bellowin' barlow

The days were getting steadily warmer, thank god. That didn’t mean much when the sun went down and the temps dropped back to a miserable forty degrees, though. And as tempted as Wyatt had been by the delightful idea of going on a camping and fishing trip with Talia and Daniel, he couldn’t be certain he’d be warm enough overnight, if the couple didn’t feel like inviting him into their tent. So, not one to gamble with his own comfort, he’d given Owen his best puppydog eyes and convinced the slayer to come along. The more the merrier, right? And now he’d have the guarantee of a warm body to hold onto through the night. 

Plus the three heavy blankets he’d shoved in the back of his SUV would help.  

Both vehicles were parked a moderate distance from the campsite: as far as they could go before the terrain had to be traversed by foot, settling the group down in a lovely, secluded spot near a wide river that was absolutely riddled with trout this time of year. Building a fire pit had been Wyatt’s first order of business, not that they’d needed it yet in the warm afternoon sun, but he wasn’t going to waste time when it was cold out trying to fiddle with it. 

With tents pitched and food secured, it’d been time to get to the whole point of their trip. Presently, Wyatt sat on the riverbank with his fishing pole, refusing to wade into the frigid water. He could fish just fine from here, thanks. A very small twig he’d found earlier when prepping the fire pit with tinder had ended up in his mouth, the tip of it chewed to oblivion. His gaze slid over to Owen, who he grinned at lazily. “If y’all get too impatient for supper, bet I can catch twenty fish in a minute flat if I get my ass out there,” he joked, obviously meaning if he shifted. Of course, most of those would end up in his own stomach, so it might not exactly be in the best interest of everyone else. 

Also, again, the water was fucking cold. 

—

Convincing Talia and Wyatt to go on a camping trip with Daniel was an easy enough task. They had already gone fishing before—though his and Talia’s fishing excursion took quite a detour after that goggie showed up and interrupted their plans. When he started planning the idea with Owen, he wasn’t entirely sure if the slayer would agree to something like that, but he hoped Owen would show up anyway. If only for Daniel to size up the slayer and prod a little more about his relationships with Wyatt and Talia. (Most importantly, to make sure it was clear that Talia was his partner.) 

Setting up the campsite was quick and easy for Daniel, having done this hundreds of times for work, hunts, and fun (though the last one was infrequent for him). With everything prepared for when the sun sank low over the mountains, he sat down at the river’s edge and cast his line out into the water. After a while, he stuck his fishing pole into the sandy shore, stretched out his legs, and leaned back on his forearms as he watched the water sweep over rocks jutting out in the river. The sun warmed his face, and he closed his eyes for a moment as the calming water relaxed him, almost lulling him to a nap. 

Wyatt’s voice brought Daniel back into the moment—right, he was out fishing with two shifters and a slayer. He lazily blinked his eyes open and sat up straight. The trout ignored his bait, floating out in the water, and he pulled in his line. “Maybe you oughta,” he joked right back. “Cain’t catch a fucking thing.” Fishing had never been his forte, just something he enjoyed as a way to relax, to get out of his head when life became too much. He shoved his shoulder against Talia’s. “Someone’s gotta catch some fish for me to cook up for y’all.” 

—

Talia was still trying to gauge the objective of this outing. Not that she minded a straightforward camping trip, especially with the weather warming. But checking her scoreboard, she knew that she had slept with all the men present. And as far as she knew, the only coupling that had gone yet unexplored was Owen and Daniel. She was distracted by the images her mind provided of such a meet up, but quickly brought herself back down to earth. 

At the moment, there was nothing untoward at all happening, and Talia took it upon herself to stretch out directly between Daniel and Wyatt. “You’re such a lazy fisher,” she teased Daniel absently. Gamely taking up his rod, she recast the line and fiddled with the reel some. “You and Wyatt’re gonna handle dinner, right? While me and Owen take on the important job of looking pretty and distracting you guys?” 

