*Warning: Mature Content/Strong Language*

“You still have some behind your ear.”
He reached out. Danny quickly pushed his hand away as he laughed. It flicked water falling from the shower head across his face.
“Do not! You just wonna get me all bothered.”
He chuckled with him.
“No, I promise, there's some blood right…”
He rubbed the rim of his ear between his fingers. Danny's eyelids fluttered as the corner of his lip twitched. Seeing his instant arousal made him ache.
His ear jerked from his grasp.
“I fuckin' knew it! You liar!” Danny playfully pouted at him as water poured down his face.
He flashed a sly smirk at him. Grabbing shampoo, he went about trying to get the last bits dried blood out of his hair. They switched places. He could barely hear him leaving through the shower curtain as he rinsed his hair.
“See if I ever shower with you again.” He heard Danny mumble in empty threat as he turned the water off.
Pulling the shower curtain aside, he let himself watch Danny towel off. That body was so perfect. He loved every inch of it. Even after a long and taxing hunt, his body was chomping at the bits to have his
When Danny pulled the towel from his head, his hair was left in a ridiculous fluffy mess. It had him grinning.
Danny raised an eyebrow at him.
“What?” Danny asked, a grin appearing on his face.
He grabbed his towel, “Oh nothing, you're just looking gorgeous is all.”
Danny eyes narrowed as he spun on his heal. He quickly swiped a hand across the condensation on the mirror. He examined himself. His sharp laugh echoed in his ear as he put his hands on his hips.
“Fuck yeah I am! I'm a trend setter. Jealous much?” His tone had a happy snark to it.
That had him chuckling. Running the towel over his own chest, he stepped up to him. He placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. From the side of his face, he could see his grin turning into a wide smile.
Danny's mood had been bubbly since getting home. It was contiguous.
He knew it was because on their fourth hunt together, Danny'd finally been brave enough to step out of comfort zone. Just as he was a natural herder, so he was at crippling prey. Twelve straight hours of tracking didn't phase him. He saw the wild energy in his eyes when it was time to cut down the cow.
Danny was proud of himself. He could tell.
Dropping the towel to his feet, he stepped behind him. He let his fingers glide along the skin over the crests of hip bones. Pressed his lips into his imprint. Tongue happily traced the familiar raised scar. The weight of his body leaned back into him. He felt his fingers find and interlace with his as he encircled his arms around him.
The soap didn't hide the sweet he was exuding.
“You better go put that shirt out, cause you know once we start, it's an all-nighter. You won't want to do it later.” Danny's soft voice was had a heaviness to it.
He breathed a groan. He didn't want to wait.
Reluctantly he released him. Danny's eyes were droopy in arousal as he looked at him through the mirror. His lips were parted. Chest was fluttering.
“You can't say that, then give me that look.” He whispered in his ear.
“Don't make excuses.” Danny said through a breathy laugh.
Another kiss to his cheek. Feeling that snag in his chest, he straightened and stepped into the room. He rummaged around in a drawer for one of his old shirts.
“Don't use that fuckin' awful ‘tub 'n skin’ or whatever spray. It's offensive not only to my nose, but the world in general.” Danny called from the bathroom.
He snorted.
“What? You don't find yourself wanting to bask in…,” He paused to grab and look at the bottle, “…‘midnight moon flower’?”
“Fuck no. How women think that smells good is beyond me.”
“Your sense of smell is exponentially more sensitive than a human's.” He commented, scanning the top of his dresser for a different scent to use.
“Wolf or not, you'd have to be dead to think that stuff is remotely flattering.” Danny grumbled.
“Well, I think it'd be a flattering little nickname for that beautiful ass of yours.” He teased.
Danny stumbled into the bathroom doorway. Hair had been tamed. His eyes shoot a fiery glare at him.
“Don't you fuckin' dare.” He growled.
“You don't think it's romantic?”
“No!”
He grabbed his can of aerosol deodorant and went about spraying the shirt.
“We'll see if that tune changes tonight when I'm fucking you and whispering it in your ear.” He lightly replied.
He gave him a wicked smirk. Danny's jaw dropped.
“I'm top tonight!” Danny cried out.
“Don't you know how to take turns?” He chuckled.
“You made my ass sore yesterday!”
He kept the sly grin as he walked across the room. He jumped into a run when Danny starting coming after him. At the bottom steps he felt fingers snatch his wrist. He was jerked and pulled into an embrace. Smiling but still serious eyes stared back at him.
“I'm top tonight and you know it.” Danny's growl had dominance in it.
He pressed a kiss into his lips.
“I do know it, I just like teasing you.” He said in quiet affection.
The heat left his eyes after he kissed him again.
“Don't take too long, okay?” His voice was longing.
“Gonna miss me too much?” He nibbled his lower lip.
“Oh shut up…” Danny quietly laughed.
One last kiss and he transmuted out the door.
Slight snagging was constant as he tried to think of a way to make this tracking practice more difficult. It was getting hard to stay one step ahead of him. His skills were developing fast. For being so behind, Danny was catching up quickly.
