FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The bright green plains expanded for miles around, winding from small hills going up and down all over the place. Nothing but short grass as far as the eye could see, without even a single tree nearby enough to be detected. The only exception was the small trail going around the curves of the hills, the one guide anyone could have for the direction towards the next town over. The sky was a perfect blue, with no clouds in sight to even so much as dream of blocking the sun, letting it light up the road with all its magnificence. It was simply perfect; the ideal day to travel.

That's what they all thought, from their many positions in the small cart that moved on its own, guided by the driver's magic power. Still open on top, it allowed for the natural clean air to hit them all, filling their lungs with every breath. A gentle breeze lifted a few blades of grass before they felt the chill down their spines-

"Are we there yet?" the young lady asked, flopping on top of the seat in front of her with a groan. Her skin was a clear peach color, covered by a black jumpsuit and a green coat hanging from her shoulders; all of it save for her youthful face, upon which a single strand of brown hair fell. She was overall a perfectly regular human, which would've been fine had she been anywhe- "How much longer until we get there? Are we there yet?"

She's also a teenager.

"I can't say for sure, Miss Abigail," the driver said, getting yet another groan from the young human. He was a tall, slender white wolf, dressed in a white shirt that hugged tightly to his physique, and a smaller black top that only covered his chest and shoulders. A flowing mane of straight white hair fell down his back and a pair of ears sprouted from the top, the black tips being the only other splash of color in an otherwise snowy coat. He didn't turn over to the human, though; his eyes were focused on the road, and his hand remained on top of a small orb to the front, shining as his energy flowed from his fingertips to the vehicle. "But if it's not too much trouble, I'd appreciate it if you were a bit more understanding of our current situation."

"What do you mean?" she asked, getting a thick finger jabbed against her forehead, making her recoil.

"He means, don't distract the driver, squirt," the massive wolverine next to the driver was the one who said as much. His muscular body was covered in dark brown fur, barely concealed by a robe he kept open to show off the prominent chest and abs, a necklace made of large beads on top of his pecs, jumping with each deep breath he took. Jade armor on his broad shoulders and forearms completed the look, along with a pair of purple pants and several bandages covering his calves. After the human gave him a sour look, he simply looked back to the front, lying on his seat as a hand went through the bright orange hair. "We'll get there when we get there, no need to get impatient. You should be thankful we got ourselves a cart, and a mage good enough to drive it."

"Duncan, while I appreciate your words, I must ask you to refrain from treating Miss Abigail too harshly," the wolf cut in, and the wolverine looked back at him with a raised eyebrow and a snarl forming on his lips. "She saved my life, and for that I am indebted to her. I must protect her from any harm, and that includes small things done even by the likes of you."

"I just poked her forehead, she's not gonna bleed to death from it. Right, Abby?" he asked the human, but she was already lying on her back, ignoring him. Naturally, Duncan wasn't about to take that swimmingly. "Hey! I'm talking to you, squirt! Don't ignore me!"

"Let her be, Duncan!"

It always went on like that; a quick fight between the two, always regarding the human girl. Sitting on the other side of the cart was Nick, the one who always had no choice but to stay quiet as these events unfolded; this time wasn't the exception. He just laughed awkwardly as the wolverine and wolf argued, while the human teenager simply stared at the sky. Nick was also a human, with black hair decorated with red streaks, and a golden fringe that fell to both sides of a youthful face. Unlike his companion's more practical outfits, he wore a white suit with a black waistcoat on top, all of it embroidered with golden linings that gave him a rather regal appearance. It was nothing but a memory of the life he once held; a life he constantly thought about whenever he so much as looked the wolf's way.

"Master Duraine," his soft voice was enough to make the argument stop, the wolf's head turning his way while Duncan simply returned to the road. While not his original intention, it was a welcome side effect, Nick though before continuing. "Miss Abigail does have a point. If we don't know how long it will take to arrive at the next town, then perhaps we should be getting ready to set camp for the night."

"Oh, sweet! I love camping! Can we, Dean? Can we?" Abby's sudden excitement caught him off guard, but the wolf had no way of rejecting her. He returned to the road, deep in thought while glancing over to Duncan, hoping he would take reigns and shoot down the human girl's proposition. But the wolverine simply scuffed and crossed his arms, making his intentions as clear as the sky over their heads.

"I..." Dean started, a sigh immediately leaving his mouth. "The sun is still high above, so it's too early to tell. If we don't see the town in a few hours, we will set camp."

"Fuck yeah, camp!" Abby yelled from the top of her lungs, making every other pair of eyes widen in shock.

"Hey! Watch your language, young lady!" Duncan screamed, but his words were ignored by the very excited human who started leaning out of the cart, scanning the fields and looking for the right lace to settle down. If it wasn't for Nick jumping and keeping her in place, she might as well fall off the vehicle. With nothing but a sigh, the wolverine sat back down, looking at the canine sitting next to him. "You do know the next town is less than an hour away, right?" he whispered, making sure Abby wasn't hearing. "You could've just told her that."

"Oh, is that how much there is? You'll have to forgive me, I cannot for the life of me figure out how this contraption works just yet," the wolf insisted in the most pompous voice he had ever heard from him, inching away from the orb his hand was on. "Why, I still don't understand why we couldn't just have a regular cart pulled by horses, or even walk! It's excellent exercise."

"Spare me your clueless old man act, will ya?" Duncan went on, and despite his attempts, Dean ended up sighing.

"You know I can't say no to her. She did save my life," he admitted it again, but this time it was far more solemn; the kind of tone that not even Duncan could talk back to. "And I like spoiling her, I guess."

"I like spoiling her as well," Duncan looked out the cart, subtly glancing over his shoulder to see the young human girl trying to slip away from Nick's grasp; it was as if she wanted to fall off. He chuckled at that. "You know it's dangerous for her to be out in the open like this, though."

Dean didn't respond. He just looked in the other direction, staring at the vast green fields expanding in front of them. It was unlikely for them to find any other settlement in such an open area, other than the very town they were headed too; the chances of them meeting anyone else were almost none. That did little to ease the worry that had been planted in his heart, which he was sure the wolverine shared.

The world of Fabula, the fantastic land where they all lived, was a place different from the world Abigail came from. It was a land of magic, a place where ancient deities once dwelled, and that was now home to so many varied species, it was almost impossible to pinpoint which were truly the original ones. But one memory remained somewhere deep in the people's subconscious, as well as in the world's scars. The old gods that had once set foot on this world despised those humans, the ones that abandoned them for the world of Pangea; the world this young lady came from. Dean took a look over his shoulder and saw the young girl, a smile so wide on her face, he didn't understand why anyone would try and harm her. But that need was there, in their hearts...

"She would be in danger in town anyway," he made sure to say it only loud enough for the wolverine to hear him, and he got his attention right away. Nevertheless, he still looked over his shoulder, just to make sure Abby wasn't paying attention, before continuing. "She will be in danger wherever we go; in fact, it might be a safer option to stay outside of settlements, with less people around to figure out what she is."

"Dean..."

"I want to spoil her while we can," he left it at that at first. It only took a second for both of them to realize the grim note that put between them, and the wolf cleared his throat to say more. "I mean, until we find a way to return her to her home. I want her to be happy while she's traveling with us, and if she wants to go camping, I will move heaven and earth to make sure she gets what she wants."

"Oh! There's a tree over there!" Abby's voice got both men out of their thoughts and they turned to the back. She was practically hanging from her calves by now, barely holding herself up with one arm while the other pointed somewhere in the distance. Poor Nick behind her was doing his best to keep her down, but his arms proved to weak to do more than hold her in place, and his exhausted expression and shaking showed that even with just that he was running out of steam fast. That didn't stop Abby. "It's gotta be a sign! Can we set up camp there? Can we? Please?"

"Absolutely!" Dean cheerfully declared despite the wolverine's evident shock. And already dreading the possibility of his reply, he charged up the cart with magic to pull a hard turn, taking to the plains instead at top speed.

Naturally, Abby screamed excitedly, standing on the back and raising her arms to feel the wind against her body; Nick hugged her waist, but no one knew if he did it to keep her down, or to hold on to anything out of his own fear. Duncan was doubling over in his seat, one hand covering his mouth as he held back from throwing up his lunch from the sudden speed he was being forced into. And through it all, Dean smiled like a fool simply because he had the chance of making the human girl happy like that; with his hair flowing in the wind and his elated expression, he gave the idea of being in paradise.

Thanks to that amazing speed, they made it to the spot Abby had marked in barely a few seconds, with their vehicle making one extremely sharp turn before coming to a full stop; Duncan actually fell off his seat in the last minute and rolled over the grass, before falling on all fours a few meters away. While Dean was getting down on his side, he heard his companion gag a few times before looking over his way, lurching forward, and it didn't take long for the wolf to realize what he was up to. Of course, he wasn't in the least interested on seeing it, and instead his smile was aimed at Abby.

"Here we are, Miss Abigail. Let's get the tents ready," he offered her a hand to help getting off the cart, which she took to jump and land on the soft grass with a thud. Immediately afterwards, however, she was running over to the tree and climbing it, perching herself on one of its branches and looking over the horizon. Naturally, Dean's first reaction was to panic. "Ah! Miss Abigail! Please, be careful! Get down before you hurt yourself!"

"Hey, I can see the next town from here!" she said from up top, making the wolf freeze for a second. "Seems like we could've reached it today. Well, it'll have to be tomorrow, right?"

"Well, color me surprised," Duncan let out after he finally recovered enough to speak, getting up and ignoring the glare Dean threw at him. His eyes were focused on the human instead as he walked over to the tree. "Get down before you break your head, kid!"

"Fine..." and she hung off the branch from her knees before letting go, spinning midair a few times before landing perfectly on her feet. It was something they had all seen her do before, and normally it would be less impressive after so long, but it didn't stop Dean from freaking out through it all. She ignored both men and walked over to the cart, leaving them out of hearing range.

"See? It's all about discipline," he smugly declared, getting another glare from the wolf. When both of them looked to the side, however, ready to get their tents ready, their jaws dropped to the ground seeing Nick standing next to the cart, with a massive yurt already neatly set nearby, which Abigail was quick to invade with a manic grin.

"I took the liberty of getting everything ready while you were entertaining the young lady, Master Duraine," the human butler declared with a bow, which was apparently enough for the wolf to look less surprised. A single breath was all it took for him to calm back down, and he followed into admiring his assistant's work.

"You were barely holding yourself together a minute ago," Duncan pointed out, still unable to understand what was happening. But it all stopped with a sigh and he started rubbing his temples. "No. I should be getting used to these things with you two already. I'll just be happy with the tent I got with no effort."

"It's a yurt," he corrected the wolverine, getting a grunt in response, which he promptly ignored to keep informing his master. "I'll be taking care of our meal in a moment as well, so feel free to just spend some time with Miss Abigail."

"In all honesty, that sounds delightful. Wouldn't you agree, Duncan?" the wolf asked, but all his companion did was scuff. Dean once again ignored him. "I think the sun will start setting soon, so this works for the best. There's a number of things we could be-

"Oh! Let's train!" that cheerful voice came from within the yurt, and soon enough, Abigail was bursting from within its confines, rushing towards the two men as Nick moved out of her way. As the human butler dug through their luggage, they all eventually came to ignore him, taken over by the girl's loud, excited voice. "Let's spar for a while! A setting sun is the perfect background for a fight! Let's get stronger! Let's find a giant boar and wrestle it!" she yelled, punching the air with sparkles in her eyes.

"M-Miss Abigail, I don't think-

"That's the spirit, kid!" Duncan's boisterous voice mixed in perfectly with the human's yells, easily drowning out the wolf. Soon, he was standing next to Abby, taking on a pose and punching the air in synch with her. Suddenly, he looked the most childish out of them all. "I'm gonna snap you in half like a twig!"

"I'd like to see you catch me with all that fat holding you down, old man!" she replied, only getting an even wider grin from the wolverine.

"Alright, that is enough!" Dean quickly stepped between them, pushing them apart, holding them both at arm's length as his eyes went from a stern look at the human to a furious snarl for the wolverine. "There will be no snapping in half."

"But-

"No buts," he firmly told Abby, who clicked her tongue in frustration. Dean simply sighed and looked over to Duncan, looking for any sort of support. "This is the discipline you were referring to, correct?"

"Well... yeah..." despite his seeming agreement, Duncan was clearly pouting, and his arms eventually crossed in front of his exposed chest. "I really wanted to have a spar, though."

"Of all the..." Dean couldn't even finish the sentence. He just rubbed his temples while the wolverine stood next to him, sighing. And he didn't need to turn back to know that Abby also had a disappointed look on her face. If it were up to them, they would just fight until neither could stand back up; and while such a look wouldn't be out of the ordinary for the wolverine, he simply couldn't allow Abigail to get like that. Thus, he looked at Duncan next. "Very well, then. I will be your sparring partner, in that case."

"What?" Duncan's disappointment vanished immediately as he looked up. The wolf knew he was seeing his slender body and thinking of the multiple ways he would end up breaking him by accident. And the bashful way in which he rubbed the back of his head was all the confirmation he needed. "I mean, no offense but you're not exactly what I would call the sparring type? You have noodle arms, and nowhere near the kid's skill-

"I will be using magic to fight you on equal ground, obviously," the wolf admitted, getting his companion's eyes to widen even further. Dean didn't care for whatever he might say, though; he just walked away from him, stretching in the process, before turning back to the wolverine when the distance was large enough. "Well then, if you're ready, get on a stance."

"Wait, wait, wait, this is all way too sudden!" he put his hands forward to try and stop the sudden turn of events, but there was a visible fire in the wolf's eyes that his actions could no longer put down. Even when he looked over at Nick to beg for help, he got nothing from the human, who just ignored both of them as he focused on preparing their meal. "Kid, help me talk some sense into him! This is dumb, tell him!"

"Hell yeah, fight!" was all Abby said from her sitting position under the tree, practically jumping in one place out of excitement. Duncan sighed from it all, resigning to his fate as he turned back to the wolf.

"Fine. Since you all seem so intent on it," he said as he stood up straight, his arms rising close to his chest, leaning forward to cover his face as well. "Sorry if I leave a bruise or two on that pretty face of yours," he said with a wink that made Dean blush for a second.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of holding back in the least either," he said just as he felt the flow of energy coursing through his body, through every fiber of his being. Slowly, the fur on his arms receded, revealing the peach-colored skin underneath; his claws turned into nails and his tail shrunk until vanishing completely; the snout that had been so gleefully looking at the human girl while also snarling at the wolverine, contorted into the flat shape of a human face. All of Dean was indistinguishable from a regular human being now, except for the wisps of light that surrounded his body as he mentally charged his first spell.

Duncan didn't wait for him. He shot forward in a rush, practically teleporting right in front of him, a fist reared for the hit. Dean swept with one arm and one of the wisps of light flashed into a wall in front of him, blocking the wolverine's attack; it did little to stop him, and he followed up with a barrage of powerful punches, each one making the barrier tremble from his force alone. But it still refused to give in, and he reached over it instead, his thick arms straining as he pulled his massive bulk above the wall. Dean only had a second to react with shock before seeing the wolverine's kick coming down for his head.

The second wisp acted instantly, and the human's body turned into a flare of light that dove down the side, making him reappear a few feet away just as Duncan's kick landed on thin air. When he turned, new wisps were already forming next to Dean, one of them aimed his way, turning into a bolt of fire that sailed in a wide curve faster than the eye could see. And yet, Duncan easily leaped over it, his back parallel to the ground as the fireball flew beneath him. But the wizard wasn't done, and the fire shot for the sky, expanding into a miniature sun, a massive sphere of burning red flames that exploded and showered all over the wolverine.

Duncan didn't miss a beat and tore his necklace from his neck, tossing it towards the raining flames and letting each bead collide with one of them. The hits resulted in thick smokescreens out of each bead, completely shrouding him from Dean's view. The wizard took a step back, eyes straining to try and see anything, a silhouette, the slightest of movements, anything-

He burst out. Dean acted out of instinct, raising his arms in front of his head and making the wisps turn them into solid steel. Even that proved little compared to the wolverine's strength, and a single punch right at his arms was all it took for the human to get sent several feet away, crashing all over the ground. When he finally landed, it was on his back, his body battered and bruised all over from the intensity of that hit.

"Will that be enough for you, magic boy?" Duncan asked him as he sat back up. He actually stopped his barrage of attacks for the sake of teasing him, the necklace back in his hand, good as new, as he put it back on. And while Dean got back on his feet, the damn wolverine had the biggest grin on his face, smugly laughing in his face. Like hell he would let that pass.

The wisps formed around him again, but they only existed for a second, before he took hold of them and slammed them down on the ground. Immediately after, the ground shook for a minute, the wolverine stepping back just as it cracked under his feet and enormous vines sprouted from the depths, twisting all around him, tightly coiling around his arms and legs and holding him high in the sky. He was completely immobilized, despite how much he tried to break free out of brute force alone; the veins on his neck and pecs were popping from the effort, yet it all proved useless.

"You should never give your opponent breathing room, my friend," and with those words, a ball of white light in front of Dean solidified into pure iron, shot at terrifying speeds towards the held up wolverine. The sphere smashed straight against his stomach, pushing the air out of his body and making his eyes roll go blank from the sudden pain. The ball dissipated right after making contact, and Duncan's head went limp for a moment, making the wizard feel just a second of regret.

"Holy... Is he ok?" Abby said from her seat, leaning forward with wide eyes, staring at the wolverine held up high. Dean glanced her way for a second, before looking back at his companion with the same question bouncing around in his head. "Dean, that was amazing! I didn't know you were that strong! But is he going to be ok!?"

"Miss Abigail, do not worry yourself. I assure you, it wasn't that strong of a hit," he said, trying his best to sound convincing when in fact he wasn't entirely sure. Looking at Duncan's prone state, he worried that maybe, just maybe, all that bulk was just for show. "He's perfectly-

A chill went up the wizard's spine, and he whipped back to the wolverine; something in the back of his mind told him to. Duncan's eyes were slowly opening back up, glowing an incandescent white as his head rose. Those shining orbs stared at the wizard, a single trickle of blood coming out of his mouth and being completely ignored by the otherwise perfectly calm creature. Then the beads on his necklace cracked, and with a single flex, the vines holding him up exploded into pieces, while the wolverine seemed to float in the air. Dean had no idea what was happening.

And just like the first shot, Duncan shot himself towards him, in a burst of speed that made the clouds behind him vanish. Dean reacted out of primal fear, using every ounce of magic left in his body to raise ten barriers in front of him, stacking them together into a multitude of walls. Duncan broke through the first seven with a single punch, before the eight managed to fight off his increased momentum; and then he simply punched with the other arm, breaking the last three and causing a shockwave powerful enough to send Dean flying again.

For a single second, the wizard flew through the air at such speed, he wasn't even curving down to the ground. He simply floated in the void, unsure if he was able to feel anything anymore. It was as if his entire body had shut down. The second after that, Duncan was on top of him, both hands crashing down on his stomach and plunging him back to the ground, so hard that he thought a crater had formed beneath him. And the wolverine landed a few feet away from him, skidding across the grass before coming to a full stop, both arms reared back and ready for another flurry of strikes if his opponent so much as dared standing up.

And of course Dean would stand up. Slowly, wordlessly, his body visibly struggling just to hold itself together, but he still got back on his feet, breathing hard yet frowning at the wolverine with fierce eyes. The wisps of magic started forming around him again, faster than before, turning several massive swords of light circling around his back like a giant halo. His fingers twitches, as did Duncan's legs, ready to jump into the fray once again.

"Dinner's ready!" Nick's cheerful voice got them both by surprise, making them stop for a second. It did little to reduce their focus, however, and they once again stared at one another, still ready for the next portion of the fight. That is, until...

"Oh, sweet! Food!" until Abby jumped from the tree and dashed over to the small table the butler had set for them, already attacking the steaming roast he had somehow managed to make in the middle of nowhere. That was enough for both men to look towards her, the tension in the air vanishing as they stared in absolute disbelief at how easy the human girl was swayed away from the battle.

And then a chuckle escaped the wolverine just as he stood straight again, his body suddenly relaxing. Seeing the monstrous beast in front of him disappearing, giving way to the amiable travel companion he had come to cherish, Dean let his own guard again, just as Duncan walked over.

"Of course, she got distracted with food. She probably didn't want us to get too serious, or you could've been hurt," he laughed again, a hand resting on his friend's shoulder just as his face morphed back into its familiar snout shape, and the fur started covering him back up. "Don't feel too bad about it, though. I'm a guardian deity, basically a divine existence. You stood no chance from the beginning."

"Yes..." was all Dean managed to say, before his own quick chuckle left him. "My legs aren't the ones shaking, though."

"What?" the wolverine looked at him for a moment, but the wolf was already turning the other way, making his way to the table where Nick still waited for him with his plate, and Abby was already wolfing down on her own. He patted her on the back to tell her to slow down and then sat next to her, a smile in his face as they kept chatting, no doubt about the fight she had just witnessed. But Duncan didn't pay much attention to that, his mind still pondering about the words the wizard had just told him. Out of curiosity, he looked down... and just like Dean said, his legs were shaking. It was very light, imperceptible enough that he wasn't really notice, but it was there. "Look at that..." he whispered, more to himself than anything, before laughing again, walking over to the table to join his friends for dinner.

---

Night and morning came in a flash, and just as everyone predicted, by the time the sun was poking out of the horizon, Abigail had yet to wake up. Hardly a surprise, considering how much she had to eat the previous day, but it still took a lot of convincing from Duncan and Nick for the old wolf to let her sleep in. Thus, they went back to their usual positions, with both men sitting in front of the carriage, Dean driving with magic, while Nick stayed in the back with Abby's sleeping head on his lap, a hand holding her in place.

"Nick, has she woken up yet?" he asked in a whisper, scared of waking her up by accident and incurring her wrath. Yet, at the same time, feeling a multitude of emotions that he didn't quite understand, ranging from concern to boredom. When his assistant simply gave him a silent head shake, a sigh escaped him. "Don't you think she's sleeping too much? Maybe we should wake her up now. I mean, she missed breakfast."

"She's just tired from being on the road so much, she's still a teenager, you know," Duncan being the one bringing some sense to the conversation was a bit of a shock for the wolf, but he tried his best to keep that from showing. "And yesterday was an exciting day, what with me kicking your ass and all."

"I seem to recall it was a tie," Dean clarified with just enough of a smug tone, getting a huff from the wolverine. "And had I not intervened, you would've performed at the same level against her, leaving her in even worse condition for the day."

"You don't actually think I would've gone that hard on the kid, do you?" Dean didn't look his way, focused on the road and his magic output instead, but if Duncan's voice was anything to go by, he was angry- No, more like... outraged? "If it were her, I would've just sparred with her a bit, trade a few blows. I was gonna do the same with you, and then you started throwing spells at me, so I got serious for fun. You really think I would hurt her?"

"What? No, I... Um..." he was out of words for the first time, looking over the wolverine to try and think of anything for him to say. But Duncan wasn't looking his way anymore; his eyes gazed towards the horizon, the vast planes all around them, refusing to see the wolf. "I'm sorry..." Dean sighed afterwards. "It's just really boring without her commenting on everything and just jumping around the cart. Her energy is contagious, you know?"

The wolverine still didn't say anything, but a deep chuckle escaped him, and the sound got Dean to smile a bit. They stayed in that comfortable silence for a few seconds before a short giggle made them both look back. Nick remained down, staring straight ahead, trying his best not to move and wake the human girl up, but even he was unable to contain his mirth, whatever was causing it. When he turned around and noticed the two other men looking his way, he simply threw a smile at them.

"My apologies, sir. I just can't help but be joyed by the chemistry between you two," he was explaining himself, but his words only made Dean and Duncan look more perplexed. "I'm referring to the way you handle yourselves around each other, especially when it comes to young Miss Abigail. It strikes me as a couple tending to their daughter."

"Couple!?" they screamed in unison loud enough to make even the assistant almost jump back, before he shushed them, pointing at the human girl that stirred slightly in his lap. The panic set in both of their faces, but when Abby stayed down, it was replaced by relieved sighs, and their eyes returned to the road. The silence between them was no longer comfortable, however; they glanced at each other for a single second, and right away their heads whipped back, deep crimson blushes now on both of their cheeks.

Thankfully, their thoughts were taking over by more pressing matters once they reached the town. A massive wall surrounded it, going a few miles to both sides before curving backwards. A perfect circle, or was it perhaps an irregular form... That alone was enough to peak Dean's interest, contrary to the wolverine next to him who stared at them with barely any care in the world. At least until the main gate came into view, and he sat up straight, his frown growing deeper by the second.

"Gate guards," he whispered, but it was still enough to get the wolf's attention.

"In a small town in the middle of nowhere?" he took a quick glance to the back, seeing Nick with the same worried expression he was sure to be wearing. And his eyes then fell on Abigail right away. His mind went to all the possibilities, all the things that could go wrong, and he looked away to keep those images from flooding his head. "This is why I told you we should avoid settlements. What do we do now? If they find out about her... Should I turn this thing around?"

"This close to town, it'll look suspicious," he knew Duncan was right, but that didn't stop his fingers from twitching with the thought. "Why didn't we plan for this before, dammit. Maybe we can pass her off as a human from this world."

"The moment we use the word 'human' they'll catch up that she's different from Nick. They just feel these things," Dean was getting evidently nervous. The thought of just turning back, running away as fast as the cart allowed them, was becoming more and more tempting. "Maybe we can pass her off as another species. But what else does she look like other than a human?"

"Whatever she does, you better come up with something quick," that was the last whisper he heard from the wolverine, before looking up and realizing they were already in front of the gates. The wolf's eyes widened as one of the armored guards stood in their way, gesturing for them to stop already. For a second, he considered just running him over and forcing their way into town, anything that might ensure Abby's safety, but the logical part of his brain shot that idea almost right away.

Instead, he kept his calm as much as possible, making sure not to leave any tension visible in his shoulders as the guard approached them, walking towards the driver's side, prepared to talk with the wolf first, it seemed.

