The Sweetest Things Take Time

[Colle Mellifera]

Colle watched Rory leave the cafe. She knew how to drive a hard bargain, they admitted to themself. Either she was more perceptive than they’d given her credit for, or they were being really obvious about their attraction to the mysterious druid with the sweet tooth.

“I can put that up by the counter for Rory, if you want,” Colle offered, holding out their hand. “She said she’d be back tomorrow some time.” If she didn’t come back, Colle would hunt her down - she had one of the books, after all.

Harroc nodded and held the book out to Colle before scooping up the dishes they’d left. “I think I will save this for a little bit,” he said, indicating his second smaller honey-covered cat’s paw with a nod. “Where do these go, beside just away?” he asked with a small grin, lifting the saucer for emphasis.

"In the kitchen to be washed," Colle replied, looking around to get a sense of the other tables. They'd need to make a circuit of the cafe for dishes and books before they started on tomorrow’s prep work. They stored the book Harroc had found behind the counter before beginning their circuit. Pushing in seats and gathering books and dishes, they worked around the cafe. Harroc wandered over at their halfway point and Colle handed him the pile of dishes they'd collected.

"Put these by the sink with the other dishes, please," they directed. Harroc nodded obediently and moved off again. Most of the patrons were good about placing their books on the shelving cart, but some left their reading material wherever they'd been sitting. Colle frowned and brought a stack of books to the shelving cart; they still had more tables to clear, but the books were already starting to slip against each other and become unwieldy. They stood the books with their spines facing out, ensuring they could be sorted more easily come morning.

With empty hands Colle moved to the next table, only to reflexively grumble under their breath at the mess. The table was smeared with preserves and honey. Crumbs and splashes of liquid were scattered in an almost artistic chaos. Somehow, a plate had ended upside down on the floor. To add to the troubles, a children's book lay open, its corner soaked in what Colle hoped was only water or unsweetened tea.

Growling, Colle stomped off to the last two tables to clean before coming back for disastrous table. They needed to get more rags and soapy water to clean the table and idols knew what else. The mess didn't really bother them - accidents happened, after all - but the mistreated book made them upset. Not just that it was damaged, but that the patrons hadn't let them know.

Colle picked up the book gingerly with the wet corner hanging down. Liquid dripped off of it as they carried the book to the counter. Hopefully the book would be salvageable with a few ripply corners. They took the last of the dishes back to join the growing pile they'd have to wash. Apparently the cafe had been popularly popular today.

Sighing, Colle grabbed a few dry towels for the book and leaned out to toss them on the counter. They started a sink of hot soapy water, since they'd need it for the dishes anyway, and dunked two towels for scrubbing the dirty table.

Harroc came up behind Colle while they were soaking the rags for cleaning. "I ran out of dishes to carry. What should I do next? Are you okay?" he asked, sounding somewhat distracted.

Colle jerked back, caught off guard. "Hm? Oh," they said, realizing their wings had opened and were trying to whack whatever had made Colle annoyed. "Sorry about that. Someone spilled their drink on a book and didn't say anything. That kind of inconsiderate behavior…" Colle let out a breath and shook their head.

Doing a double-take Colle stifled a yelp as they realized Harroc was close, very close, to them. Close enough that Colle was surprised they hadn't been hitting Harroc with their wings repeatedly; they could smell the honey that lingered on his breath. His hand was outstretched as though to trace the lines of their wings.

Harroc gave himself a shake and took a step back. "I am sorry - they are beautiful - they glimmer when they move. I have not had many opportunities to see such up close," he said a bit sheepishly.

Colle took a breath to steady themself. They hadn't expected Harroc to appear behind them so suddenly; it was startling and a little exciting. "You surprised me; I didn't expect you to be so close," they said. Their wings slowed, resettling to a relaxed extension as they enforced their will.

Harroc nodded and let his hand drop as he suddenly realized he'd been holding it out. "Do you control them completely, like a bird? Or are they more like a cat's tail?" he asked with clear curiosity.

"Maybe more like a cat's tail? I can control them enough to fly, but if I'm upset or excited they react on their own." Colle spread their wings out, letting them stretch a bit before pulling them in to rest against their back in their most compact form. "Normally they fold against my back like this. It keeps them from getting damaged as much."

Harroc grinned, familiar with the troubles such willful appendages could cause. "I remember the first time a child grabbed my jaguar tail. I made a very surprised and angry sound before realizing what was going on and shifting back." He chuckled softly at the memory. "There was a very brief panic and then the parents and I took turns apologizing profusely. Neither of us was willing to release the blame."

Colle laughed a bit, imagining the scene. "Poor kid, you probably scared them when you shifted back to two legs. I'm sure that wasn't pleasant for you either; it hurts when I catch a wing on something or a kid grabs at them, so I bet a tail is even worse."

"It felt like a bruise, but inside, I took the time to heal it up before I even got to the next large platform. I do not recommend having anything suddenly yanked while still attached," Harroc said in agreement. Colle winced in sympathy when Harroc described the pain. They’d taken their share of knocks growing up, and bruises that felt like they were internal were always the most troublesome.

“Is this the book?” Harroc asked, examining the still dripping pages without touching them. Colle jumped in surprise again; the shifter had silently stepped up beside them while they reminisced.

Colle looked over. “Yes, that’s the one. I’m not sure what’s on the pages,” they said, frowning. “That’s one of the favorite children’s books here. It’s a shame it got damaged.”

Harroc examined the pages closely for several long seconds before slipping his hand into his pouch. “Cyrd,” he said softly and the word echoed in a series of faint whispers. The pages fluttered, the book seeming to move in an invisible wind. The invisible force traversed the book from cover to cover, each page seeming to snap into place firmly before passing. When it reached the end the book snapped shut with a resounding thump. Harroc looked up and grinned. “Are there any others?” he asked rolling his neck slightly as if preparing to set to work on something arduous but enjoyable.

Picking up the book, Colle flipped through the pages, looking at them. “Wha- it’s fixed. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was new.” They looked up at Harroc, wide-eyed. “How did you- what- thank you,” they said, smiling up at the druid. “I can’t think of any others right now, but if I come across any that are damaged, I’ll set them aside. Maybe you’ll be able to fix them,” they said hopefully. Colle hugged the book to their chest. “I really appreciate it.”

“Consider it the beginning of my many repayments," Harroc said with a fractional bow of his head. "There are many more useful cantrips to learn and one can only truly retain knowledge of a very limited number. I am not surprised you have not met a druid who has chosen the mending talent.”

Harroc motioned at the book and shrugged. “It cannot fully restore a piece without a great deal more castings, but minor damage can be slowed or reversed easily. It is entirely useless for magical items, only repairing the components. Many of the druids of my order learn the spell, as it is critical in the preservation of knowledge and equipment when one spends many years in the deep wilds,” Harroc shrugged slightly, motioning at his somewhat ragged clothing. “It simply requires the will and time, and for one to not be… lax in their efforts.”

Colle set the book on the cart carefully, almost reverently. “If that’s not a druids-only spell, I may have to ask Rory if she’ll find me some information on that. Being able to repair things around here would be wonderful.” They snorted a bit. “She’ll probably do it if I promise her pastries.”

“I think I could perhaps teach it to you, if you have a talent for casting already. What sort of magics do you invoke?” Harroc asked, a thoughtful tilt to his head as he considered the spell in question.

“Not much. I know detect magic - you saw that, when Rory called me over. I try to meditate every day. Keeps my head on straight,” they said, with a bit of a laugh.

“Let us finish what needs to be done here, and I think I would enjoy the… closeness required to explain a new spell to you,” Harroc said with a grin. Colle blushed slightly and tossed Harroc a damp towel.

“The table needs to be scrubbed. You may as well come help,” they said. Wringing out their towel, Colle advanced on the table, ready to do battle against the detritus. “I didn’t see who was sitting here, but whoever it was left a real mess," they said, moving to a stubborn dried splotch on the table.

Harroc moved beside them, looking over the table, seeming to break it down into sections in his thoughts. Then he set about scrubbing intensely, as if working through some suppressed frustrations. He was very efficient, and rigorous with his cleaning, moving from one edge to another in a rhythmic sweep.

Looking at the table, Colle studied the surface. "That was the last of it. You’re really practiced at this. Thanks for the help," they said. Glancing over at Harroc, Colle collected the towels. "You could keep me company while I wash the huge pile of dishes," Colle suggested hopefully.

"Of course, I owe you for your patience after all," Harroc said back, smiling faintly at the shift in Colle's tone. "Can I watch your wings more while we work? They catch the light so well."

“I guess so,” Colle said, blushing again, and led Harroc to the back. The druid followed close behind the fae, watching their wings flutter lightly as they walked.

[Harroc Crownegrove]

The kitchen was an interesting place. The floor was a glazed clay tile; interspersed in the joins of the larger tile were small white tiles with detailed flowers painted on. Everything else was polished wood or heavy clay as need required. A large divided sink and drying racks for washing dishes dominated one wall. In the center of the room rested a massive cherry work table with many scratches on its finely polished surface.

Around the edges of the room were wood racks laden with trays of pastries in multiple stages, several ovens for baking over fire or coals, and finally what looked like a water cooled stone piece for keeping the resting doughs fresh.

Colle sighed as they entered the space. There in the middle of the work table was the bowl of honey glaze they’d made for the day. It had been sitting out for some time now, and, while still good, probably wouldn’t keep until tomorrow. “I’d offer you the bowl of leftover honey glaze, but I don’t think even you could finish it off," Colle said with a resigned shrug.

Harroc’s eyes went wide as he looked down at the bowl of sweet syrupy glaze. "I have never seen so much before. I can just have some?" he asked with disbelief clear in his voice.

Colle rolled up their sleeves to start washing dishes. "If you want, of course. I made it to go on your cat’s-paws, but I forgot to put it in the cold storage and it won’t be good for tomorrow," they explained as they began scraping plates and saucers before slipping them into the sink. Colle firmly told their thoughts that Rory had obviously been joking with the second part of her advice; covering themself in honey glaze probably wouldn’t get the results they actually wanted.

"How do I-" Harroc started to ask before suddenly stopping as if something had captured his focus completely.

"How do you what?" Colle asked, looking over their shoulder. They noticed their wings had opened slightly and were flexing and trembling. "Uh," they said, blushing. 'Of course their wings would betray their thoughts. Damn.'

Turning around in a futile effort to hide their wings, Colle faced Harroc. "Um, what did you have a question about?" Their voice pitched a bit higher, strained as they tried to pretend everything was fine and they weren’t clearly signaling their idle thoughts for all the world.

Harroc shook his head, clearly having been enraptured by the Fae's wings. "Huh?" he asked, clearly still not entirely back in the present. "Oh, uh- the honey. How do I-" he asked, plainly sneaking glances over Colle's shoulder.

"I can - uh, get you a spoon," Colle said, fishing in the sink. They stopped for a moment, thinking, and turned around. Maybe Rory wasn't entirely wrong, just a little over-enthusiastic. Well, the worst that could happen is that they embarrassed themself completely and had to change their name and move out of Ajteire. "Or-" they dipped their finger in the bowl of honey glaze and offered it to Harroc. Colle's face was a bit flushed, but they gave Harroc a nervous and flirtatious smile.

Harroc's attention snapped to focus on the glistening finger. His eyes were wide and he didn't appear to be breathing. He stepped in, taking Colle's finger into his mouth with greedy disregard. As soon as the glaze touched his tongue he made a pleased rumbling and sucked at the sweet liquid eagerly.

Colle's eyes slipped closed. Harroc's mouth was warm, wet, and intoxicating. They felt his tongue sliding against their finger, pulling the glaze into his mouth. Colle tried to suppress a moan; they mostly succeeded, but their treacherous wings fluttered wildly behind them.

Harroc's awareness snapped back and he glanced up. His expression paled, mortified shock clear on his features. He opened his lips with a soft smack and took an uneven step back. "I am so sorry, I just-" he said as a deep flush spread across his face.

"Don't. Don't be sorry. I wouldn't have offered if I-" Colle said raggedly. They looked at Harroc's red face and his expression. "I - if anyone should apologize-"

"You taste good," Harroc blurted out suddenly. "I mean, the honey was delicious too, but..." he looked away as if realizing what he'd been saying.

Colle turned around to the sink quickly. Even the heavy linen apron wasn't going to help much now. They sighed, hands on the edge of the sink before grabbing a plate. "I - I should get these done," they said, scrubbing the plate more aggressively than was necessary.

Harroc stood silently for a moment before stepping up to the sink as well. "Let me help. I have caused you so much trouble today," he said, grabbing a plate and moving it into the water.

Harroc was close enough that Colle could feel the heat of his body. They tried to ignore it, desperately, and just focus on the dishes. Although, honestly, having their hands in warm soapy water wasn't helping either. "Just - I can take care of - eat the honey glaze," Colle sputtered disjointedly. They bent their head down and focused on the dishes in front of them.

There was a moment of silence followed by a strangled yelp from Harroc. Colle turned around to see him with his hand held up, completely coated in the dripping glaze. "I- Oh no," he said, immediately attacking the mass by licking and sucking at his hand. "Help," he said through the sticky mass as he tried to eat more of it.

Colle was terribly torn. Their friend was asking for help, and they mostly wanted to pounce on the man. They gulped and took the bowl from Harroc to set on the counter. Grabbing his non-sticky hand, Colle pulled him back to the sink.

"I’ll get you a spoon, I forgot you've never eaten it with anything but fingers. Don’t worry about losing some of it, I promise, there’s plenty," Colle babbled. They gently tugged Harroc’s glazed hand toward the faucet to wash it off.

Instead of sticking his hand in the water, Harroc shoved it into his mouth again, desperately attempting to consume as much of the glaze as he could while saying something entirely unintelligible through his hand and the glaze. His face was covered in glaze, and he looked rather pleased with himself.

Colle’s face turned red. By the idol Veditova, how much of his hand had he managed to cram into his mouth? Also, how did someone manage to look like an unrepentant toddler and an attractive man at the same time? Colle groaned and let their face fall into their hands.

“I can make more, you know. I do every day for-," Colle said and Harroc immediately opened his eyes to look at them.

“Mherf?" he asked through his hand, looking excited.

“Silly, of course I can. I made that batch. Will you wash your hands though, and I’ll give you a spoon? You’re less likely to drip that way," Colle cajoled. Harroc pulled his hand out with a loud sucking sound followed by a fleshy pop.

“Sorry, I have never seen so much," he said and moved his hand to the water. "What is the best way to-" he motioned at his very covered face.

“Uh," squeaked Colle. ‘Do NOT do that, Do NOT,’ they yelled at themself when their mind entertained the option of simply licking the glaze off Harroc’s face. Based on their conversation with Rory, they doubted that action would convey their wishes well at all. "I - I can get you a towel to wipe your face-"

“I wish I just had my cat tongue, would get this all up easy," Harroc said distractedly as he caught some glaze on his finger. "Do you want any?" he asked, offering the finger to Colle.

Sweet Cecelia, they did, and then some. They’d like to drizzle the entire bowl on him. Colle swallowed hard and was terribly grateful for the heavy apron they’d put on earlier. "I - Harroc-" they broke off. Great, just great - their wings had decided to completely unfurl, beating a staccato rhythm in the air.

Harroc’s attention immediately snapped to the sudden sound and movement, his eyes tracked like a wary predator and his entire body tensed to fight. After a moment he visibly relaxed and smiled, watching the light reflect off the translucent wings. "Wow..." he said softly, the glaze forgotten as he leaned slightly forward.

Colle wished the floor would just collapse beneath them; they hadn’t been this embarrassed in - well, a very long time. Red-faced, they turned, grabbed a towel, and drenched it in the warm water. Wringing the water out, they held the towel out to Harroc.

“I am making you embarrassed," he said suddenly, giving himself a shake. Colle dropped the hand holding the towel and grabbed Harroc's outstretched hand. They pulled his glaze-covered finger into their mouth, swirling their tongue around to clean every last bit from his skin. Colle sighed softly and looked up at Harroc's face.

"Do I taste good?" he asked with a broad grin, wiggling his finger gently in their mouth.

"Yesss," Colle sighed, the admission slipping out of their lips unbidden. Realizing what they'd just said, they clapped their hands over their mouth. "Oh no, no, fuck, I shouldn't have said that, I-" Colle almost wanted to cry; they hadn't felt this unprepared and off-balance since their first adolescent crushes and the subsequent painful rejections. Their wings quivered behind them, retreating close to their back.

"I think I am starting to understand what that means," Harroc said distractedly as he again watched the quick flutter of Colle's wings. After a moment of silence he fixed his gaze just above their shoulder. His face was twitching, and it was clear he was working up resolve. "Can I ask you something that might be rude?"

At this point, Colle figured they couldn’t possibly blush any more red without actually popping a blood vessel. "Go ahead," they said, with a mirthless laugh. They figured it would likely be a question about their identity followed by disgust or confusion, since that was the subject most outsiders prefaced with ‘rude’.

"If I wanted to taste you more. How would I ask that?" Harroc was clearly blushing fiercely, but his eyes remained fixed on the Fae's wings. "I do not have any practice or reference for any of this. It does not come up in the wilds much."

"Oh, I'm sure it does," Colle mumbled under their breath. They cleared their throat a bit. "What do you mean, exactly, by taste me?"

"Your skin felt good on my tongue. I think that more of you would also taste good. Maybe with more honey?" Harroc said with a hopeful rise to their voice.

Snorting, Colle turned back to the dishes. "So really, you just want more honey, and I'd just be the vehicle for delivery. I'm almost flattered to be compared to a croissant," they said, rolling their eyes.

"You could have more too. You seemed to like it, and I want to do something for all the trouble I have caused." Harroc grinned and looked pleading all at the same time.

"Of course I like honey glaze. That's part of why I'm a pastry chef," said Colle. They scrubbed fiercely at a patch of dried preserves on a plate. 'He didn't mean more of him, remember, he's your friend who just likes your pastries,' they reminded themself.

"Oh. I meant me. But if that is not appropriate between friends..." Harroc looked slightly downcast as his words faded.

Colle groaned slightly, unsure if this was simply a lack of knowledge on Harroc's part or not. "Between friends, not really. That's usually kept between lovers - or uh, mates? Not friends." They cursed the pile of dishes that kept them stuck at the sink.

"Oh, so - is that a no?" Harroc asked. He smirked, though Colle couldn't see his face with their back turned.

Gritting their teeth, Colle forced themself to speak. "If we are just friends, then that's a no." Their wings drooped slightly, curving around their sides. Their eyes felt hot.

“And if I said that I wanted to be… lovers?" Harroc said softly. "Said I wanted to chase you, hunt you, have you," he continued more normally, no emotion in his voice. Colle dropped the plate they were washing back into the sink. Freezing in place, they breathed shallowly, barely aware of their wings twitching behind them.

"If we were jaguars, I would simply approach you like this. If you did not attempt to bite me over much, and there was no danger, we would mate. What would that make us?" Harroc asked, again without any emotion in his voice.

"I guess we'd be jaguars in your example," Colle made a poor attempt at a joke, trying to put some distance to the thoughts spiraling through their head.

They felt Harroc move behind them again, his hand came out and rested on their hip. Colle shivered. It was ridiculously warm, each finger not quite uncomfortable but far warmer than they should be.

"Wha - what do you want, Harroc?" Colle stammered, fighting the urge to lean into his warm grasp.

