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Isaiah was utterly enraptured by the subject of chemistry, but that wasn't what made the lab classes exciting. The assigning of class partners had been entirely random, and yet he managed to be seated next to, by far, the cutest guy in class. Now, whether or not the wolf would be open to advances from another guy, Isaiah only had intuition to go off of. He was about ninety percent sure.

The thing that made Zak so easy to daydream about wasn't his wide shoulders, his thick fur, or even how tall he was. He was a timber wolf, a predator, and yet he was so... soft. The way he moved was slow, and his actions were gentle, from how he picked up flasks, to how he would clasp Isaiah's shoulder to get his attention.

The hawk squirmed in his chair just thinking about it. It was hard to even pay attention to what Professor Mendoza was saying. Something about acetic-

Zak was leaning in, toward Isaiah. The wolf was still looking ahead, but he was leaning in and-

"I'm gonna pour the acids for this one, okay?" Zak said.

The acids?

"Oh."

Isaiah grabbed their packet from the lab counter. Half the assignment concerned handling the acids! The only other thing to do was write down the PH-level after each stage of the reaction.

"Well, I can't let you do all the work. I can pour the first few vials and we can switch off from there, right?"

Zak brushed his thumb over his opposing hand.

"Um, no, I'll do it. Don't want any to spill on your feathers."

Isaiah reflexively glanced at himself. Along his wings and beneath his clothes, his plumage was cyan-blue and well-trimmed. Such a coloration was rare for any bird, and he'd gotten plenty of attention for it over the years. But still...

The wolf was worried about Isaiah's feathers? He was surprised the wolf had thought about that, had been that considerate to someone he didn't even know very well. He hadn't even tried to broach it with an excuse, he'd just plain said that it was for Isaiah's sake.

Maybe...

"Alright future chemists!" Mr. Mendoza (as he preferred to be called) exclaimed. "I leave it to you. This is due before you walk out the door."

Realizing he was still in an actual class he'd signed up for and not one of his romantic fantasies, he started reading out the first step.

But as he did, he couldn't help but keep thinking about Zak, as was typical for Isaiah. They'd been working together for a couple of months, so they weren't strangers, but Zak had never shown much outward interest in Isaiah. In fact, Zak was a pretty reserved guy. That was another thing that made him so positively dreamy. Isaiah himself was a socially awkward mess, so he figured if anyone could understand what that's like, it would be the wolf.

Just like he said he would, Zak poured the first one-third liter of acetic acid into a flask of lab-safe sodium hydroxide.

It could've been a sign, however small, Zak's little gesture of kindness. It had come from nowhere after all.

Although Isaiah had no earthly idea how to drop hints, he could still try; he could encourage the wolf a bit. That might've been all Zak needed. A push.

Isaiah's feathers bristled, and he couldn't stop tapping his talon against his chair. He was going to concoct a plan, an infallible one too. And no matter how nervous he got, no matter how much he stammered or stuttered, he would just... do it.

---

The black night sky had come with snowfall, the flakes coating everything around the bus stop. It was just outside the university campus. On the bench below the sheet-metal canopy, Zak and Isaiah sat. There were others waiting around for the bus to Isaiah's apartment complex.

Isaiah tucked crossed his wings. His breath came out foggy. His shoulders were hunched, and he was staring at nothing. On his own, he could never make that horrible desire for warmth go away, no matter how he tried to distract himself.

He'd made sure to sit by Zak. The timber wolf wasn't on his phone like he usually was. When Isaiah turned to face him, he found that Zak's focus was on the ground.

"Hey," Isaiah said, trying his best not to linger on the flare of anxiety that had just gone up in his belly.

Zak regarded the hawk slowly, as if not sure that he was the one being spoken to. Even sitting down, he towered over the hawk.

"Oh. Hey."

Isaiah chuckled. "Yeah. Um.... listen, I don't mean to be weird or anything but, I'm really cold. I don't know what it is today, it must be a record low or something. But uh... is it okay if borrow some heat, I guess?"

Zak cast his eyes elsewhere, and the wind began to pick up. A particularly harsh gust stung Isaiah's eyes with the cold. The wolf played his thumb over his hand again.

Why isn't he saying anything? What the fuck did I even just say? The feelings are not mutual, definitely not mutual. He doesn't even like guys like that, does he?

