"You're welcome?" Lionel answered. He leaned his head against Cole's, his heart lifting once again. None of this felt real. Everything he'd hoped for had come true. Well, not everything, but this was a first step towards everything. 

Lionel felt so safe, so perfectly comfortable with Cole's arms around him, his mate's head resting snugly on his shoulder. Lionel sighed deeply, happily, and was hit with another shockwave of awe and delight when Cole's cinnamon smell surrounded him. Lionel tucked his face into the crook of Cole's neck and reached up to touch Cole's beautifully curly hair. It was so soft between his fingers, and sometimes one of the curls would twist around Lionel's hand and hold on to him. Everything just made sense. 

Lionel's hand stilled, resting on the back of Cole's neck. "Hey," Cole mumbled. 

"What?" Lionel asked, hanging on every word Cole said. 

"Don't stop," Cole whispered. 

Lionel smiled, his heart beating faster again. A burst of excitement grew in his chest. "Ok," Lionel said quietly, reaching up again and twisting his fingers into Cole's hair. 

Cole sighed, his arms sliding up and down Lionel's back. "What's my dad going to say? Where do I even go?" 

"Sh," Lionel said, "Don't worry about it for now, ok? He doesn't need to know yet. All you should worry about right now is Kaia." Lionel pressed a tiny kiss on Cole's shoulder. He felt the perfect roughness of Cole's stubble on his neck. 

"I know," Cole said, raising his head slowly. It surprised Lionel how much it hurt to look at Cole's face now. Not in a bad way, but more like Lionel was so happy that his heart was too small to contain it all. It was heartbreaking, but only because Lionel felt so strongly that it--whether 'it' be happiness, excitement, love, or lust--couldn't be contained. Lionel loved the new cracks in his heart because they meant progress, change, emotions so powerful they exploded out of him. That was truly living, and though Cole had thanked him, Lionel felt like it was him who should be thanking Cole. 

"I told you, though, sometimes I can't think about anything else," Cole said, staring at Lionel. It made Lionel's face heat up slightly. Cole's expression contorted slightly, "Does that make me a bad person?" 

Lionel balked at the thought, "As if you could ever be a bad person." 

Cole smiled slightly, "That's a lot of faith you've got." 

"In you? I suppose. But I'm not worried about it," Lionel said, smiling back. Their bodies were still close, but it felt natural now. It didn't feel wrong like it had before, like Lionel was forcing Cole into something he didn't want. It felt like Lionel was stepping in the footsteps of fate. It felt ok. 

Well, better than ok, but Lionel didn't want to push Cole's limits. The guy had basically just accepted that he was both gay and mated to a lycanthrope. That was a lot for one day. 

But...

Shit. Shit. It was about to get worse. 

"Hey, you should go. No, I should go," Lionel said, a wave of nausea rolling over him. Lionel nodded awkwardly, "I should go." He slid down off of the counter, but before he could slip away, Cole grabbed his wrist. 

"What's wrong? Did I do something?" Cole asked, his voice fraught with panic. 

Lionel cursed and turned to look at him, "No, you didn't. Well, sort of you did. But it was good. It was great, actually. Mind blowing, I've heard stories about the first kiss but...damn." 

Cole smiled slightly, but his eyes were still afraid, "Where are you going, then?" 

"I'm..." Lionel felt embarrassed. He shouldn't have. This was his mate, the love of his life. This was Cole. But still...this was embarrassing. "About to have a really bad time." 

"What the hell are you talking about?" Cole asked, still not letting go of Lionel's hand. In fact, he was slowly pulling Lionel back to him. All he wanted to do was escape, to hide himself away from Cole. But...the guy looked so worried. Vulnerable Cole, honest Cole, real Cole. The version Lionel liked the most. 

"This is unconventional," Lionel grumbled. He could already feel his muscles beginning to twist. A tremor shook his entire body, and he hoped Cole hadn't noticed it. 

"Lion, you're..." Cole was staring at him. He'd pulled Lionel's body back to him so that they were almost chest to chest again. 

