NOTICE: I'm going to be sprucing up my old fics and posting them to my ao3 account (and **only** my ao3 account. They will not be updated here) under the same name, whose link you can find on my profile cause FF has some vendetta against outside links in fics. Past that, anything new that I write is going to be posted only to my ao3 account.

This one's a request. Feel free to rip me apart for any canon inconsistencies. I actually skipped this book so I've been making do with the wiki lmfao

Alderheart x Puddleshine

CONTAINS:

-M/M

Watchful amber eyes roved over his form as silky fur rubbed up against his side. A slender tail wove around his waist. Her tongue began to groom along his cheek as her tail continued to slip lower, twining about his inner thigh.

"Alderheart?"

The small mew broke him out of his doze. Turning to look, a head was poking into the den. Heat gathered in his ears.

"Yes, Blazepaw?" He tried not to let his lack of sleep carry into his voice, but he wasn't so sure he succeeded.

"I stepped on a thorn while training." He turned over her paw pad as if he wouldn't believe him.

"Come here. I have just the thing."

As they limped over, Alderheart began to search through the herbs. He'd already gotten used to Puddleshine's system, which, he noted pleasantly, was similar to his own.

"It's going to hurt a little."

They gave a small nod. With a gentle grip, Alderheart wedged the thorn from the pad. When it fell away, he was quick to lap at the blood that welled from it. Blazepaw didn't even make a sound.

He chewed up his poultice and smeared it across the pad.

"I'm impressed. Usually cats hate having thorns taken out."

"I'm used to it. Puddleshine always joked he could make his own thicket with all the thorns I get." They cast their eyes down, then over to the twitching form of Puddleshine. "Is he going to be okay?"

Something tugged at Alderheart's heart. "He's going to be just fine. I promise."

He seemed less than convinced. As if on cue, a shudder passed through Puddleshine, followed by a high pitched whine. His legs kicked out as if battling an invisible enemy.

"I hope so. He's a good cat. I don't know much about StarClan, but they couldn't be so cruel as to take him now."

There was a warmth to his words that made Alderheart feel like he just walked in on something personal.

"They're doing all they can, I assure you. And so am I. I won't let him go so easily." Alderheart laid a friendly tail over his.

He gave a sluggish nod, but Alderheart doubted that he was really listening. After promising to stay off of his paw for the rest of the day, he left.

Alderheart's gaze travelled back to his friend's twitching body. His eyelids were half open, his eyes glassy and unfocused. For a beat, he wondered if it had been a good idea to leave him in charge. He shook away the thought. Doubting himself wouldn't help anyone. He had to stay resolute.

But it was becoming hard to keep his spirits up. Even with Shadowkit's help, he felt like he was in another world. Sometimes he thought he caught Cloverfoot watching him still. No one wanted him here.

And he found it hard to blame them. He was the least experienced of the medicine cats in ThunderClan. He probably looked like a fool, thinking he could pull this off by himself. The idea made his form slouch.

Puddleshine gave another low moan. His eyes twitched to and fro. Over the past couple of days, Alderheart had thought he saw some improvement. It was getting hard to tell if it was real or an effect of his lack of sleep.

He let his worries disappear with a sharp breath. None of this was helping. He needed to sleep. With a heavy heart, he curled up in his moss nest and let his eyes flutter close.

His dreams were tainted with dead rabbits and glistening silverthorn.

When he woke up, grey light was streaming in. A small squirrel was left near the entrance, which still lingered with Shadowkit's scent. He made a note to thank him later as he tucked into the prey.

"I never got prey delivered."

Alderheart almost choked on his mouthful. He spun around to see Puddleshine, a wry smile across his muzzle.

"You must be pretty popular around here if they're doing that." His purr was rough. His voice was no better.

His eyes were still unfocused, and as Alderheart held a paw to his head, he could tell he was still running a fever. But he was awake.

He was alive.

"Could I get some water, maybe?"