"To face a challenge. To learn more. To seek joy," he whispered the words like a mantra that he carried close. "Let me help with these. I know how to wash well enough," he said after a moment of silence. He tightened his grip for the briefest moment and then released Colle to collect a soap-covered dish.

"Right. Dishes. I - I'll just leave you to it, then, and I'll go get started on the dough for tomorrow morning," Colle said, trying to force a smile. Realistically, they'd be able to duck into the storage room and possibly have a quiet breakdown.

They didn't know if Harroc was joking or not and the prospect of being toyed with for someone else's amusement hurt. Surely a tall, muscular, druid, shapeshifter-elemental could have gotten anyone into his bed; why would they want a boring fae pastry chef? Colle tried to duck away as the tightness in their chest threatened to escape. Their wings wrapped around themself as they fled.

Harroc followed Colle, putting his hand on their elbow. "Are you okay? Did you hit the work table? I noticed it was very pointy the other day," concern clear in his voice. "I can make some more berries if you need."

"N- No," Colle said after they fought down a ragged breath. They refused to look at Harroc, unable to face the mocking they knew would be there. "I - Harroc, why did you ask about if we were jaguars?" They asked in a faint and desperate whisper, crossing their arms to shrink away.

Harroc recoiled, looking chastised. "I am so sorry," he said with clear fear in his voice. "I do not know how any of this works. The only thing I have to go by is what I have seen in my short time in the city and a lot of time around beasts in the wild."

Harroc’s voice started to shake, and his words continued to tumble out of him as if explaining everything in one breath would right the wrongs. "I was not joking when I asked. I really did want to know. Rory said you might 'like' me. What does that mean? Jaguars are simple creatures - solitary, dangerous - but they will still approach each other, given the chance." Harroc's mouth hung open slightly as though he had more to say, but he had run out of words.

"Damnit Rory," Colle swore under their breath when they finally untangled the jumble of words. "What she meant, probably, is that she thinks I'm attracted to you, that I find you appealing, and that I would, as you put it, want to mate with you." They clenched their teeth.

"She isn't wrong. If you've been asking these questions and hanging around with me just so that you can tease me or make fun of me, then please, if our friendship means anything to you, leave." Colle tried to swallow the lump that had suddenly risen in their throat.

“Staying right here," Harroc said firmly and moved back closer to Colle. "Do you need berries? You looked like you were hurt - but I think perhaps that might be on the inside." Harroc thought for a moment. "Would a hug help? I am kind of out of practice but I remember them being nice."

Colle began to uncurl their arms and wings, but froze in the face of Harroc’s clear and open concern. Their mind was refusing to process anything. Surreptitiously they pinched the underside of their arm. It still hurt, so they weren't dreaming. "Wait - are you saying that you like me, in the way Rory meant about me?"

"Am I attracted to you?" Harroc let his eyes trail over Colle appreciatively. "Yes. Do I find you appealing?" He tilted his head. "Yes. Even without honey glaze - though it does add a certain something," he said grinning. "Do I want to mate with you?" He grinned even broader. "Faes' eyes are always in the clouds." He let his hand drop down to his side.

Colle glanced down at Harroc’s hand before blushing madly. He was very clearly wearing pants that were inappropriately tight. "I'll take that hug then," they said, fully uncrossing their arms and holding them out. "Although I don't know if you truly understand what you're getting into."

"I find that happens a lot," Harroc tossed back. He stepped in and wrapped an arm around Colle's waist and another around their shoulders, lifting them off the ground in a firm, all-encompassing hug. Colle's wings opened, brushing against Harroc's arms as they fluttered slowly.

Harroc tucked his face into the hollow of their neck, inhaling deeply. "You do smell nice. I wondered if that was just the kitchen." Colle closed their eyes, enjoying the warmth and simple contentment of being held by someone much larger and stronger than them. The scent of sandalwood combined with the light tang of sweat filled their nostrils.

There was also something about how Harroc held them, his arms wrapping completely around their torso and forcing them to his chest despite their wings’ lazy protest. Colle realized after a moment that their hips had been pressed tightly against Harroc's abdomen for the entire length of the hug.

They squirmed slightly, trying to move their hips away. Harroc held them tighter instead. "Is the hug over? I am not sure how long they are supposed to last. But you feel good, so I do not want to end it early."

"I - um," Colle began to say. "That's probably not terribly comfortable-" they said, trying again to move their hips away.

"Are you trying to pretend I have not seen that over the last few weeks - and the last few hours in particular?" Harroc smirked, pulling his lower arm tighter around Colle.

"Oh idols, I was trying to hide it," sighed Colle as they drooped onto Harroc's shoulder. "At least I know you won't be surprised later."

"Perhaps," Harroc replied. He nuzzled his face back into the crook of Colle's neck, rumbling softly in appreciation as the Fae’s wings fluttered again.

“As nice as this is, I do still have dishes to do and dough to make," Colle said, resignation in their voice.

“After that, more hugs," Harroc said, slowly loosening his hold and gently lowering Colle to the ground. "I will do the dishes, do not get hurt while you work." He patted Colle’s shoulder gently, smiled, and then moved back to the sink. He turned to watch the fae the entire time he worked, picking up a plate from the water and scrubbing it fiercely.

Colle grinned to themself, taking a moment to breathe and get their wings under control. They turned to the storage to get the flour and sugar, and then reached into the cold storage for butter. They set the ingredients they needed on the work table and pulled out a large mixing bowl. Measuring carefully, they put together the dough for the Chocolate Twigs that always sold out in the mornings.

Their wings fluttered lazily as they concentrated. Setting the first bowl aside, they made a batch of pastry dough that would work well for the moon-crescents and fruit pockets that were also popular. Anything else could usually be put together quickly in the morning.

Turning, Colle looked over to the sink. Harroc was still watching them - and had finished washing most of the dishes. The druid seemed to be working without actually looking at the dishes, but as Colle watched he carefully cleaned an entire plate with firm guided scrubbing.

“Be careful when you come to the forks and knives," Colle reminded him, with a half-smile.

Harroc nodded, and looked down at the dishes for a moment before returning to his practice of scrubbing while not-quite-leering at the Fae across the kitchen. Shortly after Colle looked away there was a faint clatter as a collection of entangled forks fell to the floor. Harroc yelped slightly, and turned to lean over and collect the fallen pieces.

The yelp had caught Colle’s attention and they looked up only to see Harroc bending over to pick up silverware. Unconsciously, they bit their lip as the worn fabric of Harroc’s trousers threatened to spilt; the taut clothes framed their contents very nicely. Colle groaned slightly and quickly looked down in case Harroc had heard them.

“Sorry, they got stuck together," Harroc said as he worked at the tangle of cutlery. When he managed to untangle the utensils and get them all back into the soapy water he let out a small cheer of triumph. He no longer watched Colle, instead focusing his attention onto the pile of remaining dishes. He didn’t want to make any more problems than he already had.

Colle heard Harroc’s quiet cheer and smiled. It was adorable, something a child would do. They jotted a few notes on their notebook that they kept in their apron; plans for what to make tomorrow and things that would take more time.

They also considered what Harroc might like to try that he wouldn’t have seen yet. They didn’t mention to Harroc that his current favorite had been invented after the first time they’d seen him transform into a jaguar. That had been a particularly interesting day. A lot of folks who arrived afterwards had questions about the large black cat lounging in the sun, purring loudly and curling their paws in plainly pleasant dreams.

There was a soft sloshing, and then suddenly Colle felt warm damp fingers at their sides. "Ah - you’re finished, then?" Colle asked, looking up at Harroc. "Let me wipe off the table and we can leave. Where are you staying at night?"

Harroc squeezed Colle’s middle gently before releasing them and moving out of the way. "I do not know, I tend to just sort of find a big branch, or hammock if I am feeling lazy," he said with a shrug.

Colle stopped wiping the table, rag in hand. "Yeah, no. Come home with me tonight and I can at least offer you a bed to sleep on." They went back to wiping the table, adding, "Although I’m afraid you’ll have to share."

“I think I can learn to share, if you are willing to teach me."

Chuckling, Colle tossed the rag into a bin in the back corner of the kitchen. "That, I can do. Fortunately, my mother, in her infinite wisdom, helped me acquire a bed considerably larger than what I actually needed." They untied their apron and sent it into the bin as well. "I think she bargained with a Kerasokan. It’s almost too big for my place, but I could never tell her that."

Harroc grinned, swaying back and forth slightly with excitement. "I have not slept in a bed for a long while. I promise to be an eager student," he said, watching for the flutter of Colle’s wings at his response.

Colle giggled, then frowned, spotting something behind Harroc. "We forgot the glaze and your cat’s-paw," they said. Shrugging, they picked up the bowl and the plate. "I have to come in early to bake anyway. Let’s take them with us and I can bring the dishes back in the morning."

Harroc nodded and moved to stand beside Colle. "Would you care to ride me home? Is it far?" he asked, not quite smiling.

They burst into laughter. "No, it’s not far, but if you’re asking what I think you are, I’d rather ride you home - and then ride you at home." Colle looked slightly concerned for a moment. "Er, if you know what I mean."

Harroc seemed to think for a few seconds before his eyes widened and his mouth split into a wide grin. "I think I can do that," he said before leaping and becoming a roiling cloud of dark green smoke. The smoke cleared and a massive wolf, just over eighteen hands at the shoulder, shook its head and turned to face Colle. Harroc’s tongue lolled out and he rumbled softly at the Fae before going down to the floor.

Colle stared at him in shock. "A wolf too? Cecelia’s light, Harroc, you’re enormous." The fae realized what they’d just said and blushed as the wolf’s eyes closed in a way that seemed distinctly pleased. "Anyway, I need to finish closing up. Wait for me outside the back door for a minute?" Colle opened the door for Harroc’s now-shaggy form to step out.

Harroc lumbered out the door, intentionally brushing as much of his fur against the Fae as he could without bowling them over. When he had gotten himself out the door fully he spun around and flopped down, forming a semicircle and turning his head slowly to watch the area.

Closing the door behind them, Colle slid the latch down. "How am I going to get the glaze and the pastry home? I’m afraid I'd spill it all over you if I was on your back." Harroc shook his head slowly and mimed a very slow even walk with his paws on the ground.

“You still want me to try to ride?" Colle asked, a bit of doubt on their face. Harroc nodded, and let his tongue loll out again as he panted softly. "Okay. I hope this works," Colle said, motioning for Harroc to stand up. Harroc rose and shifted his body to be the best for accepting a rider.

Colle held the bowl in both hands, flying up until they hovered just above Harroc’s back. Carefully, they let themselves down, beating their wings just enough to keep from slamming into Harroc’s back. "As long as we don’t make any sudden moves, I think we’ll be okay," Colle said.

Harroc pawed the ground in front of himself lightly before slowly moving forward in an even stride. It was not much faster than walking would have been, but Colle had been working the café all day and Harroc wanted to offer them some minor relief.

“Once you get to the main path, turn left. We’ll head that way for a while," Colle directed. They tried not to point and lose the bowl or the pastry balanced on top. Harroc’s back was a bit wide, but Colle found they could maintain their seat well enough due to the grip of his fur. They found themself wondering what it would be like if Harroc was running; currently Harroc was keeping his pace to a gentle sway.

Even though the night air was a bit chilly, Harroc was keeping Colle very warm. Between his fur and the heat from his body, they were almost too warm. Added to that was the sensations of Harroc’s steady breathing, the feel of his muscles - all of that was concentrated between Colle’s thighs. They stifled a moan as a step jostled them slightly.

Harroc must have been paying very rapt attention to his rider, because his chest rumbled softly with something that sounded much like a laugh. The sound carried well, and was also very noticeable through the wolf’s back.

“You are such a tease, Harroc," Colle mumbled under their breath. They spotted the tree they used as a landmark, and nudged Harroc over with their leg. "Past that tree on the right, there’s a staircase leading up. Take the stairs," they said. Harroc rumbled a soft reply and did as asked, stopping with his front paws on the first step to let Colle adjust to the angled walk.

Sighing, Colle tightened their grip on Harroc’s ribs and leaned forward slightly. "It’s a long way up. Keep going until there’s no more stairs." Harroc kept his slow pace, moving up the stairs much faster than a regular walk would be, but without bouncing much. He absorbed each step with his legs in an odd complicated dance of limbs.

As they moved, Colle spoke. "I’m sorry it’s so high. That was part of how I was able to get a place so close to the cafe - only fae would really be interested, and it’s not anywhere big enough for a family. The view is amazing though - especially at sunrise."

Harroc let out a series of soft yips that was likely a reply, but it meant nothing to the Fae. Soon enough, they reached the top of the stairs and Harroc noticed a small issue. The landing was not quite large enough for him. Instead, he stopped a step down and leaned forward to allow Colle to dismount.

Colle slid off Harroc’s back, almost sad for the ride to have ended. "You’ll have to tell me what you said back there, once you’re in the house," they said as they stood up and began to walk to the door.

[Colle Mellifera]

As soon as Colle was clear Harroc backed down two steps and leapt forward. He shifted midair, coming to land beside the Fae with a broad and eager grin. "I said, I hope you can see it from the bed."

Laughing, Colle undid the door latch and pushed the door open. "You tell me," they said, gesturing to the sizable bed that took up most of the right half of the room. Behind it, along an inner wall, was an overstuffed bookshelf and other smaller shelves filled with random bits and bobs. Filling the other wall were the counters and stove for Colle’s kitchen, with a square table and two chairs standing in the open. The back left wall was enclosed with a doorway, and there looked to be a small nook beyond the bed.

Much of the furniture was worn but well crafted wood, with accents and carvings in prominent places. A large dense rug tied the areas together with striking colors and promised a comfortable resting place.

Colle walked over to the table and set the bowl and the pastry down. "It’s not much, but it’s home," they said, shrugging. They turned back to close the door, pausing to look out of one of the two large windows in the front wall.

Harroc looked around, standing just inside the doorway with a strange expression. "I have never really had something quite like a home," he offered back after a moment. "It is lovely - it smells like you and it reminds me of some of the teas at the cafe. Is this where you make things to try?" he asked, pointing at the kitchen area.

“Usually, yes. I’ll try something at home and if I think it would sell, then I’ll scale it up for the cafe." Colle stretched their arms, their wings reaching up in a mirrored gesture. Harroc stepped suddenly into Colle’s space, his hands coming out but not actually touching the Fae’s wings.

“So beautiful," he said softly, looming over them.

Colle realized where they’d seen Harroc’s movements. "You want to touch them, just like a little kid, don’t you?" They laughed. "If you’re not too rough, I don’t mind. I honestly can’t feel most of them except for the top edges and right along my back." They spread their wings so that Harroc could see.

Harroc marveled, his eyes tracing as he reached out and ran his fingers along the translucent wing. Colle turned around so that Harroc could reach more of their wings and he gasped as he saw the light sparkle across them.

“How are they so fine and delicate looking? What does it look like where they meet your back? Do you feel-" he asked a barrage of questions, running his hands along the upper edges and moving his head all over to look through the wings.

Colle shivered a bit. Having someone touch their wings caused all sorts of odd sensations, and was something they very rarely allowed anyone to do. "I feel the heat from your hands, and I can definitely feel when you stroke the upper edge there. I’m - not very used to other people touching them."

Harroc’s hands suddenly grew significantly warmer and his caresses of the wing tops slowed. "Does this feel good?" he asked faintly, no longer jumping his head around.

“Mm-hmm," Colle murmured, their eyes closing. They weren’t being entirely truthful - it felt wonderfully relaxing. The slow, warm strokes of Harroc’s hands should have been relaxing, but the broadness of his palms, and Colle’s painful awareness of the man, made the touch arousing instead.

Harroc moved his hands slowly, working his way down one wing and up another. After several more moments he lifted his hands and just breathed. "Can- Can I see where they meet?" he asked quietly.

Colle frowned slightly. "Yes, but it’s easiest if I let them relax before taking off my shirt. However, since someone seems to have made it their mission to keep me un-relaxed-" They raised an eyebrow with a mischievous grin at Harroc. "I may need your help anyway." They tugged lightly at the bottom of their top. "Frankly, I should bathe, or else you’d learn to share the bed by kicking me out."

“I should probably also bathe, I am not sure a day’s worth of magic would smell the most pleasant up close, but I have somewhat lost the ability to truly scent myself." Harroc replied, moving his hands down towards the edge of Colle’s shirt as well.

“You’re more than welcome to hop in the shower," Colle said. "As for getting me out of this, I’ll need you to push my wings closed. You’ve seen how normally they lay folded against my back - that’s what we need to do. Be gentle, but they aren’t that fragile." Colle pulled the ties at their side loose, letting the wrap front hang open loosely, and repeated the motions for the ties on the inside.

Harroc nodded and placed a hand on one of Colle’s wings. He gripped it firmly, without crushing, imagining he was guiding the paw of a trapped beast. With slow but powerful movement, he pulled the wing into the Fae’s back and helped lift the garment over.

Twitching slightly, Colle felt Harroc’s hands on the edges of their wing. They were extremely grateful that pants were much easier to deal with. Colle hated when their wings got heated and refused to cooperate, but under the circumstances, they couldn’t really blame them.

“They show what you really want, I like them," Harroc whispered as he moved his guiding hand to the other wing and began to lower it inward. It was an interesting exercise. The wing seemed to desire only to flare open and beat a wild rhythm not unlike the Fae’s heart. Harroc wondered if Colle knew just how closely the movement matched.

Colle blushed. "That’s gotten me in trouble before." Harroc raised a brow and dropped Colle’s tunic on the floor. "That’s better." Colle flexed their wings a bit, letting them stretch after being pushed down. A nice warm shower - alone - sounded like a wonderful plan.

As Colle’s wings came back to a more relaxed outward extension, Harroc reached out a hand to again stroke gently along the Fae’s wings. "I wonder what-" he moved his hand to caress where the appendages joined Colle’s back.

The sensation drew a moan from Colle; it was a very sensitive spot for them. Their wings fluttered almost spasmodically, brushing against Harroc’s hand. The shifter grinned and became more firm and exploratory with his caresses along the join of wing and back.

“If you keep doing that-" Colle gritted their teeth and used all of their will to force their knees to remain locked upright. "Things will get - messy."

Harroc paused, hesitating for a moment before speaking. "Is that- is that good?" he asked softly. "I have never really done… well, any of this."

“Any of what? Driving a fae to complete distraction?" Colle was trying to be calm, really, but their pants were absurdly uncomfortable and Harroc was warm and attractive and very close.

“Touching, holding, uh, I think it is kissing? Any of this really. I have been alone a lot, and when I was not alone I was the wanderer who only stayed long enough to get supplies. Before that it was learning and instruction, no time or energy for anything else." Harroc shrugged slightly, unsure exactly how to explain and deciding to just try. "I have never stayed somewhere long before now. Never been to a city, never spent so much time around other people, been able to relax and learn new things without worrying of death."

Colle turned to look at him, wide-eyed. "You mean you haven’t - you never - oh, Bhelest’s balls," they said, flopping on the dense rug. They couldn’t sit cross-legged without tearing their pants. Colle propped their elbow on the floor and rested their chin on their hand, shaking their head.

Harroc looked confused and shrunk slightly. "Is that- I do not understand. Do you not want me?" he asked not looking nearly as confident as he had several moments ago.