"I'm what?" Lionel asked.  He doubted he'd hear anything like it, but, maybe because he was so afraid, he had to hope for Cole's next words to be something like: 'amazing' or 'my one true love.'

But instead, "You're sweating a lot. Like, a lot." 

"I'm..." Lionel started, but he couldn't finish. He was already tired. It was like the explosion of energy he'd just experienced with Cole was being rapidly drained from his body, leaking out at an alarming pace. It felt disgusting, terrifying. He wouldn't be able to make it two steps now, much less get somewhere that Cole wouldn't be able to hear his screams. Still, last time, it had happened so suddenly. This felt off. 

"Lion, you're scaring me," Cole breathed, the panic sounding distant now. Lionel shook his head, trying to clear his senses from the fuzzy blur that was spreading across all of them. The world just seemed all one color, far away, quiet, unreachable. 

"Lion, hey." He was crying again. Cole, Lionel realized, was a crybaby. Probably the worst one Lionel had ever met. And Lionel freaking loved that. "I'm ok," Lionel managed, "This is supposed to happen." 

"You're supposed to nearly pass ou--oh, god." Lionel's legs had buckled and Cole had surged forward to catch him before he hit the floor. "I'm freaking out, Lion." 

Lionel liked hearing his name from Cole. Despite the pain he was in, he was still happy. And honestly, the pain meant that he'd sealed his mate bond. So, really, even the thing that was making him so miserable was a good thing. He knew he wouldn't die. He'd done this before. Sure, it was in the top three the worst experiences of his life, but he'd survived. This moment would simply be the fourth worst. 

"I'm changing," Lionel said, clutching Cole's shirt. He found himself staring intensely at Cole's collarbone where it was exposed, the fabric of Cole's shirt dragged down by Lionel's shaking hand. Lionel had a thing for collarbones. They created such sexy lines. And damn, Cole's lines were perfect. "My body is-" 

"You're turning into a wolf?!" Cole shouted. Lionel's head throbbed at the volume and he winced. 

"I think so, but it's..." Lionel gave up and leaned heavily against Cole. They were both kneeling on the floor now, but at this point Cole was almost entirely supporting Lionel's weight. "It's different from last time."

"Different how? Is this bad? I should go call someone," Cole said, his words coming a mile a minute as they tended to do when he was scared. 

Lionel shook his head, trying to focus on Cole's stupidly gorgeous eyes, "I can't even see you that well right now. Don't leave me like this." 

There was a moment of silence and then the world tilted dizzyingly. "I won't." It took Lionel a hot second to realize that he was being lifted. It was kind of unfair how rock solid Cole's chest and arms were. What was Lionel supposed to do with that? Not kiss every inch of him? It would have to wait, but even in this state, the thought breezed on through Lionel's mind. 

"How is it different?" Cole asked. Lionel felt like he was falling for a second and clung even tighter to Cole. "Calm down, I'm just putting you down on the couch." 

"It's less painful," Lionel replied, "And...my head's already hurting less by the second." 

"It's not as bad, is what you're saying," Cole thought out loud. "Come here," Cole said suddenly. Lionel's vision was beginning to focus. How could he feel like death one second and be so quickly on the mend the next?

"What?" Lionel asked, squinting at the blob that was Cole. The squinting helped and he managed to catch a brief yet glorious blush. 

"Come here," Cole cleared his throat roughly, "You said you couldn't see well, so touch me...so that you don't feel alone." 

Jesus fuck. 

Within seconds, Lionel was curled up next to Cole, his head resting on his mate's lap, unfairly muscled arm wrapped around Lionel's waist and all. 

Dear, universe, you've screwed me over in the past, but honestly I forgive you now. That is all. Fondly, Lionel. 

"This isn't normal, is it?" Cole asked quietly. 

Lionel hesitated, turning so that he could look up at Cole's face. Cole was gazing down at him...literally gazing. Lionel's heart did that little squeeze thing. "I don't think so," Lionel admitted. 

"It's because I'm a human, isn't it?" Cole said, sounding almost guilty. Lionel's heart twisted painfully. The rest of his pain was still fading, which only made the ache in his chest that much worse. It hurt to be reminded of the differences between them, namely species. 

