The World Beyond the Mirror - 9. When the Sun Isn't Watching

**A/N**

It might be worth your time to check the last little bit of chapter 8 again before reading this, I wasn't planning for such a long time in between posts :)

Oh, almost forgot: this is an unedited and un-beta'd chapter, so don't blame my editors for any mistakes! :lol:

**end A/N**

I woke up slowly, feeling something warm and meaty pushing against my lips. I groaned in protest, turning my head, but as soon as my lips parted it got inside my mouth. The smell hit me first, and I sat up quickly, almost knocking Erin over. When the taste of it got through the sleepy fog on my mind I made an appreciative noise, looking over at Erin and smiling in thanks.

“Mmm, thanks,” I said, enjoying the leftovers of the bird he’d warmed over the fire. He handed me another piece, and I ate it happily.

Erin laughed. “If I’d known it was that easy to get things into your mouth…” he teased.

“That’s only for you,” I said, grinning.

He laughed again, taking the last piece of meat off the stick he’d been roasting it on and passing it to me.

“Don’t you want any?” I asked, and he shook his head.

“I already ate half,” he said. “I wanted to let you sleep for as long as possible.”

I looked up in confusion, realizing it was lighter than it should be.

“At least ten,” he said, answering my unspoken question. “I went out exploring already, and practiced that dance.”

“Dance?” I asked, confused.

“The thing you’re teaching me,” he said.

“That’s not a dance,” I laughed. “It’s an exercise.”

He shrugged. “When you do it, it looks like a dance,” he said.

I didn’t know what to say to that, but after a second he continued.

“I don’t know any dances to compare it to, but it looked like a really sexy dance,” he commented absently, still trying to think of some type of dance.

I could think of even less things to say to that, but my face must have spoken for me, because it made Erin laugh.

“Anyway, come on,” he said, changing the subject and pulling me to my feet. “Put on your clothes and let’s go wander more,” he exclaimed, excited. “Or don’t,” he added, seeing that I hadn’t realized I was just in boxers. “I like you like this even more.”

I practically jumped into my clothes, disappointing him, but he seemed to accept my blush as a consolation prize, and we ducked out of the grove and continued on.

“So where are we going?” Erin asked again as we walked.

“Answer hasn’t changed from last time,” I said, laughing at his hope that I’d be ready to give something away.

“Is it some type of human settlement?” he asked.

“Oh come on, could you be any more vague?” I teased.

“I’m assuming that’s a yes,” he said, body checking me playfully.

“Yeah, it is… cheater,” I muttered, grinning at him.

“There’s not many people there, right?”

“Still being vague? ‘Many’ is relative, I can choose to interpret that however I want,” I warned, and he laughed.

“There’s less than ten thousand people there, then,” he said.

“Right again,” I said, amused yet disappointed. It was fun to have him guessing again, and I liked to see him being successful, but I wanted that kiss, dammit.

“Hmm,” he considered. “So it’s probably some type of town or village, most likely without advanced technology.”

“Why do you think that?” I asked.

“There’s no roads here, and I haven’t seen planes or felt any vibrations of trains underground.”

“We crossed between two worlds instantly two days ago thanks to the technology of this world, yet you expect we use cars?” I teased.

He shrugged. “I assumed this was inside, or beyond, the mirror. A reflection is just a reflection; you’d only be able to use that to cross worlds. Anyway, I’m right, so I don’t know why you want me to justify it,” he said mischievously.

“What makes you think you’re right?” I teased.

“If I was wrong you’d have asked for the kiss already,” he said, grinning.

“You’re taking away the fun of it,” I grumbled, and he laughed.

“I’m winning, you’re not supposed to be having fun. You get to have fun when I lose,” he told me.

“Then take another guess,” I prompted, grinning.

He shrugged. “Now I just wanna hear the village described, or see it. Nothing more to guess.”

“Then think of something else?” I asked, wanting him to keep playing while he was in such a fun mood.

“OK,” he agreed. “The next thing that’s been on my mind, that you’d be comfortable with me guessing, at least, is why we’re going there.”

I grinned. “Take a guess,” I suggested.