Her eyes slipped to Owen, smile fading. Their relationship had always been edged with something strange, something affectionate that didn’t want to be named such. It wasn’t that Talia regretted their time together, when she had been in the throes of her break-up with Daniel and a desperate grief had flooded out her reality. But that didn’t mean she wanted her boyfriend (boyfriend…) to find out about the nature of their fucking, how often they had collided in bed. She could be fairly sure, though, that Owen wouldn’t want it brought up either.

A tug on her line was the welcome distraction Talia needed, and she jolted to attention. “Oh, hey. Looks like we’re not going hungry after all.” Deftly, she worked at the reel to bring the fish in.

—

Camping was an insane idea. Owen should have known better than to assume Daniel had been messing with him (granted, he didn’t have a proper read on the guy at all so knowing that the offer was going to snowball had been hard) but once the trap had been laid, there had been no backing out. Even if Wyatt hadn’t puppy-dog-eyed his way into dragging Owen along to be his personal space heater, there’d been no fucking scenario in which Owen waved the shifter off to go frolick in the woods with Talia and some other damn hunter. Talia he was less concerned about, to an extent. It was different, a connection Owen neither wanted nor felt he needed to compete with - she cared about Wyatt so openly in a way that made the slayer wonder if he’d ever be capable of such a thing. Really, Owen was just glad that Wyatt had something like that. 

Daniel on the other hand… 

Maybe Owen was being paranoid but also, he definitely wasn’t and Daniel was definitely sizing him up. More so around Talia, Owen had found, through the meticulous process of eyeing the ranger as he’d pointedly invaded Talia’s personal space earlier in the evening, just out of curiosity. It had him wondering just how much Daniel knew aside from what Owen had told him but, forced to guess, Owen would assume it wasn’t a lot. Did the ranger want to know more? Did Owen want to know just what had taken place when Wyatt gave his time to some other hunter and– Wyatt’s lazy voice hooked into Owen’s thoughts and fished them back to the present, back to the soft grin being shot his way, the one that somehow did damn wonders in silencing the chatter in his mind. Stupid. 

Owen had been paying little mind to his own pole, much fonder of hunting than this. “Don’t encourage him, if he gets chilly, we all suffer,” Owen joked, flicking a rock in Wyatt’s direction. Talia spoke up and Owen’s attention shifted just in time to catch her smile faltering. Yeah, she definitely hadn’t shared shit with Daniel. “I can definitely be distracting but pretty sure Barlow uses up all the pretty. Besides, we might need to consider some actual hunting if–” Something tugged on Talia’s line and Owen couldn’t resist how infectious her excitement was, allowing a faint smile that he was quick to direct back to Wyatt. Lest Daniel throw a knife his way. 

“Alright, a fish. What a feast.” Reeling in his own line, Owen got to his feet and stretched, distractedly (and a bit possessively) resting a hand on Wyatt’s shoulder as he surveyed the adjacent area. Just in case they actually did need something bigger for a meal. 

—

The overall vibe of this trip was an interesting one, to say the least. Wyatt wondered if he was the only one here who was used to the complexities of a polyamorous lifestyle, though Talia had done pretty well for herself so far. And while it was true that he and Talia had never outright expressed a desire to be officially dating, you certainly couldn’t call their relationship platonic, either. It was complicated, as these things tended to be, especially when you threw pack dynamics into the mix as well. 

Owen and Daniel, though… both prone to jealousy, both with that upbringing that fucked you in the head a little bit, likely always vying to outdo one another and end up on top… heh. Well, if there was one competition Wyatt didn’t have to wonder about, it was who’d be topping who, in that (perhaps unlikely) situation. 

The smart remark about his tendency to complain when he was cold couldn’t really be argued: he’d brought Owen along partially as his own source of heat, if things became too much to bear at night. So he just scoffed and rolled his eyes, admitting with his silence that it was true, even if he didn’t appreciate it. And then of course there was the compliment, which fluffed his feathers despite Owen managing to make it sound like an insult. Wyatt was used to that, of course. Such was their way. They teased each other and the invisible boundaries that so often went unspoken until stepping over them caused a real issue. So the shifter just smiled, electing not to follow it up with a smart retort and just enjoy being called pretty.