"I don't know," Lionel whispered, turning away again, "I'm not changing like last time. There would be bones cracking by now."

A wet drop landed on Lionel's cheek and he flinched. He looked up at Cole. "How often do you have to go through something like that?" Cole asked, his voice quiet. For some reason, Cole kind of reminded Lionel of a bunny for a second. 

Lionel smiled and reached up. His hand was still slightly unsteady, but he wanted more than anything to sweep one of Cole's rowdy curls away from his face. It was worth the energy in the end. "Not often. It happened when I first smelled you, it's supposed to happen after the first kiss. Other than that, it varies. Some lycanthrope go their entire lives without changing again. For some unlucky ones, it could happen every year." 

"I'm sorry," Cole said, inhaling sharply and trying to stop his tears. 

"You're a bit of a crybaby, aren't you?" Lionel teased. 

Cole scowled, "I just don't like seeing you in pain." 

Lionel softened. "I like that answer." And just like that, the two of them were eclipsed in a bubble, floating away from the rest of the world. It was quiet, just the two of them. Lionel was struck with a peculiar clarity, a strange contrast to moments before when none of his senses had made sense. 

Now, everything was crisp. Lionel could smell Cole tenfold, could hear Cole's heart beating, could feel the warmth of Cole's legs on the back of his neck. Lionel smiled, afraid to speak so as not to break the moment. It felt delicate, like any sudden movements would stir the crystalline pool the two of them were wading in. And it was too beautiful as it was, their reflections on the surface showing who they truly were. The ripples would have just confused that. 

So Lionel didn't move. He simply admired the calm expression on Cole's face. He barely knew Cole, if he was being honest with himself. But at the same time he felt like he knew so much. He trusted this man, maybe even more than he trusted himself. 

Cole's hand moved from where it had been resting on Lionel's waist. It felt natural to turn to lie on his back, like he was opening himself up, becoming vulnerable. Lionel knew that he was the driving force in whatever kind of relationship this was becoming, but for now...well, this time, he would simply be carried along like a leaf on a slowly trickling stream. He would get lost in the look Cole was giving him and love it. 

Hesitating only a moment, the tips of Cole's fingers lightly brushed against Lionel's cheek. The touch was so light that it almost tickled. Cole's hand dragged along the surface of their still oasis, causing little echoes of the motion to expand across the surface. It was no longer a perfect mirror, but it still felt soft, comforting, beautiful. 

Lionel closed his eyes, feeling Cole's touch slide delicately down from his cheek, tracing his jaw. Lionel sighed deeply. Even such a small thing like this felt life changing. The whole universe could fit in this moment. 

When Cole spoke, his words were on the verge of drowning, falling below the surface of silence. "How are you so beautiful?" 

Lionel's lips parted, a sting behind his eyes. He didn't know what to say or do, how to respond to such an honest, painfully sweet sentiment. But he didn't have to. The ripples of Cole's touch had spread, both of their hearts were beating with the rhythm of the motion. 

And then Cole's lips were on Lionel's again. The kiss was slow, delicate, beautiful. It was nervous, hesitant, gentle, peaceful, intimate. It was like a water droplet in slow motion. It was a butterfly landing on a flower. It was the slight twinkle of stars in the night sky. A soft breeze on a summer evening. A wisp of cloud in a clear blue sky. Fireflies at night. Snow drifting to earth. A soft sunrise. A dandelion's soft seeds, carrying your wish with them. 

This time, it was Lionel's face the tear slid down, leaving a tiny damp path along the side of his face. "I can't believe I survived this long without you," Lionel said quietly. 

Cole nodded slightly, his thumb gliding along the tear's path. "Me, neither."

Hey, everybody. Thanks again for 2K followers, I love you all and you're actually so amazing holy wowwee. Dang these stories have grown from their small beginnings! 
I didn't get a chance to edit this, but I didn't want to delay posting by too much longer (and I'm crazy busy for the next few days). So please forgive me and maybe even leave me a vote or a comment or something radical like that if you've got a sec. 
Thank you lovelies! ~M