“That’s not it, of course I still want you. I just didn’t realize how inexperienced you were," Colle explained, giving Harroc a smile. "I understand now that I’m going to have to explain a lot. Help me up off the floor?" They raised a hand up for the shifter to grab.

Harroc reached down and hauled Colle up slowly, very aware the last time he had been asked to help someone up he’d dislocated a shoulder. ‘Fae are an odd mix of delicate and resilient,’ he mused.

“Thanks," Colle said. They took both of Harroc’s hands in their own. "I’m not sure what you know, so tell me if I’m explaining something that doesn’t need to be. You can tell me what you know, too, if that’s easier." They closed their eyes for a moment.

“Uh- So touching you feels good. I like how your skin tastes. Fae wings show emotions, but not completely. When two animals, especially males, decide to be together one of them is usually more dominant. Uh… Hugs are good. I think I want to have your tongue on my skin more." Harroc rattled off a stream of thoughts with no strong rhyme or reason before shrugging and looking sheepish. "Oh, the rangers said I need bigger pants, I do not know why, they fit perfectly fine and stay out of the way."

“Oh - okay. Let me start with touching, I guess," Colle said, slightly dazed from Harroc’s quickly spoken list. "Most people who are friends or lovers will touch each other casually when they’re around other people. Usually only on the shoulders or arms, or when giving a hug." They shifted slightly, still holding Harroc’s hands. "Holding hands is more intimate - close family members and lovers hold hands, but in many cultures friends don’t. Fae tend to be more open with their contact. Understand so far?"

Harroc nodded slowly and squeezed Colle’s hands. "You are warm, and soft. I like this. I can still touch you on the arms and shoulders? It is more the closer you are, not different things right?" He asked to clarify.

“Right. The closer the relationship, the more you can touch them. As lovers, honestly, I’ve found the only places that are off limits are what a person does or doesn’t like. For an example, my feet tend to be ticklish, so the sort of light touches you did on my wings would be ticklish and I wouldn’t like it. Anything beyond family level is usually when you’re alone, though. It’s not appropriate to touch areas of the body that are usually clothed when other people are around," Colle considered telling him more detail, but figured that was enough for now.

Harroc nodded for a moment and then stopped suddenly. "Does that mean I can-" he motioned vaguely at all of Colle. "Since we are..."

“Lovers, I guess you’d say," Colle admitted. "Assuming that’s still something you want - but I’ll suggest that we wait on anything like what you’d recognize as mating." They smiled at Harroc, hoping to reassure them. "It’s not that I wouldn’t enjoy that - but I think you’ll enjoy it more if you know what you’re doing more."

“That seems fair, it is certainly true of running through the jungles," Harroc said back and then stepped forward. "Shower and then touching?" he asked evenly, curling and uncurling his fingers slowly.

Colle swallowed hard as Harroc again became painfully close. "So, um, do animals or beasts ever - mate by themselves?"

“Some, but not most. I have, rarely. It is difficult to handle when you have to constantly be on watch," Harroc said after a moment of consideration.

Blinking, Colle thought for a moment. "I can see how you’d feel - exposed, doing that." They sighed. "Do you know about arousal? Doing or seeing or feeling things that make you want to mate?"

“Generally, like when I look at you or eat too much honey," Harroc said, nodding and taking the opportunity to run his eyes up and down Colle’s front.

Colle blushed, the flush running down to their chest. "Okay. I hope I can explain this well enough." They stepped forward and pressed their body against Harroc’s. "I’ve seen you all day. You’ve been touching me in areas that make that urge to mate stronger. I rode you back here."

“Right now, if I’m not able to mate soon, I’m going to be terribly uncomfortable. I told you we’re going to wait on that. So at some point tonight, I’m going to want to - er, mate myself, I guess." Colle tried not to blush harder, but they weren’t used to being so blunt about their arousal, or what they intended to do about it.

“Can I help? I have caused so much trouble," Harroc said, putting his chin down on Colle’s head. "I think I might also need to… mate myself. I have not exactly been in a place alone since I got here and talking about it has led me to believe that is the need I am feeling."

Letting out a very slow, controlled breath, Colle thought about Harroc’s question. On one hand, they had no doubt that Harroc’s hands would feel warm and wonderful, and probably have to do very little work. On the other, that was perhaps too close to the boundary they’d set for now. Harroc rumbled softly as he pressed against the Fae, lost in his own thoughts as he awaited an answer.

Colle thumped their head against Harroc’s chest lightly. "I’m trying to find a solution - I don’t want to push you into something, and I feel like letting you help in a hands-on way-" they chuckled. "Would be pushing you too fast." They took a step back.

“However, I suppose we could be in the same room-" Colle paused. "I’m guessing that you make very arousing sounds while you mate yourself." They grinned up at Harroc. "That counts as helping, I think."

Harroc frowned. "I am usually very quiet, could you give me an example of what it should sound like?" he asked, no smiling or even twitching to indicate joking.

Colle looked not quite shocked, but flustered. "Just- just pretend you’re eating the most delicious cat’s paw and I’m in the kitchen and you want me to know how good it feels on your tongue and in your..." They blushed fiercely as their words faded.

“Oh… oh… like your tongue was… I think I can do that," Harroc said and suddenly grew noticeably warmer along his chest.

“Yeah. Give me a minute. This will help." Colle stepped away from Harroc and moved to the kitchen to rummage in their cupboards. After several seconds of searching, they made a show of pulling out a jar. They scooped a few spoonfuls of the thick coconut oil into a bowl and carried it back to Harroc. "Let it melt in your hand before you-" Colle tried to consider a good way to explain in terms Harroc might understand.
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Colle grumbled and rolled their eyes. "I was going to make a joke about you putting a spell on me, but now that sounds awfully flippant," they sighed. They leaned on Harroc.

“I think it would be more correct to say I put, or will put a spell in you," he replied, moving to wrap his arm around the Fae and squeeze softly.

Colle groaned. "Right. I’m not sure if I should teach you about innuendos or not. I’m a little scared of what you might do with that knowledge." They sighed a bit, enjoying the warmth of Harroc’s embrace. "We’re going to have to clean this up before we take a shower. I didn’t exactly expect to have this much to clean but-" They shrugged motioning to the floor.

“I am worried that I will not be able to smell this oil again without-" Harroc said placing his fingers into his mouth and sucking on them.

Grinning mischievously, Colle replied, "That would be why I so rarely use it in the cafe." They started to get to their feet to get a towel to clean up.

Harroc grabbed Colle’s arm, tugging them down on top of him with a chuckle. "Wait, I didn’t get to even feel you-" his words stopped as he groaned in happiness. "You’re so warm," he said softly as Colle squirmed to right themself.

“Hey," Colle protested weakly. "Harroc, we need to clean all this up - and then ourselves." Harroc did not relent, rubbing as much of his skin as he could against the Fae. "Harroc," Colle said, letting their voice drop into a lower register. "You’re pushing." They shot Harroc a look of disapproval.

Harroc froze and shrunk slightly, completely releasing Colle. "I- yes, sorry," he said and nodded slowly.

“Hey. I’m not angry at you," Colle said softly, running their fingers down Harroc’s hair. "I just want you to take your time and be able to learn before pushing through to the next thing." They cupped Harroc’s cheek lightly. "Will you help me clean this up and then we can shower?"

“Yes," he said, his eyes filling with excitement again. "And then hugs?" Harroc asked with sudden energy.

Colle considered. "Yes on hugs, maybe snuggling. Like hugs, but lasting longer," they explained. "Let’s get some towels to take care of this."

“Okay," Harroc said, and half-rose, lifting Colle along with him. Colle finished rising and walked over to the kitchen drawers, pulled out towels from one, and wet two of them in the sink. They tossed one to Harroc.

"We should be okay as long as we get it up before it dries. I’m not sure what you’d do to the floor," they said, grinning.

“Oh, I imagine it will just sort of disperse into the- hah," Harroc said, as a small patch seemed to turn to green smoke. He took the towel and knelt down to start cleaning the remaining patches.

“That must be handy," Colle said, wiping the puddles on the floor with a dry towel they’d brought over. "I would have gotten in a lot less trouble when I was young if mine did that." They grinned, remembering a few instances that were much funnier to look back upon than they’d been to experience.

[Harroc Crownegrove]

The pair made short work of cleaning the floor, both chuckling each time a small patch of Harroc’s essence evaporated. When they had finished Colle held out a hand for Harroc’s towel.

“Shower?" Harroc asked, the excitement he felt making his eyes glitter and shift more than usual.

“Y-," Colle began, stopping as they noticed Harroc’s eyes shimmer. Fixated, they stepped forward, reaching out a hand to Harroc’s face and tipping his head down gently. They watched the depths of Harroc’s eyes undulate, their mouth open in fascination. "Idols, you’re so beautiful," they murmured. "Happy, I’m guessing, if your eyes are anything like my wings."

“I think so, I have not had many chances to see my own eyes before," Harroc said softly, enjoying the feeling of Colle’s hand on his face.

Colle slowly ran their thumb across Harroc’s cheek. "Then I’ll have to pay more attention," they said in a quiet voice. After a moment’s silence they sighed. "Did you want to shower first -" Colle stopped, seeing the look of disappointment cross Harroc’s face. "Or together. I hope there’s room for us both," they continued. Harroc nodded silently, pressing into their hand with a soft growl of appreciation.

“Bathroom’s back here, behind the kitchen. I’ll get a towel for you from the closet." Colle reluctantly let their hand slip from Harroc’s face. Harroc immediately moved, using his full stride to traverse the small home. He was clearly eager, though for what exactly was unclear. Colle ducked into the hallway across from the bathroom and pulled a towel off one of the shelves that lined one wall.

When they returned Harroc was slowly spinning around the bathroom with his arms outstretched, grinning as his hands just barely cleared both walls. "I think it will be a fun exercise," he said as he spotted Colle. They chuckled at him and set the towel on the side of the sink.

“Silly," Colle said, flipping the handle to let the water cascade from the fixture overhead. Harroc laughed gleefully as the water came down.

“I forgot these were a thing," he said and shoved his hand into the stream. He shivered and flinched at the cold before looking to Colle with a question.

“Wait a bit and the water should warm up," Colle said. They smiled at Harroc and took his hand in theirs. "Once it’s warm, it feels amazing, especially after a long day."

“That does sound nice, I will wait," he said evenly, turning all of his attention to Colle. He looked down at them and wrapped his arms around the Fae, squeezing them close. They sighed and leaned into Harroc's embrace, resting their head on his chest.

They traced their fingers lightly up Harroc's back. "Having you with me here is something I never would have expected," they whispered. As they pressed against him, they realized that Harroc felt warmer. Just as they were about to ask if something was wrong, Harroc grew cooler. Colle moved their hands to different places and realized his temperature was fluctuating with the rhythm of his heartbeat.

"You're going hotter and cooler all over," Colle said, tipping their head back slightly. "You don't seem worried so I guess that's normal?"

"Oh," Harroc said as if suddenly becoming aware of the changes himself. "I am cycling my essence through my points of control. It restores me, invigorates, and is good practice. I think I am dealing with denser essence than usual following my practice with the book's techniques," he said by way of an explanation.

Colle guiltily remembered that Rory currently had the book Harroc mentioned. "I see. Moving your essence is practice almost like casting spells, isn't it?" Colle reached out a hand to feel the shower water. "That's much better."

"In a way - oh, I am being selfish," Harroc said, flexing his palm on Colle's side. He guided a trickle of essence from his center into the Fae, releasing it to flow and be absorbed. "Some restoration for you as well."

Colle gasped as they felt the tingly warmth of Harroc's essence penetrate their skin before it spiraled off, rushing around their body. They felt more awake, rested, and they could hear the slight changes of pitch in the water as it cascaded from the top of the shower. "I - thanks," they said, eyes wide. "That's - something." Colle realized they'd started panting slightly and forced their breath to slow.

They stepped into the shower, feeling the individual streams of water hitting their skin. Shivering with the intensity of the sensation, they tugged Harroc in with them.

Harroc groaned as the warm water hit his skin. "I like this, warm water is a blessing," he said, stretching his shoulders out to have more water hitting his skin. He felt himself growing aroused again as Colle shivered into him.

“Don’t know what you did, but I swear I can feel every drop of water that hits me," Colle mumbled. "Soap is in the corner, that bar there." They pressed into Harroc more tightly, and realized that he was getting hard again. Colle sighed; they’d forgotten the peril of younger lovers.

Harroc reached over and grabbed the bar of soap, running it against his hand and then stroking it across Colle’s shoulders. "Do I need to soap your wings?" he asked as he worked his way down their arms and sides.

“You don’t need to, but I suspect you want to," commented Colle wryly. "You’re better off working up a lather in your hand rather than pressing the soap bar to them though. Would it be easier for you if I turned around?"

“Perhaps," Harroc said, moving his hands up to caress their chest with his now terribly soapy palms. "I can wait though, I do not want you to become over sensitive while the heightened awareness lasts." He moved his hands in slow firm strokes, scrubbing and kneading as he went.

Colle laughed. "A little warning about that would have been nice. I think it’s too late for both of us for that." They let one hand fall and trail down Harroc’s thigh pointedly.

“Fair," Harroc said, immediately placing the soap into the Fae’s hands, grabbing them by the arms, and lifting them before setting them back down with their wings to his chest. "I will begin," he said with a laugh as he worked his hands over the membrane of a wing. "They glisten so beautifully. I wish you could see them as I do."

“That would be difficult, I’m afraid," Colle said as Harroc’s warm hands traced over a wing. If they could have purred, they would have. Harroc’s hands continued to move, working at the outer edge of the wing before moving to the next. He was thorough but seemed to be avoiding the area where they joined the Fae’s back.

Colle looked over their shoulder. "You might as well go ahead and get the joints. If any part of my wings are likely to be sweaty, it’s there." They winked at Harroc before turning their head back. "And I’ll have to return the favor."

Harroc growled softly and moved his hands to the crook between Colle’s wings. He squeezed and caressed slowly, working his fingers along the joins and scrubbing roughly before gently stroking and kneading.

Colle spun around to face Harroc. "If you want to go for round two of what we did out there, you’ll be by yourself this time." Their voice was rough and deeper than normal. "I don’t suggest using soap in place of oil though. I’m not fucking you in the shower, no matter what you try."

“Clean first," Harroc said in a clipped growl as he took the soap again and started to scrub a new lather between his hands. He then moved to Colle’s stomach and hips, continuing his thorough cleaning and kneading of muscles. "I am going to finish cleaning you. I started and will finish this." Harroc crouched down and began to work at Colle’s legs one after the other.

“Fine," Colle said with a shake of their head. "I’ll clean my feet though. Don’t scrub them." They held out their hand for the soap. Harroc offered up the soap and then pressed at Colle’s side to get them to spin again. Colle turned around. "Remember you’ve got to get clean too," they mumbled as Harroc continued his meticulous scrubbing.

Harroc worked from the legs up, kneading and scrubbing until he was back to Colle’s shoulders. He didn’t seem to be paying any particular care to one area or another. All parts were scrubbed, kneaded, and caressed in equal measure. When he felt like he was done he moved to lathering his own chest.

“You can help if you want," he said with a small smile as he moved to scrub at an arm.

Colle leaned against one wall to clean their feet. Trying to maintain their balance, especially if someone was messing with their foot, would be an accident waiting to happen. Finishing that up, they worked a bit of the remaining lather through their hair.

“Fair is fair," Colle said, soaping up one of Harroc’s legs. "I’ll have to fly or stand on something to help with your head and shoulders." They fought the temptation to make Harroc more dirty and forced themselves to focus on scrubbing carefully.

Harroc was doing his best to not be a problem, but he kept letting out little growls of appreciation whenever Colle touched him in a new place, or scrubbed more firmly. He didn’t seem to be becoming more aggressive, or demanding though, which was a distinct difference from others Colle had been close with. It appeared Harroc was just very audibly enjoying himself.

Colle had reached everything they could standing. They hadn’t really tried to fly in the shower before and they weren’t sure if it would work. "Okay - I can try to fly up to you or you can kneel down, and I’ll get your neck and shoulders," Colle offered.

“Why not just-" Harroc said, reaching out and slipping his arms under Colle’s hips and lifting them up bodily.

“I guess that works, but I did want to see if I could work on your shoulders some. I figure they’re probably tense, leaning over books at the table," Colle said, reaching out to lather Harroc’s chest and neck. They worked the soap up to the edge of Harroc’s jaw and down the tops of his shoulders before they couldn’t reach more.

“I would greatly enjoy that. Perhaps after we are clean? I haven’t had someone work at my muscles in some time," Harroc said, settling his arms more completely to keep Colle aloft.

Colle worked some lather into Harroc’s hair as best they could. His hair was much longer and heavier, with denser textures than their own. "Sure, my sister gave me some oils that work well for that. They won’t leave you sticky or anything." They tapped Harroc’s shoulder gently. "Rinse, please."

Harroc leaned his head completely under the water, letting it flow through his heavy hair and remove the soap in long rivulets. Colle worked their fingers through his hair to get the soap out more quickly.

“That feels good, more of that," Harroc mumbled, pressing into Colle’s hands somewhat.

Colle laughed gently. "Now I see why you turn into a large cat so much - you like being petted. That oil I was talking about earlier is also good for your hair, if you want me to put some on your hair when I work on your shoulders."

“You can do whatever you want as long as you keep doing that."

Colle grinned. "Dry off, and then I’ll go back to doing that." They reached for the lever to turn off the water. Harroc spun in place and stepped over to where the towels were without regard for the fact he was still carrying the Fae. "You’ll probably want to put me down," Colle said, amused. They reached out for their towel hanging from a hook on the wall and grabbed Harroc’s from the edge of the sink.

“Oh, right," Harroc said, as if just realizing he was still holding them. He loosened his grip slowly and lowered Colle back to the floor. "I was getting used to holding you there, it was comfortable."

Flinging a towel over Harroc’s shoulders, Colle smiled at him. "I think I’ll take that as a compliment." They pulled their own towel over their shoulders and began drying their hair. Harroc moved quickly, scrubbing himself with the towel as if every moment it covered him was one he was in danger. He was finished well before Colle had moved past their shoulders.

Colle chuckled softly and finished drying the rest of their body, except for their wings. They flapped them a few times, carefully, and decided that was good enough. Harroc just stood there, his arms down and looking slightly unsure of himself as Colle finished.

“What do we do now? I have no more clothes to wear," he said with a shrug.

Yawning, Colle said, "Bed sounds lovely. I’ll work on your muscles before we go to sleep, and I wouldn’t worry about clothes. We’ll find you some tomorrow between shifts." They smirked. "Besides, pajamas are overrated." They hung their towel up on its customary hook and found a corner for Harroc’s to hang.

Harroc just nodded and followed along a step behind. After Colle stepped out of the shower they noticed the distinct scent of blooming honeysuckle. Laughing to themself, Colle led Harroc to their bed, patting the blankets for him to lay down.

“What is funny?" Harroc asked as he looked at the bed for several seconds and then slowly sat down. He frowned for a moment as he sank into the mattress. "This is very soft," he said when he stopped sinking down.

“Easier to rub your shoulders if you’re laying down," Colle said, digging through the drawer of the nightstand next to the bed. Harroc nodded and flopped back onto his back. He stretched out and groaned in enjoyment before flipping himself over in place.

