Chapter Eleven – “They’re like butterflies.”

There was someone pounding away in his head.

Aaron blinked himself awake and found himself staring at unfamiliar cream curtains. The smell of something baking made his mouth water and it took a moment for him to recall where he was and why. It took another second to realize that the pounding was not in his head, but someone gently knocking on his door.

“Aaron?” Jamie’s voice filtered through the door, “are you dead? Did you escape through the window or something? You’ve been asleep for more than ten hours and I’m pretty sure you didn’t have dinner last night so you must be famished. Dad’s going to take us to his friend’s place today, he says she can help. I really hope you’re awake and I’m not just talking to the door here. Just…uh, I’ll be in the kitchen waiting for you so we can have breakfast together…uhm, I mean, uh…right. Just wake up, okay? Oh, and I’ve got your clothes. Should I come in? Or will you…you know what? Forget it. Just come out whenever you’re ready.”

He listened to her footsteps as she left down the corridor and only then realized that he was smiling so hard his cheeks hurt. Blushing, he buried his face in the pillow. God, she talked too much. Licking his lips, he got out of the bed, swaying a bit on his feet.

“Whoa,” he whispered, clutching his head when his entire vision went black.

He stood still for a second until he gained his momentum before heading to the bathroom to clean his mouth. He was probably only dizzy because he hadn’t eaten and he’d slept for too long. When he was done brushing his teeth and mussing his hair, he made his way to the room door. He couldn’t shower because Jamie still had his clothes.

He breathed in deeply for courage before quietly leaving his room.

He followed the scent of the food and the sound of Jamie’s bellowing laugh to the kitchen. He’d been unable to look properly at Jamie’s dad before but now he couldn’t help but stare at the flickering cat ears and tail, both the same colour of the man’s silky light blonde hair. God, it looked so weird and unreal.

The man turned around and spotted him at the door, beaming brightly. His eyes were bigger than a normal person’s and a little rounder, almost like a new born baby’s eyes – big and adorable and golden brown, partially hidden behind a pair of what Aaron would refer to as ‘geek’ glasses.

“Good, you’re awake,” he said with a smile, tail swishing behind him as he moved around the kitchen, opening cupboards to bring out plates.

“Hey!” Jamie called. She was currently sitting on top of the counter and the cat hybrid spanked her thigh and gave her a sharp look.

She grumbled and got off the counter to sit on one of the stools by the kitchen table, sticking her tongue out at the unsuspecting man’s back.

“I saw that,” he said, putting on his oven mittens and pulling the oven open. The scent of some delicious sweet pastry, baked to perfection filled his nostrils and Aaron barely held back the urge to moan with delight.

“Come on, Aaron, you’re just in time for breakfast. Dad makes the best pastries in the entire galaxy.”

“You haven’t even been to every part of the entire galaxy, stop feeding him with lies,” he replied, “by the way Aaron, you can call me Richard.”

Aaron managed a tight smile and made his way to the kitchen table, sliding into a stool opposite Jamie. His eyes were still following Richard’s twitching cat ears and fluffy tail with something akin to awe and avid curiosity.

“Did you sleep well? I’m sure you did,” Jamie giggled and Aaron blushed guiltily as he tore his gaze away from Richard’s body, sure he was being rude by staring so blatantly, “but you have to be impossibly hungry, I mean, I was absolutely starved last night so goddess knows how you’re feeling this morning.”

As if on cue, Aaron’s stomach gave a loud rumble, sending Richard and Jamie into short, polite laughter.

“There you go,” Richard said as he dropped a plate in front of Aaron, moving over to drop another plate in front of Jamie.

Aaron didn’t recognize the pastry – he’d never seen anything like it back home. It looked like soft golden bread, covered completely in warm golden syrup. It smelled and looked amazing. He glanced up and when he noticed that Jamie wasn’t eating, he realized that she was waiting for Richard to get to the table. He took off his mittens and apron, removing his glasses before sliding into a stool, plate at the ready.

