair now gently scratching their scalp.
“Yeah, the mosquitos’ll be out soon,” Milo noted in response, earning a groan from Sweetheart. They pulled the blanket over their shoulders, maneuvering it so it covered both of them, having fallen earlier in the day.
“Can’t get us through the blanket,” Sweetheart chuckled, a proud look on their face as they stared up at Milo, chin resting comfortably on his chest.
“A real MacGyver you are,” Milo teased, his eyes beaming with fondness as they scrunched their nose in feign offense. A gentle kiss to their forehead washed their face of the tension, laying back down with an overdramatic huff for good measure.
He watched the sun set behind the trees, the sky putting on its technicolor show from blues to pinks to red, until the slightest bit of orange highlighted the leaves. The slightest hint of a bonfire was visible down the hill, Angel and Babe’s laughs present alongside it, echoing throughout the valley alongside the crickets. The temperature drop had become notable, as the sunlight faded, so did its warmth. The shifter gently pulled the blanket up to cover the both of them adequately, letting it provide comfort until the cool summer air seeped through, not enough to keep it at bay as the stars began to blink awake above them.
“We should probably go inside,” Milo started, eyes blinking slowly as he lazily drew figures on Sweetheart’s back, “David'll give us hell about catching a cold if we sleep out here.”
“Mmm only if he finds us,” Sweetheart argued, the statement dripping with sarcasm that caused Milo to bark with laughter.
“Yeah sure smartass, and when he’s here to lecture us, you gonna be the one to tell him that?” he rebutted through his laughter, the hammock rocking as Sweetheart moved to lie on their back, facing the night sky. A small pout turned quickly into a smirk as they leaned up to place a soft peck to their partner’s lips.
“Find the Big Dipper with me?” Sweetheart asked after a moment, voice docile as they made themselves comfortable in Milo’s side, his arm draped around their shoulder, fingers now drawing figure eights faintly on their bicep.
“Yeah yeah, change the subject, that’ll work for now,” Milo whispered, pressing a kiss to the crown of his mate’s head as they searched for a familiar series of stars.
Idly, they made their way through the sky together, constellation names muttered between chaste kisses until their shared knowledge of the night sky had been exhausted. The temperature had dropped significantly now that the last of the sunlight had left the sky, but neither paid it any mind as they stubbornly fought to name the last collection of stars.
“Serpens,”
“Lacerta!”
“Delphinus,”
“Hmmm, Betelgeuse,” Sweetheart murmured against Milo’s lips, who in return recoiled, putting a hand quickly over their mouth.
“Nope, doesn’t count. That’s a singular star, sweet cheeks, not a constellation.” the shifter explained, squishing the other’s cheeks as they whined into his hand.
“I would argue that it’s a part of a constellation, so it does count,” they refuted, leaning into his hand as they both snickered, the sound filled with comfort and adoration rather than scorn.
"If we count stars as well we really are going to be out here until the morning, and I dont know about you, but a warm bed sounds preferable to a cold hammock." Milo posited, the other humming in acknowledgment.
"Sounds like someone's being a sore loser," Sweetheart mumbled under their breath, face begging for Milo to bite back at them
"You really are a shit starter, you know that?" Milo sighed, exasperated as he sat up in the hammock, Sweetheart following his lead to gather their things.
The stealth only grinned in response, folding the blanket in their lap as their mate stood up, hand outstretched to help them down. He was well aware that they were the last person to need help, but he knew this level of gallantry made them especially fond.
The walk back to the cabin was filled with stolen kisses and languid touches, affection dripping in each action as they entered the now soundless cabin. The host of the day's laughter and joy now sat soundless, still as warm and welcoming as it had been prior.
The pair found their way to their shared room, falling into a familiar routine filled with innocent touches and kisses pressed gingerly to foreheads and shoulders, a dance they had long since perfected. When Sweetheart was the first to climb into their bed, they held a hand out for Milo, mirroring the gesture from earlier, as he slipped under the covers beside them. They slotted together perfectly, hands resting on waists, and heads on chests as the duo felt their eyelids grow heavy with exhaustion.
“Thank you for today sweetheart,” Milo started, voice low and subdued, “thank you for spending time with me like that, for just letting us exist with each other for a while. I know we don’t get to do this often, what with our jobs both running us ragged, so it means a lot when we do get to chill out for a bit.”
“Sap,” Sweetheart muttered, the word dripping with honey rather than venom.
“I love you,” they continued without pause, letting themself sink further into their mate’s hold, relaxation washing over the both of them.
“Love you too sweetheart.” the shifter responded, weariness present as they nodded off together, feeling nothing but warmth and safety in each other’s arms.