Isaiah had that terrible feeling in his stomach again. He didn't even know what to do anymore. Maybe he could just pretend that it never-

"Yeah."

The tone was level, not offended, confused, nor repulsed.

Zak met the hawk's gaze once more. There was a glint of understanding there. It was not just in the wolf's expression, it was in his demeanor, something Isaiah couldn't pin down but he knew was there. A purely intuitive thing, and yet no less real. Yes, Zak knew what it was like to be... what was it, completely socially inept?

His arms opened up, welcoming the hawk at his side. With a shy smile, Isaiah scooched over, perhaps with a bit more eagerness than he would have liked to show. Isaiah pressed himself right up against the larger predator, hip to hip. He took the liberty of leaning his head on the side of Zak's chest, and immediately he found that this had been his life's greatest achievement.

Just a few words, a simple question, and he was cozied up with Zak! Freaking Zak! Only one thing could have made that moment better.

The hawk brought one wing around Zak's back, and the other over his tummy. Almost, but not quite, a hug. A proposition, instead. Isaiah saw the wolf looking down at him.

"Can I?" Isaiah asked.

Zak pursed his canine lips and nodded. Another victory for Isaiah, how lucky he was! Properly hugging the wolf, Isaiah felt an arm rest over his shoulder. Zak was actually reciprocating.

"Thank you," the hawk said. "It's not fun being small when it's this cold."

Isaiah heard Zak's rumbling chuckle. Closing his eyes, the hawk tried his best to focus on the physical sensation of holding (and being held by) the study partner he'd been crushing on since day one of his undergrad venture.

With nothing to see, he felt everything more clearly. Zak felt solid and plainly strong, and Isaiah could only imagine what his body looked like underneath this jacket. God, it felt good. Just a little bit of physical contact and he already had that warm buzz about his body, relaxing his muscles, making him lean further against Zak. This was what he craved, this feeling, the closeness with someone he admired. It was okay that Zak was shy, that he was quiet to a fault. Isaiah loved that about him. Everything was okay now.

"I almost thought you were gonna say no, but it felt right to ask."

"Felt... right?"

"Yeah."

It assumed that there was something to be right about, Isaiah realized. And just what assumptions could be made were probably very odd for Zak to think about. But Isaiah didn't elaborate.

A lot of the people waiting had been picked up by friends or ubers, leaving the bus stop much lonelier than before. A streetlight shone over the stop, creating a stark shadow under the roof the two predators sat beneath. Isaiah kind of liked the darkness; it made this moment feel more private. Which, being that there were two walls holding the canopy up, one on either side of them, it more or less was private.

"Can I ask you something?" the hawk asked.

"Mhmm."

"Why didn't you want me to do the work for the lab today?"

He knew Zak was going to take his time answering something like that. So he pressed on anyway.

"Because it seems weird to care about someone's feathers. Out of all the formulas and careful instructions and procedures you have to pay attention to, you still manage to prioritize some guy's appearance. Don't you think that would make more sense if there was some kind of reason?"

"Um... y-yeah."

Isaiah looked up at the wolf, stroking his back. "May I ask what that reason is?"

Zak couldn't meet his gaze, in fact, he seemed unable to focus on any one thing in particular. He was still, and his breaths seemed deliberately controlled, as if restraining a more anxious countenance.

"I uh..." he paused. "Can I ask you something first?"

What on Earth could he have to ask me? What's going on in that mind of his?

Isaiah nodded.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

The hawk almost laughed, but he was too caught up in the weight of Zak's stare, and the weight of the words themselves.

"That's an interesting question," Isaiah said, raising his hand to play with fabric over Zak's chest. The wolf was growing more nervous by the second, it was plain on his face, so adorably vulnerable. He felt bad for Zak, he wanted him to know it was okay.

"No. And... is it the same for you?" Isaiah asked.

Those puppy-dog eyes seemed to grow wider. How was he so goddamned cute? Isaiah couldn't believe he was almost twice his size.

Please say yes. Please say-

"Yeah."

Holy shit.

It couldn't have gone any better, everything looked to be going in the right direction. Isaiah's wing-hands would've been shaking if they weren't holding on to the wolf.

"So..." Isaiah started, searching Zak's eyes.

The hawk knew Zak could tell. Zak nodded.

