Page 65 of Shifter Omegaverse AU

If Milo somehow screwed this up, they now risked losing not just Rowan but Ruben and possibly even Ray. It would be just like their nightmares. They’d be alone.

Rowan turned away from the table, and his warm gaze landed on Milo, accompanied by a soft, genuine smile. It was as if a heavy wind blew through Milo’s mind, dispersing most of the fog.

Milo wasn’t alone. They had Ethel, and despite their worry, they did still have Ray and Rowan. The fog hadn’t taken over yet. It took Milo a moment to recover, but they were able to muster up a tiny smile in return.

Rowan’s eyes flashed yellow and dropped to Milo’s mouth. “Would you care to demonstrate that promise for me again? When you finish your ice cream, of course.”

Right. They were supposed to be flirting with their fated mate, not getting lost in childhood fears and very inconveniently timed fog. Their pony flicked their tail, as if they could scare it all away like a stubborn fly.

Milo decided to deploy their newfound superpower and stuffed the remaining half of a bowl of ice cream and strawberries into their mouth in one go. Rowan’s eyes widened, obviously impressed.

Honestly, Milo was pretty impressed, too…until they got brain freeze so bad their eyes crossed.

“Oh gods,” Milo groaned, pressing their thumb and forefinger into their nose. “Quick, lick the top of my mouth.”

Rowan didn’t exactly pull away, so much as he shrank back against the couch. “Uhm…what?”

“Have you never heard that?” Milo asked, squinting one eye to try to see through the pain. “If you lick the top of your mouth, it’s supposed to warm up your sinuses or brain cavity or whatever, and the pain stops.”

“I…don’t know if I can—”

Milo’s pony whinnied frantically, and Milo waved a hand in the air. “No, no, I’m just kidding.” They weren’t. “It’s fine.” It wasn’t, but Milo didn’t want to push. At least the brain freeze had scared away the last of the fog.

They continued rubbing their nose as Rowan’s frown deepened.

“Seriously, it’s almost gone,” Milo said, attempting to smile, but their lips seemed determined to stay in a grimace.

“Do you want some tea or something?” Rowan asked, looking somewhat desperately towards the kitchen.

Milo pressed the flat of their tongue against the top of their mouth and rubbed it back and forth. Surprisingly, the ache did begin to subside.

“I’m okay,” they said again, but this time they actually meant it. They kept one hand pressed against their nose and used the other to flash a thumbs up. “Seriously, it’s pretty much gone now.”

Rowan gently pressed his knee against Milo’s leg. “There’s no rush. Unless you have plans tonight, I’m free all evening.”

Was that an invitation? Milo would absolutely kill for another sleepover, even if all they did was sit on the couch and watch a movie.

“I am also wide open tonight.”

And their mouth and legs could be, too, if the need arose.

Milo shook their head, admonishing their pony for getting ahead of themself. Their pony flicked their ears impatiently.

“Good, so, no rush,” Rowan repeated, turning to lean his shoulder into the couch so he was fully facing Milo.

Milo scrambled to copy him, taking more care than the night before so they didn’t risk toppling into Rowan. “Totally no rush. We can take our time. Go suuuuuuuper slowwwwwwww,” Milo said, leaning forward towards Rowan at the speed of snail, their lips puckered and ready to go.

Rowan watched them, all the yellow gone from his eyes. “I don’t know if slow motion will help, baby.”

Milo paused their lean. “Is there anything that does help? Anabelle always preferred touch to be well telegraphed, like in those cartoons where a boxer winds up his arm before punching, or the way pitchers sort of turn into flamingos before making their throw.”

A grin flashed across Rowan’s face, only to be replaced by a thoughtful expression. “I don’t think telegraphing helps me. If anything, I think it might actually make it worse.”

Milo quickly pulled back, and Rowan pressed his knee even firmer against Milo’s leg.

“Growing up,” Rowan began, “I had a therapist tell me that touch coupled with demand can feel like a double attack on my nervous system. For a long time, I didn’t believe her. I thought all touch was equally as stressful, but looking back, I can remember having some really nice, well-padded cuddle sessions with my parents and siblings, and it was always touch or contact that I initiated.”

“Oh, well, that’s really good to know. Anabelle hated initiating touch, but as long as I asked first, she could usually handle the sleeve grabs, elbow bumps, arm presses, etcetera.”