Page 40 of Shifter Omegaverse AU

“Oh, okay, perfect! So, we should still be all set for strawberry picking?”

Before Rowan could answer, Ruben broke off from the group. “My car’s this way.”

Ray hesitated before turning and throwing his arms around Milo. “Have so much fun tomorrow,” he said, and then at a much lower volume that he probably hadn’t intended for Rowan to hear, “And maybe tonight?”

Milo shook their head and ruffled Ray’s hair, which made Ray squawk in protest. His cat ears had disappeared, but Rowan had no doubt that if they were still there, Milo probably would have pet them. Hell, they’d looked so soft, even Rowan could understand the urge.

On some occasions, he was able to pet animals, especially ones that weren’t all up in his space. His parents loved to feed the birds behind their house, and they would often fly onto their porch, landing on his family’s outstretched hands and shoulders. Rowan had much preferred the neighborhood cat, which would allow Rowan to approach and give it a few pats before it went on its way.

Ruben also loved the cat. He’d gotten it to cuddle with him a few times by plying it full of nearly an entire bag of treats.

It was almost as if fate was laughing at Rowan. Maybe he and Ray could have actually been friends if things had turned out differently.

Maybe he and Milo could have been something, too. Maybe they could have talked tomorrow and decided to try to be more than friends who hung out and texted every day. Maybe they could have gone back to Milo’s place with their buckets full of strawberries and shared a berry-sweetened first kiss.

As he climbed into Milo’s cramped car, he forced himself to let go of that hope. He couldn’t envision a world in which Ruben didn’t accidentally break Ray’s heart, and that meant there wasn’t a world in which Milo would want to get any closer to Rowan. How awkward would it be if they started dating and they were forced to keep Ruben and Ray apart? How would family gatherings go? Or their mating ceremony?

Rowan let out a soft grunt in the back of his throat, directed solely at his hawk. Mating ceremony? Seriously?

His hawk fluffed out his feathers and flapped several times as if he could somehow blow away all of Rowan’s fears. If anything, it made them worse. His poor hawk was going to have an even tougher time than Rowan after this thing between him and Milo fell apart. He’d clearly grown dangerously attached.

If only he’d worked up the courage to talk to Milo before tonight.

By the time they pulled into the parking lot of Rowan’s building, his hawk had started hopping around, fluttering his wings to give him airtime between each landing. Rowan had never seen him do this before, and it left him feeling disoriented.

“Hey,” Milo said, somehow having appeared at Rowan’s door. “You really do seem out of it. Would it be okay if I walked you up to your place? I wouldn’t feel right just dropping you off like this.”

Rowan looked dazedly around and found that Milo had already parked in one of the guest parking spots. Given no other readily available excuses, Rowan grudgingly agreed.

They were silent as they walked into the lobby and boarded a waiting elevator. Milo’s scent filled the small space, and Rowan was hit with the overwhelming urge to invite them in. If tonight was the only chance he ever got to have Milo over, he might as well make the most of it, right? Maybe Milo’s scent would linger for a while, the way Ruben’s familiar scent always seemed to stay put well after he’d left.

As he fumbled with his keys, he tried to think of a casual way to invite Milo inside, but his hawk was kee-awwing so loudly in his head, all Rowan could do was step inside and wordlessly hold the door open.

Milo peered into the entryway but didn’t step inside.

“Do you want some…water? Coffee? Fruit tea?” Rowan offered.

Milo’s face lit up. “Fruit tea would be amazing, and yes, I will accept that as payment for driving you home. Please feel free to require many more rides in the future if this is how you plan on repaying me.”

Milo followed Rowan into his kitchen, and their scent and bright smile warmed the room like Rowan had lit an expensive Fall Harvest candle.

“Your place is really nice,” Milo said, and all Rowan could do was grunt as he turned his electric kettle on.

He liked tea well enough, but since meeting Milo and learning about all the fruity, sweet teas out there, he’d begun trying some of them at home. His favorites were peach, raspberry, and apple, but he was far too embarrassed to offer that last one to Milo. He took down the peach tea instead.

“Don’t expect anything quite as nice as this at my place,” Milo said. “I make tea by boiling water in the microwave—but you have to swear on the threat of death not to tell Ray. His delicate British sensibilities would probably combust on the spot.”

“I didn’t know he was British," Rowan mumbled, barely loud enough to be heard over the kettle as it came to a boil.

He set about making tea for both of them as Milo rambled on about cat breeds.

If Rowan thought there was any chance he would need to remember this information about Milo’s best friend, he would pay closer attention, but as it was, he was barely able to remember to put one foot in front of the other and not spill their tea as he led Milo over to the couch.

Milo plopped down on the cushion two over from Rowan, immediately pulling a blanket into their lap and hugging it.

Perhaps this whole mess was for the best. Milo was such a tactile person, and they deserved a mate who could meet those needs. Rowan would of course try to meet his mate’s needs, but—

Godsdamnit, his hawk just would not let up.