Archive of Our Own

David Shaw stared at the brochure Angel handed him, eyes skimming the list that spanned two columns. “Hot stone massage?” he read skeptically. “You’re telling me that you want to pay for someone to rub a bunch of warm rocks all over you? And that’s somehow supposed to be relaxing?” He tossed the laminated paper onto the tiny desk area of the spacious room. “I think not.”

“So pick another kind of massage, you big jerk,” Angel teased. They reached over his lap, steadying themselves with a hand on David’s thigh to snatch the paper. “There are all different kinds of massages available here. Deep tissue, reflexology, aromatherapy…” they recited, tapping on laminated brochure with their finger. “And then, you can pick what sort of oils they’d use on you. See? There’s a list for them, too. Almond oil, shea butter, olive oil, coconut oil…”

He crossed the room to shove open the window at the balcony to let some fresh air into their space for the weekend. “How am I supposed to know what they should use? I'm not a masseuse," David shrugged, a lazy smile curling his lips as he watched Angel study the brochure and returned to their side. “Isn’t that their job?” he posited, knowing that his questions would prompt Angel to rise to the occasion.

He loved seeing Angel get riled up over anything, a massage list included. But more importantly, he liked to know that it was he who was riling them up and pushing their buttons. If given the chance, he would watch Angel in their excitement and fervor for hours on end, enamored with the sight of them and the passion that radiated from them like an aura.

It was their first weekend away together. David and Angel finally found a weekend where they were both free and decided to book a stay at a cozy spot upstate. It was their first trip away together. No work distractions. (David made sure that Angel had set an “away” auto-reply on their email and left their laptop at their apartment.) No pack distractions. (Angel had triple-checked with Asher that he had everything covered.) No deadlines to be met, contracts to be filled, or worries to build up in their heads. Instead, this weekend was going to be about spending some quality time with each other and soaking in every sound, every touch, every minute they could possibly share together.

And so far, they had been doing exactly that.

Even something as mundane as the drive over had been full of incredible joy. David was an excellent driver, but it was never an activity he found particularly enjoyable. Even before his father’s unfortunate accident, David viewed driving as a necessary hassle. Fighting through traffic, searching for a parking spot, paying for gas… Nothing about driving was fun for David.

But, to David, everything about Angel was fun. That’s why he had spent the last seven months taking every chance he could to get to know them and thinking about them when they weren’t around.

He held their hand during a particularly clear stretch of the highway. Angel had seized control of the aux cord from the second they slid into the front seat of his truck, not that David minded in the least. Their taste in music was top-notch, which David automatically respected. What impressed him more than that was how Angel had a knack for finding the perfect songs to fit any mood. He had seen them showcase that skill time and time again at pack events and friend gatherings.

‘I’ve got just the song for that,’ they’d grin, already searching through the app on their phone. ‘Just listen and you’ll see what I mean.’

David learned early on after meeting Angel that they had a connection to music that reached far deeper than their uncanny ability to match a song to anyone’s mood. It was a way for them to express an ineffable part of themselves. He loved to pop over to their apartment and hear a melody on the viola reach his ears as soon as he stepped out of the stairwell. Sometimes, he’d have to pound on their door just to jar them out of the contentment that overtook them when they played. They never seemed to mind that he did that, sometimes going so far as to apologize that they didn’t hear him quickly enough, but David didn’t want them to ever apologize for nourishing that part of themselves. In fact, when he saw how happy it made them when their hand nimbly danced along the fingerboard and their bow rocked along the strings, David wanted nothing more than to watch and to listen to Angel play for as long as they wanted. Eventually, once he and Angel exchanged their keys, David felt a lot better being able to let himself into their apartment quietly without disturbing them until they came to the end of the song, or at least the movement, not realizing he was minutely swaying in time with the beat as they played until they stopped.

He had even started back up with playing his old keyboard that had somehow made it through his move from his childhood home into the place he shared with Asher now. David learned piano as a young boy and played all through high school. Once he grew into an adult and, more specifically, once he inherited his alpha responsibilities, he let that part of himself fall to the wayside.

Angel helped him find himself again. For that, David would always be grateful to them.

He certainly wasn’t as talented as Angel, not that he ever claimed to be. David’s thick fingers stumbled over the keys. He had a tendency to rush through phrases that called for staccato notes. More often than not, he missed accidentals. He couldn’t be bothered to care about any of that because the calm that came over him as he played drowned out all of those technical errors. Sometimes, Angel would coax him into playing for them, which he’d nervously do, gently rocking back and forth in time to the song or etude he’d been working on. Each and every time, they smiled and clapped when he finished, even if there were a few sour notes. It made David’s heart beat sound like his attempts at sixteenth-note runs.

Angel’s sharp voice cut through his daydream, bringing David back to the present. Normally, he would’ve been irritated at having to return to reality when all he wanted to do was to continue musing upon Angel and how lucky he was to have them in his life. Today, however, David didn’t mind so much because the present was practically a daydream come to life. He and Angel had a whole weekend to spend together with nothing on their agenda but relaxation and quality time.

