A King's Legacy Ch. 08

"You know, you're too damn stubborn for your own good. You're over here freezing, yet you apologize for your discomfort possibly affecting others. I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner, so I am the one that gets to apologize here, Aster. Lay next to me, let my warmth be your warmth... But, honestly, I can keep you a lot warmer without that shirt on..." Aster tensed up despite his shudders. If having to borrow body heat from another wasn't pathetic enough, he'd also have to bear the shame of his exposed body in front of so many strange, gawking beasts? The boy only managed to shake his head stubbornly. The wolf sighed audibly.

"I swear by the gods, Aster... You would swim across a river just to roll in pig shit! Remember that thing we talked about? Letting people help you? This is a prime example of when I want to help you, yet you wont let me..." The wolf spoke softer then, as he pulled the reluctant boy tighter into his grip, embarrassingly confessing something to his human then. "Aster... Your body is a true marvel to me... You don't need fur. You don't need to be ashamed of how you were born... You don't need to be ashamed for me to see you like that... Your body is beautiful. Please, will you trust me? Will you let me handle this? Will you let me take care of you? Aster... Please, I can't leave you like this."

The human buried his face further into his own arms, wanting to scream from everything he was feeling. Here he was, still some pathetic, useless boy that had to let the wolf protect him from even the weather. Stahl had said his body was beautiful... Aster wanted to believe that so badly, but that had to just be the pity talking. His body? A marvel? When he couldn't even keep the damned, furless thing warm without some help? It was laughable, and that bitterness and self-loathing combined with his lack of rest made him lash out.

"Worry about yourself. I don't need anymore charity... I won't be helpless even here. I will adjust, in time... You don't need to save me again, Stahl... I've already made a habit of letting you do that enough. I don't need to borrow your warmth! I'll survive without it." The human hadn't realized he had stopped shivering so badly in such a short time of being next to the beast, but when he jerked his shoulder forward, the cool air immediately reminded him as it stole away the heat Stahl had shared with him. The wolf was getting irritated, and his tone reflected that frustration.

"You may shoulder the cold without it... But struggling from sheer pride is still foolish! Bearing struggles you don't have to is foolish! Sorry, Aster, but I'm not letting you push me away this time... You haven't realized it yet, but I do have to save you... I will always try to save you, Aster, I will do anything to protect you, and maybe that scares me as much as it worries you, but it is not because you are helpless, but because you are worth protecting. If anyone has anything to say about that, they can come say it me! And if any beast here has a problem with your body, then I will shut them up myself!" The soldier grabbed the shocked boy again, pulling him back into his embrace even tighter this time, nuzzling into the human's exposed neck, speaking the last bit in a quiet, loving tone that truly exposed the powerful emotion behind his words. "Aster... I... I want to protect you, always. I will be whatever you need me to be, even if that's only just a simple warm spot when you can't fight off the cold world around you... I will perform that duty gladly. I will wage war on the entire world if I have to, If that's what it takes to keep you safe... To keep you next to me. Aster... I care about you... More than I've ever cared about anything or anyone else. If my life has a purpose, it is to be a purpose dedicated to you." The wolf thought carefully about his next words, knowing he risked revealing what he couldn't to the boy snugly held within his arms, but knowing it was true, he said it anyways. "I see you as a king, one that I would unfailingly place my swords, my body, or my very life on the line if it meant keeping you safe and with me. You are something so much greater than you know... A kind of greatness that leaves me in awe of you daily... Aster... I feel like a little love stricken puppy when I am with you, and yet, it's the most amazing feeling I've ever craved... I can't just watch you suffer in the cold like this after bringing such warmth into my life... So please, I will beg you if I must, let me be your warm spot in return, even if only for tonight... Lay with me, Aster."

The silence that built between the two made the wolf fear he had said too much. He second guessed his decision, afraid he had only driven his boy even further away... And then Aster leaned forward, pulling free from his grip once more. Stahl just let his arms fall weakly to his sides in his defeat. The noble wolf felt so foolish, alone, and exposed. Feelings of rejection and vulnerability overcame him as his heart was laid bare. Perhaps that was how the human always felt...

And then Aster yielded, moving trembling hands down to the bottom of his shirt before finally lifting it up and away from his exposed torso beneath. His flesh was assaulted by fresh waves of the piercing cold when he removed the only thin barrier he had left to fend it off. He was quickly met with something far more comforting, as he let himself lean back into the warming embrace of his knight. Stahl pulled the boy close, resting his head back against his larger chest, and wrapping his legs around the human's own. He grabbed his cape, and caringly draped it over the shivering, half-naked body. His strong arms tenderly embraced Aster once more, covering the bulk of his upper body with the same warmth. Stahl began nuzzling his snout into the boy's hair, breathing in both a heavy sigh of relief, and filling his senses with the maddening scent of his infatuation as he leaned back against the stone behind him. The wolf placed a gentle kiss on the boy's head as the human finally submitted to the warm spot he had so desperately longed to find, yet never expected to have. If Stahl truly wanted him... Then Aster would surrender both his heart, and his body to the wolf in time... That was about the only thing the human could think about as he silently cried tears of sweet relief that his friend had wanted him in the same way he had wanted the wolf. The human spoke for the final time that night in barely a whisper, right before fading off from exhaustion to sleep in the comforting, warming embrace of his wolf. Of his knight.

"I love you too, Stahl Aschefell."

For the first night in many, Aster Venatus had no dark dreams.

Long one, I know. Had a lot of rewrites here yet again, so took me a bit to get this one where I was happy with it. As always, hearing from you guys is the best thanks I could get. Appreciate you reading this far, and hope you enjoy what is to come.