The level of vulnerability that Logan had opened himself up to was extremely uncharacteristic of him. Yet the fact of the matter was that he couldn't change how he was feeling. It was overwhelming to him and he somehow felt like something was wrong, yet he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. It wasn't like him to form attachments this quickly. Especially not to detectives that were still deeply closeted.

"Logan." Ramos leaned forward and kissed him softly. He tightened his embrace and slowly slid his hips forward, pressing his erection further into Logan's body. The movement was subtle, but it was enough to elicit a soft moan from the omega's lips.

"This," Ramos repeated the motion, "isn’t just physical." He moved one hand and pressed it against Logan's chest.

Logan looked up and met his gaze.

"There's something deeper going on here," breathed Ramos. "I feel like you've woken something up inside of me that won't go back to sleep. Whatever this is between us, I don't think it's possible for me to make it go away."

Logan felt his heartbeat pick up at Ramos' words. His breath caught in his throat.

"When Aguado told me you were in danger, I couldn't get to you fast enough. When I saw you run out of the soup kitchen, I was afraid for your life. I spent all that time feeling useless as I waited to hear from you. When I finally saw you again, it took every ounce of restraint I had not to pull you into my arms right there." Ramos brushed away the last of Logan's tears and cupped his face in his hands.

"I've had this feeling in my chest ever since last night," Ramos continued. "I've been trying to ignore it, but I can't. Every time I look at you I only become more certain of it. I...don't know why, or how, but even though we've only known each other for a short time I feel like you belong to me. It feels like this physical need that I have to protect you now. To not let anything happen."

"This sort of thing isn't normal," Logan said as he looked into Ramos' storm-cloud eyes. His heart was hammering in his chest. "This kind of instant-affection isn't how relationships are supposed to go. There's supposed to be like dating and baby steps and then eventually someone says those three little words and next thing you know there's wedding bells. This..." He leaned back and let himself fall onto the bed, "this isn't normal.

"Maybe it's not," said Ramos, tracing a lazy finger down Logan's belly, "but right now I'm not sure that really matters. All you need to know is that I don't plan on throwing you out in the cold once this is all over. I...there are some things I'm still figuring out in my own head, but I'm serious about what I said." His hand closed around Logan's erection and slowly began to stroke it.

Logan's back arched up off the bed as he moaned in pleasure. Maybe it was because of the emotional download he'd just had, or maybe Ramos was just that good, but everything felt better than it had before. His entire body felt sensitive and was responding to Ramos' touch in a way that made his skin tingle with excitement.

"B-before..." Logan's voice trailed off as he moaned again. "Before we get back into this, I need you to promise me something."

"What is it?" Ramos asked as he continued to tease Logan's body with his touches.

"I need you to promise that we're going to figure this out," said Logan, trying to keep his thoughts straight. "I need to know why this is happening to us. I need to know that it's not going to fall apart as quickly as it came together."

"How do you want to do that?" asked Ramos, his hand relaxed and stopped its teasing motions.

"I don't know. Blood tests? Psychiatrists? Personality tests? I've never had this happen before. All I know is that it's not normal. I want to just give in to it and enjoy it but, like I said before, I'm a little scared by just how much I need you right now." It was difficult for Logan to admit exactly what he was feeling. The enormity of his need for Ramos, tinged with fear triggered by his own sense of self-preservation, had left him feeling raw and exposed. As much as he needed to be close to Ramos, part of him was terrified of what that closeness opened him up to.

"We'll figure it out, don't worry," Ramos reassured him. "I...the doctor at the clinic schedules most of his appointments as house calls. He's discreet so we won't have to worry about anyone finding out where you're hiding. I'll call him tomorrow and arrange a visit. Now..." Ramos shifted his hips a little and Logan moaned at the movement, "shall we continue?"

Logan sat up. His fears weren't gone, but they were abated for the moment. The overwhelming influx of emotion had left him feeling sleepy, but he was also eager to finish what they had started.

He slid his arms around Ramos' neck and began to lift his hips up off of the alpha's erection. Ramos, encouraged by the movement, shifted his hips in the opposite direction. As Logan began to lower himself again, Ramos rose up to meet him. It took them a few tries to sync their movements, but they managed it.

The friction of every thrust began to rekindle the heat between them.

Their lips met and the warmth of their kiss served to stoke the fire even more.

Another thrust and the pair cried out in unison. They were building up momentum now. Their pace increased, the thrusts became shorter and more needy. Their breath became shallow as they panted for air and focused on driving their mutual pleasure towards its climax.

Eager to reach that pinnacle, Ramos leaned forward and laid Logan out on the bed below him. Their fingers intertwined and they peered into one another's eyes as every thrust carried them closer to release.

Ramos' entire body heaved with effort, as Logan cried out in ecstasy. Waves of pleasure rolled over him as he climaxed. The sound of his cries appeared to drive Ramos over the final mountain top. The alpha threw back his head and very nearly roared as he claimed Logan entirely for himself.

Breathless, exhausted, Ramos collapsed onto the bed beside Logan.

They were both silent for several long moments. The sustained effort had left them both drained.

Logan propped himself up on one elbow after a moment and looked down at Ramos. He wasn't used to feeling this needy. His independence and self-reliance had always been extremely important to him. The overwhelming desire to know that he was desired and accepted by his alpha was making him feel anxious.

