Elven Love (SAA Book 1) ✔

Part Twenty

Oren simply snorted, stifling a grin as a hand pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Are you serious..?' he thought playfully. He inhaled slowly, eliciting a confused reaction from the human he embraced tightly.

"I'm the one that confessed first here. If you already know my answer, then what did I confess for? A cookie?"

At this, Clayton snickered and reburied his nose into the scent of Oren. He smelled oddly of grass and rain water. Even then he didn't mind. Over their chatter and soft giggling, the rain decided to die down and the dismal clouds soon cleared from the pale sky. Oren smiled, and slowly wiggled out of their iron hug.

   "We should get inside. It's cold out here." Clayton told the other, to which he happily agreed as he gripped the blond's jacket tighter than before. The elf guided him out of the small nest, slipping down multiple branches as he climbed down from the towering heighth at which they sat.

   Shyly, the elf reached over to squeeze the taller boy's hand tightly. Their fingers interlaced, and soon their gazes did too. "Are we official..?" he asked after a few beats of silence. They began walking back to the house when Clayton nodded.

    "Official official? Or just official?" Clayton teased, squeezing Oren's hand tightly.

"It feels nice to be with someone you like. You can expect their warmth every day and they'll have your back no matter what." Clayton responded as they ambled back to the porch. The elf squeezed the other's hand as they entered the house, clothes still covered in rain water as it dripped onto the carpeted floor. Clayton turned to Oren, eyes rolling over his cold, soaked body.

    Clayton briefly disconnected their hands as he fumbled with the drenched jacket, occupied by Oren. Gently stripping the clothing off, he tossed it to the side and continued. The elf gave him an embarrassed look as the human reached for his shirt. "Relax, I'm only taking these off so I can wash them. You can handle your pants if you want." Clayton grasped the damp cloth and pulled it over the elf's head, careful to avoid his flushed ears.

   Oren let out a patch of breath and timidly shrunk back from the cold biting at his skin. Clayton gathered the wet clothing and, much to his dismay, he wanted to not only admire, but touch the elf's flat chest and coquettish, pink nipples. "I'm cold." he uttered, eyes now downcast as his lean body shook with a flush to it.

   "I know. Let's get you upstairs and warm you up."

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Sighing contently, Oren curled in on himself as he hugged Clayton's worn black Cross Country hoodie to his chest. The hoodie was outrageously baggy, but luckily the swells came to a tight cuff at his wrists and waist. He wore thick sweatpants, of which the pantlegs were slightly longer than his own legs. Clayton was downstairs washing his clothes, including his boxer briefs that the rain somehow bled into.

Now that he was alone, it was easier to think without a pulse that ran a million miles an hour. Now they were dating, and Oren felt as if he could explode with happiness. His toes curled and heart leaped from the simple thought of them being closer than ever before.

It was almost ten at night, and they had school tomorrow. He wasn't ready for another week of school, considering the students weren't used to him and they acted like brats. He pulled at a white strand of hair on his head, eyes trailing down to the light green tinge that colored the tip of his hair. Just thinking about their words made the elf feel self-conscious.

  Then, the door opened with a creak and Clayton popped in as he rubbed his palms together. "Hey," he began with a smile. Then he saw Oren's down expression. It didn't fit him. "What's wrong?" he asked immediately, a concerned look tugging at his face. Oren looked over to the blond and sighed softly.

"I feel like a freak." said the boy, looking away with caved white eyebrows.

 Clayton dithered, eyes growing wide as he froze. He wasn't exactly sure where that came from, or what Oren was thinking of when he was gone. The blond quickly approached, kneeling on the bed as he crawled over to Oren. He didn't bother closing the door, since his main priority switched to Oren instantly.

 "Why do you say that?" Clayton inquired, resting a reassuring hand on the elf's shoulder. With an upward glance, Oren turned and dug his face into the human's neck, hands wrapping around his shoulders and squeezing tightly. The boy inhaled through his mouth, lips parting to brush the skin of Clayton's neck.

  The human shivered. "Oren, w-what's the matter?" he repeated as he brought his hands to the elf's shoulder blades. They were tight and locked, gradually relaxing in his hold.

   "I was thinking about school- and.. The things people said to me kinda made me think more about my hair color and weird ears... I mean, people have blonde, brown and black hair, and sometimes orange-ish red. Nobody's ever seen a natural white-haired person before, especially one with faint green tinges and pointed ears." Oren explained. Clayton, as if entranced, began to play with the boy's snowy hair as he spoke.

    Clayton remarked, "Hey, to me your hair is awesome. It's like snow, or fluffy white clouds. Or, maybe even whip cream. It can mean a lot of things," he paused to smirk at nothing., "and, to be honest, white hair is kinda sexy. Especially yours." He felt the elf tense at that as a patch of hot breath met the side of his neck. He trembled again, balled-up hands squeezing Oren's shirt.

    "Ears? The green on my hair and face? How can you explain that? It's disgusting."

   Clayton had more where that pampering came from. "Your ears are sensitive, which is cute. And they move a lot to show your emotions. It's really useful if you think of it. Let's also think of how that green on your face appears when you're embarrassed or flustered." he gasped in realization. "It's like the elf-version of blushing. You know, when people blush their face gets all red and they look like they're about to explode."

    The elf chortled at that and shook his head with a smile. "Then what about my hair? The green tips." At this point, his self-loath was washed away and a light, fluttery feeling took its place. Oren's mood brightened at the praise, which was something worth considering.

    "It gives a sense of life to your hair. Also some color and contrast; hue too. It's a symbol for your connection with nature. With the plants and creepy crawly vines." he replied with his own smile. Oren pulled back from the hug and gave Clayton a grin, feeling the burning heat spread from his cheeks to his neck and ears.

    "Oh my God.. Like just now. Your face and ears are green, but your shoulders and elbows turn a rosy red," Oren shot forward and pressed his kindled face to Clayton's thundering chest. The human was laughing. "and your smile is so fucking cute, you know." Clayton continued to laugh until his lungs ceased.

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Thanks for reading Part Twenty!

Some fluff before the angst haha I'm an awful person