"Good morning, gentlemen," the speech was practiced, and while Dean couldn't see a bit of face underneath the helmet, the voice was distinctly male. The armor shone brightly, the sunlight all over it bouncing off with a glint. The wolf simply nodded in silence, the most neutral smile he could muster while his mind was going haywire with the possibilities. "We just need to take note of who's coming in with you, maybe look at any cargo, and then you're good to go. I assume there's no issue with that?"

"Not at all, sir. Just doing your job, correct?" he hoped that didn't sounds suspicious in any way, or that the guard didn't notice how much of a nuisance he thought he was.

"Let's see..." the guard gestured for another one to step closer, this second one holding a small piece of parchment and a pen. "One wolf, one wolverine, right?" Duncan simply nodded while the second guard started scribbling away. "Names, please."

"Duraine... Smith," he was already feeling the wolverine's curious expression behind him, but chose to ignore it instead. "My friend here is called Duncan."

"Duncan Smith as well, I presume?" the guard, however, didn't wait for an answer before walking over to the back. His head remained still, but the eyes underneath the helmet were surely scanning every inch he could. "A human male, good day sir. Name, please."

"Nick Torbin. I am mister Smith's personal assistant," he caught up on the name right away, without missing a beat. Just as Dean expected of his assistant. But that was far from his real worry. The actual important part was about to come...

"A female... huh..." the guard stopped when he noticed Abigail, head tilting. Dean saw the gears turning around in his head, and his body started to grow tense again. "Excuse me, sir, what is this girl? She looks similar to the human, but there's something I can't put my finger on."

"We get that a lot!" that was a sudden improvisation, merely trying to get as many extra seconds as he could to try and think of a solution. But no matter what, Dean simply had no way of figuring it out. She looked human because she was human, but the moment he said that, they would realize and... Shit, he didn't want to even think about it. But the longer he went without giving a proper answer, the worse their chances got. "See... It is rather difficult to explain, but she is, uh..."

"A dragongirl!" every man present turned over to Duncan, their faces varying degrees of disbelief; even the second guard had stopped taking notes. Every man except for Dean, who tried his best not to sigh at the wolverine's sudden statement. "She's a dragongirl, sir. Quite a fierce one, may I add; you're lucky the kid's asleep, or she would be throwing the biggest tantrum you've seen in your life!"

"A dragongirl...?" of course, he wasn't buying any of that. The wolf was just wondering what the hell was Duncan thinking. "She doesn't really strike me as one, sir," the guard's voice started to get lower and he took a step back, his hand slowly aiming for his weapon.

"She's half dwarf," the words escaped Dean's mouth out of nowhere. Might as well; if the wolverine was already throwing whatever came to mind, there was nothing to stop him from doing the exact same thing, illogical as it may seem. His words only managed to garner further confusion from the guard, but that as well was a chance to take advantage of. "The dragonborn half made her quite taller than most of her kind, but other than that, she is, as you can clearly see, a dwarf."

"You don't sound too convinced, sir," and the truth is he wasn't. A dragonborn dwarf, who would believe any of that? But at this point, he had no choice but to bet on that. "While we're at it, why is she traveling with you? None of you share the same species."

"Of course, she doesn't, she's adopted," once again, everyone's eyes went for Duncan. The wolverine said that with such a natural tone, it was hard to believe it was improvised. The surprises just kept coming as he took Dean's hand, squeezing it tight on top of the guiding sphere while talking to the guard with a rather wide smile. "We wanted a kid so badly, we didn't care for what species she might be. All we wanted was to be a family, sir."

For that second, Dean wasn't sure what was going on. All he knew was that the wolverine's big, meaty hand pressed against his own, fingers intertwining, was making the red on his cheek grow brighter, and his body felt hotter from it. Unsure of what kind of face he was supposed to make, he looked over to the guard, who seemed to have a similar blush so bright, he was seeing it through the helmet. The wolf tried his best not to let the amazement show.

"O-Oh! I see, that is rather lovely!" the guard's voice was suddenly softer. "My husband and I have been talking about it recently as well, I'm glad you managed to-Ehem! I mean..." he got back to the same tone as before, seemingly trying to hide the embarrassment away. "N-Name, please..."

"Abigail Smith..." an equally flustered Dean replied, and the second guard jotted the name down in silence, looking at their superior with a head tilt. The first guard simply looked away from them, trying to keep his cool.

"Very well, sir. You may go in. Hope you have a nice trip," he said, taking a step back and letting the cart cross the gate. Dean and Duncan simply gave him their own shy nods in response, the cart slowly entering into town and soon leaving behind the gate.

The town, despite its size, was surprisingly lively, with small houses and buildings lining up the streets and several people of varied species walking all over the place. Carts of every kind, from the regular ones pulled by horses to the same kind of magical ones Dean's party was using, went up and down the roads as well. It was a lovely town, yes, but the wolf had more pressing matters in his head.

"'A dragongirl'!?" he yelled at the wolverine, making him jump back. Not like he cared how he reacted, it just had to be said. "Is that honestly the best idea that crossed your mind, you massive lug!? Where does Abigail even remotely look reptilian? We're lucky we got through this ordeal!"

"Well, you weren't saying anything! Someone had to do something. Staying in silence was a worse plan," Duncan's voice was lower, but his eyes held the same kind of fury that filled the wolf. He didn't do much with it, however, instead just looking the other side, scanning the buildings and the people around them. "After what Nick said before, it was the only thing I came up with. What does it matter, anyway? We got through safe and sound."

"By sheer luck, and thanks to my quick thinking, thank you!" that got him to look back to Dean again, and the wolf held his stare for a second before going back to the road. "Now we have to pretend we're a couple while we're in town, just over the remote possibility we come across that guard again. And you know, to keep our story straight."

"Nothing about this is straight," he shot another furious glare at the wolverine for that one, but Duncan just kept chuckling about it.

"For what is worth, sir, you're both doing an amazing job so far," Nick said from the back. He was surprisingly skilled when it came to blending himself in the background, coming up only for the occasional remark; those, however, tended to be extremely relevant, and both men looked his way curiously, fully aware of the fact. "Oh, haven't you noticed? You're still holding hands."

Wolf and wolverine both snapped back to the front. And just as the human said, Duncan's massive hand was still on top of Dean's slenderer one, squeezing it tightly. They both swept them back, Dean soon letting the other one on the guiding sphere before the cart came to a full stop. And neither of them noticed, but they were both once again blushing rather hard, hearing Nick's giggles behind them.

"You used the kid's family name back there," Duncan let out after a few seconds in silence, making the wolf wince. "Duraine Smith... I'd say it makes more sense to keep her identity secret for now, so why are you using her name instead?"

"I... have a lot of reasons to keep my own name under wraps, and that is all I will say on the matter," the wolf's tone was definitive, and he only looked back to Duncan to let him see the fierce gaze in his eyes. Behind them, Nick's usually contained cheerfulness was gone from his face, his own eyes looking forward with a bit of a nostalgic shine that the wolf didn't miss. Better not to talk a lot more about it. "Just trust me when I say we're all safer this way, and let's leave it at that. For now, we should focus on getting to an inn."

"Right..." the wolverine tried his best not to let the concern show in his voice. He looked back to the street instead, not willing to try and hold Dean's angry gaze; and part of him didn't want to see him angry like that either. Thus, he went through the people walking around them, slowly avoiding their cart, among many others. A few glances were thrown their way, he assumed because magic carts like theirs were a rare occurrence in a town this small. "I think we should look for a small one. Something discrete, where we can keep the kid safe."

"That... makes a lot of sense, surprisingly," the wolf's words got a frown from the wolverine that he chose to ignore. "After all the time we have spent sleeping outdoors, however, I would much prefer a big, fluffy bed to lie down on for a while," he reached and rubbed his neck, stretching to the sides in the process. His bones popped and cracked a few times, making Duncan cringe next to him. He took that as a small, quick victory, before scanning the street on his own. "How about that one, over there?"

He pointed subtly enough for only Duncan and Nick to follow his direction. All of their eyes landed on a tall building nestled safely in a corner, people coming and going from the front door. A sign above the entrance had the words 'Inn/Tavern' carved on it, and the satisfied expressions on every patron's face, coupled with the aroma his canine senses were detecting, told him they would have excellent food. Simplistic reasons as they may have been, it was already catching his attention.

"It does look like a decent enough establishment," Nick behind them seemed to agree. That got a pleased, almost smug huff out of Dean on the front; his assistant's approval was always a good sign of his own judgment, given how picky the human could get for his sake. "It doesn't particularly stand out, but it looks pleasant. It's worth a look-

"Are you out of your mind!? That's a bar!" Duncan was, once again surprisingly, the only one against the idea so far. "You really want to bring a minor into a bar, just like that!?"

"I... It's a tavern, not a bar. They serve food along with the drinks- It's actually closer to a small restaurant than it is to a bar," the wolf wasn't expecting to be on this side of the explanation, especially when it came to the idea of Duncan and drinking; of all people, he figured it would be the wolverine who got excited about the chance of getting some extra booze. "It's not like I intend to let her drink alcohol. I'll be very attentive to what she orders."

"It's not what she orders, it's what she'll be seeing there! There might be drunkards getting rough, a fight might start, it's not safe! Or worse, she might jump into the fight, thinking she can take on a few drunks, and get hurt herself!"

"I am once again shocked with your explanations, dear friend," Dean said that with the best of intentions, but all he got was another growl in response. "Alright, first of all, how would this be any different to the times you get rowdy with her? Or in front of her? I've seen you toss men across the room while she cheers you on, and you don't bat an eye. Also, this place looks perfectly fine; this is a decent street, from what I can tell, so nothing should happen."

"Perhaps he's fully immersing himself into his role as a father, sir," Nick offered from the back, and the wolverine snapped at him with a snarl.

"I'm allowed to worry about the kid from time to time, for fuck's sake!" he growled at both of them, but only raised eyebrows met him back. He ended up leaning back on his seat with his arms crossed, and a huff coming out. "I just feel like we should look for something a bit classier, that's all."

"You're the one who said we should look for something discrete. Based on our experience with other towns we've passed by, anything more discrete than this will have to be in the shadier parts of town; and anything classier than this will probably be out of our budget," Dean's logic didn't seem to have much of an effect on the wolverine at first, but his prolonged lack of response made it clear that he had no argument to fight him back with. "Those sound like the type of argument I use in these situations. You're usually the one talking me into your ideas, which I always have to accept make more sense."

"What the hell are you trying to say?"

"This is a reversal of our usual roles, it's interesting," he was already turning around the corner, locating the inn's stables and aiming for their cart to take an empty spot. "It's endearing to see you like this, if I admit it."

A quick chuckle reached them from the back, no doubt coming from Nick, and that was when the wolf realized just what had come out of his mouth. Looking to the side, he saw a deep red blush on Duncan's cheeks that he was sure mirrored his own. Better to ignore that for now. Instead, he threw a stern look at Nick on the back, but the assistant simply smiled at him in return. As if fate had it in mind, Duncan came into his view afterwards, having already stepped out of the cart and walked to the back. Dean looked away out of instinct, feeling his face burn brighter and hotter.

"Kid... Wake up already, you need to help with our stuff," he heard him say, and he didn't need to turn around to picture the familiar image of the massive wolverine gently shaking Abigail's shoulder. A grumble and she slapped his hand away, but that only made the stubborn Duncan try even harder. It was the same every morning, and the wolf couldn't help but chuckle.

"Five more minutes," Abby grumbled, but her guardian wasn't having any of it. The more she tried to roll away from him, the more he insisted on waking her up. All while Nick simply sat there with her head on his lap, awkwardly waiting for his own freedom. "Ok, fine, fine..." she finally said, sitting back up next to the assistant, who quickly and fluidly stood up from the seat and jumped off the cart in a surprisingly graceful motion. It never ceased to amaze Duncan how he managed to stay so elegant even while moving around like that, but his attention was on the human girl right after.

"Alright kid, grab your things, your clothes and whatever you want to get to the room. And, uh..." he checked every other inch of the cart, eyes darting from one box to the next. Boxes that were once full of food, most of it now gone during their long journey. But there was still enough to go on for a bit. "Is it ok if we leave our supplies down here? What if they get stolen and we have to spend more to re-stock?"

"For the last time, you massive lug," an exasperated Dean started as he got off from the front seat, his feet touching the ground with a much softer thud than any of his companions, "this is a decent street. Our things will be safe. I saw the doors on the entrance, they look like they close them up at night, and they probably leave someone on guard at night."

"Yeah, but-

"If it makes you feel better, I can put a tracking spell on our things," one of his small hands landed on Duncan's much larger chest. The wolverine immediately felt an odd sensation, a certain heat spreading from his friend's palm and all through his body, relaxing and unsettling him all at the same time. Was he casting a spell on him, or was he just letting his magic out? Was this just... raw power? "It won't stop our things from getting taken, on the hypothetical and very unlikely scenario that such a thing might become a possibility, but it will let us find them and the perpetrators, and I'm sure you'd love to get the chance of teaching them a thing or two."

"Well, yeah... I wouldn't mind getting robbed if it means I can punch a few assholes," was the wolverine's reply, coupled with an almost imperceptible flex of his muscular chest that gently pushed Dean's hand up.

"Oh my," Nick stood close to them, already holding his own bags while Abigail struggled with her own backpack. Everyone had already gotten used to seeing the lithe human holding so much weight; it seemed to be just a natural ability of his body to be so oddly strong. What was new was the wide-eyes expression on his face as he stared at the other two. "Forgive my bluntness, but you seem more and more comfortable with your roles by the second. It's quite the sight."

It took them a second to understand what he talked about, before Dean realized his hand was still on top of Duncan's chest. Practically rubbing, feeling up the strong muscle underneath. And then they both jumped back, shocked and blushing the hardest yet. How many times was that by now that they were caught in such... compromising positions... The only difference this time was that Abby stared at all three of them with a still groggy expression.

"What roles?" she asked in the middle of a yawn, still unable to get his large backpack up until Nick picked it up for her.

"Oh, Miss Abigail!" he was suddenly thrilled, a hand landing on the girl's shoulder as he guided her to the entrance of the inn. His grin was larger than usual. "Quite the scene played while you were asleep, let me tell you."

"Nick, you bastard! Don't you dare tell her!" Duncan's blush got even redder and he ran after them, leaving the wolf alone to sigh.

---

"Bahahahahahaha! Dragongirl! That's gold! I can't, heck! Hah!" Abigail wheezed, unable to keep the laughter down, holding her belly as she slapped the table. Nick, who sat next to her, was doing his best to contain himself, but the way his shoulders shook made it evident that he wanted to join in her incredibly infectious laughter.

Meanwhile, all Dean and Duncan could do was cover their blushing faces, look away from the girl, from one another and from everyone else in the diner that looked their way, drawn by the loud and obnoxious voice of a human teenager. After entering the inn, they ordered their rooms and found only two spare ones available, rather than the single big one the wolf would've preferred for all of them. With no more options, they split both rooms among the four of them, with both humans taking up one of their own. And apparently, during the time they spent together setting their things in, Nick gave her a succinct summary of what their entrance into town had entailed.

By the time they all left, she was already giggling at the thought, glancing their way every so often and making them blush as they walked next to one another. She and Nick had reached a silent agreement to force them together, from making them share a room to keep them walking next to each other as they went for the inn's personal diner for a quick bite. Even when they reached a table they were quick to sit next to one another, making Dean and Duncan take the other side together despite the furious blushes both of them sported. In the end, Abby simply exploded, leading to the current situation.

"Miss Abigail, please, people are watching," the old wolf whispered, eyes darting to the side with as much of an apologetic expression he could muster to keep everyone else from throwing them any more dirty looks. He notably was also avoiding looking at the wolverine on the other side. "And you, Nick! Stop encouraging this behavior!"

"Ok, I'm sorry, I'll stop," it took Abby a few deep breaths, but she finally calmed down. She wiped the tears that had burst from the laughing and looked at both of them with tender eyes. "I'll behave now. Please don't be mad at me, dad."

"Goodness..." Dean's head fell on the table. Thankfully, Abigail's reaction this time was just a bit of giggling at his expense. He as suddenly so tired for no real reason, was this was parenthood felt like? With lazy, limp movements, he waved at the air next to him, looking for the wolverine's hip to get his attention. "Please, say something. Help me make her stop."

"Yeah, but I..." Duncan was stuttering, an odd thing from him, and that was enough for the wolf to beat his embarrassment and look his way. Just as he expected, the much larger wolverine was still blushing, eyes looking left and right, up and down. "I actually kinda liked that."

"What..."

"It felt nice! I... I wouldn't mind being a dad, you know," he was stuttering again, whispering in a nervous manner, fidgeting from head to toe. To think this was the same man that fought him so intensely the day before, parts of his body were still sore. But Dean had to admit he looked cute like this as well. And he looked away when that thought crawled its way inside his head, opting to hear the wolverine's words instead. "In any case, she shouldn't stop. If we want the story to stick, she has to play the part of our daughter convincingly. That means we're a family for the next few days, so you know... Get used to it."

"Yeah dad, get used to it, like pops says," she was far more excited about this than either of them. That alone was enough reason for Dean to play along. "Besides, you guys take so much care of me, you might as well really be my dads. I won't have to pretend too much."

"Pops..." Duncan was smiling like a fool after repeating the word, his blush turning brighter still. Dean threw a quick glance his way, just to confirm his earlier perception... He really was cute, wasn't he? And if he was being honest, playing the role of Abigail's father wasn't a bother in the least. Especially after what she just said. It took a lot of willpower not to let them see his own smile.

Thankfully, a waitress reached the table just then, giving him a distraction from the many thoughts bouncing around in his head. A young cat lady who looked at all four of them one by one, her eyes lingering on Abigail for just a second longer. He was sure she wouldn't notice anything, but he better keep that in mind.

"Well, good morning!" she had a surprisingly peppy voice. "What can I get you, gentlemen? And the little lady as well."

"I'll have a pint of your best ale," Abby leaned on her chair, arms behind the armrest while she flicked a coin at the table. "Keep the change."

"You're not drinking alcohol, for fuck's sake!" a suddenly raging wolverine swept the coin off the table, giving the human girl the sternest look in his life. You could practically see the fire in his eyes. And yet, Abby's smile refused to falter, leading the still pissed wolverine to aim his gaze to the now nervous waitress. "No alcohol for her! Not a single drop, do you hear me!? No matter what kind of mind tricks she plays on you!"

"I-I wasn't planning on bringing alcohol to a minor anyway, sir!" she tried to hide herself behind a tray. Dean just sighed at the show; less than two minutes and he was already embarrassed like this. But at least the fear meant that she wouldn't doubt Abigail any longer, or she risked facing Duncan's anger.

"But pops," speaking of Abigail, she was looking at the wolverine with the most bashful eyes imaginable, "I just wanted to try and drink it like you do. I just want to look cool like you."

"Ah, in that case you can have a sip or two, sweetheart," was he for real!? Dean turned to him and saw the same pleased expression as when he heard the word for the first time, and he had to sigh again as he was the one that fell on the girl's mind tricks. "It's fine if you want to look up to pops, you should do that- Ow!"

"No alcoholic beverages for anyone in this table," the wolf was surprisingly firm after that loud smack on the back of Duncan's head, talking to the cat waitress. "We'll have four juices and the day's special, whatever it is. And we apologize for the noise."

"It's fine, sir. We get loud customers all the time," she was trying to make him feel better, perhaps recognizing that he was the most stressed one out of this whole family. Dean appreciated the attempt, but it was futile in the long run. But he was still thankful when the waitress left and he was allowed to let his guard down.

"You two, please behave."

"I'm sorry, daddy," Abby said with a smile, and all that got was a sigh out of the wolf.

"Ignoring all of that... We still need to stock up on supplies, so we'll be going to the nearest market once we're done here," he was already back on boss mode, and everyone but Abigail stood still and listened to his directions. "Our current stock should last a few more days, but we still don't know where our next destination will be. First thing we should do is find a map and check on where we should be-

"Oh! Can we get a backpack when we're at the market? My old one is wearing down," Abby said. And while the old wolf didn't appreciate being cut off like that, he swallowed up his pride and simply nodded at the human's request.

"Absolutely. Anyway, we need to get a map and directions, we can ask about those here. I don't know how many days we'll be on the road, but remember to stock up extra for emergencies. And we should-

"Oh! Can we see if there's some pet shop or something, I want to see the lizards," Abigail cut him off again, and this time it took a bit more out of Dean's energy to hold back. "I really want to pet them, I miss the ones I had back home. They're all so cute."

"Sure we can. But our priority-

"And we should start looking for things to do tomorrow! We can't spend all day just buying things, and we can't stay cooped up in here," and she pulled out a small pamphlet out of nowhere, reading out loud. "This town is home to world famous hot springs! We should go there and have a soak, it'll be good for pops' weary old bones!"

"Where did you get that- No, wait, we're not going anywhere tomorrow," Dean's tone was as neutral as ever, but it was enough to make the human girl stop right away. "We're stocking up on supplies today, we come back and spend the night at the inn, and then we go back on the road early in the morning. Quick and simple, Miss Abigail."

"Right. Quick and simple," she was still smiling. Her expression hadn't changed in the least, and she put the pamphlet down quietly, without a single complain. So, why was Dean suddenly so uncomfortable about it all? She leaned on her arm and stared at the table, drumming her fingers against it out of impatience and hunger.

"Hey," Duncan whispered in his ear, next to him, and that made him blush even more than before. It wasn't the first time he did that, so why was he flustered? The wolverine got him out of those thoughts by gesturing for them both to lean back, whispering so neither of the humans heard any of their words. "I know what you're doing, and I get where you're coming from, but don't you think you're shooting all of the kid's ideas a bit too fast? I mean... We could stay one more day here and see the town, right?"

"What are you talking about? She's at risk every second we spend in here," he was quick to argue back, but instead of the frown and growl he expected from the wolverine, he got a pair of sad eyes. "W-What...?"

"Weren't you the one who said you wanted to spoil her as much as possible? While we still have the chance."

"Yes, in safe, controlled environments! Not in a town full of people that might chase her out or worse if they find out what she is!" he was trying hard not to raise his voice, but the very thought of losing Abigail like that was enough to make him tremble. Until Duncan's heavy hand landed on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

"I know you're nervous. Trust me, I'm not a big fan of the idea either. I agree with you on the safety part, but did you see her face? She was excited, man! Don't you want to give her that?" Dean had to admit the wolverine had a point. Hell, she wanted to see reptiles because she missed her home. "And if I'm honest, the hot springs do sound tempting. Pops could use a soak in the warm water, relax these big, heavy muscles that would be completely naked and exposed to the elements. And to any pair of prying eyes," and of course, he just had to flex them like he always did, all to drive his point. Against his better judgment, however, Dean stared a bit longer than he was willing to admit.

"You're always shirtless anyway," he tried to argue, looking away to hide the blush.

"So you do check me out," he said with a grin that only made the wolf blush even harder. "All the more reason to go to the hot springs, then. I should get a chance to see yours, to balance things out."

"F-Fine!" did he stutter? It was the first time in his life he did that. And he looked back at the table, where Nick was patting a clearly disappointed Abigail on the back. The picture got a sigh out of the wolf. "One day," he said, getting the girl's excited attention. "We'll stay tomorrow, one extra day, and we leave the next day early. No room for discussion. So get everything you want to do tomorrow."

"Yes! Yeah, of course!" and surprising everyone, even the waitress as she came close with their order, Abigail jumped over the table and threw her arms around the wolf's neck, pulling him into a tight hug. "Thanks, dad!"

"Y-Yeah..." another one, and this time the blushing was getting even hotter. But now he understood why Duncan got so weak whenever she called him pops. "A-Alright sweetie, now go back to your seat, our food is here."

For the first time, Abigail did as she was told, her grin wide and her whole body practically jumping on her chair. She was beyond herself with excitement, and it was so palpable, even the cat waitress commented on it as she left the plates on the table. Maybe she was asking what that was about, or talking about what a nice pair of dads she had, the wolf didn't know. He wasn't hearing to anything else now, focused entirely on the flush on his face. It was only by pure chance that he looked to the side and saw Duncan, the wolverine staring back with a smile and his thumb up. For whatever reason, that only made Dean's face burn even hotter.

---

Around an hour later, Abigail was already running around the nearest market, going from one stand to another, awed at the variety of fruits and meats being sold. She kept jumping from one to the next, always with the same bright smile, always politely greeting everyone she met, always slipping away before Dean managed to get close enough to her.

"Abigail! Please, stay put! Or at least stay where I can see you!" the wolf's screams were loud and desperate, but whether she was hearing him or not, she didn't stop. "Duncan, please say something!"

"Like what? She won't stop no matter what I say," the wolverine insisted, and he returned to his conversation with Nick. They were checking what cuts of beef to get for the trip, which ones would last the longest, who really cared about any of that? Dean had more important matters to take care off, such as chasing a hyperactive teenager across the street before she lost herself among the crowd. And she was definitely not making it easy!

"Abigail!" it was so weird to just call her by her first name. But at long last, perhaps as if heaven had finally heard his prayers, the human girl stopped, paralyzed out of sheer awe in front of a certain stand. The store clerk was a snake man that seemed oddly interested in her, and that made Dean go anxious for a second, before he realized her eyes were glued to a black backpack hanging on the front. With heavy, rushed footsteps, he finally reached her, breathing heavily while talking to the human. "Young lady... you can't just... what are you... I need a minute."

"Look at it, look!" she jumped on her spot and pointed at the backpack, making Dean look up in the midst of his exhaustion. It wasn't that big of a deal, actually: It was a leather backpack, about the same size as the one she left behind at the inn, but the way the light bounced off the slick surface did have an elegant edge to it. "I told you I needed a new backpack and this one is- Look at it, isn't it just perfect!? Ugh, I want it!"

"It certainly is a very high quality piece, young lady," the snake man whispered, his voice terse and his tongue flickering after every other word. Dean would've admitted that at first he was worried about a scary stranger being so close to his charge, shop or not, but now he was scared of something else. He only needed to hear that voice once to tell exactly what kid of salesman this man was. "Actually, just between you and me, I have a certain ability to hear what the products say. And this backpack is just screaming to go with you. I can tell, you were made for one another. It would be such a shame if you didn't get it."