Sighing out loud, Isaiah put his head against the wolf's chest again, re-tightening his hold on the big guy. And that was when a dreadful realization struck him.

His head shot up and scanned their surroundings frantically. Out in the snowfall, there was no one on the curb or below the streetlight, but someone must've seen them! Someone must have recorded them or even-

"Don't worry," Zak began. "No one's been paying attention, I think. Not from what I've been able to tell. They've been minding their own business."

The hawk sighed, laying back down. He did wonder what people would think seeing them together. Oh well. His plan was nearing its end.

"You uh.. you still haven't told me the reason," Isaiah said.

"Mmm," the wolf hummed. "If I'm being honest?"

Zak's eyes sought approval. Isaiah nodded vehemently.

Beginning to stroke the hawk's shoulder, Zak smiled. Isaiah could hardly suppress his inner elation, he loved being gently rubbed and caressed.

"We're really similar, I think. Obviously kind of... awkward," he chuckled. "But we both like chemistry, we both like math, we don't really talk to anyone, but we work really well together in class. I've been able to tell that much."

The wolf took a deliberate breath in and out.

"Somehow, it kinda seems like we understand each other. Even if this is the first time we've talked this much. And uh... I was hoping that... you'd feel the same way. I wanted to do something nice to get the ball rolling, but I didn't really know what would work, exactly."

Feel the same way? My god, he... he likes me. That's what that means right?

"Oh," Isaiah said. That's all he had to say. Too awestruck to even form a sentence.

Say something! This is literally your chance! The thing you've been waiting for!

"That's really..." the hawk paused. "Wow..."

What the fuck was that? What are you doing?

Zak's expression shifted to one of confusion, with an undertone of anxiety. Like he'd just messed up.

"Zak," Isaiah began, collecting himself. "That's the most perfect thing you could've said. I really, really like you. I'm so glad that all this time I've been waiting to make a move, you felt the same way. Oh, man."

The hawk squeezed the wolf as tight as he could, which was probably underwhelming for a big, strong carnivore like Zak, but who cared? Isaiah couldn't help but laugh when Zak hugged him back, his canine muzzle playing over the feathers of Isaiah's head. It was really happening, he was wrapped in the man of his daydream's arms.

"Come back to my place," Isaiah said. The wolf's expression was priceless.

"Wha-" he sputtered. "Like... right now? After the bus?"

The hawk nodded. "We can watch a movie and just relax for the night. Ooh! And uh, we can order a pizza just for us, my treat."

"We can really... you really want to?" The wolf asked.

"Yes! Oh, and I can show you the ounce of osmium I have, my dad actually handed it down to me, but it's one-hundred percent pure. You gotta feel how heavy it is."

Zak nuzzled the hawk's feathery head and rubbed his back.

"That sounds nice, Isaiah."

Beyond their little coop, out on the street, two head beams lit up the bus stop, the illuminated interior of the bus showing as it pulled up to the curb. Several people stood up, and the bus door slid open. Isaiah and Zak entered and sat together.

---

The apartment complex was a relatively small, but homely place. Isaiah's studio was on the second floor.

They each shuffled through the door, set their bags down, and hung their heavier winter attire. Isaiah flicked the lights on. The flat was small, with the bedroom doubling as the 'living area.'

"Here, come sit on the bed with me," Isaiah said.

The mattress creaked beneath their combined weight. The hawk had grabbed his laptop before sitting down, which he opened up and unlocked. His wing-hands typed away at the avian-specialized keyboard, the keys raised higher and spread more distantly to account for the natural clumsiness of its customer base.

"H'okay," the hawk said, Zak watching him pull up file-explorer and click a folder named 'movies.' "So, I have the Textraxl reboot, End of Ages, Dragon Harbinger... I guess I don't know your taste, but would it be a stretch to say you're into fantasy?"

Zak chuckled. "Ah, so you think I'm a nerd?"

Isaiah shook his and grinned. "I mean... I'm pretty much a textbook nerd myself, so not any better. C'mon, pick a movie."

The wolf scratched his chin as he perused various titles and cover arts. It was almost all sci-fi or high-fantasy content. A particular name caught his eye.

Windrun: Rite of Passage, it read. The art above it featured a canary standing, his wings outspread as he flew toward a castle in the distance; a green, lush landscape all around him.

"How about this one?"

"Windrun?"

Zak nodded.

