The next morning, Archer awoke to the feeling of warmth, spreading from his lips, all the way down to his toes, which he curled into a pile of blanket. Wriggling his body from side to side as something cushiony pushed beneath it, he loosened himself from the sheets that had trapped him, and he slid his arms out from under them. He stretched his arms above his head, shoulders popping and elbows bending, as a loud yawn broke from his wide mouth. Above him, someone chuckled lowly, grabbing both of his wrists in one hand and lowering them to his sides, where they were tucked back under the blankets. "I worked so hard to cover you up. I came in to find you shivering. Appreciate what I do for you, darling." Finishing his yawn with a few smacks of his lips, Archer blinked his big eyes, finding himself gazing up at Hunters smirking face. "What pretty sounds youre making. Im such a lucky man."

Helplessly smiling as Hunter lowered onto the edge of the bed, Archer watched him lean across him so he could crease the blankets at his sides. He started to reach up for Hunters face, but found himself once again stuck. He frowned, giving Hunter a puckered lip when he returned his face to him, his pale yellow eyes gleaming with amusement. "Good morning to you, too, little one. What are you making these whining sounds for?" Hunter scooted off of the bed, his lean back shifting as he stood. In the darkness, hed been awestruck by his bare skin, but there was nothing more stunning as Hunters bronzed, muscular body in the daylight.

"Come over here." Archer pleaded, his voice throaty from lack of use. "I want a kiss." Hunter laughed at that, bending over to grab a discarded shirt. He carelessly yanked it over his head, then grabbed a chunk of his hair, ruffling it so it was once again spiked up. Turning back around, Hunter shuffled across the room, lowering his head over Archers once more. He brushed a light, dry kiss to his mouth, smiling against it. When he pulled up, Archer shifted his hands, freeing himself from the blankets so he could grab for his head. "You taste like cigarettes and coffee-" Making a sour face, Archer puckered up his mouth, "Very bitter coffee."

"Exactly how I like my men." Hunter teased, snorting at the hand that slapped his shoulder. He reached up for Archers arm, and he hooked two of his fingers around it. "I would have gotten you a cup, but I dont even know if you like coffee."

Sitting up, Archer placed a hand on Hunters thigh to balance himself as he used his other to rub his stiff nape. Hed never slept on such an uncomfortable bed, as his parents wouldnt have him lay on anything less than a mattress without a single pea under it. "It took me a long time to acquire a taste for coffee... but my père taught me that the best way to drink it is with a spoonful of cream and two lumps of sugar."

Hunter immediately got to his feet, holding onto Archers hand until he backed away a few steps. Pressing a tender kiss to Archers knuckles, he let his arm drop back to the bed. "Ill be back with your coffee in a minute." Without another word, Hunter walked away from him, pushing through the door and shutting it behind himself. Smiling after him, Archer shook his head, then busied himself with climbing from the bed. He hissed at the cold that seeped into his bare feet, so he quickly tiptoed over to his luggage, picking out a pile of fresh clothes and a pair of shoes.

As he dressed himself, he glanced down at his skin, which was still red from irritation at the scrape of scratchy cheeks and the nip of sharp teeth. By the time he had yanked on his hoodie and was running his fingers through his knotted hair, the door creaked open once more, and in clunked Hunters heavy boots. They were stained with streaks of mud, and leaves clung to the toes of them. Archer sniffed in his direction, his nostrils sucking up the sweet scent of milky coffee. "Mm... that smells good. Thank you."

"I have a plate for you, too. I figured you might be hungry." Hunter came over to his side, placing the cup of coffee on the side table, and the plate of food by Archers hip. Archer looked down at it, his mouth watering at the buttered toast and biscuit, beside of a heap of cheesy potatoes. "Dont worry about scarfing it down... unless youre starved. The others left hours ago for a hike. I didnt wake you because I knew you needed the sleep." His blank eyes watched Archer scoop up a bite of potatoes onto a plastic fork, then let them sink into the black hole of his mouth. "Dont eat everything at once. Take sips in between bites, or else youll get a stomach ache."