"Did you hear that, dad!? The backpack wants to come with me! We were made for each other!" her excitement was simply palpable now. No matter how ridiculous of a story that was, the exact second it reached the human's ears, Dean was defeated by this reptile. "We have to listen to him, he's the expert! Can I get this one? Please? Please, please, please!"

"Fine. You can get this one," Dean grumbled, looking at the backpack one more time. At least it was pretty, well worth the- Holy shit, that was a hefty price for a piece of leather! There's no way he'd pay that for something as simple as a backpack... or so he thought, until he came across Abigail's eyes again, and he was defeated by the shine behind them. Realizing in that second that he had no choice but to spoil her as he claimed he wanted to, he pulled out for a bag of coins, reaching in as he looked at the salesman. "Must be really nice to have the ability to hear what things say. And what a coincidence the bag she wanted also wanted her back. Love at first sight, I suppose."

The snake didn't say anything. He just smiled at the wolf with another flicker of his tongue and a hand extended to receive his money. Dean, in equal silence, put it down on his palm, and next thing he knew, the reptile was pulling the backpack down and handing it over to Abby. She squealed and held it close, tightly hugging it against her chest, before properly putting it on. Dean only sighed. It was all worth it if it got a smile this bright out of her.

"Hey!" Duncan's voice got their attention and they both looked back. What Dean didn't expect was to see the wolverine holding a massive drumstick over his shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world. But he decided not to ask about it. Nick walked next to him, holding a few bags of his own, likely full with other cuts of milk- He couldn't stop thinking about the drumstick, dammit! No, he wasn't asking about it! "What are you guys up- Yo, kid! That's one sick backpack you got there!"

"Isn't it!? Daddy bought it for me!" and Abigail jumped at Dean, arms coiled around his waist and pulling him into a tight hug. "Thank you."

"Y-Yeah, no worries, sweetie," why was he blushing left and right today!? The most natural thing seemed to be petting the human's head, but not even that got her to let go. When he looked at the other two to request help, Duncan grinned back at him, and the blush only felt hotter. That's when he decided to break free on his own, coughing to get his composure back. "Anyway... Is this all we'll be getting today, or do you have anything else in mind? If you do, we should get it all back to the cart."

"But I wanted to go to the pet shops and see the reptiles!" Abby's pout was once again working wonders. Just one look was enough to pull at the wolf's heartstrings, almost convincing him of just caving in to her demands.

"I... get that, Abigail. But we have to think about our food and supplies; we have to save it all properly or it'll go bad, especially the meat-

"If I may be as bold as to suggest something, sir," Nick spoke up. Always in the background until you needed him, same old reliable Nick. Dean knew right away what he wanted to say. "I can bring all our supplies to the cart myself and make sure everything gets properly put away. There's still other things we need to get, and I would like some free time of my own afterwards, so taking care of everything myself would be much more comfortable. That way you can all have..." was that a grin? And what was that wicked glint behind his glasses? "A family day," there it was, he wanted to make Dean blush even harder!

"No offense little guy, but this is a pretty heavy piece of-

Nick just grabbed the drumstick and held it with a single hand in the same position Duncan did mere seconds before. The wolverine's jaw dropped to the ground, even further when the human took the other bags he had been holding. Dean had to wonder why; it wasn't the first time he saw how strong his assistant really was.

But before he could get answers to any of his inquiries, Nick bowed to them both and turned around, making his way through the crowd in the opposite direction they came from. That left all three of them alone, with the rest of the market around them to explore, and the people all around them throwing one or two glances as they simply stood there. Were they looking at Abby? Were they telling what kind of human she was? Those were the kind of questions that plagued the wolf's mind all day, and that he knew would plague it for a long while. He instinctively took the girl's hand and held her close, surprising her, but remaining silent and attentive to the people around them.

"You need to chill, you're being obvious," Duncan whispered in his ear as casually as he was able. His hand landed on Dean's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly, before he leaned towards Abigail. "You said you wanted to see the pet shops, right kid? I bet they have some of those five feet baby dragons in there."

"Baby dragons!?" her eyes lit again. You could hardly blame her; even Dean was somewhat excited over the possibility of seeing a baby dragon. And Abigail jumped back, looking left and right like a little gremlin. "Where!? Where are they!?"

"I saw a sign over there, come on!" but before he even took the first step, Abigail already ran the distance, almost losing herself into the crowd. Dean instantly jumped after her, ready to yell one more time, before the same hand that squeezed his shoulder reached for him and kept him in place. "Relax a bit, she'll be fine. No need to go crazy about it."

"But she's running away all the time!"

"She's just playing with you. See," and he looked the way the wolverine pointed. Across the people, Abigail stood quietly, looking over the stores and stands with a surprisingly calm demeanor that he had never seen in her. The occasional glance their way told him that she was well aware of the distance. "She's old enough to walk a few paces ahead from her parents. She's just keeping a bit of a distance to toy with you, but she's making sure we're still close enough. Quite responsible for her age, if you ask me. When I was a teenager, I would slip away as far from my family as I could."

"Don't get too far!" the wolf yelled at the human in the distance, and all she did was smile at him in response. She kept walking away from them, but at least she wasn't running anymore. That meant they could walk at a regular pace while going for her. And that gave Dean the perfect chance to look at the wolverine next to him. "What was that about your family? You don't talk about them often."

"I don't?" it was almost as if he was only realizing it as well; or as if he were realizing what he just said before. "I guess I don't. I mean, you've never asked," was he trying to pin the blame on him now? No, there was something else going on here. Something that made Dean poke at him to get his answers. "Stop that."

"You can't expect me not to get curious after you say that," he was only taking quick looks at the front, making sure that Abigail was still on sight and that the distance between them was closing. But his eyes always returned to Duncan, his tall and muscular figure becoming more defined in his eyes with every passing second. The more he stared, the more he made out, for the first time, the lines of his prominent chest, the depth of his cleft, the way it rose with every breath he took... The blush got even harder now and he tried to look away, again at the human girl, but he always went back. "I'm asking now. Tell me something about your family."

"Look, they're all...!" he started screaming. Loud enough that Dean actually took a step back for a moment. And Duncan noticed that, since he breathed deeply and let out a sigh. "They're all... not around anymore."

"Oh..." this is why you're not supposed to push your luck. Suddenly, the air between them got heavier, and both of them looked forward, their eyes focused on Abby as she walked around the stands, checking out so many different things at once, it felt impossible. It was the only thing they could do not to feel stiff while walking. Dean had no idea what else to do. To begin with, it was the wolverine who told him he should ask, so why was he mad- No, don't blame him for it, don't...

"I'm sorry," Duncan spoke up. Even though he was the one that should be mad, he still took the first step. That only made Dean feel even worse. "For yelling, I mean. I'm sorry for yelling. I'm... not used to talking about my family anymore. Bothers me a bit more than I thought it would, I guess. Anyway, if you're really curious-

"No! Not at all!" the wolf jumped into that too fast, perhaps; he already felt Duncan's eyes piercing him. "Actually... Well, of course I'm curious about your past. We have all been traveling together for longer than I can remember, but sometimes it feels like I don't really know you. But you shouldn't have to feel uncomfortable for the sake of clenching my curiosity. I'd like it if you told me, but only when you feel you're ready."

"Yeah, don't hold your horses about that," for whatever reason, hearing him say that made the wolf chuckle. It was inappropriate, considering what they were talking about, and he regretted it as soon as the sound left his mouth. But Duncan joining him on the laughter made him feel better. They looked into each other's eyes for a second, before turning around just in time to see Abigail calling for them, pointing at a store in particular. That's when the wolf felt the large hand on his back push him faster, and the two ended up joining their young charge in no time.

It took a second for Dean to understand what kind of place he had been brought to, and by the time it all clicked in his mind, he was already pushed inside. A rather earthy scent hit him on the face, making his nose scrounge before he instinctively looked towards the human girl as she rushed to a particular corner of the shop. This was most likely the pet shop Duncan mentioned before, given all the cages of varied sizes in which countless animals either lied in wait or jumped excitedly at any client willing to pet them. He looked to one side, to a small fence blocking the path of a pack of red puppies that Duncan was now busy playing with, and was honestly surprised to see the massive wolverine was the type of guy that cooed at fluffy animals. The more you get to know people sometimes...

But other priorities took over, and after a quick head gesture to the quiet clerk, he went to the same corner Abby had scampered to. This one was a bit to the back of the shop, the cages more silent than the rest, each one of them housing a small reptile covered in scales of varying colors. From an electric blue lizard to a smoked black snake coiled around a branch behind a glass panel, and many other things he couldn't put a name on, no matter how much he racked his brain for it. One of them even had wings and was covered in as many feathers as it had scales, the light bouncing off them in varied colors as its tongue flickered at the wolf. Dean leaned back when that happened, asking himself for the thousandth time just what was it that the young human girl saw in this kind of creature.

Just as he thought about that, he came across her once again, her face lit as she stared at one of the cages, making gestures to the small lizards on the other side. Some of them walked over to the edge of the cage and patted at it, trying to get her hand as if they didn't see the barrier between them, and that alone got Abby to smile even wider. The old wolf couldn't help a chuckle coming out of him, which got his young charge's attention right away.

"Come look at them, they're so cute," that was the quietest she had ever been, shocking Dean. She didn't want to alarm the reptiles, he figured. If only she had the same consideration for the rest of them every morning. He took the first step towards her, but that still wasn't enough to match her sheer enthusiasm, and Abby grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him closer, until his face was in the same level as hers, staring at the small lizards. "Look at that one, it's waving at you. Isn't it cute? Can we get that one? I know you said no, but it's tiny and-

"No," he was firm about that. Keeping themselves alive on the road was already hard as it was, and they didn't need the added weight of another mouth, small as it may be. He didn't have it in him to tell all of that to the human girl, though. When he looked at her, he saw a smaller smile on her face, the disappointment clear in her features, and he figured he had to say something to keep her from getting too down.

"Hey! What's going on here?" boisterous as ever, Duncan's voice echoed on the walls around them as he surprised them both with a hand on each of their shoulders. The reptiles all around them slowly moved away from the panels on their cages, away from the sudden noise, save for the small lizards they had been staring at; those scattered as fast as possible, hiding behind the small branch in their little habitat, away from prying eyes.

"No, come back..." further disappointment dripped off Abby's words before she turned around and started smacking the wolverine's chest, her face twisted in a grimace and practically shooting steam through her ears. "Why did you do that? You're supposed to be quiet around small animals, ugh!"

"I'm sorry, kiddo. Don't hit me so much," the wolverine raised his arms to defend himself, but despite his apparent pain, he still cracked a smile through his flimsy defense, barely recoiling from the human's attacks. Dean stared at them both, his own lips curling in the same way. This was so common between them, it would be hard to picture Abby being any different around Duncan. If anything, it seemed like whatever sadness that may have threatened to afflict her was suddenly gone. He had to wonder if perhaps the wolverine did that on purpose... "Ok, stop that already, it hurts!" he claimed, but the smile had yet to vanish. One of his enormous hands ended on Abby's head, ruffling her hair. "Don't get angry at your old man, I brought you here to watch dragons, didn't I?"

"Dragons!?" her eyes shone at the word, only getting brighter with every passing second, as if she repeated it in her head every second. Dean would've sighed as well had he not being suddenly as interested as her.

"Baby dragons! Big things, at least as big as you. Maybe a bit more," as he said it, Duncan's hands rose a few inches above her head, showing her just how much of a difference there might be between her and the fire-breathing whelps. Abby covered her mouth to keep the squeal from coming out too loud. "I just asked the clerk, they keep them on the back, out in the open. Dragons get really anxious if you cage them, apparently."

"Any normal person would get anxious trapped in a cage. And these are giant monsters that breathe fire, no one needs them feeling uncomfortable," he tried to be the voice of reason, but each and every sound that came out of his mouth only made Abby jump faster. She was really looking forward to the breathing fire part, he gathered, before putting an arm on her back and guiding her away from the reptile corner.

When they returned to the front of the shop, the clerk was waiting for them next to a door on the back that Dean was only now noticing. He glanced at Duncan for a second, his shoulders going stiff with every step, but the wolverine only winked at him. For whatever reason, that was all it took for the wolf's worries to vanish. There was something on the confident grin his partner threw his way that simply made everything make sense. That and Abby's sheer excitement was simply too contagious to keep worrying over things outside of his control.

On the other side of the door, a small open field greeted them, and the bustling of the street filled his ears once again. Large fences surrounded them on all sides, leaving not a single crack for anyone to peep inside, or the other way around, and far above there was nothing but the bright blue, cloudless sky. That was the first thing Dean noticed when he looked around, before an awed sigh from his charge made him look down, and his own face twisted into one of pure amazement.

In front of them were three- no, four massive reptiles, each one bigger than Abigail herself, and all of them instantly turned over to the newcomers. Two of them were black, one red and one blue, but they all had the same massive wings folded against their backs as they pranced around, the blue one poking a small ball on the ground before looking at them. There was a different texture to their scales, and Dean could tell immediately that they were far tougher than the hides of the smaller creatures back inside, all the way up to the sharp horns that crowned their heads, small bumps that had yet to fully develop. But even at this small size, they still had a certain presence, a magnificence inherent to their species. The old wolf almost trembled in front of these creatures- Dragons, might as well call them by their name... And they were sure to become terrifying monsters once they grew. That actually made him curious.

"These are still babies, correct? What happens with them if no one buys them before they reach adulthood?" he asked the clerk who waited on the door behind them, leaning against the frame. "Do you release them into the wild again, or keep them for yourself? Maintaining a fully grown dragon must not be easy task."

"It's never happened. Dragons get sold fast," that was all he said in return. Dean had a lot more to ask; his words only made him grow more curious, after all. "Keep your kid off the dragons, please sir."

Dean whipped back in an instant, not at all surprised over the man's words. And just as he expected- Just as he feared from the moment they got into the store, in fact -he saw Abigail trying to climb one of the black dragons. The little creature actually leaned forward to let her hop on, and the wolf saw something resembling a smile on its snout. Of course, his first instinct was to rush over to the human girl, pull her off the massive reptile and back down on the ground; it all happened so fast, he wasn't even sure when he got there in the first place: One moment he was watching her like that, the next he was holding her in his arms, putting her back down and watching as she and the dragon both pouted his way.

"No," he said before either of them had a chance to complain. Because with that face, even the dragon was about to demand something. Abby actually tried to speak up, but he cut her off before the first word even made it out of her mouth. "No! You're not climbing onto a dragon! It's not happening, and that's the end of it! And you!" he now turned to Duncan, the wolverine's grin vanishing all of a sudden. "You just stand there, arms crossed in resignation, while your daughter tries to get on a dangerous animal!?"

"Of course not! My arms were crossed in agreement," he actually went and said that... And he caught himself in place, before Dean had a chance of saying anything in response. "Ok, I'm sorry. But come on, it's an experience- I mean, riding a dragon! Didn't you want to do stuff like that when you were a kid? Hey!" now he turned to the clerk instead, ignoring Dean may we add. The wolf had to turn from one side to the other, making sure Abby stayed still while the wolverine did whatever it was he was planning this time. "Good sir, aren't you interested in making some extra money? How much to allow our daughter for a ride on one of these majestic beasts?"

"Why are you talking like that? She's not getting on a dragon- You're not getting on it, and that's final!" Dean reached for Abby, once again holding her up and taking her away from the large creature. The other dragons stepped closer, their faces riddled with the same playful curiosity that the first one had, inching closer to the human and wolf. Dean found himself almost surrounded in a matter of seconds, trying his best to keep an overly excited teenager from escaping his grasp and getting closer to one of these creatures. From the corner of his eye, he looked for Duncan, partially to plead with him for help with their charge, but mostly to scold him for leaving him alone. And he caught him just as he turned back from his chat with the clerk, putting the bag back in his pocket.

"Great news, everyone! The clerk says that Abby can ride on one of the dragons for a while! After a hefty sum..." he growled that last bit, but that didn't matter to the wolf. It was the part about the human that really made him stop out of shock, and that allowed Abigail to slip off his grasp with an incredibly enthusiastic reaction that the dragons seemed to share, somehow. They all rushed to the back of the yard, away from the two canines, as if sensing the fire slowly brewing inside Dean's heart. Duncan certainly did. "Please don't look at me like that."

"Are you out of your freaking mind?" that quiet, soft tone he spoke with was by far the most terrifying Duncan had ever heard him. The wolverine even stepped back to try and get out of his range, fearing another magic blast like the ones he got during their spar before.

"Before you get angrier, I asked the clerk and he said none of these dragons can fly yet, so it's perfectly safe. She won't just ride them into the sunset at random, like I'm sure you thought she would," the wolverine grabbed him by the shoulders and made him turn around. And just as he said, Abby had climbed onto one of the black dragons, and the large reptile pranced about the yard with the other three following suit. The blue once pounced and leaped at it, tail wagging behind it, and the others stuck close enough, their eyes glued to the human, poking at her feet to try and play with her, almost as if they wanted to be rode next. Abigail herself was grinning like crazy, hanging to her mount's neck as it jumped far and away from the others. "See? It's basically just a really big horse, she's fine."

"Riding horses without proper equipment is incredibly dangerous, you know," he tried to stay angry, feeling that he had to. But he couldn't deny, the more he saw his young charge on top of that large reptile, how simply elated she looked. She looked like a hero out of legend, fresh on the start of her adventure, ready to jump into the fray at any moment. His worries faded away just from how much she seemed to be in her element. "Well... she does look safe, so I guess I can't-

And then the black dragon stopped, wings spreading far and wide, and with a powerful kick it took off the ground. That jump alone was enough to get it as far as the fences were tall, and from then on its wings flapped a few more times and it just kept rising into the sky, almost losing itself in the bright blue above them. From the other side of the fence, several yells started to come, followed by awed gasps and people that surely pointed towards the sight. They were amazed by the sight of a dragon, small as it may have been, flying around and doing loops and twists in the air. It was truly a sight to behold, even if none of them could tell apart the smaller figure on top of it, hanging from its neck for dear life.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

"H-Hey, calm down now, sweetie," Duncan tried to ease a screaming Dean, but the wolf refused to hear anything but his own voice, his own panic as he saw their charge hanging from a dragon's neck in the middle of the air. Even the wolverine was worried sick now, but one of them had to keep their wits. "Hey! You said none of these things could fly, what the fuck!?"

"I'm as shocked as you are, sir..." the clerk said, but he seemed far more concerned with the show than with Abigail's safety at the moment. Duncan would definitely demand his money back.

"Well, she's a smart and strong girl, so I'm sure it'll be fine, right? We just have to wait for the dragon to tire out and come back down, Dean... Dean?" but the wolf was no longer in his grasp. At some point, he freed himself from his partner's hold and went towards the blue dragon, trying to get a leg over it despite the reptile's discomfort. "D-Dean, what are you-

"I'm getting on this dragon and getting our daughter back!" he actually went and said that... And the next second, Duncan was already behind him, trying to get him off the creature, despite his incredibly aggressive thrashing. He was surprisingly strong for a man his size. "Let go of me! I have a child to save!"

"I know you do- Ow! Stop kicking so hard! These dragons can't fly, man!" he realized how stupid he sounded when one of said dragons was flying around above them with their charge on its back, but it was obvious none of the others could do the same, or they would be flying around just like it, following to keep their game up. "Listen to me! You know how strong Abby is, a fall from that height won't do much to her. Believe me, I've sparred with her, I know how much she can take- Ow! I told you to stop kicking!"

But of course, worried as he was, there was no way Dean would stop. He refused to listen to anything but that voice in his head that told him to jump into the sky and take the young girl back to safety with his own hands, and not even the wolverine's actions were enough to make him stop. But just as Duncan tried to do precisely that, failing as the wolf slipped out of his hold, the black dragon descended upon them with a graceful landing, barely lifting any dust on its wake. From the other side of the fence, booming applause and cheers filled the air, some people chanting for more of the spectacle. But neither of the two men cared for any of that; they both stared at the creature instead, their backs tense as they waited. Looking for the slightest movement, the tiniest hint that the human girl was still there. Anything, really... They didn't even realize that they had both stopped their struggle, and were now clinging to each other, holding their breaths in anticipation.

"That was so cool!" Abby screamed on top of the dragon, and the two men let out the exact same sigh of relief. The sudden exhaustion hit them both at the same time and they fell limp to the ground, leaning against one another while their young charge got off the massive reptile. While she stretched, the dragon got closer and nuzzled against her, asking for pets that she was more than happy to provide. And soon enough, the other ones jumped at her the same way, all of them asking with gestures to be touched. "Guys! Come on, one at a time!" she said amidst her own laughter, her hands reaching each one of the restless heads one by one.

"I thought I was going to die..." a very tired Dean let out, his eyes closing as his head leaned against the wolverine's much larger shoulder. He was at least aware enough to notice what he was doing, but he decided to live through the shame his own actions caused him. And Duncan reaching and caressing his cheek certainly helped. "Can you go check on her? I don't think I can stand up yet. And if you could carry me as well, I would appreciate that a lot."

"Of course, darling," that was part of the act, right? At this point, it didn't really matter. Dean allowed himself to be held up as the much larger man walked over to the mass of dragons cuddled up against the human, her still ongoing laughter the only evidence they had that she was still safe. "Hey, kid! Come up here, you had us worried sick!" Duncan's tone was surprisingly firm, and the moment they heard his voice, the dragons stopped and stepped back, letting the young girl walk over to her pretend parents. "Anything you want to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry I climbed on a dragon and made it fly like 300 feet in the sky," she tried her best to sound sorry, she really did, but neither Dean nor Duncan believed a single word that came out of her mouth. Even as she pouted, the four dragons copying her every action, they just couldn't bring themselves to buy any of it. And like flicking a switch, Abby's face brightened up again when she looked up at them. "But did you see how high that was!? I was like fwooom! And then I was like zyooom! And then it was like fshhhh! It was so freaking amazing! I wanna do it again!"

"For fuck's sake, no!" Dean jumped up. Hearing the wolf swear was even rarer than seeing baby dragons, and it was enough to take Abby and Duncan aback. He looked about ready to pounce on anyone who spoke next to him, eyes wide with anger as he took deep breaths to try and calm himself. It was the wolverine's hand on his back what finally eased him slightly, although it was with careful caresses. Only then did he keep talking. "This has been enough excitement for one day. We'll be leaving now."

"Actually, sir," that was the store's clerk, yet again making Dean look up at the sky in pure frustration, "if I may be so bold to suggest, the dragon has clearly bonded with the girl already. Once a dragon bonds with a rider, it's particularly hard to tame them into obeying anyone else, so I fear I won't be able to make much of a profit out of this little one. Your daughter, however, seems quite adept at flying. I'm sure we can come to an agreement for you to purchase this young mount for her, wouldn't you think?"

"OH MY GOD, YES!" Abigail's voice was so loud, they heard her well over the bustling from outside the fence. Some people on the other side even stopped at the sound, curious over what went on inside this mysterious shop. How surprised they would've been to see a young human girl climbing a tall, muscular wolverine's arm, clinging to his neck and shaking like crazy. "Please, buy me a dragon, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please-

"No..." unlike the wolf, Duncan was surprisingly calm. Or perhaps tired was the right word in his case. With a single swing, he got the human off his body, and she pouted at him as if hurt from the fall, despite perfectly landing on both feet. "Stop looking at me like that, we can't afford buying a dragon, much less feeding it. And you, sir... You're suddenly talking now that there's a sale in the table, aren't you?"

"Well... Yeah."

"Guys, come on, he said the dragon is basically mine already. If we don't buy him, someone else will do and he'll be a rebel," because Duncan was very blatantly ignoring her, Abby decided to go for Dean instead, putting up her best pout while trying to appeal to her canine parent. "Someone might get hurt because the dragon won't obey them, because he'll miss me. And I'll miss him as well, so much that I'll cry all day long. And he could save my life someday, dragons are amazing partners, you know. Please, let me have a dragon, I promise I'll take care of him, and love him, and work extra to feed him and-

And she went on and on for a while. Dean tried to follow Duncan's example and ignore her, look away and stay mad at the entire show he had just witnessed mere seconds ago. Riding a dragon almost got her killed! And yet, the more she gave him that same pout, the more the wolf's defenses weakened. He covered his face to try and muffle his screams, but the only sound that came out was a dragged out sigh.

"Abby..." his voice was shockingly tender, making a chill crawl up everyone present. Even the store clerk and his dragons looked on edge at it. But Dean's attention focused on his charge, his hands landing on her shoulders firmly. "Listen... I know you really want a dragon, but not only is it too much of a responsibility for a girl your age, it's also a responsibility we simply cannot afford. We can't afford another mouth to feed while still on the road, it's as simple as that. We have a hard time as is. It's not just about you, it's about the dragon as well. He won't be happy with us, it'll be too hard on everyone. Do you understand?"

"I... do..." whether that was true or not, the wolf had no way of knowing. The only thing he was sure of was that the young human girl was honestly hurt this time. She just looked at her own feet, suddenly falling silent and breathing slowly. He had yet to let go of her, fearing what she might do once he let her off his grasp. She might go climb on the dragon and run away with it, he knew she was capable; or she might just fall apart, ludicrous as that sounded. In any case, he didn't want to let go just yet. But after another deep breath, Abigail looked at him with a big, forced smile. "It's best for him if he gets someone that can keep him well fed, right? Yeah, I get that..."

Dean was... He didn't really have the word for it. He was sad and disappointed on himself for getting Abigail like this, and proud of her strength all at the same time. She put up a brave face like this, he thought. He wanted so badly to lean down and hug her, tell her that it was all going to be fine- Where did she go!?

"It's ok," he heard her voice, and when he looked up, she saw her hugging the baby dragon, the large reptile sniffling as she held his neck. "It's going to be fine."