He hesitated. “I was gonna, but that was too happy of a reaction,” he said. “It must not be a reason I’d guess. I don’t know if I should waste a guess on that,” he said, considering.

I sighed, and he laughed.

After a moment, he spoke again. “My first guess about why we were going here would be that you were looking for something, probably information, but that must be wrong, so my next would be that you were looking for somebody. Knowing you, I don’t think that’s right, so I’m all out of guesses to make.”

“So you think your guesses are worth a free answer?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“What I think about it isn’t important,” he said, giving me puppy dog eyes.

I laughed. “Fine, we’re going just to see what’s there. I’ve finished everything I need to, and most of the loose ends are tied up, so I figured it was time for some tourism.”

His eyes narrowed. “People tried to kill us just two days ago. You call that ‘tied up’?”

I shrugged. “That’s not something I can change,” I said. “It’s just a fact of life, and I’ve gotten used to it. They don’t usually find me, it’s just that I spent too long there.”

He shook his head. “Nuh uh,” he said. “We’re not letting this go. We can go explore as much as we want, but we should be asking questions while we’re doing it.”

He was sexy when he took control, but I figured it wouldn’t be helpful to mention it, so I stayed quiet. I didn’t know what I could say without offending him – offending was the wrong word, but I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. He was so incomprehensible to me; the way he seemed to bounce between wanting to tear my clothes off and wanting nothing to do with me was seemingly crazy. The occasional moments where it was almost like he wanted me to be more than just a friend made it even harder for me. Sometimes he wouldn’t accept a friendly pat on the back, yet would casually mention that I looked sexy, or kiss me for no reason. It was almost painfully confusing, but I was loving every moment of the agony.

“Can I ask you a question?” I asked carefully, trying to figure out how to phrase it.

Erin put his finger on my lips just as they opened again, and my eyes widened in surprise.

“No,” he answered flippantly, his eyes on my lips as he leaned in, his finger staying in place.

I closed my mouth, swallowing as he got even closer, but when his finger was the only thing separating our lips he looked back up at me. He seemed to consider me for a moment, and I remained motionless, desperately hoping for a kiss. He leaned back after a few seconds, his eyes dancing playfully, and his finger trailed along my bottom lip before he let his hand fall to his side again, so slightly I couldn’t be sure it wasn’t just my imagination.

“Let’s go,” he said, turning and beginning to walk again as if nothing had happened. “We’ve got a town to explore!”

“Wait!” I protested. “What… what was that?”

He shrugged. “I decided not to kiss you,” he answered simply.

“Why?” I asked, feeling like one of the two of us was going crazy and not knowing who.

“I didn’t feel like it,” he said, grinning. “Now let’s go!”

I had no idea what to think, so I just followed along speechlessly.

 

“Here looks good,” Erin said, dumping the armload of sticks he’d been accumulating. “We won’t be able to wash, but at least we have a little bit of water,” he said, indicating the tiny rivulet nearby.

I shrugged. “We could follow it upstream,” I suggested. “It probably leads to a better source of water.”

He shook his head. “Nope, I wanna have lots of time before we need to sleep,” he said happily. “You said you’d teach me, remember?”

I nodded, but I wasn’t sure what would happen. Would he be OK with me guiding him, like before, or would we have to muddle through slowly?

“Want me to give you a refresher of yesterday’s before I hunt?” I asked, but he shook his head.

“I remember yesterday’s,” he assured me. “Can you teach me one of the new ones quickly?”

I nodded. “Sure,” I said, since the next one was fairly easy. It only got difficult in sequence with the others. Demonstrating once was enough to show him, so I left to find us something to eat.

When I came back, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Erin had been practicing the stretch the whole time, and he looked like it was coming more naturally to him now, these first five steps at least. He was panting and sweating, and at some point he’d taken off his shirt to try to cool down, so I almost tripped over the unlit fire when I forgot to stop walking.

“When do you want to eat?” he asked, pausing now that I was back.

I shrugged. “I don’t really care, whenever you want to is fine.”

He grinned. “Let’s wait, then, I’d rather learn more of this first.”