Archer instantly placed his fork on the edge of his plate, replacing his fingers around the lower half of the cup. Draining a few inches of his coffee, he licked the beads of liquid off of his lips. Before he picked up his plate again, he glanced up at Hunter, who had strode away from him. He squatted in front of his duffel bag, and Archer helplessly lowered his eyes to the curve of his ass, squeezed tightly by a pair of pants that looked painted onto his skin. As if he somehow knew what Archer was doing, Hunter snorted lowly, "I thought you were polite, kitten." Flustered, Archer snapped his eyes away, as the skin around them turned a fiery red. "Ill be outside if you need me. Im going to have a smoke. Come out when you finish your meal." Before he left, he threw Archer a harsh glare, "I want every bite in your stomach, my defiant, little one."

Grabbing the warm biscuit, Archer stuck it between his lips, chewing with a little more force than necessary. Once Hunter was gone, he quickly scraped the rest of the food into his mouth, then scrubbed the crumbs off of his cheeks. He pitched the plate into the trashcan, and then he crossed the room with a few short steps. Pushing the creaking door aside, Archer squinted through the bright light that wavered through the swaying trees. A dark form was highlighted by the rays of the sun, which painted his black jacket white. He smiled at Hunter, who leaned his head back as he puffed smoke at the sky, as if he was trying to make his own cloud. "Hunter." He said quietly, giggling when his blond head turned to the side. Pacing across the rocky ground that only slowed him down a little, Archer jumped onto Hunters back, his feet swinging limply above the ground while his arms folded around his neck.

Hunter chuckled, placing his free hand on one of Archers butt cheeks to give him more support. "My cute, little kitten, I thought you said you couldnt climb things." He huffed when Archer wrapped his legs around his waist, making him stagger back a few steps so he didnt lose his balance. Limping over to a nearby tree, he stubbed out his cigarette and dropped it to the ground, then cupped both of Archers cheeks in his palms, playfully jiggling them. "Lumbly shouldnt bring back the group until it gets time for them to have dinner. What do you want to do today, sweet? I can take you anywhere you want. I took a walk this morning and mapped out most of the area."

Wiggling uncomfortably when he started slipping off of Hunters back, he screeched when Hunter tossed him over his shoulder as if he was a ragdoll. "Youll drop me!" Archer cried, slapping at Hunters back. "Put me down!"

Hunter chuckled, hooking an arm around Archers back as he started toward the forest. "Im not going to drop you. Your body is too sexy to damage." Grunting when Hunter lightly slapped his bottom, Archer gave in with an exasperated sigh, letting his arms dangle and his head fall against Hunters shifting back. "Arent you at all worried about me kidnapping you? If youre going to use those menacing hands to whack at me, you ought to be doing it because Im taking you into the forest against your will."

"Youre kidnapping me?" Archer, unsure of what to think of being taken somewhere that he wasnt sure he could get back from by Hunter, let his mouth fall open. "Ive never been kidnapped before. Should I be afraid?"

Laughing, Hunter patted his bottom once more, making Archer swing his legs back and forth in an attempt to kick him. "Thats good, sweetheart. Since no one else has taken you for themselves, now I get to do it." Noisily grumbling to himself, Archer stared at the black fabric of Hunters crinkling shirt, feeling his body shake as Hunter walked farther and farther from the campsite.

Finally, Hunter paused somewhere that Archer couldnt see, since his view was blocked by the back of him, and he gently peeled Archer off of his shoulder. As he was picked up and held away from his body, Archer quietly murmured, "Are we here?" Blinking his big eyes, which had to readjust to the orange lights seeping through the red and brown leaves, Archer gasped at the tall trees that towered so high above his head that he couldnt make out the blue sky. He spun in a slow circle, unable to take in the fact that they were completely encased in crumpled leaves that hung so low that they nearly brushed his ears. Piles of leaves swallowed up his feet, and when he stepped forward, he heard the same crunch that he heard when he was a small child who thought that the most important thing he could do was stomp on every blowing leaf before they could get away. "What is this place? Its amazing. Ive never seen trees so tall."