His attention shifted, though, as Talia actually managed to snag something and start reeling it in. “Hell yeah, babygirl!” He praised her as he sat more upright, the weight of Owen’s hand on his shoulder keeping him from crawling up to the water’s edge to snatch the fish right out of the air. But as it swung toward him, he reached out a hand to grab it, unhook the lure, and hand it to the triumphant caster. He was all smiles as he turned his attention up toward Owen, biting his lower lip briefly before speaking. “Well. I do got that little surprise still in the car, baby,” he reminded Owen. A live, potted vegetable lamb, safely tucked away in the very back of his SUV. He’d figured they’d bust it out the next night since today was fishing day, but if they all needed the extra protein…

—

"Am I now?" Daniel teased right back to Talia, grinning as she took over his rod. His gaze focused on her hands as she messed around with the reel. He leaned in closer towards her, his arm pressed against hers, and he absentmindedly rested his hand on her thigh. He thought maybe he could just stay like this for the rest of his days—relaxing with her by side and living simple and easy together. Though right then, they had Wyatt and Owen in their space too. He didn't mind too much having the other two men with them—it was, after all, his idea for all four of them to do this. Maybe it was that bit of normalcy that he often longed for—going out with his girlfriend and inviting along their friends. Just existing. 

But Talia's next comment brought a sinking feeling to his stomach. Something he guessed he should have been expecting. It was all too reminiscent of that time when he and Wyatt cooked for Talia while she sat on the counter and looked pretty. He knew Owen and Talia slept together (all thanks to Owen outright saying as much to him), and he wasn't certain about whatever that insinuation could mean. As much as Daniel tried to ignore and shove away feelings, he still recognized when he experienced them, so he knew exactly how jealous he felt over Talia. Not just jealousy, but a fear that he would never be what Talia needed, that she'd grow tired of him for someone affectionate like Wyatt or ... whatever Owen was, he barely knew the guy. It'd probably be easier for her to be with a slayer than a ranger anyway. Daniel had told her that he was in this for the long haul, that he wanted to watch her hair turn gray and the lines on her face deepen into wrinkles, yet he could never shake away that feeling of her leaving him. 

As Talia reeled in the fish, he patted his hand on her thigh. "Look at you," he said softly. Daniel glanced up as Owen stood, noting how the slayer placed his hand on Wyatt's shoulder. Good. If Owen wanted Daniel to keep his hands away from Wyatt, then he would. Simple as that. Yet he couldn't help but agree that a single fish wasn't going to feed all four of them, no matter what extra snacks they brought for the evening. He had extra food stored in his cooler, never wanting to go on a fishing and camping trip with the expectation that they might go starving. He worked enough camping and backpacking trips that he was always prepared—plus, that whole hunter raising left him overpreparing for any type of situation. Daniel raised his brow at Wyatt, wondering what sort of surprise could possibly be in the car. 

"If we're needing to hunt, I got enough supplies for that. Ain't hunting season, but ..." He trailed off and shrugged his shoulders. It'd be easy enough to track down a deer and kill it--he had one of his guns in his and Talia's tent, always carried his hunting knives, and knew exactly how to butcher a deer. And he was certain he still had some leftover game bags in his truck to store the meat. The four of them would have plenty of meat to last for a long while--and he was getting distracted, thinking about what he could do with fresh deer meat. "Deer steaks sound good right about now."

—

Talia knew she was an above average fisher – barring truly barren waters, she could usually bring up at least one prize. Still, she wasn’t immune to the praise from the rest of their party. She let Wyatt untangle the hook from the fish as she basked in the congratulations, catching even Owen’s reserved smile. Whatever strange tensions were spanning out over the group, she was more or less unaware. Her desires began with wanting them all to have a good time and ended with hoping that her history with Owen, should it come to light, wouldn’t ruin that good time. Whether there were plans to break things out into an orgy or not, she would be happy either way.