"T-That was supposed to be me..." he was suddenly irritated again, with only his partner's hand landing on his back pulling him back to reality. He looked up at the wolverine, but all Duncan had to give him was a grin.

"Do you want me to hug you and tell you it's going to be fine?" he asked, and after a deep blush settled on his cheeks, the wolf smacked his arm. It had no effect on a massive lug like him, and only made the wolverine laugh some more on his way to their charge, gently guiding her towards the exit. "Come on, kiddo. It's time to go. Don't worry about the dragon, they're easy to train when they're young. He'll bond with someone else in no time."

"Wait, what!?" Dean screamed, not so much at them but at the store clerk, who simply shrugged at him. The wolf had so much more to say to him, but every second he spent in this place was another step the other two took away from him, and as dangerous as it was to leave Abigail alone, it was even worse to leave her with Duncan. Thus, without another word, the canine rushed out of the store and followed his charge and partner just as they made crossed the door, already dreading what may have been going through their heads to put those wicked grins in their faces. As if he needed even more dragon incidents.

---

And just like that it was back to the grind, the two men thought. The moment they stepped out of the pet store, Abigail's bravado vanished completely, replaced by the same kind of depression she showed when told that no, she couldn't have a dragon. Like the parents they were supposed to be for her, Dean and Duncan both panicked in an instant, each one of them pulling her to whatever they thought might help her feel better. From book stores to weaponsmith workshops, food stalls and even street shows, they tried their best to get the young human to cheer up. Slowly, step by step, it seemed like she was getting better; at the very least, the occasional smile cracked on her face.

But neither of them could honestly notice with how exhausted it all left them. Contrary to the human girl's endless supply of energy, the two men were left with nothing but heavy breathing and gasping, dragging their feet behind her as they made their way further into the crowd. Sad or not, Abby kept her curious streak and constantly jumped from one place to another, eyeing all they had to offer.

"Do you think she's looking for something?" an exhausted Duncan asked in a hushed tone. The wolf looked at him with a raised eyebrow, a reaction that his much larger companion noticed right away. One of the wolverine's enormous arms landed on his shoulders, pulling him closer until they were less than an inch apart. "Something specific. She looks like she's looking for something, and that's always dangerous."

"W-W-What...?" Dean barely heard any of what his partner said. Duncan was whispering right on his ear, likely the reason why he pulled him so close in the first place. But being this close to the other man, having his face practically smushed against that prominent chest... It could be rather distracting. "Um... D-Dangerous, yes... Uh, what?"

"You know what I mean, man! When she gets so interested in something, it usually bites us in the ass. Like liking reptiles so much, she wants to get a freaking dragon," slowly, the wolf's mind came back under his control and he realized what his friend meant. He looked back at Abigail, her back looking distant as she walked in front of them, looking to every direction with questioning eyes. She never looked back to them, and that already set a few alarms on the canine's head. "I just don't want to have to break her heart again with whatever it is she wants to do, but I'm tired and I have a bad feeling about this. I just want to go back to our rooms and sleep for a few hours."

"That so..." Dean was honestly focused on their young charge, using what little energy he had left to make sure she would stay safe, but the wolverine's words finally got him out of his trance and he looked up for the first time, curiosity shining in his eyes. "Wait, seriously? You, the giant hulk of our party, feeling tired after a quick stroll through the town? Is that all it takes?"

"Don't get smart with me, acting like you're not out of breath yourself," the wolverine held him even tighter now, squeezing the air out of him while ruffling his hair. Dean smacked the massive arm holding him down, trying to get him to loosen up, but all Duncan did was laugh at his struggling. "See? You're already losing it yourself!"

"Not the same!" the wolf finally freed himself off his friend's grasp and looked back up at him, one hand landing on the prominent pectoral. "I am but a small and scrawny magician, it's only natural for my body to tire fast. You, on the other hand, are a large, muscular symbol of masculinity. The last thing you'd expect is for someone this big," he said with a good squeeze of the wolverine's pec, "to get tired after following a teenage girl for a while."

"You..." was he blushing...? "You think I'm a... 'muscular symbol of masculinity'?"

"What?" Duncan looked away, the red on his cheeks growing more and more evident, and it took a moment for Dean to understand what was going on in front of him. During that time, many other thoughts crossed his mind, from the distance they had traveled together all the way to the fact that his hand was still posed on top of the wolverine's rather plump pec. He was still squeezing it, almost unable to let go of that sensation, enjoying the way his fingers were pushed back by the hard muscle under his skin. That's when the wolf jumped back, realizing exactly what he was doing and turning the same tone of crimson as the wolverine.

For a second, the two men stood there, staring at each other. Dean wasn't sure what else to do but try to keep his friend's gaze, and he was unable to break away from it either way. He had to do it, he thought; he had to look away and keep this mountain of a man from seeing him in such a compromising way... And then he realized it was precisely that kind of thought that led him to this situation. Shockingly, it was Duncan who looked away first, his lips pursed and his eyes glued to the ground instead, but the red still as prevalent as before. Deep down in his mind and heart, in a place where the thoughts would never escape, the wolf remarked that he actually looked cute like that. But with their apparent staring contest done, he found it in himself to look away at last, and his eyes instead landed on the young human who looked their way with an unreadable expression.

"You guys..." she started, her face so neutral it was actually concerning. Dean felt Duncan behind him, the wolverine leaning forward to hear the young girl better, and he couldn't help but blush even harder at that massive body's heat pressed against him. And that's when Abigail smiled for the first time in a while. "You really look like a couple now."

"Eh!? No! Of course not!" they said in perfect unison. And when they realized as much, they looked at each other, their face growing brighter still. It was Dean who looked away first this time, all to the human's laughing.

"Oh my god, you guys are so cute! It's adorable," she bent over with laugh, and for a quick second Dean thought maybe he could just leave her here and never have to face such a shame. Then Abby walked over to them and hugged them both, and every single thought abandoned the wolf's mind. "I love my big dads," Dean and Duncan looked at each other when she said that, and their sigh came out synchronized as they both hugged her back. Their hands brushed each other on her back, but neither of them pulled away until the human stepped back from them. "I love them a lot and I want to see them fight!"

"What."

"The spar you guys had yesterday was so freaking cool!" she started throwing barrages of punches in front of her, kicking the air a few times. A couple people almost got caught in her attack and the wolverine had to jump in while Dean apologized, but none of that so much as stopped Abby and her intense excitement. "I knew you were strong, but you never go crazy like that! I want to see more! And I just heard that there's a gym in this street where you can have matches like that. Can we go? Can you guys fight? Can I fight someone? Please, please, please, please-

"Stop," the wolverine put one of his large hands right on her face, covering it completely. Despite that, they still heard her muffled begs under the large palm, and yet another synchronized sigh left both men. Their worries about the human's depression were seemingly unfounded, as she bounced back to her usual cheerfulness without them even noticing. But Duncan still looked at his partner with a warm smile, something soft, almost imperceptible, but not hiding the fire in his eyes. He wasn't saying it out loud, but he was just as excited as their charge for the chance of a good fight. It didn't take long for Dean to realize he wasn't winning this fight, no matter what he did, and he just gestured at the larger man. That was his cue to let go of the human and look down with a widening grin. "Alright, kid! Since you've been behaving, I guess we can go to this gym you're talking about. It sounds interesting."

"It'll only be a light spar," Dean jumped in, right when he saw the wide smile on the girl's face. Her thoughts were so evident, he thought about teaching her how to hide her expressions better... but that would probably work against him in the long run. "I'm not using magic this time, or we'll end up tearing the whole place down. And we can't afford paying for all that."

"Lame!" she pouted, predictably enough. The wolf ruffled her hair because even then she looked adorable.

"Tearing the whole place down- You're not that powerful," Duncan scoffed, and for the first time in a while, Dean felt honestly incensed. He didn't study and train for as long as he did for a giant musclebound monster like him to underestimate him, handsome as he was- Where did that come from!? "If I can take one of your blasts, I'm sure any small time gym can deal with it. But our cute little puppy is scared of losing again, and he's using this as an excuse for when I beat him," the tall wolverine leaned down, his grin the widest he'd ever seen.

"So, you think I'm cute?" Dean raised an eyebrow, and despite the wolverine's attempts, it was once again him who ended up blushing. Thankfully, the wolf thought as he held back his own fluster. "Also, I didn't lose, it was a tie. And had the match gone on, it would have definitely ended in my favor. As I'd be more than happy to prove," the wolf stepped up closer to his partner, making Duncan stand upright again. He was actually intimidated by this smaller, powerful mage in front of him, by one of his fingers jabbing him right in the middle of his chest. He tensed up at such a simple action, and they lost themselves in each other's eyes for a moment... Until a chuckle from the side reminded them who they were with. "Prove... once we leave town. Back on the road, in another match. A long way down in the future."

And that's when they turned around to Abby, the young girl practically vibrating in front of them out of a mix of excitement and impatience. They both sighed together, and Duncan reached for her again, holding her down to make her stop. Naturally, he failed spectacularly; as if they could deal with the amount of energy she had.

"Alright, kid. Lead the way," the wolverine finally resigned himself, and Abby almost let out a loud squeal, before remembering they were out in the street. A rare moment of awareness Dean was thankful for. She practically hopped across the road, growing more and more excited with every step, but always looking over her shoulder to make sure they were keeping up. And only when there was enough distance between them that she wouldn't hear, did Duncan speak again. "You can't beat me, by the way."

"Excuse me?" the wolf asked, but when he looked up, he only met with his partner's grin.

"You talk your magic up a great deal, but look at these bad boys," and he had the gall to flex in the middle of the street, his already enormous muscles bulging into truly massive sizes that Dean couldn't stop staring at, no matter how hard he tried. "You can throw as many spells as you want, puppy. I would've dodged them all and then a couple hits and victory is mine. These weapons aren't just for show, after all. Go on, you can touch," he whispered when he noticed the wolf staring, and his hands reached up and coiled around his prominent bicep. A single grope was all it took for the wolverine to go stiff. "That- I- That was a joke..."

"What- Oh!" and he instantly jumped back when he realized what he was doing. It was time for both of them to blush... And yet, Dean found himself barely flustered by the event. Of all things to get used to about the wolverine, this was it. "Anyway... I won't argue about that fight anymore, we both know who would've really won. Right now, let's just focus on a quick match to appease our dear charge or she'll never stop screaming about it. Besides, it's been a while since I actually used my own body for a fight."

"You know how to fight? I thought you were just a mage," Duncan's words got him to look up, but instead of the mocking expression he expected, what the wolverine gave him was honest curiosity. Followed by a bump against his shoulder. "I can't wait to see what kind of moves you have under your belt."

"You're interested on seeing what's under my belt, then?" he didn't know where that came from either! But instead of feeling embarrassed, Duncan just laughed it off and put an arm around the wolf's shoulders, pulling him slightly closer. Not close enough to bump against his chest, but Dean wouldn't have minded that either.

"Ok, here we are!" Abigail's excited yells got their attention again and they looked back up, only at her for a second, before her hands guided their eyes towards the tall building in front of her. She had called it a gym, but it was actually a surprisingly tall tower, each floor marked by an edge jutting out, layered with crimson tiles from which the light bounced off. It made the walls look far brighter than they actually were, as if the entire building were made of gold. Quite the breathtaking picture, they both had to admit it. Somehow, Abby was the one who seemed the least interested, instead staring at a small board by the side. "Oh, look! They have tournaments every month! We should enter! The next one is... In just two weeks!"

"We're not staying two weeks, young lady," Dean said in a quiet, low tone, his neck bent backwards as he looked at the top of the tower. It reminded him of his own home: The opulence was something he didn't really miss, but seeing it actually made him nostalgic like that. But even in that state, he fully expected to hear a groan from the human girl. The only thing that could ever beat the sheer amazement caused by this sight was the strangeness of her silence, which made him look back down. "What is it?" he asked when he realized she was staring at them now, no longer caring for the board.

"You guys look cute like that," was all she said, and that got Duncan's attention as well. It took them a second to understand what she was saying, but when they remembered they were still tightly holding each other, they were quick to let go- Actually... They stayed like that for maybe one more second before finally letting go, their cheeks growing redder. Abby's giggling only made the heat spread even further.

"Anyway, we're not staying two weeks here, please stop insisting," the wolf let out, but his words did little to make his charge's smile waver. As long as she was happy, he thought. "Come on, let's get inside. A little bit of exercise will do us all good, actually."

"I don't know, there's a decent prize for the winner," he had no idea when Duncan walked over to the board, but they were both leaning in front of it, their eyes slowly growing brighter. "And I would beat them all in like three seconds with these big boys-

"Don't start flexing again. Come on, let's go," ironically, the mage was the first one to make his way into the gym. With equally loud chuckles, Duncan and Abby followed suit soon after.

The inside of the gym was exactly what the wolf expected it to be: A small desk close to the entrance and a few stairs to the sides that led to a lower area, dug into the ground like some sort of basement. Countless people roamed about down there, and his ears soon filled with the grunting and the sound of heavy weights slamming against the ground. Naturally, he recoiled at the sound; he had never understood why anyone simply dropped things like that, as if they were competing to see who was the loudest of them all. The fact that Duncan started smiling when he heard the sound only made it more evident what kind of people did that.

"Good afternoon," he talked with the lady on the desk, her feline ears twitching at the sound of his voice. She looked fairly uninterested until she saw Dean and her eyes widened. Why, he wasn't sure, but he put out the best smile he had. "We would like to use these installations for the day. Perhaps some sort of small arena, something for a few sparring sessions. What's the fee for that?"

"The- What- The fee! Y-Yes, of course!" her face was suddenly red and Dean wondered if she was ill in some way. Either that or he made her feel embarrassed somehow. Perhaps he was more intimidating than he looked, or perhaps she looked at the wolverine behind him. He had no idea, and he didn't think much more after she sat back up, holding a small stack of papers. "Right, uh... Y-You just need to sign here, and here's the entrance fee for guests. Will it be... j-just you, sir?"

"No, there's three of us," he said absentmindedly while he handed the sheets to the other two behind him. While one hand put his signature down with elegant strokes, the other reached in his pocket and pulled out the exact number of coins, practically without counting. "Here you go."

"...What?" she had been staring at him for some reason, and when his voice reached her ears, the crimson on her cheeks turned even brighter. He was starting to feel truly convinced this young lady was sick, and he would've asked something had she not pulled the sheets off his hands so suddenly. "R-R-Right! Thank you very much! The arenas are upstairs, welcome and thank you very much!"

"R-Right..." the wolf mumbled, making his way after the wolverine and human who got ahead of him. A second set of stairs to the side went up instead, and in a matter of seconds he found himself following Duncan's broad, prominent back, looking over his shoulder once or twice to make sure that the cat girl wasn't about to faint from her fever.

"Checking out your latest conquest, heartbreaker?" Duncan's deep baritone got him to look back up. The wolverine grinned at him as he took the last step, now standing atop the stairs. And he was sure he was flexing while at it, just to look even larger than he already was. Like he needed to be even bigg- Wait...

"What do you mean, conquest?"

"I mean the cute girl in the front desk," but all the wolf did was tilt his head. Duncan's wide grin vanished in an instant, just as Dean reached the top as well. "You... Seriously? You didn't notice? She was crushing hard on you, man!" but all Dean did was tilt to the other side. It got an exasperated sigh out of the wolverine. "Honestly... She thought you were handsome and she clearly wanted to ask you out or something."

"What? Of course not, you're imagining things," he didn't react beyond that. Duncan was talking nonsense, after all. A fine lady like that showing any sort of interest in him, how silly could he get! "But even in the remote chance that you're right, I'm not interested in pursuing a relationship with any woman."

"This big daddy is enough for you, right?" Duncan leaned against him until the wolf's head was lodged between his pecs. Dean froze more from the shock than the shame, but when he tried to move away from him, the wolverine surprised him yet again by hugging him to lock him in place. "No running away from this."

Dean could only sigh. What happened with the flustered partner that he had been walking with all day until now? Where did this sudden openness come from... But his chest was surprisingly comfortable, he had to admit that.

He needed to get his mind off things, and his eyes wandered around in an attempt to do just that. Unlike the gym proper downstairs, this floor was completely empty. The open room was divided by lines drawn on the floor, making it up into around twenty rectangles all the same size, each one a small field for any pair of sparring partners. A few people were around, small groups taking their own sections and already in the middle of their own bouts. Dean looked at them all, impressed with their skill and the size of their bodies, yet part of him felt strangely proud that his companion was by far the biggest man in the room.

"Guys, come on! What are you waiting for!" Abby yelled at them from one of the few unoccupied spaces, seemingly having claimed it for her own already. Dean wanted to tell her to stop that and keep her voice down so as to not bother others, but a light smack on his back from Duncan made him stay quiet. Mostly because of that charming smile of his, that little wink that told him to let the girl have her fun, but also because of how easily the wolverine managed to push the air out of his lungs.

Thus, they both walked together towards the personal training area their charge had taken for them, a sigh escaping the wolf as eh realized this was just one more time he was outmatched by these two ganging up together. It was such a common occurrence, it was evident who was Abby's favorite dad... If they had actually been her parents, of course; if they had actually been together and raising her like that, which they weren't, so why was he still thinking about that?

"Puppy, are you ok?" why was he still calling him that!? Just when he thought he had finally figured out the wolverine, he started pulling out these antics, only further confusing Dean. Should he tease him back? He couldn't help but wonder that even as Duncan walked to the other side of the room, pulling the coat off his shoulders. "Come on, you promised me a spar, and we're sure as hell having one. I want to see what kind of moves a mage can pull off. And I promise you I'll try to go easy on you."

"Y-Yeah..." Dean was honestly taken by the sudden bare skin in front of him. It wasn't the first time he saw Duncan's bare torso, especially after so long traveling together. Even if they hadn't known for as long as they did, the wolverine always had most of his chest out anyway, so it's not like his body was a well kept secret. But for whatever reason, seeing his back this time felt completely different. The wolf couldn't quite put his finger on it, but as he stared at every crease in his muscles, every line of definition going from those powerful traps towards his waist and his... And that's when he stopped, burning red and pulling at his own hair to get attention away from him. "W-What do you mean easy? I'm fairly strong myself, so you don't have to hold back on my behalf. I'm an adult, I know very well when I'm in front of a stronger opponent, and I'm confident that I can at least give you a memorable fight."

"I like it when you get confident like that," was that more flirting- Had he even been flirting all this time!? Dean didn't know what to think anymore; he was too focused on the heat and the fluster that now seemed to be his constant state. It was better to stop thinking at all, he thought, taking a stance with his arm aimed towards the wolverine, breathing in steadily, bracing himself. His partner stood in silence for a moment at first, looking up and down, the smile on his lips fading as he started taking him seriously at last. He only grinned one last time when he spoke to the human girl sitting towards the edge of their arena. "Pay close attention, kid. This is a learning experience, and you're going against him next."

Abby nodded and just from her expressions she seemed about ready to burst from sheer excitement. But that only lasted a second, and she put on her own serious face as Duncan's arms rose up to defend his face. In that exact instant, everything else around them, even their young charge, disappeared from their minds. The only thing in each man's mind was the other, scanning every movement, every inch the other moved even if it was just for breathing, trying to anticipate that first move, to find the first possible opening to launch an attack.

Duncan, impatient as ever, was the first one to jump into the fray. He crossed the distance between them in a flash, far faster than his bulk would imply, and his fist shot forward with as much speed. Dean stepped to the side just in time to dodge it, but the second one was already aimed from the other side. His hand went up, slapping against the wolverine's larger wrist, deflecting his hit just an inch away from his face.

It went on like that for a while. Now that he was up close, Duncan gave the wolf no time to rest, throwing punches and attacks with surprising speed. At a distance, they probably looked like the kind of wild, pointless barrage that Abby often used whenever she talked about their fighting prowess, and it certainly looked like that to Dean whenever he saw the wolverine fight whatever giant monster they came across in their travels. But now that he was properly in front of such an attack, he was able to tell just how precise and dedicated each one of his partner's moves were. No moves were wasted, from the sway and turn of his waist to how much of his arms pulled back after every failed punch; they were all perfectly aimed to whatever spot Dean had left unguarded, even if only for a second. Contrary to the wild style he had pinned Duncan for, he was calmly assessing his opponent and throwing blindingly fast attacks at the most vulnerable spots, deciphering it all in mere seconds.

But despite the impression it left in Dean, he still managed to meet each of those attacks head on, stopping and deflecting them all with his own equally fast movements. He was aware that he would never be able to match the massive wolverine in sheer strength, no matter how hard he tried, so he used the two things he had that would present any sort of advantage against him: speed and brain. It didn't take long for the wolf to predict the attacks and throw his hands in the same directions, using Duncan's own strength to push his limbs away every time.

They probably stayed like that for a few seconds, a time that simultaneously felt endlessly longer and incredibly shorter for both of them. Surprising himself more than anyone else, Dean didn't pull back even once, and it was the wolverine who ended jumping back, putting distance between them for the first time. In that sudden second of relief, Dean's breathing deepened, only then realizing how much of a strain a single barrage put on his body. Duncan, on the other hand, looked fresh and ready for another round any second now.

"You're stronger than I expected, puppy. I'll admit it," he said with another wink, but the wolf was in a sort of zone, not caring about the wolverine's teases anymore. He was focused on his own breathing, trying to ease the beating of his heart and the slight trembling of his tired knees and body. "You even drew an audience towards us, you crowd pleaser."

"Whatever do you mean?" the only moment he allowed himself to think again, even if part of him suspected those words to be a ploy at distracting him. He only turned around because he knew those tricks weren't Duncan's style. And that's when he noticed how most of the other people training had all stopped their own spars, coming together around Abigail on the edge of their arena, all of them staring intently at the battle going on between the two men. Of course, only one thing crossed the wolf's mind when he saw that. "Hey! Get the hell away from my daughter, punks! I'll kick all your asses if you so much as touch a hair!"

Every pair of eyes, Abby's included, widened when those words came out of the canine, and they were all quick to spread away from the young girl, not even daring to look her way. They stuck around, still taken in by the fight that had been unfolding in front of them, all of them ready to keep watching, but the young human was left alone. Not enough for Dean, of course, who was getting ready to go to each of them personally and wipe the floor with them. The last thing they needed was one of them getting suspicious about the strange girl in the arena and figuring out just what kind of human she was. But he stopped again, this time because of the loud laughter that filled his ears.

"Holy shit, man! That was the best, you should look at yourself right now!" Duncan doubled over, his deep cackling echoing around the now silent arena. Everyone had already stopped to watch what was probably the biggest fight they'd seen in this gym in a while, but instead they got the most aggressive threat in their lives, followed by a large wolverine man laughing his ass off. "God, I didn't know you had it in you to swear like that, it was glorious! You see that, kid? That's how much your dad wants to keep you safe," he said to the smiling Abby, who was still surrounded by a crowd of honestly terrified fighters, all of them throwing passing glances at the wolf.

Dean, however, wasn't paying them any mind. He was too busy burning up with shame yet again, this time from the sudden outburst of emotion he so openly had. Such mortifying actions were unlike him, things he had learned to avoid from a very early time in his life. And yet, here he was, letting himself get riled up so easily, even his language reached such levels of vulgarity. When was the last time he spoke like that? Perhaps never in his life, actually. And it was all because of... Because of what, exactly? His young charge, and the somehow paternal instincts telling him to keep her safe no matter what? Or were his emotions in such disarray because of the confusion left over him by that large, uncouth, oddly gallant man laughing at his actions?

"Shut up..." he whispered under his breath, making sure no one else heard him. Especially Duncan. The more he looked at him, the harder he blushed.

Taking advantage of the wolverine's distracted laughter, Dean rushed and leaped towards him, his leg extended for a kick that landed squarely on his partner's stomach. The air pushed out of Duncan's lungs, but he grinned in return and slammed his palm against the wolf's body; Dean held to his wrist in time to not fly away, but the attack still rattled him. He fell back to the ground on both feet and went on the offensive, hitting the wolverine with a barrage of quick kicks to his hips that were all easily blocked. Exactly as he expected; there was no way he would beat Duncan in speed or strength, after all. Instead, he slowly guided his hands down, making him focus his defenses lower and lower, until his chest was exposed again. Another jump and his leg shot forward, right for the middle.

Duncan saw that coming miles away, and with a simple motion, he swatted his leg away. In that immediate second, as he floated midair, Dean stared back at the wolverine, noticing the excited glint in his eyes. Next thing he knew, he was out of his sight, crouching in front of him, and one of his burly hands went for the canine's tail, pulling and slamming him down on the ground. Dean gasped from the sudden pain shooting up his body, hearing the winces from the crowd and gritting his teeth more out of anger than anything. Before he could move and regain his advantage, Duncan already had both hands on the floor, rising and flipping over his body, until he ended up lying behind him, their heads close together. In a flash, the thick arms were around his neck, and the wolf's first reaction was to reach for them, pull and claw at those enormous limbs while the wolverine crushed his windpipe.

"I thought you said this was a light spar?" the wolverine whispered in his ear, ignoring how hard he punched his arms. Dean didn't want to admit how flustered it made him feel, however, to have his lips so close to his pointed ears. "But you're going pretty hard on me. It's almost like you're trying to impress me."

"You..." this time, he was sure the blush was evident. So, the wolf put as much strength as he had left into lifting the bottom half of his body, shooting his legs up and kicking the wolverine right on the face. More than strength, it was the sudden shock what made Duncan's grip loosen, and Dean slipped out of the way, getting back on his feet and stepping back to regain his breath. But he never looked away from the much larger man, and in a matter of seconds, he was back on a fighting stance. The surprised sighs and gasps from the crowd, along with a few claps, were as bothersome as they were entertaining.

"Ok... Not so light, then," the wolverine said, standing up and twisting his neck around a bit, stretching until his muscles popped audibly. Dean knew exactly what the man meant by that, and his arms closed even tighter in anticipation. But really, nothing could prepare him for Duncan's sudden jump, covering the distance in a flash and throwing the first punch. It was too fast to deflect, landing on the wolf's forearms and sending him a few inches back; nothing so impressive at a distance, but Dean felt his arms sting and scream from the force of his impact.