“Sure,” I said, nodding. His enthusiasm made me smile as I walked over, but when I started to demonstrate the next step my mind quieted, as usual.

 

We made it to the eighth step before Erin had any trouble, and even then it was easily fixed by a gentle push on his stomach to shift his balance back a little. It barely even registered in my mind that he hadn’t minded my touch, and we moved on seamlessly, getting past the ninth with no trouble. The tenth seemed to stump him, and it didn’t surprise me. It was the hardest so far by a lot, one of the larger steps in the gradual increase in difficulty.

It was meant to knock over one person and take another hostage, and it started with standing normally. Erin was messing up the first step already, not leaning far enough sideways when he kicked, and he was kicking wrong too.

“Just stay still and try to find your balance like that,” I suggested. “It’s a lot harder when you’re not spinning, huh?”

He nodded, trying to stay horizontal but tipping. He took a moment to rest before he tried again, letting himself break out of the controlled breathing and pant for air.

“Want help with it?” I asked, and he nodded thankfully. I walked over, and he got in the starting position again. “Go into it slowly, and I’ll hold you when you get the right spot,” I instructed. He did as I said, leaning sideways and slowly kicking out, but he did it wrong and threw himself off balance. I put a hand on his side and one on his thigh, steadying him while he stayed horizontal, and he tried the kick again.

“Don’t kick sharply, you’re not trying to break bones,” I said, moving my hand down his leg to show what I meant. He’d been stomping, and the momentum had been knocking him over. “There should barely be a jolt when your foot hits their chest,” I said, guiding his leg through the motion. “Just a slow push, the same amount of force should go into it, but instead of an impact they’ll be thrown.”

Erin did it again, without my help this time, and I grinned.

“Good, now try to stand without my help,” I said, and slowly lifted my hands off him, gradually reducing how much stability I was giving him. After a minute, I stepped away completely and he held himself there.

“I can’t believe how tiring this is, even aside from the balancing,” he panted.

I laughed. “Yeah, it can get really bad,” I told him. “You’ll get used to it soon, though,” I promised.

He slowly kicked, keeping his balance this time, and I clapped, grinning, as he pulled off the rest of it and finished perfectly. He laughed in delight at finally getting it right, and I smiled again.

I walked towards the fire, intending to get it started, but he caught me before I knew I was being chased, and I felt his arms wrap around me.

“Thanks,” he said, hugging me tightly.

I turned when he let go of me, smiling happily for him. “No problem,” I said. “Want to keep going after dinner, or will you be too tired?”

He didn’t seem to be listening, and I suddenly felt self-conscious as I realized he was watching my lips.

“Umm, Erin?” I asked, and he looked up, surprised.

“Hmm?”

“You OK?”

“Yeah,” he said, smiling at my concern. “Just distracted… you’re really cute.”

He stepped around me to get the rabbits ready to cook, and I shook my head, wondering how he could still shock me so easily.

I lit the fire while he got the rabbits ready and put his shirt back on, and soon they were roasting. It didn’t take too long for them to finish, and we pulled them off the spit and began to eat.

“Damn, I never expected the food out here to be this good,” Erin commented, laying on his back next to me as he ate another piece of meat. “I thought maybe having good meals these first few nights was just you trying to ease me into the nomad lifestyle, but this is how you usually eat, isn’t it?”

“Yep,” I laughed, taking another bite. “It’s the fastest way to get food, so it’s the usual.”

Erin sighed happily, licking his fingers after finishing the last of his rabbit. “This isn’t what I imagined,” he admitted. “When I decided to come with you, I thought everything here would be uncomfortable, I thought we’d skip meals regularly, I didn’t think there’d be any time or opportunity for fun…” He looked over at me and grinned. “I’m glad I was wrong.”

“Why’d you come, then?” I asked, curious. “To find out more about your parents?” I guessed.

He looked surprised. “Didn’t actually think about that, but now that you mention it I’m kinda curious.”

“Then what was your reason for coming?” I asked again.

“You,” he said casually. “I like being with you, far more than I like anything in the other world. It wasn’t a hard decision to make.”