Colle pulled out a bottle as tall as their hand with a handwritten label on it. They straddled Harroc’s back. "Truthfully, this is the best way I can think of," they said. Leaning forward, they whispered into Harroc’s ear. "You smell like honeysuckle. Do I need to cut you off from the honey glaze?" they said chuckling.

“This is very nice. I like the feel of your legs," Harroc said wiggling himself slightly. "And I smell? If I remember right that is a pleasant flower."

“I’m sure you do, considering you carried me home. And yes, honeysuckle is lovely, but it smells sweet, like honey. I’m wondering if you’ve eaten so much honey lately that honey is all you smell like," they said, laughing quietly as they poured a small dollop of oil into their hands. They rubbed their palms together.

“I have no idea what I am supposed to smell like," Harroc said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Never thought to ask honestly."

Colle put their hands on his shoulders, moving them in large circular motions. "I’m just teasing you a little. You’re so enthusiastic about the honey glaze and it’s adorable." They began to put more pressure on the muscles on the insides of Harroc’s shoulder blades. "Tell me if something hurts, if I’m pressing too hard, or if there’s somewhere I need to work on."

“Not to be rude, but I do not think you could press too hard," Harroc said before he groaned and pressed up into Colle’s palm. "Anything you work on is good."

Colle shrugged. "Some people are particularly sensitive to pressure. Just tell me if there’s something you do or don’t want." They worked their thumbs along the tops of Harroc’s shoulders, pressing on a knot they found.

Harroc shivered and pressed back into Colle’s thumbs. "I- have an idea," he said in between soft moans. "Hands?" he asked, shifting to put his own palms face up and wiggling the fingers.

“Hm?" Colle said, focusing on the tight spots they’d found. "You want to hold my hands?" Waiting for Harroc’s response, they found another, larger knot and gently worked their elbow into it. Harroc just continued to groan and lift his hands, wiggling the fingers enticingly.

Colle leaned forward and put their much smaller hands into Harroc’s. "It’s going to be much harder for me to work out-" Harroc shoved a thick stream of essence into both of Colle’s hands. Instead of letting it follow the lines of the Fae’s own body he curled them into themselves, creating a ring that rested in the palm and fingers.

“You are strong now, and should feel me much more easily," he said a bit out of breath before dropping his head back into the bed.

Colle shook their hands out, as if they’d fallen asleep. "Wow, okay - Harroc, can you please ask next time before you start, uh, infusing me with your essence?" Their hands felt awfully warm and as they put them back on Harroc’s shoulders, they could sense the flow of energy there, and the snarls that seemed to be knots. Experimentally, Colle rubbed one of the snarls and found the knot there. They closed their eyes to try to sense the best way of working it out.

“I will make sure to explain myself more fully next time, so you understaaaaand," Harroc’s word stretched out into a long moan of pleasure as Colle found the way to untwist the snarl in his shoulder. Colle grinned and moved to the next spot.

“I wonder how well this would work on other people," they mused. Putting pressure on the next spot, they leaned into it as Harroc groaned. "If I’d be able to sense the knots like I do for you." Harroc hissed loudly and his entire body curled up towards Colle, his legs and arms bending off the bed before collapsing back.

“Not sure, you would still be stronger, but the essence sense is not as helpful I imagine," Harroc said when he caught his breath. "Left side, above leg, suddenly aches," he said wiggling himself slightly for emphasis.

Colle frowned, sliding their hand down Harroc’s side. They fumbled for a sense of the spot, but they’d come to the top of Harroc’s hip without finding anything. "Can you be more specific?" Colle asked, sweeping their hand around Harroc’s lower back.

A slight tug at their senses led Colle to the swell of Harroc’s buttock. Letting their hand rest where there seemed to be a deep snarl, Colle asked, "Here?"

“Maybe, I cannot tell. Putting the essence into you, takes it from me," Harroc said with a clear grunt of discomfort.

Colle put a little pressure on the spot and between Harroc’s reaction and their own sense of his essence, was fairly sure they’d found the spot. "This might hurt. Sorry." They shoved their elbow into the spot, moving it in small circles and flapping their wings to drive into the joint.

Harroc twisted and curled up, hissing in pain briefly before there was a shift and his hiss became a slow breathless moan. He deflated into the bed, losing all sense of strength or control of his limbs as he continued to growl softly.

“I know it hurts, but it will be better after you’ve rested," Colle said softly. They slid their hand to the other side. "You’re tight on this side too. I’ll try to be a little more gentle." They repeated the move with their elbow, not driving as deeply but continuing the motion to work out the tension.

“I- underst- ow-" Harroc said between small twitches of his legs and hips. He was clearly trying to keep from making too many verbal complaints.

“Shh, I’m done there. It’s okay, it’s over," Colle soothed, running their hands gently across the outside of Harroc’s hips and lower back. Moving back to Harroc’s upper back, they looked for more knots but found only slight areas of tension. Rubbing firmly, they worked those few spots out.

They swept their hands down the length of Harroc’s back, pausing by his left shoulder blade next to his spine. There was a concentration there, but it didn’t have the same snarly feeling as the knots. The area thrummed lightly against Colle’s fingers, and curious, they put their ear against Harroc’s back.

His heartbeat was faint but powerful, like a large boulder slowly rolling back and forth along a sanded path. Colle felt warmth radiating outward, and the tug of their hands towards the center of Harroc’s essence with each beat. They felt a contented smile spread across their face; hearing a lover’s heartbeat was always comforting.

They moved down, intending to check the two deep knots they’d worked on, but there wasn’t any sort of pull to those spots. There was, however, a concentration low between Harroc’s hips. Colle was puzzled for a moment until they remembered Harroc’s comment about not shoving one’s essence into one’s member. They chuckled lowly, and dragged their hands upward.

“Anywhere else?" Colle said, keeping their voice low and soft.

“Somewhere on my front I think," Harroc said faintly, clearly still recovering.

Colle shook their head slightly and slid their hands under Harroc’s side to help flip him over. "Too much pressure, or you pushed too much into me?"

“Too much out of me, need to pull in more. Takes time," Harroc said with a slight frown.

Sighing, they drifted their hands over Harroc’s chest, finding a small spot high up by his shoulder joint. They worked it out gently. "Is it possible for you to - take it back?" They rested their hands on Harroc’s chest, right above his heartbeat.

“Not without taking more from you," he said with a shrug. "It would hurt, a lot. Not worth it, but useful in combat as a last ditch attempt."

“Ah. I’m sorry I can’t just return it to you as easily as you gave it," Colle said with an apologetic smile. "My only idea then is to offer you food. I think you still have a pastry, if you want it."

“Knew what I was doing. Safe, less need to mate. Food is good," Harroc said after a long slow breath.

Colle slid off the bed. "Stay there, I’ll be right back." They picked up the pastry, long since forgotten, and poured a bit more glaze on it from the bowl. They picked up a small jug of juice from one of the cupboards and brought both items to the bedside. "Can you lift your head enough for me to put a pillow underneath?" Colle asked.

With a grunt of effort Harroc tossed his arms forward and sat completely up. "No," he said with a grin.

Colle rolled their eyes with a smile and ripped a piece from the pastry. They held it up to Harroc’s lips, with one hand poised underneath to catch any drips. "Here, it’s honeyed."

Harroc moved his tongue out and caught the pastry, pulling it in to his mouth as he moved his lips forward to catch Colle’s fingers. "Mhhmmmm," he said through the food and fingers as he slowly chewed with his back teeth.

“I can give you a bigger bite next time," Colle said, laughing. Harroc’s mouth was less warm than they remembered. Extricating their fingers, they ripped a larger piece of pastry and offered it to Harroc.

Again he greedily took the food into his mouth and licked Colle’s fingers with a purr of contentment. "Merf," he said, and closed his eyes to enjoy the honeyed sweetness.

“Bigger? You want more?" Colle ripped a piece that was roughly a quarter of the pastry and held it up, the glaze dripping onto their hand below. It took Harroc several gulping bites to take the full piece in, but he still consumed it quickly and with a great deal of verbal appreciation.

Colle took a piece about half the size of the one they’d just given Harroc. "Maybe I should have just brought the bowl of glaze over here so I can dip every bite into it before I give it to you," they teased, their eyes crinkling at the corners as they smiled.

Harroc’s eyes glittered as he took the last gulp and smacked his lips. "You taste delicious," he said, blinking slowly.

“So you’ve told me," Colle replied. They held out the jug of juice. "Thirsty?" Harroc just nodded and opened his mouth, tongue stuck out and wiggling.

Colle hesitated. "This might be easier for you to control yourself. I don’t want to spill juice all over you or the bed." They placed another piece of pastry on Harroc’s tongue gingerly. "I’ll get a mug or something." Harroc gulped down the food slowly and grinned before sticking his tongue out again.

“Wait a moment. I’ll be right back, and if you get too impatient, I’m fairly sure you can reach it." Colle got up, leaving the jug on their nightstand. They pulled a mug from their shelves and retrieved the honey glaze bowl. Once they were back on the bed, they ripped another piece of pastry, dunked it into the glaze and held the plate under the piece as they moved it to offer to Harroc.

Harroc moved up under the dripping piece of pastry as best he could without colliding with the plate. He was again eager and vocal as he sucked in the food and Colle’s fingers. This time he tightened his lips, trapping the Fae’s fingers against his roving tongue.

Colle giggled; Harroc’s tongue tickled a little, even as it was also more than a little arousing. "Okay, you have to let me go. You have more still," they said, grinning. Harroc whimpered softly, giving a final suck of Colle’s fingers before he released them. "You have maybe three more bites. Eat the next two without taking my fingers, and on the last, I’ll make sure I get plenty of glaze on everything," Colle said, almost purring.

Harroc’s eyes went wide and he nodded fractionally. He opened his mouth again, only sticking his tongue out the barest amount. "Good," Colle said, placing the pastry bite in Harroc’s mouth. They’d still dunked it in the glaze, but they moved their fingers too quickly for Harroc to take them. They waited until he’d swallowed the food with a happy groan before giving him the next piece.

For the last remaining bit of pastry, Colle pushed it into the bowl, letting it get completely soaked. Retrieving it would get glaze all over their hands - as intended. They held the empty plate in their free hand and offered the morsel to Harroc with a wide grin.

Harroc looked to the honey covered pastry and back to Colle twice before moving his mouth forward and opening wide. He took the entire piece, and almost all of Colle’s hand into his mouth with a continuous pleased groan. His tongue swirled as he sucked and pulled with his lips. The entire time his eyes were half-lidded, as if he couldn’t keep them open.

Colle let Harroc slurp all of the glaze off their fingers. "More?" they asked with a sly grin. They pulled their hand back gently to see if Harroc would let them have their fingers back. Harroc let Colle go, right up until the end when he sucked hard, having the Fae’s finger come free of his mouth with a loud wet pop.

Dipping a few of their fingers back into the glaze, Colle offered them again. As Harroc took them into his mouth, Colle leaned forward to murmur in Harroc’s ear. "So eager. I’ve never looked forward to teaching someone so much," they crooned softly.

“I have always been told I am a diligent student," Harroc said with a low rumble. "Always looking to learn, to push myself, to seek more."

“I could see that," Colle said, with a very satisfied grin. They pulled back and poured a half mug of juice. They held it up to Harroc’s lips with a slight tilt. "Thirsty still?"

Harroc grunted an affirmative, and slurped some of the juice as soon as he was able. He hummed happily as the juice mixed with the honey and pastry remains in his mouth. Colle held the juice for him, tilting the mug away when he swallowed and forward as he began to lean forward for more.

“Once you’ve finished the juice, we can go to sleep," Colle said. Harroc nodded and took two further large gulps before lifting his head up and back slowly and yawning. "I’ll put this up. If you can, brush any crumbs out of the sheets," Colle said, collecting the dishes and taking them to their kitchen.

Harroc stretched and rolled his neck to several satisfying pops before taking hold of the sheet and snapping it up. Several small crumbs were tossed away and he nodded to himself before setting the sheet back and sitting on the edge of the bed to wait.

“You don’t need to wait for me to get under the covers," Colle said as they came back. They walked to the opposite side of the bed and slid under the blankets. "Come on," they said, invitingly.

Harroc grinned and slid himself under the covers as well, but remained on the edge of the bed suddenly unsure of himself. Colle looked over at him. "Come closer, I promised you at least a hug and maybe snuggling," they said, motioning to Harroc with open arms.

Harroc took several scoots and moved to just in arms reach. "I want to crush you and never let go. I do not want to make you mad again," he said with a small shrug and half-smile.

“Maybe not crushing. I happen to like breathing," Colle said, their eyes dancing. They wiggled over and laid their head on Harroc’s chest. "Please do hold me though. It’s been a very long - and wonderful - day, and I could do with being held while I sleep." Their wings had drooped to the bed under the covers, completely relaxed.

Harroc moved slowly, shifting his legs to lay against Colle and moving his arms to wrap around them. He pulsed with warmth, feeling his strength finally beginning to return. "This is nice," he said softly as he tucked the Fae up against his side.

“Mmhm," replied Colle drowsily. "I’m going to hate getting up early." They shifted their cheek on Harroc’s chest, adjusting their position slightly and stretching an arm across Harroc. Harroc sighed and seemed to melt a bit as the Fae’s arm landed across him.

“I could give you some essence, and then sleep until you return," he said with a soft chuckle.

“We’ll see. Don’t want you overdoing it," Colle mumbled, the words becoming less intelligible as they went on. They yawned, their wings twitching ever so slightly. "Night," they mumbled, squeezing Harroc lightly.

“Sleep well, mate," Harroc said, returning the squeeze and moving his leg to rest atop Colle’s. Then he closed his own eyes and fell into an exhausted sleep.

[Colle Mellifera]

Colle snapped awake, aware that something was different in their home. Their bed was occupied by a very large, and very warm, body next to them. Slowly their memories trickled back - Harroc. The café, Rory almost setting the damn table on fire, Harroc washing dishes and then coming home with them - Harroc was in their bed. Blushing slightly as they remembered other parts of the night, Colle felt their breathing slow from the somewhat panicked gulps of air they’d been taking.

“What is wrong, Mate?" Harroc asked softly, squeezing Colle gently around the waist. His eyes remained closed, but he was clearly awake as well.

“Nothing, I think I just forgot that you’d come home with me for a moment," Colle said, snuggling into Harroc more tightly and bumping into a very firm fleshy object. They decided to ignore Harroc’s obvious erection since they couldn’t do anything about it in the middle of the night.

“Ah, fear and surprise," Harroc mumbled and shifted his hips slightly to line up with Colle more completely. "I had similar, but am never so warm without being drunk or safe so I did not worry."

“It’s been a long while since I’ve had anyone in my bed," Colle mumbled, relaxing against Harroc. "Startled me." They traced a line down Harroc’s abdomen gently. "Much like this did."

Harroc groaned softly, his member twitching as Colle’s hand moved towards it. "I am pleased to startle you then," he said in a soft growl as he squeezed the Fae’s thigh. "Mate."

Colle made a noise of pleased surprise. "If I didn’t need sleep so badly right now," they mumbled. "Talk about that later."

“Rest then, and again when you return in the morning," Harroc said, running his hand along Colle’s thigh before returning it to lay across their waist. "I will be here, ready to learn when you are ready to teach."

⁂

The first rays of sunlight splashed across Colle’s cheeks. They groaned, turning their face further into Harroc’s chest. "Too damn early," they mumbled. Harroc laughed softly and ran his fingers through Colle’s hair.

“It is, but you don’t appear to have anything to stop the gorgeous sunrise," he said softly.

“Curtains," Colle said, waving their hand vaguely in the direction of the window. "I’ll close them in a bit."

“May I fill you?" Harroc asked, placing his hand on their stomach.

Colle blinked for a minute - they were not awake enough for this - before parsing what Harroc meant. "I don’t want to drain you again," they said, hugging Harroc to them. "I’ll be fine. I can have tea at the café."

“I can remain and rest, but if you are certain, I will not," he said back, sliding his hand back and forth slowly to spread warmth. Colle shook their head. Waiting a moment, they sighed and forced themself to disentangle from Harroc and get out of bed. They ambled to the closet, pulling another work top from their shelves and shrugging into it. Yawning widely, they decided that underwear was worth the trouble today and slid them on before their pants.

Harroc had risen on to his arms to watch Colle move. "I believe I could get used to waking up in this way. The gorgeous scenery, the sunrise too," he said with a smirk before dropping back onto the bed.

Colle rolled their eyes. "Go back to sleep, you flatterer." They trudged over and pulled the curtains together. They were a thick heavy fabric and blocked the light almost completely. Colle did the same with the smaller windows in the kitchen. "I’ll be back after I get the baking done," they said, yawning. "Sleep well." Moving back to Harroc, they tucked a lock of hair behind his ear before turning and leaving.

Harroc immediately fell back into pleasant dreams of honey-covered fae. He could get very used to whatever this was.

Colle figured that it was a good thing that Harroc couldn’t see them, as they resorted to their usual wake-up method - walking straight off the platform outside their home. The brief plummet before their wings extended always flooded them with the adrenaline of panic, and that would last long enough to get to the café and get a very strong mug of tea brewing.

Once at the café, they grabbed an apron and slid it on, tying the strings behind their back in a movement born of long practice. They pulled the dough out for the chocolate twigs, pleased to see it had risen well. They worked the dough to prepare it for tomorrow, trading it for the prepared dough to roll out the pastry. They filled a tray, popping it into the oven once it was hot enough.

Next up, they rolled out the pastry dough they’d made last night, preparing it for fruit pockets. Looking in the cold storage, they frowned. They’d given Harroc too many of the blueberries yesterday; there wouldn’t be enough to make fruit pockets in enough numbers. Shrugging, they pulled out blackberries and raspberries along with the leftover blueberries for a mixed berry filling. Once they’d divvied out the berries and sealed the pockets, they filled another tray to wait for the oven.

The café would need more for the breakfast rush. Colle pulled out muffin tins and a large mixing bowl. They worked up a quick batter and threw in some dried raisins and cinnamon. Deciding on a quick streusel topping before they went into the oven, Colle set the full muffin tin aside. A batch of bran muffins was next. Colle hated the taste, but they were frequently requested, so they made them. They pulled out the chocolate twigs and set the tray on the rack to cool, shoving the fruit pockets in next.

While they waited, they made the streusel topping, adding finely chopped nuts. They jotted down a quick note to remind the incoming staff about the nuts in the topping, just in case. They checked on the fruit pockets, which were still pale, and tossed together a quick no-knead dense bread dough. It was simple enough for the morning staff to handle; shape a loaf, let it sit, then bake until golden. Finally the pockets could come out, and Colle replaced them with the first tins of muffins. The twigs were cool enough to handle now, and they arranged them on a platter to go into the case at the counter.

More pastry dough was mixed and left to rise for the afternoon. After trading out the muffins, Colle went ahead and made a batch of honey glaze. For a moment they were annoyed that they couldn’t find their usual mixing bowl until they remembered it was sitting in their sink at home. Chuckling to themself, they used the next largest bowl and put the glaze in the cold storage.

A noise at the back door told them the morning shift was coming in. "Morning," they called, bringing the bowls and muffin tins to the sink. A blue-skinned Fae with magenta colored hair walked in. "Hi, Sema," they said with forced cheer. Behind them was another Fae, tan skin and blood-red hair brightened by their smile. "Poppy!" they threw their arm out for a one armed hug. "I haven’t seen you in too long."