Duncan's movements got even faster after that, leaving Dean with no option but to jump and bend around the attacks, dodging instead of deflecting. It was better than nothing, but there were far too many close calls; too many punches that grazed his face or his sides. He had to get his footing back before panic settled, but he didn't even notice he was stepping back with every hit thrown his way, slowly approaching the edge of their small arena.

One particular punch pulled back surprisingly far, just enough for the wolf to tell where it was aimed at. It was a mere second slower than the rest, but it was all the old wolf needed to aim his hands better, one landing on the back of the wolverine's wrist, the other further up against his shoulder... A quick twist and his punch was out of the way, the perfect opening for Dean to step up and stand under the larger man. He went for his jaw with an open palm strike and saw the exact moment the wolverine's head got scrambled, his eyes growing glossy for a second as he stumbled back. After a few seconds of seemingly staring at the void, Duncan slipped once and fell on his butt, barely holding his torso up with one arm, looking up at the panting wolf.

And it was over. The silence that seemed to extend forever at first was cut through by the crowd's powerful cheering, making both of them jump in surprise. They had forgotten about them, both at the same time; it would be something for the wolf to laugh about if he didn't feel tired all of a sudden, his sore muscles screaming at him, the sweat clinging to his flesh and his fur, and his legs soon giving in and making him fall flat on his butt as well, sitting next to his defeated opponent. He only looked over at the crowd one more time, seeing Abby smiling at both of them, cheering the loudest of them all and telling something to everyone around her. He heard her say those were her dads, but beyond that he was honestly too embarrassed to keep hearing.

"You're smiling," Duncan whispered, looking up at him from his position. The wolverine was panting as well, and just the fact that he got a man like him this exhausted was enough of a boost for the wolf. He was also too tired to deny that he enjoyed the way his prominent chest rose with every intake, pushing through his clothes, almost shoving them away in the process... "Man, you're a lot stronger than I expected. You're not just a puny mage, I have to remember that. Remind me not to make you angry, sweetheart," of course he had to tease him like that.

"You let me win," the smug smile on the wolverine's face vanished, replaced by a perplexed expression that brought a chuckle to the wolf's face. "That last punch was too wide to be anything but a purposeful mistake. I know how you fight. Despite how loud and big you are, you prefer to keep your fights smart instead of throwing big punches around."

"You've... noticed that?" was he blushing as well now? Dean had to admit he looked cute when he did... "Just so you know, I didn't let you win, I just threw you a bone. I didn't think you'd hit me hard enough to knock me down. I didn't want you to win, just to lose less embarrassingly."

"Well, I don't need you to do that," the wolf poked his chest again, and this time it was the wolverine who blushed yet again. The one thing he noticed, however, beyond how hard his muscles were, was how silky and smooth the fur felt around his knuckles. "I can win my own battles. But I still appreciate it."

"You guys are really into the flirting couple roles, aren't you?" Abby said, making both men jump back in shock. She had always been a sneaky one, but to think they didn't notice in the least how close she was- And what the hell was that about flirting!? Were they flirting!? Why were they flirting!? As if that shock painted itself in their faces, the young human giggled at them, covering her mouth to try and muffle it. "You two make really cute dads, though. Anyway, everyone else wants to spar Duncan next, they're all talking about ho freakishly strong you are!"

"Well, of course I am..." the wolverine said as he looked over the girl's shoulder, seeing the rest of the crowd waving his way, all of them with wide smiles and more than a few red cheeks. A few bumped their fists together, clearly trying to rile him up. And it was working. "I guess a couple more bouts won't hurt anyone. Not too much, at least. Ah," his smile went away again, and he was now looking at the wolf with a rather sheepish expression. "I mean, if you don't mind."

"What? N-No, not at all. Go ahead, have fun," the wolf said with a smile, and the wolverine got up without problem, roaring at the crowd and asking who would be next. Given how sore he felt, Dean didn't understand how he could just stand up so easily, leading him to wonder just how much he let him win. Just moving his legs was such a task for him right now, he needed Abby's help to get up, and by the time he was back in both feet, he almost fell over from how stiff his knees felt. For all his fighting skills, he was actually out of shape, as this fight had showed him. He looked at the human instead, returning her warm smile. "Since Duncan is going to be busy for a while, what do you say we do a few stretches and then have a quick spar of our own?"

"Yes!" she screamed, already throwing a few punches in the air, getting a laugh out of the wolf He couldn't help, however, looking over to the wolverine as he flexed for the crowd, a few guys actually hanging from his bulging biceps. He held them in the air with practically no effort, and he had to smile at that. Part of him wished that was him.

---

More hours than they were willing to admit were spent on the gym alone. While Dean had to admit he enjoyed a good work out, and the chance to test Abby's skills on his own, he ended up somewhat annoyed at the amount of attention the wolverine was getting. By the time he was done with maybe his fourth quick bout with the young human girl, Duncan had already knocked down at least sixteen people at once, and the more he took, the more showed up, each one larger than the last and each one falling down just as fast. The annoyance didn't come because of the wolverine fighting so many people, however; it was because he was taking too damn long, and by the time he and Abby were both done and waiting for the chance to relax their sore muscles, Duncan was still taking up the next challenger with a wide grin on his lips.

In the end, Dean had to literally pull him by the tail and down the stairs, despite the several complains he got from both, the man himself and the crowd that had grown around him. He had to bite a lot of scathing words down as they left, and he struggled to keep his polite air when thanking the young receptionist. Her face was still flushed and he almost told her to take care of that cold, until he remembered the words the wolverine said and his own blush took over.

"You didn't have to get so jealous, you know?" the wolverine said, pretending he whispered in his ear when in fact he was talking loud enough for everyone around them to hear. They were now walking down the street, a couple people seeing them when they noticed the large, boisterous man and then finding themselves unable to tear their eyes away from his exposed chest. With one heavy arm around the wolf's shoulders and another holding the human girl's back, keeping her in place, he looked the perfect picture of a loving husband and father. But in reality, he was simply trying to annoy Dean further. "If you wanted them to let me go so you could have me all for your own, all you had to do was ask. But I love when you get so possessive like that, lover," he stretched the last word out, making the wolf blush even harder when a few people looked away with sheepish smiles of their own.

Truth be told, Dean was far too sore and tired to fight back. Just thinking about what words to use against the wolverine was surprisingly exhausting; actually saying them out loud was outright impossible for him. Which meant he had no choice but to stare at the horizon, admiring the setting sun and the sky tinted bright gold, and stretch his neck and shoulders as much as the pain allowed him. Maybe the sensation and the sights would be enough to distract him from these attempts at riling him up, he told himself. Of course, that was also failing; his muscles were in too much pain for him to think of anything but the soreness, and he wished it would just stop. That's when a pair of strong hands landed on both of his shoulders, squeezing them tenderly and getting a small yelp out of him.

"How are you feeling, anyway? You were a mess coming out of the gym," Duncan asked, his voice just as loud as before. But there was something different in it now, a tender tone behind his words... And then his thumbs pressed down on the wolf's back, getting another loud yelp that slowly turned into a drawn out moan. Dean caught himself just in time, keeping it in his snout, but it still made him blush. Then another press and he felt his entire body melt, the soreness vanishing from his shoulders. "You like this? I wouldn't be nearly as strong as I am if I didn't know how to massage a few sore muscles, right?"

"I-I suppose..." the wolf looked to the side, looking for Abby, using his responsibilities to her in a desperate attempt to distract himself from the glorious sensations now traveling through his body. And when he did, all he got in return was her wide grin and two thumbs up, the look in her eyes telling him all he needed to know. She was starting to believe this whole act, and now the wolf wondered if Duncan did as well. "A-Anyway, where are these hot springs you were mentioning? I could really use a soak right now!"

"They're right there, around the corner!" Abigail pointed that way, until Dean reached and pushed her hand down, silently reminding her not to point. He still looked in the direction her finger aimed and noticed a large building taking up most of the corner she mentioned, much bigger than the others around it. As if the sign on top wasn't enough to show it was a bath house, the people going in and out of it looking impossibly relaxed were an extra bit of evidence, as well as source of envy for the exhausted wolf. Just as he was focusing on them, he noticed Abby rushing ahead, her back almost disappearing among the smaller crowd as she spoke up. "Come on! Hurry up!"

"Stop running everywhere, young lady!" he tried, but at this point he simply didn't have the energy to deal with her antics. And Duncan laughing behind him wasn't helping things. He sighed in resignation; maybe it was easier to accept it, as long as she didn't hurt herself. "I just don't get how she has all of this energy after all the exercise."

"That's just how kids are, always brimming with energy," the wolverine kept rubbing his shoulders, and for a second Dean couldn't even hear him from how good he was at it. "Weren't you like that when you were little?"

"I was really frail as a kid, actually. A bit on the thin side," the wolf admitted, feeling the burly hands suddenly roam down to his hips, feeling his body through his clothes and making the blush burn hotter.

"I mean, you're still on the thin side, you know. A cute, kinda sexy thin," what... Did he seriously say that!? "But after how hard you kicked my ass, I can't believe that you were ever frail. And you never told me that, anyway."

"Yeah, I... I'm a private person, I guess," it was curious. Duncan was the one discovering a lot of things about him today, and yet he was the one shocked by how little the wolverine knew about him. After all the time they had been traveling together, why was he only now opening up to the bigger man?

He didn't want to think about it too much, and they had already reached the bath house anyway, his eyes zeroing on Abigail as she looked left and right excitedly. Just stepping into the small reception, seeing the wooden walls and the entrances to both baths, was already a soothing sight for the wolf, his body shivering with anticipation. Ironic, considering the steam coming out from the baths, hitting his body and warming him up in an instant. He could've fallen to the floor right there, melted just from this gentle warmth, much like when the wolverine massaged him. Actually, another massage didn't sound so bad right now; maybe he would ask Duncan for it...

"Yes, three people," the large man's baritone made Dean open his eyes, and he saw him on the front desk, talking with a young man with cat ears. To think he was so distracted, Duncan had to be the one speaking for them. He walked over to him and Abby with a light blush, and as soon as he reached them, his partner patted him on the back with a smile. "So tired you're spacing out, love?"

"Stop calling me that," he said that almost without thinking, still not sure why it got him so flustered. For a second, he even worried he was offending Duncan somehow. But when he looked up, he saw that same charming, handsome smile of his. "It's just... It's weird when there's no one listening, you know. You don't have to pretend when it's just the two of us."

"Who says I'm pretending?" Dean's face shot up when he heard those words, the blush surely the reddest it had been all night. And with the same grin as before, Duncan winked at him, clearly holding back his laughter. The wolf instantly smacked him right across the chest, getting more laughter out of him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Anyway," he was now looking down at Abigail, who looked about ready to jump into the left door, "we're going to different baths, naturally. So, behave yourself while you're alone in there, young lady. If anything happens, tell the receptionist to call for us, don't go out on your own and don't talk with strangers."

"Yes, sir!" she said, standing firm and saluting before scampering to the bath with the usual incredible speed. In a second, she was out of sight, leaving both men to sigh and slumping over.

"I love her, but she can be so exhausting," the wolverine smiled, rubbing his own shoulder as he entered the bath on the right. "And we're finally out of that damn gym! Those guys were really making me work up a sweat, my joints are killing me!"

"You? Tired of fighting? That has to be a first," the wolf said with a chuckle of his own that Duncan was quick to copy, gently punching him on the arm. Gentle for him, at least; Dean actually winced at it, rubbing where he hit him, surprised by how strong he could be without putting in the effort. "If you're that tired, maybe I'll give you your own massage in return."

"Taking any chance you can to grope these big muscles, won't you?" he was doing it again, flexing for good measure. Dean sighed and simply ignored him, looking away as they went through the entrance because he knew exactly what kind of reaction his body would have if he looked at the wolverine's muscles for too long. Duncan's voice was the only thing that could pull him out of his trance. "It's fine. You can't reach deep enough with those noodle arms of yours anyway."

He actually took offense to that one, and would've gone on with the banter had his sore muscles not kept him from saying much more. Instead, the wolf looked up at the small room they were in now: Several small shelves surrounded them, each one numbered, a white towel and robe waiting inside, along with small baskets full of what he assumed would be some sort of soap. Duncan went for the nearest one and was already disrobing when Dean turned to see him, and the blush got so bad he shot for the other side instead, his back turned to the wolverine as he looked for another empty shelf. He didn't pay attention to anything else, focused on the deep heat crawling up his cheeks and all over his body as he took his clothes off, exposing his body for what felt like the first time in so many days.

"I think it's empty," the wolverine said from behind him, and just the deep baritone of his voice was now enough to make Dean shudder. Seriously, what was going on with him? And why was he suddenly feeling so conscious about being naked in front of the man? A quick look down and all the wolf saw was a scrawny body, a twig with noodle arms next to the massive brick house that was his partner. "Pretty nice, though. We have it all for ours- Hey... Hey, what's that?"

Dean turned around out of habit, and by the time he did, Duncan was already in front of him, crossing the length of the room in perhaps three steps. That wasn't what the wolf focused on, however; he was far more taken by the sight of the massive man looming above him, his clothes left behind and his body completely bare save for a fundoshi that barely managed to cover his- That's a thought he didn't need to have right now! But still, he couldn't help, as his eyes wandered back up, taking in the sheer definition of his partner's torso, the broad shoulders, the solid pectorals and abs that wouldn't look out of place in one of the palace's statues. Arms so large, their embrace could be nothing but safe, and a neck thick enough that a few veins were already popping... All of that leading to rough features, and a frown that spelled deep concern.

"Turn around," Duncan whispered, his hands instantly landing on the wolf's body. Despite the anxious rush to his actions, his touch was as tender as it came, and it felt more like Dean's body was being made to flow around. The wolf was trembling slightly, unsure of what to make of this sudden turn of actions, closing his eyes as he held back the delighted whimper and prepared himself to what would come next. That's when Duncan's fingers trailed down his back, a sigh escaping him. "When did you get these wounds?"

"W-What- Oh!" of course that's what he was talking about, what was he thinking? With the same blush as before and his tail now nestled between his legs, Dean reached back over his shoulder and followed the same trail the wolverine did. The rougher patches of skin under his fur were easy to notice, and he felt them all over his arm and as far down his back as he could reach. "These are all very old wounds. Scars at this point, really. I told you, I was a frail kid; if I exert my body too much with my magic, it can leave wounds like this."

"What the fuck? Why didn't you ever tell me that?" there it was again, that strange feeling. Dean was the one shocked over how little the wolverine knew of him. After traveling so long, had he never seen these wounds at all? Was the wolf really making so much of an unconscious effort to keep them from him? Those thoughts vanished when he was turned back front, again in that weird, flowing way, and his back rested softly against the shelves. Once again, Duncan loomed over him, his frown gone and his eyes now shining with concern. "If I had known you got like this, I wouldn't have made you spar with me yesterday. Are you ok after that?"

"It's only when I seriously push the limits of my magic," he was holding his shoulder now, trying to hide the wounds from the wolverine again. Only difference was that he noticed what he was doing this time. "Small tricks won't hurt me in any way."

"You were throwing explosions left and right."

"Exactly, small tricks," he tried laughing it off, hoping his smugness would at least get a grin out of the wolverine. But Duncan's expression remained stoic, Dean's laughter sounding sillier with every passing second until it simply died off in an embarrassed sigh. "Look... I don't like talking about it. Flesh tearing, blood spraying- There is nothing but sad memories behind these scars. Memories I would rather not bring up when I'm with you," he wasn't sure if he meant the whole party by that. "Besides, I don't... want you to think I'm weak..."

"After the fight you gave me back there, trust me, there's no way in hell I'll ever think of you as weak," the wolverine's words were a lot softer than before, but his expression remained as serious. Dean gulped; he wasn't used to seeing him make this face... It fit him, somehow. The heavy responsibility that seemed to crawl its way in his features, wrinkles around his eyes spelling years of wear. One of his large hands landed on the wolf's hip, his thumb trailing under the short silver fur, following what little definition there was in his skin. "You're in really good shape. A good, sexy thin."

Dean felt his breathing grow still at the touch. His arms tensed up for a moment, gripping the shelf behind him, but the longer he stared at his partner's eyes, the looser he became. The long hair on his shoulders fell all the way down his back, exposing them to the wolverine, and only then did he realize his face looked closer. He had no idea if he was the one leaning up or if Duncan was the one leaning down. He just knew that his heart beat harder with every inch cut between them, and that he aimed his snout-

"Ah!" Duncan stepped back, and for the first time the wolf saw absolute confusion in his face. The wolverine stared at him with wide eyes, his mouth agape at first before he looked away, a hand sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. People really did that when they were nervous, huh? Wait, why was he nervous now? "I, uh... I should..." he constantly aimed at the second door, the one leading to the springs, and at the wolf and the shelf behind him. Without warning, he turned around and pulled at the fabric on his waist. Dean turned around as well, his face a bright crimson as the man behind him exposed himself completely. "I'll get in the water first. You get in there when you're ready..."

The mage didn't hear anything other than the heavy footsteps and the distant splash of water. All of a sudden, he was left alone in the room, perfect to contemplate what the hell had just transpired. Because seriously, what the hell was that!? He could still feel the warmth of Duncan's hand on his side, the gentle touch under his fur, his breath on his face as their lips approached one another... He was joking, of course! He was teasing him, playing with him just like he had been doing ever since they first got into the town. There was no way he was being serious this time.

...Right?

With a sigh, the wolf covered his face to muffle the whimper that came out. The last thing he needed was letting Duncan hear that as well. After a few seconds, his hands went all the way for his hair and pulled it all in a bun kept high over his head, before diving down to his pants and slowly pushing down. They were already here, so he might as well get a good soak in the water. He sure as hell could use the relaxation...

He tied a small towel around his waist, covering up enough of his lower body to keep things decent. Even if there was that part of him, that voice in the back of his head wondering how Duncan would react to the sight. He ignored it, of course, making his way to the outside, hoping the steam kept his blush hidden.

It was all exactly how he pictured it in his head, but actually seeing the hot springs was a completely different experience. Through the light layer of steam, he saw the small open area, the floor on his feet made of polished stone that lead towards a ring of tiny rocks, lining the small pool of clear water. A few small plants served as decoration, tall wooden walls with no ceiling to speak of giving the area a sense of simultaneous privacy and nature. The bright golden sky above them as the sun started setting made it all into a comfortable ambience that the wolf couldn't get enough of. His first step outside was greeted with the warmth pressing against his bare foot, and an ironic shiver ran up his spine, as if the cold was slowly chased away from his body. It was already an exquisite experience, and that was before even stepping into the water.

That's when he saw him; when his eyes wandered towards the small pool. Duncan rested in the water, his back to the entrance, leaning against the edge of the spring. Dean couldn't help but stare at those broad shoulders for a second, the definition gone for the first time as they seemed far more relaxed than he had ever seen them. The wolverine didn't seem to hear him, as he had yet to react to his presence; Dean wasn't actually sure how he felt about that. But the promise of warmth coming from the water was far too tempting for him to distract himself with any other thought, and before he knew what was happening, he was already letting his leg in, breaking the calm surface.

The heat spread through his body and another shiver escaped him. He didn't think possible for any sort of cold to remain, and he was delightfully proven wrong. It was as if the water started pulling him down, and he allowed it to happen, his slender body slipping inside the spring with little more than a ripple expanding around him. The towel around his waist flew in his hands for a second just as his waist was reached the surface, and a few seconds after he was sitting in the water, his body trembling in nothing but pure, absolute bliss at the heat surrounding him. Everything except the water and his own self practically floating on it stopped existing as a sigh escaped the wolf's lips, and he leaned back against the edge.

"How are you feeling?" a deep baritone softly rippled next to him, but Dean had grown too relaxed to even be surprised by it. He cracked an eye open, not even bothering hiding his pleasured smile, and looked at the naked wolverine next to him. Even through the steam and with barely any flex on his part, Duncan's powerful muscles were easy to tell apart if you knew were to look for. And if Dean was honest, there was a certain attractive to the large man sitting like this, his torso rising from the water and revealing itself, fur dripping, and yet the lower half remained a mystery. When he didn't answer, his partner took it as a sign to elaborate. "I mean, how does the water feel? Feels good, right? Are you still sore after our last spar?"

"Some," the word was somewhat slurred, and hearing his own voice made the canine sit up straighter, once again sighing. His neck stretched to both sides and he returned Duncan's concerned expression with a small smile of his own. "The water is definitely helping. It has been a while since I could relax like this."

"I guess taking care of a teenager will do that," the massive wolverine chuckled. It was a rich, infectious sound and Dean followed suit, looking towards the wall. Hoping Abigail wouldn't hear them talk about her. Duncan's eyes were aimed at the same spot, he noticed. "You think she's alone on that side as well? I want to ask, but I can't just yell while at the springs. What if there are other people with her?"

"I'm sure she's perfectly fine," Dean said, surprising not only the wolverine but himself. It was rare for their roles to swap like this. Not like he let Duncan see the shock in his face. "She's more responsible than we give her credit. She will be fine, and she won't run away after we instructed her not to. We will come out after a while and she will be there, waiting for us. Until then, let's enjoy this for as long as we can."

"I guess you're right. No point worrying. Would be a lot better with a drink, though" Duncan added, leaning against the edge again. The wolf silently agreed with him in that regard, looking to his side just as his partner flexed for the first time. His chest pushed out slightly, expanding with the first breath. The way it glistened with the droplets of water hanging from his fur, slightly rolling down the deep crevices of his defined frame, forced the wolf's eyes to linger. Despite feeling the heat rising on his cheeks, he didn't look away this time. "Do you still want that massage?"

"What?" those words took the wolf by surprise and he finally looked up at the wolverine, hoping his staring wasn't noticed. Duncan returned his gaze with the same concerned frown on his forehead, and had he been in a different state of mind, Dean would have been bothered by that. "Oh! The massage, yes. It would certainly help with the soreness."

"I just figured we might as well, since we're alone and all," Duncan smiled at him in return. It only lasted a second, before he looked away, his cheeks red under his fur, his face now covered with both hands. "N-Not like there's anything weird with it. It's just a massage. To help ease your muscles, that's all. The water can only go so far and-

"Yes," Dean was actually surprised on how calm he got with the heat of the water. Duncan, on the other hand, looked at him with wide eyes and his mouth agape, struggling to get the words out. It was such a rare sight to see this large man get nervous, and it was so endearing, the wolf had no idea how he managed to keep his laughter down. "I would appreciate a massage. Feel free to do as you please."

That also got the wolverine's eyes to widen, but Dean was already turning back, offering his bare back to his partner. At this point, he actually wasn't sure if it was the heat alone that made him act like this. There was still that part of his mind that told him how unusual his actions were, but also a small whisper in the back of his head urging him to tease Duncan some more. Just like he had been teasing him so far, and precisely because he now had an idea of how the wolverine actually felt about their recent arrangement. It was so weird to catch him with his guard down, he wanted to use this chance.

A pair of hands landed on his shoulders, dwarfing them. Thick fingers dove into his short fur and pressed against his skin with such skill, he felt everything start to pop out and back in place in a single second. Dean couldn't help a pleased grunt from escaping him, neck stretching again to give the wolverine a better angle to reach. He expected those fingers to go there next, but instead they stayed on his shoulders for a second, thumbs pressing against the blades, slowly pushing him to the edge of the water. His waist was pinned against the small rocks and yet the wolverine kept pushing him, until he bent over and lied down on the warm stone floor.

The bravado he had been running on abandoned Dean in an instant, countless pictures now appearing in his mind, each one less decent than the last. He wanted to look over his shoulder and see what kind of lecherous expression the wolverine was making at his body, but he refused to do so out of fear that he might stop... And that's when the strong hands pushed harder, first against his shoulders, then further down his back, making it arch upwards and a groan escape him. An instant of discomfort followed by his body feeling so loose, he might as well melt in Duncan's fingers. And he kept going, his thumbs trailing Dean's body, reaching the small of his back, dangerously close to the spot where the water covered everything else, then back up. At this point, the wolf couldn't help the sounds coming out of him.

"There's no way all of this tension is just from a bit of training. You get stressed a lot, don't you?" he asked, making the wolf blush again. He was actually surprised there was no comment at the way he was moaning, but he was thankful for the discretion, nonetheless. "You know, you can just ask me to do this whenever you want to. I don't mind helping you let off some steam," there was no way he didn't say it like that on purpose, but the canine felt too good to scold him over it. The way those fingers kept trailing his body, following the-

"Don't," he weakly let out, the first actual words he used, when he noticed Duncan trailing the scars again.

"Sorry," the wolverine quickly pulled back, his massage continuing without paying much attention to them. But there was no way that was over. "You should've told me about this. Well... I guess you weren't obligated, but... I would prefer if you told me these things. I mean, we're a team and all, aren't we? We should know more about each other."

"I told you, I don't like talking about this," as soon as he said that, the mage actually felt his back growing tense under the wolverine's hands. Maybe he had a point about his stress. "Thanks for the concern, though."

"How could I not be concerned about my hubby?" that was enough to make Dean blush, and the wolverine leaning down on his neck certainly didn't help matters. He should've pushed him away, fully expecting Duncan to laugh in return, yet another successful tease complete. But he was too relaxed, too content.

The larger man was probably expecting the same, because he also grew tense when he wasn't pushed away. Neither did he make any effort to pull back. He lingered against Dean's neck, his snout slightly buried in his fur, his breathing slow and easy, hitting the wolf's skin. It was warmer than the water, somehow. His chest pushed against Dean's back with every intake of air, showing the wolf how much larger he truly was. And yet, his touch was never anything but tender. Every little movement from him felt like it would end in something else. His mouth opening against Dean's neck, his fangs brushing against his soft flesh for a second, giving him goosebumps, made him lean back into his touch.