I blushed and looked away, not wanting him to see it.

We stayed quiet for a few minutes, until I felt something lightly tapping my wrist and looked down. Erin was looking at my hand as he absently flicked it, obviously lost in thought and entertaining himself. I leaned to the other side, supporting myself with that arm so I could lift the assaulted appendage a little and catch his hand in my own.

“Hmm?” he said, surprised, and then saw my hand holding his. “Oh, sorry,” he laughed, his warmth vanishing from my grasp. “I’ll stop.”

“No, it’s OK,” I said, smiling. “It was cute, I don’t know why I did that.”

“Probably because I was annoying you subconsciously,” he laughed, stretching as much as he could while lying on his back and sighing. “That practicing thing really makes you sore, huh?”

“Just wait ‘till you do all seventy three,” I laughed.

“Seventy three?”

“Yeah, but some of them are similar to the ones you’ve learned already, they won’t be too hard to learn,” I assured him.

“No, I meant why seventy three?”

“Why?” I asked, confused.

“Yeah, why not seventy five, or seventy seven?”

I shrugged, looking at him weirdly. “Because there’s just seventy three of them?” I suggested, still confused.

He laughed. “Not much for drama here, are you?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” I asked, even more mixed up.

“Usually numbers for things like this would be good numbers,” he said, flicking my wrist again playfully. “If it’s not three, it’s a number with some significance,” he explained. “Like thirteen, or any number that repeats, like seventy seven.”

“What if it’s not one of those numbers?” I asked, still not understanding.

He shrugged. “Then we’d make up more, I guess,” he said, looking over at me. “You don’t know what I mean?”

I shook my head, amused.

“Don’t worry about it, then,” he said, looking up at the rapidly darkening sky. “There’s no real logic to it, I don’t know why we even do it. Dramatic flair, I guess.”

I laughed, entertained by the random fact, and we quieted down again. After a few minutes, Erin tilted his head, looking at me, and flicked my wrist.

“You look… pensive,” he decided. “What’re you thinking about?”

I hesitated, not wanting to spoil the companionable silence but not wanting to lie.

He flicked my wrist again, laughing at the look on my face. “Come on, tell me,” he pleaded. “You made me curious now.”

“…You,” I admitted after a moment.

He grimaced disapprovingly, and I regretted telling him.

“What kind of answer is that?” he asked. “That’s almost as bad as ‘things’.”

“What?” I asked, not understanding for a moment.

He’s not disappointed ‘cause I ruined the peace? I thought, surprised.

“Come on, please?” he begged, giving me puppy dog eyes.

“I… I was worrying a little bit,” I said, looking down. “I’m sorry, I know it’s exactly what you’re trying to avoid, but I think I’m starting to fall in love with you.” I couldn’t bring myself to look at him, not wanting to see the annoyance in his eyes. I’d barely even closed my mouth when I began regretting that I said it, and if it wasn’t for a light flick on my wrist I probably would have panicked.

“Love isn’t something to apologize for,” he said seriously, flicking me again. “You guessed wrong, though,” he continued, more happily. “What should the consequence be?” he asked, amused.

“…What?” I asked, surprised and confused. “What did I guess wrong about?”

“You said I was trying to avoid you falling in love with me,” he explained, grinning at me. “I stopped that already. Your feelings are your own; I have no right to try to influence them. You guessed wrong.”

“Okay, then what’s the consequence?” I asked, amused.

He shrugged. “That was what I was asking you,” he said. “You pick.”

I paused, unsure. Was he trying to make me pick something I actually wouldn’t like, or was he letting me ask for something I wanted?

“Anything you had in mind?” I asked cautiously.

“Nope,” he said, moving slightly as if a rock had been digging into his back or something. “That’s why I asked you.”

He wasn’t giving anything away. His voice sounded mildly interested in what I’d pick, but other than that he was completely relaxed.

Fuck it, I just admitted I’m falling in love with him, I don’t think I could fuck this up any worse.

“I pick a kiss, then,” I said, watching for his reaction.

He didn’t give one, instead just nodding.

