Chapter Ten

Holden

We stayed at the home of Walter and Oscar late into the night. Nelson had so many questions. And while I did as well, our hosts answered them without me having to say a word, as if they knew my thoughts, or simply remembered what it was like for them in the beginning.

Eventually, Nelson fell asleep, his soft snores unlike anything I'd heard before. At the pond, I was used to the sounds of crickets, frogs, and other animal shifters throughout the night, but not the quiet noises that came from outer-worlders.

I reached to shake him awake, but Oscar put his hand on my shoulder. "Leave him be."

"He can stay there," Walter whispered. "He seemed so exhausted and is still probably overwhelmed. Oscar can get him a blanket."

Before the couple retired for the night, they made sure Nelson would be warm. I laid on the porch beside him in my turtle form, ready to shift back if need be.

When morning came, we thanked Walter and Oscar for their hospitality, and I received a list from Walter. "This is what you need Ahmed to bring from the outer-world to help with Nelson's adjustment here. I know it's a change for you, too, but you have no idea how different our world is from this."

I nodded, wanting to do anything to make Nelson's transition easier. Spending time with the couple and their children made me realize exactly how much I wanted a family of my own.

As we made our way into the village, an unease crept over me. I worried whether the others would accept Nelson being my mate. They didn't really have a choice, but would they make him want to leave instead?

Nelson took my hand in his, a gesture that comforted me more every time he did it. "Where do you think our hut will be?"

I shrugged, unsure and dreading which one we'd be assigned to. "The new huts are all centered together in the main part of the village. But there are older, abandoned homes, originally built for the previous outer-worlders who came here, that are spread out around the forest."

"I want one of those." Nelson squeezed my hand, giving another spark of contentment. "Is there one near your pond?"

I paused for a moment, sure I had seen one somewhere close. "I think so. It's not on any of the routes I normally take, but I'm positive there is. Maybe on the other side from where I met you."

"Then let's claim that one." Still holding me, he leaned into my side and kissed my cheek. "I had a dream about us, and our future family. Now, I can't wait to get started."

I wished I shared his confidence, knew what he saw in that dream. I did want the same thing but worried about all the obstacles we still had to conquer to make it possible.

***

Throughout the day, Ahmed popped back and forth between worlds, bringing armfuls of items from the outer-world to help my future mate adjust. And Nelson tittered about in the hut we'd found, arranging and rearranging it all. His doubts and worries had all vanished as he whistled while fluffing what he called a pillow that later ended up on his bed.

"It's not what I'm used to." Nelson lay on the bed with his arms and legs spread. "But it's way fluffier than the last few beds I've slept on. Almost feels like a nest."

Something deep inside of me rumbled to life at the mention of nesting. I yearned to join Nelson on that bed, remove his clothes, and give him a reason to nest. The urge was so strong. But too many others still lingered around our new home for me to get cozy with him.

As the sun set on Nelson's third day in the Enchanted Forest, I found him once again on the bed, sleeping while curled up among blankets and pillows, and with only a pair of briefs on. He had adjusted so well, much better than me.

Inside the hut, without Nelson to distract me, my chest tightened, and the walls seemed to close in on me. I was used to living and sleeping outdoors and didn't know if I could acclimate to a new way of living. Would I eventually get used to it? Or would I have to leave Nelson the way Colton had left Walter?

I sighed, trying not to fret too much. The outdoors still existed. I wasn't trapped inside. To prove it to myself, I stepped outside and took a deep breath. Yep, still there. But it wasn't enough. The pond called to me. Before I knew it, I sat on my favorite log and stared at my former home. I didn't need to go in the water. Simply being there helped loosen the tightness in my chest.

"You okay?"

Startled, I turned around to find Nelson behind me. He'd put his shirt back on, but nothing else, and his hair lay completely flat on one side while sticking out in multiple directions on the other side.

"Yeah." I shuffled over on the log to give him room to sit if he wanted. "I couldn't settle. I'm sorry."

He sat beside me and rested his head on my shoulder. "You don't have to be sorry. I get it. I was worried I wouldn't be able to sleep, either. But I guess exhaustion caught up with me. Until I heard you leave."

"Sorry."

He kissed my cheek. "I don't mind if you come down here. But expect me to come with you sometimes. I want to know all parts of you, not only when you look like me."

I rested a hand on Nelson's thigh, his closeness somehow able to calm me better than anything else. "Tell me about your world. Tell me what it's like to be mated there."

Closing his eyes for a moment, he took a deep breath. "Well, being mates with another guy is illegal in many parts of my world. Though not where I'm from. And as I mentioned before, it's not possible for anyone born as a male to become pregnant. The only way for them to have kids is to go through a huge legal rigmarole to adopt a child. Though most gay couples I knew never wanted kids."

"Oh." I ran my palm up and down his thigh, enjoying the softness of his skin while not fully understanding his words.

"When I was in what I thought was a long-term relationship, we dated for a bit then we moved in together. Or he asked me to move in with him."

"Dated?" That word stuck in my mind. "What do you mean by that?"