“That’s a decent catch.” She held her fish in both hands, pretending to weigh it. “Should I get a picture with me holding it so I can be like those other douchey guys on the dating apps?” She was aware of the phenomenon mostly due to its memed infamy, rather than any actual time spent on dating apps. Daniel knew that, but Talia still leaned into his side as she handed the fish over to him. “I caught it. That’s the end of my business with it.” As she had delineated earlier, she was not one of the cooks in this particular kitchen. Since getting back together with Daniel, she had blissfully given up food responsibilities. It wasn’t something she enjoyed, not like he did. And while she could field dress a fish and get it fit for the fire, Daniel would do a better job of it, and complain less during.  

Wyatt’s mention of a surprise had her lighting up like a kid who had been promised a trip to the candy store. “I want a surprise! Is it a yummy surprise?” She hoped he was talking about the vegetable-lambs the two of them had waxed rhapsodic about earlier in the week. Had Daniel or Owen ever had such a delicacy? More likely her ranger, she guessed, just given his wilderness upbringing. Then again, Talia realized that she didn’t actually know how Owen had been brought up. There was the vague sense that it was somewhere Nordic but beyond that… Well, childhood memories weren’t really on the agenda whenever she and Owen got together.

“You always think deer steak sounds good.” Good-natured teasing aside, she had to agree. Even if her usual way of dining on deer (raw, on the run, in her fur) was quite different from what Daniel would have in store for all of them. “Can’t believe you all gave up on fishing so quick. Bet I could get us another, if we really wanted.” Talia surveyed the lake before them, a confidence born from experience settling over her shoulders. 

—

It was hard to stay tense when Wyatt was practically glowing, in his element like this, surrounded by people he cared about and who in their own ways cared about him. Owen’s smile flickered into something too genuine as those blue eyes gazed up at him and, coupled with the petname, Owen was simultaneously soothed and much too fucking exposed. “Don’t pretend you’re disappointed we might have to break those out tonight,” Owen teased back, discomfort momentarily soothed by Talia’s excited outburst. “God, you shifters,” he muttered, amused, forcing himself to momentarily ignore the other couple as he leaned over to plant a brisk kiss on Wyatt’s lips. Not the first time Talia had witnessed such a thing but without the booze and intensity, it felt too damn vulnerable.

As Daniel seconded his suggestion of hunting, Owen found he really didn’t mind the idea. An hour or so away from the group, doing something that necessitated a bit more energy than stupid fishing, sounded like exactly what he needed to get through the rest of this trip. “You can knock yourself out with the fishing, get some more pics for that dating profile, as long as you also keep this one out of trouble,” he told Talia, giving Wyatt’s shoulder a squeeze before letting go and turning his attention to Daniel. “A quick hunt, then?” Separate ones, of course, and Owen couldn’t speak for the ranger but for his own part, Owen was definitely feeling competitive, his unspoken frustrations towards the ranger seeping into even this. 

In hindsight, a mistake as the two of them returned from their individual and indeed successful hunts but Daniel’s catch was undoubtedly the more impressive one. Which Owen totally wasn’t sulking over, the relief of slitting something’s throat immediately undone by pure and unfiltered jealousy, fucking sue him. 

“Remind me when this actually becomes enjoyable?” Owen asked petulantly, having settled next to Wyatt and his little cooking prep station, eyeing the other pair where they’d started working on field dressing the fresh kills a short ways away from their actual camp site. Not that any one of them couldn’t deal with whatever might be attracted to fresh blood but probably pointless to invite more beasts than were already present. 

—

“Of course it’s a yummy surprise, darlin’ — veggie lambs, just as promised! Safe n’ sound in the car. But if you lads are offerin’ to go get us more meat, then by all means… they’ll still be there tomorrow.” He wiggled his eyebrows, deeply entertained by the dynamic that was unfolding between Owen and Daniel. Almost strangers, brought together by the small pack their partners had formed. Well, they best learn to like each other, he thought, because his and Talia’s relationship wasn’t going anywhere. 