“So the cost of failure is the same for both of us,” he observed, smiling. “Fair, I guess.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, but apparently that was fine by him. He just lay there comfortably, looking up at the stars.

“So when do I owe you this kiss?” I asked after a minute, a little nervous.

He just shrugged, offering this choice to me too. I rolled onto my side, even more nervous now, and Erin looked at me. I tried to keep my nerves off my face, but it didn’t seem to work. I’d never expected it would be this nerve-wracking, but I didn’t know if he wanted to kiss me, and just as importantly, I didn’t know how to kiss him. I knew what to do, of course, we’d done it before and it was easy, but should it be a quick kiss? Would he be angry if I let myself get passionate? I didn’t think I should let my feelings into it, but how was I supposed to kiss someone I was beginning to fall in love with without feeling anything?

His eyes were still on me, and I swallowed.

“Make it a good kiss?” he requested, but it just made me even more nervous.

What if it isn’t a good kiss, what if I screw up?

He must have been able to guess what I was thinking from the color of my eyes, ‘cause he poked me in the ribs.

“Wouldn’t wanna have to redo it, right?” he added, grinning up at me.

I felt a smile creeping over my face, and my worry faded as I realized that the sexiest person I knew was waiting for me to kiss him, and he wasn’t going to freak out if it wasn’t perfect.

I leaned down, pressing my lips to his, and I felt his mouth curve up a little. I could easily imagine the sexy smile that would form, and I kissed him more passionately, lust creeping in. Instead of pushing me away, like I’d been afraid he would, Erin wrapped his arms around me and kissed me back, matching my passion. I moaned in delighted surprise, and he pulled me over him, rolling until he was straddling me, his legs pinning me to the ground.

I finally had to break for a breath of air, but Erin didn’t seem to care, moving his kisses down my chin and over my neck. I gasped as his teeth touched my neck, and he kissed me again before going back to his slow, sensuous torture.

It suddenly hit me that this wasn’t just the hottest guy I knew, this was the only person I could love, the only one I’d want to do this with, and it made the sensations even better. Knowing that it was Erin nibbling on my neck, that it was Erin who was almost sitting on my erection, just added even more desire into the equation.

“Erin!” I gasped in pleasure, and just like that, he was gone. I opened my eyes to see him back where he’d started, out of arms’ reach with his knees pulled up to his chin as if to protect himself from me.

I pushed myself up off the ground, wondering whether that had even happened or not, and he smiled.

He doesn’t look like he hated it, I thought, considering the way he was calmly watching me.

“You taste good,” he said, proving I was right. Unfortunately, that left me with absolutely no idea why he’d suddenly vanished from my arms, and he seemed perfectly content with that.

“Why…” I started, but then had to blink and try to clear my mind. “What was that?” I asked instead.

He shrugged. “A kiss,” he answered, edging closer to the heat of the flames.

“That was more than just a kiss,” I snorted, grinning to remember it.

“Well that was your fault,” he said, glaring at me. He looked serious, but something in his eyes made me think he was joking. “If you weren’t so damn sexy I could have behaved.”

He was definitely joking, but I found myself blushing anyway. “You like embarrassing me, don’t you?” I asked, and he nodded, giving me an apologetic grin.

“Sorry,” he said, holding his hands out to the fire. “It doesn’t make you too uncomfortable, right?”

“No, it’s fine,” I told him, amused. “But… what are you thinking, when you say things like that? I know it’s probably just a joke, but I can’t help wondering… and hoping,” I admitted.

“Mmm,” he said absently, distracted by something in his thoughts.

I waited a moment for more, but he was too distracted, so I leaned in, cautiously putting my hand on his shoulder.

“Erin?” I asked.

I jumped when he sprang back to life, apparently revived by my hand touching him. He made a surprised noise, looking at my hand, but when I started to pull it away he grabbed it and pressed my palm to his shoulder again. “You’re so warm,” he said, pleasantly surprised, and he almost curled up around my hand.

I laughed, surprised and amused, and he glared at me playfully.

“You might not notice it, but it’s freezing out here,” he complained, letting go of my hand to move closer to the fire.