“I know! It’s been three whole days!" she said, almost tackling Colle. They laughed, hugging her to their side. "So tell me what’s baked, but first -" She paused dramatically. "Fill me in. Did Mister Handsome show up yesterday?" She raised her eyebrows.

Colle felt the grin spreading across their face. "Yes, he did," they said, trying to focus on the dishes.

“And?" Poppy prodded them with her finger while Colle made a show of being hurt.

Sema tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I’m not sure why you care so much, Papavea. Do you have a bet on how long it takes Colle to actually break his dry spell?" She looked bored, tapping her notebook on the knee of her apron.

Colle took a very deep breath and let it out slowly while Poppy glared at Sema. "Because Colle is my friend, Semolina. And they are excited about someone." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Tell us what we’ve got today, Colle, so Semolina can go make the tags."

“Chocolate twigs, mixed berry fruit pockets, raisin-cinnamon muffins with nut-streusel topping, and-" Colle turned to the oven and pulled out the bran muffins. "Bran muffins." They set the tins on the rack to cool. "Maybe you should have one, Sema. Then you wouldn’t be so full of shit in the mornings." Colle went back to the sink and scrubbed the tins.

They heard Sema stomp out of the kitchen to the front register. Colle sighed and turned to Poppy. "Maybe I shouldn’t have, but idols, she gets on my last nerve with her- you know."

“Yeah," Poppy said and patted Colle’s shoulder. "You didn’t tell me about yesterday afternoon though."

Colle pretended to think. "Well, he and another patron almost set the café on fire," they said, finger on their chin. Their wings fluttered slightly.

“Come on, Colle. Give it up! You can’t lie to me," Poppy said, leaning against Colle. "Pleaaaaaase," she pleaded.

Smirking, Colle took off their apron, hanging it up for later. "Nope." Their wings trembled as if they were laughing. Colle grabbed several of the raisin muffins. "Gotta go, Pops, I have company," they said as they scooted out the door.

“You did not!" she shrieked after Colle, leaning out the back door as they flew away laughing.

[Harroc Crownegrove]

Harroc had woken seven times during the morning. Each time he was able to fall back to sleep faster than the last. There were too many strange sounds here, too many sudden shifts in the wind so far from the ground. He had given up on sleeping when he awoke the eighth time and simply lay with his eyes closed and concentrated on his essence.

Colle landed on the platform outside their house, a smile spreading across their face as they thought about who was waiting for them. Sliding open the latch, they stepped in quietly, unsure if Harroc was still asleep. They hoped he wouldn’t mind muffins for breakfast.

He was still in bed. Colle smiled wryly - they’d have rather been there too. They sat on the edge of the bed, watching Harroc’s eyes move under the lids. "Morning, sleepyhead," they said softly. "I brought muffins."

“You are happy, your wings betray you, Mate," Harroc said softly as he left his inner focus and opened his eyes. He smiled broadly, drinking in Colle’s scent and sight eagerly. "I missed your warmth each time I awoke."

Colle tilted their head, caressing Harroc’s cheek with their hand. "You didn’t sleep well, then? I’m sorry. Do you want me to make you some chamomile tea and see if that helps?"

“Too many strange sounds so far up," he replied with a shrug. "I am rested though, and my essence restored. I would love tea, I find it a wonderful indulgence."

“I hope you’ll get used to it," Colle said as they got up to make tea. ‘I hope you’re around long enough to get used to it,’ they thought to themself. In the kitchen, they perused their teas and chose one that was full of fruit flavor.

Once the water had boiled and the tea begun to steep, Colle put the muffins on a plate and walked over to the bed. "Sit up on the pillows there," they directed, setting the plate next to Harroc once he’d settled. Returning to the kitchen they poured two mugs of the tea and carried those back to the bed as well. Colle handed Harroc his mug and perched theirs on a small table by the bed.

Harroc cooed softly as he took the tea in his hands. He had been introduced to the drink by a cleric who had a particularly ritualistic way of preparing and consuming it. Since then he had found simple pleasure in the flavorful drink in its many forms. He nodded his thanks to Colle and let the cup warm him slowly while the scent filled his lungs.

Stripping off their work clothes and tossing them to the floor, Colle climbed back into bed and took a muffin. "I think that will go well enough. The muffins are raisin-cinnamon, with a streusel and nut topping." They took a huge bite out of their muffin, leaning their head against Harroc’s arm while they chewed.

Harroc marvelled at his muffin for a moment before taking a tentative bite. He liked the taste, it had a sharpness to it he found pleasing. "Do you always walk off the edge of the platform in the morning?" he asked before taking most of the muffin into his mouth.

“Only when I’m ti- wait, you heard that?" Colle turned to Harroc. "I thought you were asleep when I left." They rubbed the back of their neck a bit sheepishly.

“Though I am familiar with your step, I am not yet familiar with it being so close to me while I rest. And yes, I hear many things often," Harroc said with a shrug. "This is very good, but I crave meat," he added through another smaller mouthful of muffin.

Colle glanced over at Harroc. "We said we’d wait on - oh. You meant food." They leaned back against the pillows, thinking. "I know a few places, but we need to get you clothes first. Even in Ajteire, no one really goes about completely naked." Colle turned to Harroc. "And even if they did, I’d rather not have to fight for you." They gripped Harroc’s forearm possessively.

“Oh, is that a word for… hmm," Harroc said, grinning as he completed the thought. "And then we get clothes, I can repair mine enough for light travel." He stuffed the remainder of the muffin into his mouth and slid his free arm around Colle’s side. "I will need further instruction soon though, Mate."

Colle grabbed another muffin. "Tell me, why do you keep calling me ‘mate’? Is that - um, a druid thing?" They crammed another enormous bite into their mouth.

“I do not know the right word, and you did not seem bothered by it. Is there something else I should call the one I wish to claim as my own and share a den with?"

Colle shivered happily. "That’s a good point. Normally a relationship between lovers, if it’s not a formal thing, they will call each other boyfriend or girlfriend, depending on their gender." They frowned a bit, taking another bite of muffin. "Neither of those really work for me though. I’m not really one or the other."

“Honeyed one?" Harroc offered, licking his lips at the thought.

Colle laughed loudly, caught off guard. "You know, ‘honey’ is often used as a term of endearment, like a nickname." They thought for a moment. "I might like to be your ‘honey’. What would you prefer I call you?"

“You can call me whatever seems to fit. I do not really mind. As for honey, I will need to have more of you in my mouth first perhaps," he said with a wicked grin.

Colle flopped back on the pillows. "I’ve unleashed a beast," they moaned dramatically, pretending to be distressed.

“Several in fact," Harroc quipped back, flopping atop his Fae and wrapping them up in a firm hug. Colle snorted a laugh into Harroc’s chest. "Now, give your mate meat soon. Or I will take it myself."

“Is that a threat or a promise?" asked Colle, the words slipping out before they realized what they’d said. "Wait. Don’t answer that. I already know."

“Whichever is more surprising," Harroc said into Colle’s neck before he nuzzled them fiercely.

“Okay. How long will it take you to get your pants back to wearable condition?" Colle asked, looking up at their shifter.

“A short enough time I will still feel need afterwards. Perhaps less than ten minutes."

Colle sighed. "Why don’t you fix your clothes, I’ll get dressed again, and then we can go find you some meat."

“You said I needed new clothes. I will survive, and the craving is… interesting to feel when I look at you," Harroc said back, but still released the Fae and started to get up.

Colle rolled out of bed and scooped up their pants. "I didn’t think your pants from yesterday were salvageable. As long as you can wear them, we can go eat first, assuming food is what you’re hungry for." They shot Harroc a playful look.

"I am starting to understand that I hunger for many things. Most of all for you to earn your chosen title. We will get clothes, and enjoy a late meal after. Is this acceptable, soon-to-be-honey?" Harroc asked back, showing his teeth a bit.

Colle smirked. "Fine by me, sweetheart.” They ducked into their closet and rifled through their clothes. "No, no, absolutely no, meh, no, that works." They pulled on a loose tangerine colored top with ruffles cascading from one shoulder. Running their fingers through their hair, they put a bit of coconut oil on their lips and grabbed a pair of wedge sandals they knew made their ass look fantastic.

Harroc wove his mending spell several times, stitching back the massive rent he’d created in his frustration the prior night. It was not a difficult spell, merely a time consuming one. When he finished he slipped into the pants and donned his boots. "I will need to go for my equipment at some point as well, though it need not be today," he said to the closet Colle had ducked into.

“There’s plenty of room in the back," Colle said, coming back into the main room. "Feel free to bring your things here."

Harroc eyed them with open appreciation as he stood beside the bed. "Your plumage is enticing, I like the colors," he said with a grin before walking over and wrapping an arm around Colle. He froze for a second as he moved close, turning to look closely at the Fae’s lips. "You smell like our mating," he said with a soft growl as his fingers tightened on their back.

“Oops," Colle said, with a smile that said they hadn’t made a mistake at all. Harroc simply shook himself and turned away, beginning to blush faintly. He was starting to understand what the rangers had meant about his pants.

“If it truly bothers you, I’ll take it off," Colle said, coming up to put a hand on Harroc’s forearm. "I didn’t mean to distress you."

“I think it bothers me how you intended. I am merely not used to this sort of need. If I give it thought, I believe I enjoy the images it conjures. Of your lips, and my..."

Giggling, Colle took Harroc’s hand. "I’m sure. The reverse wouldn’t be a bad thing either, may I say. Let’s go get you some pants that might survive me wearing coconut oil on my lips again."

“I wonder what they would say if I asked for such. A need to survive the thought of your lips," Harroc mused as he moved to the door.

Colle threw the latch. "I wouldn’t say it that way. Maybe say you need a looser fit in the front - although I’m quite sure they’ll come to that conclusion themselves." They led Harroc out the door.

“It seems less fun, to not be able to tease you to others. What is the point of such lovely plumage if I cannot declare you mine indirectly?"

“I just like this top," Colle protested weakly. "Why would you feel it necessary to tell people that I’m your mate?"

“You are desirable, and I wish others to know that I am skilled enough to have enticed you. Is that not how Fae choose to act? I had thought I’d seen similar before." Harroc offered a slightly confused look as he followed Colle to the stairs.

“You find me desirable, Harroc. That doesn’t mean others share your opinion," they said as they clomped down the stairs. "It’s not your skill that’s in question."

“That seems foolish, you are shapely, skilled in creating, and plainly virile. I cannot see why others would not agree you are desirable."

“Even so. I’d rather you be - subtle about it, if you can," Colle begged.

“If it pleases you, I will do this. Though I apologize for the mistakes I will likely make," Harroc said, stopping and pulling them into a firm embrace. "Soon-to-be-honey."

Colle sighed. "I’m starting to think ‘mate’ was better," they mumbled.

“We all make mistakes as we learn." Colle swatted at Harroc’s arm playfully and stuck out their tongue as they made their way down the stairs together.

⁂

“I am noticing more ‘couples’ as we have walked. I had simply assumed the Fae formed small mixed scouting groups of friends," Harroc said with a wry grin as they neared a collection of clothing shops along a raised walkway. "Also, I should perhaps learn to fly. I regret I cannot already, now that I am forcing you not to."

Colle shrugged. "The only scouting most of them do are for new fashions. It won’t hurt me not to fly sometimes. Can’t you shift into a Fae if you wanted? That’s a thing shifters do, right?" They were not about to tell Harroc that their feet hurt.

Harroc looked very confused for several seconds. "I have never heard of a shifter becoming anything but an animal. Where did you hear of this?" he asked with clear curiosity in his voice.

“My mother, I think? Apparently in the early days, there was some trouble with shifters impersonating others for nefarious reasons," Colle said, tipping their head to the side. "I think it was maybe fifty years before Jasmine, maybe sixty or sixty five before me. I’d have to ask her."

Harroc stopped walking suddenly, an intense expression of concentration on his face. "I wonder if-" he yelped suddenly as he became a cloud of roiling green smoke. The shift took much longer than usual, but several seconds later the smoke began to clear.

“Harroc? Are you okay? What’s wrong?" Colle asked, frantically.

“This feels very strange," Harroc responded and waved an arm. The smoke finished clearing and a copy of Colle stood there, in very over-large clothing.

“What the fuck did you do? What are you thinking?" Colle’s voice rose. "And if this is weird to you, it’s twice as weird for me, because I shouldn’t be able to see myself like this!"

Harroc-Colle shrugged and looked down at their new hands. "I can only change into something I am very familiar with. You are the only Fae I have studied closely." He grinned at Colle and then burst back into a roiling cloud. Another long few seconds and Harroc’s arm reached out of the evaporating smoke. "Sorry, I did not expect it to take so suddenly or completely. Usually it takes a good deal of practice and additional study. I can just visualize you so well."

Colle sat down on the stairs, leaning their head between their knees. "That whole image - is really messing with my head right now." They looked up at Harroc. "When you took so long to shift, the first time, I thought something had gone wrong. That I lost you."

Harroc knelt down in front of them and put a hand on their face. "It will take much more than some exploratory shifting to get rid of me, Mate. I am here to hunt you, and will be here until I have had my fill. I am very hungry."

Colle chuckled weakly. "Then I hope - selfishly - that you always hunger." They shook their head slowly. "Such an odd thing for a baker to say."

“I wonder if I would look good in your clothing," Harroc said idly, clearly somewhat distracted now that the immediate danger had passed. "I would have to, you do."

“I thought the only clothes of mine you were interested in getting into were my pants," Colle remarked wryly.

“There are entire new opportunities here, I never considered becoming another person."

“Maybe consider looking like someone who isn’t me? I can introduce you to other Fae," Colle said.

"Of course," Harroc said quickly. "It is your form, not mine. I would never take it without permission. I apologize that I have done so."

“I know you were just - testing to see if you could. I’m not hurt by that. The only thing you might possibly have to apologize for is scaring me half to death," Colle said, standing up. "At least you weren’t in a shifted Fae form. I probably wouldn’t have been able to see you at first."

"I regret causing you distress. I promise to make it up to you. As for your other forms, you can become very small or hand sized correct? I think I have seen that a few times."

“Yeah. I used to shift a lot when I was younger to annoy my sister or scare my parents a little. I haven’t done it in a long time though," Colle said, reflecting. "Maybe after I close the café and we’re home, I’ll shift for you."

Harroc grinned broadly and moved to take Colle's arm in his. "I think I would like that. Seeing you change for me alone has an appeal I never considered."

Colle smiled up at Harroc. "Then I’ll be happy to do it. Now, let’s get you some pants that aren’t falling apart and go eat."

Looking at the shops near them, Colle spotted one they had heard some of the rangers talk about. "They’re supposed to be good for functional gear. Sturdy clothes. Let’s try there first," they said, leading Harroc over.

Harroc followed, noticing the smell of leather long before he really saw anything of interest. "I am concerned they will not be able to provide clothes in my size. Everything I have owned was handmade for me." He raised his long arms and a leg to emphasize his point.

“I’ve heard the rangers talk about this place, and there’s enough Kerasoka around that we should be able to find something that will be long enough for you," countered Colle. "You’re well within their usual height range."

"I will cede to your wisdom, teacher," Harroc said with a smirk.

Colle rolled their eyes and stepped into the store. Shelves lined one long wall and the back, with articles of clothing piled high. A few tables stood scattered about the floor, holding things like bags, belts, and hats. The opposite long wall had more shelves, but also a few curtained alcoves for trying on clothing. A Kerasokan woman stood behind a table at the front, a large ledger open in front of her.

“Hello. What may I help you find?" she asked, looking up as they entered the store.

"My friend says I require new clothing as I have allowed mine to fall into disrepair. I am looking for something comfortable they would find pleasing," Harroc said with a grin.

The woman studied Harroc appraisingly. "I’d suggest starting with these shelves here for pants-" She indicated a set of shelves just below the middle of the wall. "And I’d look at the longer tunics for arm length. They’re easy to shorten if you need." She pointed to a nearby table with folded tunics in several different styles.

Harroc nodded and looked to Colle. "I have no strong preferences beyond comfort. Help?" he asked with a shrug as he moved over to the pants.

Colle eyed the stacks of clothing. They took a pair of pants and unfolded them, holding the pants up to Harroc. "Here, hold these up where you’d normally wear the top of your pants. I want to see if those are long enough."

Harroc took the pants and lined them up where he usually kept them, which was much lower than most likely would. "I wear them here, so they do not get in the way. I do not have any weapons to carry, nor bags or satchels beyond this small one," he said, indicating his palm sized pocket.

Studying the pants, Colle bit their lip thoughtfully. "I think a little longer might be better. I’ll fold those and put them back on the shelf, and we’ll look at the next set up for you." They handed Harroc a pair from the shelf above where they’d gotten the first and took back the first pair. Harroc held the pants up again and Colle nodded.

“Okay. I’ll give you a few different styles for you to try. The material is cut differently for each, so some will be more comfortable than others." They handed Harroc four pairs of pants and gently nudged him toward the changing curtains. "Try on one pair in there and then come out and let me see how they look on you."

Harroc nodded and moved into the changing area. "There are not enough hooks. Hold," he said a moment later, and his original pair of pants came flying out of the small area. Colle caught them and sighed.

Several moments later Harroc strode past the curtain in a stuttering step. "They feel odd, but not too short," he said, bouncing on his feet a little to get used to the new clothing. "They are much thicker and less flexible."

“They aren’t threadbare. Crouch down a bit, but if the fabric feels like it’s going to tear, stop," Colle instructed, laying Harroc’s pants across their arm. Harroc compiled, and got about a third of the way into a crouch before he froze and frowned.

“It is pinching," he said in a half-whisper. "Help." He held his arm out to Colle.

Colle stepped over and gave Harroc the leverage he needed. "Go try another pair and give those to me. They aren’t going to work for you." Harroc shuffled his way back into the changing area. There was a great deal of rustling and movement followed by some grumbling and another pair of pants being tossed past the curtain.

Colle caught a glimpse of an annoyed looking, and rather unpantsed Harroc frowning through the curtain before it fluttered closed. There was more rustling and grumbling and then the druid’s hand appeared through the curtain. "Pants," he said sharply.

They chuckled. "What, did none of the other three fit?"

“If I cannot wear them as I am now, then they cannot be worn around you," he said, frustration clear in his voice even through the curtain. Colle handed over Harroc’s worn pants.

“Your boyfriend’s a ranger, huh?" The Kerasokan woman spoke up sympathetically, looking at Colle.

“Close enough. He’s a druid," they explained. "Problem is, he’s rather, uh, gifted." The rustling from inside the changing area ended and Harroc emerged to immediately embrace Colle very firmly for several long seconds.

Once Harroc loosed his grip, the woman stared at him before whistling and turning to Colle. "Damn, you weren’t kidding. There’s a tailor over to the east that might be able to help you find something that can fit Mister Alda-pants here."

“Would you ride me?" Harroc asked, grinning down at his Fae with an eager glint to his eyes.

“Not in public," Colle replied, raising an eyebrow. Turning to the woman - who was barely suppressing a laugh - Colle replied, "Thanks for your help."

“No worries, good luck with that!" she replied as they left. She giggled as they retreated to the pathway.

“It would be much faster if you rode me. I can run, you do not need to carry anything," Harroc said, still grinning.

