Note: I hope Noel and Gaetan kept you company for a little while. If you enjoyed this at all, please consider leaving a comment to let me know! I also have another story, Perfect Medicine, which you can read on ScribbleHub and AO3.

“Are you ready?” Gaetan asked, standing between Noel and the forest. The sun was sinking to their left, leaving long shadows across half his face. More shadows raked across his clothes, catching every little peak and trough in the fabric. Compared to Noel, who was bundled up head to toe for the chilly spring weather, he was very lightly dressed.

Noel took one last long look at him and nodded. When the sun disappeared behind the horizon, he was staring at a wolf and a pile of clothes. He patted the wolf on the head and collected the clothes in a bag he’d brought. He glanced at the forest before addressing the wolf and repeating Gaetan’s question back at him, “Are you ready?”

The wolf whuffed softly and turned to lead the way. It had been a long winter, but tonight the sky was clear, the moon was bright, and enough snow had sublimated in the forest to make it navigable by foot. It was the first night since they’d found Gaetan’s clothes that was suitable for human adventuring, and Noel had been looking forward to it for quite some time.

As they walked through the underbrush, crocuses bloomed beside patches of snow. As Gaetan zigzagged over snowdrifts and around trees, through small streams of melting water and puddles of mud, he could smell the earth coming alive beneath his feet. Noel watched him disappear into the distance and double back over and over again as he slowly followed with his two clumsy feet.

They walked for an hour or two before Gaetan found Noel an old stump to rest on. Noel sat down and readjusted his scarf. The sun’s afterglow had faded and the moon above provided no warmth. Noel didn’t feel cold, however. He took off his gloves and stuck his fingers into the fur around the wolf’s neck.

“Better than wool,” He joked as Gaetan leaned into his actions. “Do you want a belly rub?” he asked.

Gaetan whuffed again and flopped down, rolling over to expose his underside and wiggling his back against the ground. Noel laughed and reached down, burying his hands in the wolf’s fur and rubbing his chest vigorously as he wriggled. It took a long time for Gaetan to get tired of it and shake himself off.

Noel put his gloves back on and asked, “Should we keep going?”

Gaetan shook his head to indicate that Noel should stay put, then started investigating the surrounding area. He circled around the stump once before moving outward, watching the ground carefully. The further away he went, the more frequently he’d double back to check on Noel.

Gaetan didn’t have to worry about stumbling and falling, but Noel did, especially as it had gotten progressively darker. The wolf’s body was perfectly suited to the terrain, and he covered the nearby area in short order. As he searched a little farther away, he finally found what he was looking for.

The next time Gaetan doubled back, Noel looked up to see the wolf carrying a large stick in his mouth. “Is this for me?” he asked as the other dropped it into his outstretched hand. It was long and straight, with a knob on one end, perfect for use as a walking stick. He quickly stripped the bark off and leaned on it as he stood up.

“Okay, this is great, I’m ready to keep going,” Noel said, rubbing Gaetan’s ears one more time for good measure.

They continued their walk through the forest, Noel using the walking stick to probe the ground in front of him and maintain his balance in the dark. Gaetan ran here and there, sometimes pulling him over to look at a nest of baby rabbits, or a sleeping fawn, or an owl up above. For Noel, who was used to seeing the forest from on high, it was a strange experience to feel so small in it.

A little later in the night, they stopped to rest again, this time on a log next to a burbling stream. Noel sat down and started rummaging through his bag, pulling out two wrapped sandwiches. Noel unwrapped one and held it for Gaetan, who inhaled the whole thing in two or three bites. Once it was done, he licked the crumbs off Noel’s fingers, then licked some more for good measure. The soft warm tongue left cooling saliva all over his hand.

“Really,” Noel complained, unceremoniously wiping his hand dry in the wolf’s fur. As he unwrapped his own sandwich, Gaetan jumped up on the log with him, worming under his arm and over his lap, until Noel had a very large rug draped over his knees. Noel ate his sandwich over the wolf, then had to brush the crumbs off his blond coat. The brushing turned into more petting, until Gaetan jumped down and shook himself off, waiting for him to follow.

By the time the sky began to lighten, Gaetan was tired, and Noel was thoroughly exhausted. They slowly made their way back to the estate, gaining some momentum as Noel could see more. By the time the first rays of sunlight broke through the trees to stream across the forest floor, they were almost home.

Noel stopped and put down his bag, leaning down to pull out the clothes and lay them at the wolf’s feet. When Noel straightened up, Gaetan was standing in front of him, his naked skin softly illuminated in the timid early light.

“Good morning,” Noel greeted him, although they had never parted.

Gaetan replied by leaning over and kissing him, licking the corner of his lips. “Good morning,” he smiled, “do you want to ride on my back for a bit?”

“Sure,” Noel said, happy to get off his feet. He helped Gaetan dress himself, then climbed on his back, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Noel pressed his ear to Gaetan’s back, closing his eyes and listening to his husband’s steady heartbeats with every step. Gaetan carried him all the way back to the very edge of the estate before he was set down again.

The snow on the lawn had all melted, and the withered grass was animating day by day with touches of green. The early sunlight raked over it, covering the ground in textured shadows. The walls of the distant house were pristinely smooth in comparison, evenly lit as if from a painting, only the occasional passing figure in the windows betraying the world inside.

Noel looked to his side, and saw Gaetan’s profile outlined by the sun behind him. Soft hair and eyes, the line of the nose leading into the lips, even in shadow, the whole visage was familiar to him. Gaetan looked back at him, the turn of his head throwing the edge into dazzling light. Noel kissed the light and the dark equally, before Gaetan kissed him back twice as fiercely. Hard teeth and soft lips, a warm tongue and cold air, all mingled together for a moment before parting.

Hand in hand, Noel and Gaetan walked out of the forest together, never to be parted for the rest of their days.