PAXXXXXXX YOU ARE MURDERING ME WITH SAD OMEGA ETHAN!!!!!! M U R D E R I N G MEEEEEE!!! He’s such a wet cat baby 😭😭😭 poor Ice is so STRESSED, because that's ALMOST MAV SMELL. Ethan just needs CUDDLES PAX!!! TELL ME ICE GIVES THIS MAN SNUGGLES WHEN HIS BODY WORKS GOOD!!!! 😭😭😭😭 SAD WET CAT MAN
KITTTT THEY'RE ALL MAKING SAD EYES AT EACH OTHERRRR HELP
Ethan is struggling with (apparently?? RUDE) needing the reassurance and he's both too prideful to admit he's needing it, kind of weirded out by wanting his BROTHER IN LAW to gently tell him he's doing good and maybe even pet? him?? a bit??? and on the other hand he's not even registering that he's needing anything, he's just along on the ride his body his taking him on and IT SUCKS
Mav is going to break the stalemate. He's going to sit his brother down, tell him it sucks he's feeling like this and then to put on his big boy pants and let Mav's alpha help because Maverick can see how restless it's making Ice to not be able to fix it! He's going to half drag Ethan with him to where Ice is stresscleaning the (already spotless) baseboards and go 'get up and get comfortable' before sprawling them all on the conveniently comfy couch.
It's awkward at first, before Mav pointedly nudges his head against Ice's shoulder, shocking Ice into petting him out of ingrained reflex. Mav very exaggeratedly relaxes under the touch and after a few heartbeats in which Ethan visibly struggles with what to do before unclenching a bit in defeat, Ethan cautiously rests his temple against Ice's shoulder in a restrained mimic of his brother.
Ice exhales and slowly reaches up to run his fingers through Ethan's hair (longer than Mav's, just as soft). Ethan is tense at first but he consciously works to accept the touch and inevitably he gets lulled into the kind of relaxation that has seemed impossible to achieve for the last MONTH.
Goes down so deep that he at one point just buries his face against Ice's collarbone and bows his head to try to get the rhythmic stroke of Ice's fingers to expand their path to the back of his neck. Shivers explosively when Ice cautiously complies; just the pads of two fingers stroking from just behind Ethan's ear into his hairline and then lightly trailing down his bowed neck. Reverses just a breath above the nape of neck because Ethan is already sagging against him and asking more of him would be overkill.
They're going to work up to the kind of hugs that allow Ethan's overactive mind to just go silent under the warm, careful weight of Ice's body, his voice soft and hypnotic as he coaxes Ethan into full relaxation. The day Ethan seeks Ice out and initiates a cuddle will mark a turning point. (For better or worse? Because now he's getting used to the casual affection and to his chagrin it slowly stops being as effective as it was and as he settles into his instincts he slowly needs more and more. UGH.)