“We can go back-” I started, concerned, but he just laughed and shook his head.

“It’s fine, I’ll survive,” he told me, smiling. “It’s not that bad near the fire.”

I shrugged, but now that he’d mentioned it, I was aware of the cold too. It really was freezing out, and it made me realize just how neglectful I’d been. With how unpredictable and variable the weather here was, I should have thought about what to do if it snowed.

Shit, what if Erin got hypothermia because I was being stupid? The chilling thought made me shiver, but Erin evidentially thought it was the cold outside that had done it, because he pulled me towards the fire. I smiled in thanks for his concern, but inside I was still berating myself and trying to think of anything else I’d been neglecting.

“What are you thinking about now?” Erin asked, curious.

“How stupid I’ve been,” I said, biting my lip to focus my mind again.

“Oh really?” Erin asked, smiling slightly in… anticipation?

“Yeah, I didn’t even consider what to do when it gets really cold,” I said, deciding that Erin being confusing was nothing new and I should just ignore it for now.

“What were you doing before?” Erin asked.

“Just staying near the fire,” I said. “We need to figure something out for you, though.”

He shook his head. “I won’t be a burden,” he said. “If you can handle it, so can I.”

“You don’t understand,” I said. “I don’t mean cold as in you might shiver, I mean you might wake up covered in snow. I’ll try to find you a tent, I guess,” I decided, absently biting my lip again as I tried to remember if I’d known where Wolf had gotten his.

Erin grimaced, obviously annoyed since he seemed to think he’d be slowing me down.

“Erin, it’s OK,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder reassuringly. “We’re not trying to get anywhere fast anyway, who cares if we need to stop a little earlier every night?”

He sighed, looking down. “It’s just… sorry, I know you don’t like to talk about it, but from what I’ve guessed of your past you wouldn’t have been able to slow down. I don’t want to just come into your life and mess everything up for you; I’ll only be happy when we can do whatever you want with me being helpful, instead of just a useless burden.”

I smiled, giving his shoulder a slight squeeze. “Thanks,” I told him earnestly. “But you don’t have to worry, really. You’re already pulling your own weight; there’s not much difference to travelling now and doing it before I met you, except that it’s a lot more fun now.” He smiled at me, and I grimaced playfully. “It’s a lot more frustrating now too,” I added.

He laughed. “Hey, if you need to… relive yourself, you’re welcome to, don’t let me change your lifestyle,” he invited teasingly.

I blushed at the idea of that, and he wiggled closer to the fire, smiling slightly with amusement.

“I didn’t think you would,” he admitted, smirking at me. “I kinda hate being right.”

Wait, he wants me to…? I shook my head and decided to ignore that. The mixed signals he kept giving me were just too confusing; he’d already proved he was fully capable of climbing on top of me and making out passionately yet not wanting me to touch him a few seconds later. He’d been OK with my hand on his shoulder a minute ago, yet if I tried to reach out to him now he’d probably avoid my touch. I felt the corner of my mouth rising a little bit as a crazy impulse came to me, and for once I didn’t stop to doubt it.

It’s not like he’s been offended or anything before, if he doesn’t want it he makes it clear, I justified to myself as my hand reached out. Erin watched it curiously, and I made sure to give him enough time to indicate he didn’t want it. He just watched, so I let my hand rest on his knee, my lips curving into a triumphant grin. I looked up at him and saw he was watching my face now, bemused, and I halted suddenly as I realized I didn’t know what I was doing.

“I have no idea where that came from,” I told him honestly, in response to his amused yet questioning look. He seemed to find my sudden nerves funny, and his lips quirked up.

“Just… felt like doing it?” he asked, his curiosity kicking in again.

“I think I wanted to see if you’d let me,” I said, looking down at where my hand was still resting on his leg. “I didn’t see any reason why that wasn’t a good idea, at the time.”

“Huh,” Erin laughed, also looking at my arm connecting us. I blushed and almost removed my hand, but I didn’t want to give up my hard-earned prize that easily.

If he minded he’d smack my hand away or something, I told myself. He’s just curious, not disapproving.

