Page 24 of Shifter Omegaverse AU

After their little wager, Milo had lost spectacularly at mini-golf. They’d blamed Rowan and his “distractingly adorable, luxuriously luscious laugh,” whatever that meant, but Rowan was pretty sure it was because Milo had the coordination of a baby foal.

Actually, scratch that. Just the week before, Rowan had been watching a nature special on farm life, and the host had gushed over a foal who was up and walking within an hour of birth.

His hawk squawked in warning just as Milo managed to run into the door of the diner.

“Oh my gods!” Milo shouted, scrambling at the glass until they managed to find the door handle. “This door used to push in! They changed the door?”

The puffy sleeves of the dress Milo was wearing inflated and deflated as they struggled to open the door. The dress itself was quite pretty, even though it looked like it had come from the 60s. Of course, because it was Milo, they hadn’t stopped there. The air was still crisp in the evenings, so Milo had paired the dress with mermaid scale leggings and neon pink fuzzy boots.

Rowan reached over the top of Milo’s head and grabbed the edge of the door, holding it steady so Milo could stumble inside.

“Hi, welcome to 6th and Main. Table for—”

The woman standing at the host stand gaped at Milo, and Rowan’s shoulders tensed, readying to go on the defensive yet again.

He and his hawk hadn’t been sure what to make of the putt-putt guy staring so intently at Milo. Usually, he wouldn’t have said anything, allowing his loud and outspoken family members to handle themselves, but Milo had appeared completely oblivious.

Rowan had tried to keep his tone neutral, but then Milo had mentioned his ex, and his alpha instincts had kicked into overdrive. Those same instincts were already on high alert today, returning to the place where Milo had first met their ex. He really didn’t want to growl at this waitress, but he would if he had to.

Rowan’s hawk stood up from his nest and unfurled his wings just in case.

“Milo?” the woman asked, and Milo’s fingers knotted in the hem of their dress.

“In the flesh,” Milo said, pulling out their skirt as if to curtsy, only to bow at the waist instead.

With a quick glance at Rowan, the woman grabbed two faded menus off the host stand. “Well, welcome back, Milo, and welcome Milo’s…?”

“Rowan,” Milo said, straightening back up and throwing Rowan a smile so bright he had to look away.

The waitress gestured for Rowan to go first down the tight aisle, and he was just barely able to make out her whispered, “Your Rowan, huh?” as she fell into step next to Milo.

Rowan’s hawk tucked his wings back against his side and bobbed his head, apparently content now that he had been claimed.

They took their seats, and the woman pulled out a notebook and turned to Rowan. “My name’s Courtney, and I’ll be your server today. What can I get you started off with to drink, and how long have you known our dear, sweet Milo?”

Milo ducked their head, pink spreading across their bare cheeks. They weren’t wearing any makeup today, and when Rowan had asked, Milo said they were actually feeling decidedly neutral today.

“Water would be fine for me, and I’ve known Milo for a little over three weeks now,” Rowan said.

“Water, got it, and how did you meet him?”

Rowan glanced at Milo, but they were staring steadfastly down at their menu. Someone shouted in the kitchen, and the distinct sound of a plate clattering on linoleum made his hawk jump, but Milo didn’t even flinch.

“I met Milo at a movie theater,” Rowan said cautiously, taking Milo’s lip twitch as permission to keep going. “We were both waiting for a movie, and we happened to run into each other.”

“He ran into my backpack,” Milo said, their fingers dancing along the side of the table until they came to rest on top of the napkin-wrapped silverware.

“Right. I ran into it three times.”

A grin flashed across Milo’s face, there and gone in the blink of an eye.

Courtney clucked her tongue and put her pen behind her ear. “So, after he hit you with his backpack, one thing led to another, and now you’re getting dinner together, here of all places?”

Rowan’s hawk bristled, and he spoke without thinking. “They said this diner was their favorite, so I thought we’d give it a try, but if that’s going to be a problem…”

He trailed off as his brain caught up with his mouth, and he sucked his cheek in between his teeth. His hawk fluffed out his feathers, proud of him for defending his—

Friend. Milo was his friend, who hadn’t asked Rowan to defend them.