The Shadow\'s Veil
December ninetieth, it was snowing outside Portland, the violent snowstorm that took place earlier finally calming down. On the streets outside the Lloyd center was a wolf anthro wearing a heavy black coat along with a green and silver striped scarf. He was a cross between a timber wolf and arctic, inheriting both breeds from his parents. He had oak brown eyes and light gray fur that in the right light almost looked like silver and white cream down his chest. It was nearly Christmas; only less than a week to go and everyone was running in and out like chickens with their heads cut off. Yet to the wolf, time seemed to slow down as he stared at the entrance, sighing to himself. He walked inside to get out of the cold, and in the hopes of finding a fairly decent Birthday present for his boyfriend. Yet the other half, the bitter half would rather skip out on it and stick it to him. His name was Jonathan, but most friends called him Jon. For a couple years now, Jon had been figuring Aleks wasn't quite in love with him as he previously thought feeling their relationship wasn't real enough.
He looked around inside, the countless stores and endless possibilities. His mate was fairly young, finding a gift wouldn't be too hard. It would be as simple as walking into a music store and finding a CD of a band he liked, or even a video game that he had been waiting for what seemed like the entire year. Yet despite how easy it would be to find a present to please him, Jon was interested in finding something different, something that showed he was thinking of him all the time and that he meant so much to him. At the same time though, he seemed to be financially unable to find something that would express his affections for him. That was one problem they never told you about with romance. It was great to get something beautiful for the one you love, but they never told you how expensive it can get.
After much exploring of the mall, he went to J.C Penney's to hopefully find something that Alek's would love and remember forever. He hadn't been into one since he was a kid, so he couldn't quite remember what they had. There were a lot of people already inside, moving around and doing their own hunting of presents for families and friends. He looked around the place far and wide, doing his best to find an associate that would help him find the different sections of the store so he wasn't wandering around like some blind man. The only problem was, either an associate didn't look very helpful, or they were busy helping someone else find a product. Jon tried for maybe an hour finding someone, and when he finally got an associate that looked like he was free.
"Yeah what do you want?" snapped the associate, looking rather mad just for the sake of being angry. Jon glared for a moment, deciding that Aleks wasn't worth an angry associate. He turned and walked away. The associate looked a little empathic to his feelings, realizing his mistake and running after him. "Wait, sir. Come back, I can help you." The sudden change in his voice only made Jon angrier and stormed out of the store. He hated the mad house of a mall during Christmas. He pushed the door open into the biting cold, barely feeling it on account of his heated rage. He managed to get on the tri-met heading home and took a seat by himself, huddled up and staring coldly ahead, indirectly at the people who stared back at him for awhile.
The ride was very uneventful and despite the cold and five inches of snow, Jon found himself back in his one bedroom apartment, taking his scarf and jacket off and hanging it off the first chair he walked past, heading inside his room and sitting on the bed. It was quiet and empty. Aleks was still working at the shooting range for a couple of hours so he had a lot of time to think about where else he could go to find a birthday present, and maybe even Christmas. Jon sighed to himself as he lay down, worried on how he was going to pay for both this year.
"Another year, another time worrying how to financially work through all this mess," he said in despair, closing his eyes, hoping his dark thoughts would clear away for something happier but had far too much energy to fall asleep, though when he opened his eyes, he did see something that caught his eye and made him smile. It was the photograph that Aleks and he took when they first got together. They were camping out at Mount Hood that day, not long after they became a couple. It was their first real date and Jon always remembered fondly, closing his eyes once more and sighing contently as he was swept by his dreams of that day.
The door to the apartment opened, and entered Aleks, a wolf with a mix of husky in his blood. He was mostly black fur, a beautiful obsidian color that had its shine in the light, and a white chest along with his forepaws. His eyes were the same color as his mate, only much lighter like milk chocolate. He took off his heavy jacket, the hint of gun powder still lingering among his own power of smell. As he looked around the room, he noticed Jon's jacket and scarf on the couch and smiled.