“But the massage is customized to you and your preferences! That’s what’s so special about the services this place offers.” Angel insisted passionately. They cocked their head to the side, turning over the brochure to read more of it. “Wow. That’s a lot of preferences,” they remarked. “But I want to make sure we pick good ones.” They pursed their lips together, deep in thought. “I need to make a chart,” they announced, jumping up from the bed to rummage around the room for scrap paper and a pen.

“Whoa, Angel, Angel!” David caught their wrist before they could get too far, his fingers offering Angel a gentle squeeze. “Hang on. We are here to relax,” he reminded them. He sandwiched their hand between his, scooting over a bit to make it clear he wanted them to sit close. “Not make charts. Not obsess over which massage we should get, or which meal we should order for breakfast in bed tomorrow morning, or anything else like that.” He brought their trapped hand to his mouth, kissing the back of it lightly. “It’s you I care about. The rest of the weekend is extra.”

The brochure fell silently to the ground as Angel pressed their body closer against David, bending one leg so that their calf rested atop David’s legs. “I already know I’m going to order the scrambled eggs with lox,” they whispered in his ear, the hushed excitement of their voice betraying the benign words they spoke. They leaned in close and kissed David. It was slow at first. They were showing him they took what he said to heart. Despite the chaotic energy they somehow maintained in every facet of their life, with David, they could be careful and purposeful. They could take their time. They could linger. They could possess the patience of a saint if it meant they could have David’s lips around theirs.

David leaned back, letting go of Angel’s hand only so he could wrap his arms around their body and pull them closer. As soon as they initiated the contact, it was like they gave him a personal invitation to deepen the kiss. A burning sensation singed the tips of his ears. After a long inhale to replace the breath he hadn’t noticed left him, David let his mouth wander along the edge of Angel’s jaw, claiming each bit of their skin with a nip.

Angel tipped their head back to give David more opportunity for him to pepper their skin with kisses and bites. “I like it when you take a little bit of control like that,” they observed, eyeing David’s hand on their wrist. “I mean, it’s kind of hot, y’know? Those little, subtle ways you take charge and get me out of my head.”

David caught their gaze, noting how dilated their pupils were. His probably looked exactly like theirs: hungry and aroused. The idea of Angel telling him that they were attracted to something so innate about himself had his heart beat faster. “You drive me wild.” He leaned in closer to seal his lips to theirs, a streak of fire igniting between them.

The sight of Angel offering him their body to his mouth and his touch had David harder than he ever remembered being. When they let out a slight groan as he sucked a little bit more vigorously on a spot on their neck that already sported a dark mark from their date a few days ago, David couldn’t help but dig his fingernails into their skin, clawing them even closer even though they became tangled up in each other on the bed. Restraint had always been something that came easy to David. He prided himself on his abilities to act with prudence, to think critically and cautiously, and to keep a clear head no matter what. All it took was one tiny sound or one light touch from Angel to make him throw caution to the wind and follow them wherever they wanted to go.

And David loved every minute of it.

But as ready as David was to know Angel in a way he had only dreamt of for the past seven months, he wouldn’t think twice of moving one step past their boundary.

With that reminder, David suddenly became hyper aware the situation. “Angel, Angel,” David rumbled. “I… Wait. Wait a minute.” He loosened his grip on them so they could sit up. David’s muscles ached at the thought of letting Angel go, but he held fast to the clear head that he needed to have before he went any further.

They’d shared bits of pieces of their previous relationships with him. David was grateful they had felt safe enough to do that with him, and he fought hard to quell the churning in his gut that formed as he listened attentively. All of Angel’s hushed confessions and stilted explanations had the disturbing theme of someone making Angel, his Angel, feel like they had no choice but to agree to sex in any form. That wasn’t agreement at all, but some thinly veiled illusion of coercion and manipulation. David refused to add his name to that list. “I… I just…”

“Oh, oh, okay.” Angel’s head bobbed up and down. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfor…”

“You didn’t,” David quickly cut in. “At all. I was worried I was making you uncomfortable! I mean…” He gestured to the room. “I don’t want to pressure you into something you don’t want to do. Just because we’re away together, it’s not as if I was expecting anything, or trying to push you into it, or anything like that. Really,” he explained hastily. David gently cupped their cheek, a different, but no less welcome, touch than his kisses along their chin and cheek were. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to,” he admitted honestly. “But I’d never, ever want to if you didn’t want that, too. I’ll always choose you over anything. I love you.” David’s core lit up at his admission. It wasn’t the first time he had told Angel that, but it was novel enough that he still felt a zap of excitement at the idea that he loved Angel and, for whatever reason (he still wasn’t sure why, but he was too lost in their essence to care), they loved him back.

Angel’s hand slid onto David’s kneecap and up to his mid-thigh. “I know,” they sighed. “I know because I choose you, too. I love you, Davey. I’ve never felt like this before about anyone.” Angel’s tongue curled in their mouth. “That’s why I want to.”

