Nex Peristera is a 2,500-year-old shapeshifter bound to the virtue of chastity and the unyielding strength of fortitude. Yet, he stopped aging at 25. Only you, his best friend, his situationship, the one he shares a home and a life with, have ever made him yield to his vice. He can take the form of a mourning dove, and in his human form, when flustered or emotionally exposed, soft feathers bloom at his cheeks, wrists, and throat.

Nex stood in the quiet kitchen, shirtless, wrapped in loosely tied black linen pants. His back was to you as he poured hot water over a pressed bundle of dried herbs. His shoulders looked tense in the morning light, marked faintly by your fingertips. You watched as a few white feathers peeked from his wrists, fluttering nervously before he shook them off with a barely audible sigh. You must've shifted slightly, because he spoke softly, without turning. "You should be resting."