"Let's start with the easiest thing first," Damon started, a little uneasy and only then realizing that he was so flustered because Jun's scent was literally everywhere. Damon had been able to ignore it while Jun was all distraught and eager to apologize, but now it felt like it was coating his skin. Tingeing his hair. When he finally went to sleep after all this, it would seep into his pillow, and he would smell it up to the next time he changed his sheets. He wasn't sure he'd be able to part with it, basic hygiene be damned.

"You've heard of the gala the pack leaders hold to honor the start of the Season every year, right?"

Jun blinked slowly, like a lazy cat, clearly more interested in staring at Damon's collarbone, which was peeking out from the worn neckline of his sleep shirt that he hadn't bothered to change before coming out. Damon wasn't quite sure why that was interesting to Jun. Maybe because it was the only uncovered part of Damon's body. Nevertheless, Jun nodded in answer to Damon's question.

"Well, I've been invited this year because my parents are friends with the pack leaders. I would take you, but only preheat alphas are allowed. I'll only be stopping in for a minute, I just thought I would let you know," Damon explained, casually leaving out any mention of Malachi. Something about the fragile light in Jun's eyes made him hesitate. Now wasn't the time to have that particular conversation. Even though a Jun in his right mind would know Malachi wasn't a concern – legally and emotionally – a Jun in heat might not take it as well.

Jun nodded again, barely reacting. Damon doubted Jun would have cared much about the gala itself even if he weren't in heat. He would have only wanted to go to accompany Damon. It's not like the gala was a rowdy, all-night drinking and dancing type of party. It was a mingling party, not a fun party. In heat Jun couldn't be paid to care about it when Damon's collar bone was right there to stare at without blinking, apparently.

Well, that was one conversation topic out of the way.

The next one was harder. To ask about Jun's past or not to ask. That was the million-dollar question. He had a couple big questions to ask: Jun, are you the future Alpha of the Venus pack? And, Jun, remember when you issued our courting claim out of nowhere? What was that about? Did you happen to know about me before we actually met? No judgement, I just want to know why you're being so weird.

Damon had a feeling asking that directly would not go over well, for in heat Jun or out of heat Jun.

Maybe he could ask in a roundabout way?

Maybe he could. But just looking at Jun now... it probably wasn't the best idea. Jun was having exactly one thought right now and it was 'whoa, Damon's fucking collar bone is showing' as if Damon wasn't just completely naked in front of him in the forest a few hours ago. Seriously, what was up with that?

Experimentally, Damon waved his hand lightly in front of Jun's sightline, to see if maybe Jun was sleeping with his eyes open. Damon had never been around Jun when he was asleep. This would be a weird time to find out about something like that.

But Jun blinked when Damon did it and finally looked back at Damon, somewhat dazed.

"Sorry," Jun said. He didn't sound sorry, unlike earlier. Damon narrowed his eyes. This man was inscrutable sometimes. Seeing the question in Damon's face, Jun reached over and placed two fingers of one hand against a spot right under Damon's left collarbone. He stroked the area a few times, and Damon was only more confused - until Jun pressed lightly and Damon felt the ache of a forming bruise.

Ah. How could Damon forget that Jun had been chomping all over him earlier. Of course it would have bruised by now. Damon swallowed tightly, unsure why that felt so intimate all of a sudden. Unsure why something buried deep inside him suddenly came to life and begged Jun to press harder.

Moving on.

Now that he had Jun's attention, Damon could go into his last concern. "Jun," he began, "don't say yes or no to what I'm about to ask right away. I don't want your heat to make the choice for you."

Jun was now completely focused in on what Damon was saying, curiosity overcoming the heat-brain daze. He tilted his head in acquiescence.

Okay. Don't chicken out, Damon told himself. You've weighed the pros and cons. It's fine.

Well, he had weighed the pros and cons. But now, with Jun's physical presence next to him, his scent, his body heat – it was finally hitting Damon that he was about to offer to sleep with Jun for the next month and a half. Not that he wasn't attracted enough to Jun to want to – he very much was, and he did want to.

But thinking about the actual realities of what he was offering made him think of the fact that the last time he had sex was four years ago. It was only the once, and Damon had exactly zero experience beyond it.

What if he and Jun weren't sexually compatible? Whether Jun loved him or not, that was bound to put a strain on the relationship. Maybe for a human couple it wouldn't be a big deal. But wolves, ironically, tended to fuck like rabbits, and with one of the partners being an alpha – or omega, in other packs – heats were unavoidable. Not being able to spend those periods with the one you loved was worse than spending them alone.

These insecurities...could definitely be partially blamed on Malachi. Even now, his words echoed in Damon's head whenever he thought about sex with Jun.

'Even if he knows how to fuck he probably can't give it to you the way you need.'

It's not that Damon was really concerned with Jun's prowess or lack thereof in bed. He would accept anything Jun saw fit to give. But Damon was scared. What if there was actually a part of him that did need it rough – and what if that part of Damon was disappointed when he didn't get it that way?

Communication is key, of course. He was reasonably certain he could tell Jun what he wanted. But what if that's not what Jun wanted? Jun, through no fault of his own, was the kind of person that everyone assumed would be a gentle lover. That's why Malachi said that in the first place. That's why Jun had so many suitors. Because Jun was gentle and sweet, and he was so purely Jun all the way through.

Still. Damon ignored that worried voice in the back of his mind. In the end, for Jun he would try anything once. No harm in helping Jun during a rough time.

"I wanted to offer," Damon continued, "to spend your heat with you. I know we haven't really gotten to that point in our relationship yet, but I know it's really... tough on most alphas, so if I can help – "

Damon had to stop there, because the minute Damon said 'spend your heat with you' Jun was nodding enthusiastically like a little kid saying yes to a candy bar at the checkout counter in the grocery store. Yes, please, give it to me now – that's the message Damon was getting. If Jun's sudden dive into Damon's personal space was any indication.

Then Jun was rubbing his face on Damon's hair again, as if Jun's heat pheromones weren't potent enough to soak him through all on their own. "Yes," Jun said hoarsely, even though Damon expressly told him not to agree or disagree yet.

Well. Jun's heat brain said it was time for more scent marking. Damon would talk about the logistics when he was done.