Liam was silent and as I looked up to see his face his lips pressed against mine. I didn’t register what was going on until he pulled back. “Do you think it really matters how long we’ve known each other? I’m going to be concerned after what you just told me because I care about you.”

I didn’t respond to the question, rather I intertwined my hand in his red curly hair to pull him down to kiss me again. I kept my hand behind his head and clutched his coat with the other. There was a moment where he seemed to be hesitant but he very quickly started to react. His lips melded against mine, taking lead. Since I wasn’t sure how to kiss, I could only copy his movements, so I was glad he took charge.

He went slow, unlike in the dream I had. His gentle lips against mine made it feel like I was kissing nothing but a cloud. I was desperate for more; to feel more of him against me. My hands tentatively found their way to his jacket zipper where I pulled it down halfway, just enough to slip my hands through and feel his muscles from under his sweater. Liam caressed my face with one of his gloved hands as I glided my hands across him. I took deep inhales of pine, mint, and a type of flower I still couldn’t put my finger on. My head went light and the feeling of being high on some drug overcame me. Warmth bloomed in my stomach from the combination of Liam’s scent and soft lips pressing ever so slightly against mine. Between him and the alcoholic beverage, I wasn’t sure which was making my previously cold cheeks red with heat.

He pulled back for a moment allowing me to stare into his mesmerizing ocean eyes. I was drowning in them, taking in this other side of him. Wondering what it would be like to experience him expressing his emotions towards me in such a passionate way daily. Curious to know if perhaps whatever was going on between us could go somewhere. Liam leaned forward and I closed my eyes once more preparing for his lips to be against mine. Instead, I felt him pepper kisses all over my face.

He went from my forehead and then to my cheeks giving both an ample amount of attention. I clutched his sweater tightly, relishing the feel of him against my skin. He went down my jawline and towards my neck. My eyes opened when I felt him kiss my Adam's apple with an open mouth. I swallowed harshly. The heat of his mouth against my neck was incredible. Liam’s teeth grazed over the area. I think I was anticipating more as I was left disheartened when he moved to the side of my neck. He breathed deeply against my skin and gave small pecks.

He rested his head on my shoulder and I leaned closer to him taking in the moment. Liam then pulled away to look into my half-lidded eyes with his kind, endearing ones. He captured my lips once more before stopping. “That was my first kiss, kisses I suppose” I breathed out in a hushed whisper, still not completely processing what happened. “Did I meet your expectations?”

“I… I never had any expectations. I never really thought about it before, but I really liked it. It felt right.” My actions just started to register and suddenly I felt slightly embarrassed. Liam rested against the tree. “I’m glad,” he smiled, brushing his hand against my reddened face.

“Do you want to go home or keep eating here?” Liam questioned. “We can stay here for a while longer. It’s not snowing and the sun is out.” I got the last bit of my food to eat and handed Liam’s his. It was silent for a few minutes especially since both of us were eating. “I told you about myself earlier, so can I ask a question?” Liam set down his drink. “Ask away,” he said looking out onto the lake. “What was your childhood like,” I questioned.

He seemed to take a moment to think. “Nothing special, my dad was always busy and my mom left us when I was young. Went off to marry a hybrid. Don’t really resent her for it, if she hadn’t she would’ve been shunned by everyone she knew.”

“Do you ever contact her?” Liam shook his head and put our trash into the basket we brought. “I’ve never spoken to her and I honestly don’t really remember what she looks like.” I didn’t know how to respond so I simply nodded. “What about you, before you were 12 I mean.” I smiled reminiscing of my childhood. “It was great. Didn’t have anything to complain about. My dad was pretty wealthy though after me he went for a more middle-class lifestyle. I never really questioned my existence even though most hybrids nowadays are conceived “naturally”. Dad just always explained that it didn’t matter because at the end of the day I was still his son. I guess looking back at it, he did break a lot of laws and he must’ve gone to the black market to make me.”