"Hmm, playing favorites with avians?"

Zak shook his head and smirked.

Isaiah shrugged. "Well, if that's what you want to see, then see it we shall."

Clicking the icon, a media player popped up and occupied the whole screen, starting with black before transitioning to the pre-credit sequence. The film opened on a village, one that was quiet and seemingly barren. A light fog hung about the thatch rooftops, and cobblestone marred the dirt paths. Around the corner of the houses, a bird walked out, his wings tucked against himself. It was the same person from the cover art.

"Wow, he must pay a lot to keep his feathers that clean and straight," Isaiah said.

Zak tilted his head. "Is that a movie star thing? Your feathers look pretty good too."

The hawk immediately lost his train of thought. "Um..." he trailed off, looking at himself, his t-shirt revealing more of his plumage. "T-thank you."

Eyes going wide, Isaiah set the laptop aside and stood. Trotting over to a shelf on the wall, he retrieved a small, plastic box. Another trot, and he sat back down beside Zak, who looked on, his canine lips parted.

"What're y-"

"Osmium!"

Flipping the case open, Isaiah presented a silverish, dark metal, ovular in shape, appearing smooth to the touch. The hawk lowered it to Zak's hands.

"See how heavy it is."

With a careful pinch, Zak took it from the case and slid it into his furry palm.

"The hell?" the wolf said, raising and lowering his hand. "It feels like it weighs half a pound." The bit in his hand was no larger than one inch by one inch. "It's really awesome to actually feel the densest metal on Earth," he continued.

Isaiah watched Zak inspect the element, the wolf's eyes glistening with genuine curiosity, a passionate desire to learn and dissect, an enamourment Isaiah thought he'd never see in another person.

"Zak?"

Zak returned the osmium to its case, which the hawk closed.

"Yeah? What's up?"

The hawk couldn't meet the wolf's gaze. If he had cheeks like a mammal, he was sure they'd be burning red. His face sure felt hot.

"Would you be okay if we did that thing we did at the bus stop?"

"What? Like... cuddling?"

The hawk nodded several times. His head started filling with random and unrelated thoughts, his mind was desperately trying to escape the moment. But he honed in, slowed things down, and brought everything back into focus. He was here with a smart, kind, cute wolf, and he was going to enjoy this time they were sharing.

"Okay," Zak said, leaning toward the bird.

Isaiah began to shift. "Here, let's scoot back a bit so we can lay and down and still watch the movie."

The sheets wrinkled as the two of them pulled themselves further onto the bed. The wolf made space for the hawk to lie in front of him, gently patting the spot he intended. "Come here," the wolf whispered.

Isaiah, with his heart beating frighteningly quick, pushed his back against Zak's chest. When he did, the hawk let himself rest, fidgeting to get just a little closer. Already, warmth began to spring in Isaiah's bosom.

"Can you... can you tangle your legs with mine?" Isaiah asked.

"Oh yeah, just let me..." the wolf trailed off and swung one of his digitigrade legs between Isaiah's scaly, avian calves. From the knee up, Isaiah's legs were feathered, which bristled Zak's fur pleasantly.

The next thing Isaiah knew there was an arm under him, as well as another over his other side, both wrapping around his chest. He was so goddamned cozy and warm, being held by a fuzzy, strong wolf.

As a finishing touch, Zak rested his muzzle atop the hawk's head. Isaiah felt surrounded, protected, and so utterly safe. He felt like this was what an ethereal slice of heaven would be like, should mortals be capable of perceiving such a thing. It was too perfect, he almost didn't want to believe it was real.

He put his wings over Zak's hands and closed his eyes, sighing.

"You're warm," the hawk said. "And you smell good."

The wolf hummed; the light from the laptop cast over them both, illuminating them in a blue, artificial glow.

After a while of steady breathing, lying in each other's company, the two began to actually watch the movie. It had already progressed a bit while they'd gotten settled, some exposition missing from the current context of the protagonist fighting two tribal hyenas.

With a hand, Zak caressed the feathers lining the side of Isaiah's head, mulling over their texture in repeated strokes. The quietest of chirps slipped from the hawk. Isaiah tensed. "Sorry," he said.

Zak only chuckled. "You like that?" continuing to depress and stroke Isaiah's head feathers. Isaiah swore his heart had literally fluttered. The warmth within the hawk resurged, stronger this time, an utterly blissful and lulling sensation. He chirped again.