Convincing myself of that, I moved a little closer to him, making the position more comfortable. I crossed my legs, copying Erin, since this close to the fire it seemed to be the only option. After a few seconds more of marveling at how he seemed to be fine with my touch, I looked back up to find him watching me, his eyes dancing with amusement. “You’re so cute sometimes,” he said. “You’re so careful, and afraid of making me uncomfortable. I’m not delicate, you know; if I don’t want something I’ll make it clear.”

“It’s just hard to tell when you’re OK with things, when you don’t want them, and when you’ll pounce on me if I look at you the right way,” I explained. “I don’t even know…” I trailed off, not sure what to say.

“I’ll give you a hint, then,” Erin laughed quietly, taking my hand off his knee. I immediately felt bad about it, regretting making him endure it if he hadn’t wanted it, but my whirling mind slowed when I realized he hadn’t let go of my hand. He lay back, resting the back of his head in my lap, and put my hand on his chest, covering it with both of his.

“I’ll always pounce you if you look at me the right way,” he said mischievously, turning his head to kiss my stomach just beneath my belly button. “You’re just misinterpreting it when you think anything else.”

“But…” I protested, trying to organize my thoughts from where they’d scattered, thanks to Erin. “What about when you vanish? Even now, I’m half expecting you to bolt if I breathe too loudly!” I said, surprised.

He shrugged, closing his eyes. “I’m not bolting just yet,” he told me, snuggling his head into my lap comfortably. “This is nice.”

I dared to let my hand make small circles on his chest, reassured that he wasn’t going to disappear on me, and he sighed happily. We stayed like that for almost five minutes before I felt like I’d burst if I didn’t ask.

“If-”

He pressed a finger to my lips, one eye cracking open to watch me. “I’m too sleepy to talk,” he groaned. “I shouldn’t be making decisions right now.”

I moved to separate from him, suddenly feeling like I’d been taking advantage of him, but he didn’t let me.

“Oh no you don’t,” he said, holding my hand in place and refusing to move his head. “I like cuddling with you, I don’t care if I shouldn’t be doing it.”

I still felt uneasy, but he distracted me, opening both eyes now to give me an upside-down pleading look.

“Will you sleep with me?” he asked, but then shook his head. “I’m so tired,” he said, leaning his cheek against my abs. “I don’t know how to say what I mean, but I want you to sleep with me.”

I smiled faintly, amused, and lifted his head off my lap, pulling him up in front of me. “I think I know what you mean,” I told him, feeling tired myself.

My words didn’t seem to register with him, and he just sat there, blinking sleepily at me and looking like he wasn’t sure whether or not to be indignant about being disturbed.

I lay down on my side, staying near the fire, and he saw my arms open for him and fell into them happily. He faced in the opposite direction I did, putting his back to the fire, and buried his face in my chest. I gently stroked his hair, too tired to even wonder at why he was suddenly so friendly.

“I don’t like the fire,” he mumbled into my shirt, and I chuckled.

“Want me to move a little farther away?” I asked.

He shook his head. “The heat is nice,” he told me. “I just don’t like knowing the fire’s there. It’s kinda scary.”

I suddenly realized what he meant, and I hugged him tighter to me, wanting to comfort him more than I could.

“I’m OK with it usually,” he said, sleepiness lending his voice the simple cadence of innocence. “Just sometimes, when my brain turns off a little…” he paused for a moment, and I wondered if he’d fallen asleep, but after a second he moved a bit and continued. “It kinda makes me remember,” he said, snuggling closer. “You make it all better, though,” he told me. “You smell good.”

I laughed at how unexpected that had been, and one of his eyes cracked open, watching me seriously for a moment.

“Will you kiss me?” he asked.

“I… I don’t think I should,” I said, stroking his hair. “I think you’d regret it in the morning.”

“Oh,” he said, blinking slowly. “I’ll just have to kiss you in the morning, then,” he said, smiling a little before burying his face in my chest again.

I chuckled tiredly and got comfortable. “You get so cuddly at night,” I observed, sounding pretty sleepy myself. “It’s like I can’t have you when the sun’s watching us, but when the moon comes up I get to hold you,” I said, unsure if I was even making sense.