I noticed Liam’s change in facial expression at my bad choice of wording. “I mean… not “make” you know? I know I’m not some sort of robot but that’s the best word I can think of.” Liam didn’t respond and didn’t seem any changed by my equally poor explanation. “Anyways, I don’t know why he went through all that trouble when he could have adopted. He never told me but he was a good dad so I try not to think much about it. We used to plant together and he always tried to cook but was really shitty at it. I guess that’s why I’d like to learn.”

I breathed in deeply trying not to get emotional. Liam’s scent greatly helped. I knew that he knew what I was feeling but he chose not to comment on my emotional state which I was thankful for. “It sounds like you guys were really close,” was all he said. I nodded my head. “Obviously, he was the only other person I’d known up until he died.” There was a silence between us, one that was uncomfortable and not the slightest like the previous time. “I think I’m going to take a nap,” I spoke. The alcohol was making me tired and I just wanted to say anything to end the awkwardness. “Yeah go ahead.” I lied down on an open space of the blanket and tugged the hoodie of my coat over my head. I placed my head near Liam’s leg but I didn’t actually lay on him. “While you’re on bed rest I want you to write a bucket list.” My eyes were already closing but I responded in a tired voice. “Hmm, I could I guess. Why do you want me to?” Liam moved our basket to the side and pulled the rest of the blanket up around me. “I really don’t want to make it seem like you’re a charity case… but,” I rolled my eyes at the conjunction, “It doesn’t seem like you've gotten to experience a lot of things so maybe we could go on more dates doing things you’ve always wanted to do. I’d be more than happy to take you someplace special.”

“That’s considerate, just hope you realize you don’t need to make up for anything I went through. There are other people in the world who’ve had it worse than me. You really don’t have to go out of your way to do anything.” I heard him let out a sigh. “I know,” was all he replied with. I began letting myself relax again to sleep and eventually I found some peace.

Liam POV

Nickel seemed to fall asleep in about 15 minutes. I stared at his sleeping figure curled up near my leg. His tail was wrapped around his body, twitching every so often. His skin looked soft and his cheeks were red from the cold. I ungloved my hand to hover my fingers over the exposed skin. He didn’t stir so I gently stroked the back of my fingers against him. I smiled when I heard a low purr emit from him. Accompanied by his cherry and vanilla fragrance I was finding myself in a trance. I wished to kiss him on the cheek but knew that I couldn’t since he wasn’t awake to tell me if he was ok with it or not. I remained content with just stroking his cheek but eventually, my expression began to falter as I thought over his words more.

All I wanted to do was spoil him, especially after everything he said. I knew if I did though it would only overwhelm him and make him feel uncomfortable. Even when I thought I could bring up the idea of taking him out in a smooth fashion it seemed to still make him uneasy. He avoided being put in any vulnerable situation especially if it had something to do with his emotions.

When he kissed me, I was so surprised when he responded in such a way. I was sure that he would’ve been pissed afterward. That was a good sign though since he never subjected himself to anything of the sort. Then he even stepped more out of his comfort zone by resting in front of me. Nickel shifted in his sleep letting out a soft grumble. Begrudgingly I pulled my fingers away from his face and let him rest peacefully.

Almost an hour passed and Nickel was still sleeping soundly. I stood up and started gathering our things. “I should prepare dinner when we get back,” I thought out loud. Nickel was still deeply asleep so I decided to take our things home first then come back to get him and the blanket. I knew nothing bad would happen to him while I was gone but at the same time, I made sure to go and come back as quickly as possible.

Luckily he was still asleep when I returned so I scooped him up gently in my arms along with the blanket and carried him back to the house.

I got a fire going in the fireplace and laid him down on the couch. I unzipped his heavy jacket and lifted his body towards my own in order to remove it. After that, I laid his limp body back down then removed his boots. The blanket we had brought outside was wet from the snow so I went to put it in the hamper before getting a clean, dry one to wrap around Nickel. Once I was back downstairs I tucked him in on the couch with the blanket. His breath was even telling me he was still in a deep sleep. I leaned over to press my nose against his neck. Then, I got back up and went to the kitchen to start on dinner.

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