Zak let out a low, pleased rumble. "I didn't say this before because I was afraid to, but you're really cute."

Oh my god.

Hugging the wolf's remaining hand tighter, Isaiah leaned his head up against the ministrations, a smile overtaking his beak.

"You can't say that," the hawk peeped.

"Why not?"

"Because you're obviously the cute one."

Zak used his free hand to stroke Isaiah's wing. Each wing feather was larger than the rest on Isaiah's body, and Zak neglected the film to watch each plume as he ran his clawtips down them, one by one. With his other hand, he shifted to the avian's shoulder, starting with a slow stroke.

It brought a frighteningly vivid memory to Isaiah. In his fledgling years, he'd once awoken from a terrible, fearful dream, one that left him calling for his mother. Zak's hand almost felt like his mother's when she'd comforted him that night.

Isaiah had to be dreaming. Everything about Zak was unreal.

The sharp singing of swords played out from the dull laptop speakers, but neither of them heard it.

"Thank you for this," Zak said.

"Thank me? Zak, you're... I guess you're welcome. But I hope you know I needed this too. More than anything else."

"You've wanted this?"

Isaiah nodded.

"For how long?"

Isaiah thought for a moment. "You would think I'm weird if I told you."

"Weird?" Zak laughed. "I... I still can't believe that we both wanted the exact same thing all this time. To me that's weird. In a perfect, beautiful way."

Isaiah crooned, shifting further into Zak's hold, trying to get closer.

"It feels so good to have it. To hold you," the wolf continued.

"Oh God, Zak," the hawk said. "You have no idea how much of a fantasy come true this is."

Outside, in the air of that night, the light from the apartment window shown incandescent and temperate, putting glimmers on the falling snowflakes.

The two anthros spent the duration of the movie cuddling. After the credits had rolled, Isaiah shut the laptop, reluctantly leaving to put it away. While he was up, he moved to flip off the room's light. Before he did, however, he turned around.

"Zak, would you mind staying here tonight?"

The wolf's eyes widened.

Isaiah backed away from the light switch and cast his gaze to the ground.

"Sorry. Too much. That's my bad, maybe we can work up to that point," he said, tapping his talons on the carpet.

"Isaiah."

The hawk dared to look up.

Nothing about Zak had changed, he was still lying down, and still with a gentle smile.

"You're okay," the wolf continued. A beam of hope flashed in Isaiah. The wolf patted the bed. "Turn that thing off and come lay down with me."

It has to be a dream. I'll wake up any second.

But even as he thought and pondered the incredulity of the moment, he ambled his way to the bed, climbed on, and snuggled up against Zak, taking his position as little spoon.

It was dark now, and unlike his owl brethren, he could not see, and so the room became an environment of shadowy, ambiguous shapes. Everything was uncertain except for the man holding him. The wolf who had him wrapped up tight. Legs tangled. Arms and wings tangled. The perfect big spoon.

Zak's current attentions were on Isaiah's chest; he stroked his shirt there leisurely. If Zak wasn't careful, Isaiah was liable to fall asleep.

"Can I ask you something?" came the wolf's voice.

"Hm?"

"How did you know?"

The hawk racked his memory banks.

"Know what?"

"That I... you know, liked you?"

In his head, Isaiah replayed several past events, many of which involved simply taking in the sight of the wolf, watching him work, watching his eyes as they chatted at the lab table.

"I guess it was... just..."

"Intuition?" Zak asked.

Isaiah laughed out loud. He couldn't help it.

"Yes! Exactly that."

"Did you intuit that I liked guys?"

"Uh-" Isaiah sputtered, beak agape with but no words to offer. The question struck his belly with a strange embarrassment. Had Zak ever been this bold?

"What? Nothing to say now?"

He tried, the hawk really tried, but he felt conversationally pinned down, and at the whim of whatever Zak was going to say.

"All flustered because I asked a question?" the wolf continued, moving his hand to Isaiah's cheek, rubbing with deliberate affection. "Mmmm, that's cute."

The hawk closed his eyes. "No." It was soft, quiet, hardly a whisper.

He wanted to hide away, and at the same time, he wanted to be as close to Zak as possible. And despite the awkwardness and nervousness welling in him, he wanted nothing more than for the wolf to keep talking.

