Page 26
Levi
It'd been three weeks since the party, and we were finally settling into the whole 'living together' thing, though a lot of Finn's stuff was still in boxes since we'd both been busy with work, family, and spending time together.
There had been a few stumbling blocks, like the time I'd commented on all the keepsakes Finn had and he'd gotten defensive over them.
It had taken me a while to realize why, to understand that even after all these years, having things was a novelty to him.
The things from their childhood with Raphael and Jai were reminders that it wasn't all bad, and once I figured that out, I'd bought a few picture frames and put up some of the drawings his siblings had made for him.
When he'd come home that evening from a visit to Neel, his best friend, he'd taken one look at the pictures on the wall and given me a blowjob right there against the same wall while Greta raced out of the room to avoid the sight .
We'd ended up in the closet nook a few times, mostly in the first week while Finn settled in, and while waking up in the cramped place wasn't fun, I much preferred it to the nights where Finn's nightmares kept him up all the damned night.
I wished there was more I could do to help him than holding him and making him tea, but there wasn't. He was still seeing his therapist, and that seemed to be helping as well.
Today, I had plans for us. I'd been working on something over the last three weeks, ever since I got permission from Raiden and Rebba at the party.
I was pretty sure Finn had no idea about it.
Even Caleb had helped by letting me work an hour less so I could work on this side-project without Finn finding out.
I'd told his dads, mostly because the gossip grapevine wasn't to be trusted, and I didn't want them to think something crazy like that I was cheating on Finn.
I'd told Finn we were going on a date today, and after a hearty breakfast, we got changed between kisses, and I had to fight to not get distracted by Finn's smooth skin and flushed cheeks.
Greta was disappointed when I told her she couldn't come, but I had no idea how the day would go, and I didn't want to risk putting her in danger. She finally relented, but she watched us leave from the window, and Finn almost went back to get her because he couldn't deal with the sad eyes.
"She'll be fine. She's just trying to manipulate you into taking her," I said as I started the car, while Finn's eyes stayed on Greta .
"Well, you better drive fast because it’s working," he grumbled, making me chuckle.
Still, I backed out of the driveway before he could be tempted, and started driving. It didn't take Finn long to realize where I was going, and he shot me a curious look.
"The packland? I thought we were going on a date."
"We are," I assured him, which didn't resolve his confusion one bit.
I'd texted Noel that we were coming, and he had the gates open for us. I drove right in, and he closed the gates behind us before following us to the parking area.
"Hey, Noel!" Finn greeted as we got out of the car, and Noel grinned at us.
"Hey, guys. Good to see you again. Finn, I made a new blanket I think you'll like. Come by my cabin afterward if you want to check it out."
"Would I ever say no?" Finn asked, making Noel laugh.
Noel's eyes slid to me, and he jerked a thumb toward the back, where it was mostly just woods...and my surprise. "Rhi's got everything set up, so you shouldn't have any problems. But if you do, call her or me, and we'll be there."
"Thanks, Noel. For everything," I said as Finn glanced between us, his brows furrowing.
Noel waved me off. "You're family. Go have fun, both of you."
I took Finn's hand in mine, and started leading him down the trail that led to the woods .
"What's going on? Does everyone know but me?"
"Only the people who helped me set it up. And your dads," I added, making him roll his eyes.
"Why am I not surprised? Have you heard of this thing called 'oversharing?'"
I snorted, then shot him a sideways glance. "Well, your dad tried to give me sex advice. Is that oversharing?"
Finn groaned, and I laughed, swinging our hands between us. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about this, but I hadn't been able to stop thinking about it ever since Finn told me he didn't shift often.
I didn't have a second form, but I'd gotten to know a lot of people who did, and they all said the same thing: shifting forms was important to them, for their physical and mental health.
Maybe the reason Finn's basilisk side was so separate from him in his mind was because he hadn't spent enough time in that form.
I knew there was more to his reluctance to shift than the lack of safe places to shift in, but I was hoping this would help, or at least lead me to those other reasons so I could figure out how to help with them.
I'd done my best to make this space safe for Finn and everyone else, and I hoped it would make him feel secure enough to shift.
"We're here," I said, stopping at the tree I'd been using as a marker.
Finn glanced around, his lips pursed thoughtfully as he tried to figure out what exactly we were here to do .
"I'm confused," he admitted, and I turned to face him, pulling him closer by his hips.
"Do you trust me?" I asked, and he blinked.
"Of course."
I nodded, then pressed my palm against the tree. In the middle of its large trunk, a portal opened up. I'd helped Rhiannon anchor it to the tree so I could activate it without her presence, and mixing our magics had been a lot of fun. I might look into doing that more later.