Then they both looked expectantly at him. Aaron blushed and shifted uncomfortably, was he supposed to pray or give them approval or what?

Jamie giggled at his confused and slightly alarmed expression, leaning over to lightly smack her father in the arm, “Dad, stop staring. You’re putting him under pressure to eat.”

Richard flushed and his ears twitched backwards, tail swishing, “Right, sorry.”

“Dad loves to see the look on people’s faces when they first try his pastries,” Jamie said in explanation, taking a slice out of her loaf and bringing the piece, dripping with the golden syrup to her lips.

Aaron bit his lip before following suit. He could have sworn that everything in the room froze for a second as he brought a small piece to his lips. He closed his mouth over the fork, pulling the piece off and chewing. The pastry was creamy in his mouth, melting deliciously on his taste buds and at the same time was perfectly chewy. It was a combination he didn’t even think was possible.

“Goodness,” he whispered softly, quickly taking another slice, this time not holding back his moan of pleasure at the absolutely unique richness of the taste.

When he looked up, Richard looked extremely pleased, face flushed and ears pointed up proudly and tail swishing with the same emotion. Aaron had a feeling that Richard was someone that must be horribly easy to read – his ears and tail were just so expressive.

They ate in a companionable silence and when they were done, Richard made them some delicious tea to wash down the food. They gathered in the sitting room to drink up their tea while Richard and Jamie engaged in father-daughter banter.

Aaron was a little jealous of their relationship. It was obvious that there was a huge amount of trust and love in their relationship; it had the perfect dynamics, making them not only seem like father and daughter but best friends.

“So,” Richard said, glancing at Aaron, “we’re going to visit a dear friend of mine that’s going to help you get home. She lives quite far from here so it’s going to take a day’s journey. We’ll go tonight because I still need to tend to the shop; I promised my customers that I would give them some doughnuts and hot chocolate on the house for closing abruptly early yesterday.”

Aaron nodded in understanding at that.

“You’re not much of a talker, are you?”

“Dad!” Jamie gasped in mortification and Richard blushed, ears flattening like he’d been reprimanded.

“What?” he asked, only a bit of guilt leaking into his voice, “he really doesn’t talk that much.”

Aaron suddenly felt self-conscious and he shifted uncomfortably in the seat he was in, “Well…”

“Ignore him Aaron,” Jamie interrupted gently, “you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, goodness dad, could you be any blunter?” she mumbled, getting out of her couch and heading to the kitchen.

Richard immediately trailed after her and although Aaron couldn’t hear what they were saying, he was sure Richard was getting a good verbal beating. It made him chuckle silently into his raised cup. Jamie exited the kitchen, holding up Aaron’s laundered clothes in her hands.

“I’ll put these in your room for you. I’m going to escort dad to the bakery. I’ll come back immediately after so don’t run away.”

Aaron nodded, watching her disappear into the guest bedroom with his clothes. She came out empty handed and he watched as both of them headed to the front door.

“See you later, Aaron,” Richard called and Aaron managed a small ‘bye’ as the door closed behind them.

Aaron quickly finished his tea and headed to the guest bedroom, closing the door behind him. He brushed his teeth again just for good measure before taking a long shower and then putting on his own clothes. The colour in his favourite grey hoodie was fading away slowly but he didn’t care, it only made him cherish the hoodie even more for some reason.

*

“So.”

“So,” Jamie replied. She knew exactly what Richard was referring too which was why she could feel her cheeks turning opaque with a blush.

“So, that’s Aaron.”

“Yeah, pretty sure I brought the right human back.”

“And you like him.”

“Dad,” Jamie groaned, burying her face into her palms, “please don’t.”

“Wow, you really do like him.”

“This isn’t going to end, is it?”

“Not on your life,” Richard laughed, “he is pretty good looking I have to admit. Eyes as green as the clean lake at the back of our house, you say?”