He shifted on the log though held my hand in place on his thigh. "I mean, it usually started by getting a meal together, seeing a movie in the theater, roller skating, dancing at a club... Then we usually ended up at one of our places where we had sex. Though sometimes we didn't even make it there."

His body warmed under my touch, though I had no idea why, still trying to figure out what he'd said. "Movie theater? Roller skating?"

He giggled and kissed my cheek. "That's what got your attention, huh? Well, a movie theater is a large building where they play a visual recording of a story on a large screen so many people can watch it at the same time."

"These dates commonly occurred with many people around? When we moved into the hut today, I couldn't wait for everyone to leave us."

"In my world..." He weaved his fingers through mine like he had the day before when heading to Walter's. "Sometimes it's safer to get to know someone when there are lots of people around. At least until you learn whether you can trust them. There are many people in my world who plot to harm those of us in the queer community."

"So, do you want me to go get others from the village? Until you can trust me?" I wanted to do right by Nelson, even if I still wasn't used to the new living arrangement.

"No!" He squeezed my hand and moved it farther up his thigh. "No need for that. I trust you. We're already at the moving-in-together stage."

I thought back on what he'd said about dating. "I think we missed a step."

"We did." He slipped my hand farther up his leg until I felt his hardness. He kissed my cheek then down my neck, his breath sending heat straight to my groin and provoking my own erection. "We skipped the sex part, the mating."

With a groan, I tamped down the urge to rip off his underwear and bend him over the log while I made him mine. "But we're not...we haven't had our ceremony."

In one swift motion, he moved to straddle me, his shirt having disappeared without me noticing. With his hands on my shoulders, he rubbed his hot shaft against mine, only a thin piece of clothing in between. "In my world, meetings that produce offspring don't always happen right away, but it's important to get a lot of practice in beforehand."

"Okay." If he needed practice, I could do that for him, especially with it getting more difficult to resist my own urges. Letting instinct take over, I breathed in his foreign and intoxicating scent while I trailed my fingers down his back then tucked them beneath his briefs. Cupping his ass, I pulled him closer and kissed his neck and along his collarbone.

With every soft moan, I continued to explore his body, each movement by instinct alone. While I knew how to bring myself pleasure, I had never had the opportunity to find the same gratification with anyone else. Yet, it seemed easy with Nelson. Easy and right.

I slid my finger over his puckered hole, and he jumped on my lap.

"Oh, lube. Do you have lube?"

I stilled, completely confused as to what he referred to.

He pressed his palm to his forehead. "Why would you? You don't have any clothes, so no pockets to carry anything. I'm sure Ahmed brought some from the outer-world, but I can't be fucked without any. Tried it before and I hurt for days."

Nelson rambled on about how things were done in the outer-world, and I worried he would decide to return there after all.

Suddenly, he kneeled in front of me and wrapped his fingers around my shaft. "But we can do other things out here."

In an instant, his mouth surrounded the head of my cock and he ran his tongue over the very tip. My body filled with an intensity so much stronger than the magic I used to shift between forms. I gripped the log, trying to remain upright.

Then he bobbed his head up and down, taking more of my cock into his warm mouth each time. I felt the rough strength of his tongue caressing the shaft and head of my cock with forceful sweeps. His saliva coated my length, allowing his movements to be smooth and purposeful. But when my cock hit the back of his throat, my hips thrust forward on their own accord. Nelson gagged and pulled back, tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." I kneeled on the ground beside him and pulled him into my embrace. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

He smiled at me, saliva around his mouth shining in the moonlight. "It's okay. You're not the first guy to do that."

"But I don't want to do anything to make you cry." Oscar had told me to always keep Nelson happy.

"I've had guys get off on having me choke on their dick, but I'm glad you're not one of them."

I really didn't understand the outer-world at all but hoped I could be a good mate to Nelson. "What else should we do, then? To make up for skipping over sex?"

His grin widened, and he had sparkles in his eyes. The same way I saw Walter look at Oscar the other night. "Lie down."

I obeyed his order, my back flat on the grass between the log and the edge of the pond where the reeds grew.

Nelson shuffled out of his briefs before he shimmied up my body to straddle my hips. His cock and testicles rested over mine, the weight of them bringing conflicting feelings of peace and an intense need. I struggled to remain still, letting him take the lead to show me what he liked and wanted.

"Oh, how I wish we could do more. I have a feeling you will feel really good seated deep inside me."

I shuddered at the thought, hoping we didn't have to wait too long to experience that.

Nelson licked both of his palms and spit into one before wrapping his hands around our shafts. He held them firm together then started moving his hands up and down. The softness of his cock against mine contrasted to the texture of his hands and his varying grip strength.

Pleasure danced through my body, firing every synapse. I couldn't speak, found I could barely remember to breathe, simply enjoying the sensations courtesy of my future mate.

Nelson rocked his hips over me, ramping up the fire under my skin until I couldn't hold it in any longer. I burst, the rapture boiling over in my groin and leaving through the tip of my cock.

I gasped for air, overwhelmed by the intensity of my first release with another being. When I caught my breath, I knew I had to grant Nelson the same gratification.