"Over twenty feet." Hunter claimed, his smiling eyes flickering up to the hood of feathery twigs that hovered over them. "Ive never met anyone else who could stop and appreciate the height of trees. But the taller ones are better to climb. They put more distance between me and whatever is on the ground." He looked back down at Archer, a laugh breathing through his lips. "Ive never told anyone that my hiding spot is up in a tree. If you rat me out to someone else-"

"I know. I know." Rolling his eyes, Archer placed his hands on his hips. "Youll wring my neck. You know what I think? Youre a lot of bark and no bite." He teasingly smirked at Hunter, who made a face as if he was offended, and then he screeched and backed away when Hunter stepped toward him. Stumbling over a branch that was sticking up from a pile of leaves, Archer tumbled backwards, plopping onto his bottom with a low thud. At the low chuckle that Hunter let out, he sneered up at him, picking up a handful of leaves and flinging them at him. "Get down here!"

"Youre so clumsy for a dancer." Hunter remarked, making Archer thrust his hand out in one last slapping motion before Hunter threw himself down beside of him. Without another word, Hunter leaned over to the side, gathering up something that Archer couldnt see. Raising a brow, Archer tried to see past Hunters broad shoulders, but when he put his face close to his back, he found himself blinded by a sheet of brown. He spat at the pieces of leaf that landed on his lips, making Hunter chuckle lowly before he smacked a kiss to his cheek.

Pushing the leaves from his curls, which they quickly tangled themselves through, Archer lowered his hand when Hunter pulled it away, taking it for himself and placing it on his thigh. Archer gave him a funny face, watching him fall backwards on the itchy bed. Scooting closer to him, he laid his body next to Hunters, feeling a hard arm envelope his waist and tug him closer. His head thumped Hunters chest, which beat as strongly as a drum. When Hunters fingers threaded through his messy curls, Archer closed his eyes, happily burrowing under his soft chin. "Will you ever answer my questions?" He asked suddenly, feeling Hunters chest rumble with a deep laugh.

"Isnt that a question?" Hunter turned his lips down to Archers head, speckling it with loving kisses. He snorted at the hand that landed firmly on his chest. "Seven. You can ask me seven questions. Choose wisely, kitten, because there will be no more than that."

Archer sighed heavily, tilting his face up to the underneath of Hunters jaw. He counted the specks of stubble that were engrained in it. "Hunter... what is it that youre hiding from? Why do you have to stay in trees?"

"Is that one or two questions?" Hunter joked, pinning Archers hand down before he could use it for violence again. "You said it yourself... Im a bird. Birds are always safe in trees... I can huddle into the branches and hide myself. Besides... my only enemy is a man who cant climb them. I made a home for myself in trees when I was young."

Smiling into Hunters shirt, Archer smoothed his hand down his sallow arm, feeling his muscles twitch at the scratch of his fingernails, "I suppose that was two questions... you answered them well, so Ill give you that." He furrowed his brows, raising his head from Hunters chest so he could meet his eyes. Hunter stared at him blankly, unassuming of the questions that were spinning like wheels inside of Archers head. He didnt know if Hunter would ever let him ask questions again, so he had to pick the perfect ones that would give him more about Hunter, since he knew very little. "Hunter... you do have a home, dont you? A roof over your head? I know how much you love the trees... but even birds get wet when it rains."

A sad smile pulled at the corners of Hunters lips, "Something like a home." At the silence that Archer gave him, Hunter picked up his head, a few leaves sticking to his hair. Archer brushed them away, watching them drift to the ground. "My dad has a home. When I was little, I ran away from him. I went into the woods and found a piece of metal that stuck out of the ground. It was an abandoned cellar... Someone lived in it before. It was furnished... barely, but furnished. I thought it was amazing. It was a place I could call my own. I took it over... and now its mine." Shaking his head, Hunter placed a hand on the top of his head, shoving his hair back. "If youre not too horrified with me, Ill take you there one day."

Archer weakly smiled, "I would love to see something thats yours." He traced a finger over the edge of Hunters jaw, whispering to him, "Im not horrified. If its a place that you can find comfort, Im more than pleased. But one day Im going to have a place of my own. I dont know when and I dont know where, but Ill bring you with me. You can stay with me."

A refreshed grin returned to his face, and he plunked his head back to the ground, "I would love that." Arching a single brow at Archer, he encouraged, "Keep asking, sweetheart. This chance will never come up again."

Archer knew exactly what he wanted to ask. "Heres another two. Think you can keep up?" He returned the teasing smirk that Hunter gave him, and he said quietly, "What is it that you paint... and write? Ive never seen or read anything."

