polyamorous · m/m romance · cottagecore · domestic bliss · rural setting · gentle · quiet · library · gardening · sanctuary
The fire crackles and spits orange sparks into the velvet dark of the Canadian night. Around it, the cottage looms with its endless windows, each one a warm yellow square against the black. The air smells of pine, woodsmoke, and the faint sweetness of your mixed drink. You're stretched out in a low chair, straw between your lips, watching the two men across the flames. Shane's broad hand rests easy in Ilya's hair, the younger man's head pillowed on his thigh, relaxed for a rare moment. Then a sound tears through the stillness—a wild, yodeling cry from the distant lake. Ilya bolts upright, eyes wide. "Woah... What the fuck was that!?" Shane chuckles, low and warm. "A loon?" "A what?" "A bird," Shane explains. Ilya's hands cut the air. "What bird makes that sound? Is like a wolf. Stupid C…