Better Choose Carefully

This moment was perfection to the young starry-eyed brute. Truly nothing could top sharing this magical experience with Fiametta! It might have been silly to think of such a simple and mundane instance as having such a profound impact on Stolas' life, but compared to how the rest of his time on earth had gone, it really was the simple things that he found the deepest meaning and joy in. There were no expectations or stations for him to uphold, no decorum or calls to stand on ceremony as was dictated to a wolf of his prestige. He wasn't a lord of Ashen, nor was she a noblewoman of Elysium. They were just Stolas and Fiametta, two wolves, two friends. He could forget about his sordid past and the difficulties that had come with it. He could let go of any preconceived notions of who he was supposed to be or how he was supposed to behave and act. Nothing else mattered because there was nothing and no one else here. Fia had never held any grand suppositions of him nor did he feel the pressure to be someone on her behalf. Being with her was liberating as much as it was thrilling. He doubted she would ever know just how much she had done for him already.

Stolas was far too captivated by the beauty of the midnight scene to pay much attention when Fia shifted to sit upright at his side. He did, however, notice when she tugged at him for his attention. Graphite gray eyes blinked to snap him back to the moment, and the taller brute turned his head to face his friend just in time for her to bring her muzzle up to meet his. Stolas' heart skipped a beat the moment their mouths connected in that gentle kiss, a bolt of electricity surging through his every nerve and making his fur stand on end like he'd just been electrocuted. Gray eyes went wide with surprise and he drew in a sharp inhale of breath. His heart flipped with joy, but his mind was screaming in panic. This was exactly how things had gone with Widow just before she had disappeared from his life. The anxiety in him grew, those festering feelings of inadequacy and guilt clawing their way out of the darkest pit of his soul, threatening to unravel him.

But Fia, just like a flame in the darkness that was emblazoned on her fur, chased those dark clouds from his brain and immolated him with a rush of emotion. This is what happened before. It's happening again. She's going to leave you. You're going to lose her. The panicked thoughts ran rampant through his head, but he paid them no attention. She won't leave me. Fia is different. Fia is special. She cares about me more. His heart shouted down the worry in his head threatening to give him a panic attack and allowed the brute to give himself over to what he knew he truly wanted. Gray eyed slowly disappeared behind dark lids as he leaned closer and pressed his lips to Fiametta's wholeheartedly, the tension in his body gradually seeping away the longer their kiss lasted beneath the twinkling stars. And just like that, their whole dynamic had shifted, evolving into something more beautiful and burning brighter than anything he could have dared to dream of.

"Fiametta & Stolas"