“I can fly, remember? Besides, if you turn into a giant wolf in the middle of the city, you’re likely to scare people." Colle shot Harroc a look of amusement.

“But then I would not feel your legs against me, nor you my fur," Harroc half-pouted. "And it did not bother people before, I have done it many times. Most do not even use the platforms."

“You’re being awfully insistent about this," Colle remarked. "Any reason why?"

“I can feel the need to run, the desire to have you gripping me tightly," Harroc said with a shrug. "I believe there are many other ways to spend the desire, but it is constant, and we are not in the comfort of your home."

Colle sighed. "That - okay. Are you going to be a jaguar or a wolf this time?" They hoped their shoes wouldn’t be too much of a pain to deal with.

“I can become the jaguar, can you become small? That would be less frightening to others and I can travel more easily along less broad routes."

Groaning slightly, Colle stepped off to the side of the platform. "Hold on." They screwed up their face in concentration before they disappeared with a gentle pop. Once the slight disorientation passed, they landed on Harroc’s shoulder. "Ow. Definitely need to practice that again." Their voice was quiet and tiny.

“You should stay in about the same place.," he said before leaping and shifting, appearing from the roiling green smoke immediately. Colle was settled just above his shoulder, though now they sank deeply into his thick fur.

Coughing slightly, Colle twisted their hands into the thick fur. "If we’re going to do this often, it might be a good idea to find you a necklace or something to wear so I’m not pulling your fur," they said apologetically.

Harroc growled and chuffed softly for a moment and then a tingling ran across Colle’s body. {“-already want to collar me."} Colle realized they could suddenly understand the sounds the jaguar was making. {“Where are we going?"} Harroc asked, pawing the ground eagerly.

“Uh. Head to the east markets. What - How do I - You’re a jaguar. I shouldn’t understand you. Can you please ask before you just -" Colle waved their hand.

{“Sorry,"} Harroc replied with a soft whimper. He then began a slow lope towards a large branch just off the path. Once he was sure Colle was anchored he began to run in earnest, leaping from branch to branch, moving along pathways and weaving between others with fluid uninterrupted speed. Reaching the east markets took only slightly longer than it would have if they’d been simply flying, given the high amount of buildings and low canopy in the area.

Colle climbed up Harroc’s neck and inched over to his ear, scratching gently at the base. "I should have warned you that I don’t like people doing magic on me without asking," they said softly. "It’s nice to be able to understand you even in this form, though."

Harroc chuffed, trying to press his head more into Colle’s hand as they scratched. {“Where from here, and please keep doing that."}

“I can’t see well from here. Hold on." Colle let go and flew up to see the shops around them. Landing back next to Harroc’s ear, they resumed scratching. "Go all the way to the end and they’re on the left, looks like."

Harroc shook his head softly, purring and panting in equal measure as he easily loped through the crowd of people. Colle hung on until Harroc came to a stop in front of a shop. Reluctantly wiggling out of their spot, they flew up and restored their full size.

Harroc rubbed against their leg and purred. {"More scratches. Find some that you like and I will change to try them,"} he chuffed and growled. There were several other customers browsing and the areas outside the shop was much busier.

Colle stepped into the shop; this one was much more lively and appeared to cater to the more fashion-conscious. The shop had two assistants dressed in black, and Colle approached the fae man who was folding clothes.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for men's pants to fit someone kerasoka height," Colle said.

"Over there." They pointed to a set of shelves without looking up, clearly a bit overwhelmed by the pile of discarded clothes on the table in front of them. Colle nodded and headed over, rumbling jaguar in tow.

"These look a little looser," Cole said, perusing the shelves. They pulled some loose drawstring pants off the shelf and eyeballed the height. Nodding they tossed the pants over their shoulder and found another pair that looked like a possibility.

Laying the pairs of pants over their arm, Colle looked around for one of the assistants. They finally spotted the lithe human woman making her way through the aisles. "Where can I find the changing rooms?" they asked.

"Oh, those aren't going to fit you," she said, with a slightly disgusted frown. "Shouldn't your boyfriend buy his own clothes instead of sending his confused little pet?"

Colle took a step back involuntarily into Harroc behind him. They hadn’t anticipated her venom; it had been a while since the last time someone was actively rude. Their brows lowered. At their feet, Harroc began to growl, showing his teeth.

“Ugh, this is why I hate people dragging their badly-trained animals in. You need to take it outside," the woman snipped, pointing to the walkway.

There was a burst of green smoke and suddenly a very large druid stood between the two. Power was coming off of Harroc in rolling waves as he glared down at the shop assistant. "You have made two mistakes. Would you like to make a third?" he asked, his voice low and filled with menace.

Colle had been shocked initially at Harroc’s almost visible wrath but caught themself after a moment. "It’s not worth it. Let’s just go," Colle said, in an undertone to Harroc. They held out the pants to the shop assistant, and when she didn’t reach to take them, dropped them on the floor.

Turning, they laced their fingers into Harroc’s and gently tugged him toward the walkway. "Please, just let it go and we’ll leave."

“For you," Harroc said, letting himself be pulled backwards, but not taking his eyes off the small human.

Colle shook their head vigorously as if to clear it. "Why don’t we head toward the café, and I’ll ask Pops if she knows of anywhere," they suggested, not meeting Harroc’s eyes. "You can run again, just give me a moment to get small."

“Only if you want to," Harroc said, irritation still plain in his voice. "I do not think they deserve to go unpunished."

Colle shook their head slowly. "It wouldn’t change anything, really. Let’s go," they said, and popped into their diminutive form. Harroc took a short hop and became a jaguar again. "Feel free to run as fast as you want. I’ll hold on, and if I lose you, I’ll fly and meet you at the café," Colle said as they grabbed Harroc’s fur.

Harroc shook himself and let loose a few short roars, declaring for all to hear his displeasure with the store. Then he began to run, moving much faster than he had before. He bounded up and onto branches and across walkways with long powerful strides and quick dashes.

Colle held on and hoped that the wind and his own huffs were too loud for Harroc to hear them. They’d given in to a few tears as the jaguar bounded away, but they’d mostly subsided to the occasional sniffle by the time they’d reached the café.

Harroc leapt down from the final branch and onto the café’s back landing, conveniently near a potential sun spot. He spun in a circle several times before kneeling down to allow Colle to disembark.

“Thanks," Colle said sliding down before popping back to their full size. "I hope I don’t have to deal with Sema right now. I am not in the mood to deal with her." Giving Harroc a scratch behind his ears, Colle opened the back door to the café. Behind them, Harroc returned to two-legged form and panted lightly.

“Poppy?" Colle called. They looked around the kitchen for her.

Poppy came in from the front. "Hey you, lookin’ good," she said, smiling. "And is this-?"

“Yeah. Harroc, this is my friend Poppy. Poppy, this is Harroc-"

“Oh my idols, I finally get to see Mister Handsome in the flesh!" Poppy bounded over to Harroc, her pink wings fluttering excitedly. Colle blushed slightly as their friend almost jumped on Harroc in her excitement. Harroc reacted automatically, reaching out and picking up the bouncing Fae by putting an arm under their hips.

“Hello," he said, looking a bit sheepish as he realized what he’d done.

“You’re so tall!" Poppy squeaked, grinning madly. "Colle, we gotta talk later, because I. Want. Details."

“Pops," Colle sighed with a smile. "I actually came to ask your help with something."

Poppy stopped inspecting Harroc for a minute. "What’s up?"

“He needs new pants. I’m afraid the ones he has on won’t last long, and we need a shop that sells pants Kerasoka length but maybe more relaxed than ranger style." Colle coughed lightly. "And um, maybe with a generous rise."

Poppy thought for a minute and shot Colle a wicked grin. "No wonder you looked so tired when I came in."

Colle swatted lightly at Poppy’s foot. "Please, Pops, I’m asking for real. I’ve already had to deal with a shop clerk who’s apparently Sema’s sister from another mister. I’m not in the mood to deal with that again."

Harroc had been examining Poppy’s wings very closely the entire time, grinning as he traced the details with his eyes. He growled softly and turned his attention back to Colle at the mention of the shop they’d just fled.

“Maybe check out Vera’s shop? It’s in the market just downstairs, and she’s my cousin, remember? Let me tell Sema to handle the front for herself for a minute and I’ll walk you over." Poppy rolled her eyes at Sema’s name. "Vera took up with a Kerasokan man a year or two ago - her mom made a huge deal about it, but he seems like a nice guy when I’ve talked to him."

Looking around at the floor, Poppy glanced up at Harroc. "Could you put me down now, Mister Handsome?"

Colle groaned. "His name is Harroc, Poppy!"

“And you’re lucky Sema’s an ass or I’d ask him to carry me out there," Poppy replied, sticking her tongue out at Colle. "Being tall is so nice." Harroc shrugged and lowered the Fae to the ground. When Poppy hopped away he smirked and stepped quickly into Colle’s space, picking them up instead.

“I will carry my soon-to-be-honey instead," Harroc said with a pleased rumble as he squeezed the still shocked Fae.

“Not even going to protest," Colle said, leaning into Harroc. "Pops, are you working the long shift with me in the afternoon?"

“No, Sema’s supposed to," Poppy said, opening the back door. "Come on lovebirds."

“Can you switch with her? Please? I promise, you can hang in the back and there’ll be ‘girl talk’ any time you’re not actively helping someone," Colle bargained.

Poppy thought for a minute, her eyes narrowing. "Maybe for ‘girl talk’ and a batch of those pastries you came up with. I gotta visit family tomorrow." Harroc had buried his face into Colle’s neck, nuzzling slowly as the two talked. He hummed in interest as soon as pastries were mentioned.

“Deal." Colle nodded. "Where’s Vera, Poppy?"

“Oh yeah," she said, heading for the stairs. "Follow me." Poppy led them down the stairs to the main market level. One of the signs outside a shop had a picture of a pair of scissors and the words "Tall and Small” on it. Poppy strode straight to the counter. "Ver!"

“Poppy!" The fae woman at the counter turned around, her orange hair sweeping around behind her. "What are you up to? Did you snag both of these?" She waved her hand at Colle and Harroc, who stood behind Poppy. Harroc waved back with his free hand.

“No, Colle’s my friend. They work at the café, and Harroc is the Mister Handsome I told you about that Colle was trying to get with," Poppy explained nonchalantly while Colle blushed.

“Pops, are you always so forthcoming?" Colle grumbled with a slight smile and Harroc just looked pleased in general.

“You know it. Anyway, Harroc needs pants, people have been asses, and I thought I’d come say hi," Poppy said to Vera.

“Sure thing. Are you having to work with that one girl again?" Vera frowned as she made her way from behind the counter. She approached Colle and Harroc.

“Yup." Poppy let the word terminate with a pop. "Matter of fact, I have to go back in a bit. Someone has promised pastries for lunch tomorrow, so I’m working later. How’s Amaiais doing?"

“Oh he’s well! I’m not sure if he’ll be at lunch tomorrow. It’ll depend on his work. So, pants for the tall, here?" Vera pointed to Harroc.

“I need pants that I can wear around my soon-to-be-honey. I tore these too easily last time," Harroc said, seemingly pleased to contribute.

Colle blushed approximately the color of Poppy’s hair. "Please put me down now," they mumbled. Harroc squeezed Colle and then loosened his arms to release them.

Poppy cackled. "Remember - DETAILS," she laughed, pointing at Colle. "Bye, Vera." She waved and left the store.

Vera grinned at both of them. "New relationship?" She took a measuring tape from around her neck. "My Ama used to tease me a ton when we first got together too." She pulled a notepad out of a pocket and flipped it open to jot notes.

“It has been one evening," Harroc said back proudly.

Colle hid their face in their hands. "I’m apparently trying to see if it’s possible to die of embarrassment," they mumbled.

“Oh no worries, I heard all about it from Poppy. She’s been hoping you two would get together for ages," Vera said, smiling.

Harroc raised an eyebrow and looked to Colle. "You have been hunting me for so long? Why did you not say anything?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

“Hunting? More like pining and inventing new pastries just for you," Colle said, not meeting Harroc’s eyes.

“You forgot bribing Poppy to switch shifts with you," Vera interjected, grinning.

“Okay, I may have also asked Poppy to switch mornings for her afternoons-" Colle began.

“That’s not what I heard! Apparently you begged her, promised to close for over a month, and insisted that you would die if you missed a chance to see him," Vera said, giggling.

Harroc frowned and caught Colle’s eyes. "You did not beg me for anything yet. I feel as though I am owed this," Harroc said with a small grin.

“Vera, if it’s actually possible to die of embarrassment, tell my parents I loved them, and remind Jas and Poppy they still owe me," Colle said, burying their face in their hands and slumping to the floor. "Also, please. Pants for him."

Vera giggled, a tinkling sound. "Okay, okay. So Mister H-Harroc," Vera caught herself. "I need you to stand here and don’t move. I’ll measure parts of your body and then I can make you a pair of pants that should fit. I may need you to try on a practice pair first, and then I’ll make them out of nice material for you. That sound okay to you?"

“I have no concerns. Work as you need, I will not be bothered. Though Colle may fight you from my understanding," Harroc said back evenly, standing to his full height.

“Nope. I’ve seen Amaiais. I’d be dead if I so much as glared at Vera while he’s around," Colle replied, shifting to sit cross-legged on the floor.

“I like the sound of this man. I want to meet him, and ask questions," Harroc chimed in.

Vera knelt down to take Harroc’s inseam. "If he comes by to meet me after work, maybe I can come up to the café. You’ll have more of the cat’s-paw pastry things you invented, right?" She jotted the number down and looked over at Colle with a grin.

“I’m pretty sure I’m obligated to, now. Besides, I owe Poppy a batch. I asked her to switch shifts with Sema. I can’t handle her crap today," Colle said, sighing. "We checked out another shop earlier and they were - less than welcoming, let’s say."

Vera scowled as she stretched the tape around Harroc’s middle. "That sucks. Some people just have a damn tree up their ass, never mind a stick."

“Yeah. I don’t think it helped that Harroc was a jaguar at the time." Colle shrugged. "Whatever. One more person who thinks I’m a freak."

Turning to look at Colle, Vera frowned. "Don’t say that. I don’t know you well, but from everything Poppy’s told me, you’re a good friend and a lovely person to be around." Going back to her measuring, she added, "And I really need to know where you got that top, because it’s cute."

“They do have lovely plumage," Harroc said with a grin, clearly eyeing Colle with appreciation.

Vera coughed. "Wow, um, so I can see why the need for custom made there." She looked at Colle and winked. "Nice."She looked up and asked Harroc, “I’m guessing you, and Colle, prefer you wearing your pants lower on your hips like they are now?”

Colle looked up at the ceiling as Harroc nodded. "At this point, I’m wondering why I don’t just tell you to come hang in the kitchen while Poppy and I have ‘girl talk’ as she put it."

“Because you don’t want thread in your pastries," Vera quipped. "Otherwise-"

“I’d probably have to sell tickets," sighed Colle.

Harroc suddenly grew very warm. He’d had his eyes closed for a long while now, realizing he had no idea what the two Fae were discussing and deciding to practice his control instead.

Blinking, Vera looked up at Harroc. "Is it me or did you get hot all of a sudden?" Harroc seemed oblivious, not having heard his name.

“It’s okay, Vera. Harroc does that sometimes," Colle explained.

“I bet that feels amazing," Vera chuckled. Colle rolled their eyes and said nothing. Vera kept measuring and taking notes, including Harroc’s chest and arms. "Might as well, if you decide you need a tunic or something," she said, shrugging.

Closing her notebook, Vera stood up and stretched. "I’ve got the numbers I need. I should have a practice pair - a mock up - by tomorrow at the latest. If I’m lucky, I’ll have them done by the end of the day, and then I can work on the actual pants tomorrow."

“Thanks, Vera," Colle said, sincerely. They’d forgotten that Poppy’s cousin’s shop was here, and mentally made a note to go back to her when they needed something made.

“What will be owed?" Harroc asked, uncertain how this particular exchange went. "I apologize if this is rude, I do not want to forget."

“Oh, I’ll trade you for something. Colle, maybe make a cake for the family thing one week?" Vera suggested.

“I can provide meats, furs, and plants as well," Harroc said, not wanting to force the exchange onto Colle.

“Ooh, Ama would probably love some fur for his winter clothes if you’ve got it handy," Vera said, excited.

“I will have some soon enough, I must check a troublesome river soon. It would be simple enough to return with a variety of furs. Please, let me know what sort and size you would need when you know."

“If he comes by, I’ll bring him to the café and you boys can talk. He’s going to be excited!" Vera jumped up and down.

Colle smiled. "I’ll throw in a pastry for each of you from me." They looked at Harroc. "I’ll need to go back to my place to grab my work clothes soon. Do you want to stay at the café and rest or come back with me?"

“I will wait at the café. I want to make sure I catch Rory, and that she has not burned herself too badly," Harroc said.

Colle grinned. "Right. Remind her that she has something for me, please. She’ll know." They walked out of the shop and flew up into the sky to reach their house. Harroc watched them go with a smile on his face.

“Amaiais, he is much larger than you, yes?" Harroc asked, not turning towards Vera.

Vera looked up from the notebook she’d been drawing in. "Yes, he’s tall enough that I can barely reach his elbows, why?"

“I am new to this, all of it. What is something I can do, to make Colle happy, around others?" He asked with a sigh.

Vera thought, biting her lip. "That might be a better question to ask Colle really. Some people like to have their lovers hold hands, kiss, kind of show them off in public. I’m not sure if they like that, but you could ask," Vera said.

“I know Poppy’s told me they have issues with people calling them "him” and stuff like that. They’re really proud of their baking and pastries, which I guess you already know, since they made the cat’s-paw pastries for you." Vera thought some more. "You might try to talk to Poppy, also. She and Colle have worked together a long time and she knows them better than I do."

“Understood. Thank you, I look forward to meeting your ‘tall’," he said, nodding his head before taking his leave for the café. Vera waved as he left.

[Colle Mellifera]

Colle almost crashed on the way to their house. They’d been able to glide part way and almost fell asleep. Entering their house, they retrieved their usual work top and changed into their work shoes. Boring, but comfortable. They looked around at the subtle changes that having another person around made. More dishes, blankets all awry, food crumbs on the floor - Colle groaned. They’d completely forgotten about going somewhere to eat. Harroc had specifically asked too.

‘Fuck,’ they thought to themself. ‘Really doing bad on the whole ‘honey’ thing right now.’ Jamming their work clothes on and leaving the floaty top on the foot of the bed, Colle hurried out of their house. Halfway to the cafe, they remembered - there was a cart selling grilled meat near Vera’s shop. Perfect.

Once they reached the market, Colle took the most expedient method down, not even trying to arrest their fall until about four feet above the ground. They still landed with some force, but it wasn’t bad. Running over to the cart, Colle asked for four sticks in exchange for two loaves of bread. Carrying the sizzling meat in their hands, Colle carefully lifted themself up to the back entrance of the cafe.

They opened the back door with one hand, carefully keeping the meat outside. "Poppy?" they called.

“Papavea is out front, where she is supposed to be. It’s not time for your shift yet. Why are you here?" Sema asked, her nose slightly wrinkled.

“Sema, could you ask the shifter man in the cafe if they could meet me out front?" Colle tried to keep their voice neutral.

