Page 63 of Free Me

Linus growled. “I’ll get you for that one, Tovey.”

“I hope so.”

The next two hours were the most fun and most free of Linus’s life. He wasn’t super helpful in building the tiers of the snowman, but he could balance well enough on his knees to help roll the base ball and the body ball. He ended up with soaked knees and calves, but he didn’t really care. While Miko situated the snowman’s head, Linus searched around a nearby tree for branches to make the arms and form some of the facial features. When he returned, Miko was kneeling in front of the snowman and trying to carve a snow penis on the statue.

“Oh my goddess, really?” Linus belted out laughter. “You’re terrible.”

“Come on, I’ll take it off before we leave tomorrow.” Miko looked up and pouted. “Who’s going to see it?”

“Fine. Pervert.”

“As if you’d change me.” Miko flicked a bit of snow at Linus then kept shaping the snowman’s new appendage. “But I promise I won’t leave the snowballs to scandalize the caretaker. Now that I know how pretty it is here, I definitely want to come back next winter.”

“All this talk of balls and coming is not endearing me to staying outside much longer.”

“Shame. I thought we came here to experience the snow.”

“And we’re definitely experiencing it. I can barely feel my feet, I’m experiencing it so much. Well, foot.” Linus waited for a flash of annoyance or shame at forgetting he only had one biological foot left, but it didn’t come. Sometimes slips of the tongue were just that, and they didn’t have a deeper meaning. “Anyway, it’s fucking cold. I love the snow. But I traveled this far to spend time with you, alone, just us, and if you want to spend it freezing outdoors, then fine. That’s what we’ll do.”

Miko watched him with an open, curious smile, while his right hand stroked the snow penis at the base of his snowman. “I promise to make it up to you later. If we can stay out while the sun’s up? Or until one of us turns blue?”

“Okay, sun or blue.” Linus would promise Miko anything, even if it meant clambering around in snowdrifts on his soaked, cold knees. His challenges mattered less than the joy shining in Miko’s eyes as they completed their snowman, slogged through the snow in a jagged path around the perimeter of the cottage, and even walked a small bit along the shore of the semi-frozen lake. Miko brought out the camera he’d borrowed from Liam and snapped an entire roll of film.

Once the sun dipped close to the horizon, they silently agreed it was time to go inside. For as cold as he was, Linus still wished for more time. He also hoped they could have another trip next year. And the year after that, until they were old and aching in their bones. Their time together became a wonderful blur of food and bathing and making love, all out of order, and Linus was grateful to tumble into bed with Miko at some point that night.

Linus slept, sad the quick trip was almost over this soon, but also happy to be heading home. He’d proved himself a capable alpha these last few days, and he would continue to prove himself to Miko at the Solstice Gala this weekend. Their promised first dance as a bonded couple.

The next morning, Miko stomped out the snowman’s snowpenis before the taxi arrived to take them back to the train station. For as nervous as Linus had been to arrive in Ampshire, he was incredibly sad to leave it behind. They hadn’t seen much beyond the lake and surrounding areas, but they made a promise to return together with time to really experience the province and all it offered. This trip had been them with each other, not so much them with the outside world.

One day.

Carrying less anticipation and a lot more exhaustion, Linus dozed for most of the trip home, not waking until the train was stationary and Miko gave him a good shake. Their families had been given their return trip time, but Linus had still expected to take a taxi home. He wasn’t prepared to step onto the platform and find his parents, plus Miko’s parents, all waiting for them. Instead of annoyance that their families were acting like he and Miko had been gone for months, or that they were children incapable of managing their own transportation, Linus felt a surge of love. And gratitude. So much gratitude. Because without the unconditional love of those four men watching with huge smiles on their faces, Linus wouldn’t be standing there today.

Standing with the help of crutches and a fake leg, but whatever. He was standing. And in two more days, he would be dancing at a fancy gala with his bondmate.

“I didn’t expect a welcome home brigade,” Miko said, tugging their suitcase along behind them.

“We couldn’t help ourselves,” Brogan said once they were close enough for his soft voice to carry. “We aren’t used to not seeing you boys for days at a time. Which I know we’ll have to get used to now that you are independent adults with future plans to mate, but give us this.”

“By us you mean you and Liam?”

“Absolutely,” Papa said with a grin as he reached out to hug Linus. “Welcome home.”

Linus returned the awkward hug as best he could with one arm, and without dropping a crutch. “Thanks. It was an amazing trip. I wish we could have stayed longer, but I did promise Miko we’d dance at the gala.” He glanced at Miko, who was hugging his omegin. Brogan was whispering into his ear, and by the shy smile on Miko’s face, it probably had something to do with the specific reason why they’d gone out of town.

Brogan wants to know if Miko’s okay. That his first time was everything Miko imagined.

Linus truly hoped he’d delivered on that dream. His own had certainly been fulfilled beyond his expectations. And he hated that they’d be going to separate homes tonight when all Linus wanted was to sleep next to Miko every night, for the rest of his life.

Soon.

“Miko also came home with the floorplan for his future house,” Linus teased. “We’ll probably have to hire the same guy who designed the Porter cottage, but I love the look of it, too.”

“I hope you took pictures,” Papa said. “I’d love to see the place.”

“I took a few on my phone, but we’ll have to get the roll Miko took developed so you can really see the place. It is definitely imprinted in my brain, though.”

“It was gorgeous,” Miko said to their group. “With or without the snow, I loved that cottage. Definitely something to save and plan for.”

---