"A Strange Bond"
Note: Massive chapter ahead! This chapter length is hardly typical, and probably won't happen again. I'm also posting this chapter right after posting Chapter 9, because I don't believe in holding chapters hostage for the sake of reviews. Stress can have a negative impact on your physical health, and I wondered...how would this manifest in someone with magic? From November to February, TF has had a lot on his plate (And I can't seem to leave the poor guy alone). Even a Legendary Figure deserves to take a sick day or two. How can this happen if he has to work every night without fail? You'll see! There's an interesting, seldom-used loophole that comes into play. Alpha goes into 'mother hen mode', and TF doesn't seem to mind. He opens up quite a bit more, partly due to having a fever, and they grow a lot closer. Things are beginning to happen! Trigger warning for anyone with emetophobia. I don't go into detail, but heads up. There are also a few adult themes, especially near the end of the chapter, but nothing serious. I try to keep things tasteful. ^^
"Chapter 10: Time In A Bottle"
February 8th
After a long night's work and a six-hour snooze, Tooth Fairy got up, had a shower and a shave, and puttered around his small kitchen in search of something to eat. Nothing really appealed to him, though. It was past time to go grocery shopping, and there wasn't much in his house to eat. He considered ordering a pizza, but he had been eating a lot of that lately. In fact, his trash can was piled high with old pizza boxes. So, what else?
He dug around in his cabinets, and came up with a box of Lipton Cup-A-Soup. "No..." Tooth Fairy had grown to love certain human food brands over the years, and he tended to stock up on what he considered to be 'comfort food', but he preferred to have the soup when it was bitter cold out, and it was actually rather warm for late winter. He put it back, closed his cabinets, and folded his arms. "Hm..."
It wasn't even that he was hungry. This was simply the time that he usually ate lunch, and to be honest, he didn't really feel like eating. Emotionally he was doing well, so that wasn't it. He opened his fridge, and the first thing he saw was a carton of eggs. He imagined himself cracking a couple of them open, saw the slimy contents sloshing around in a bowl as he scrambled them in his mind's eye, and he quickly shut the fridge door. Maybe he wouldn't eat lunch today.
His cell phone rang, and he answered it without looking to see who was calling. "Yello?"
"Hey, you," Alpha greeted him.
"Oh, hi Alpha. What's up?" He leaned against his counter, unaware of the smile he now wore.
"Not much. Listen, we're Gremlin-free as of yesterday, and most of the hunters have chosen to come back, so I finally have a day to myself. I was wondering, if you're not busy, do ye want to come over to my place for lunch? I thought we could play a game, or something."
His stomach churned a little at the word 'lunch', but he did enjoy their visits. He knew where she lived, of course; she had pointed out her house to him in passing the last time he visited The Hollow, but he had never been inside. Still, he didn't want to eat, and he decided that a little white lie never hurt anyone. "Well, I just ate..."
"Oh," she masked her disappointment, but not as well as she had hoped.
He continued, "But I would like to come over, though. A game sounds like fun. Whaddaya got?"
"Umm...let's see. Chess, checkers...got a deck o' cards. I have Scrabble..."
Tooth Fairy found that he didn't really care what they played as long as he got to spend time with her, and he did enjoy one of the games she mentioned. "Scrabble's good."
"All right. What time do ye want to come over?" she asked.
Since she had invited him over for lunch, it stood to reason that she hadn't eaten yet. "I can be there in an hour. Give you time to grab a bite while I take care of a couple things here." he offered.
Take care of what exactly? He supposed he could make sure his clothes and hair were in place, maybe brush his teeth again. No...no, just imagining the taste of toothpaste was off-putting at the moment. Maybe he was queasy because he hadn't eaten anything. Still, it wasn't that bad, and he figured he would be fine after he'd been up for a while.
"All right, see you then!"
"Yep. Bye."
"Bye."
He put his cell away and went to rummage around for some saltine crackers.
Tooth Fairy nervously approached Alpha's front door, smoothing back his hair and trying to psych himself up. Okay, relax...you hang out with her all the time. This is no big deal. Why are you so nervous now? C'mon, don't be a sap.
He took a deep breath, tapped out 'Shave and a Haircut', and then he winced. How corny could you get?!
Alpha opened the door, and warm yellow light caused him to squint a little. "Hey, Roy."
"Hey." She was in her human form, and this surprised him a little since she was 'in her element', but he didn't comment on it. What really drew his attention was her T-shirt. It was blue, with the words 'Free Hugs' on it in blocky white letters. Her penchant for wearing funny T-shirts hadn't gone unnoticed, and his nervousness melted away as he grinned and pointed at her shirt. "Say, do I get a hug?"
