"A Strange Bond"
Note: Sometimes things get worst before they get better. Trigger warning for this chapter and the next, for anyone affected by panic attacks. I'm going for a bit of realism, but hopefully I'm not overdoing it. This is a short one.
"Chapter 4: The Other Shoe"
January
For most of the remainder of January, Alpha and the Tooth Fairy talked or texted nearly every day. She wasn't able to meet up with him as often as they both would have liked, but he understood that she was busy, and his mood was on an uptick lately. He'd almost forgotten what it felt like to laugh, but somehow she managed to make him laugh at least once every time they talked. It was nice.
Tooth Fairy still sensed that something was a bit 'off' with her, though. One day, she didn't answer her phone. She usually picked up on the second or third ring, but this time it went to voicemail, and he became worried. He finally received a call back when he was out making his rounds, and she apologized and told him that she'd slept through the phone ringing.
He was more relieved than he thought he would be, since there was a very real chance that something might go wrong while she was out on a hunt. It had happened before, after all. At least once, but knowing her, possibly more. Then who would represent Halloween? And what would he do?
He told her none of this, and they ended their call after agreeing to meet the next day. He turned introspective as he traveled to his next stop.
There was no denying it now; he had to admit, at least to himself, that he had a bit of a crush on Alpha. But that was okay, because he would never tell her. She wouldn't be his first crush, and she probably wouldn't be his last. He was used to not acknowledging it when he was interested in a woman. Fairy women generally weren't interested in him due to his odd work schedule, and he'd never quite been able to shake the childhood nickname 'girly-wings'. His male peers in town had eased up a bit, but their little jibes were more sneaky now, disguised as good-natured ribbing. And maybe some of it was meant to be good-natured, since guys tended to riff on each other quite a bit.
No, it really wouldn't be fair for Alpha to find out and think that this was the only reason he was interested in her. What would a human...or, a former human...know about what makes wings attractive or off-putting? If she thought he only liked her because she wouldn't know or care about such things, that was sure to hurt and offend her. He wasn't desperate, and he didn't want her to think that he was, nor did he want to lose her as a friend.
Friendship was just fine with him. He had other female friends. She had quickly become his closest female friend, but that was as far as it went. And that was fine.
But what if that next shot was a fatal one? Could she even die, since she'd been made a member of the Council? With the exception of Mother Nature and Father Time, who were both eternal, Jack Frost, who was the Herald of Winter, and Cupid, who was a minor deity, all of them had some form of conditional immortality. He had no set lifespan, but he wasn't invulnerable to illness or injury. He wasn't on speaking terms with the rest of his friends on the Council at the moment, and she had been a faithful friend since day one. How would he cope if he lost her, too?
All this over a missed phone call! This train of thought wasn't helping him at all, and he doubled back to visit a house he'd missed while his mind was wandering. "Come on, old boy...That's what got you in trouble with Mother Nature in the first place..."
Alpha wasn't as animated as usual the next day. There was plenty of idle chit-chat, but no jokes, and her smiles weren't as wide. As a man who was drawn to nice smiles, this was the first thing he noticed. He wasn't used to seeing her look so melancholy.
Today, the two of them decided to take a stroll through a human park for a change of pace. Tooth Fairy felt like he was wearing a Halloween costume of sorts, dressing up as a human to blend in with his blue jeans, sneakers, and flannel jacket. It was usually fun to pull the wool over their eyes, but today his focus was elsewhere.
"You're awful quiet," he observed, "You okay?"
"'Course," she automatically deflected the question.
Tooth Fairy didn't believe her. Walking beside her, he could see behind her shades, and he noticed dark circles underneath her eyes. "You sure?"
Alpha shrugged, her eyes on the pavement. "Have to be."
He definitely didn't like the sound of that! If he was allowed to have a bad day, so was she. He halted, stopping her with a hand on her shoulder. Now he thought he could understand why she'd tried so hard to reach him in spite of his denials. She could see right through his pretenses, and her own poker face was slipping now. It wasn't an easy thing to witness. Not when you cared about someone.
"But are you?" he asked softly, and he was privately alarmed when twin tear streaks made their way down her face from behind her shades.
"...No," she finally admitted, looking down and shaking her head.
"C'mere..." he held out an arm, and she let him pull her into a side-hug as he led her to a nearby bench. He began to offer her his hankie, but she had one and was already using it as she sniffed a few times. "What is it?"
