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16. Didn't Do This
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Fluid 1. Act Tough
Quill still felt the dull ache in his ribs. It was a lingering reminder of his father's anger. The sad thing? He couldn't even tell you what his Dad was mad about. He couldn't quite tell what hurt more. The bruises, the gashes from his father's claws after he shifted, or the humiliation of being thrown out of the house yet again. He stumbled around until he crossed into neighboring territory. Minutes later, a patrol noticed him and notified the Alpha's son. Like they always did when this happened. Hawk had instructed them to. He also told them to keep it from his father and mother whenever possible. He told them it was to stop unnecessary fighting between the neighboring Alphas. Hawk's Dad already hated Quills. There was no reason to make it worse. Hawk insisted on dragging Quill to his family's house after the latest blow-up. Like he always did. "Let me see the cut," he urged as they walked into the guest bedroom. They should probably just call it Quill's bedroom at this p
Fluid 2. Control
Hawk leaned against the brick wall outside his gym with his eyes fixed on the U-Haul down the street. Lilly was back. He and Quill had met with her weeks before, allowing her to sign a three-year lease for the unoccupied space between their businesses. They allowed her to sign it without revealing what the business would be. She also signed the lease for the apartment above the business. The empty one between Hawk and Quill's apartments. He watched as she started unloading boxes. He had no idea what she was planning for the storefront, which annoyed him more than he wanted to admit. For someone who prided himself on control, not knowing left a sour taste in his mouth. She intrigued him, though, and that was rare.The heavy thud of weights inside the gym reminded him he'd left his own workout still half-finished. He didn't care. His fixation was on her, studying how she moved and carried herself almost effortlessly. There was a strange confidence in how she went about everything
Fluid 3. Both Knew It
Hawk stood outside his gym with his arms crossed as he watched Lilly disappear in and out of her new shop. The black paper covering the windows irritated him more than it should have. Blocking his view felt personal. But that wasn't the only thing eating at him. He knew Quill had been watching her just as much.It wasn't just about Lilly anymore. It was about everything between him and Quill. Years of unspoken pressure had resurfaced the moment she moved in. Hell, the moment she signed that damn lease and left with that odd smile on her face. Hawk tried to shake the thought. Quill had always known how to get under his skin, and lately, it was becoming unbearable.Quill walked out to take a break from a long session when Lilly stepped back out of her storefront with her face splattered with paint.She had a bright blue streak drying stubbornly across her nose. She smiled at him as he jogged over."Wearing your art, I see," he teased as he tried to wipe the paint away. He chuckled whe
Fluid 4. Curiosity Isn't A Bad Thing
Quill was able to slip into Lilly's space with the same ease he'd gained from years of sneaking around his Father's house. He'd never been inside her business before. No one had. She had managed to keep it a secret for nearly three weeks, only dropping cryptic hints that made him and Hawk even more curious each time.He was starting to realize that was on purpose. Stacks of unopened boxes cluttered the space. Quill glanced around until an outline of something stopped him in his tracks. It was a silhouette, intimate and unmistakably erotic, projected onto the wall from one of the unfinished corners of the room."What do you think?" Lilly remarked as she walked into the room with him. Quill flinched, cursing himself for not noticing her sooner. Few people had the ability to sneak up on him.She paused in the doorway, and it felt like she was sizing him up. She wasn't angry. She almost seemed amused when he looked up at her."I...uh... I was just curious," he muttered, backing up a st
Fluid 5. Open-Minded
"So you're saying you don't care who you're with? Doesn't matter if it's a guy or a girl?" Hawk pressed.Lilly shrugged. "If there's a connection, it doesn't matter to me. Gender isn't what makes me feel attracted to someone. Body parts can be fun, sensual, but for me it ends there. The person's genitalia doesn't make me attracted to them. It's the person, their energy, their mind. If I feel it, if I feel them. That's what I need. I don't base it on anything else."Quill finally looked over at Hawk, unsure how to feel about what he was hearing. He'd never thought about sexuality in such fluid terms. It had always been black and white. Men were with women. Anything else was…wrong. Or at least that's what their fathers always said.What his Father beat into him whenever he caught him acting in a way they didn't like. He looked back at Hawk, but he was looking at the floor, obviously uncomfortable. He feared Hawk's reaction. He never handled things like this well. "Labels are for people
Fluid 6. React
Quill lingered, trying and failing to ignore the art on the walls. It was intense, vibrant, and filled with raw passion that made something inside him want to recoil and inch closer all at once. Lilly leaned against the wall, studying him. He was trying hard to pretend the art on the walls wasn't getting to him."It's okay to look, or even… react."Quill looked over at her. He was starting to feel unexpectedly exposed. He shifted uncomfortably. "Honestly? I'm not sure how I'm supposed to react."Lilly sighed and walked over to him. "Supposed to react? Who decides that? You're free to feel whatever you feel." Quill relaxed slightly. Her presence made it easier. She took another small step, brushing against his arm, and he caught her looking at him curiously. "Girls?"He nodded. It is simple, straightforward, and somehow easy to answer in this setting. "Yes."She kept her focus on him. "Boys?"The hesitation was there, but he nodded as he looked away. She smiled at that. "Trans?"H
Fluid 7. Kiss and Tell
Quill stepped out of Lilly's apartment after walking her back to it, despite the jokes she kept making about him being such a gentleman and how cute it was. His body still hummed, his mind rampant with all the sensations she'd managed to stir. He walked down the hall, lost in the afterglow as he grinned.Hawk suddenly shoved him hard against the wall.Quill's back hit the rough surface, knocking the air from his lungs. The shift from euphoria to disorientation happened so fast. Hawk's forearm pressed firmly against his chest, holding him pinned in place, his face inches from Quill's."You smell like her," Hawk growled. His eyes swept over Quill's face, taking in every detail. How flushed he was. How his eyes seemed to be dancing with that look. "You were with her just now, weren't you?"Quill's pulse hammered as he was caught between the rush from Lilly and this raw, unexpected confrontation with Hawk. He could feel Hawk's breath, anger, and something else radiating from him."What's
Fluid 8. Rhythm of the Needle
Quill turned, expecting Hawk, but it was Lilly. She leaned against the counter, watching him with a grin."You should be more careful about leaving the upstairs door unlocked," she said.Quill shrugged. "Only you and Hawk would have access anyway. Not worried you'll run off with a couple of pencils."She grinned, glancing at his scattered supplies. "I don't know. Pretty tempting. These are some top-tier art supplies you've got lying around."He chuckled as he sat back in his chair. "Couldn't sleep?""Something like that," he muttered, his fingers fidgeting with a pencil. Lilly tilted her head, studying him as she walked into his private studio behind the central area."Must be something in the building's ventilation system," she said, crossing her arms. "Seems like Hawk can't sleep either."Quill didn't need to ask, but he did anyway. "How do you know?"She rolled her eyes. "I was walking down to my studio and could hear him way before I saw him. He's in there, grunting and throwing
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