But in the end, Duncan sat back up. Reluctantly, Dean noticed. The wolf didn't move for a second, part of him expecting his partner to return; yearning, he realized, the feeling of his heavy body against his back, the reassuring weight of his muscles, the warm breath on the back of his head constantly reminding him of his calm presence. But after a few more seconds, perhaps extending as far as a minute, he realized the wolverine wouldn't return to the same position, instead leaving him to his thoughts. He would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed, but he wasn't sure why-

Ah... There really was no point in saying that anymore, was there? He was fully aware of why he wanted the much larger man to be close with him. And as he sat back up on the water, Dean looked to the side and gazed at that powerful body, thinking to himself that he really was larger than life. There was something endearing about seeing that massive, muscular body, and the contrast it made with the small pout on his face as he tried looking away, hiding his blush. He had to wonder why he was reacting like this all of a sudden.

Dean tried his best to ignore it, to ignore these sudden thoughts that had been bubbling in his chest all day. But being alone and naked next to the man himself only made it harder. He was glad the water his the more... indecent reactions now that he allowed his mind to accept it.

"What's the plan?" Duncan asked, making the wolf jump slightly. He really wasn't expecting him to talk anymore. But their eyes met across the water and the blushes crept up their cheeks at the same time. "A-After this, I mean. You know, after we're done with the springs and all that, what are we doing for the rest of the night? What does Abby want to do next?"

"Oh! Of course, Abigail..." they were doing all of this for her sake, after all. Pretend to be a couple to keep her from getting caught, that was it. Duncan was just getting in character; he was just getting in character as well. He kept telling himself that, not believing either of those cases. It made holding back his smile harder. "It depends on what she wants to do next. She can be quite... fickle sometimes, so it could be anything. There is no way to predict what she will want until the moment arrives."

"Yeah, she got that from you," he was amazed by how easy it was for the wolverine to say things like that, even now. But instead of the usual embarrassment he had come to expect from himself, Dean was shocked when his hand practically moved on its own, splashing water on Duncan. He took a second to spit it out and wipe it off, but the wolf couldn't help a small laugh, proud that he managed to surprise him. Duncan's arm reared back in the water, threatening to do the same, and his arms immediately rose to cover himself, his chuckles refusing to die down. When no water hit him, he dared look over his fingers and saw Duncan sighing, unable to cover his own smile as well. "You're being a lot cheekier than usual right now."

"You like it," the wolf's reply surprised him, but his smile only got wider. Dean couldn't help thinking how handsome he looked when he smiled. After another quick chuckle, they both leaned on the edge of the water again, their bodies much closer this time. Dean's eyes wandered to the side and he detailed the wolverine's torso again, the water dripping off his muscles making them look tempting.

"What do you want to do?" of course Duncan would ask that while he was staring at his bare body. Bold words almost made it out of the canine's snout before he held back, looking up at the wolverine. His eyes were closed and he had yet to notice him staring. So maybe this was a good chance to stop staring so much, let it be his secret for the night.

"I don't know. I already decided to do whatever Abigail wants, so if it came to me to make the decision, I wouldn't be able to say," he looked at the wooden wall separating both sides of the hot springs, wondering if their young charge could hear them, if she wanted to do anything else at all after this, if she had made it out already and was now waiting for them outside- Actually, that last one was unlikely, given how excited she had been about it. "Why do you ask?"

"It wouldn't hurt to have some adult fun on our own after she gets tired," adult fun... How the hell was he supposed to take that!? He had no idea what the water was doing to him, but Dean felt it start to slip by as he focused on those words instead, shaking from top to bottom in the water. The wolverine picked up on it, blushing on his own as well, but for the first time he didn't make a big deal out of it. He kept his calm for the two of them. "I mean, we could grab a drink or two, just walk around town and check some of the sights, maybe gamble a little! How often do we get to spend the night in a town this big? We deserve to have a blast!"

"Definitely no gambling," he was firm about that; at least enough to get a groan from the disappointed wolverine that he was sure wasn't entirely playful. "I won't say no to a drink, however. It has been a while; some further relaxation would be enjoyable."

"You strike me as a lightweight," the wolverine chuckled. Dean didn't say anything in return because he was right, he had no resistance when it came to alcohol. Just looking at Duncan's size, he already knew he wouldn't be able to keep up with him, and was already bracing himself for the more than likely hangover he would have the next morning. But maybe it was worth it for a bit of fun with his partner.

There were no words after that, surprisingly enough. Dean had no idea for how long they stayed in silence like that, and more than once found himself trying to come up with something to say, any way to follow up on their conversation. But despite the lack of ideas, the quiet between them was comfortable. Just being close to the wolverine helped the wolf relax more, even if part of him wanted to ask him to continue the massage from before. The same part that wanted to scoot over and let his head on his shoulder, his arm press against his chest, until Duncan held him closer, tightly...

Shit, he was falling for him...

That thought invited the sudden sound of water moving and dripping, and he didn't need to turn over to tell that Duncan stood up next to him. Naked, he remembered; he really had a divine talent for timing. Should he turn and look at him? Check him out 'by accident'? He honestly wasn't sure what he wanted to do, and his body shivered at the many thoughts and possibilities.

"We've been here a while," the wolverine spoke up and he took that as an excuse to look around. Just as he was tying the knot on his towel, hiding everything from the wolf's sight. Was that disappointment that Dean felt? That was actually surprising. "I'd say like half an hour? Maybe a full hour. It's hard to tell when you feel this good, right? Abby's probably waiting outside already," he still had that wide grin in his face, fangs flashing through the steam. He really was an attractive man now that he took the chance to detail him.

"Has it really been that long?" he replied, but Duncan was already making his way inside. Dean was actually reluctant about getting out of the water, but left alone like this he didn't have that many options. At least he didn't have to worry about his naked body being exposed to the wolverine now, even if he wanted him to see on some level.

By the time he joined Duncan inside, he already had a towel wrapped around his waist. The wolverine was already wearing his fundoshi, covering whatever Dean may have wanted to see, and he focused on his own clothes instead, occasionally peaking over his shoulder out of curiosity, with just a bit of hope of catching a glimpse of something. That's when everything started going downhill. With his body cooling down, so did his ideas, and it took Dean less than a second to realize just what he had done inside the water, what he thought and felt, and it took everything out of him to keep the whimpers from coming out and alert his partner about it. God, was he really being that indecent and obvious around him? Surely Duncan noticed, and yet he had the tact to not tell him off about it. Did he creep him out in any way? Lord!

Dean wanted the ground to swallow him whole, covering his face with his shirt, hoping the blush would never come out into the world. His ears flattened against his skull so hard, he might as well have been deaf. He couldn't forget it, no matter what; the sensation of Duncan's body on top of him, his chest and abs pressing against his bare back, his fingers delicately following the contours of his slim build, the shivers those claws caused whenever they gently prickled at his sides. The open mouth against the sensitive flesh of his neck, his fangs and lips so close to him, he couldn't even gasp without it getting caught in his throat. The memories alone were enough to make his tail wag like a common dog, mortifying!

"Dean?" he jumped at the sound of that voice, yet again feeling ashamed of everything. The wolverine looked at him with concern in his eyes that lasted only for a second, before they turned to mirth and a desperate attempt not to start laughing at him. Dean wasn't sure if hitting him or kissing him. He noticed the massive muscles were already covered by his clothes, or at least as much as they could be covered, and he wondered just how often he would end up staring at that body from now on; and when would he get the chance to look at him again. "Ok, I'm going out already. We still need to wait for the kid, so no rush."

"No! No, I'm almost ready!" his words made the wolverine stop and he took those precious seconds to put the rest of his clothes on. He didn't want Duncan to leave just yet; he wanted to leave with him, to spend every second next to him. It was ridiculous, childish infatuation, but there was nothing he could do about it... "See? I'm done, no worries! I can go out too, it's ok."

"You're cute when you get nervous," Duncan reached and straightened his vest, making him go stiff. It took a second for the wolverine to realize what he was doing and he seemed to have the same reaction once he did, pursing his lips and looking away with a blush. Those reactions lasted only a few more seconds before they both resolved to leave the room, not daring to look at each other.

The next shock of the night came when they stood in the small lobby and saw Abby waiting for them, sitting quietly in a bench with a gentle smile and relaxed shoulders. Clearly, she enjoyed her time in the water, and she seemed so calm and serene right now, far unlike everything they had seen from her before. The same thought crossed both of their minds as they looked at each other, fearing that even the slightest movement would set her off, like some sort of wild animal. They both considered turning back and maybe dipping into the water for a while longer, and their feet slowly stepped back on their own-

"Oh, there you are!" her loud voice made them both freeze in place as she got up, jumping at the wolf for a hug. Not what he expected, but it was definitely pleasant to feel her arms around his waist; at least enough for him to return the gesture. "I've been waiting here for a while, it was so relaxing. I almost feel like falling asleep right now, what about you?"

"I certainly feel a lot better than when I first came in," it didn't escape Dean that his own answer was avoiding as many of the thoughts that crossed his mind in the water as possible. But he couldn't help a side glance at the wolverine next to him, and the urge to smile at him grew.

"Where's my hug?" Duncan asked and for a second Dean thought he was asking him. He was about to offer his hands to the wolverine when Abby let go of him and went for the much wider waist instead, her arms failing to lock all the way around his broader body. The wolf had never been more thankful to be wrong in his life. And just as the hug was about to end, Duncan grabbed the human girl and easily swung her over his massive shoulder, leaving her hanging from his back. Dean would've been worried had it not been for Abby's laughter. "Well then, it's pretty late. What do you say we go back to the inn and relax for the night? We should leave early tomorrow."

"What!? No! I still want to play around!"

"I suppose that's for the best," Dean ignored the human girl, responding to the wolverine as they left the establishment with a quick gesture to the owner. Outside, the night sky greeted them, a bright full moon shining on the street, along with the many lanterns hanging from the sides. There were a lot less people among them, but still enough of them to qualify as a busy street, and several stores looked different as they surely started catering to a different clientele. What seemed like a bar caught Dean's attention for a moment.

"Let's go to a bar!"

"Do you hear something?" Duncan joked, poking the girl on his shoulder after such a quick jab. The wolf was wondering if Abby read his mind in any way, and decided that a drink was perhaps not the best idea right now.

"Oh, Master Duraine!" a familiar voice got both men to look to the side, just in time to see Nick approach them. The butler, despite breathing hard as he reached them, looked as pristine as ever, leading Dean to wonder if he was pretending to be tired. Even the wolf wasn't sure what went through his assistant's mind sometimes. "Quite fortuitous to find you here, sir. I take it you have had an enjoyable evening?"

"We have, yes. But we were about to return to the inn," the wolf's words seemed to make Nick... He wasn't sure what they did to Nick, really. For a moment, it felt like the butler looked down in disappointment, but at the same time his eyes never left his master. "Why... do you ask?"

"Well, it is rare for us to get inside a town, don't you think?" that was... more casual than he was used to coming from the human. Not like it bothered Dean, but it also took him by surprise. He also leaned closer, leading the wolf to copy him and listen to his whisper with twitching ears. "If the two of you would rather to have some private time, I don't mind taking care of Miss Abigail for the rest of the night."

"P-Pri- Whatever do you mean, Nick!?" he didn't mean to get like that, nor to start blushing as hotly as he did; it was a simple, honest statement that didn't have to actually mean anything. But the chuckle coming from his assistant told the wolf all he needed. "We're not- What- I don't-

"Sure!" Duncan was leaning next to him as well, what the hell!? Dean ended up jumping back, chest clutched in his hand while the other two men spoke to one another. "I've been meaning to get a drink all day long, it's been a long while. I need to relax, man! Yeah, you can take care of the squirt, we appreciate it," he finished by letting Abby on the ground, gently guiding her towards the assistant.

"No! I want a drink too; I want to..." she cut her own words with a yawn and all of Dean's worries vanished at the adorable sight. Teenager or not, she couldn't fight off her own exhaustion, it seemed. Made sense, considering all the jumping and sparring they did today. "I'm good to go, guys. Com on, I can jump all the way to the roof," she was honestly trying, but the harder she tried to stand still, the more she bumped against Nick.

"Miss Abigail, it's time for us to leave. Your parents will surely enjoy some alone time," he finished with a wink, giving the human girl a sudden burst of energy. It lasted a second, only enough for her to realize what his real plan was, and she nodded in return. Wordlessly, Abigail climbed her way to the butler's back, leaning against his neck and instantly falling asleep. Surprising no one, Nick had no problem with the added weight. "In that case, we'll take our leave now, Master. Be safe and have fun. But not too much," and he started making his way down the same road he was in before any of the other men could get a word in.

...

"What the hell just happened..." Duncan asked out loud, staring at the spot where the butler had been standing just mere seconds before. "Did he plan this somehow? How did he know where we were?"

"I-I don't know..." Dean wasn't paying too much attention because he was trying to hide his blush. But he was making himself the same questions. It was nothing short of amazing how Nick and Abigail managed to keep their agreement to force them together, but given more recent revelations, the wolf wasn't sure how he felt about their attempts. Thankful, perhaps? "Honestly, I don't know how Nick does most of the things he does. He can be quite scary from time to time. But it's not like we have much of an option now."

"Yeah, I guess we'll have to have fun around town now," he was really bad at pretending to be bothered. "Going from bar to bar, drinking all night long until we're drunk off our senses, making out a bit behind an alley-

"Stop that!" the wolf said with a smack to the wolverine's chest, feeling his hand sting at the sheer size of his pec. He wasn't just big, he was hard too... Why were so many thoughts of the sort going through his head right now!?

"That was a joke," Duncan cleared it up, as if the mage needed him to. But he was blushing as well now, as if he wasn't fully convinced of his own words. Dean couldn't help looking at his lips and wonder how they would... "In all seriousness, whether they want us together or not, we should take the chance and break loose a bit, don't you think? A few drinks, walk around town under the moonlight, it sounds like something a pair of dads would do, right?"

"Except we're not really her parents, remember?" there, he said it. And he actually felt bad admitting it, as if part of him wanted to keep the act going for far longer. "But yes, I suppose we do deserve some personal time. And if I'm honest, I have been craving a drink for a while now. A walk doesn't sound like a bad idea either."

"A walk with me, you mean...?" he was really pushing it. But Dean had to admit he found his attempts at flirting endearing. To say the least. It did make him feel good to be wanted. Duncan said no more and let his arm around his partner's shoulders, pulling him slightly closer. Neither of them had anything else to say, simply walking side by side down the mostly empty road, trying their best to hide their own smiles.

---

A few drinks and good company was all Duncan needed to lose track of time. The wolverine pulled the much smaller wolf with him to the first bar he came across, and from then on they kept hopping from one to the next, where he managed to drain them of most of their ale despite Dean's constant scolding. Something about spending far too much of their travel expenses on drinking, only for the larger man to reassure him he was only using his own money. Once he confirmed that, Dean would always grow more relaxed than he was used to seeing him; a drink or two was all it took for the wolf to break out of his shell.

If he was honest, Duncan had been noticing his partner a lot more lately. Not only today but for the past few days, now that he thought about it, perhaps more. Furtive glances thrown here and there, following the shallow curves of his body, wondering how he would feel in his grasp... That was how he would stare at him while on the road, only turning around when he thought the wolf noticed he was being looked so intently. Today had only served to confirm a lot of those his own suspicions regarding those thoughts.

When they came out of what was possibly their fourth bar of the night, it was with Dean in his arms while the wolverine sang loudly in a language no one around them would have any hope of understanding. From inside the bar, several other patrons hummed and yelled in the same tune, putting in whatever words they could come up to the song, none of them mixing in the least, but to their drunken ears it was sure to sound like the most glorious orchestra. As the door closed behind them, the sound was muffled, leaving the wolverine's voice as the only thing left.

"Duncan, let me down," Dean tried to speak over his partner's voice, but Duncan pretended not to hear him. Contrary to what he had come to expect of him, Dean was trying not to laugh at his song, flailing slightly in the wolverine's arms. "I'm serious! Let me down, I can walk on my own! I'm not that drunk yet!"

"Yet, huh?" he finally stopped singing and put the wolf down, hearing him let out a sigh of relief. He barely realized he was staring again, his eyes glued to that usually serious expression now pierced by a bright smile. His clothes were slightly wrinkled and strand of hair hung loosely in front of his face, but the wolf managed to look beautiful even disheveled like this. "You speak casually when you get tipsy."

"I what?" Dean asked.

"You always keep a pompous tone when you talk. Like a king or something, it's attractive. But I prefer you like this, more relaxed," Duncan was actually surprised by how forward he was right now, which he pinned on the alcohol in his system. The logical thing should be to hold it back, but the same intoxicated thoughts kept him going. "I like you in any way you come, just saying."

"Thanks," he looked down just in time to see the wolf turning around, failing to hide the red in his ears. God, he was adorable. "Well, you have a lovely voice, sir! I didn't know you could sing like that!"

"I do have a deep, sensual baritone, yes," he was prepared for a scoff out of the wolf, but he got a chuckle instead. And no matter what Dean said about his singing voice, it was that chime in the canine's laughter that was a truly heavenly sound. Just hearing him sent a shiver up Duncan's spine, and he wondered what other sounds he could make-

Ah, that was a nasty thought. But at least they were alone right now. A few drinks and good company... With that, the wolverine had no idea how long they had been trekking town together; it could've been twenty minutes as much as it could've been three hours. The only help he had to try and ascertain the time was the darkness surrounding them, the complete lack of people in the street save for the two of them, a pair of drinking men huddled up together to fight off the cold breeze of the night. The moon was the only source of light, shining on the streets in an almost ethereal way. Whenever he happened to look down, Duncan noticed the way that glow bounced off Dean's eyes and fur, and he had to resist the urge to reach for his cheek.

"I'm a king," the wolf said out of nowhere, surprising him. Did he notice him staring? He should really stop doing that, it was really creepy of him. Also, what did he say? "I'm serious! I'm a king, that's why I talk the way I do."

"What?" Duncan chuckled slightly, waiting for the smaller man to join him. But when Dean replied with a light frown, he instantly stopped. "Holy shit, you're serious?"

"It's a really long story, full of weird curses, political intrigue- I really don't want to get into it when I'm drunk," the wolf somehow managed to keep a relaxed tone as he said this, no doubt thanks to the booze. But the regal manner he carried himself with had the wolverine inclined to believe everything he said. "I guess I'm a former king. Had to escape the kingdom, I think there was a coup? Man, I can't remember, I'm drunk. Nick is the only one of my attendants that remained loyal and joined me. Then we came across Abby and something clicked and I decided to help her. And you know the rest."

"You can't just drop something like this and then skim through it!" the wolverine spoke in a hushed voice now, eyes darting left and right as if fearing anyone would hear them and try to attack a royal. "Damn, I had no idea of any of this. And I've been treating you like any random traveler all this time- Fuck, I beat your ass in the gym! I'm so sorry about that, uh... Should I call you something like 'Your Highness' now?"

"What? No! I... I don't want you to treat me differently just because I'm a king. Hell, _former_king! I don't really have a kingdom anymore," it was the first time he heard such bitterness in the wolf's words; no matter how he tried to hide it, whatever happened to him clearly still affected him. Looking at him like this, Duncan wished he could do something for him. All he could do was let Dean rest on him, his face closer to the pectorals poking out of his shirt. He was suddenly conscious about being too revealing in front of a king. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I really haven't told you anything about myself in all this time and that's not fair. I don't know, I guess I didn't know if I could trust you, but that's pretty shitty of me after all this time, right? We've lived through a lot together."

"Hey, don't worry about any of that. You can tell me all about it tomorrow, after you pass the hangover you're sure to get. We can just keep having fun tonight," he reached for his shoulders again, like he had been doing all day, and pulled Dean even closer. The small wolf's hand landed on his chest, rubbing and squeezing a lot more openly than before, and Duncan had to admit he liked it. Made his next words even more annoying to say. "By the way, we're being followed."

"I know," once again, the wolf didn't fail to surprise him. "It's the guards from this morning, right? They've been following us for a while. They were probably suspicious about our story. We've been having family fun all day, but of course they only look for us when we're alone," even with that frustrated tone, he still cuddled up to the wolverine's body. Duncan wasn't used to being the one made to blush like this.

Duncan turned to the side to look at the wolf, enthralled by his beauty, the sharp features bathed in moonlight, the gentle yet focused eyes that could pierce all the way down your soul. How didn't he realize before such a gorgeous man was a king? But as much as he enjoyed the view, this position was mostly a trick. A quick glance to the side and he caught sight of the shining armors as the guards tried very poorly to hide behind a corner. Stealth really wasn't their forte, but he couldn't call them out and make himself look even more suspicious either.

"There is one way to get the guards off our backs, if you're interested," he admitted. Dean's immediate reaction was curiosity, followed by a few seconds of silence, and his head tilting to the side in that cutesy way canines like him used. His ears flopping to the side made Duncan's heart skip a beat. It made what came next both easier and harder.

Without warning, the much larger wolverine grabbed the wolf's shoulders and pinned him to the nearest wall, one arm landing next to his head while the other cupped his chin exactly like he had been picturing for so long. He was sure he didn't hurt the canine, but he pushed him just hard enough for a look of shock to appear on those sharp eyes, only turning into confusion when his face was slowly pulled upwards.

Duncan flashed him the most charming smile he had to offer, hoping it would help conceal the nerves riddling him. Maybe this was going too far, maybe Dean would tell him off, maybe he was taking advantage of the guards' situation... But the look of confusion on the wolf's eyes faded, and he leaned back on the wall, relaxed, a soft smile on his lips as he returned the wolverine's gaze. That lovely expression on his face, the dreamy glint in his eyes and those handsome features, there was no point denying just how attractive the small wolf was anymore, and the much larger wolverine let out his own low, small sigh in return, leaning closer and closer by the second.

For a moment, he stopped, feeling Dean growing tense under him. That only made Duncan himself get even more nervous, but his body couldn't stop. Moving on auto-pilot, the wolverine's face ended up less than an inch from the king's, but it was Dean who crossed the rest of the distance and met him in the way. Their lips met for a single second at first, a quick kiss that didn't even get a single sound out of either of them, nothing out of the ordinary. Almost innocent, really, had it not been for the intense heat that invaded Duncan's body afterwards. He gulped and felt his breathing start to rush, his heart beating so fast over something so silly and simple, and the pressure growing in his pants; that last bit he would keep a secret, fearing what the king might think of him if he got too vulgar. But part of him wanted to believe Dean was in the same situation.

What happened after that was but a single second of expectancy, a moment lost between the two of them, marked by the silence of the night and the subtle sound of their heavy breaths. His chest rising with every intake made Duncan feel conscious for the first time in his life, almost feeling it bump against Dean's body. Where they really that close? It wasn't the first time he felt the wolf like this- Just a few hours ago they had been naked together, and at one point he thought about grinding against him! And yet never had he felt so close to him, or to anyone, than he was feeling right now.

This time, it was Dean who jumped at him, crossing both arms behind his broad back and pulling himself up for a kiss. One that the wolverine returned without hesitation, head turning to the side as his arms coiled around that lithe body, pulling him closer, so close he felt his heart beating against his own chest. As the king's mouth opened, their tongues invaded one another, coiling and pulling so hard... Dean's body trembled slightly in his hold, so fragile and delicate, so alluringly strong and beautiful, he couldn't get enough of it. The wolf's claws started sinking against his hard muscles through the fabric of his clothes, scratching for more, growing rougher by the second, while Duncan tried his best to be as tender as possible, trailing his back, feeling the heat coming from him, gently nibbling on his lower lip as he kept sinking into their kiss, deeper still.

Ah, but it was so difficult, to not pin him harder against the wall and take his clothes off right there. Everything, from the gentle brushing of his hair to the sweet aroma wafting off from the wolf, was telling him to do it. Was that something left over from their bath? A scent from the springs that lingered on his silky fur? Or had Dean always smelled so wonderfully? Duncan had no idea; he couldn't think anymore. The only thing in his mind was the man in his hands, in his arms, his greedy fingers wandering, looking for any entrance to touch that slender body. How he wanted the warmth of his skin against his hands.

The lip eventually broke with a gasp, but the wolverine was far from over and his lips kept going down, kissing Dean's chin, his fangs brushing against that delicate neck, biting just enough to get a whimper out of the smaller man. To think it would be so easy to break him apart, but that all Duncan wanted was to feel his body tremble more against him, to shudder in the delight that his actions brought him. The wolf stepped closer and pressed their bodies tighter, his hands grasping for anything on the warrior's mighty back. Duncan wanted to hear more of his voice, to make him loud until he was begging, to feel the pulse on his veins against his fangs and the goosebumps he caused with his hot breath over the wolf's neck. He kept going down, reaching his collarbone, daring to go deeper-

"Damn..." a voice in the distance whispered, and both men immediately looked that way. It was followed by loud and heavy thuds, clinking metal and a few curses as the guards rushed away from the men they were supposedly inspecting.

Truth be told, Duncan had completely forgotten about them. It was true, this started to get them off their back, convince them of their charade. But at some point during the kiss, it stopped being a charade. At some point earlier, actually... They suddenly became aware of each other's presence and the wolverine stepped away, coughing and trying to look as stoic as possible, while the blushing wolf looked at the ground, failing to keep his smile down and his tail shyly between his legs.

"That will certainly get them off our backs," he said, still not looking up. It only occurred to Duncan that he may have been looking at his feet. Was he into that? He would indulge him on that if he was. He would indulge this handsome king on anything he wanted. "They're gone already."

"Yep! I can't feel any other presence. We are completely alone," he was very aware of the weight of his words as they came out of his mouth, but it was so easy to ignore it with the buzz still going on in his head. Liquid courage, indeed; any other night and not even one as bold as him would dare do something like this with a king. The only thing in his head right now was that voice in the back of his head wondering what went on in Dean's mind instead. "I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have done that, or maybe I should've told you. I was trying to keep it realistic, I guess. I don't know... I'm really drunk. Maybe we should go back."

"What!?" that's when the wolf looked up, eyes bulging out in shock. That was far from what Duncan expected to see on him. "I mean, I'm drunk too! We're both drunk. You didn't... do anything wrong," his words started going lower and that momentary bravado vanished, making him look back down and cross his arms defensively. Even worried like this, he looked so damn adorable. Duncan didn't know if he should reassure him or just hold him again, taste those sweet lips for a second or a third time, all through the night. But again, the wolf looked up. "I want to keep drinking!"