"Oh good, he's home... I can give it to him now." He went to the bed room and noticed Jon asleep on the bed, cuddled with a pillow, his face barely visible to the world. It didn't matter though; he knew he looked like an angel when he slept. He sat beside him, looking out towards nowhere as he sighed to himself. Aleks had a very special early Christmas present for Jon, one he realized he should've gotten him a long time ago, but didn't feel comfortable with it. He knew that there was little faith on his mates end, and who could blame him? Aleks was never the most loving for the first year, but back then he was just coming to terms with his own sexuality. Somewhere along the line, Jon saw through his tough and dark demeanor, and brought something beautiful and kind out of him.
He remembered those days, sighing contently as he looked down at his love, laying a hand across his back, stroking gently, wanting to wake him up. Jon's eyes fluttered open and woke up, yawning and letting go of the pillow as he looked at his one and only.
"Hey Aleks..."he said sleepily, getting used to the light in the room.
"Hello Jon, were you out for long?"
"I don't know. What time is it?"
"Almost four... They let me go early because no one was showing up."
"Who would in this weather? It's supposed to get much worse later this week," said Jon as he sat up. He stared with love, but well hidden indifference. He did his best not to let it be known around him, but Aleks always had a way of knowing when Jon was feeling upset, and even now it looked like he caught onto the hint.
"Did you have a bad day?" Jon sighed as he looked down.
"I know it's your birthday today, and I really tried to get something special but-"Before he had a chance to finish, Aleks placed a single finger on his lips, hushing him softly.
"You being here is enough for me, and it always will." Jon couldn't help but smile. It was usually these words that put his mind at ease about their relationship. "On that note, I did get you something...I thought it would be best to wait for Christmas, but after seeing a lovely feline couple at the firing range, I felt it was best to do it now."
"Oh yeah, Where is it?" Jon asked with interest.
"First you have to close your eyes," he said with a smile. Jon did as he was told and sat there. Even though his eyes were closed, he felt that familiar warmth that came over him whenever they kissed. Aleks had pressed his lips towards his, locking the two wolves in a passionate and infinite bliss which he hoped would never end. The kiss seemed to last forever but it was just over a minute. When it ended, he heard Aleks soft voice in his ear.
"Open them," said Aleks as he stepped away. Jon did, his breath practically gone from the passion. He placed his hand on top of the other, when he noticed something fairly rough. He looked down, and there he saw a diamond ring, sparkling in the faint light in the room. If Jon wasn't breathless now, he certainly would've passed out from lack of air. He stared at the spectacle for a long time before his eyes welled up with tears, looking up at his mate.
"Aleks..." With that, Aleks smiled and knelt down, holding his hands tight.
"I know at times I felt cold and indifferent, and that I acted like our love was something to be shameful about...but the truth is, I've wanted to tell the world as much as you... and for the days you've had doubts, here's proof that I really love you. Jon, will you be my husband?" Aleks didn't need to ask. No pair of lovers needs to when they see their engagement ring. The answer was predictable, but satisfying to the one proposing.
"Of course I will...except...We can't. Oregon only allows domestic partnerships..."
"Thought about that... there's more to the present hun," he said, walking out of the room, but then came back with an envelope, handing it to Jon. "Open it," he said with a smile. Jon didn't need to be told twice and tore it open, revealing a pair of plane tickets to Massachusetts, departing the day after Christmas. Jon, being the political buff amongst the two, knew exactly what this meant.
"Wow...you got these... for us?" He looked up, tears streaming down his eyes as Aleks nodded.
"You mean that much...We can get things arranged and...we can have our own happily ever after." Jon then jumped and hugged him tight, kissing him sweetly as his body shook with happiness. Suddenly the fear of financially getting by was a part of the distant past, because his future was in his arms at long last.
"Oh Aleks... I love you..."
"And I love you Jon, forever and always." The two shared a long, passionate kiss with each other, falling on the bed and daring not to let the other go. Jon then felt the shadow concealing him from the rest of the world fade away. Aleks wanted to show the world his love, and Jon was ready to show it himself. For the first time since Jon moved to Oregon, and the first time since he and Aleks fell in love, he felt free and at peace with himself.