Alderheart felt flushed with embarrassment. With a mumbled apology, he turned around to look for some good moss.

Snatching up what he could find, he dipped it into the natural pool that made up the back corner of the den. With a huff of appreciation, Puddleshine scraped off the liquid.

"How are you feeling?"

"Awful." His tongue ran along his muzzle to catch the droplets that hung there. His voice was floaty and hoarse. "But this isn't StarClan. So I could be doing worse."

Alderheart's heart sank back down to the ground. He was still far from okay. His eyes kept slipping away from him, out of focus. The infection was still affecting him. He nosed the squirrel towards him.

"Eat that, if you can. I need to go get Tigerstar."

"Thanks," he said, but showed no signs of noticing the squirrel.

He was less than happy about being woken up so early, but was quick to brighten up when Alderheart told him about Puddleshine. His pace was much more frantic than Alderheart's as he followed him back to the den.

"Oh. Hey." Puddleshine's eyes brightened up when he saw Tigerstar.

"Thank StarClan." Tigerstar tilted his head up in a silent prayer. "Will he be well enough to perform his duties?"

Alderheart rocked on his heels for a moment. Puddleshine's gaze drifted from the pair to a wall, before snapping back to them, as if lost in a daydream. The squirrel at his paws was still untouched.

He hated being here, but he couldn't leave ShadowClan with an ineffectual medicine cat.

"Not for a while, I don't think. The infection still has a hold. His fever is high."

"Can't he treat himself? Just teach him how to skin the deathberries."

Alderheart stopped his tail before it could thrash. "You're a fine leader, Tigerstar, but you would make a poor medicine cat. A fever like that will make him prone to mistakes."

His fur bristled. A lilting laugh bubbled from Puddleshine.

"I can tell Jayfeather was your mentor," he purred. A lazy smile split his muzzle. Warmth spread to Alderheart's ears.

"Fine." Tigerstar's lips curled. "But you have to be out by the half-moon."

"Fevers don't work on a schedule. But, I'll do what I can."

Tigerstar let out a snort, but didn't offer any more as he turned around. Puddleshine let out another long, rough purr.

"Don't pay any attention to him. He's always had a nasty streak."

"I'm not too surprised." Alderheart rolled his shoulders to lessen their tension. Now that the excitement was over, his disturbed sleep was already getting to him. His eyelids hung heavy.

"Puddleshine?"

Alderheart's heart jumped into his throat. Blazepaw's head was poking in. Wide eyes regarded Puddleshine.

Puddleshine blinked a couple of times before something akin to recognition filled them. "Blazepaw."

Anxious eyes flitted to Alderheart. When he nodded, relief flooded his features. He took a few careful steps forward, as though walking on glass.

Puddleshine's muzzle spread back into a sluggish smile. "I'm okay. You don't have to worry."

"He needs more rest." Alderheart stepped forward. "But you can come back and see him later, when he wakes back up."

"Okay. Thank you." He bowed his head, waving a hurried farewell to Puddlshine, before ducking back out of the den.

"I'm sure he's been as bad as a stubborn tick." A rough purr rumbled through his frame. "He's been having some trouble adjusting to Clan life, so he comes to talk to me a lot. Seeing me like this probably had him worried out of his mind."

Something glowed in his chest. The clumsy, nervous Puddlepaw was nothing but a memory now. Alderheart found it hard to remember why Puddleshine had been so uncertain about becoming a medicine cat in the first place.

"You've come a long way."

His ears perked. A lazy smile stretched his lips. "It's because of you."

"Leafpool is the one that taught you the herbs." Aldeheart waved his tail dismissively.

"Maybe." His jaws parted in a yawn. His eyes began to flutter close. "But you taught me to keep getting back up. You were a great mentor."

After a few moments, his gentle snoring filled the den, leaving Alderheart to begin his daily routine. Shadowkit came bustling in around sunhigh, offering his usual help with the herbs. Cloverfoot stopped by once she had heard the news, but Puddleshine was still fast asleep. She hadn't even glanced at Alderheart and his work.