“Oh god, please just stop. I’m seriously contemplating moving half across Aethereus if you don’t stop.”

Richard chuckled just as they got to the shop. He normally went in through the back and so he was unaware of the crowd that had gathered in front of the shop, waiting for him to open even though he wasn’t going to be open until at least an hour and a half.

Jamie helped him with his morning routine which involved switching on the ovens and mixing the ingredients for his delicious pastries. Before the hour was over, they had a good number of pastries baking in the ovens and moved to the front of the shop, opening the windows. All the while, Richard didn’t stop teasing Jamie about her crush on Aaron.

Richard gasped when he opened the blinds of the shop, face flushing with pleased surprise at the crowd of elves and Fays that had gathered outside. He quickly turned the sign to ‘open’ and unlocked the door, the elves almost immediately pouring in.

Jamie giggled at the overwhelmed expression on Richard’s face as he moved to the counter to help with their orders.

“I’ll just set up the tables and chairs outside,” Jamie called to her dad, “then I’ll be off.”

“Okay Jay, I’ll see you at lunch.”

She waved and left the shop through the entrance, setting up the tables and chairs. She looked up at Nicholas’s Hut but he was nowhere to be found, probably inside in the kitchens, before shoving her hands into the pockets of her shorts and eagerly making her way back home.

She felt a nervous kind of weird excitement at having Aaron alone with her, in her own home. She couldn’t explain it but it made her feel queasy inside and she tried to ignore it, biting the inside of her cheek.

*

The day flew by like no man’s business. Jamie had taken Aaron to the green river in the depths of the forest and Aaron had been awed by how clean and clear it was. He found it amusing how the river used its water to communicate by spelling words in the air above it. The afternoon consisted mostly of Jamie and the river conversing while Aaron listened quietly, discretely admiring Jamie from beneath his eyelashes when she wasn’t aware of it.

They had lunch in Richard’s bakery before heading back to the river, spending the rest of the day there.

But then it was night time – time for Aaron to head to whoever this woman was who was going to help him get home.

He was sitting on the bed in the guest room, the lights off and the doors closed, the single window open to let the light of the moons inside as he got lost in his thoughts. Jamie and Richard were probably making dinner as they awaited the elf that was going to take them to their destination.

This was it. He was coming to an end of this dream. He had just one more night and then he was going to be plunged unceremoniously back into reality.

He lifted his legs up, curling them and pressing his knees to his chin. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to leave.

A flash of Jamie’s face, her lips stretched in a heart-warming grin flittered through his subconscious mind and he groaned, burying his face in the crevice of his knees. His stomach danced with butterflies as he thought of her and he dug his nails into his kneecaps like that was going to stop the thoughts from coming.

He’d had his own fair share of crushes, but none quite as intense as this. It made him simultaneously giddy and frustrated.

He started to weigh his options. What if he wanted to stay? They couldn’t tell him no, could they? How bad would it be, if he just stayed here forever, hidden in their midst without anyone the wiser?

Coward, a soft voice whispered into his head but he shook it away. He wasn’t a coward. He wasn’t scared. He just…

There was a soft knock on the door, “Aaron? Please don’t tell me you’ve gone to sleep again because I don’t care, I’ll be barging in on you.”

Aaron laughed softly and called out, “come in!”

The door opened and Jamie poked her head through before walking in, gently closing the door behind her. She walked over and plopped down on his bed beside him.

“So, you’ll be heading back home soon.”

Aaron nodded.

“Are you excited?”

Aaron didn’t answer for a second. And then he said quietly, “what if I don’t want to go back?”

Jamie stared at him in shock, “uh…what?”

He rolled his eyes at her, suddenly feeling shy and stupid, “you heard me.”

“Oh I heard you alright,” she replied, raising one eyebrow, “what I don’t understand is why on earth you wouldn’t want to go back.”

“That’s just the thing, you wouldn’t understand.”

“Then make me.”

“I just…no one wants me at home.”