Alpha merely shook her head and sniffled again.
"Hey..." he reached out and gently tilted her chin up. "You said I could always talk to you about what's bothering me. Did you think you couldn't do the same?"
For a moment, she looked like she was about to fall apart right then and there, but she kept it in. She looked down with a shaky sigh, folding her hankie and putting it away again. "Things are just catching up to me, I guess. I'm just...so tired."
"Yeah..." his arm still around her, he gently rubbed her shoulder and he was surprised when she leaned her head against him. How had he not noticed that something was wrong before? There were little hints; her poor appetite, her focusing on him and avoiding discussions about her personal problems. If he'd been paying closer attention, he might have put the pieces together and reached out to her for a change.
They sat that way for a while, and eventually he realized that she'd fallen asleep. He hated to wake her, but he thought that she should really be at home in bed if she was that drained. Besides, she would probably think it was weird if he just let her sleep. They were close friends at this point, but they weren't quite that close! Reluctantly, he gave her a gentle shake.
"Hm...Oh! I'm sorry..." She quickly leaned away from him, the color in her cheeks having nothing to do with the chill in the air.
"No, it's okay," Tooth Fairy tried for reassurance, but seemed a little flustered himself. "I just thought you might be more comfortable in your own bed if you're that tired. We can do this another time."
"I..." Alpha hesitated, not wanting to leave his company, but whatever she was about to say was spoiled by a great yawn, which she quickly covered. "You're probably right. And I have work to do tonight."
"Work?"
Alpha nodded, once more avoiding eye contact as if the topic embarrassed her...or maybe it was the fact that she'd fallen asleep on him! "Got to 'bring in the groceries'."
"Huh? Oh! That. Right." he nodded when he realized she meant 'hunting'. "You, uh...want me to walk you home?"
He truly hoped she would say no; he wasn't ready to visit The Hollow yet, and he didn't know when he would be.
"Oh, no, I'll be fine," Alpha waved a hand. "Sorry to put a damper on things."
"Ah, you didn't. Go home, get some sleep." He nudged her arm, then got up when she did. As an afterthought, he added, "Hey."
"Aye?"
He pointed a warning finger at her. "You be careful out there, you hear?"
Alpha smiled and grabbed onto his finger. "It's rude to point, Roy." She then switched her grip to squeeze his hand, wearing that warm smile he liked so well. "I will."
He watched her go, then tucked his hands into his pockets and set off in the opposite direction. Maybe he should grab another nap as well...
All things considered, Tooth Fairy was having one of his better nights on the job; hardly any bad weather, at least so far, and no one was awake when he arrived. Occasionally, an over-excited little tot would still be up, watching for the Tooth Fairy, and him letting himself be seen was a serious no-no. So, when he encountered this, he simply moved on to his next few stops. The catch was, he had to remember to double back later on, and sometimes the little boogers were stubborn about it and were still awake.
Aside from one house with a protective Doberman sleeping in the kid's room (And that's another IOU if that dog isn't asleep when I come back, he thought to himself), his night was going more smoothly than it usually did.
He really should have known that the other shoe was about to drop.
As he cruised on through Ohio, he entered a room and was glad to see that the little girl was sleeping soundly. This should be quick and easy; get in, leave the coin, get the tooth, and get out. He tiptoed over to the bed, gingerly exchanged a quarter for the tooth, then turned to go after stuffing the tooth into a small pouch he wore at his side. Then, in the glow of her Spongebob nightlight, he saw the shadow box mounted to the wall.
The next thing he knew, he was landing on a random roof with no memory of how he got there. He leaned against the chimney, hyperventilating as his heart felt like it was trying to fly out of his chest. He could hardly see. He couldn't get enough air, no matter how fast he breathed. His mind raced.
'How did I get here? Where's here? What's happening to me? Am I dying? Wings...Can't breathe...Help me...Something's wrong...Need help...Call for help...Alpha...Please...Hurts...It hurts...'
Something huge was building, and he knew it wouldn't be contained, but right then he didn't care. Right then, he needed help. And he could think of no one else to call. He sat near the chimney and it took him a distressingly long amount of time to get his numb, trembling fingers to find the right number. "Please, pick up..." he whispered over and over, almost as if it were a mantra. "Please, pick up...please, pick up..."