David hid the shudder of delight that overcame him with a gasp. “Are you sure? You don’t have to, at all. That’s not what this weekend was about. I…”

Angel mouth curved into a smile. “I know,” they nodded confidently. “That’s why I want to." The repeated phrase echoed in David's ear like a refrain.

For someone as loyal and devoted as David, with love came trust. When he had fallen in love with Angel, that meant he trusted Angel with his life. In turn and in time, he realized Angel had bestowed upon him their trust, too. That was not something he’d ever take for granted.

He believed them wholeheartedly when they said they wanted this.

“You tell me if it’s not?” he asked, but he already knew the answer. “At any point. Promise me.”

“I promise,” Angel declared, quickly pushing up from the bed to stand. They criss-crossed their arms over their torso, eagerly grabbing the hem of their shirt so they could pull it up and over their head.

“Wh-what are you doing?” David stuttered. He could’ve kicked himself for stopping Angel from undressing for him, but he had thought too long and too hard about this moment to rush into it.

“Taking off my shirt,” Angel explained, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Stop,” David suggested, his voice suddenly low and steady like the alpha they knew him to be.

Their hands stilled at the gentle almost-command, but they threw him a puzzled look. “What? Why?”

David leapt up from the bed, closing the distance between him and Angel and capturing their shoulders in his palms. He looked down at them hungrily. The difference in their height was suddenly tacitly obvious and it only fuelled his growing need for Angel to be underneath him, moaning his name and clenching around him. “Because I want to take it off you.”

Maybe in another setting or on another day, Angel would’ve had a smart remark pop into their head to fire back at David. Their quick wit never failed them. But tonight, things were different. When they looked into David’s piercing gaze, they saw a darkness and a desire they had never seen before. The whole mood of the atmosphere shifted at that moment. Everything else fell away and all that mattered was that David was here with them and they were ready to express their love for each other.

Angel let go of their shirt and let David steer them back into the bed. He began to work at the buttons, the silver cylinders somehow evading his hands.

“I had a thought, you know. Earlier. When we were eating lunch,” he recalled, ready to bite off the button if it slipped out of his fingers again, “I thought about how good this shirt looked on you. The way it fits your body. The way your collarbones peak out of the neckline. The way the color brings out your eyes.” Finally, the button came free and David wasted no time in pushing the shirt off of Angel’s shoulders until he had stretched the material as much as he could before he finally had to turn his attention back to the next button. “And then, I thought how good this shirt would look coming off of you.” Spurred on by his prediction, David tugged at their shirt, the rest of the buttons no match for his deft, if not a little desperate, actions.

“And?” Angel hummed expectantly, wiggling a bit to help the material fall away from their body as David worked on the last button. “Were you right?”

David suppressed a growl as his eyes swept over Angel. The image of them sprawled out half-naked and wanting burned itself into his brain. “Mhmm,” he answered slowly, torn by a desire to slow time down and to jump ahead to what he knew was coming next. “I was one hundred percent right.” David couldn’t peel his eyes from Angel’s body. “God, Angel, you look perfect. You know that?” He settled his palm along their cheek, his thumb ghosting over the rim of their throat. It was like two puzzle pieces fitting together, each space filled and each edge secured. “You’re fucking perfect.”

David’s compliment startled Angel momentarily, but it wasn’t as if it were a new admission or even a surprise to hear David say that. He had said it often, in different terms and different contexts, but the meaning was always the same. What startled Angel more is that when David said that, they believed him. They brought a hand to David’s chest, eyes glowering at him even as he held their face in his palm. “I have thoughts, too,” they teased, shoving him back against the pillow so they could grasp at his belt buckle. “And one of them is that your pants need to come off.” They fumbled a bit with the buckle, pulling and pushing to get the metal clasp undone. “Stupid piece of… Come on!” they mumbled to themselves. Their eyebrows squished together as they doubled their efforts.

David looked on, barely able to restrain himself from both laughing at Angel’s dogged determination and falling more in love with them at each passing second. Even just the slight brush of their hand over his pelvis had him wanting to buck up his hip to feel more of them, even if it were through his clothes. The only thing that kept David from doing that was the knowledge that there was no reason to settle for fast glances or quick touches when he knew that what was happening promised to be significantly more satisfying.

“Aha!” Angel gasped triumphantly, tugging David’s belt through the loops all while giving him a smirk that was hot enough to singe his skin. “Mission accomplished.”

Angel tossed the belt off the bed towards the middle of the room. It landed in a heap with a dull thud that neither Angel nor David heard. Every scrap of attention they had was spent on each other. David noticed how Angel’s breath came in shorter pants. Angel caught each miniscule quiver of excitement that radiated along David’s spine. And they both wanted to give each other more.

Perfectly in sync, David and Angel leaned close to one another as their lips locked together in a carnal kiss. Their hands wandered all over each other as they shifted and squirmed out of the rest of their clothing and threw it away. They grinded along each other’s body, Angel sitting in David’s lap, straddling him and fondling his shoulders.