“What shifter?" she asked, eyeing Colle suspiciously.

“Harroc. Tall, green eyes," Colle described quickly. The oil on the meat was starting to drip on their hand, and it stung. Sema huffed and turned back into the cafe.

Colle sighed, walking around to the front. The cafe strictly enforced their rule about no outside food, and since so many people in Ajteire didn’t eat much if any meat, they tended to serve vegetarian fare almost exclusively. Although Colle probably could have snuck the meat in, they felt that as the manager, they should be even more careful about the rules instead of bending them.

Poppy stuck her head out the front entrance. "Oh," she said, looking at Colle. "I’ll get him." Colle nodded. Harroc was seated in a comfortable sun spot, exposing his stomach to the air and purring softly. Rory hadn’t arrived yet and neither had Colle, so he was enjoying himself.

“Mister Handsome, your Fae is waiting out front," Poppy said cheerily above his head. Harroc’s eye popped open and he focused on the bright pink wings of the Fae above him. He yawned and stretched, extending his claws and flicking his tail easily as Poppy giggled and walked away.

Harroc padded through the cafe, moving towards the front entrance by weaving through tables. As he grew close he smelled the delicious scent of grilled meat. He sniffed at the air, licking his lips in anticipation as he slid out the front entrance.

“Hey, I completely forgot we were supposed to go eat, so I grabbed these for you on my way back. Sorry about that," Colle said, holding the skewers out. They flinched slightly as another drop of oil hit their hand, but said nothing.

Harroc hopped slightly and shifted, the sound of his boots landing loud in the small entrance. "Thank you, you did not need to," he said, reaching out and taking two of the skewers. "These smell almost as delicious as you." He immediately bit into one, groaning happily as the juices coated his tongue.

“I did need to, because I said we’d get you meat. I try to keep my word," Colle said, switching the skewers to the other hand. They shook the hand that had been holding all of the meat, trying to cool the oil burns. "Have as much as you want."

“You are hurt?" Harroc asked, concerned and looking down to Colle’s hand.

Colle stopped waving their hand and tried to tuck it into their pocket. "The oil on the meat was a little hot, that’s all. Go ahead, eat." They forced a smile at Harroc. He consumed an entire stick at the same time as he reached a hand out to grip Colle’s arm above the wrist lightly.

“Please do not hide injury from me. I can offer you a measure of comfort at the least, and healing if necessary. I know you are exhausted, you need not be hurt too," Harroc said softly.

“I - didn’t want you to have to worry about me. Or have to spend your essence. It’s just a burn," Colle said, not meeting Harroc’s eyes. "Here, you can have another one," they said, offering a skewer to him.

“Eat one as well, and I will let you go for now. Know that you have asked me to be yours, and I will not allow you to suffer just so as not to inconvenience me," he said, shaking his head slightly. "You deserve better than that, surely." He took a bite of his second skewer and gulped it down silently.

Sighing, Colle pulled a chunk of meat off the skewer with their teeth. "I don’t suppose you have any of the berries from yesterday left over," they mumbled around a second bite of meat.

“I have two, they are yours. Think of me when you eat them," he said with a small smile and reached into his pouch to remove two juicy looking berries.

“Who else would I think of?" Colle asked, taking one of the berries and popping it into their mouth. "Oh, that’s nice," they remarked as the sting of the burn lessened significantly. "I’ll wait on the second in case I manage to get more oil on myself while I’m eating." They pulled another bite off the skewer.

“Good. I expect you to tell me if you are hurt or need care. Let me be strong," Harroc said, wrapping hand around Colle’s waist and squeezing them to him. He took the final bite of his second skewer and grinned. "I want to have these again, when we are not so rushed. It would be nice to enjoy meat slowly while thinking of you."

Colle shook their head slowly, grinning at Harroc. "I found a cart not far from here. Not far from Vera’s actually, so we can absolutely have these again." They leaned their head on Harroc’s shoulder and he rumbled softly.

Colle took their last bite off their skewer, chewing quickly. "I need to go in and get started with the afternoon baking. Can I eat that last berry and a -" they paused. "A hug."

“You wanted something else, your wings betray you again. You will need to teach me tonight," Harroc said, nodding his head to the now fluttering blue behind Colle. He wrapped them up in a tight embrace.

Colle tried to savor the hug as much as they could. They knew the baking was waiting for them, but Harroc was warm and kind. Harroc held the berry out to Colle, who took the berry into their mouth from Harroc’s fingers, letting their tongue gently glide along the edge of the shifter’s fingertips before they swallowed the fruit.

“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me, okay? Poppy should be working with me for half of the shift, and she’s nice," Colle said, reluctantly letting go of Harroc. "I’ll make sure I set aside a cat’s-paw for you - unless you want something else, of course."

“I am not allowed to have what I want here," Harroc said, and nuzzled Colle’s neck. "Anything you think I would enjoy, but do not simply give me things. I wish to earn my enjoyments."

“Okay," Colle agreed. "Go lay in your sunspot again. I’ll come out when I can." They turned and took the path to the back door. Harroc took a moment to collect himself and then shifted to jaguar to lumber his way back to his relaxing sun.

[Colle Mellifera]

Colle grabbed their apron as they came in the back door. They washed their hands as usual and began pulling flour, butter, and other ingredients onto the work table. Sema came in, her wings giving an annoyed twitch.

“Why did Papaeva ask to switch with me?" she asked, pointing a finger at Colle.

Colle sighed and began scooping flour into a measuring cup. "Did you ask her?"

Sema crossed her arms in front of her chest. "She said you asked her to."

“I wanted her help." Colle decided Sema didn’t need any information past that. They leveled the top of the cup of flour with the back of a knife and dumped it into the bowl.

“I don’t think I should have to switch because you don’t like me. It’s not fair," Sema started, her voice rising.

Colle resisted the urge to slam their face into their palm. "It’s not that I dislike you, Sema. I wanted Poppy’s help." They measured another cup of flour into the bowl and chopped a chunk of butter to add to the mix.

“With what?" Sema asked. She was almost yelling. Colle considered telling her to lower her voice, but considering they were in the kitchen and they doubted that the request would likely work, decided against it.

“Things." Colle chopped the butter into smaller pieces and dumped them into the bowl. They started to work the butter into the flour, working it evenly. Sema was still fluttering angrily in front of them. Colle sighed and decided to check with Poppy what they needed besides the cat’s-paws.

“That’s a lie! She’s encouraging you to be - confused and - and perverted!" Sema yelled as she followed Colle through the kitchen door. "She thinks it’s normal for you to act like you don’t know you’re a man, and to dress like a woman!"

Colle almost physically felt their last nerve snap. "Semolina. You need to leave now. I will not tolerate this level of disrespect toward me, or any other person who works here. Nor would I tolerate it toward any of our patrons. If you are unable to give people a basic level of respect, then I suggest you seriously reconsider your choice of work."

Their voice had dropped into their lower register and while clearly enunciated, was no louder than a conversational tone - although the entire cafe heard it, as everyone had gone silent at Sema’s bursting through the kitchen door. There was a low rolling growl from behind Sema. Harroc stood there off to the side, his tail flicking back and forth slowly and his mouth hanging open just enough to show his fangs.

Colle locked eyes with Harroc and held their hand out. "Leave, Sema. I’ll let Juncea know you’ve chosen not to follow cafe rules and terminate your time here."

“I shouldn’t have to leave because you’re a freak!" Sema sputtered loudly. Poppy shuffled behind Colle and they half suspected Poppy had a knife in one hand.

“The door’s over there, Sema. Now you can choose whether you leave under your own power or if someone helps you out." Colle kept their voice level and their hands loose. If Sema chose to be difficult, things could go badly.

“You wouldn’t have the balls," she hissed at them, jabbing her finger in their face. Colle shot their hand out and twisted her wrist back.

“Doesn’t matter. Out you go," they said, using the pain in her wrist to guide her to the door. "Don’t come back."

Returning to the front counter, Colle noticed the dead silence in the cafe. "Thanks for your cooperation, everyone. Guess you got a free show today. Poppy, teas and juice on the house." Colle ducked back into the kitchen.

They heard the buzz of patrons talking and tried to block it out. Pastry. Dough needed to be made. They washed their hands, scrubbing them fiercely, before returning to the bowl of dough they’d started.

“May I watch you work? I will not interrupt, but I cannot return to lazing about after you have dealt with such trouble," Harroc said softly from behind them.

“If you want. There’s a stool in the corner over there," they said, pointing. They kept their head down. Confrontations were exhausting and this one had probably been building for a long time. They stared at the bowl. Flour, butter, ice water - what were they forgetting?

The answer came back to them slowly. Salt. Colle looked and didn’t see the salt anywhere. They stomped to the storage and started looking for the container they needed. Standing in the quiet room, the day started to creep up on them. Sema’s comments this morning, the shop assistant, the glances they’d seen as they and Harroc had walked around, and now Sema’s very public blow-up - they piled on Colle’s shoulders, laying heavy. They ducked just out of the room to the corner in the hallway and sank to the floor.

“Colle?" Poppy called from the door into the cafe. "Where are you? I’ve got dirt you need to hear." She stepped into Colle’s line of sight and they waved their hand limply. She rushed over to the corner, ignoring Harroc sitting near the work table.

Harroc’s boots were terribly loud on the kitchen floor as he rounded the corner. He looked frightened as he skidded into view. "What’s wrong?" he asked, his eyes scanning everything and his fingers curling and uncurling rapidly. There was an aura of power around him again, coming in waves of pressure that could be felt even several feet away.

Colle looked up at Poppy from their spot on the floor. "Pops, it’s just - why do I have to be like this?" they asked, pleadingly. "Maybe Sema’s right, and I’m just a freak." They leaned back against the wall, tears beginning to trickle from the corner of their eyes. "I’m sorry I caused a scene and-"

“That’s some fucking bullshit, Colle," Poppy said, looking down at them. "You know Sema’s an asshole, and the way she acted toward you was only one example of being a shitty person. Also you didn’t cause a scene, she did." Poppy held her hand out. "Come on. Get up, have a good cry, maybe let your boyfriend hold you so he stops freaking out, and then make your amazing pastries that everybody loves."

“Thanks Poppy." Colle pulled themself up, gave Poppy a tight hug, and then looked over to Harroc. "Are you okay?"

“I- I don’t know," he said, shivering as his arms fell to his sides. "I’ve never forced so hard before so suddenly. There was always buildup, preparation." Harroc’s voice wavered slightly and the sense of pressure faded suddenly. He grunted and frowned before giving himself a small shake as he stumbled slightly. "I will be fine with time."

“Poppy, I’m going to sit outside with him for a bit. Unless the kitchen’s on fire, I think we’ll be okay without me." Colle took Harroc’s hand and led him to the back door. They sat down on the platform, gently tugging him down. "It’s okay. I startled you and I’m sorry," Colle said, running a hand over Harroc’s back.

“I was prepared to fight, there was nothing I could fight. They do not train us for this. There is always something to fight in the wilds. Always a danger to defend against, a threat to conquer or avoid." Harroc laughed bitterly. "I am not certain the circle understands the dangers of the city well."

“I’m sorry, Harroc, I - I should’ve been stronger - or - or something," Colle said, forcing their voice to be level while comforting Harroc. "I’m sorry I made you worry about me needlessly."

“You say silly things, soon-to-be-honey Colle." Harroc wrapped his arms around the Fae and squeezed them to his chest. "You should not apologize for the challenges you face. You should not apologize for my eagerness to defend you. These are things that should not be tossed aside easily."

Colle sighed heavily. "Will I worry you if I just break down and cry on your shoulder for a while?"

“I do not know, tears are not uncommon in the circle initiates, but it has been some time. I will still be here, and am prepared," Harroc said with a small shrug.

Colle laughed mirthlessly and buried their face into his shoulder. They clutched Harroc like he was the only thing anchoring them and sobbed like a child, hiccupping between onslaughts of tears. Harroc held them, stroking their back with long slow movements. He was not as warm as he had been earlier, but he still carried some reassuring presence.

“I’m s- um. Thank you," Colle said as their sobs slowed and they were able to breathe more normally again. "Sema - her dramatics were just more than I could handle today."

“I understand this is a point of concern for you, but not all of the details. I am here if you ever wish to explain, but do not feel that you must. You are my mate, and that is all that matters." Harroc gave Colle another long firm hug, not letting them go for just longer than was comfortable.

Colle leaned their head against Harroc. "I should explain, and probably sooner rather than later." Cracking their neck, they stood up. "Back to the oven, then. You can still sit with me if you want; your shirt’s been rather, um, redecorated on that shoulder."

“I can always trade for another. I need to consider my plumage now so I do not shame you," he said with a laugh. "I want to talk with Poppy as well, there are things that need to be known."

Colle let them in the back door. "Wear whatever is comfortable to you; showy plumage-" they gave a half smile "Isn’t that important to me." They washed their hands again and muttered over the bowl that had been abandoned twice. Grabbing the salt, they sprinkled a pinch in and stuck the bowl back into the cold storage.

They pulled out more butter and eggs from the cold storage and rummaged in the dry storage for an armful of ingredients. "Cat’s-paw dough," they said to Harroc with a smile.

"I'll watch from here. Don't want to get in your way," Harroc said, returning the smile and slumping on the stool.

Colle looked at him and walked back to the cold storage. They brought out the last of the berries - a few handfuls that had escaped the morning baking - and gave them to Harroc who unceremoniously shoved the first handful into his mouth.

Turning their attention to the dough, Colle put the ingredients together for the first batch. The dough had to rest so they grabbed another bowl and mixed a second batch. They swapped the bowls again when the second bowl was ready to rest.

Colle worked through the two batches, rotating as needed to rest and work the dough. They put the first tray in the oven and racked the second. They hummed as they moved around the kitchen.

Poppy came back into the kitchen. "You ready to hear the dirt I got?" She bounced on her toes a little.

"Sure, go ahead," Colle said, bracing themself for hearing about disgusted patrons.

"So, almost everybody in the cafe complimented the way you handled Sema. You would not believe the number of people who said she'd been rude to them, but they didn't want to get you in trouble too so they didn't ask for Jancea. Like, it's kind of embarrassing. The cafe should have gotten rid of her a while ago," Poppy said.

Colle bit their lip. "It’s flattering that people think highly of me, but I feel like I’ve let down the cafe by not hearing about all this sooner. When I only heard Sema being derogatory toward me, I figured it was a personality clash, and that’s not really enough to let someone go as long as it doesn’t affect taking care of the patrons."

“The signs of blight are small at first, but when an inexperienced planter can see them the disease has already claimed the crop," Harroc recited before shoving another handful of berries into his mouth.

“I was watching. I just didn’t see anything besides what looked like a decided dislike of me." Colle sighed, bracing their palms on the table. "I’ll try to get out of the kitchen more, so people know me and so I can keep an eye on what’s going on."

“You are aware of the solution already then. The true enemy is often not grand evil, but complacency of good people," Harroc recited another lesson. "Though this was the same lecturer who proved his point by beating young initiates, so take this in the balance." The second half was added with an airy tone of speculation.

Colle snorted. "Still sound advice. You contaminate the dough for pastry, and it’s better to toss it out completely than try to remove what you can see and still make bad pastry." They advanced on the oven and pulled out the first tray, replacing it with the second tray of cat’s-paws.

“Those smell amazing, how long until my favorite part?" Harroc asked, rising from his stool and moving over to be nearer. "Poppy, I need to ask you things, when I can speak to you without Colle." This was added suddenly, and then Harroc’s attention returned to the steaming pastries.

“Give me a moment," Colle replied. They weren’t sure what Harroc needed to talk to Poppy about, but they’d try to give him the opportunity. Colle retrieved the bowl of glaze from the cold storage and a plate from the shelf. Setting the bowl on the work table, they touched one of the pastries gingerly. They slid a pastry onto the plate quickly and proceeded to cover it completely with glaze.

Poppy’s eyes grew wide. "Colle, you’re going to make him jittery and we’ll have to peel a jaguar off the ceiling."

“I’m pretty sure if I put this in a mug he’d drink it straight, Pops." They handed the plate to Harroc carefully so the glaze wouldn’t spill over the edge. Pulling the tray down, they drizzled glaze on the remaining pastries and moved them to a platter. "I’ll go mind the front for you. Just pull those out when they start getting crispy, okay?" Colle took the platter out to the counter and slid them behind the glass.

Harroc whimpered softly as he picked up the completely drenched cat’s paw and held it before his face. He tentatively licked the pastry before taking a huge bite of it and moaning in pleasure. "Suhguhf," he murmured through a mouth full of glaze and puffy pastry. He swallowed and took a second bite, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them and grinning at where Colle had gone.

Poppy’s eyes were wide and her mouth hung open. "I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone make love to pastry before." She perched on the edge of the work table. "You said you wanted to ask me something?" She swung her legs slightly.

Harroc gulped down his second bite and smacked his lips. "I am new to this, all of it," Harroc said, sweeping his hands out a bit. "What is something I can do to make Colle happy, around others? I asked Vera and she said to ask you."

Poppy sat straight up. "Oh, you have come to the right Fae. I’ll help you, but don’t tell Colle. So first, they like being held - hugs, holding hands, all that - but they don’t like a lot of kissing and being touched in inappropriate places in public. Completely not into it. Kind of a shame, because they have a great ass - I’m not alone in this opinion - and they like showing it off. Colle can be such a tease sometimes."

“Um, they get people treating them like crap about the non-binary thing-" Seeing Harroc’s confusion, she explained. "You know how they say they aren’t a boy and they aren’t a girl, but they kind of mix the two?" She waited for Harroc to nod. "Like that. Some people are assholes and think they should pretend to be a boy all the time," she said. Poppy paused for a minute before continuing to flood Harroc with information.

[Harroc Crownegrove]

Harroc was very confused by the sheer amount of things Poppy had told him. He had a much better sense of the Fae he was pursuing, even if he didn’t fully understand some of the things that had been revealed to him.

Colle came back into the kitchen. "How’s your pastry? Did you get to talk to Poppy?" They pulled a bowl from cold storage and washed their hands before beginning to work the dough. Looking up, Colle smiled at Harroc.

Harroc grinned and walked over to stand very close to Colle. "It was delicious, I have learned many things, and am excited to show them to you," Harroc said before hugging the Fae firmly.

Sinking back into Harroc’s embrace, Colle stopped as his words registered. "What ‘many things’ did you learn from Poppy?" They looked up at Harroc. "Damnit, she knows too much," they said under their breath. Harroc reached a hand up and gently caressed along Colle’s ear, pressing his essence into his fingers to make them much warmer as he did so.

Colle shuddered slightly, a soft moan escaping their lips, and pressed into Harroc. They blushed when they realized what had happened. "I see she’s told you several things."

“Many I cannot show you here. I have much to practice when you bring me home," Harroc said softly, pulling Colle to his chest again and nuzzling into their neck.

“Yep. I’m going to need you to let me go." Colle gently extricated themself from Harroc. They poked their head out the door. "Poppy, can I see you for a moment?"

She came back in the kitchen, grinning madly. "Before you get mad, he asked," she started.

Dramatically, Colle put a hand to their forehead. "You have broken the sacred oath of friendship, Papaeva, and I must address this insult to my reputation." Dropping the pose, they added, "And please tell me you didn’t tell him that story."

Poppy looked nervous suddenly. "Um, what story?"