“Mhmm,” Erin hummed. “I get to be yours when it’s dark,” he agreed happily.

I smiled at that, too drowsy to fully comprehend it but liking how it sounded.

“I wanna be yours when it’s light out, too,” Erin mumbled after a moment, but then lifted his head and blinked. “I don’t think I should have said that,” he commented. “Can you tell awake-me that I never said it?”

I laughed, pressing my lips to his hair. “OK,” I agreed. “If it makes you feel better.”

“Will you do me a favor?” Erin asked sleepily.

“Yes,” I agreed, and waited for him to tell me what it was.

“I want you to hold me like this in the daytime,” he said, kissing my chest. “I like it.”

I smiled, inhaling his pleasant scent. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I told him. “Awake-you wouldn’t like that.”

“Then kiss him and tell him to stop being stupid.”

“I don’t think he’d want me to kiss him, either,” I said, amused that we were talking about Erin as two different people.

“Yes he would,” Erin told me seriously. “He wants you to kiss him, and hold him, and tear all his clothes off…”

He paused for a minute again. “I don’t think I should have said that either.”

I laughed softly. “I don’t think we’re talking about the same Erin,” I told him, smiling sadly.

“Of course we are, there’s only one Erin here,” he said, tapping my nose with his finger.

“So there is no awake-you?” I asked, amused.

He shook his head, yawning against me. “I think I’m gonna fall asleep soon,” he said. “I feel a little tired.”

I laughed and kissed his head. “Then have sweet dreams,” I told him, smiling contentedly.

He looked up, opening his eyes one last time. “I don’t think I’ll remember much of this when I wake up,” he remarked, and then looked alarmed. “Promise me something?”

“What?” I asked, amused again.

“Tomorrow, if awake-me tries to pull away from you, promise me you’ll pin him against a tree and kiss him until he realizes he’s being stupid?”

I shook my head. “I think he’d really not like that,” I said.

“Then kiss him, at least,” he said. “He’ll like that for sure.”

I made a disagreeing noise, but he opened one eye and stared at me, so I gave in. “Fine, but if he doesn’t like it I’m blaming you,” I teased.

“OK,” he agreed happily. “While you’re being generous, can I have a kiss now too?”

I couldn’t help a smile as he looked up at me hopefully. “OK,” I agreed, bending down. He tilted his head up, and I kissed him, slowly and reluctantly pulling away after a few seconds.

“Goodnight, Erin,” I said, and he smiled.

“Night,” he told me sleepily, kissing my chest again and sighing happily as he drifted off. I followed soon after, a huge smile on my face.

I woke up, slowly opening my eyes and looking up at the blue sky with a smile. I took a moment to savor the feeling of waking up happy for the one of the first times, and then sat up and looked around. The first thing I noticed was that Erin was gone, and I chuckled quietly at his aversion to waking me up.

He’s exploring again, I guessed, smiling to myself. Sure enough, his footprints meandered off into the forest, so I leaned back on my elbows and sat for a minute.

Last night slowly filtered back into my head, and I shot up as I finally understood what Erin had been saying the whole time.

Was he telling me he likes me back? I thought excitedly. I don’t know what else he could have meant, I think he was!

I jumped to my feet, deciding to find him, and I started to follow his tracks. I placed my feet in his footsteps, being led from one thing he found interesting to another, and I smiled, liking this insight into him. I began to hurry after it became apparent he wasn’t anywhere nearby, and as I walked I was practically bouncing with excitement, unable to wait to see him again. A smile spread across my face as I decided what I was going to do; I’d wrap my arms around him from behind and rest my chin on his shoulder, and then I’d kiss his cheek and ask him to be mine. I was sure that’s what he’d wanted last night, so I couldn’t wait to see his reaction. I was so distracted with my fantasy that I almost missed when the trail changed. I turned, examining it closer, and it took a moment for what I was seeing to make it through my head.

Another set of tracks, intersecting Erin’s. Only one left, but it was much heavier than either of the original ones, and it had treads, so it wasn’t his.

They abducted Erin!