Hunters face suddenly became serious, but then he coughed out, "I... paint and write whatever I feel is an important part of my life."

Batting his eyes, Archer stretched closer to his face, putting his nose just above Hunters. His voice became so soft that he hardy heard himself, "Have you ever painted or written me?"

Hunter tilted a corner of his mouth up, "Maybe once or twice in my journal... about the bruises youve left on my skin with your hands, and the cuts youve made through my heart with this sharp tongue." Archer helplessly giggled, pressing a kiss to his mouth before he went on. "And I might have done even more paintings of you. But what can I say? Youre beautiful."

Archer lowered his head so close to Hunter that his curls draped around him, making him look like he was wearing a wig. He laughed brightly, brushing one more kiss over Hunters mouth, "When? When did you do this? When did you start?"

Hunters eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion, as his hand raised to Archers head and cupped the back of it, "The night that we met, I painted you. Your lips, at least... in black and white. I painted the way that they curved, and how they puckered when they touched mine. Your lips are so pretty, Archer." Shyly smiling, Archer bent his head, nipping Hunters bottom lip with his teeth.

When he pulled his head back up, he cocked an inquisitive brow, "How long have you loved me?"

Hunters lazily amused expression didnt change, "A long time, sweetheart." His hand lowered to Archers back, pulling at the hood of his sweatshirt. Archer blushed when the material peeled up from the small of his back. "Ive loved someone like you since I was young... but now I have you. Youre finally here."

Archer placed his mouth over Hunters smiling lips, "Youve been with many, havent you? So, why me? Why is it that you love me? All we ever do is fight. We dont get along, Hunter. Were far too stubborn... and were stubborn about all of the wrong things, because we dont agree on anything-"

Hushing Archer with a nudge of his lips, Hunter kept pulling on his sweatshirt, "We disagree on just enough to fight like an old, married couple." After those words, he pulled away from him to give himself room to move Archers clothes around. A few more tugs of his hands had Archer appearing from his hoodie, ruffled and flushed pink, because it was suddenly daylight and his pale skin was shimmering under the yellow lights that reflected through the leaves. Hed never felt so vulnerable. "Do I get to ask you questions now?"

Archer giggled, fidgeting with the collar of Hunters shirt, "Not one." He screamed when Hunter rolled him onto his back, and he found himself staring up at his grinning face. "Ask me questions later. For now, just love me."

"You liar." Hunter grunted, reaching down for Archers pants and hooking his fingers in the waist of them. "Youre going to expect me to forget about asking you those questions-"

"You will." Archer said determinedly, flashing one last smile before he closed his lips over Hunters. "Can you think of anything else when youre kissing me?" Hunter, appalled by Archers resolve that he could be so weak, started to pull away, but just as his lips popped off of Archers, they softened and melted over his. "I love you." Shutting his eyes, he looped his arms around Hunters neck, which lowered over his, closing the distance between them.

"I love you, too." Hunter promised, his lids falling over his yellow eyes, and then flipping up once more when Archer turned his face to the side. "What is it?"

"Could I ask you one more thing?" Archer pleaded, his shaky fingers reaching for Hunters face and touching the soft skin below Hunters fluttering eyes. "Ive never seen your eyes... when theyre brown. Please take out your contacts."

Hunters brows lowered, and at first Archer thought he was going to reject the request, not that Archer would blame him. Hed asked so much of him already, and hadnt thought that Hunter would answer as easily as he did. But then his trembling hands lifted to his face, and he scrubbed at the corner of one of his eyes. Suddenly, a thin sliver peeled out of it, sticking to the tip of his finger. Before he opened that eye, he did the same to the other, and then he blinked his eyes rapidly. Reluctantly opening them, Hunter showed him a pair of coffee brown eyes, speckled with flakes of gold, so vivid and reflective that Archer inhaled sharply. He never thought hed seen true beauty. "Maybe one day Ill show you my real hair and skin." He muttered, heaving a chuckle when Archers arms flew around him, hugging him tightly.

"Hunter, youre gorgeous!" Archer cried, laughing with Hunter until their eyes, one pair blue and the other brown, were streaming with tears, of joy and of pain.