It became much more obvious now the stress the Clan had been under. Now that the news of Puddleshine had made its way around camp, Alderheart felt much more welcomed. The glares that used to dig into his pelt were non-existent. It helped some of the tension that still tightened his limbs.

When he got back from collecting a bundle of tansy, Blazepaw was hanging about the den entrance. His paws were kneading at the grass. When he noticed Alderheart, his tail stiffened, as if he had just struck a secret. Alderheart had to suppress a smile.

He looked back to the entrance. "He's still not awake."

"He's still recovering." Alderheart rolled his tongue awkwardly along his herb bundle, before deciding to place it down. "When he wakes up again, you'll be the first to know. Okay?"

His gaze dropped to the grass. "Okay."

Something stung at his heart. He couldn't help but notice how dishevelled his fur looked. He wasn't grooming properly.

"How have you been adjusting? I know you came back with Tigerstar. This must be a lot to take in."

His teeth skimmed over his lip. His shoulders sagged as he sat back on his haunches. "Not as well as I'd hoped."

"Why don't we talk about it?" He guided him into the den with his tail, picking up the tansy and stashing it away to sort later.

Puddleshine waa curled up on himself. His tail was laid over his muzzle, the fur moving with his gentle breathing. Blazepaw's eyes immediately moved to him. Alderheart cleared his throat to redirect his attention.

"You can talk to me about anything you have questions about."

"It's not that, really." He scuffed a paw against the ground. "I haven't been doing so well with training. Everything's so different here. I feel like I'm clawing my way up a cliff."

"Nothing comes easy. It might be hard now, but if you keep working at it, you'll make your way eventually."

"I guess." He didn't sound convinced. Alderheart caught his gaze flitting back to Puddleshine.

"You know, when he started his training, he was terrible."

His head lifted, if only a little. "I know. He talks about it a lot. When you helped him with his training, I mean."

Heat gathered in Alderheart's ears. "It was mostly Leafpool." He draped a casual paw over his ear to calm himself. "But that's not the point. The point is, he couldn't tell the difference between tansy and burdock when he started. But we build experience from our shortcomings. Failures are just as important as our successes. He wouldn't be the cat he is today if it weren't for his failures."

He slowly straightened out. "You're right. Thanks, Alderheart."

"Anytime, Blazepaw." Alderheart stretched out to press a comforting nose to his shoulder.

"Can you get me if he wakes up?"

Alderheart had to stifle a smile. "Of course. Now, get on."

A brisk nod was his only response before he shuffled out of the den, leaving Alderheart to properly stock his tansy. A warmth vibrated through him in the form of a weak purr.

"I thought you got tansy yesterday?" Shadowkit picked through the herbs. He brought his nose close to each one, sniffing for its scent.

"I did." Alderheart pointed at the leaves before sliding them towards Shadowkit so he could get its scent.

He sniffed at them curiously, before nodding to himself and sorting them away. It wasn't the best work, but Alderheart didn't want to curb his enthusiasm. He'd fix it later.

Puddleshine was fast asleep. He'd woken up briefly in the early morning. Alderheart had kept his promise and fetched Blazepaw, who was much less mad about being woken up once she was told why.

The sun was high in the sky now. From the chatter, he surmised that the patrol just got back. He wondered if Blazepaw had been on it.

"I'm all done." Shadowkit leaned back from his work for Alderhear to inspect.

"It looks good." He scooped it up to store it away. Having a helper like Shadowkit sure was useful. Though, it did leave him with much more time on his hands.

"Is there anything else I can help with?"

"Not right now. Why don't you go see if your siblings want to play?"

His whiskers twitched. Some sour expression crossed his face. "Okay."

With far less enthusiasm than one would expect of a kit, he bounded out of the den, leaving Alderheart to his thoughts.

His jaws parted in a yawn. Even though most of the stress had alleviated, his dreams were still restless. They were filled with grey, silky fur and alluring amber eyes.

