The warm water had only just began to soothe Blue's tired, aching muscles before Eivind entered after him, immediately positioning himself against his lover and running his rough hands along Blue's lean body. Blue smiled as Eivind caressed him, finding a sweet, almost narcissistic pleasure in the way Eivind seemed to follow him wherever he went like a loyal, adoring dog. Once, Blue had worried Eivind would never leave him, never give him a solitary moment to himself to think or breathe, but now he found he rather enjoyed Eivind's penchant for shadowing him. Briefly, he wondered if this was a common trait among wolves, to want to be around their mates as often as possible, or if this was a trait unique to his own irascible partner. Blue had no real information to go on, Sieger and Synnove being the only other mated pair he was aware of, but it didn't matter much to him either way. Whether Eivind was true to his kind or merely a needy lover, Blue didn't care. He liked having Eivind close.<br/><br/>Sighs drifted from Blue's mouth as he allowed his mate to move his body how he pleased. Blue had already made it clear he wasn't ready for sex, but Eivind seemed to have other ideas. He grunted as Eivind positioned him, using the edges of the shower to prop him up while the wolf explored the space between Blue's spread legs with his tongue. "Oh, fuck..." Blue moaned, tilting his head back against the wall as the wolf's tongue licked at his sore, clenching orifice. He closed his eyes and began inhaling deeply as Eivind dragged his tongue between Blue's ass cheeks, giving his hole careful attention. His lover covered his entrance with warm saliva before moving upwards, following the seam of Blue's scrotum with the tip of his tongue. Blue grasped at Eivind's wet hair as the wolf lavished attention on his hardened cock, not minding when they changed positions so Blue could rest more comfortably while Eivind touched, licked, and sucked. It didn't take long for Blue to whine as his orgasm overtook him, leaving him trembling as he released himself into Eivind's open mouth.<br/><br/>Even when Blue was finished with his climax, his cock quickly returning to its flaccid state, Eivind continued to rain attention down onto his thin frame. Touching, kissing, showering Blue with physical displays of affection seemed to be not just a preference for Eivind, but a necessity. The wolf grew irritable when he couldn't have his hands on his mate, and Blue soaked up the wolf's devotion like a dry sponge. He returned the favor, carefully washing every nook, cranny, and dark space of Eivind's attractive body, finding a deep satisfaction in running his hands up his mate's firm ass, muscular and tense from years upon years of running and hard physical labor. He hadn't been misleading Eivind when he said he was happy to remain in the receiving position during sex, but he was still curious about what it was like to penetrate another man.<br/><br/>When the two males had finished bathing one another and washing their shaggy locks of hair, Eivind pulled him close, stroking Blue's protruding ribs as he spoke. "I'll see Dr. Song again, don't worry." He was eager to set his mate's worried mind at ease. The wolf always seemed concerned about Blue's health, as if the thoughts never ventured too far away from the forefront of Eivind's mind, and with good reason. The boy had been yo-yoing himself between life and death since the moment they had met. But he was doing better now, and he wanted Eivind to feel confident that Blue was no longer a fragile China doll in need of a glass case for protection. He wrapped his arms around Eivind's shoulders and kissed him on the mouth, savoring the minty flavor that now lingered on the older male's tongue. "No, I'm fine, Vin. Really." And he meant it. Eivind probably would have been able to tell if Blue was lying, anyway.<br/><br/>The conversation rolled into more serious topics as the two began drying themselves off. It wasn't exactly a conversation Blue wanted to be having at that moment, but avoiding it wouldn't do either of them any good. Blue was already painfully aware they couldn't live in the hotel forever, and even if Blue didn't want to think about it, their lives were a complete mess. Being taken by Lofgren had tossed Blue's existence into flux, and Eivind was fucked the moment he found Blue. His parents were never going to come around and take them seriously if they didn't do something to show they could handle their lives together.<br/><br/>"I suppose you're right," Blue sighed, tying his towel around his slim waist. "As far as school is concerned, I'm completely fucked for this semester. Too much time has passed, there is no way I can make up all of the work I missed. The most I can hope for is trying to get incompletes so I can take the classes again, like this semester never happened. I'll have to talk to a counselor, probably. Assuming they don't kick me out, we won't have to worry about classes and paying for my tuition until the fall. Unless you want me to take summer classes, which I'd be okay with, too. But if I take summer classes, it means we need to find someplace to live very quickly. I can commute from the cabin to school if I have to, but my car's old and I don't know if it could handle daily drives like that. And I can't take your truck since you'll be needing it for work, right?"<br/><br/>Blue was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, talking to Eivind's reflection as he combed through his wet, freshly washed locks. His body tensed slightly when Eivind mentioned the pack, but he cleared his throat and continued his grooming, steadying his voice as he replied. "I don't want you to go back by yourself," he said simply. "You go back without me, they're going to think you abandoned me, or I abandoned you. I refuse to let them make up reasons to think even less of you than they already do. If you're going to go back, then I want to go back with you. I don't want to be separated from you. Besides, I think they should see how good we look now, don't you? They'll see we're perfectly capable of taking care of one another." Blue grinned despite himself, finding a strange irony in his words. It almost sounded as if Blue were talking about his parents rather than Eivind's pack, and in that moment he realized their struggles with both sides weren't all that different. It seemed everyone didn't think it was right for Blue and Eivind to be together, save for a few open-minded individuals. But Blue knew that everyone who disapproved of their relationship was wrong, and they would prove it to them. Somehow.<br/><br/>"They're never going to respect me, Vin," Blue said definitively, setting down his comb and turning back to his lover. "I'm human. They think I'm a joke, and that you being with me is an even bigger joke." He shrugged his shoulders and after sifting through the various toiletries they had purchased he applied some extremely mild deodorant. Eivind didn't like anything with strong, artificial scents, and had made it clear he much preferred Blue's natural odor. They had compromised on something that would keep the unpleasant stench of perspiration down while not overwhelming Blue's unique scent.<br/><br/>"You can't force them into treating me like a real wolf, even if we are 'properly' mated now. No matter how many times we fuck, or how infused I am with your scent, I'm still just a human. I'm still nothing."