"What the..." Finn trailed off as the portal grew large enough for us to fit through if we were crawling, like climbing into a ventilation shaft.
"Come on," I said, then climbed through the portal first, landing on my feet since I knew what was on the other side, and had a few weeks of practice.
Finn didn't hesitate to follow me, but since he had no idea what was on the other side, he landed right on top of me. I caught him as we fell, and made the ground 'catch us' before we fell to avoid either of us getting hurt.
Finn stood up, then offered me a hand, levering me up. Dusting off his pants, he glanced around.
We were underground, far enough below the surface that the tunnels I'd created by convincing the earth to make space wouldn't cause any structural damages or cause harm to any trees aboveground.
It had taken me a few days to get the depth right, and after that, I'd spent every day convincing the land to make these tunnels .
"Levi, what is this?" Finn asked, though his voice told me he had an inkling.
"You told me you didn't have any safe space to shift, so I made you one."
Finn shook his head, his eyes scanning the tunnel we were in. It went straight as far as we could see, but after that it turned and split into a few tunnels that all looped and joined each other until it was an infinite race course that started and ended where we stood.
"How big is it?"
"I wasn't sure how long you were, so I made it a couple of miles long, but it loops around, so it can be as long as you want it to be."
"When did you even make this?" he demanded, and I told him how I'd gotten permission from Raiden and then gotten off early every day since to work on it.
"This is..." Finn shook his head, clearly lost for words.
"Come on, shift. We can stay here for as long as you want."
"I don't know how well I can control that side of me. What if I hurt you?"
I pointed at the portal, already having thought of that. Not that he might hurt me, but that he might worry about doing it.
"You won't fit through the portal in your other form. If you try to come after me, I'll just slip through and wait for you to calm down. "
Finn nodded slowly, clearly liking this plan, then took a deep breath.
"Stay here."
I watched as he walked almost all the way to the split in the tunnel, then closed his eyes.
His form flickered, and then a wonderfully large basilisk was in his place.
Like dragons, he could shift without shredding his clothes.
I wouldn't have minded if he had, though.
A naked Finn ranked in my top five Finns, after all.
He looked like basilisks did in books, and yet not.
He was a larger snake, his skin a pale gray like a lizard's, and his eyes that familiar yellow and like a snake's.
But he also had shiny, gold horns that stuck out of his forehead and curved backward, and big, floppy-looking ears, kinda like an elephant's.
His nostrils were wide as he stared at me, his head arched above the rest of his body to peer back at me since he'd been facing toward the rest of the tunnel.
He had to be at least a hundred feet long, which explained why he couldn't shift just anywhere.
He was wider than I'd thought he would be, and it didn't look like he'd be able to turn around. He made a soft roar that seemed to rumble throughout the tunnels, then slithered off.
I sat down on the ground and crossed my legs as I waited for him to return, checking on him through my connection to the land.
It told me the places he passed from, and I knew it before he looped around and reached this tunnel again, though I was surprised by how quick he'd been. He was fast, despite his large size .
He slowed down as he came into the tunnel, and I was glad I'd added a loop from the starting point as well, or he would've had to shift back simply to turn around.
Finn stopped inches away from my face, his nostrils flared as he puffed warm breath onto my face, and I smiled up at him. If he'd expected me to be afraid of him, he was going to be disappointed.
Reaching up, I cupped his rough jaw, then ran my palm over his face. "You're magnificent," I murmured, and he snorted, his yellow eyes blinking slowly.
I reached up to touch his ear, grinning when the skin turned out to be as soft and smooth as it'd looked.
I wondered if their purpose was the same as an elephant's ears.
He must generate quite a lot of heat moving that fast in a body that big, so it would make sense if the ears were shaped like this to stop him from getting overheated.
Finn made a rumbling sound, then rubbed his head against my chest like a cat and almost bowled me over. I caught myself with one hand and laughed, making him pull back.
Even though his face wasn't exactly expressive like this, I could tell he was worried he'd hurt me, so I dusted myself off and stood up—and he was still taller than me, damn it—to show him I was okay.
"I'm all good, Finn. Do you want to explore a little longer?"
Finn snorted, then moved toward the curve in the tunnel, quickly disappearing down it. Wow, he really was magnificent .
I sat back down, glad he seemed to like my gift.
I'd worked hard on building this place, and I hoped Finn would use it for a long, long time.
Maybe we could invite Penny and Dean to use it the next time they came home.
I might have to increase its size if they wanted to shift at the same time, though.
A problem for another day, I decided as Finn returned once again before quickly disappearing again after another soft head bump.
Fuck, I loved this man so damned much.