Page 94 of The Frog Prince

“Right.”

“Congratulations,” Alwin added, plucking at his sleeve and tugging it away from his arm.

“Thanks,” Otto said, eyeing the movements. “Are you okay?”

“Hm?” Alwin asked. “I am, why?”

“You keep fiddling with your sleeve.”

“I’ll be perfectly fine.” He scratched at his skin, and a flake of his skin fluttered down.

“You’re dry,” Otto said, looking around. “We’ve been away from the water for a while and the day is relatively warm for this time of year. You’re dry.”

“A few hours won’t hurt me, Otto,” Alwin said as Otto reached inside his bag. “Enjoy your day.”

Otto took a small flask out of his bag and uncorked it. “Take your shirt off.”

“What?” Alwin asked, looking down at the flask, then up at Otto in question.

“Take your shirt off,” Otto repeated. “I brought water for you.”

He watched Alwin freeze in place, eyes wide and unblinking. “You…”

“I brought some water for you,” Otto said. “I suspected we’d stay a while, and there is no water here so I filled my flask with some water from the glen. It’s not much, but it should help until we’re back home.”

Otto noticed he had saidhome.

He realized Alwin had noticed it too, because those round eyes got impossibly large, but neither of them commented on it. Otto squished down the feeling of rightness as he said it. It wasn’t the time.

“Otto…” Alwin said, but Otto shook his head.

“Shirt. Off, please.”

Alwin took another weighted second before he tugged at the bottom of his shirt, looking away as he pulled it up and off his body.

A chest he had only dreamed of before was revealed before him, miles of green skin with intricate markings filling his vision and making his head spin from how pretty he found it. His hips really were that narrow and his throat really looked that soft and delicate.

He shuddered out a breath.

“Back to me.” Otto refused to acknowledge how protective he was feeling of Alwin in that moment. Of how fragile he looked as he hunched in on himself and turned around, hiding from Otto, covering up who he was.

He wouldn’t talk about it because he knew Alwin wouldn’t want him to, but he’d do his best to show him there was no reason for him to hide.

He lifted the flask and brought it to the nape of Alwin’s neck, tipping it and sending a cascade of murky water down Alwin’s dry skin.

The dulled green brightened up instantly, soaking up the water and coming alive under Otto’s care. The healer in him rejoiced at the sight. The man in him reveled in the trust Alwin was putting in him.

He poured more water over Alwin’s bony shoulder, watching it trickle down his thin arms and disappear into the waistband of his breeches. He followed each rivulet as it painted its path down Alwin’s skin and wished he could follow it with his lips. Hetraced the darker green markings on Alwin’s back with the tips of his fingers, mesmerized by how stunning they looked. Like tiny works of art.

Before he knew it, the water from his flask was gone, but Alwin’s skin still had patches of dryness on it that the limited supply couldn’t cover.

Mind made up, he dropped the flask and spread his open palms over Alwin’s shoulders.

Alwin stiffened under his touch. “Otto.”

“Let me,” Otto whispered before running his hands over Alwin’s back, spreading the water everywhere it hadn’t reached, making sure not a single inch of Alwin’s skin was left dry.

He felt Alwin shiver under his fingertips. Felt his chest rise and fall with heavy breaths and swallowed words.