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He’d forgotten to close the curtains last night. The sun chose to remind him of this by blinding him as soon as he opened his eyes.
It was Sunday (the fittingness of the name did not go unmissed, and only irritated him more), he had no reason to wake up this early. For once he was able to sleep in as late as he chose, and after the week the pack had just gone through, he’d earned it, damn it.
Wincing as the sun grew even brighter, David draped an arm over his face to block out the offending sun.
At least he tried to.
A heavy weight was pinning his arm down. Both of his arms in fact. Steady, warm breath was feathering over his chest, and a second source across his stomach.
Confusion and curiousity won out over the offending sun, and he pried his eyes open, blinking a couple times against the daylight streaming into his bedroom. Casting his gaze down to whatever was trapping him in bed as soon as he was able to see clearly.
And was presented with the single most impressive bedhead he’d ever seen. Cowlicks and fluffed up hair covering up the tattoo painted across half his chest. Beyond the messy cloud directly in front of him, tangled hair in a different shade could also be seen, arguably even more tangled and wild.
David simply stared for a moment, allowing his brain to slowly reboot as he took in the sight. Allowing a rare smile to curve across his lips since no one else was awake to see it. Joy steadily replacing the confusion as memories of the previous night slowly came back to him.
The pack had just finished a five day job, and had collectively gone out to celebrate not only the satisfaction in a job well done and the end of an exhausting task, but also a rather impressive paycheck.
Milo had blown a third of his share on drinks for everyone, which led to David becoming more drunk than he normally allowed himself. Nothing too messy, but certainly to the point that when Asher had thrown his arm over David’s shoulder and pressed a sloppy kiss against his cheek, he hadn’t protested, hadn’t pulled away or resisted in any way.
Had in fact slid his arm around his beta’s waist and kept him pressed against his side. Growling into Asher’s ear that that mouth of his was going to get him into trouble one day.
The startled blush and nervous laugh that had burst from his best friend had caught both of them off guard. Thankfully everyone else had been too busy having fun and drinking to notice as the two of them had stared at each other, becoming far too aware of how close together they were pressed.
Which explained why Asher was pressed against his stomach, snoring lightly.
There was a second head of tangled hair currently on his chest, however. A very familiar head of hair, which he was almost a hundred percent certain belonged to a certain heavily scarred, emotionally reserved, stubborn as hell shifter.
Darlin was currently passed out on his chest, cheek pressed over his heart, his arm tucked under them and hand on their hip.
David stared, feeling his face growing hot. Remembering a drunken Darlin pressing up against him, hand on his chest. Teasing not only David but Asher as well.
It was startling enough to have woken up with Asher in bed with him (naked too, he now realized that not only was he entirely nude, but the two bodies pressed up against him were also completely bare), but to have Darlin snuggled up against his side like this too, remembering how both of them had tormented him for hours…
So he hadn’t just dreamed it. Last night had actually happened.
The scarred wolf must have picked up on his heartbeat spiking; the slow, steady breath hitched, inhaling slowly before that head of tangled hair shifted. Familiar eyes opening and blinking a couple times. Dazed and relaxed, entirely at peace.
He saw the moment realization set in. The instant those eyes widened a fraction and lifted, meeting his own stare.
The fear he saw fill that gorgeous face broke his heart.
Realizing what was about to happen, he shifted his arm to curl more tightly around their waist, preventing them from bolting. Stroking his thumb gently across their hip bone and giving the faintest ghost of a smile.
“It’s early,” he mumbled, his already gruff voice rough from waking up. “No need to rush off… not if you don’t want to,” he added, not wanting them to feel trapped, but also wanting to make sure they knew he wasn’t upset. “…although if you were planning on getting up to close those curtains, I wouldn’t object… too much.”
His thumb continued running along their hip, watching all the second guessing, all the nerves and indecision, racing across that face. Waiting patiently, and offering a slightly larger smile the moment he saw the tension slip out of their body, giving him a smile that was even rarer than his own as they settled back down, their cheek on his collarbone now.
“…I like your room,” they whispered after a moment. “It’s… different from when I last saw it.”
“I’d hope so,” David grumped. “If my room still looked like a fourteen year old boy lived in it, I’d be concerned.” That earned a gentle laugh from the scarred shifter that had goosebumps washing over his neck.
“I mean, there’s still a hint of nerd, here and there,” they pointed out, turning their head to rest their chin on his chest and grinning at him, wiggling their eyebrows. “Never thought David Shaw would still have action figures on his shelf.”
“Those are collectibles,” he corrected in a firm tone, and they snorted, pressing a light, quick kiss against his collarbone that had his heart racing for an entirely different reason. “I am not a nerd.”
“Whatever you gotta tell yourself, liar.”
“You two are too loud,” a whine came from further down the bed, and David watched with a faint smirk as Darlin’s eyes widened all the more as they realized it wasn’t just the two of them in bed.
Asher’s tangled bedhead popped up into sight as he sat up, yawning widely and casting a bleary eyed look at the two of them. Huffing his fluffy bangs out of his eyes. “Why are we awake so early on our day off?” he whined.
“It’s not my fault you two chose to use me as a human body pillow,” David retorted, and Asher laughed, wiggling and shifting in bed in order to settle himself onto the unoccupied side of David’s chest. Winking and grinning at Darlin as he grabbed David’s free arm and pulled it up over his shoulders.
“Hey, if I recall correctly, you were the one who said last night that you ran hot,” Asher retorted, winking at him. “Not my fault if we chose to investigate your claim.”
“And that’s why we’re all naked?”
“Mmm, no, we’re all naked because after we were done showering, Asher said, and I quote…” Darlin cleared their throat as they sat up slightly, staring at Asher. “…‘we’re just gonna strip all over again once we start making out, why waste time’.”
That had Asher grinning widely, propping his elbow on David’s breastbone and resting his chin in his hand as he stared at the scarred shifter.
“I mean, I was right, wasn’t I?” he purred, and Darlin’s face immediately went a vivid red, huffing sharply.
David meanwhile shoved at Asher’s arm, wincing at the pain of the elbow digging into his chest, and grunted as the beta ended up flopping down onto his chest as a result. Rolling his eyes at the pout Asher gave as a result.
“I don’t mean to kill the mood, but I’ve gotta use the bathroom and you two are making getting up difficult,” he grumped, narrowing his eyes when Asher’s pout immediately turned into a wicked grin.
“From what I remember last night, you have no trouble getting it up—”
A startled yelp interrupted the beta as David planted his hand on his face and shoved, giving the alpha enough room to wiggle free. Darlin shifted back and let David up without argument, flopping onto their back on the large bed and stretching.
Getting to his feet, David stretched as well, groaning as his back popped a couple times. Glancing back at his bed, he stared at the sight of the two shifters in his bed, watching as Asher made himself comfortable on Darlin’s chest. Grinning faintly as after a pause, Darlin lifted a hand to play with Asher’s tangled hair.
He didn’t quite remember what had happened last night to end up with him in bed with the two most important people in his life, but he wasn’t going to question when life gave him something precious. He simply gave silent thanks and headed for the bathroom. Staring with a growing smirk at the tangled pile of clothing scattered across the bedroom floor.
“…wait, where’s my other boot?”