He created false trails. Repetitive circles. He dragged the shirt through late spring rain mud, ripe scat, and half shoved it into an abandoned nest in the hallow of a tree stump. A night full of wandering curious creatures would add to the challenge. He determined it should take him at least an hour or more to find.
When he got home, it was an all-nighter.
Being intertwined and underneath him was a craving. It was never completely quenched. Danny instinctively knew how to dominate. Make him beg. Make him weak. Make him feel bliss. He'd unleashed a wolf more powerful than he was when they were in bed. It didn't stop until they were panting in pleasure laden satisfaction on the sheets.
The late morning had him in a vexing combination of disappointment and pride.
Danny had a puppy skip to his trot. The dirty matted shirt was hanging from his jaw. As he got closer, he could see the bright glitter of pride in his gaze.
He'd found it so quickly.
Danny dropped his prize at his paws.
“Special delivery.” He boasted.
With a chuckle, he pawed it back at him.
“Sure is, and I don't want any part of it. Shit stinks.”
“You're the one that got it all dirty…”
Danny quickly nipped it up and tossed at him. He barely escaped it's awkward fluttering. His tail was wagging. He wagged back.
“…so shouldn't you clean it up?” He snorted.
“When did I become your butler?” He chuckled.
Gently he bumped into him and nuzzled his head under his muzzle.
“I wasn't aware you were. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not a dark night super hero. You'll get the left overs of a measly college student salary.” He snickered.
“Probably be better pay than what I get now.” He said in half seriousness.
Danny laughed. He watched him pick up the shirt and toss it in the air again. With a quick adjustment he had it settled over his neck and back.
He fell in step with him as they trotted back to the house.
“That was easier than last time.” Danny said.
“I can see that.”
“Did you just half ass it so you could get home faster 'cause you wanted my sweet lovin'?” He teased.
“I wish I could actually say ‘yes’ to that.” He muttered.
A lick at his cheek.
“Take it as a compliment. You're a good teacher,” A nip at his ear, “I definitely think I could find you if I ever needed to.”
He looked at him. The chocolate was deeply looking back.
“I think you could too.” He said gently.
Glittering gold in his eyes.
The rest of the Sunday was lazy. He kept Danny company on the couch while he finished school work. It took well into the afternoon. Then it was gaming and passionately rocking the bed until Danny insisted on sleep.
He didn't like Monday mornings.
Especially the ones that followed a full weekend off. Cradling his chin in his hands, he pressed repeated kisses into his lips as they stood on the doorstep. It kept interrupting Danny's attempts to say the goodbye he didn't want to hear.
“Chris!” Danny finally exclaimed.
He stopped and stared into his happy eyes.
“I gotta go!” His laugh had a bit of sass in it.
He let out an exaggerated sigh of compliant.
“Don't give me that shit, I'll see you tonight.” His tone had softened.
“Will you be late?”
His chin nodded against his palms.
“Yeah, studying with Dave.” He replied.
He knew that was a lie.
Every time he said it, for a sliver of a moment, the snag in his chest vibrated. A hint of acid escaped into his scent.
All he gathered when he came home late was that he could smell more than just the college and Dave on him. But that scent was muddled. Even if he could get a clear whiff of it, he wouldn't know where it came from. He wasn't sure what he was hiding, but it didn't seem critical enough to be addressed. For now, he let him have his secret.
“Have a good day, gorgeous. I'll miss you.” He said.
“I'll miss you too.” Danny's voice had his smile in it.
Long good bye kiss.
He watched until his car faded into the trees. With a sigh, he walked to his truck.
A new sense of calm had settled over him since Danny came home with an answer to the previously inexplicable sensations in their chests.
Byron had called it ‘coupling’. Just when he thought being a wolf couldn't be anymore complicated, he was proven wrong. It made him wonder why it'd never been mentioned growing up, even in passing. He thought it was of utmost importance.
It reassured him he'd be instantly aware of any distress Danny might be in.
He welcomed the relief because Bob'd been quiet. No calls. No updates. No news was neither good or bad. So he kept taking one day at a time. Enjoying every minute he could.
Work was predictable. Nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing that broke up the monotony were the vague emotions that popped up. He equated it to having a television on in the background for white noise. His channel was tuned to Danny. It was entertaining to try to guess the emotion and why he was feeling it. It was a daily mental game.
More and more ridiculous scenarios always developed in his head as the day wore on. He was sure the random smiles to himself were probably making his co-workers question his sanity.
It was nothing he was ashamed of though.
He was happy to finally be home. Wiggling his toes, he enjoyed how light he felt in only his compression shorts. Standing at the kitchen table, he finished up sending a text to Danny.
It was religion to inform him about his random territory rounds in the evenings. That night did not need to happen again.
He didn't enjoy being punched in the chest.
And he really didn't enjoy seeing and feeling how terrified Danny was.
Setting the phone down he made his way to the door. Shutting it closed behind him, he inhaled the air to freshen up his lungs.
A tendril of something tickled his brain.
Violent impact of solid flesh connected with his temple.
Blinding shock.
Incinerating pain cracking through his skull.
The gravity of the earth brought him to his knees.