“Angel, are you ready?” David bit out in between a line of tooth-sharpened kissing trailing along their clavicle. “Do you still want to?” It was no more than a whisper, but the low tone of David’s voice was still the loudest sound in Angel’s mind.

“Yes,” they sighed, forcing their arms off of David’s broad, toned shoulders so that they could thread their fingers through the waves of his sweat-soaked hair. It meant so much to them that David continuously checked in with their needs and that, for once, that check in came from an honest place without judgment or expectation. It only made Angel all the more hungry for David. “Yes, Davey. I do. I want you. All of you.” They pressed another kiss, this one far more chaste and yet still heated, to David’s forehead. Everything about them emitted sex and sensuality, but they paused to give David the clairty he needed.

Sure, they had both had sex with other people before. Strangely, that wasn’t exactly what seemed at stake for them. No, it was something different. Something electric. Thrilling. They had never felt such a strong connection to another person like this, and in that moment, it was like Angel’s words had soldered that connection into a permanent fixture in both Angel’s and David’s hearts.

David cradled the back of Angel’s head, silently taken back by the fact that even in that small gesture, Angel and he fit perfectly together, like the inside of his hand, fingers starfished wide and slightly bent, was a pillow made for the shape of them. “Angel, I want to give you all of me,” he responded in kind. “But, if you change your mind, it’s okay, I-”

“Davey, I gave you a ‘yes,’” they reminded him, coyly but cogently. “I want you to take it.”

Their poignant, truthful statement had David more ready to provide Angel a night of pleasure and passion than he had ever thought possible. Something primal came over David as he saw the person he loved bear themselves before him, openly and honestly putting their trust in him as they created an intimacy together that neither of them had ever fathomed before. He made a promise to himself to do absolutely everything in his power to take Angel’s ‘yes’ and use it in a way that would bring them both ecstatic pleasure.

A smile that couldn’t have been described as anything but wolfish spread across David’s face. “Lie back,” David told them, gently guiding Angel so that they laid down onto the bed.

Angel obliged him, settling their head onto a pillow and melting into the mattress.

David stalked over to them on his hands and knees, offering them one more silent smirk before he went to work. He situated himself on top of Angel, dipping low to kiss the juncture at their hip bone. He started softly, kissing and tonguing at their skin.

Angel let out a huff of air at David’s touch. They cut off a small noise of pleasure by biting their lower lip before it could transform into a full blown moan of delight.

“That’s a start,” David noted, moving himself up and along their torso all while keeping his hands at Angel’s side to hold them in place as he worked them into a frenzy with his mouth. “But I want to hear more.” He glided his thumbs around their waist. “I want to hear you, Angel.”

“Hmm?” Angel gasped, shimming further under David and grasping at the corner of the pillow.

“Every noise, every moan, every anything,” he encouraged. “You can let go, Angel. I’m here. I got you.” To back up his words, David ducked down again to give their torso another kiss that turned into a love bite.

Angel thrashed involuntarily when David found a particularly delicate spot on their chest. “Oh, oh,” they groaned loudly, gripping at David’s shoulders and using him for leverage as they arched their back. “Davey.”

“There you go,” David praised, straddling their pelvis and sweeping a hand down their torso. “Does that feel good? Do I feel good on top of you?”

“Yes,” they grunted through clenched teeth. “Davey, you, yes… More. Please.”

Hearing them say his name as they shook and strained on the bed was like a symphony for David. “That’s it, Angel. You sound so sweet.”

“Davey,” Angel murmured again, bliss filling their every sense. They felt weightless, almost like they were in a free-fall, but the knowledge that David was there to catch them quelled any anxiety or self-consciousness that might have normally infiltrated their thoughts. “You feel so good.” Their legs spread further, offering David more room for himself. Heat practically billowed up from them in waves. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” David echoed, scrambling to reach for the bottle of lube that he had placed on the floor when he unpacked, just in case it would be needed for the night. He brought it along with zero expectations, and even expressed that to Angel when they unpacked. “You’ve got me so hot. And you feel amazing.”

Little did he know that his explicit reminders to Angel that he expected nothing from them had in part been why Angel wanted to give him everything. They gave themselves to him freely, without pressure. They gave themselves openly, without trying to calculate some sort of relationship-investment that dictated when and how they initiated a base transaction. They gave themselves to David simply because they wanted him to have them in any way, shape, or form.

After generously applying the lube and throwing Angel one sensual smirk as he did so, David made sure that his weight on top of them was distributed in a way that would be comfortable for Angel, pressing and pinning in all the right ways. David went silent for a moment, focusing to line himself up with Angel before he carefully pressed himself into them. He concentrated, a twinge of nervousness fluttering within his gut. He made sure to go slowly, giving Angel time and space to adjust to him. “Is that alright?” David asked. “Slow enough?”

