Cooper wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a hug. He ran a firm hand over Park’s hair and down his back, and made some soothing nonsense noises. It was strange how someone Park’s size could feel so much smaller like this, his nose tucked into Cooper’s hair behind his ear, breathing deeply.

They stood like that for a while, but eventually Park pulled back to rest his forehead on Cooper’s shoulder instead. “Two hugs in one morning. You are spoiling me,” he said.

“I must have missed you or something.”

“Maybe I should go away more often.”

Cooper squeezed him. “You can try.”

Park chuckled and was about to say something else when Eli sauntered into the kitchen with Boogie at his ankles, eyes sweeping over them both. “I hate to interrupt this sentimental tableau, but might I remind you, someone I hold very dear is being blackmailed? And while nauseating me to death is certainly one way to put a stop to it, I was rather hoping for something a bit more impressive from the Trust’s top two private dicks.”

“Is everyone you’ve ever dated an asshole?” Cooper groaned.

Park just shrugged. “Maybe I have a type.”

Cooper was quiet as he and Park walked through the zoo a little later that day. He had called Sophie long ahead of time and asked if she’d mind giving them that informal tour she’d been offering. He’d given her a very loose explanation of what was going on, too. While Cooper didn’t want to violate Eli’s trust, he also didn’t feel right about dragging Sophie into this without her full knowledge of what he actually planned to get up to. She’d agreed anyway and told them when she had a spare hour, excitedly offering to introduce them to some of the staff for “optimum snooping,” which was nice of her.

Cooper knew he didn’t deserve it. Not after he’d dodged so many previous invitations, olive branches and built bridges. When his family had needed to practically drag him out of the house yesterday just to spend time with them. For the years of his life when he wasn’t out to them, that protective distance had made sense, and he couldn’t say he regretted it.

But now that they knew about him, about Park—hell, even about werewolves—and Cooper was still holding that distance...? Well. Part of it was out of habit. But part of it was Cooper simply liked his space. He’d never been one to crave a big, close family always in each other’s business or, you know, the presence of others in general, as his attempted guest list last night had more than demonstrated. That just wasn’t him.

Park, on the other hand, more than wanted love and connection. He needed it. Whether that was a wolf thing or if it had something to do with his early abandonment, the conditional affections of the grandparents who raised him, or the fact that most of his own kind were terrified of him and his past as the Shepherd, was a question best theorized by the likes of Dr. Ripodi. But what Cooper did know was that for someone who so yearned for easy, plentiful affection, Park had certainly managed to hitch his heart to the wrong horse.