He smiled into the short kiss he’d earned from Owen, his heart swelling with pride over the display of affection in front of someone he hardly knew, and without the confidence boost that came with inebriation. Progress! Progress that ought to be rewarded, he decided. When they’d bedded down for the night, he’d be sure to make his appreciation known. “Me, getting in trouble? That sounds mighty unlikely, I dunno what you’re gettin’ at.” He winked at Owen, then turned to the werewolf still sitting beside him. “Catch us some more fish while the boys go have a dick-measurin’ contest,” Wyatt agreed with Talia, flashing her a grin as he scooted a bit closer to her. “Just in case they both blow it.” It was his turn to throw Daniel a playful look, knowing full well that neither of them would come back until they were successful, especially if this had turned into a way for them to prove their ability to provide. Men. 

Later, when the hunters had returned and Talia and Daniel were dealing with dressing the carcasses, Wyatt hummed thoughtfully in response to Owen’s nagging. “As soon as you let it,” he chided the other, settling the cast iron he’d brought along atop the frame that straddled their fire to warm it. He leaned into Owen’s space, exhaling his words against the shell of the other’s ear. “By the way… the more you keep kissin’ n’ touchin’ me, the more inclined I am to reward that behavior tonight. Just to keep you motivated.” He pulled back and was wearing a wide grin, hopeful that such a promise would beget him even more attention.

—

Daniel raised his brow at Wyatt's suggestion of getting a yummy surprise, and Talia's excited reaction was almost hypnotizing, as a wide smile grew on his face just at her excitement. He didn't care what this surprise was, especially as his mind had already drifted to what he could possibly hunt. A deer would probably be too much, when he really thought about it. Though with the four of them and two of them being shifters ... He was brought out of that idea at Talia's comment. "Ain't giving up. But you look like you've got a handle on my rod, darling." Only somewhat meant as a euphemism. He leaned over and pressed a kiss against the side of her head. 

At least Owen seemed interested in a hunt. "Yeah, sounds like a plan," Daniel agreed with him. He wanted to show off his skills in front of Talia, though she already knew him as more than capable of hunting and killing. Still, he couldn't let himself be bested by Owen. He feigned offense at Wyatt's comment. Of course this was a dick-measuring contest, and Daniel knew damn well that he was going to come out on top on this hunt. He was a ranger and a hunter. He spent his entire childhood learning from both of his parents. "Hush up now," he teased, as he headed to his truck to grab some of his gear more equipped for hunting. 

Out on his own little hunt, he spotted a deer, and for a moment, he considered the animal being his fresh kill. But as he looked at it through his sight, he decided that just maybe it'd be too much to deal with on this camping trip. Instead, he tracked down a group of turkeys and aimed his hunting rifle on them. Of course he was more than pleased with himself upon his return to camp when he showed up with one large wild turkey. Plenty of meat for the four of them, along with fish and Owen's hunt—though, Daniel couldn't help but notice Owen's measly catch in comparison. Daniel pulled Talia over to help him field dress the catches. He wrapped his hand around the back of her head and stole a long kiss from her, feeling just a bit prideful and confident. 

Daniel got to work field dressing, humming to himself as he butchered the animals. He glanced up towards Wyatt and Owen, watching how they moved in each other's space as Wyatt prepared to cook. He turned his attention towards Talia, unable to hide the smile on his face just from looking at her. "You planning to get your hands dirty or just look pretty?" he asked, holding out one of his hunting knives if she wanted to help him. He looked back down at the turkey. His hands were covered in blood from slicing open its chest to get at the breast meat. He removed part of the breast, and he used his teeth to open the ziploc bag to place the meat inside the bag. "I got latex gloves if you wanna keep your hands clean." 