He leaned back, letting his mind fall back into a daydream. Her scent wreathed around him. Her voice echoed in his ears.

"Good morning."

Alderheart jutted out of his dream to see Puddleshine's eyes cracked open. He blinked a few times before they adjusted. He had seemed much more lucid this morning, but he was still weak. That much was evident when he tried to rise up to stretch on wobbly legs, before drifting back down onto his nest.

There was a tightness in his groin, which he quickly hid from view. Puddleshine's gaze flitted to his thighs for a moment, but if he saw, he gave no indication. Alderheart decided he hadn't.

"It's the middle of the afternoon."

"Are you trying to imply something?" His fangs flashed in an impish grin. "You should be nicer. I'm dying, you know."

"You are not dying." Alderheart admonished him with a flick to his ear.

He ducked away. "Well, I was dying. That counts for something, doesn't it?"

"Not really, no." Alderheart suppressed a purr. "Are you feeling hungry? I was thinking of getting something from the fresh-kill pile."

"Not particularly." He rolled his shoulders. "Hard to get hungry when you just sleep all day."

"You should eat something, at least."

"Maybe later." He flicked his tail, rolling his tongue out in another yawn before letting his head fall back down. "Did Blazepaw stop by again?"

"Not yet. I think he just got back from patrol. Did you want me to go get him?" Alderheart leaned to glance out the den. Cats milled about the opening, but he couldn't distinguish Blazepaw.

"No, it's okay." He let out a sharp exhale. "He needs to mingle with the others."

Alderheart's ears perked. "Has that been a problem?"

He looked almost guilty. "He's been having some problems with the other apprentices and the warriors. So, usually, he ends up visiting me."

Alderheart scooted closer. "Stuff like that tends to work itself out."

He turned his muzzle to the wall. "It's my fault, really. He told me he had feelings for Antpaw. I told him it was better to get that stuff off your chest instead of holding it in. But, there's been a rift between them since. It's spread to the other cats, too."

"Oh." Alderheart remembered the brown-and-black splotched tom, Antpaw. "Well. They may be apprentices, but they're old enough to work through stuff like that themselves. Time is the best medicine."

"I know." He let out a huff. "But I feel bad for leading him in the wrong direction. I'm supposed to know better."

"Nonsense." Alderheart cuffed him playfully over the ear. "It was good advice. If he never took the chance, he wouldn't have known."

Puddleshine held his gaze, his face pensive. After a moment, it broke into a much more resolute expression.

"Thanks. Maybe I do need some prey."

"I'll go fetch us something. After that, you need a good grooming. Your fur is a mess."

A weak smile stretched his muzzle. "If you're offering."

The sun made its way to the horizon, leaving the camp empty as most cats made their way to their dens. Puddleshine fell back asleep after his share of the prey. His gentle snoring filled the den. It wasn't long before Alderheart decided it would be best to follow suit and curled up in his own nest.

Alderheart's head hung back as he savored Velvet's mouth on his cock. Her tongue cupped his dick as she slid her maw up and along its sensitive flesh. Her throat flexed reflexively around it as she brought her snout to the base of his crotch. A tongue snaked out to run over his balls.

"Oh, fuck. Velvet."

He couldn't contain the moan that rolled from his mouth. It felt so good. It felt so real.

Alderheart's eyes cracked open as his dream faded. Much to his surprise, though, the wet warm still encased his cock. He let out a shout of surprise as he discovered Puddleshine's head buried between his legs.

He pulled off, but he didn't seem very surprised. Half lidded eyes regarded him with a strange warmth. He signalled with his tail for Alderheart to keep his voice down.

"Just pretend I'm Velvet."

Alderheart's protest was lost as his maw slipped back over him. His back arched against the ground as Puddleshine's mouth sucked him deep into its heat. A tongue rolled over his sensitive head, lapping at the precum that dribbled from it.

His claws tore at his bedding as he swallowed him back into his throat. It tightened around the head of his cock, sending almost painful waves of pleasure thrumming through Alderheart.