"Seriously? Don't you think we've had enough?" but Dean was clearly having none of it, and he went for the wolverine's hand, pulling him with all of his might. Which wasn't that much for a man his size, but Duncan still allowed himself to be guided, seeing the wolf's tail sway slightly as they went down the street, already hearing the cheerful chanting and singing in the next bar on their late night adventure. When the wolf's thumb rubbed his wrist, he only became further convinced that he was far too intoxicated to be heard from. But just this time, the wolverine let himself go with the flow.

---

It was well past midnight by the time they returned to the inn, but there were still a few late patrons at the bar. The singing was nowhere to be heard, with the only men left being the ones that preferred a quick drink during the peace of the night, a few guards that seemed happy to take a break from their duties, and other early birds that seemed to be getting ready for the new day. None of them could even expect the incoming noise.

"And the dreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmm!" a surprisingly shrill voice screamed from outside, just as the doors to the inn burst open. Dean came in with a long stride, arms wide open as he wordlessly announced himself, and almost right after stumbling on his own feet, almost falling face first on the floor. He recovered instantly, then toppled over again, then recovered a second time, his smile growing with every save. "The dream! Come on, Donnie! Sing with me, you know this song!"

"I promise you, I don't," Duncan came inside, his voice lower than usual as he tried to keep the wolf quiet as well. All Dean did was lean forward and look at him with droopy eyes, his hands landing on the wolverine's exposed chest and shamelessly feeling up his pecs; literally squeezing and groping every inch of those mounds of muscles for what was perhaps the tenth time just in the past hour. Duncan didn't want to admit how good it felt, but someone had to be responsible when the mage got like this. Thus, he looked down at Dean and spoke with his most soothing voice. "You're drunk-

"I am drunk!" he yelled, loud enough to get a glare from the young lady in the front desk. Duncan waved at her with an embarrassed look, the best kind of apology he could give; something he wasn't used to precisely because Dean was the one who usually took care of such platitudes, but said wolf was too busy kneading his muscles. "Hi drunk, I'm dad. Hah! Wait, that's not how it goes... You're so big! Crush me with your tiddies."

"This was fun at first, but now it's getting really hard to keep saying no," the wolverine once again lamented as the wolf buried his face in the middle of his chest. It felt good, he had to admit it; there was something about having this handsome, smaller man so openly and hungrily touching him. If only he did the same while not intoxicated, he would be a lot more inclined to following through.

Duncan was shocked at first by how much his partner wanted to keep going, but he was never one to say no to a chance to drink. This was literally the first time he looked at another man and thought that there was enough booze in his system. And damn, Dean lied to his face; he wasn't a lightweight by any means, he simply kept drinking and drinking through the night, even beating the wolverine in the department. He still wasn't anywhere near as resistant as the much larger Duncan, though; between that and the impressive amount of alcohol he consumed, he was predictably far gone.

"Kiss me," those were things the regular Dean would never say to his face. Especially not with a goofy smile like that. God, he was so damn cute, how could he keep denying him-

The wolverine pushed him away, getting a few grunts and whines from his partner. Dean's hands reached for him, holding his massive arms, aiming for his shoulders, groping here and there whenever his hands landed on any bit of muscle he could find. Which was a lot, Duncan noticed; he was really touchy whenever he got these... Where these his urges, he wondered. Or was it just the booze talking. Being drunk meant the things you wanted to say came out, so was this what Dean often thought about?

"You're a lot hornier than I expected, little man," he whispered, the mage slipping off his hands and finding his way back to his chest. Slender arms coiled as far around the larger body as they could, hands now rubbing across his back while he looked up. That smile persisted on his face and he looked so damn sweet. In the end, Duncan returned that expression before looking up at the girl on the front desk, her annoyance layered with hints of a blush at the show they were giving her for free. The wolverine nodded at her once and his arm fell on the wolf's shoulders, gently pulling him towards the stairs.

"You didn't sing!" Dean yelled in the middle of the staircase, making him wince again. He feared he would start screaming even more, throw a drunken tantrum, just what he needed right now. But the smaller canine remained quiet until they reached the second floor. Whatever looked over them in this world, Duncan was thankful to it for that; the last thing he needed was Dean's loud voice waking the other patrons, Abby and Nick included. He didn't want to imagine how they would get if they saw them return so late.

But when he looked down at the wolf, expecting to see the same goofy expression, maybe even get shushed himself instead, he was shocked to see a serious expression on his face. The same he had when he was sober, actually. Did he suddenly sober up?

The next shock came when Dean, with surprising strength for his bulk, shoved the massively larger wolverine until he was pinned back against a wall, and a pair of restless hands dove through his clothes and explored the vastness of his body. Duncan's breathing rushed as his abs were trailed, the lower edge of his pecs handled delicately by those elegantly slender fingers; sharp claws against his skin sent shivers up his spine and pushed gasps out of his lips. Those very same fingers reached for his neck and proved their shocking strength one more time by pulling him down, forcing Duncan down to the wolf's level.

Their lips met again but it was different than in the alley. This time, the wolf was the one in charge, and he was forward and aggressive. His tongue coiled around Duncan's and pulled him inside his mouth, wrestling him furiously, making the wolverine turn to the side to lock their snouts better. Duncan's breathing only got harder, his heart pumping so loudly, he could hear it thumping in his ears, even with the grunts coming out of both of them. His eyes parted slightly and he looked down at the small man that so hungrily took him, wondering where on that lithe body he kept all of this dominance, this powerful presence. A king indeed, and he was more than happy to yield to him, to the sweet taste of his lips that overpowered even the taste of alcohol. To yield and kneel, and do all in his power to please him.

The wolverine's willpower wasn't that strong, and he also had booze clouding his judgment. His hands roamed Dean's back again, feeling the definition underneath his clothes until he found his bushy tail, feeling it brush against his knuckles. He followed after and reached the wolf's buttocks, holding them gently, surprised by how plump they felt against his fingers. He really was full of little surprises like that, so much that the wolverine chuckled in their kiss. With a flex meant more to brag his size, he pulled up and held Dean in the air, pressing him against his chest without cutting off their kiss. But rather than shock, the wolf simply moaned in his lips and went deeper into it, hands pulling on the collar of his clothes, starting to expose his broad shoulders, desperate to see more of him.

"No, wait. No..." the wolverine broke their kiss, pulling back whenever the wolf reached down for a quick peck on his lips. The lingering taste of his mouth made Duncan's body shudder. "I can't. You're drunk- We're both drunk. It wouldn't be right. Maybe... we can talk about it tomorrow, when we're sober and rested."

"But I want it now!" he was whining again, and Duncan glanced to the sides to make sure no one came out of their room; in particular, he looked to the room right next to theirs, where their companions were hopefully still asleep. But Dean's face buried on his neck, nuzzling against him, taking his full attention. The warmth of his fur and the smoothness of his long hair made Duncan's shoulders loosen, and he felt his knees almost cave in. Only the wall behind him held him in place. "I want it now... I'm not that drunk, anyway. I want you now."

"I want it too," he admitted it. They were this far along, he might as well. And he was still holding him up simply because he liked feeling the weight of his body against his chest, because he loved how their bodies moved together when they breathed, because he was getting addicted to the feel of his butt in his hands. One of them reached for Dean's head instead, petting through his hair and getting nuzzled back. "Let's go back to our room."

"Can you carry me?" the wolf's muffled voice got a chuckle out of Duncan, who nodded and made his way towards the nearest door, still holding him tightly against his body. He was so light, it was hard to believe he was a grown adult.

The inside of the room was simple: Two beds standing side by side, each of them barely big enough for the gigantic wolverine; a few desks and closets to the side, a small door leading into a bathroom, and a window on the opposite wall that looked down on the street, and through which the moonlight seeped in. It gave the room a bluish, almost ethereal feel. Duncan gently kicked the door closed and approached the nearest bed, slowly letting the wolf down on it. He wanted to leave him lying down, but the first thing Dean did was sit back up and stretch, pulling his shirt off, exposing his body to the open air. He was normally so conscious about being naked, always choosing to bathe on his own, but ever since the hot springs he seemed comfortable enough around Duncan. That was a boon, because all the wolverine could do was stare at him as he revealed himself, trailing the scars on his back with his eyes, licking his lips as he noticed the toned muscles that led to the backside he had been holding just now.

He was just standing there, staring... When the wolverine realized that, he immediately walked over to his own bed. Only to be stopped by a smaller hand holding his wrist. He didn't need to look back; if he did, he would fall to whatever the wolf asked of him. He wouldn't be able to fight whatever lovely expression he had on his face.

"Sleep with me," a low breath escaped Duncan, that he hoped his partner didn't hear. "No, not like that. Just... Lie down next to me and fall asleep with me."

"...Ok," he tried sounding neutral, but he was smiling like a fool now. Only then did Dean let go of him, and the wolverine reached for his bed, flexing yet again as he lifted it an inch of the floor. Hoping he wasn't making too much noise, he pulled until both beds were next to one another, only then noticing how little of his own mattress the small canine's body took. And just like that, he was staring again, soaking himself on the sight of his bare chest, wishing he could reach for it, rub his fur and cup his chin for another kiss.

With a sigh and a smile, the wolverine reached for his own vest and pulled it off, exposing his shoulders and the rest of his torso. Dean had done half of it for him anyway. Now as naked as his partner from the waist up, he sat and lied down on the bed, part of his body taking over the second bed. And yet, they fit perfectly together on it, the distance between them just enough to reach for the other. Not like he did; at first, Duncan simply stared back at Dean's eyes, once again seeing the moonlight making them shine. That pristine white glimmer was lovely. When his hand did move, it was to reach over the mage's shoulder, his thick fingers following the scars. He thought Dean would wince at his touch, but the wolf remained still, eyes starting to close and a smile curling on his lips.

"How do you feel? Do they hurt?" his voice was so low, he wondered if the wolf heard him properly. Dean shook his head lightly and soon after scooted over, his face now buried between the wolverine's pecs. Duncan couldn't help smiling, and his free hand held the smaller head in place, his hand going up and down his scars. Earlier that day, just the thought of being close to this man was enough to make even this mountain of muscle blush, but now he had no problem touching his bare back, feeling the bits of definition his body had to offer, the rough and sensitive skin on these old wounds, where his fur wouldn't reach anymore. It was so hard to not lean over and start kissing it as well, make him tremble in his hands. "You know... you can tell me anything, right? About these, and about anything else."

"Thank you," the voice was muffled from between his pecs and Duncan chuckled, but it still felt good to be told as much. Dean's own hands were going up and down his torso, from the heavy mounds that were his chest to his sculpted abs, trailing his navel, going just a bit further down than he should. Duncan wanted to call him out, to denounce this for the bad idea it was, but the delicate fingers running up and down his body felt like silk pressed against his tired muscles, and something as easy as the wolf's gentle breathing was helping ease out the headache that started rearing its ugly face. He always stopped anyway, pushing the boundaries of how much the wolverine would allow, never quite reaching below his waistline. "After we talk about this."

"Alright," he kept rubbing the wolf's back, his thumb running across his shoulder blades and getting a few shaky shivers out of him. Looking over, Duncan noticed his tail wagging happily, and he realized it was the first time he saw it do that. He had picked up on the occasional sway before, but never had it been so eager, so strong that it caused a bit of a draft. Did Dean actively keep it down when it started moving like that? It sounded perfectly in character for a king like him, and just the thought of him clenching his butt cheeks to contain any show of cheerfulness made the wolverine laugh again. He lowered his voice right after that, when the back's movements against his hands evened out, and he pulled back to look at the wolf's face.

Eyes closed, a single strand of hair falling between them, lips slightly parted and his body leaning back again, until it was no longer pressed against Duncan's chest. But the wolverine refused to let him go, smiling to himself as he watched over him. He was always so uptight, so conscious of his image, so serious and upstanding. To see him so serene, so natural and beautiful, was something he wanted to savor.

Maybe that's the moment Duncan realized he felt something. No idea what to call it just yet but it went far beyond a simple infatuation. It was the kind of deep warmth that kept him awake just to keep watching over this lovely man, to be fully aware that he existed next to him, that he had him all for himself right now. The world outside didn't matter, nor did he want it to matter if it meant he would have to let go of him. After a while, sleep started taking over and the wolverine's mind drifted away, but never did he stop holding Dean close to him, feeling how his every breath made his entire, fragile body move in his arms.

---

-and then, and then, and then! And then, Nick started breathing fire!" Duncan had to look down when Abby said that, his mild interest giving way to a raised eyebrow. But the human girl kept smiling and nodding agitatedly, wordlessly insisting that everything she said was completely true. The wolverine looked back up at the butler just as he made his way back out of the inn, their gazes crossing only for a second, no evidence one way or another. But Duncan could've sworn he saw Nick grinning. "It was amazing! Everyone was screaming and cheering for him, and the waitresses had to come over and ask him not to do that again, but he just said something to them that I didn't hear and they started blushing so hard."

"Now, that I can believe. He's a handsome guy, I'm sure he has no problem charming his way out of trouble," the two of them exchanged a quick chuckle at that, and Abby went on about the party she and the butler started when they returned to the inn. There was that responsible voice in the back of the wolverine's head telling him that a minor shouldn't have been at a bar so late at night, a guardian there with her or not, but it sounded like she had so much of a blast, he had no real reason to bother Nick about it. The guy knew what he was doing, after all. And it wouldn't be the first time Abigail suddenly had a spur of energy when they reached wherever they were staying for the night, suddenly uninterested in sleeping. His only regret was not being there with them to see if this fire-breathing business was legit or not. "Hey, kid. You can keep telling me later, ok? Go help Nick with the rest of the bags."

Abby saluted in the most exaggerated manner and made her way outside. Just in time to miss the short, lithe wolf that walked down the stairs, his hair and clothes still disheveled and one of his hands holding his throbbing temples. Duncan immediately walked over to him and helped him with the last few steps, fairly familiar with the kind of dizziness that came with a good hangover, and when they were back at the same ground level, he pulled him just a bit closer, a pair of slender hands landing on his chest.

"Hey," he started in as low a voice as possible. A bit of a wince from Dean; maybe he was still too loud. His hand wandered to the small of his back and started rubbing in circles, the wince turning into a pleased growl. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit..." Duncan snorted. He felt bad enough that he didn't even bother with his words, just like last night. But he still enjoyed this side of the wolf. It felt a lot more natural. Without saying anything, Dean leaned against his chest in much the same position they woke up in, and just like then, Duncan wished he could've stretched this moment forever. That morning, all it took were a few pained growls from Dean for him to realize he'd have to be the one taking care of their final preparations. Anything for the wolf to get some extra minutes of rest to help ease his headache. But it wasn't quite enough, it seemed. "How come you're not hung over?"

"My body burns through alcohol a lot faster, I guess. Maybe it's the experience, maybe it's magic," he said and got a muffled chuckle from the wolf. He peered over his shoulder again and saw his tail sway just once before going stiff all of a sudden, and now it was his turn to hold his laughter back. He wanted to kiss his forehead more than anything else in the world, but they had yet to talk about it. "So... About last night-

"Not now," the wolf finally stepped back from him, blinking several times and holding his head again. His other hand lingered on the wolverine's chest only for a few seconds, middle finger going down his cleft before he pulled back. When his eyes opened back up, he was frowning and his lips were pursed from discomfort, but there was that glint in them, just like when the moon shone on his face. "I want to talk about it too. But I feel terrible right now. And the walls have ears."

Right on cue, Nick made his way back inside the inn and stood by the door, waiting for them to finish. It was his usual thing, to stand to the side and blend in with the crowd, appearing only when he was truly needed, like the ideal assistant. His gaze only crossed Duncan's once again and just like the first time, the wolverine noticed the grin aimed his way- Fuck, he knew. Nothing escaped him, did it? Duncan blushed the hardest he'd ever done in his life and held the gaze, silently begging the human not to say anything about it, especially not to Dean. The last thing he needed was for the wolf to back down on whatever sparked between them because his butler knew. Nick remained as impassive as ever, but after knowing him for so long, Duncan knew that meant he could be trusted.

"Are you ok?" the wolverine looked back down when Dean talked to him. There was a lot of irony about being asked that and then hearing him groan again. "You look red all over, are you sure you don't have a fever? We can stay one more day if you need us to."

"You're in no position to be worrying about anyone else right now, pup," that got him a glare, but Dean was still cute when he did that, so the wolverine didn't mind. He gently pulled the hair off his face and tried straightening his clothes, realizing soon after that he was failing to make him look as presentable as usual. He wasn't used to anything that covered all your chest; why would anyone want to cover up their pecs was something he would never understand. "I'm good. And you were really against us staying here when we first got here, what's this sudden flexibility?"

"I wouldn't mind spending more time... here. That's all," they could both tell he wanted to spend more time with the wolverine specifically, and that only made Duncan feel even warmer than before. He wouldn't mind staying either if it was with the wolf. Just thinking about last night being their usual routine, falling asleep in each other's arms and waking up amidst groans and complains... It sounded like a good life, for sure. But Abigail's loud voice outside reminded them both of why they took this journey in the first place, and it was Dean who sighed. "I'll meet you outside. Hopefully, I can convince Abigail to keep quiet for the rest of the day, I can't handle the volume of her voice with this migraine."

"I think you'll have a chance to rest properly for the rest of the trip, don't worry about it," that made the wolf turn around, his eyes squinting suspiciously. Of course, Duncan made it evident he was planning something, so that was also an expected reaction. Soon, the migraine won him over and he couldn't maintain that look for much longer, rubbing his temples as both men made their way outside together.

That's when Dean's eyes bulged out yet again, more out of shock than anything else when he saw their carriage waiting for them. Nick and Abby sat together in the back, idly chatting, the assistant doing his best to keep the young girl occupied and quiet for the sake of his master. But what really got the wolf's attention was the tall brown horse in front of their vehicle, reins in place while he waited patiently. The large animal's head turned over to him and Dean almost jumped back when the large eyes stared at him, even if only for a second before he turned back to the front. Not the first time he saw one, of course, but what the hell...

"Surprise," Duncan said behind him, his voice just a bit shaky. Dean was at a loss of words, not even able to turn around to the wolverine, and yet feeling his significantly larger body pressed against his back. "I asked Nick to get it last night, because I know you've been putting a lot of effort riding the cart with your magic, and I think you deserve a good rest," he said that with both hands on the wolf's back, his fingers trailing the scars through his clothes. That was a surprise and Dean went stiff at first, but he was more surprised by the fact that he actually knew their exact positions. Did he memorize them or something? "Say something."

"Feeding a horse will be an extra expense," the mage sighed, but that didn't deter Duncan's touch. If anything, he got just an inch closer, close enough that they could hear each other breathing until Dean's ears started twitching. There was a certain strength in the way he breathed, something he had never noticed before. In a moment of weakness, not caring about who was seeing, too weak from his migraine to care about keeping appearances, he leaned until his head landed on that heavy chest, feeling it rise slowly and almost falling asleep right there. "Thanks."

He didn't see it, but Duncan blushed again. The wolverine instantly looked up, noticing Nick had diverted Abby's attention elsewhere, towards something on the streets that the young girl was leaning over the edge of the cart to see. Nick turned around just in time to see them cuddled up like that and he gave the wolverine a knowing smile that only made his cheeks burn even hotter. But at least he was keeping Abby from seeing, she would be the more annoying one. Just as he thought that, Dean pulled back from him and made his way towards the cart, climbing with his assistant's help.

"You know," Abigail was quick to jump at him, and she was also the only one not noticing the wolf wincing at the sound of her voice. "If we had a dragon, he could pull the cart and hunt for his own food, so it would be less expensive."

"Not now," Dean's finger landed on the human girl's lips, surprising her. She wanted to say something else about it, but the wolf shushed her. "Daddy has a very bad headache, so let's be quiet for a while, please."

He did notice how he called himself, but was too tired to care about that or the manic grin Abby gave him. It was only thanks to Nick's timely interference that the human girl pulled back and he was allowed some rest. Duncan climbed on the front seat next to him, holding the reins as the wolf leaned back on his seat, eyes closed and his breathing evening out. For those few seconds, the wolverine was content with just looking at him, but eventually he had to pull on them and the horse started the trek back into the streets.

"I'll miss this place," the wolverine said out loud, getting a few glances thrown his way. The only one he wanted, however, he didn't get, as he noticed when he looked to the side and noticed the wolf still lying in silence. With a sigh, he simply went on. "I know, we've been to other towns, but this one has an air, I don't know... I just like it here. Feels like I could live here."

"Me too," the surprise came this time when it was Dean speaking. Everyone stayed silent after him, waiting for any sort of elaboration on those words, but the mage seemed comfortable in his own silence. Duncan wasn't sure what he expected out of him, but he found himself smiling at his words.

After a few more minutes of silence, they came across the gate on the other side of town, looking much the same as the one they first came through. Smaller houses around them, a sign that they were far away from the busier areas of town, and less people wandering about, replaced by more carts looking to leave, just like them. On the outside, the same vast wilderness they had come from in the first place greeted them, and as much as he would miss this place, Duncan had to admit that the fresh air of the open fields was welcoming.

When they arrived at the gate, they were greeted by a pair of armored guards, seemingly ready to take their information again. Keeping track of who came in and out, it made perfect sense, but the wolverine found himself nervous yet again.

"Oh! It's the Smith family from the other day, correct?" one of the guards asked, leaving the wolverine shocked. It took him a moment to remember that was the name Dean had offered when they first entered, another to realize this man recognized them, and yet another to catch that it was the same guard that greeted them back then. Most of all, however, he was shocked that it had really been a single weekend since. How did time fly so fast? Ah, the guard was still talking. "You enjoyed your time here, I hope. You and your child! I'm sure you had a lot of fun!"

It didn't escape Duncan that this guard and his partner, who was awfully silent and blushing behind him, were fully aware of how much fun they had. At least they knew what he and Dean got up to the previous night- Well, a little part of it. The wolverine couldn't help smirk at the thought, and perhaps feeling the kind of energy he was giving off, the guard looked away, trying to hide his blush again. That would teach him not to spy on people making out.

"We had a blast, yes," he replied anyway, trying to play his ignorance up. He didn't want to embarrass a grown man in public like that, after all. "Our little girl, Abby, she had one hell of a time as well. Almost got a dragon! Can you believe it?"

"No dragons," Dean said, perfectly predicting Abigail's excited outburst and stopping it before it even had a chance to ring in his ears.

"It makes perfect sense for a dragongirl, if you think about it. Maybe it was a distant cousin or something," he joked again, getting a chuckle from the guard in return. A few bad jokes, just like the ideal dad, to sell the role one last time before leaving. Just to make sure they bought it, and not at all because he enjoyed playing dad. "You mentioned trying to adopt with your husband as well, didn't you? Best of luck with that. So, can we pass through?"

"Absolutely! And thank you very much, sir!" that was the last thing the guard said before gesturing for his partner to let them through. The second guard looked mortified to be put on the spot like that and opened the gate faster than usual, allowing their cart to finally leave the confines of the walled city.

The first thing Duncan did once they were back on the road was take a long, deep breath of the fresh air that he had been craving for so long. As more carts in front of them started to part ways through the many detours in the road, he made sure to guide the horse down the least transited of them, for privacy's sake. You got used to that when you traveled with a human girl that might get attacked any second just for existing. He looked over his shoulder only once, seeing the large wall and picturing the city behind it, both of them getting smaller by the second.

"Nostalgic already?" Dean whispered, and it took him a second to realize the wolf talked to him. Another second to understand that he was talking just low enough for the two behind them not to hear, even though he was convinced nothing would ever escape Nick's ears. Therefore, there was no point worrying about him instead of focusing on the handsome canine.

"You're just planning on teasing me for a while, aren't you?" his innocent question received a playful smirk from the wolf and he just sighed in return. He took one last look over his shoulder, not at the city but to see if there was anyone behind them. It was clear as the road ahead, meaning they had enough privacy, just like they needed. "I just hope that what happened in there doesn't stay in there."

"That's for us to discuss later, don't worry," even more of that smile. It was so weird to be teased by Dean, Duncan wondered if this was what he really was like without the kingly air hanging over his head.

"Discuss what?" Abigail's head popped between them and both men jumped back, almost scaring the horse when Duncan pulled on the reins too hard. It took him a moment to ease him into it again, but through it all Abby didn't seem in the least bothered. She just looked back and forth between them, her face painted with that youthful curiosity that was so hers. "What are you guys talking about? You've both been acting weird since we left."

"Just adult matters you need not concern yourself with, Miss Abigail," the wolf returned to that polite tone, that elegant manner of speech that instantly reminded the wolverine he was a true king, and that he lived up to the title even without his kingdom. "Budgets, meals, whether we should risk a town again. The usual travel talk fare, that's all."

All those words seemed to bore the girl, each one making her squint even more than the last. It would be one of those times she tried to pay attention and play herself as more mature than she actually was, but sooner or later she would just lose focus and stare into the void. Dean was the best at distracting people with complicated speeches like that; Duncan had been one of his victims more times than he was willing to admit. Made sense; giving speeches to his subjects was probably something he was also used to.

He had actually forgotten that bit of information so far. The fact that the man sitting next to him was a king, a dignified ruler. Disgraced or whatever his story was, he still carried himself with the poise of his position. In a certain way, Duncan was the fool for not realizing so until now, but even now that he did know, he still looked at the wolf the same way. He wondered instead if he should correct that, show him the reverence he deserved, but his mind would inevitably divert towards the feelings that had been bubbling in his chest for the past few days. Maybe for longer.

When Abby finally slid back into the carriage, bored out of her mind, Dean leaned back on his seat and his eyes returned to the road. There was a satisfied smile on his snout that got Duncan to wonder how it would feel to kiss him again, with a clearer mind. But those thoughts drifted away when he noticed the dark green to the side, the tall trees hugging to the edge of a mountain range, all of it coming into view in the distance.

