Chapter 6
Turned out all those romance books and movies were on to something. It was really nice snuggling with a handsome man while you slept. North gave it two thumbs up, ten out of ten, would totally recommend.
His lips were a little tender this morning after the many, many kisses he’d exchanged with Warin the night before, and that was lovely in its own right, that little physical reminder. It was all he could do to keep from touching his lips with his fingertips, wanting that tingle to never disappear.
Kissing Warin had been like a dream. Not at all like the one fumbled make-out session he’d done back as a freshman in high school. It had been so much better, as Warin was a man who knew what he was about and completely confident in his approach.
Just remembering it gave North a shiver.
He had no idea how he’d get a repeat of that, but judging from the heated looks Warin was giving him this morning, Warin was game for it.
North was pretty sure from those looks that Warin was interested in kissing more than his lips, and North was so game to try that too.
They got off the train before the sun rose, found a coffee shop, and got coffee and breakfast there.
European countries, for the most part, didn’t seem to really believe in lots of sugary stuff for breakfast. North was learning this with each country, as they offered breakfast sandwiches or porridge but rarely things like pastries.
Germany seemed to believe in thin pancakes, at least, so North ordered Speckpfannkuchen, which Warin reliably told him meant pancakes with bacon.
And who didn’t like pancakes and bacon? Not this boy.
The café was cute, a trendy little place with small round tables and friendly wait staff.
They seemed to take the morning rush in stride, and North sat in a corner table with his two dragon companions, enjoying the atmosphere.
It was so different in Germany compared to the U.S.
in some ways, and yet in many others, it wasn’t.
People still needed their cup of Joe before hurrying off to work, just like everywhere else in the world. It was nice.
Really fucking cold, but still, nice people.
“I think we need to split up a bit, ja?” Warin suggested to Gunter. “Why don’t you figure out how to get us from here to Sonthofen? I think renting a car might be best.”
Gunter nodded around a mouthful of food. “I figured as much since you mentioned wanting to taking North shopping for more winter-appropriate clothes.”
Warin gave North an affectionate smile tinged with worry. “He’s shivering almost constantly. The coat he has on isn’t sufficient for our climate.”
North smiled a little sheepishly back at him. “And here I thought I was hiding my chill so well from you.”
“You’ve got a death grip on that coffee mug, Schatz,” Warin pointed out with amusement.
“Warmth is friend,” North explained gravely. “Warmth is good.”
Perfectly serious, Gunter threw in, “Get him gloves, scarf, and a hat, too.”
Warin nodded back, equally serious. “Ja, gut. Come, Schatz, we’re going shopping. Munich is one of my favorite towns to shop in.”
Breakfast done, they all more or less stood at the same time, leaving the café.
Outside on the sidewalk, Warin caught North’s hands in both of his and breathed onto them.
It was a sweet gesture from a human, but from a dragon, it actually did warm him right down to his toes for a moment.
North basked in the flood of warmth, eyes falling to half-mast. “You’re more effective than a pocket warmer. ”
Chuckling, Warin placed one of North’s hands into his pocket and drew him along. North happily held hands with him, burrowing his free hand into the lonely pocket on his other side.
North matched his stride, sneaking peeks up at Warin’s profile.
It was a very nice profile with that aquiline nose and high cheeks.
He wanted to say so much to this man, but the words all tangled in his throat and he didn’t know how to voice them.
How do you say, Thank you for thinking so much of me?
Or You’re incredibly sexy and I want to kiss you more, but I don’t want to come off as too eager and scare you away.
He’d never had a boyfriend. He’d never had that experience of being in a relationship.
North didn’t really know how to approach this.
He just knew he wanted things, that his heart demanded things, and Warin was the source of it all.
And really, who could resist Warin? Aside from his general sexiness, he was thoughtful, patient, kind, and kissed like sin.
Were all dragons as caring as this one, or had North lucked out in having Warin’s scale as a family heirloom?
“Here, this should be good.” Warin led them into what seemed to be a clothing boutique, specializing in winter gear.
The door gave a soft chime as they walked through, the employees smiling in greeting, but Warin ignored them.