“You know which one I’m talking about, Poppy. The one I told you never to tell anyone."

“To be fair, there’s a lot of stories like that," Poppy hedged, running the edge of her apron between her fingers.

Colle crossed their arms. "The birthday one."

“Oh. That one. Oops."

“Poppy!" Colle said, their eyes bugging out. "That was the one I said to never be spoken again-"

“I think I pantomimed half of it, actually," she interjected.

Colle buried their face in their hands. "By the idols, Poppy. No one ever needs to know about my ex and the leash and the purple whatever-it-was."

“I’m pretty sure your sister helped clean up from that." Poppy tapped her lip.

“Which is why I swore her to secrecy under pain of mutual destruction."

“Ooh, what did she do that rivals you being tied up and paraded around on your hands and knees with that giant purple-"

“Poppy!"

“And then having your hands tied so that you could only use your mouth," she continued gleefully. "If Jas did something to top that, I want to know."

“You never will," Colle muttered from between their fingers. "I really should show up at lunch tomorrow and have a nice loud conversation with Vera."

“You would not!" Poppy’s face went pale.

“Oh, I would. I’ll even make a fresh batch so I can hand-deliver them," Colle grinned evilly. "I’m sure you’d love for your mom to overhear about that time that you and Persea and Linum got drunk and decided to despoil the soaking tub - together - in the middle of the night at midsummer."

“I’m sorry Colle, I’ll make it up to you somehow." Poppy wrung her hands unconsciously. She bowed her shoulders.

“It’s cool, Pops." They held up their hands to show they were relenting. "I’m not going to - your pastries for lunch are the ones you took out of the oven. Just don’t give Harroc more ammunition. If I can’t walk tomorrow, I’m blaming you." Colle laughed and leaned against Harroc. What’s been popular today? Any requests?"

“That explains the collar," Harroc mumbled to himself as he wrapped a hand around Colle’s middle and caressed their stomach. Colle coughed, blushing, as they waited for Poppy’s response.

“Cat’s-paws as usual. Elf ears, with something savory, and one request for those tube things with the really sweet filling," Poppy listed. "Oh, and more requests asking about selling the tea blends. I told you that was going to happen."

Colle made a face. "Maybe if they order it ahead of time. I don’t want to mix a bunch of small batches or do a large batch that goes stale before anyone drinks it." They shrugged. "The rest is easy. I can do a batch of ranger’s treats and cheese or nuts for the elf ears."

“Preorders. Tell them you won’t sell a batch of a tea blend until you have a certain number of people signed up, and give a date when you stop taking orders," Poppy suggested.

“Don’t wanna," Colle grumbled. "Then I can’t try random experiments as much and people expect the same stuff all the time."

“Make the orders for an experiment?" Harroc offered.

“That’s a good idea. I can’t tell if I love it or hate it," Colle said, tipping their head back to look at Harroc. Harroc looked down at them and grinned pressing his chin into their forehead.

“I have other ideas you might like too, but I will need to learn them first," he whispered.

Colle raised their eyebrows. "We can talk about that at home, then. I’m curious to figure out what Poppy’s told you." They reached a hand up to stroke Harroc’s cheek. "She’s put me at a disadvantage, you know. I don’t know your sweet spots or things you like. I guess I’ll have to take a lot of time to really study you," they said, giving Harroc a wicked grin.

“You like being at a disadvantage from the stories. I want to explore this more, to know more," Harroc said back, squeezing Colle again. "I should go see if Rory has arrived, I want to make sure she sees the book I found."

“Poppy has officially told you too much," Colle said. They turned and hugged Harroc tightly before letting him go. "I’ve got to get some dough together and prepped for tomorrow, but I’ll try to come out in a little while." Harroc took hold of Colle’s arms, giving them a final squeeze before he stepped back and moved out into the cafe.

Colle washed their hands again and began working the dough in the bowl. "I’ll do a batch of elf’s ears first, Poppy, and then I’ll try to come out while they’re baking. Oh, and there’s a book under the counter that Harroc wanted me to save for another patron, if he asks for it." Turning to the dough, they began rolling it out for the next step.

Colle had to let the dough rest every so often, so they put together another batch of cat’s-paws. Having two batches going at once usually worked well, as long as the two recipes had similar resting needs. Once the elf ears had gotten to the filling stage, they paused to rummage in the cold storage. Deciding on cheese and nuts, they pulled the soft cheese out and tossed in a few handfuls of chopped nuts before placing dollops of the mixture on each of the triangles and sealing them. Once the tray was in the oven, they racked the second tray of cat’s-paws and popped back into the cafe.

[Colle Mellifera]

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Colle grinned at Harroc causing a very sudden, very localized heat wave. They knew at least some of what he liked, and figured it was an excellent idea to keep for cases of need. Humming happily, Colle put together the pie crusts for tomorrow’s quiches. For some reason, the weekends saw the late mornings become much more popular. They didn’t mind making the dishes as long as people ate them.

While that dough rested, Colle made a double batch of peasant bread and stuck it in the cold storage. They’d used the largest bowl but hoped that the dough wouldn’t rise too high. That was a mistake they only intended to make once. The gooey dough had covered the shelf it was on and dropped to the shelf below before they’d found it.

Turning back to the pie crusts, they put two in the oven to bake. Letting the crust bake first kept them from getting soggy, and it really wasn’t that much work. They made a large batch of all purpose pastry dough - they’d need it for the morning - before starting on a new batch of dough for the chocolate twigs.

"Uh, Colle," Poppy said, sticking her head through the kitchen door and sounding an odd mix of concerned and amused. "He's doing the thing again."

“What thing?" Colle asked, not looking up from their dough. Chocolate twigs were popular but the dough was a pain to make.

"The tongue thing," Poppy said entirely unhelpfully. "Oh wow, that's more than usual."

Colle blinked. They had a brief montage of ‘things Harroc can do with his tongue’ flash before their eyes. "Uh. I can tell him to just come back here. He’s been helping me with the dishes and the closing stuff anyway."

"I think we'd get more complaints if we stopped him halfway. Wait, how even- oh," Poppy giggled and turned to look at Colle. "You have brave competition, looks like."

“It had better only be my pastry," Colle said with a flat look that was entirely unamused.

"I think they're hoping to be your pastry, though they just look like they're talking for now. Want me to go over?"

“Oh, no, no. I will," Colle growled, thumping the dough onto the work table. They strode out of the kitchen, not rushing, but projecting an aura of a person not to be trifled with. Two women, one Fae and the other clearly part Kerasokan, were sitting at the place Rory had vacated. The Fae woman had lilac-colored skin, her short, thick red hair making a strong, but pleasing, contrast to her skin and lavender wings. Her companion was taller, with tan skin and close-cropped white hair; a tattooed vine snaked its way from her temple down her neck. Their bird-like voices rose and fell as they talked to Harroc, their hands making fluttering gestures toward him. Colle heard one giggle, turning to their companion.

Coming up to Harroc, Colle flashed him a brilliant smile and put their hand on his shoulder. "Everything okay, sweetheart?" they said, leaning forward slightly. Harroc looked up at Colle with a face absolutely covered in honey glaze except for a tongue-sized spot on his left cheek.

Even focused on defending their position, Colle couldn’t help but laugh. This was far from the first time Harroc’s all-encompassing enjoyment of food had caused him trouble, and it was likely to be far from the last.

"I have run out of glaze, but it was delicious," Harroc said through his rather sticky-looking lips. "They said they want to spar, but I'm not sure if I could get down to the practice ring before the dishes need to be washed." Harroc sounded somewhat concerned.

“Oh?" Colle raised their eyebrows. "Sparring, then?" They turned to face the two women. Judging by their clothing, they were likely rangers. "Tell me, what kind of sparring would you be doing?"

The white-haired woman spoke up. "Oh, you know, just some - wrestling," she said with a wink to Harroc who smiled broadly back. "It’s always good practice to spar with someone bigger."

“He could probably take the both of us," added the lilac skinned Fae. "But what’s life without a little challenge to spice things up?" She smiled with a look she clearly considered enticing.

Colle tightened their grip on Harroc’s shoulder. "Sorry to steal your sparring partner away, but I was just coming to get my boyfriend to help with the dishes, like he promised." They gave the two women an insincere smile. "Come with me," they said to Harroc. "I’ll help you get cleaned up."

"Time for dishes already? Maybe tomorrow then. I will be at the Owlhawk station in the mid-morning," Harroc said near toppling his chair as he jumped up out of it. He gave the two women a giant smile and moved to follow Colle with an eager shiver.

Colle took his hand and led him back to the kitchen. "So, clearly, there are things I need to explain. You didn’t know, and I am not mad at you." They grabbed a towel and soaked it under the faucet. "Hold this, please," they said, handing the towel to Harroc. "I may regret this, but I’ll die happy," they muttered under their breath.

“Could you sit on that stool for me?" Colle pointed to the seat. Harroc complied immediately, looking slightly worried. They walked up to Harroc, tipped his face down, and licked a wide stripe from Harroc’s chin up to his cheekbones, moaning faintly.

Harroc shivered and groaned as Colle's tongue met the warmth of his skin. He wasn't certain exactly what was happening, but it seemed great.

Colle cupped a hand under Harroc’s chin, guiding his face as they proceeded to lick the glaze from his cheeks, his chin, and even a small bit on his neck. They had intended to leave Harroc’s lips, to help with an explanation later, but the sight of his lips covered in glaze, with Harroc’s moans slipping through them, pushed Colle into finishing the job. They wanted to kiss him, but knowing that he hadn’t yet learned what kissing even was, stayed their trembling lips.

“You are mine," Colle growled softly. "Those women didn’t give a damn about sparring. They wanted to mate you." They slid their hand to the back of Harroc’s neck. "I don’t share."

Harroc looked very confused and very pleased all at once. Colle could see the gears turning very slowly behind his exhausted but swirling eyes. "Oh-" was all he managed before he shivered and groaned again. "You smell good." He reached up a hand to hold Colle's arm and squeezed gently. "What was that just now?"

“That is me wanting to make clear just who is your mate." Colle had a very determined look on their face, and their voice was low and quiet. "I’m not giving you up unless you, and only you, want me to." They took the towel back from Harroc and began to gently wipe his face to get rid of the sticky residue.

“I want to teach you about innuendo and why people say those kinds of things, but I know it’s been a long day. I don’t want to push you past your limits. Do you need me to wait on talking about that?" Colle wiped the last of the honey stickiness from Harroc’s face, and almost unconsciously kissed his cheek.

Harroc's expression remained slightly dazed for several seconds before his eyes snapped into focus. "You are my mate, I am ready to learn whatever you want to teach," he said with only a slight quiver to his voice. At his sides his hands were opening and closing without his guidance.

“I need to finish this dough, so come sit close." Colle walked over to the table after washing their hands. They frowned at the skin on their hands; they were getting uncomfortably dry. After Harroc moved closer, Colle began working the dough.

“So. Innuendo. It’s a kind of word-play that is usually used to refer to something sexual - something relating to mating - without using those words. Like those women," they said, rolling out the dough with more force than usual. "They didn’t want to spar. They said ‘wrestling’. They were winking and smiling, being flirtatious to make you want to talk with them, look at them. What they meant was sex. Mating." Colle flung the dough into a bowl and shoved it into the cold storage.

"Ah, the glancing and mouth touching. I am not sure I have been approached like that before. There was the one ranger when I came here, but I never saw them again after we sparred. Why would they not just say what they wanted? They were strong and vibrant." Harroc sounded more annoyed than anything else as he went on.

“When people flirt, they do it to make others want to know them. To be curious. Not saying what they want outright makes them a puzzle. Some people find that interesting and they will pursue them." Colle stretched pastry dough into pie pans and took them to the oven. They found that Poppy had already taken their previous crusts out to cool.

“Not saying exactly what you want allows people to hedge, to pretend that they meant what they said instead of their actual desire. If they are refused, they can pretend that the refusal is based on the surface thing they asked for, rather than what they actually wanted." They divided the remaining pastry dough in half and carefully stacked the crusts on a plate to reuse the pie tins.

"That seems foolish and would lead to many misunderstandings. Wait, did you flirt with me? I do not remember that," Harroc looked thoughtful for several long moments.

“I did," admitted Colle. "But I don’t usually flirt like that. For me, I find ways to be around you, to make you smile, and I hope that you come to like me, as a friend if nothing else." They finished putting the dough into the pie plates. "There are many ways to flirt, but flirting is usually meant to stoke interest in another person."

"I think I enjoy your method better, I did not even notice. Can I help with anything?"

Colle winced slightly. "I’m going to assume you meant I wasn’t obvious about flirting with you. At least, to you, anyway. Poppy’s been teasing me for a while, since before the cat’s-paws." They smiled weakly at Harroc. "As for innuendo, it’s very common to use innuendo while flirting, but it’s also common when people are talking and feeling playful."

"Like meat being penis," Harroc provided helpfully.

“Just like that. Lots of jokes about food. Um, usually anything that’s long - that’s a penis joke. Pockets, wells, any sort of, uh, cavity, is usually referring to women’s vulvas. Round things in pairs, usually breasts." Colle blushed hotly, but pushed through it.

Harroc nodded as if he'd made several connections. "Why is the honey glaze an innuendo?"

“Oh. That’s because you can lick it off things - and having someone lick your, uh-" Colle’s face felt like it was going to burst into flames. "And well, it calls to mind other - fluids. Although I suppose I’d have to tint it bright green for you."

"Oh- oh," Harroc's eyes went very wide suddenly. "I have been flirting a lot," he added after several moments of shocked silence.

“We may want to find a way for you to enjoy your pastries without getting glaze all over your face," Colle remarked with a wry smile. "I know what I think about when I see you with glaze dripping off your face, and it’s the sort of thought that makes your pants not fit."

"Will you lick me still? That was very nice," Harroc looked worried he was going to lose his newfound indulgence.

“I will, and I’ll show you something else you might like even more." Colle stepped over to the oven and checked on the pie crusts. Seeing them beginning to brown, they removed the crusts and swapped in the unbaked dough.

They stacked the bowls and utensils on the work table and moved them to the sink. "I can use your help with these if you’re ready," they said, giving Harroc a soft smile. Harroc moved closer, uncertain how he was helping, but eager and aroused.

Colle grinned. "So do you want to wash the dishes or just stand there and hold me? The second will take longer but it might be more fun."

"Uh," Harroc offered back dumbly. "If we finish can we go to your home?" he finally asked.

Considering, they tilted their head. "Probably, if all the patrons are out. I can ask Poppy either way. If we get the dishes done, she probably won’t fuss about closing."

"Then I will wash dishes. I want to learn things. Things that make you moan more." Harroc moved over to the sink and looked around for any additional dishes. "Is this all?"

“I’ll go check the tables for plates and things." Colle paused and ran their hand across Harroc’s back. "If that’s what you want to learn, you have many things I will have to show you." They slid their hand away as they walked out to the cafe’s tables.

Colle collected several plates from around the cafe. Nothing was particularly messy, for which they were grateful. A quick wipe of the tables should be all they needed. By the time they took the stack of plates back, Harroc had already cleaned all the mixing bowls and was starting on the baking trays.

He was humming as he worked, and seemed to be very meticulously cleaning every edge of the first tray with intense scrubbing. "That’s probably going to be the cleanest those trays have been in a long time," Colle said, amused. "Just a few plates. I’ll go wipe the tables, shouldn’t take me long." They got a towel and soaked it in the soapy water before wringing it out. Harroc didn't seem to notice Colle's comment or the brief use of the sink.

Colle laughed to themself, wiping the tables down. Except for the odd errant crumb, they were fairly clean. Luckily, there were no patrons sitting at the tables, and except for Rory’s book, no books had been left on tables. As they worked, they wondered if Sema’s earlier outburst had contributed to patrons being more tidy today. They weren’t going to complain, certainly, and they appreciated the opportunity to have more - instructional time.

As they wiped the last table, they considered what they should teach Harroc. Kissing, obviously. They were more than happy to help with that practice. Frowning slightly, Colle tried to decide if it would be too soon to teach Harroc more ways of using his mouth to make them moan. They wouldn’t mind giving him a very thorough demonstration, but they also didn’t want to overload him.

Sighing, Colle came back into the kitchen. "How are you doing with the dishes?" Harroc turned around and held out a single baking tray.

"I cannot remove this spot here, but the others are done," he said, pointing grumpily at a small burn mark on the edge of the tray.

Colle took the tray and studied it. "It’s very clean even with this spot. It’s a bit scratched there and I think the burn’s just part of the tray now." They smiled up at Harroc. "You’ve done a wonderful job, you know. I wouldn’t have gotten them so clean."

"I have things to look forward to and an obstacle stood in my way. Now there is only a short distance."

Their grin curled into a mischievous, slightly feral smile. "So will I be riding the jaguar or the wolf home?" They turned off the lights in the cafe and stepped toward Harroc.

"That depends on how aggressive you want me when we arrive," Harroc said back after a moment's thought.

“As much as I’d like for you to pounce on me the instant we’re home, less is probably better tonight," Colle said with a tiny bit of regret in their voice. "I’m eager to teach you things tonight, and I’ll need you to be able to pay some attention at least."

"Jaguar then, taking the form of the great Wolf leaves me with vestiges of his nature that take time to fade. Become smaller and mount me," Harroc said deadpan before shifting. As his paws struck the platform he slid into a low decadent stretch, his tongue slipping out to curl before flopping back into his muzzle.

Colle smirked and shifted, settling themself on the back of Harroc's neck. "That last part, I hope I have occasion to hear many times," they growled into Harroc's ear. "Will I still be able to understand you on the way home?"

"It will last for a day and fade," Harroc purred and shook his head as he rose to accept Colle's diminutive form. "You do not need to become quite so small if you wish," he added with several grunts and another tongue loll that the spell translated for Colle as a grin.

"I don't know if I can control how small I am when I shift. At least, I've never been able to do more than be either this height or my normal," Colle said thoughtfully. Harroc shrugged his shoulders gently before beginning a slow lope that turned into a leap as he reached the large branches that passed near the back door of the cafe.

Once settled on the broad ancient foliage he began to amble upward with short controlled strides. "Look around, you will perhaps not see this particular view overmuch."

Colle clung tightly to Harroc, their stomach lurching slightly as he leapt up the branches. They squeezed their eyes shut until Harroc spoke. "This is really high and I'm a little bit scared," mumbled Colle, who slowly opened their eyes. They held on tightly as they gathered the courage to look around.

"Oh," Colle said, turning their head. "I've never seen the cafe from up here. This - it's really beautiful." They tried to hug Harroc, although they knew that it was essentially a useless gesture at their current size. "Thank you for showing me." Harroc rumbled with a deep slow purr as his tail flicked back and forth in short pleased strokes.

After another minute they had passed out of view of the cafe and Harroc picked up his pace ever so slightly. There were several more leaps upwards, and a final leap down that deposited them beside the stairs to Colle’s home. Harroc began to bound up the stairs with eager excitement plain in his rolling rumbles.

Laughing gently, Colle nudged Harroc to urge him on. "I’m ready to be home too," they said. Once they’d reached the platform, Colle jumped off Harroc’s back and shifted back to their normal size to open the door. Harroc pushed past Colle’s legs, still very much in jaguar form, as the Fae opened the door. He strode into the room and leapt towards the bed, shifting before he landed face first on the top sheet.