What's wrong with my brain?

"Is that what you want? Someone to take care of you? To give you some head pets and cuddles? To tease you every now and then?" This last part Zak chuckled through, nuzzling Isaiah's head pointedly.

The hawk felt embarrassed at the mere thought of admitting it. He wanted to, desperately. He wanted to rake in the full brunt of Zak's affection, to ask him to be held forever, to ask for affirmation, and he wanted to kiss Zak on the cheek and...

"You can tell me anything," the wolf said. "We're the two biggest nerds in the whole university, I have no room for judgment."

Isaiah reached up over his head, glancing over Zak's cheek before running his wing-hand over it.

"Well," the hawk began. "Can I ask you something then?"

"Mhmm," Zak hummed sweetly.

"What do you want for yourself? Like... in return?"

"Oh, that's kinda tough," the wolf said, encroaching confidence in his tone. "I think if you need someone to hold you, then I need someone to hold." He paused. "Could you agree to that?"

"No."

"No?"

"Ask for more," Isaiah said. "I can do a lot. Be there for you, be your friend, maybe more. I can study with you, have lunch in the library with you. Anything you want to do, except with an extra bird in the mix."

The wolf pursed his canine lips.

"Hmmm... that all sounds very, very nice." He moved his hands down to Isaiah's trim belly, making the hawk involuntarily shudder; there he stroked, feeling and rubbing the contour of it. Isaiah's next few breaths were stuttered.

"If I say yes, do I get to fall asleep with you?" Zak asked.

Isaiah thought the wolf was silly for even asking. Perhaps that had been the humor of it. The needlessness. He wanted to cry as much as he wanted to laugh. He had the urge in his stomach, physical electricity that faced the whole of his restraint. His eyes felt like they were welling up, but he couldn't quite tell. He still felt secure, still safe in the clutches of a big, strong canine.

"I uh..." Isaiah trailed off. "To be honest, I don't know if I'll be able to sleep right now, I'm so excited. I can hear my own heartbeat."

"Aww, that's okay. We have all the time in the world to drift off."

Isaiah nodded. "But to answer your question... yes. Please fall asleep with me. I want cuddles in the morning too."

As Zak hummed in agreement, Isaiah had trouble even beginning to process the thoughts in his racing mind. It was full, brimming, spilling over the edge. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

The draw of slumber did catch him eventually, grasping with imperceptible graduality. When he realized his eyes were closing, Zak's breathing having lulled him, it was too late. He was going to dream in Zak's arms.

---

When Isaiah opened his eyes, the room was cast in clear, morning light. It was Saturday. No classes.

He felt for a certain wolf's hands, but found only his shirt. Looking about, he sat up and saw where his cuddle buddy had gone. Zak was sprawled out haphazardly, each limb in a different direction, as if he'd been exploring the premises of the bed in his sleep.

With the light gleaming over his chestnut fur, and his eyes closed, he looked especially peaceful. And still handsome.

Isaiah couldn't help himself. He went over and laid his head on the wolf's chest, the rest of his body covering Zak in some form or another. Like a bird blanket.

Zak woke, his head tilting up, his eyes squinting to see the cyan hawk currently snuggling onto his chest.

"Hey there," Zak said.

"Hey."

Reaching up, Zak placed a hand on Isaiah's back and began to rub up, then down. The hawk smiled and crooned a trill note. Isaiah wrapped his wings around Zak as best he could, giving him a hearty squeeze.

"You just wanted some morning snuggles?" Zak

"Mhmm," Isaiah paused. "I said I'd get them."

Of all the things he could've been doing on a weekend, Isaiah couldn't think of one that would've made him happier. There was nothing more fulfilling than holding this wolf in his wings. Somehow he'd done it. He'd brought the most wonderful person home. Now they could do whatever they wanted.

Eventually, although sometime before noon, they did get up. Much to Isaiah's verbal reluctance. Zak had to go back to his place, which luckily was on the same floor, to shower and change. The wolf suggested Isaiah do the same, and then meet him at his place. 'Number two-two-four,' Zak had said.

Isaiah had been standing outside for about five minutes by the time Zak had opened the door.

"Hey!" Zak greeted, pulling the hawk into a hug. Isaiah reciprocated indulgently. As Zak let the hawk go, he looked the bird over. "Long-time no-see. Like your clothes by the way. Alright!" Zak entered and held the door open. "C'mon. We have to decide which place will be the better cuddling den."