“G-give me a second,” Angel stuttered, breathing deeply as they visually relaxed.

David could feel their muscles soften around him as he held fast.

“Okay,” they sighed, smiling and letting their eyes close halfway. “Keep going.”

David did as Angel asked, slowly inserting himself deeper into Angel. A low, rumbling growl twisted its way out of his mouth as he felt Angel surround him. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he gasped, his head rolling in a circle around his neck. For a minute, he thought he might break right then and there, but he grasped at the fleeting bit of determination that clung to his soul to stay grounded. David was a lot of things, and one of those things was an overachiever. “Angel,” he called, forcing himself to remain still as Angel continued to acclimate to him. “Angel, look at me,” David beckoned, gently palming their cheek so that they met his lazer-like gaze. He could practically see himself in the reflection of their dark pupils, as they could in his. “I want us to finish together tonight,” he said confidently.

Angel bucked their hips up at David’s prediction, just the thought of what he was proposing making them slicker and hotter than before. Steam practically wafted up from their body as they maneuvered.

“David, that’s…” They shifted their weight again, relishing the feeling of David pressing into them once the discomfort began to dissipate. “If it doesn’t happen, it’s okay. Whatever happens, it’s perfect, because it’s you.” Angel almost lost their train of thought as their hands found the indentations of David’s back muscles. They instinctively grasped at and kneaded his skin hungrily, a jolt of lightning zapping through their spine at the thought that David was theirs and only theirs to feel around them, on them, in them, under them, on top of them...

“Does that feel alright?” David asked, attentive to the change in Angel’s gasps from ones of pain to pleasure. “Do you like that?”

“Mhmmm,” Angel nodded dreamily. “It’s really good.” They turned their head to the side to kiss the inside of David’s wrist as he braced himself against the bed.

David took their light touch as a sign to keep going, and he knew exactly where he’d guide them. Slowly, he began to create a rhythm with his hips. Angel’s legs lifted instinctively and they slipped their hands into David’s hair.

“You’re incredible. Every part of me aches to feel every part of you,” David groaned, catching the back of one of Angel’s knees to give himself some leverage as he picked up his pace. “Angel.” He bent low, suddenly unable and unwilling to keep his mouth off of theirs. “Oh, Angel!”

As a blazing fire curled within David, licking at his stomach and surging through his groin, he felt like his senses heightened despite the fact that he remained in human form. Everything was suddenly more visceral than before. Their heady, sweet scent enveloped him. The sight of Angel bare and beneath him burned into his retinas. The sounds of their quietest moans echoed in David’s ears. Every place they touched him sizzled with heat. And the taste of their body only left him hungrier, devouring them as quickly as his mouth trekked a meandering course around their chest and neck, lapping up every bit of them he could.

“I like hearing you say that, Davey,” Angel admitted, craning their neck to capture David’s lower lip in a gentle bite that had him moaning into their mouth. “Sounds good, when you say it.” David felt their breath ripple against his chin as they spoke. “Feels good, too.”

“You make me want to say it,” David gleaned, picking up his pace and tightening his grip on Angel as he bombarded them with another kiss, this one open-mouthed and heavy, dragging along the silhouette of their jawline and dipping down against the nape of their neck. “You make me want to scream your name because you’re so hot, so perfect, and mine. My Angel.” His thrusts became deeper and more intense as he contemplated those facts. “All mine. And I’m yours, all yours.”

“D-Davey,” Angel stuttered, their eyes rolling back in their head. “You make me feel s-so good.” David was making them feel a bliss that was unlike anything they had ever experienced before with anyone else. And they couldn’t get enough of it. Sure, they had been strongly attracted to David, more so than towards anyone else. But this was something they never expected.

This was magical.

“But I want to make you feel good, too,” Angel insisted. “Tell me how.”

David’s jaw dropped in awe at Angel’s selflessness. Even like this, they were still concerned about his needs. It was an unfamiliar, but not unwelcome change of pace for David, even if he was momentarily floored by them and their endless generosity. “Angel,” he answered. “You already are. I feel so fucking amazing. I’ve needed you like this for so long,” he confessed, starting to come unhinged. “Now, it almost seems too good to be true. You’re too good to be true.” David looped his other arm around Angel’s shoulders, slick with sweat and warm with desire. “You’re everything to me, Angel.”

Every noise David made prompted their stomach to flip over itself in giddy delight. His very touch made their hair stand on end and their toes curl into the sole of their foot. Almost on its own accord, their body followed the motions that David set out, willing to be guided along in this fashion because it was him doing the guiding.

It almost scared Angel, how deeply in love they were with this man who was sprawled out on top of them, holding them close and somehow making them feel safe, secure, and loved in ways that hadn’t anticipated.

So safe, in fact, that Angel felt more than capable of finding ways to surprise David even as he took the lead they offered. They were past the point of being able to do much more than murmur David’s name or breathlessly vocalize their pleasure, so instead of saying how they felt, they decided to use their mouth in a different way.