—

Talia snickered at Daniel’s double entendre and then sent him off hunting with a brief kiss. She was happy to have some time alone with Wyatt – not that she wasn’t enjoying things as a group, but the tension radiating off their respective hunters necessitated an awkward bit of choreography. She knew about Daniel’s…posessive streak, just as she knew Wyatt had no such manner. Owen’s tension over the lamia, though, was a bit of a surprise – especially given the more lackadaisical approach he had toward their relationship, according to Wyatt. And even further, given Talia had been with both of the men separately and together. Maybe his little slip between death and back really had given him a new perspective. Whatever the cause there, it was easier once it was just Talia and Wyatt, easier to sprawl back against the lamia’s chest, tucked between his legs, while she steadily caught two more fish to add to their meal.

Once the boys returned, though, it appeared they might not have needed any of the fish, really with the game they had bagged. However commonplace a kill a turkey might be for Daniel, Talia could tell he was proud by the pleased kiss he planted on her. Plus, it was easy to admit that Talia enjoyed stoking Daniel’s ego. She knew how much stock he put in being both a protector and provider and while Talia was just as skilled in those two jobs as him, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t praise him when he excelled. “Look at that catch you made.” With a low whistle, she crouched to help him in cleaning the meal. “Thank you, honey. Now we get to save the vegetable-lambs for another night.” She was certainly looking forward to those treats, but anticipation would only make them taste all that much better later on. 

Taking the offered knife, she set to work on Owen’s contribution. “I got it on good authority that you don’t want me to keep my hands clean,” Talia answered with a knowing smirk. Ever since they had first gotten together in a pool of goggie blood, Talia knew how those sights lit Daniel up. Not that she had much room to speak. She didn’t relish killing any creature (outside of hunters) but something about the warm, liquid pool of blood set her teeth on edge in the best way. This scenario, less so. Hunting for food tapped into much less of the adrenaline high, but still, she caught Daniel’s jaw in her already-sticky hand and pulled him in for another kiss.

—

Oh, right, Owen just had to let himself enjoy this fucked up little camping trip - that was the missing secret ingredient. Nevermind the pessimistic words and far from gentle touches shared with Talia during the last time they’d spent time together hanging heavy between them, or the suspicious glances continually shot his way by Daniel, returned with just as much suspicion because Owen was missing details but he knew Wyatt had been intimate with the ranger. But sure, Owen’s attitude was the problem here. The grumpy internal monologue was silenced by Wyatt suddenly entering his personal space, also pulling Owen’s attention away from the bloodied handprint that had been left on Daniel’s jaw. “Bribery?” Owen huffed, but no amount of annoyance could hide how gruff his voice grew at the thought of what was being promised. And, with the other couple a ways away, distracted, Owen caught the collar of Wyatt’s shirt right as he pulled away, wiping that insufferably charming grin away with a kiss. 

By the time dusk fell, Owen had accidentally forgotten to be annoyed by the situation, something to do with the tasty food, generous amount of drinks and constant press of some part of Wyatt against his own body. Owen was even satiated enough to simply huff out a laugh when he returned with a fresh round of drinks to find his previous seat snatched by Talia, who had managed to envelop herself around her fellow shifter in the minute Owen had been gone. 

“Fucking shifters,” Owen commented simply as he handed one of the beers to Daniel, settling for a seat next to the mushy display instead of tucked between Wyatt’s legs like before, unable to quell the natural rush of warmth in his chest at seeing Wyatt so at ease. Talia looked absolutely giddy as well and Owen rolled his eyes halfheartedly before glancing Daniel’s way. He didn’t seem quite as annoyed as when Owen had dared to converse with Talia but maybe he was just hard to read, maybe Owen was just too drunk to care. Whatever the case, Owen was drunk and riled up from all of Wyatt’s little promises and touches so he figured that there was clearly room to annoy the ranger more. And he also just found the lack of contact with Wyatt quickly becoming a nuisance, sue him. Polishing off some of his beer, Owen put it off to the side to slip closer to the shifter amalgamation, hand finding Wyatt’s thigh to beckon attention, something that was impossible to do without also making contact with Talia. 

