Cernunnos - 13. Chapter 13

Feeding off the deer’s newfound enthusiasm, he suggested that the two should take their showers and head to town for some clothes. Cyn could use a few more clothes. He really needs some pants that would fit better. Cyn was hesitant about going to the city, but he felt the need to find a jacket so he could return Shea’s. The buck was directed to the next door bathroom and was left alone for some privacy.

He knew how a shower worked, as he took countless during his time growing up. I missed using these things. The water feels good and it’s like a summer’s rainy day. Turning the knobs to find an appropriate temperature, he pulled the nozzle to let the water fall from the higher spout. He disrobed and left the clothes in a disheveled pile. Stepping in, he let the warm water splash his face. There were a couple of tiny bottles littered in a corner of the tub and Cyn began reading their contents. Sham...poo? I think that’s the stuff that goes in your hair. He poured a tiny amount, not wanting to take it all from the host and lathered his scalp. Finding that the pea-sized amount was not enough, he took a little more.

Finding another bottle labeled for body wash, the deer was pleased with the scent. It smells clean, like vanilla or cherry blossoms! He smiled as he scrubbed the natural soaps on himself and rinsed off completely. The scent of the shower bathed in Cyn’s nostrils as he let go of the troubles that surrounded him. It was a moment of bliss for the deer, something he had not had in quite some time. Even before the attack, Cyn found himself in several chases from predators in different herds over the past several months. The shower helped him wash away all the stress from inside his body and mind.

Turning off the water, the deer took the large cloth towel and dried himself. He looked back at the shower and was tempted to take another. I can probably take another later. It felt really nice! I...I don’t know if the Alpha or Sheamus would mind. Drying off, he put the borrowed clothes back on, noticing the stench Arric spoke of. Making a verbal tone of distaste, he started to put on the pants when a knock on the door frightened him.

“Cyn? I have extra clothes if you’d rather use those. Kara just came by to relieve Jaime and she brought some that are more your size.” Sighing that the noise was his bodyguard, Cyn couldn’t help but wonder more about the new name. Kara? That’s...that’s Jaime’s mate. Right. She...she must be nice if she brought me clothes.

The buck cracked open the door and found Shea on the other side of the hall with a pile of clothes in his hand. Being handed them, Cyn quickly unfolded them and grabbed the pair of underwear.

Shea couldn’t help but notice that the door was left ajar, and saw the cernunnos in the buff. Blinking, he started to look away, but found his eyes lingering towards the small room. Does...does he know he left the door open? I mean, I’m...I’m not complaining. He’s amazing! The lycan looked as much as he could. Glimpses of the deer’s structured and thin frame allured Shea’s attention. He saw the deer possessed a few abdominal muscles, slender arms, and impressively defined legs. Well, he is a deer, and they do run more than any other animal. His breath caught as he laid eyes on the bare and perky rear. It wasn’t supple, but the lycan was smitten by its slim build. My...that’s nice.

He looked up to find that the deer was staring and Shea felt every blood cell in his body rush to his cheeks. Busted. “Sheamus? Are you okay?”

Shaking his head to clear his mind of any dirty thoughts, the lycan smiled, “Yeah. Uh, yeah. I’m good.” He watched as Cyn gave him a meager smile, but quickly turned around and picked out the underwear in the pile. Shea couldn’t wrap his mind around the buck’s actions. Is...is he just letting me watch? No, there’s no way! Is...is this? The lycan felt a light bulb turn on in his mind. He doesn’t have a sense of what nudity means to others! He’s been a deer for so long and in humanity for so little, him being naked is totally normal! That...makes a lot of sense.

The wolf kept his eyes away from the cernunnos as clothes were being put on and tried to get his emotions in check. He’ll probably smell that I’m aroused, but it probably wouldn’t have been the first time. How did the cern I saved ended up being a cutie? Smirking to himself, Shea waited patiently for his turn. The door creaked slightly and he saw Cyn carrying his former outfit in a neatly folded pile and returned to his room.

Setting the pile down at the corner of the bed, the buck sat on the longer edge and waited. He heard the sound of the water running from the next door room. He thought about Sheamus and his actions earlier. He was watching me like I was food...but also not. I haven’t seen him look at me like that before. Then his face got red, like he was embarrassed. Was it...was it because I was naked? Why would that be a problem? I only wear the clothes because the humans do. Is...is it the same way with the lycans?