Angel turned their head to the side, eliciting a soft grunt from David when they broke contact with his kiss. His grunt, however, turned into a moan when he felt Angel suck lightly on his ear lobe as they scraped their fingertips along his spine. When David felt the edge of their teeth graze against him, he shuddered and let his head tip back when that wave of ecstasy hit him, bucking back into Angel’s waiting hand. He blissfully wondered if this might be what Angel’s viola felt like as they plucked its strings and cast the bow along its length as they swayed in time in their sounds they created?

No wonder that viola sounded so damn wonderful.

“Angel, Angel,” he repeated, voice strained and head spinning. “You fuck me up with every move you make, ever sound you utter. How do you do it?” David leaned more of his weight on top of Angel, letting his hand find theirs. Their fingers naturally interlocked. As they held hands, the size difference between them became pronounced and tactile, and yet so inconsequential when it came to their perfect fit. “Every day, you undo me effortlessly. And today? You… Angel, you got me so fucked out, I don’t know which way is up.” His hips began to move more erratically, almost like he was losing control of himself.

“Oh, oh,” Angel gasped as David brought them close to their breaking point. “I’m… I think…” they gasped, writhing and shifting as they experienced the bliss that David brought them.

David knew exactly what they meant. Previously, if anyone had ever asked David what he thought the most melodious sound in the world he had ever heard, he would’ve said it was Angel playing the viola. And surely, Angel’s talented playing was something that would always fill David with joy. But hearing Angel vocalize the pleasure that David was bringing them, unencumbered, unflinching, and uninhibited?

It was music to David Shaw’s ears.

He and Angel never had a problem using their words to communicate openly in all things, even intimate moments like this, but there was something special about the fact that they could communicate so well with each other without even speaking a word. Telepathy and bridging had nothing on the mental network that the couple shared. He greedily drank in the sight of Angel, sputtering and shaking beneath him, vulnerable in a way that they only let him see and hear and feel. “I’m close, too,” he told them truthfully. “Really close. Together, Angel,” he reminded them, steadfast in his pursuit. “Let’s go there together. And…” He brushed his thumb along their chin, angling their head just so they locked eyes. “I want us to look at each other as we get there.”

Angel’s mouth parted slightly on its own accord. They held fast to David, but doggedly kept their eyes trained on him, exactly as he asked. “D-Davey,” they panted haphazardly. They suddenly felt an overwhelming need to make David understand, right then and there, just how deeply they loved him and yet, they felt wholly incapable of expressing that in a way that could capture the sheer magnitude of what they wanted to say.

And somehow, David knew precisely what it was that they wanted to say because he felt the exact same way for Angel. He was transfixed by their eyes, staring into their depths as a paradoxical swirl of elation and anticipation churned through his bloodstream. “Angel,” he growled, low and guttural as he felt his wolf bare its teeth within himself.

At that moment, Angel came. They moaned and rocked along David, holding fast to every bit of his body they could gather up in their hands. David looked on with pride at seeing Angel experience such a thorough joy and knowing it was he who brought that joy to them. He eked out one last heave with his hips as he felt himself reach his climax along with Angel as they both let the fireworks the made between them burn and sizzle. It was like neither David nor Angel could do anything but exist in that moment, hear the harmonious duet they created together, and feel their love take shape as blissful perfection.

Eventually, they began to come down from that high. They both slowly blinked open their eyes, unsure of when they had closed them, and struggled to catch their breath. David carefully removed himself from Angel, mindful of going slowly and safely so as not to cause Angel any discomfort as he brought his arms around them again and settled them into his side. “I love you so much, Angel,” he said again, this time with a quiet reverence that David wasn’t ever sure he’d articulated before. He pressed a gentle kiss to their forehead. “That was fucking amazing. Better than I could’ve ever thought.” He indulged his wolf’s urge to nuzzle his forehead into the nape of Angel’s neck. “How are you feeling?”

“Also, fucking amazing,” Angel buzzed back, a wide grin stretching across their face as they traced the line of David’s spine with their fingertips. “That was… You…" Words flooded into their brain, but they couldn't settle on one that captured how wonderful they felt. "I love you, Davey. It was perfect. You were perfect.”

David hummed, savoring the feeling of Angel curled into his side. He noted how their muscles, which had been so tense and taunt over the last few weeks, felt like liquid in his hands. The traces of worry lines at the corner of their eyes had disappeared into smoothness. Their weight sagged into David and he took it gratefully, never wanting to let them go if it meant this moment had to end. He wiggled his fingers to Angel’s hip that faced the ceiling as they somehow wiggled their head deeper into David’s chest. David marvelled at the ways their bodies locked together like each part was made to hold the other.

Their head into his chest. His hand at the divot of their hip. Both hearts together.

David blinked owlishly as he mused upon those thoughts until a small sniffle from Angel yanked his attention back to the present. He instinctively tightened his hold on them. “Angel?” he asked tentatively, noting that they were frantically scrubbing at their cheek to destroy any trace of the tear that had fallen. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” Angel croaked, their smile wavering a little bit as they rolled their eyes at themselves, clearly annoyed at their crying. “Really. I am. I don't know where this is coming from. It’s just…” They shrugged. “I didn’t know it could be like this.”