—

There was a giddiness in the way Wyatt accepted Talia’s presence, his laughter bubbling over when she scurried his way as soon as Owen made it a few steps away from the campfire. As she nestled herself between his legs (clearly some prime real estate), he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her smaller frame as flush as it could be with his front. There was no playful challenge in his gaze as he let it slide over to Daniel for a moment — they’d shared Talia enough times for the hunter to know, Wyatt hoped, that he posed no threat. His and Talia’s relationship was different, though the venn diagram overlap was still significant. At the end of the day, Wyatt wanted her to be happy, and she had found that happiness. He was going to nurture that, not try to tear it down for selfish reasons. If some day that meant being hands off, he would do that, but for now… for now, Daniel seemed to have grown more comfortable in his presence. Either that, or he was an excellent liar. 

Fingers grasped hungrily at Talia’s clothing as Wyatt peppered her face and neck in kisses, chuckling against her skin when he heard Owen’s smart remark as he returned to the campfire. “You do seem to like doin’ that,” he countered softly, hugging Talia closer to himself (if that was possible) and nipping gently at her earlobe. His eyes were closed, the only thing dragging them open again being the feeling of Owen’s hand on his thigh — sliding between his and Talia’s, actually. The physical response was instant, a gentle hum accompanying the arrival of a third party and a knowing smile eagerly awaiting the arrival of the fourth. 

The hand nearest Owen reached up for the back of the slayer’s neck, tugging him down to kiss him a little desperately. The other hand, still splayed over Talia’s abdomen, wandered south. Fingers slipped beneath her clothing, finding a new home in the warmth between her legs. His ears caught the sound of movement — no doubt it was Daniel, who’d certainly not want to be left out, and who had plenty of room to engage with his girlfriend, or… whoever he so chose, really. Wyatt wouldn’t be picky in this scenario, as long his own needs were eventually addressed. 

—

Daniel gazed into the campfire, watching as the flames licked at the sticks and burned them into red glowing embers. He hummed to himself as he poked at the fire, sending a flurry of sparks to the outer edges of the makeshift firepit. He prodded at it again as he felt Talia leave his side, and he looked over to see her climb onto Wyatt’s lap. He turned his attention back to the flames as he tried to gauge how he felt about the whole situation between Talia and Wyatt. He never held any sort of disdain or distrust towards Wyatt (or Talia), but it was more… Well, he enjoyed his time spent with Wyatt and trusted him, but… Daniel simply preferred when it was him and Talia sharing Wyatt together. 

He was about to move closer to Talia and Wyatt and place himself into their display of affection, when Owen came back over and handed Daniel another beer. He raised his brow, taking notice how Owen seemed a bit less moody since earlier in the day. Maybe it was the food and alcohol, but it didn’t matter to Daniel as he placed the new bottle of beer right next to the nearly empty one that he had been nursing all evening. 

When he looked back towards the three of them, his eyes narrowed as soon as he spotted Owen’s hand against Talia’s thigh. He moved closer to them, caught Talia’s jaw in his hand, and hungrily kissed her, almost as if he needed to place his claim on her—as if their display earlier had not already done that, when she marked his jaw with her bloody handprint and later when he pulled her hands to his mouth and sucked the blood off each of her fingers, as he forgot about the possibility of Wyatt and Owen seeing them. Instead all of his focus had been on Talia, his gaze steady on her eyes as he had licked off all the blood on her hands. 

Still deep in a kiss with Talia, Daniel slipped his other hand down to her thigh. As soon as his fingers brushed against Owen’s wrist, he wrapped his hand around it, pulled it away from between Talia and Wyatt’s thighs, and placed it where Owen was only touching Wyatt. His hand slid down to Owen’s knee and traveled up and along the inside of his thigh. Daniel pulled away from his kiss with Talia, rubbing his thumb along her lips and trying to not get distracted by her long dark lashes or the light freckles scattered across her cheeks. He let go of her, and he dug his fingers into the collar of Owen’s shirt, jerking the slayer closer to him. Daniel looked Owen up and down, almost as if sizing him up, before dragging him in for an aggressive kiss. 

