The Bird on the Ground (M/M Romance) Monster Island: Book 2

Chapter 6 - Rainy Days

I was lounging on my couch. It was a rainy day, so I settled in with a mug of tea beside me and a handheld video game. The windows were tightly shuttered, but the air was still damp. With the smell of rain in the air, I didn't notice Yoryn's return. Unlike Sacha, he never landed with a heavy thump. He either climbed up the ladder or landed so softly that his touchdown was barely audible.

He burst through the door to escape the rain, and I was startled so badly that my console went flying. It landed with a clatter on the ground as Yoryn quickly shut the door behind him. He was soaked to the bone. Harpies had a sixth sense for the weather. I had known by the taste of the air that rain would come today. I guess dragons didn't have the same gifts. I picked up my game, its bright fantasy music still ringing through the speaker. The console was still intact, thankfully, so I paused and saved before turning it off.

"I take it the rain is putting a pause on your workday?" I put the kettle on, prepping another cup of tea. Yoryn grunted. It sounded like a noise of affirmation.

He wordlessly started removing his wet shirt, peeling the fabric off and tossing it in the hamper in the corner. His bare chest had a dusting of hair and well-defined pecs, and he had a soft-looking stomach I wanted to run my hands over. Rivulets of water streamed down his torso, disappearing at the edge of his soaked jeans. I swallowed around a sudden lump in my throat. Something warm and giddy stirred in my gut. The urge to run my tongue along his skin made me flush, and I busied myself with pouring the now hot water over a bag of earl gray tea. The smell of bergamot calmed me, and I figured the light touch of caffeine would do him some good.

"Honey?" I asked, holding up the mug and a bottle of bear-shaped honey.

He startled, finally turning to look at me. His eyes were wide. He blinked a few times, saying nothing. Dribbles of water streaked down his strong jaw.

"Are you okay?" I asked. Maybe he didn't hear me. "Do you want honey with your tea?"

He blinked again, his eyes finally seeming to register the items in my hand. He nodded wordlessly before he found his voice. "Yes, um, yeah. Thank you."

Handing him the steaming mug, I motioned to the door and what lay beyond. "Pretty nasty, isn't it?"

He sighed and took a sip from the mug. It was astonishing to see the heat not bother him, but I guess if you can breathe fire then hot water probably doesn't do much to your tongue. "Put us behind," he finally said, voice tired. "We were putting up some wards. We always draw them in chalk or spray chalk first before we put down the permanent markings, and the rain just came and—" He wiped empty air with his hand "—washed everything away."

"I'm sorry," I said, a frown working its way onto my face. "It must be hard to have so much progress just...disappear like that."

Yoryn shrugged, studying the shiny surface of his tea. "It happens sometimes. Wasn't the first, won't be the last, but yeah, it's frustrating."

"How's the town coming along anyway?" I plopped myself back down on the couch.

He set his mug down before disappearing behind a changing screen. It was plain and cream-colored with a small simple pattern of leaves on it. Originally, it was in my bedroom, but since that has a door, I moved it out here so he'd have a space to change clothes without me seeing. I could hear the shift and plop of wet clothing falling to the floor.

"It's looking good," Yoryn said. "Library's just about finished. We've got most of the physical items in a storage unit. We'll shelve them once the building's done and the shelves are installed. There's a diner that's basically finished. We've still got to set up import schedules with a few different witch supply companies. They'll teleport or portal regular supplies to the island, so the food will be pretty fresh. There's also a grocery store, a liquor store, and a tailor too."