Page 94 of Shifter Omegaverse AU

Rowan’s breath gushed out, breaking the stillness of the forest, and just like that, the sweet sounds of birds chirping and the river babbling floated back in.

“Hi, baby,” Rowan said, making no move to pet Milo, just holding his hand firmly against their head. “You’re so cute.”

Milo’s pony kept their head ducked but snorted softly, their nostrils fluttering much the same way Milo’s heart was.

“Is that…a happy noise?”

Their pony snorted again, pressing against Rowan’s hand. Rowan raised his other hand and cupped Milo’s cheek. Before Milo or their pony could react, he bent forward until their foreheads were pressed together.

“Oh, gods, I love you so much,” Rowan said in a rush. “Thank you for this weekend, for earlier, and for this.”

Milo’s pony swished their tail and nickered, elation bubbling through them.

“You said you wanted me to brush you? Is that your brush?” he asked, pulling away so he could step around Milo and stoop down to grab the brush. “It’s very pretty, baby.”

The brush was bright pink with rhinestones and large crystals glued all over it. It had actually been a gift from Ethel. No matter how much she grumbled that it was gaudy and unnecessary, she insisted it made their coat shine better than the plain wooden one Milo had been using for years.

“I have to admit, I’ve never brushed someone’s hair, let alone their mane,” Rowan said, his cheek dimpling in a way their pony absolutely would not stand for.

They shuffled their feet until they were facing Rowan again and then proceeded to press their head right up against the brush. When Rowan remained frozen, they arched their neck so the brush ran down their mane without Rowan having to do a thing.

Rowan choked on a laugh but followed their lead, stroking the brush through their mane in long, even strokes.

“I’m going to talk to my therapist about this,” he said idly, and Milo’s pony flicked their ear in interest. “I mean, not just this, but the whole weekend. I haven’t held someone like that, even with a blanket, since…”

Rowan’s voice trailed off, but he continued brushing Milo. Their pony didn’t mind the silence. They could hear his heart beating steadily, and every few strokes of the brush, he would let his thumb trail down their neck.

Milo wanted to know what he was going to say, but there was very little they could do, so they just waited, listening to the leaves rustling overhead.

“I don’t think I’ve held or been held like that in a long time. And it actually wasn’t even me who decided to hold you. My hawk knew you were in pain, and he wanted me to fix it, touch stuff be damned.” Rowan chuckled and ran the back of his index finger down Milo’s neck to their shoulder. “I think we were both so focused on being there for you and making sure you know that you’re not alone that it felt like the natural thing to do. No second-guessing or worrying. Just…you. And me.”

Rowan bent forward and retrieved one of Milo’s apples. He held it in his hand, as if weighing it, before holding it out for Milo’s pony. With the utmost care and caution, their pony pulled their lips back and crunched into the part of the apple farthest from Rowan’s hand. The sweet, juicy flavor exploded on their tongue, and they stomped a foot in pleasure.

Rowan smiled at them, wide and unrestrained. It took a little creative maneuvering on both their parts, but he managed to feed Milo’s pony the whole apple without touching their mouth.

“You know, I guess it actually isn’t just you and me anymore, is it? Or…it doesn’t have to be,” Rowan murmured, pressing his hand against the side of Milo’s cheek again. “We have Ethel, my moms, my sisters…and Ruben and Ray.”

Milo, not their pony, blinked their large eyelashes at him, in a way they hoped communicated across species. He was absolutely right. They didn’t have to be alone. They had an entire family, something Milo would have killed for growing up. Rowan just had to get past whatever was going on with Ruben.

“I’m really excited for you to meet them,” Rowan said, and Milo took that to mean their blinking telegraph had worked. “And I’m excited for them to meet Ray, too. He seems so sweet, and if anyone was going to work with Ruben, it would be him. I guess I’m just going to have to get through a probably uncomfortable conversation or two with Ruben, but…for you, baby, it’s worth it. I want you to be able to lean on my family if you want to because I just know they’re going to love you.”

Milo blinked again, and for a moment, they stared into each other's eyes, and Milo swore they could read his thoughts.

Love. Family. Belonging. Home. More love.

“Oh, and of course I know you have Ethel, and I want to meet her, too.”

Without so much as a snort of warning, Milo’s pony shoved Milo forward, and once again they found themself lying naked in the grass, but this time they were staring up at their fated mate.

Rowan’s mouth opened, probably in surprise, but Milo beat him to it.

“How does Wednesday sound?”

Rowan shut his mouth with an audible click, and a wild bird shrieked somewhere in the distance.

With the sun behind him, turning his wild, ginger curls into a halo of gold, Rowan nodded.

“Well, you are definitely ginger, but—Milo, what were those other words? Gargantuan, glamorous, and gay?” Ethel asked, squinting up at Rowan from her seat at the card table.