“How on earth do you know that?” Jamie asked in surprise.

“I just know,” he mumbled, feeling even more stupid as he buried his face in his knees, unable to look her in the eye.

Jamie sighed softly, “You shouldn’t be telling me this, you know.”

Aaron looked up at her questioningly and saw that her cheeks were currently opaque with a soft blush. The sight of her blushing made him blush too.

“Why?” he asked in response to her statement.

Her cheeks darkened even further and she suddenly started playing with a string coming loose in her sneaker, “well, because…I really don’t want you to go.”

“Oh,” Aaron replied dumbly.

He shifted suddenly, dropping his legs and moving closer to Jamie on the bed. She remained frozen, still playing with the loose thread on her shoe as Aaron slid his free hand over hers on the bed. She finally looked up at him, tilting her face up a little, lips parting in invitation. Aaron felt like he couldn’t breathe as he leaned down, ready to just –

The knock on the door nearly made his soul jump out of his skin, sending both of them flying guiltily away from each other, ending on opposite sides of the bed, heartbeats soaring.

“Dinner’s ready you two!” Richard called through the closed door.

“Rightie-o!” Jamie yelled back, her voice unnaturally high pitched and they waited, listening to the Canidae’s footsteps disappear down the corridor before they relaxed a little.

The two of them were suddenly blushing hard, unable to look each other in the eye.

“He did that on purpose,” Jamie whispered and Aaron managed a small laugh.

They looked up at each other and then blushed again as their eyes met before looking away quickly. Jamie licked her lips and stood up, “come on, let’s go get dinner.”

*

“Nicholas, you really didn’t have to,” Richard complained even though his body was currently betraying his words; his ears were flat with pleasure, tail curled around his thigh and his cheeks were flushed from the blatant display of how happy he was with the added events.

Nicholas waved his hand carelessly at the Canidae, “it’s no problem. I just want to make sure you get there safely and I want to be with you and Jamie no matter what happens. It’s obvious she’s taken a liking to the human. It will be hard to let him go.”

Richard bit his lip, turning to glance at the people in question. Him and Nicholas were standing outside the house while Jamie and Aaron were in the sitting room, on the carpet, about seven little Canidae children gathered around them, faces enraptured as Jamie told them one tale or another.

Richard really couldn’t express how happy he was with Nicholas. He suddenly felt really stupid and guilty. Why on earth had he been pushing Nicholas away for so long when it was so obvious how much the man loved him? And…and he grudgingly admitted that his feelings hadn’t changed that much either.

Richard looked up at Nicholas, hoping that he could convey everything in his eyes, “you don’t know how much you’ve helped me these past few days. It means so much to me, honestly.”

“How many times to I have to say it’s nothing, really?” Nicholas replied, raising one hand up to brush against Richard’s cheek.

A small purr rumbled in his chest and he blushed in embarrassment but didn’t pull away, instead gently rubbing his cheek into Nicholas’s palm.

At first, the Fay was shocked at the open display of affection but then his eyes softened and he cupped Richard’s face firmly in both his palms before leaning down to brush his lips with a firm kiss. Richard’s lips melted against his, parting invitingly and his entire body seemed to vibrate lowly with how hard he was purring.

Nicholas reluctantly had to pull away because he was aware of the several underage children in the sitting room and besides, their ride to leave was going to be arriving soon.

He very nearly changed his mind at the sight of Richard and oh, what a sight. His pupils were almost completely blown, eyes looking rounder and bigger, his ears were pointing backwards and tail swishing slowly behind him, like he was hypnotized.

Nicholas swallowed thickly, dropping his hands and pulling away, coughing to clear his throat.

Richard seemed to come back to himself, his face abruptly turning red as he took a small step back but he couldn’t seem to be able to stop the rumbling purr still vibrating in his chest.

“Uh,” he began, blushing madly while still purring deeply and Nicholas was finding it hard to keep his hands to himself.

Just then, the sound of hooves in the distance made them both look up.