"What is it?" asked Ramos once he realized Logan was watching him. He reached up and touched Logan's cheek, smiling at him through the darkness. "What do you need?"

"I just need to be certain that you still mean everything you said." Logan touched Ramos' hand and nuzzled into it before kissing it softly. "I need to know that it wasn't just the sex talking."

Ramos reached out and gently pulled Logan close. "It wasn't just the sex talking. I still don't know what's going on, but how I feel hasn't changed. I enjoy being like this with you. I enjoy knowing you enjoy it as well. I don't want this to end."

Logan relaxed back against Ramos and sighed contentedly. Before long, he had fallen asleep.

* * *

He awoke to the motion of Ramos climbing out of bed. The pre-dawn light was just beginning to peek through the bedroom window.

Logan yawned sleepily. "Where are you going?" he asked as Ramos began to dig through his dresser for clothing.

"I've got to get ready to head down to the station." Ramos draped a clean shirt and pants over his arm.

"Already?" Logan frowned as he stretched among the sheets. He couldn't help the profound sense of loss that washed over him. That caused him to frown even more. Since when couldn't he spend a few hours alone? He liked being alone. He treasured his moments of solitude. Why was the thought of Ramos going to work giving him so much trouble?

"I don't want to go," said Ramos when he saw the look on Logan's face. "But I haven't missed a day of work in ten years and I can't start now. If I do it will only draw attention to us and that's something we don't need right now."

"I know," said Logan as he slowly sat up. "It's not...I'll be fine. I can wash your sheets or something, take a shower. I never really pictured myself as the stay-at-home kind of omega, but I can give it a shot today." He forced a smile. The thought of putting his nervous energy into domestic pursuits wasn't exactly comforting. Hopefully it would get his mind off the situation at hand.

Logan's stomach growled, loudly.

Ramos swore.

"I'm sorry," said Logan, pressing the palm of his hand to his stomach.

"No, no, I'm sorry. It's not you," Ramos tried to reassure him as he slid the last dresser drawer shut. "My refrigerator is all but empty right now," he explained. "I don't end up eating here very much."

"Oh." Logan pressed his hand a little more firmly into his stomach in an effort to silence its protests.

"I'll...I'll try to bring you some groceries as soon as I can." Ramos looked thoughtful. "I know it's not much, but I think there are some instant noodles in the cupboard." He looked apologetic.

"Ramos...I've lived on the streets my whole life almost. Eating instant noodles isn't going to kill me." Logan was amused by Ramos' reaction to his statement. There were times when it seemed like the alpha forgot just how different their life experiences had been up to this point.

"Go take your shower or whatever you're going to do," Logan continued, waving a hand forward encouragingly.

Ramos reluctantly slunk out of the room and into the hallway. A few minutes later, Logan heard the shower start.

Despite how frustrated he was by the thought of staying cooped up in Ramos' house all day, he was still exhausted from their earlier acrobatics. As he curled up in the blankets to wait for Ramos to return from his shower, he could feel his eyes growing heavier. Before long, he had fallen asleep.

* * *

When he woke again, it was fully daylight. He didn't have to even look around the house to know that Ramos had left already. A brief sense of alarm welled within him and he had to take a minute to calm himself. Being so worked up was only going to make the day drag on longer than it needed to. Right now, he needed to get up, take a shower, put some clothes on and find some food.

Making a mental checklist of the things he needed to accomplish seemed to calm him slightly.

Logan dragged himself out of bed and located his discarded clothing. Then he went to the bathroom and, after fiddling around with the knobs a bit, he managed to take a shower. The hot water pouring over him, washing away the sweat and grime, left him feeling cleansed and granted him a sense of clarity.

He could content himself with being left behind. He didn't need to be within arm's reach of Ramos at all times. Just being in his house, around his things, was enough for now. That realization did make Logan feel a little bit like a stalker though.

Once he was finally clean and dressed, Logan went to the kitchen.

Several instant noodle packages had been set on the counter with a small pot. Next to them was a note.

"I'll try to be back around 1 pm with some groceries. I'll have to go back to work after that. Sorry to leave without saying goodbye. You're so adorable when you're sleeping." Logan read the note out loud to himself and grinned as he tried to imagine the gruff, stoic, detective writing something so sweet.

Clearly, whatever had affected him was affecting Ramos as well.

Logan fixed himself some food and skimmed through the text messages on his phone. He deleted every single message from Julio. Then he proceeded to his photos and began deleting them as well. Every single photo he'd ever taken for Julio was deleted without hesitation. There were no memories from the last year that he was fond enough of to keep around.

The sheer number of pictures was a little staggering. In them, he had left no part of himself unexplored or undocumented. At the time, they hadn't really bothered him. Now, however, with this strange attachment to Ramos rampaging through him, the photos made him feel sick to his stomach.

As he finished deleting the last image. His phone chimed with an incoming message.

Logan flipped over to his inbox, and his blood ran cold.

New message from: Julio.

His entire body felt stiff as his heart rate skyrocketed. His mind raced as he opened the message.

"I knew you'd be too stubborn to die easy. The island's not so big that you can hide forever. The cops won't be able to grab everyone before one of them manages to get you. I wish you well my little passion fruit."