Cyn scooted himself back in the bed and grinned so hard as he laid on his back into the plush mattress. This thing feels so nice! It’s like I’m on a cloud. Do humans and lycan sleep on these every night? He inched his way up and found the pillows, poking and pressing his hand into them. Are these for their heads? Laying his head town onto the puffy rectangle, his initial thought was confirmed. They have to be! This...bed...I think that’s what Sheamus called it. This bed is amazing!

After laying down for a few minutes, Cyn heard the water turn off in the bathroom. He wanted to go and wait for the lycan, but opted to stay in the comfortable bed. It feels too nice. The buck listened carefully to the sound of the heavy footsteps leaving the bathroom and muffled into the farther bedroom. He...he’s not staying in this one? He’s splitting off. I...I told him that wasn’t smart! Closing his eyes, he wished for the best for the lycan. A sharp knock on the open door caused Cyn to jump, but all shock was blown away as he saw his bodyguard. “Sheamus!”

“Hey, you ab-” Shea was almost knocked off his feet when Cyn rushed at him with a forceful hug. “...about ready? You okay, Cyn? You...you seem a little too happy to see me.”

“I heard you go to the other room, and I was scared you were splitting up.”

Furrowing his brow, Shea understood what the deer was talking about, “You’re still on the whole splitting up thing? I’ll just be down the hall. We have several guards across the property. Nothing’s going to happen to you or me.” The words meant nothing to the buck and Shea saw the big brown eyes widen in sadness. Is...is he about to...oh, we can’t be having that! “Cyn, hey. What can I do to help you know that we aren’t going to be splitting up?”

The buck felt conflicted in the question. He wanted Shea to stay nearby, but couldn't help but feel he was causing an issue. “I...I just don’t want to see you go away.”

“I’m going nowhere, little man. If being in the other room will be a problem, I can stay in here.” Giving the smaller man a sincere smile, Shea knew he said the right words as Cyn’s face lit up. He wanted the deer to be comfortable in the new environment. He’s gone through so much. I...I just want the little guy to be happy.

Cyn let go of the lycan’s sides and stepped backwards, admiring Shea’s outfit. He...looks so cool! The wolf sported a pair of slim-straight navy jeans, maroon long sleeve v-neck shirt, and tan boots. “You...you look nice, Sheamus.”

“Thanks. So, do those pants fit you better?” Earning a nod, Shea smiled, “Good. Okay, so before we go to town to get you some clothes, I’m going to need you to meet Kara. She’s just downstairs, and I need to warn you. She’s probably going to call you adorable.”

“Adorable? Is...how is that bad?”

“It’s not, but she’ll find a way to embarrass you.”

“I heard that, Farren!” An echoed voice could be heard from down stairs, and Shea pinched the bridge of his nose.

Cyn looked in the staircase’s direction in amazement. Is that her? Wow! She has some good hearing! “Is...is she nice?”

“You bet I am, sweetheart! Are we going shopping, or what? I’m down for a trip to the mall!” Cyn heard the voice again and couldn’t help but let a light giggle out. She seems very loud, but funny.

Shea rolled his eyes at his subordinate’s outburst, but agreed with her intention. “She’s right. Ready to meet her and stretch our legs?” He held out his hand and Cyn eagerly took it as they descended the stairs.

“Look at you two!” Kara sat on a couch in the living room as the shifters made their way down. The buck was quick to jump to Shea’s side and the female shifter realized her error. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to startle you! I’m Kara, one of Shea’s teammates. I’m not sure if the big guy told you, but I’m just here to help.”

Shea leaned down, but held Cyn’s side, “She’s right. Kara’s pretty nice when you get to know her. She was with me when we stopped Eike.”

She...she was? The deer took a quick sniff and faintly remembered her scent. Yeah! Yeah, she was there! Gently stepping away from Shea, Cyn advanced slowly to the new shifter, almost entranced by her thin smile. “Th...thank you.”

Kara was taken aback at the deer. Holy shit! He worked up the nerve to talk! The commander must be putting in some serious overtime with this kid. From what I got from Ronnet and Jaime, the kid’s been really quiet since the last time I was on watch. “Anytime, kiddo. My mate said you were pretty head over heels about those shoes I got you.” She watched as the deer looked down to the silver shoes and gave her the biggest smile. “Wow, you really are adorable! Let’s just hope Shea doesn’t spoil you.”