“Looks like our ride is here,” Nicholas said huskily and Richard licked his lips, nodding.

Richard walked the Canidae children back to their own homes, telling his neighbours that he was going on an impromptu visit to one of his friends and wouldn’t be back for two days. They wished him a safe journey and then they were more or less ready to leave.

The elf driving them to their destination helped them load what little luggage they had into the back of the carriage and then the four of them climbed into the cart, which was covered with what Aaron would call black leather, hiding them from the outside world while the Elf went to the front to start the carriage. Jamie and Aaron sat facing the front of the cart, while Nicholas and Richard occupied the seats opposite.

The curtains of the cart where opened slightly, so Aaron was able to glance out, admiring the moonlit scenery. His stomach felt queasy with nerves. He just couldn’t believe that he as halfway on his way to going back to earth.

They were just riding past the little Fay habitat when something suddenly hit Aaron square in the chest, almost knocking the breath out of him.

Macy.

He wanted to tell them to stop the cart immediately; he had to go after her when he remembered what had happened when he’d tried that earlier.

I’m sorry, Aaron, but I can’t. I can’t…I won’t leave.”

His hands clenched into fists by his sides. He didn’t understand why Macy hadn’t wanted to come with him. Did she really like it here? Did she know what Ma was going to do to her? Well, he’d warned her so she had to be aware and she still stayed? It was baffling to his mind. He sighed and decided not to think about it, just hoping to God deep down inside that she was going to be okay.

She’d been so adamant on staying so there was honestly not much he could do about that.

The journey didn’t take too long, about an hour and half and they stopped at a small habitat that was extremely bright and colourful from what Aaron could see within the carriage.

When he stepped outside, his mouth dropped open at the sight of the sheer beauty of the small neighbourhood before him. Flowers that kind of reminded him of the Aurie habitat, except these flowers were bigger and more colourful, littering every inch of the place and lightly glowing in the darkness.

“We’re going to spend the night with the fairies so that we can turn up at Kelechi’s refreshed for tomorrow,” Nicholas said in explanation as he got the luggage from the back of the cart.

And it was only then that Aaron noticed the inhabitants of the place. They were almost as colourful as the flowers and they all had large, elegant wings protruding from their backs – butterfly wings. Each individual had a different colour pattern and design on their wings, making them all unique. They were dressed a fabric that reminded Aaron of the Fays except this fabric seemed to be made with colours of the rainbow.

“They’re like big butterflies,” Aaron whispered in awe and Jamie giggled beside him.

“Beautiful, are they not?”

“Stunning,” Aaron replied with a grin.

They walked into the place and the fairies greeted them warmly as they made their way to the nearest inn. When they were all settled, Nicholas took them to the back of the inn where most of the fairies were having what looked like a barbeque. They occupied an empty table, watching the gathered fairies have their fun.

Some fairies were singing and others were flying across the open space, dancing and twirling in the air, colourful dust particles floating down in their wake.

It was absolutely stunning.

“Come on,” Jamie said suddenly, dragging Aaron towards the dance floor, “dance with me!”

Richard watched them go with what felt like a rock in his chest.

“You know she’s crushing on him, right?” Nicholas whispered softly.

Richard sighed, “yeah, I know.” He unconsciously leaned over, pushing his face against Nicholas’s shoulders, for the first time in a long time allowing himself to scent the other man. He smelled like love and warmth and home and Richard purred deeply, his tail swishing lazily behind him, ears flattening with pleasure.

Nicholas wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close and Richard blushed but didn’t pull away. He tried not to think about what tomorrow might bring. He was dreading seeing Kelechi more than anything else. He hadn’t seen the woman in a very long time. She always helped Harley in his own quests and she had undeniably been the start of a lot of things. 

Richard buried his face in Nick’s chest, inhaling his homey scent as he tried not to think about tomorrow; deciding to enjoy the peace and beauty of the present before it all came crashing down.