He pulled his head back with a slurping sound to scoop a gob of pre from his tip. He shifted onto his side as he raised a hind leg and he curled his lower body forward. Alderheart watched as with a stretched foreleg, he probed around his own backside until he found his tailhole. He slowly sunk them in.

Puddleshine sank back onto his cock with a long, muffled moan. His bobs worked in tandem with his pumping toes, his hips shifting along the den floor. An eager tongue traced back along the curve of his balls as he swallowed repeatedly around the apex of his cock. His whines of pleasure were wet and muffled.

Alderheart's hips arched off the floor, seeking to somehow embed his cock deeper into him. With a strangled groan he began to jut upwards. Puddleshine held his head still as he pumped into his sucking maw. His toes worked faster.

Alderheart's back curled as he released a strangled cry. Puddleshine propped his head in place and opened his maw, cupping the head of his cock with his tongue so Alderheart could watch as his jizz painted his mouth.

Lips formed back around his cock as Puddleshine suckled out the last few spurts, with a weak hum. A low purr rumbled through him as he lapped up the cum that was still drooling from the tip of Alderheart's cock.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do that."

"What are you doing?" Alderheart blanched as the rough texture ran over his overly sensitive head. It set his nerves on fire.

"Giving you a blowjob." Lazy laps of his tongue scraped against the sensitive skin. "I saw your little friend when I woke up, and it looked like you needed it."

Puddleshine stepped over his body, bringing his snout forward to lick at Alderheart's collarbone. Shivers rolled down his spine, ending in a gasp as it scraped further up against his jawline.

"Puddleshine." Alderheart's voice wavered.

He shoved his nose into his neck fur. "I really like you. Like. A lot."

Whatever Alderheart wanted to say stuck in his throat like needles.

"It's okay. I know you don't feel the same. I didn't expect you to. But I had to say it." He pulled back with a sheepish grin on his face. "Maybe this wasn't the best way of doing it, in hindsight."

"Maybe not." Alderheart struggled to catch his breath.

"Sorry. I've never been one for poise, I guess." He leaned back, unintentionally rubbing back against Alderheart's cock. A pitched gasp welled up from his throat.

Surprise flitted across his features, before devolving into a snarky expression.

"You're more pent up than I thought." He wiggled his hips, and Alderheart jolted as he felt his backside rub up against his cock again. Against his intentions, his hips jabbed upward, aimlessly smacking into his backside.

"It's been like this ever since Velvet." Alderheart wanted nothing more than to disappear at that moment. "She's all I can think about anymore."

"Maybe I can help with that. I still owe you one for saving my life.

"Wait," he stammered, but another rub stole away whatever problems he had with the idea. Another needy whine rumbled from his throat as he jutted up.

"It's okay. It doesn't have to mean anything. Just enjoy it."

Alderheart's words were lost as a heat rubbed up and along his cock, before slowly sinking onto it. Puddleshine's lips curled back into a grimace as he sat back onto his crotch. The sound of claws scraping against stone filled Alderheart's ears.

Alderheart wrapped his paws around his waist to guide him. The warm walls slowly slid down his cock, flexing around the sensitive flesh until it was entirely encased in its heat.

"Fuck. Yes." Puddleshine leaned forward into his body. He continued to lick along Alderheart's neck as he rocked his hips in a gentle motion. His ass held tight to his dick as it moved along it, sending ripples through Alderheart.

"You feel really good," Alderheart gasped.

"You do, too."

The hot walls hugged his cock as Puddleshine pulled himself forward, before roughly slapping himself back down. A pitched gasp rolled from him. Leaning back, he planted his paws on Alderheart's chest to leverage himself as he rolled his hips.

Alderheart couldn't stop himself from jutting up into his awkward rhythm. He abandoned Puddleshine's hips to scrabble at his back as the tight folds slipped over his sensitive cock. Puddleshine's own cock was standing tall and proud, bouncing over Alderheart's belly as he rode him.