David tipped his head to the side, silently willing Angel to keep talking.

Angel swallowed. “So… I don’t know. Easy. And fun. Carefree.” They kept talking to hash out the mess of feelings that hit them all at once until they settled on the correct adjective. “Right. Everything felt so right.” They reached out to take hold of David’s chin. “It all feels so right with you. I didn’t know how right it could be.”

“You make everything in my life make sense,” David whispered. He couldn’t stop himself from turning his head to kiss the tips of their fingers. “I promise you, Angel. I’ll do anything and everything I can for the rest of my life to make sure it always feels right for you.” He gently rubbed his hand that sat at their hip in small circles to add weight to his claims. “All of it. The sex was amazing, but it’s you who I love, Angel. All of you. Not just the sex. Not just your face or your ass or anything so simple as any of that. This is more than that. We’re more than that. I love you so much, Angel.”

Angel’s smile returned as they leaned more into David and let his words wash over them. “I love you, too, Davey,” they answered. “I hope you know how special you are to me. It’s you I want. It’s you I… I need.” Angel faltered on that last word only because it was the truth. A flicker of doubt passed through their psyche, but it dissipated as soon as they opened their eyes to see David’s attentive stare. “Not because of your broad shoulders or adorable growl, or, apparently, massive dick,” they winked.

David clicked his tongue, masking the fact that his heart skipped a beat with pride at Angel’s description with a look of reproach.

“I need you,” Angel concluded, turning their tone more serious and certain that David would pick up on their shift in tone. “The whole you.”

David’s core sung jubilantly from Angel’s admission. He hadn’t realized how soothing it would be to hear his partner tell him, earnestly and honestly, that they loved him for him. David had spent the last few years inheriting his alpha role and all the responsibilities that came along with that role. After his official acceptance of the position, he soon found that some of those responsibilities quickly monopolized his life, leaving him more often than not feeling as if his alpha role had consumed the rest of his life. To so many people, he was ‘Alpha,” and, he presumed, ‘Alpha,’ subsumed ‘David.’

To hear Angel not just see him as his own person, rather than a manifestation of his responsibility, set off a whirl of emotions within David, and he did his best to quell the sudden, but brief, impulse to cry right along with Angel. He had never felt so seen, wholly and completely. Angel had seen every secret part and hidden side of him. Despite it all, they still chose him. It was almost too improbable for David to believe, but somehow, Angel had broken through the thick layer of cynicism that covered up his insecurities about his worries about being an inferior alpha to the pack his father founded. David was supposed to be the one skilled at tracking magic, but it was Angel who diligently followed a trail that few were even aware existed: the one that led to David’s heart.

“You’ve got me,” David promised them fervently, squeezing them closer if that were even possible. Somehow, he found a way. “And I’ve got you.”

Angel drifted, the buzz of their orgasm still thrumming through their body. As David held them close, they distantly realized what they were feeling was what people talked about when they used the term ‘afterglow.’ It was as if every fiber of their being was basking in warmth and pleasure. They adored the feeling and didn’t want it to end. They were so enraptured with it, in fact, they didn’t even notice their slight shiver when a cool wind blew into the room.

David, on the other hand, did notice. “Are you cold?” He bent forward to untangle the bunch of blankets that had been kicked aside when he realized that in their passion, they had left that window out to the balcony wide open.

Another cool breeze shot through the room in a whistle.

“No wonder. Fucking hell,” David grumbled, scowling as the curtains danced and swayed from the gust of wind. “I’ll be right back, Angel. I’ve just got to close that window.” He pushed himself up from the bed, suddenly hyper aware that he was naked and his clothes had been tossed all around the room.

Angel was loath to have David leave their side even for a minute, but they took the opportunity to stare at David’s naked form.

Frowning, David scrambled to cover himself with the duvet that had fallen to the floor as he stood up.

“Davey!” Angel whined, slipping their arm under their pillow as they twisted to their side so that they could continue watching David. The way the sheet outlined their curves almost had David ready to give a repeat performance. “Are you serious? We literally just had the most incredible sex in the history of humankind. Not to mention the fact that you’re built like a Greek god! And now you’re going to get all shy?” Their eyes narrowed playfully as the list of accolades they conjured. “C’mon. Show me the good stuff!”

David snorted at Angel’s frankness. As much as he loved to hear Angel praise his body, he only pulled the blanket tighter around his waist.

Modesty wasn’t something most shifters acquired, given how often they spent time together while shifted and how frequently they shifted back and forth from their forms. Most shifters took to nakedness naturally. David remembered how free and easy Asher had been with his body when they lived together, much to David’s annoyance. Still, the idea of walking around without clothes as a human always left David less than enthused. He hated to admit it, but he had always held what could only be called insecurities about his body, even if others often positively commented on his body structure. No matter how muscular he became or how tall he grew, David never let himself be content with his body. He always desired to be more. Stronger, faster, taller, more agile, more intimidating… It was hard for him, especially in his human form, to see himself in the same light as others did. So some days, he preferred not to see himself at all.