It took some time for Isaiah's eyes to adjust to the room, but once they did, he found that it was the exact same layout as his own. Bathroom on the right, a washer and dryer tucked into a nook beside it, bedroom and living space ahead, tiny kitchen on the left.

The walls were the same color, same carpet too, but the bedsheets were different. TV on a dresser in front of the bed.

I like that.

Everything else was rather minimal. No posters, no knick-knacks, nothing indicative of personal interest or hobby.

Except...

Isaiah picked up a queen from a chessboard on the dresser.

"You really are a nerd. The one thing you have in this room is chess?"

"Well, I have my computer too. And if you help me test out this mattress, I might let you look at all my embarrassing stuff in there. C'mere." Zak patted the blanket.

Isaiah trotted over and hugged the wolf, both of them promptly swaying and falling onto the bed. Zak pulled the hawk with him as he scooted further up. As they both settled, Zak let out a sigh.

"That's better."

Again, Isaiah had found his place curled up atop Zak, his head on the wolf's chest.

'Weren't we just like this?" Isaiah asked.

"I guess we were. I don't mind if you don't."

Cuddled up on Zak's bed, Isaiah found himself not noticing anything different about the bed, or the blanket. If it was softer or more accommodating to his form, he did not notice. He could have been lying on rock, and as long as he was holding his wolf, he'd have no complaints. He certainly wouldn't mind spending a Saturday this way.

He wouldn't mind spending every night and every morning this way either.

---

A week had gone by. It had still been snowing outside. Once, on their way to chemistry together, Zak had pulled Isaiah from the hallway and into a stairway. The two were visible to anyone passing by, as well as anyone coming from above or below, but only if they were paying attention.

The wolf had taken the hawk by the waist, pulling him close before bringing his lips to the hawk's beak. An incongruent, awkward pairing, the two managed it, Isaiah leaning into the kiss with a shameless enthuse after such a surprise.

Zak had grown bolder with his affection, showering Isaiah with dotes and kisses and hugs and compliments whenever he got a chance. They did, however, prefer not to put their affection on public display, so the stairwell it was.

The hall had still been somewhat busy, deers and antelopes passing by in groups. Everyone's head seemed to have been forward. Not that Isaiah could tell, with a wolf kissing him into a puddle. He adored this treatment. He adored the singular attention, as selfish as it sounded in his mind. But he was only an animal, it was in his nature to seek affection. And Isaiah wasn't too shy about reciprocating, either.

Stroking the wolf's back, pressing his body to him, Isaiah crooned.

Best boyfriend ever.

---

Spring had come at last. A few seemingly short months over which much had changed; but some things, not at all.

Daylight bled into Zak's apartment. It was a day off. The hawk and the wolf came through the door in a rush, shutting the door only because of habit. They were taken up in each other's arms (and wings respectively). They stood in the entrance space and kissed, Isaiah's wings finding the back of of Zak's head. The wolf had to lean down to accommodate Isaiah, almost concealing the hawk should someone view Zak from behind. Isaiah loved the size difference. He felt so damned protected.

They brought their embrace to bed. Isaiah was the first to break off, hopping onto the mattress with a bounce. He waited with open wings for the wolf to lumber his way over, climbing on and joining his boyfriend.

Zak pulled the bird close as they laid face to face. It was Isaiah's favorite. He loved tucking his face into the wolf's chest, hiding away from the world while being hugged and kept warm. Zak stroked the back of Isaiah's head, and Isaiah chirped a grateful chirp.

Only Zak could understand this, everyone one else would consider Isaiah strange for wanting so much physical attention, but he'd finally found someone who wanted it just as much. He'd hadn't planned for the wolf to come into his life. He hadn't planned his college as a journey with someone else. He never would've thought he'd be lucky enough to have someone to hold him at night, or even now.

Yes, even now, the wolf clutched the hawk jealously. He wanted it as desperately, perhaps more.

And still, while Isaiah had most of what he wanted, there was a particular fantasy he had neglected, too distracted by everything else. It was a desire that was as natural as any, and especially for his kind, a necessary one. People went into rut every now and then.

Isaiah had guilty thoughts about the big, strong wolf. It wasn't his fault that his kind went into rut too.