“I’m not going to spoil him, Kar.”

“Oh, please! You’ve never had a boyfriend before! How am I supposed to know what you’ll do and won’t do? By the way, you’re supposed to spoil him. That’s what good men do in a relationship.”

Cyn looked between the two lycans in deep confusion. Spoil? The use of the word didn’t make much sense to the cernunnos, as he only knew it when food went bad. Are they trying to make me go bad? I’m so confused! “Did...did I do something wrong?”

“No, kiddo! What makes you think that?”

“You...you said I’m supposed to spoil. That means I’m supposed to go bad, right?”

Kara got slapped with Cyn’s innocence and unorthodox upbringing really fast as Shea took a knee, “No, Cyn. Spoil also means when someone gives another person a lot of things, and that person doesn’t truly appreciate the gifts.”

“Oh, okay!” Cyn looked down at his shoes and clothes, remembering that it was Kara who went and got them. “I’m not going to spoil. I really like the clothes I was given, especially the shoes!”

Folding her arms, Kara gave the buck a nod, but couldn’t help but fill herself in on the cernunnos’ behavior. He’s almost like an actual kid! The doc did say that he was raised in a very anti-human environment, so I guess he won’t know a lot about the world we live in. Jeez! Is...is this what the commander has been dealing with this entire time! Damn, Shea...I don’t think I could’ve hacked this one. “I’m happy you love them, Cyn. How about we go get some more? Think you’d like another pair of those shoes in a different color?”

The cern’s mouth dropped. “They...they come in other colors?”

“Does a bear shit in the woods?” Watching the deer giggle at her response, Kara took the initiative and headed for the front door. “Just the clothing store, commander?”

“Yes. We may go to the hiking trail nearby, but I think that’s close enough to walk to.”

Affirming their light itinerary, Kara took the lead car with Shea behind her with Cyn in the passenger of his red car. The deer’s face was once again glued to the window as he took in the cityscape. His head followed different buildings and plazas as they passed by, only to stare at another upcoming one. Along the way, Shea explained the simple rules of the road to the deer, including details about stop signs, driving on the right side of the road, and how all pedestrians have the right of way. The wolf knew that Cyn would probably never learn to drive, but he wanted to teach a few necessities to help him feel more comfortable.

They arrived at a large clothing store, and Shea made sure to have Cyn at his side the entire time. Kara picked out most of the buck’s clothes, making sure the sizes were correct for him. On a couple of occasions, Cyn found something that caught his eye and Kara gave her expert opinion in the matter. She quickly learned that the deer had a creative eye for fashion choices. In a short hour, the group had selected enough clothes for Cyn to last him for a week before needing to do laundry.

The buck was a little clueless when it came to choosing an underwear style. He had no true opinion on such garments until Shea told him the benefits of each one. After weighing his options, he selected the boxer briefs since the lycans told him they would be best if he wanted to be active. When their order was brought to a total by the cashier, Cyn asked Shea if that was a lot of money. The lycan elegantly fibbed and slid his card at the register.

Making their way back to the house, Cyn and Shea carried their bags up to their rooms, but once again, the deer felt stranded when the wolf went to the other room. He was instantly brought out of his funk when the large man stepped in the doorframe. “You good, Cyn? You look a little tired.”

He didn’t notice until Shea mentioned it, but the buck’s eyelids were drooping. I am sleepy. Maybe...maybe a nap would be nice. “C’mon, let’s get you tucked in.” Shea ushered the smaller shifter closer to the bed and encouraged him to take his shoes off. Once Cyn had gotten comfortable, the wolf pulled the blanket over the buck. “How about an hour nap? That way we can get back on a good sleeping schedule.” Nodding sleepily, the buck began to doze off. He watched the lycan step out of the doorway and instantly grew frightened.

“Sh...Sheamus?”

“Yeah?”

“Can...can you-”

“Yeah, just let me get into something more comfortable to sleep in.” Cyn stayed awake long enough to see Shea come back with a pair of black lounge pants and a tank-top. The buck blinked as he saw the tufts of hair peeking out from under the fabric’s neckline. He’s...he’s so hairy! A sensation of fluttering flew throughout Cyn’s chest as the wolf climbed under the blanket. Knowing the wolf was nearby, Cyn felt truly safe and let his vision softly fall.