"A forest," he said and gestured in that direction, getting everyone to look the same way. "It looks distant enough, no one would see us for a while. Off the road too, and there's no one to see us going in. Perfect to lay low for a while, what do you say?"

"It sounds like a good idea. We have enough of a stock to distance ourselves from the roads for a few days. Camping in a proper forest also sounds like it could be entertaining," he said that last bit for Abby, who was already jumping between them again. Her smile was the widest they had seen since she met that dragon, and she looked ready to pull the wolf into a hug while also screaming how much fun they would have. She was containing herself, thankfully, and Nick calling her back got her to look away. Dean took the chance to whisper at the wolverine again. "And I know you'd rather be closer to nature after spending so long inside a closed off town like that."

The wolverine had to smile at that. A lot more shyly than he expected from himself, and he felt hints of a blush on his cheeks to boot, but there was little to do when the wolf suddenly turned his charms on like this. With the decision made, and trying to think of anything other than the man next to him, Duncan pulled on the reins and got the horse to go off road, taking one last glance to both sides of the road to make sure no one saw them. The horse took to a faster gallop and they felt the carriage jump a few times on their way, but that only exacerbated their excitement.

It only took a few minutes to reach the edge of the forest, the cart moving slower this time as Duncan had to make his way across roots and narrow paths. Nick and Abby sat on the edge of the back, looking for the first spot that got the young girl's attention. Knowing her, she would pick the one with the tallest trees around, hoping to climb them and look over the entire forest on her own. That would get Dean to yell at her and only make his headache worse, and it would then be his job to calm him down while Nick insisted on taking care of everything else.

Looking back on it, they really were like a family, weren't they?

"Over there!" Abby pointed at a small clearing to the side and Duncan turned without any surprise when he saw his prediction come true. Massive trees stood around a small circle where only a few sunrays fell, tinted green from the several leaves atop. From a distance, the wolverine could at least tell that the ground was flat and there were no leaves around; an actually good spot to set camp for the night, as a quick glance exchanged with Nick confirmed.

The cart pulled in that direction and before long they were already back on the ground and stretching, Abby looking around and taking in her surroundings while Duncan and Nick took boxes out of the carriage. For a second, the wolverine counted in his head how many each of them were pulling out, determined to test whether or not this slender human was as deceptively strong as he had been hinting through their journey; and he wouldn't admit it, but he just wanted to compete.

While all this happened, Dean remained close to the horse as it grazed, his slender fingers petting through his mane as he whispered at him. Probably thankful at him for taking care of their cart instead of him, or perhaps he reminded him of horses back in his castle. Duncan hadn't thought about that when getting him and he figured he should ask him about that as well, as naturally as he could. Once they got to tackle the subject.

That actually reminded him that he had a task, and he looked at the young human girl to make sure she was still at ground level. But she was already looking up, planning her way up. She was truly a danger if left to her own endeavors, but Duncan couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, we need to get some wood for the fire as well, right?" he said as conspicuously as he could, getting all eyes on him. All good so far. "We're done with the boxes, so Dean and I can go do that while you two get everything set, right?" the wolverine exchanged another quick glance with Nick, the human instantly understanding what he meant and looking at the girl between them. If any of them could keep her from going too crazy, it was definitely a king's assistant.

"That would be an excellent help, yes," say what you want about Nick, but he knew when to be truly helpful. He looked at the wolf and bowed slightly. "My apologies, sir. I understand if you don't wish to take the task, but it really is the most efficient way of doing things."

"Not at all, Nick. I am always happy to help," his hand left the horse and he walked over to the wolverine instead, Duncan playfully wondering if he would start petting him the same way now. He actually wanted that, now that he thought of it. Nick didn't say anything else, simply bowing to him in appreciation. Next to him, Abby bowed as well to mock him a bit and that got the mage to chuckle a bit. Duncan really couldn't get enough of his voice.

Next thing he knew, they were already making their way deeper into the woods, losing themselves among the trees and the rougher terrain deeper inside. Larger roots covered the ground, making it difficult to find your footing if you didn't see where you were going through, and Duncan often looked to the side to make sure Dean was fine. Then over his shoulder, always checking how much distance there was between them and the camp; close enough that they could find their way back, even if the wolverine memorized the road, but far enough that they wouldn't hear them. Only the darkness of the trees greeted him, although he still heard the boxes opening and Abby's excited screams as she likely started climbing the first tree of the afternoon. There was the first headache he spared the wolf.

"You know, little guy," he poked at the wolf's side, surprising him, and took the chance to trail the scars under his clothes one more time, "you don't have to carry anything, I can do it all. I'm pretty strong after all."

"So, you just asked me over to flaunt your muscles?" Dean's words sounded like a complain at first, but that smile on his lips made it clear what he meant and Duncan struck a pose, flexing and pushing his chest out, showing more of it than usual. Another chuckle out of the mage. "You're so silly... I know you wanted to talk."

"I want to talk so much, but with those two over there, it would be dangerous," he finished with another quick glance over his shoulder, making sure to remember the path they were taking and that they weren't being followed by a certain human girl, far too curious for her own sake. Once he was sure they were alone, he wandered away from the wolf, looking for fallen pieces of wood on the ground, branches of varied sizes that his large arms held without difficulty. "How much do you remember from last night?"

"All of it," that was actually a surprise. Duncan figured he would've at least forgotten their little encounter in the hallway, memories blurry through the haze of alcohol in his blood. He wasn't sure how to react to this new piece of information, but thankfully the mage went on. "I'm sorry for being so... uncomfortably forward with my advances. Especially when you were being such a polite gentleman."

"It was the booze, don't worry about it," he picked another log, the biggest one so far, and felt a pair of hungry eyes on his back as his muscles flexed to hold it up on his shoulder. When he turned around, Dean had done the same, but the wagging tail betrayed him. The wolverine had to smile at it, reminding himself of what they were doing here in the first place. "I kinda liked it, to be honest. It feels nice to be desired! And so enthusiastically, to boot."

"Please, stop," despite his tail wagging even more, Dean covered his face with both hands and walked away, leaving the laughing wolverine to grab the last few logs off the ground. Holding them tightly to his body under both arms now, he followed the wolf to make sure he wouldn't get lost, looking over his shoulder again. He still remembered the path back to the clearing and they were still close enough, but he also noticed tall rocks to their side, almost like a miniature mountain erected in the middle of nowhere. There was a large opening leading to a cave, and the adventurous side of his mind thought about going in, maybe bringing Abby with him.

But his mind instantly wandered back to the mage and he turned around to catch him just when he leaned on the rock, holding his forehead in an attempt to nurse his headache again. A deep breath made his modest chest push out and something primal assaulted all of Duncan's senses as he witnessed such a simple event. A hunger that told him to pounce and take the canine for his own, much like Dean himself seemed eager to do the previous night. He was confident his efforts would be appreciated.

He was about to walk over to the wolf, a charming smile on his lips, when the rumbling reached his ears. Both men looked up instinctively and the first few drops of water fell on Duncan's forehead. It was soon followed by a potent shower downing on them, making the wolf cover himself up and run closer to his partner. With his arms still busy holding the wood, Duncan couldn't bring them up and protect himself from the rain, so he guided Dean towards the same small cave he had been glancing at for a while now. All of a sudden, with a roof over their heads, they were safe from the rain, despite their bodies currently dripping.

The first thing Duncan did was let the collected logs gently on the ground, checking to make sure they didn't get too wet. Last thing they needed was to miss out on a good fire, and thankfully most of them remained dry enough. His own body came next, and he once again realized how lucky he was for always wearing so little; his mostly bare torso was soaking wet, but a few good wipes were all it took to get his short fur to feel comfortable again. More than he could say about the wolf; knowing how long his species' coats could get, he was probably closer to a mop right now. And when he looked back, Dean was in the process of shaking himself dry, from head to toe in a swift motion, water flying all around them.

"Damn, you dogs really do that?" he asked with a mirthful tone and got the wolf to blush again, bright enough that he saw it even in the darkness of the cave. Dean silently squeezed the water off his clothes tried hiding his face away. "Don't sulk, you looked cute like that," those words got the mage's back to go stiff and Duncan chuckled again, turning towards the entrance, watching the downpour outside, where they had been just a few seconds ago. It was unbelievable, really "It's going down way too hard for how sudden it came, don't you think? It's weird."

"It's not weird at all," the wolf was now standing next to him, and his hand landed on the broad, muscular back. Duncan felt a surge of energy fill his body, fur standing on edge as gentle warmth coursed through him and his fur dried up. Of course Dean had a spell prepared to dry up as well, he could always count on the guy. As much as he wanted to tell him not to use magic so freely, thinking about the scars on his body, he held his tongue back to not appear ungrateful. "It's probably a magic shower, those things happen."

"A what?"

"A magic shower," as if repeating words would make them suddenly clear. The wolf walked deeper into the cave before Duncan could complain and sat on the ground, back against the wall and patting next to him for the wolverine to join him. "Ancient forests like this sometimes charge up with magical energy, and it gets released at random intervals through the seasons. Sometimes it alters the weather, others it makes plants grow bigger and faster, or it causes mutations in certain animals. I felt the change in the magic pressure before it started to rain. It should end soon."

"Is it dangerous?" Duncan asked, ignoring his partner for the first time. Despite wanting to reach around the wolf and hold him just a second before, he was now looking at the entrance, trying to gaze through the rain and see if he could catch a glimpse of the clearing where their companions might be getting soaked. What if Abby climbed too big a tree-

"She'll be fine, Nick is with her," it was like he could read his mind. Probably because the wolf thought the same, actually. He just made a better job of looking unconcerned. "Besides, these rains tend to be really concentrated. It must be a small circle around us, and it will stop soon, then we can just leave. These effects are never really dangerous, but I'll still set up some wards around the camp when we get back."

Even though everything he said made perfect sense, Duncan couldn't help being concerned. He kept trying to see anything on the other side of the entrance, but the harder he tried to look, the harder the rain came down. Hell, it was magic, for all he knew it had a mind of its own. A hand on his shoulder eased his worries somewhat, and like the wolf next to him he leaned back on the wall with a sigh. The sudden silence that fell between them allowed his mind to focus on other things.

"Might as well get it out there," he started, getting Dean's attention. For the first time, the wolverine noticed how his ears flipped slightly to the side in curiosity, and that was just one more thing for him to cherish of the wolf. "What happened last night... What happened all through the weekend, actually... What is this? What's going on between us? Is there anything going on between us? Because I... I would like that..."

Actually saying it... Well, Duncan expected it to be many things. On some level, he thought it would be a liberating moment, a weight off his chest that would allow him to breath easier. But what he felt was instead an icy grip on his lungs as he grew stiff, waiting for his partner's answer. He wasn't even paying much attention to Dean as much as he was trying not to break there and then, trying not to take it back and play it off as a joke simply because he feared whatever response he might get. The single second without answer went on and on in his head, so long that he didn't know if time was still going. His throat dried up and kept him from taking his words back, but right now he wished he could do so.

And Dean? He was surprisingly impassive through it all. The gentle smile that had been on his lips vanished, replaced by a hardened expression. That kind of stern, regal look that Duncan had grown used to during their travels, like a strict parent, like a king now that he thought about it. He had actually forgotten that the wolf could make such a face after a mere two days of spending time getting closer to him. How he wished he would turn back into that tender smile that he had slowly fallen for. The wolf only held his gaze for a moment before looking to the ground, his frown growing deeper, his eyes growing tired. Twiddling his thumbs. His tail swaying softly on the ground.

"I..." he started, uncertain. That was something Duncan very rarely heard in his voice. The frown softened for an instant and the wolf sighed, leaning against the wolverine's shoulder, getting Duncan to stiffen again. "I was really nervous for most of the weekend. Scared for Abby, like always, but also... I was scared of growing too close to you, I suppose. I would be lying if I said I was never interested in... Whatever this is."

"What do you-

"I didn't have any strong feelings towards you, if that's what you're thinking. It wasn't a first sight thing," Duncan's mind immediately went towards what 'things' the wolf might be talking about and it brought a smile to his face that Dean easily ignored. "But you are an exceptionally large man. Quite attractive to boot. Only a fool wouldn't look your way," that made the wolverine smile wider.

"So you've been looking my way? Is that what you're saying, pup?" easy words to make the mage look away, his frown even deeper. But Duncan felt the fluff od his tail swaying and hitting him, and he knew his words were appreciated.

"I may have thrown a few glances through our travels. During moments of weakness," he had to hold his laughter now, Dean was just freaking cute. After that, however, his voice got softer. "These past days, I... It felt nice to look more intently, pay more attention to you. There's a lot more to the handsome musclehead I first saw, and it was nice to find that out. You're a really sweet man, for example."

"I won't stop you from gushing over me, so feel free to keep going," Duncan chuckled, despite the blush covering his entire face. He was silently praying Dean wouldn't look up at him and see his ears folded on the back of his head, trying to hide the fluster he felt just hearing him talk like that. And surprisingly, the wolf didn't say anything to him. He just leaned closer, his hand resting on the wolverine's thigh now. "You, uh... Y-You haven't answered."

"I'm aware," he squeezed his thigh and that's when Duncan knew he was about to lose it. He wanted nothing else than to pull him closer and just press their bodies together for as long as he could. And truth be told, he wasn't entirely sure why he was holding back in the first place. "You are a very special person in my life, Duncan. It just happened at some point, but these past days helped me realize that. You mean a lot more to me than I thought at first. So... I..." Dean chose now of all times to feel nervous and look away. The seconds of tension between them were agonizing, and the wolverine wished he would just get it over with already. "I would like that too. F-For there to be... something... between us."

He heard that right... It was just that Duncan had no idea how to react. The world seemed to freeze the second those words made it out of the mage's mouth; or perhaps it was the cold from the rain already getting to him. Yet, even the sound of the rain had drifted out of his ears, and he had to look at the cave's entrance to confirm that it was still pouring down outside. It's just that there were more important things for him to hear, for his brain to focus on, such as the confession that his partner had just throw his way- Fuck, he needed to focus on that! He needed to give him an answer!

But when he looked down at the wolf, his gaze was not returned. Seemingly embarrassed, Dean kept looking forward, his eyes glued to a random spot in the wall. Duncan's first instinct was to squeeze his shoulder and pull him just a bit closer.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'd like that too," that was all he needed to say, really. That was all it took to make the wolf look back up, that warm smile having returned to his face. What Duncan would give to ensure that smile was always there, no matter what happened. "So... I guess we are a thing now. Like, we're together! Right? You're my b... boyf- God, this is awkward," and he turned back to the entrance, once again hearing the tapping of the rain outside and the gentle chuckling of his wolf next to him.

"I guess we are," Dean rubbed his thigh and Duncan wasn't sure how longer he'd be able to hold back. He wondered if the wolf knew what he was doing, if he was being like this on purpose. Whether he was or not, it was undeniable that it made things stir between the wolverine's legs, and that it made his chest grow tighter as his breathing rushed, need flowing through his veins.

"How are you feeling?" he asked in a desperate attempt to keep his mind from thinking too much about... the many, many things he wanted to do with the wolf. The man was a king, he needed to keep some decorum in front of him! But when he didn't get an answer right away, he felt the need to keep filling the silence. "About your headache, I mean. How do you feel about that? Does it still hurt?"

"I feel much better now, thank you," the wolf's answers, on the other hand, were simple. He seemed a lot more focused on rubbing his wolverine's thigh. There was no way he wasn't doing it on purpose. "You're being a gentleman again. Just like last night. That was one of the things I found out, you're actually a lot more polite than you seem at first. A lot more respectful."

"You deserve respect."

"Thanks... You don't..." Dean was trying to say something else, but his voice turned shaky out of nowhere. Deep down, Duncan knew what it was he was trying to say, but he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence for him. He wanted to hear the mage himself say it. "I don't mind if you are... less of a gentleman, though."

That timid tone was yet another thing the wolverine wasn't used to hear in the mage's voice. But it somehow fit the picture of the sickish man he claimed to be. When Duncan looked down, his eyes finally did meet with Dean's, and he lost himself in that second, simply staring back at such beautiful gems. He could sell the entire world just to have a chance to look at them for longer. He wasn't sure if he lost control of his body or if he was just that comfortable with him now, but it was the wolverine who leaned down for a kiss, their lips meeting for a fraction of a second. Short and sweet, and yet his eyes remained close through it all because he couldn't deal with the rush of sensations coursing through him. The blood boiling and his heart beating so hard, he felt the thump in his ears.

That's when he lost control. That's when the wolverine pushed his lips against the wolf's, their tongues coiling together, pulling one another. Dean reached behind his head and pulled him closer, the kiss growing deeper as he turned his head to the side to lock himself better. They were both panting in each other's mouth already, and Duncan's large hands roamed the canine's back. The lithe body under the wolf's shirt was exquisite, and those massive hands trailed those soft contours through the fabric of his clothes, holding his slim waist, making his back arch until he was practically presenting himself.

He wasn't sure when it happened, but at some point Duncan had his wolf pinned down on the floor, one hand holding his head, fingers going through locks of hair, tasting the sweetness of his lips and growling on them, needing them. Dean crossed his arms behind the wolverine's neck and back, roaming up and down, truly taking in how massive of a man he was. Duncan's free hand went down the slender chest, reaching the unbuttoning his clothes and exposing the elegant torso to the elements. The scars were there to greet him but they were the last thing in the wolverine's mind. He trailed down Dean's body, his flat stomach, feeling the gentle tickle of his short fur against his hand, the low whimpers his touch got out of his pup. Slowly, he edged closer and closer to the edge of his pants next, playing with it, teasing him.

"Not so much of a gentleman," Dean shakily let out after breaking their kiss, holding his wolverine's face. But Duncan quickly got the upper hand by grabbing both of his wrists and pinning them both on the ground, above the mage's head, with a single hand. In that second, Dean didn't know what was happening, his eyes bulging out in shock at the sudden show of strength. A growl from the larger man, along with that charming smirk of his that showed more than a few fangs, somehow calmed him down.

Duncan said nothing. He just kissed him again and kept going down, his lips trailing Dean's jawline. A single lick was enough to send shivers up the mage's spine, and the cold breeze on his bare chest did little to cool him down; his body heated up with every little action from the massive wolverine, and he squirmed slightly under his weight. The sharp fangs trailed his neck, teasing him with nibbles and bites, and the canine whimpers turned into loud moans in an instant. The mage started grinding back against Duncan, crotch on crotch, feeling each other, gasping as those lips just kept going down.

Duncan left a trail of kisses and tiny bites across his collarbone, feeling how every single one of them made the wolf jump in his grasp. He kissed his chest and his nose pressed lightly against the shallow cleft, until it rose from Dean's breathing. Feeling daring, the wolverine licked and got shivers out of him again. He pulled back just enough for his hand to reach down properly and hold the bulge in his pants, gently at first, feeling the heft, feeling him squirm and grind against it to coax him into touching more. For a king, Dean was surprisingly eager. His thumb easily took care of the button in his pants, and he felt the wolf's body heat up at his touch.

"Duncan..." he gasped, his voice low, and the wolverine looked up with a smile. His lips went backwards and he kissed up his neck again, all the way until he reached the canine ear.

"I'll be gentle," he said, licking the edge, biting it. "At first."

"Stop..."

"You didn't like that?" he tried to sound neutral about it, but he was already freaking out about doing something wrong. His hand had frozen on Dean's bulge, unable to decide whether he should let go or rub him harder, pull it out of his pants. In the end, the only action that felt right was to nuzzle the wolf again. Either to show him affection or to desperately beg for it.

"I love it. I love... everything you're doing right now," the mage's hand reached for the back of his head and held him in place, wordlessly telling him to keep going, to bite him again. With a smile, Duncan was more than happy to comply, get another moan out of him. But Dean held strong. "No, I mean... It stopped raining."

"What?" Duncan looked confused at first, as if trying to figure out what rain even was in the first place. When he remembered where they were, he looked over his shoulder at the entrance of the cave. Just like the wolf had said, the downpour that had been outside until just a few minutes ago was gone, with no evidence left behind. Not even the moist soil, as if it had never rained in the first place. Sunlight came through the entrance with such force, it was almost as if there were no trees or clouds blocking it.

"We should head back," Dean's words came with a hand on the wolverine's chest, gently guiding him to the side. Never had Duncan wanted to defy him as much as he did now, when he was being told to get off from him. But he receded and sat next to the wolf, watching as he sat up and reached for his own shirt. He stared at that slender torso with an almost nostalgic yearning, a sigh threatening to leave his lips when it was covered by the fabric of the king's clothes once again. A hand landed on his cheek and caressed him, and the wolverine couldn't stop himself from leaning on it; only for a second, before the same hand pushed his head away in a playful slap that brought a smile to his lips. "You'll have plenty of time to keep going later, mister," Dean reassured him.

"Will I?" Duncan wasn't one to be teased, however. His hand reached for the wolf's hip just as he was done straightening his shirt, the large fingers almost completely taking over the mage's side and pulling him closer. He took the chance to leave a kiss between his ears and watched them turn red. He wanted to do even more if it meant getting reactions like this. And that made him think. "Hey, are we going to tell Nick and Abby about this? About us?"

"Not yet, no," his response was so quick, it actually made Duncan worry for a moment. The wolf's hand on his knee eased him, as if Dean could already read him. "I'm sure Nick will figure it out as soon as we get back, but I don't want to listen to Abigail screaming when she finds out. My head will explode if she does. And..." he trailed off, blushing and frowning. "A secret relationship sounds fun for a while."

"Sneaking around at inns, waiting for everyone to fall asleep," Duncan leaned closer and nuzzled his wolf's neck, getting a whimper out of him. The wolverine's long tongue came next, going up his flesh, his fangs gently pressing against it. "Making sure we're quiet. Even if I really try to make you scream-

"Alright! Let's get moving already," god, he looked so cute when he got flustered like that. But as he made to stand up, Duncan held him in place. "What is it?"

"Let's stay here for a bit. If it's gonna be a secret, I have to take every chance I can get to enjoy you all on my own."

"It could start raining any second now, or worse," but despite his words, the canine sat back down, next to his wolverine, and let him lean against him again. "You weren't quite as mushy before this, what happened? Did my charms really win you over so suddenly?"

"Naturally," they both shared a chuckle at that, and Duncan pulled him closer again. He did that a lot, as if believing the wolf would slip off his grasp when he wasn't looking. The seconds went on and they didn't budge an inch, no matter what the wolf said about leaving. He didn't want any more than his wolverine. Duncan was the one who spoke up first, actually. "It happened in the hot springs."

"Hmm?"

"I'd been flirting all day just to mess with you. And because I liked flirting with you, I guess," the wolverine poked him, getting a smaller hand slapping his. But for the first time, that didn't get the usual chuckle out of him. The expression Dean was seeing in him now was oddly serious. "Then we got to the hot springs and I saw the scars for the first time-

"Stop."

"No, no, let me say this," Duncan took the chance and let his head down on the wolf's lap. Dean blushed at the sudden closeness for a second, proceeded to call himself out on that after they had been so intent on making out mere minutes before, and just sighed and allowed the wolverine to go on, rubbing his shoulder. "I saw them, and you didn't want to tell me anything about them, but you looked really cute when you freaked out like that. And I was worried, but also kind of flustered that you were like that? I think it was the first time I saw you being, um... What's the word?" for a second, he looked like he was trying really hard to remember, eyes shut tight and his forehead covered in wrinkles from the frown. "Vulnerable! That's the word."

"Yes, I try to keep myself from looking like that," out of instinct, Dean's face turned harder, stone cold. "When you are in the position I find myself in, you need to maintain your composure and show your strength to any who might pose a threat. Vulnerability is something I can allow only with a few select people."

"And you allowed that with me," those simple words immediately softened Dean's face, the wolf looking down with a warm smile. His hand moved further up, reaching for his wolverine's chin, scratching it. "I was happy to see that side of you. And mad, because you wouldn't tell me about the scars. And worried, because what if something happened with them. And so many other things, so many emotions just hitting me like that, I... Well, all of those had to mean something, right? And it sort of made sense then that I felt something... I'm not making sense, am I?"

"You're making perfect sense," the wolf's voice was low, almost a whisper. There were a few more seconds of silence between them, both of them looking for what else to say, how to tell things that maybe didn't need words.

"I want to know more about you," Duncan started. "I want to know how you got the scars, what happened with your kingdom, all of it. When you're ready to tell me. But I want to know. And I know this isn't what you want to hear, but I'll protect you. I know you're a freaking badass and you can beat the living crap out of anyone, but... You can be vulnerable with me. And when you are, I'll keep you safe."

"Thank you..." he was right, Dean didn't want to hear that. But it still made him feel warm inside. He didn't remember the last time someone else made him feel like that. His own hands went up and trailed the scars on his side, hidden by his clothes, and the memories surfaced in his mind, thinking about telling the wolverine his story. In due time... "We should get going. For real this time."

With a grunt, Duncan reluctantly sat up and stretched. Dean was already back on his feet by the time he was done and made his way out of the cave, forcing the wolverine to rush back into the cave for the logs. The mage had actually forgotten about those, but when his partner came outside with his arms flexing noticeably from the weight, he couldn't stop looking at them.

"If we're going to keep this a secret," Duncan said without looking at him, "you'll have to stop wistfully staring at me. Not like I mind."

"Sorry," he tried his best to sound unconcerned, but Dean's reddened ears betrayed his usual flush. It was starting to be something common for him to feel when close to this wolverine. A moment of vulnerability, he realized. One that made him oddly braver. "So... Do you want to sneak around tonight or something?"

Duncan tripped. Only for a moment, and he instantly caught himself. But he tripped.

"What?" it was the wolverine's turn to blush, eyes wide as plates. But he still tried to play it cool. "Y-Yes, of course! I'd make you scream, I told you!" perhaps trying too hard, Dean thought as he laughed at him. Duncan looked at him, bewildered at first, but seeing his wolf with such a happy face instantly melted his heart. "I'd love that, actually."

"Yeah... Yeah, me too," Dean said, already seeing the clearing in the distance, Abby waving his way from way too high a tree. But he chose not to rush towards her, staying next to the large man walking beside him, just for a little while longer.