—

The connection she felt with Wyatt was something unto itself entirely. It wasn’t romantic, not like her feelings for Daniel. But it was certainly sexual, and affectionate. And it was deeper than any of the entanglements she had felt with her packmates. If Talia had to put a description to it, she would say it was closest to what she hoped a pack would feel like. Playful and loyal and affectionate and vulnerable. Wyatt was her pack, as far as Talia was concerned.

She mostly drifted on those sensations, lost to the feeling of Wyatt’s hands and mouth on her. Distantly, she registered Owen joining them – luckily Wyatt’s hand was enough of a distraction as the two men began kissing over her. And then, better distraction, Daniel was there. Before she could even smile eagerly his way, he was kissing her, eating up all her attention the way she knew he intended it to. Okay - maybe they did have to have a conversation about her dynamic with Wyatt. But that would have to happen later, as she was busy being spun up between the shifter’s hand and her boyfriend’s mouth. 

And then her boyfriend’s mouth on Wyatt’s boyfriend’s mouth. She bit her bottom lip, watching with rapt interest. It was different than watching Wyatt and Daniel together, but no less hot, that was certain. “They should do that more often,” Talia teased, her mouth traveling from Wyatt’s throat up to his ear. That actually seemed like a recipe for disaster, but she would enjoy the view in the moment.

—

All of Wyatt’s teasing hadn’t just been empty words as Owen was yanked into a heated kiss without a second’s hesitation, the hand on the back of his neck an instant balm for the day’s grievances and sharp pangs of doubt and, fine, jealousy. Messing with Daniel just for the sake of it didn’t even really seem important any longer, forgotten as a result of familiarity, even with Talia there. Not that Owen was allowed to forget for long as foreign fingers wrapped around his wrist, firm enough to move the slayer’s hand without a hassle. Not that Owen had fought back since he could have but the fact that his wandering hand had been pointedly relocated to Wyatt’s chest while it seemed Daniel was keeping his hands off Wyatt - well, it was as close to a peace offering as Owen could imagine. 

It didn’t mean Owen’s innate urge to be a fucking nuisance was silenced entirely, his gaze catching the shamelessly possessive kiss Talia was caught up in and making him want to push at buttons out of pure habit. Maybe to find out how blurry the line was for Daniel between this and violence, if perhaps the two merged seamlessly as they sometimes did for Owen and Wyatt (not as often as before Owen got a literal death mark on his chest but still surely more often than was strictly healthy). Before either side could win out - antagonize or just enjoy the pleased humming coming from Wyatt - Daniel had chosen a third path. The touch to his knee was enough to break Owen from the kiss, eyes meeting Daniel’s just in time to catch the hand shooting towards his collar. Again, Owen could have pulled away, cut this whole thing short or transformed into just a plain old, comfortable and familiar fight, but the intensity in Daniel’s gaze wasn’t something he could back down from. It was as much of a challenge as their respective hunts earlier so Owen met it with his own look of pure obstinance and then allowed himself to be pulled in closer for a damn kiss. 

Allowed was perhaps too generous as Owen didn’t give in an inch, meeting the harsh kiss with just as little softness, entirely unwilling to let himself be pulled around further by the grip on his collar. Despite the initial flash of wondering if this was how Daniel had been with Wyatt, Owen didn’t mind their rapt audience or the pure powerplay that this whole thing was. No chance for Owen to do anything untoward with Talia if he was otherwise occupied, right? Owen almost fucking respected and it concurrently meant that Daniel’s hands would stay away from Wyatt. The thought brought fresh ferocity into the kiss as Owen grabbed the back of the ranger’s neck and let his free hand slip from Wyatt’s chest to somewhere more useful. He wouldn’t be the first one to break and even if Owen much preferred Wyatt’s lips or hell, even Talia’s, there was something fucked up and hot about allowing the two of them to get off to this weird clashing of possessive streaks. Glancing over at Wyatt, seemingly fucking ecstatic with Talia’s lips on his neck and his slayer’s hand teasing him, was enough to draw a low groan from Owen that had absolutely nothing to do with the kiss because fuck rangers. Not literally. Probably maybe literally if Daniel didn’t back down first. Fuck.