Beckham blinked slowly, trying to get rid of the haze of sleepiness. It was too early in the morning to wake up. The sun wasn’t even out yet (he was always awake by first light, never before), but the weight across his waist and against his back were disconcerting.

It couldn’t have been Saphiel, he was almost always the big spoon and he thought he felt her against him. She rolled away sometimes, curling up into a ball but never strayed too far away from him. There was a certain comfort to having your soulmate be physically close to you.

It definitely wasn’t Calla. She was too far away from him and was a furnace, by virtue of being a half-demon. It couldn’t have been that stupid dra— Beckham’s eyes snapped open and he drove his elbow deep into Rowan’s stomach. 

“What the hell was that for, Beck!?” Rowan wheezed, clutching his stomach. He was sure there was going to be a mark.

“What do you think you’re doing?” the unicorn hissed, turning his head and glaring back at Rowan, all while keeping his arms still around Saphiel. He needed to, or he’d lose all restraint and wake the girls up.

“Skinship!” Rowan grinned, already recovered from the blow. He was stupidly proud of his amazing fortitude and strength.

Beckham groaned, sunlight already starting to peek through forest canopy. Stupid dragon. Stupid skinship.

“Is this enough?” Calla lifted the basket in her arms, full of leafy vegetables, herbs, and all sorts of fruits and nuts. She loved foraging moreso than hunting. Strangely enough hunting was more Saphiel’s thing. The angel had the patience for it.

“More than. You can just leave the everything but the fruits here. Those you can start washing and peeling.” Beckham waved to the spot beside him.

The half-demon smiled brightly as she set to her task, the unicorn shaking his head in amusement. His life had become far more interesting the minute he met them, but it had also become more tedious when they met him. 

“Whatcha doing?”

An ungodly scream rang through the forest.

“Surprised you?” Rowan grinned unapologetically, hands up in surrender as Beckham turned around and pointed the knife at him.

The fact that Calla and Saphiel didn’t even come running back to camp was telling. Rowan loved to sidle up to Beckham and surprise him, all in the name of getting to know each other better. Still, the unicorn wouldn’t have minded at all if they just kept to polite small talk, being that their soulmates were childhood friends and practically inseparable. He liked Calla, loved her like a sister even, but that didn’t mean he had to like her soulmate.

How Rowan eventually won her over, other than the inexplicable bond between them, he’d never know.

“Don’t you dare do that again,” he hissed, turning back around and going back to his cooking. Though he doubted even with that warning Rowan would actually obey.

Beckham dropped his head, irritated. How he ended up like this he could only blame the dragon, as usual. “This is absolutely your fault, you know that right?”

Rowan laughed, shifting around, trying to get the ropes that were tying them together loose, their wings pinned at an awkward angle that it almost hurt. There was something magic about the ropes that made it difficult to just shapeshift and break the bonds altogether. 

“Is it really? Just because I had my back turned and I was following you everywhere?”

“Yes you jackass.”

“Your loveable jackass you mean?”

Beckham groaned. Well at least Saphiel and Calla were lying in wait somewhere. He had to hand it to the bandits though, focusing all their energy on who seemed to be the biggest threats of the group (because as much as he hated to admit it, Beckham at least acknowledged Rowan’s strength and relative invincibility as a dragon). 

“What the hell are you two talking about hmm?” The scarred man jabbed a knife near Beckham’s ribs.

Their bravado at capturing two winged folk was astounding. 

“D’you think they’ll fetch a lot of money?”

Ah so that was it. Capturing them in an attempt to sell. Unicorns and dragons weren’t particularly common and deluded, power hungry humans always did think they were great show pieces.

Rowan’s eyes narrowed and Beckham shuddered. He lived a carefree life most of the time but pissing Rowan off was never wise. Not that the bandits knew. Well, he’d feel some measure of pity for them.

“What did you say?”

“Oh you look like a strong one. I think the lord will love having you in the dungeons.”

“You could have controlled your fire better,” Beckham muttered, waving a hand over the dying embers, water falling gently over them.

“Yeah but you were there to make sure it was all under control after. I trust you!” Rowan grinned stupidly, tying the knots securely around the unconscious bandits.

“Yeah yeah.” The unicorn stepped back to examine his work. There were ashes and debris to be sorted through, that he’d make Rowan painstakingly arrange with his telekinesis. 

“For all your bickering, I honestly do think you’re both best friends though.” Calla crouched low, poking the leader with her right hand, unmindful of the slight trickle of his blood along the tip of her claw.

“What!? How dare you say that!” Beckham managed to control the pitch of his voice, barely, to not quite a screech.

“Just a thought. You’re always so reserved but not with Rowan.” The half-demon shot him a sincere smile. “It’s nice, seeing you having fun!”

“Calla, my dear. Take this in the best, most sincere way, but have you hit your head or something? Do you need Saph to look at you?”

“See! You never call Saph... Saph. Always Saphiel with you.” Calla walked up to the unicorn and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Lighten up, please? It’ll do you some good.”

Beckham frowned, but there was a certain softness in his eyes. She really was like a little sister.

“I’ll tell Rowan to stop teasing you okay?”

“Fine.” 

“Becks, you love me!” Rowan launched himself at the pale haired man, pulling him in a warm embrace and kissing his cheek.

An ungodly scream rang through the forest as Beckham shoved the dragon off of him, fuming.