He twisted his head to catch Angel’s eyes, unable to hide the discomfort he felt. “It’s different,” David murmured warily. “Different to me, at least, okay?”

Quick to note David’s embarrassment, Angel snapped their mouth shut and nodded once. “Whatever you need,” they agreed solemnly, flashing David a supportive smile.

David took wide strides to the window, shutting and securing it easily before he returned to the bed. He slipped in next to Angel, shedding the blanket and curling around them once more. “Thank you,” he whispered into their hair. “I know it doesn’t really make any sense, given what we just did. But I appreciate you not making a big deal out of that.”

Angel rotated their body around to face David, tipping their head up so that they could capture his chin with their palm. “Of course, Davey,” they soothed. “I don’t think you have any reason to be self-conscious. You know that. But I also know that sometimes, there’s no real rationale for having those feelings. And I…” They swallowed, lashes fluttering against David’s skin. “I want you to feel safe with me to… y’know, safe to feel whatever it is you’re feeling. I won’t judge you or think less of you. I never could.” Their foot slowly dragged up and down David’s leg. “You hide so much of yourself from your pack, because you want to be the perfect, model alpha for them. I…” Angel huffed, searching for the right phrasing. “I get that’s how you choose to present yourself to your pack. It’s not my place to say what you should and shouldn’t do as alpha. Hell, I’m barely wrapping my head around the whole wer—” Angel inhaled sharply. “Shifter. I meant ‘shifter,’” Angel quickly corrected. “And all the magic stuff. I’m not in a position to say much about that. So I won’t. What I will say is that I hope even if you can’t share those parts of yourself with them, that you do feel safe enough to be yourself with me.” They planted a kiss on the inside of his neck. “I want to be that for you, you know? I try to be.”

“You are,” David quickly and honestly assured them, reaching down to grab Angel’s leg and guide it to drape over his. A warmth flooded into David’s core at the realization of how truly relaxed he felt with Angel at his side. “I’ve never felt as safe as I do when I’ve got you in my arms.” He let his head tip forward to sandwich Angel’s face in between his chin and chest.

“I’m glad,” Angel whispered, soft and slow like if they took their time speaking, they could somehow slow down the moment and cling to David forever. “I’ve never felt as safe as I do when I’m in your arms.”

David sighed wearily, the hazy pleasure of holding Angel after having been so thoroughly intimate with them returning to cloud his senses. The simple act of holding them close and breathing them filled him with a hormone-laced satisfaction that he had heard others talk about but never imagined would be something he could feel firsthand. Mutual trust and love surged through both Angel and David as they melted into each other. Angel, too, enjoyed the reprieve of pleasant vacantness that came from giving themselves completely over to David. It was such a welcome change from the normal chaotic overthinking and second-guessing that often echoed through their skull. David, too, settled into the mattress, feeling more open and limber than he had in years.

They clung to each other, settling into a comfortable position together and content to stay there for the rest of the night, which is exactly what they did.

The next morning, Angel and David awoke rested, refreshed, and remarkably, still in the same position. Eventually, they unfolded themselves from each other so they could continue enjoying their weekend getaway and the activities they had planned together.

Angel did order the scrambled eggs and lox for breakfast, while David opted for a stack of pancakes with a side of bacon.

When they arrived at their massage appointments, an attendant hastily asked them both which type of massage they’d like to experience, shoving copies of that same list that Angel had studied in their hotel room.

Still allowing himself to be a little more clingy than he might have if he were in front of his pack, David placed his hands on Angel’s shoulders and let them lean back into his body. His heart swelled with earned pride when he felt how relaxed and loose Angel’s shoulders were.

Much to David’s surprise, Angel didn’t agonize over that question. In fact, Angel barely glanced at the paper. Instead, they winked at David and slid the paper across the desk back at the attendant. “Surprise us both, please,” they requested confidently. They stood on their tiptoes to whisper in David’s ear. “No oil in the world could compare to your touch anyway.”

David felt a rush of blood flow into his cheeks. “Menace,” he whisper-growled into Angel’s hair. He laughed, even while being so in awe of Angel’s fervor.

Just then, it was as if Angel and David had somehow achieved a bridge, despite the fact that Angel was unempowered. When they looked at each other, they could practically hear the other’s voice speak in their minds.

Last night, everything had changed. David and Angel had shared a part of themselves with each other that they had never shared with anyone before. And frankly, neither of them had any desire to share those parts with anyone else. And yet, nothing at all had changed. He was still David. Angel was still Angel. They were still hopelessly, deeply, completely in love with each other, just as they had been.

Together, David and Angel walked hand-in-hand down the hall, neither willing to let go yet.

Or ever, if they were being honest.