He ignored all of the many brown, grey, and black coats hanging on the racks as well.
He went straight for a rack of red coats and only then released North’s hand to rifle through it.
“What size are you? Oh, right, American sizes work different. Hmm, this one might be the right fit. Let’s try it. ”
North stared at the coat in bewildered amazement.
Never in his life had someone done that, offered him a coat of this bright shade.
He was a touch slow in taking off his own jacket, hanging it on the edge of a rack to free up his arms. Warin helped put the coat on him, shrugging it up and into place.
It was an incredibly nice coat, a thick wool dyed fire engine red with black buttons and a hint of fur around the hood.
He looked it over and felt tears burn his eyes.
It was beautiful and no one else in his family, not even Gramps, would have thought to choose this for him.
“Oh.” Warin shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “You don’t like it? Would you like another color? Maybe green or blue. I thought with your coloring…”
“You handed me a red coat,” North replied, trying to find the words to explain his own reaction and not come off like a crazy person. “You’re…the first ever to hand me something colorful. Every other person in my life, they want to buy me black or denim or camouflage.”
Warin stared at him in confusion, thick brows beetling together. “But you like color.”
This man had known him not even twenty-four hours, and already he saw North so much more clearly than people who had known him for decades. Who had watched him grow up. How insane was that?
“I love color. It’s just that I’ve always had to fight for that, the color in my wardrobe.
And it became this huge sore point with my family.
They think color as being too gay, and that anything bright on a man isn’t right.
They’re constantly trying to tone me down.
I’m just really happy that you…God, I’m not making sense. ”
“Is that why you didn’t put on your colors today?” Warin asked carefully. As he spoke, he tenderly brushed the tip of his finger just above North’s left eye and then across his cheekbone, places he’d applied make-up the previous day.
“Oh. Yeah. I didn’t want to take up a lot of time this morning when we arrived in town, and then I thought, maybe, you might not want to be seen with a man wearing make-up. Most people aren’t comforta—”
Warin ducked in and kissed North sweetly, lips lingering. North sighed into it, loving this too. That Warin would kiss him in public without thinking twice about it. God, was this man real? North couldn’t possibly have dreamed him up, could he?
Warin pulled back, touching their foreheads together, and murmured, “I think you are beautiful with and without it, but you will wear it because it puts a sparkle of happiness in your eyes. I will also buy you every colorful thing that catches your fancy, ja?”
North had to kiss him again for that. It was official.
Warin was the best ever, and North would latch onto him like a barnacle.
The dragon saw him—really saw him!—for who he was, and accepted it.
The feeling simply floored him and left unshed tears burning in his eyes. “I’m really holding you to that.”
“Ja, do. Just maybe not this exact coat, it’s a bit too big. Let’s go one size smaller.”
He had to admit, Warin had a point there. “It does sort of feel like the coat is eating me.”
Warin laughed outright at that. “It looks it, too. Alright, not this one. Here, swap, try this.”
He swapped, found this coat fit much better, and smiled. “I love it.”
“Good. Hat and gloves next.”
They went through several gloves, mostly because the majority were black, but eventually he found a white pair with a plaid interior he liked.
The hats were also mostly boring shades, but the black hat he landed on looked very good with the coat, and North was happy with the overall ensemble.
Warin bought it all for him, they took off tags, and North wore it all out of the store.
Which was a very redneck thing to do, but practical.
Warin stopped again on the sidewalk and looked at him in that shrewd, weighing way. “So far, I’ve only seen you with a backpack. Is that all the clothes you brought with you?”
“Uh…yes? I wanted to travel light and not be constantly stuck in customs.”
“So, you don’t really have adequate winter clothes, either.”
North saw where this was going. He was a-okay with it too. He wrapped an arm around Warin’s waist and snuggled in, grinning up at him with puckish glee. “Awww, sugar bear, are you really taking me shopping right now?”
“You’ll freeze at the castle otherwise.” Warin dropped a kiss on his mouth before drawing him further up the street. “I think there’s a men’s clothing store up here.”
“But the expense?”
Warin made a dismissive, grumbly noise in the back of his throat. “Do not worry about that. The only thing that matters is your comfort.”