Swiftcurrent Creek (M) lose ourselves in this and ignore-- that you don't even know my name;;

For a moment he could only bury his face in the red wolf's chest, eyes closed. He wasn't listening when the other asked if he was alright.

Ali was overwhelmed, panicked and hurt by where his own thoughts were going, so he retreated into his mind. Into a safe place. Unintentionally he found himself imagining it was Lennon whose chest he was pressed against, though this wolf was smaller and the scent was all wrong. He grasped the imagined scene without hesitation, eager for the comfort it provided.

For a moment the stranger wasn't that-- he was Lennon. He was tall and handsome with endless dark eyes, he was the sun that lit Alarian's world each morning when he rose, the warmth wrapped around him in his times of need.
But that moment ended all too quickly as the boy's senses reminded him that this was not Lennon, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with disgust. He pulled away, then, ashamed but trying not to show it.
I'm fine, it's just-- that was great. He assured his one-time lover with false cheer, licking him affectionately on the cheek and resisting the urge to cry. Instead he smiled and pretended nothing had happened, driven by the thought that this kind stranger did not deserve to feel bad.