Puddleshine slammed back down to grind against him, before pulling his ass up and doing it again. Pressure built up like a knot in Alderheart's stomach with each drop.

"I've wanted to do this for so fucking long," Puddleshine hissed. He dipped his head down to lick at his muzzle.

Without thinking, Alderheart parted his lips. Puddleshine didn't wait a beat before slipping his tongue into his maw. A wet, muffled moan rolled from Alderheart as they slipped their tongues against each other.

His eyes lidded. The air turned muggy and musky as they jutted against each other mindlessly. Copious jets of pre helped Puddleshine slide his ass along his length even faster, clapping back down into Alderheart with a force. Claws pricked at his chest as his pace sped up.

Puddleshine let out a long groan, which was absorbed by Alderheart, as his rhythm teetered. Warmth splashed out across his ginger belly, and the air turned heavier. The folds encasing his cock gripped harder, slamming down particularly hard as more heated strings coated his stomach.

The knot in his stomach exploded. Alderheart lost control as claws scored across Puddleshine's back. Moans and groans rolled from him as their lips disconnected. He jutted up into his friend, his prick throbbing as it shot ropes deep into him.

"Yes. Fuck. Fucking fill me."

Puddleshine huffed as he grinded back against him. Each throb pushed at his walls, making him seem even tighter. His balls pulled up to their base as he fired off the last of his load, the added lubricant making it even easier for Puddleshine to rock along the length.

When he pulled forward, he slid out. Cold air batted against his cock, bidding it back into its sheath. Puddleshine slumped forward, his entire weight laying into Alderheart.

"That felt so much better than my paw." Lazy licks sent trills shooting through Alderheart.

"I guess I should say thanks." Alderheart returned the grooming, sliding his rough tongue along his collarbone. A purr rumbled through him.

"The pleasure was all mine. Well. Not literally. But you get what I mean." He wiggled his hips back against his receding cock with a toothy grin.

"Yeah, I think I get what you mean." Alderheart pushed at his chest. Taking the hint, he stepped off of him.

Free of his weight, Alderheart doubled over on himself to begin grooming his messy fur. The heady taste of jizz clung to his tongue as he scraped it durifully out of his fur. Much to his surprise, he didn't mind it so much.

He rolled over once he finished, just in time for Puddleshine to finish cleaning himself up. A loving tongue scraped his forehead as he laid himself out beside him. He nudged his way under Alderheart's chin, his ferocious purr reverberating through their contact.

Within a beat, it fell away into a gentle snoring. Alderheart took in a quick breath of his friend's scent. Something ached in his chest. But he didn't get to think on it much. The toll of the night was becoming evident as his eyelids grew heavier.

Not willing to disrupt Puddleshine's sleep, Alderheart let his head fall over his shoulder. His eyelids closed on their own, leading him into a dreamless slumber.

He woke up to Puddleshine curled up in his own nest. The only reminder of last night was the underlying scent of sex, but even that was hard to detect over the overbearing stench of herbs.

Another piece of prey with Shadowkit's scent sat by the entrance. Alderheart had to wonder if that was before or after Puddlshine moved. Heat gathered in his cheeks.

"Oh, hey." Sleepy eyes blinked at him as Puddleshine ruffled his fur. With a wide yawn, he stretched up from his nest. "Sorry about last night. I didn't mean to crash on you."

"It's okay." Alderheart folded his ears back. "It wasn't a problem."

"Oh, yeah?" Something glimmered in his eyes. "That's good. Did it, uh, help at all?"

"It did." It felt like something was crawling under his pelt. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Or do. If you want." He licked his lips.

Alderheart's heart stuttered, even though he knew he was just teasing. Something in his legs tingled as he scented their mixed musk once more.

"Maybe I will."

Puddlshine's eyes went wide. Alderheart would have laughed if he had let himself, but he stifled it with a yawn.

His expression slid into a much more pleased one. "Well, what kind of friend would I be to turn you down?"