She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a good squeeze, which he happily returned. "You know you always get a hug! C'mon in."
He stepped inside, and he felt a twinge of sadness as he took in his surroundings. Alpha's home was tidy. In fact, it was neat as a pin. But it was also quite small, and she didn't seem to have much. Her bookshelf sagged under the weight of what was probably too many books, but there wasn't a speck of dust to be seen. Her bed budged up against the wall, and there was a table with two chairs, a sink, a stove, cupboards where she most likely kept her food, a wardrobe, and a door that might have led to a closet or a bathroom. There were a few prints hanging on the walls, one of which was Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night'.
Alpha caught his look, and colored a little. "I know, it's nothing fancy. I'm out more than I'm at home."
"Oh, no, it's...it's nice." he said lamely. Her house really was nice. He simply felt bad that she didn't have more, because Heaven knew she deserved it.
She gave a sad little smile, but didn't contradict him. They could see right through each other, and in the end it didn't really matter. "So, we're here to play Scrabble. You want to sit down, and I'll get the game?"
"Sure," he sat on one of the wooden chairs, arching a bit in a stretch; his back was stiff.
Alpha set things up, and pretty soon they had a good game going. An hour passed, then another. When Tooth Fairy used up all seven of his letters, taking up a 'triple word score' square in the process, Alpha groaned playfully as she wrote his score down. "You're kickin' m'butt..."
He chuckled, putting seven new tiles on his rack and leaning back in his chair. "I'm just glad I caught up. You had me over a barrel in the beginning."
"I blame it on all the Q's I keep getting," she grinned as she sorted her tiles. "I'm just glad we didn't end up clustered in one corner of the board. Now, that's a pain."
"Yeah," he nodded, wondering if the temperature could fluctuate in The Hollow. He suddenly felt cold.
Alpha saw him shudder a bit and rub his arms, and she cocked her head in concern. "You feelin' all right?"
"Sure," he lied, and immediately wished he hadn't. They had been at this game for quite a while now, during the course of which he had come over all achy, and now his nausea had come back and was getting worse. "Why?"
"You just got a weird look on your face all of a sudden." She leaned forward with a frown.
Tooth Fairy tried to play it off, and turned his tile rack as if to keep her from seeing it. "I always look like this. You just want to peek at my tiles."
Alpha raised an eyebrow, but sat back and said nothing. She considered the Scrabble board, trying not to make it obvious that she was watching him, and finally she put down 'Qat', just to get rid of one of her Q's.
Tooth Fairy clenched his teeth as his body tried to shiver, and beads of cold sweat had broken out on his face. His cheeks had turned a vivid red, and the color stood out all the more as the rest of his face grew very pale. In fact, he was beginning to look rather green.
Alpha didn't want to annoy him, but now she was positive that something was wrong and she put her pencil down. "All right, time out. Roy, what's the matter? You really don't look so good."
He took a folded white hankie out of his pocket and dabbed at his face with a shaky hand as he finally conceded defeat. Saliva flooded his mouth, and he swallowed. His stomach clearly hated him. "I don't feel so good, either."
Alpha leaned forward and put the back of her hand to his cheek before feeling his forehead, and her frown deepened. "Wow, you're really warm. I think-"
She was about to say that she thought he should go home when he pressed his fist to his mouth. He gulped hard, then said in a tight voice, "Sorry, can I use your bathroom?"
Alpha pointed to the door and replied in a businesslike voice, "Right through there."
He crossed the room in three strides and shut the door behind him, and Alpha got a glass of water for him while he was violently ill. She wasn't phased by such things, but she had a feeling he would be embarrassed when he finally came out, and so he was.
"I am so sorry..." he shook his head, not even trying to cover up his shivering now that the cat was out of the bag.
"Oh, you couldn't help it. Here," she offered the glass of water. "help ye get the taste out o' yer mouth."
"Thanks..." He accepted the glass, but his hands were shaking so badly that he spilled some on the floor, and she had to hold the glass steady so he could drink.
"Don't gulp it; small sips. There ye go...good..." She took back the glass when he was done with it. "Ah, Roy, why didn't ye tell me you felt ill? You should be at home in bed."
"I didn't know..." he shook his head, sitting back down in his chair and hugging himself as he shivered. "I felt a little weird, but I didn't really feel sick. This just came on all of a sudden."
She knelt down beside his chair so that he wouldn't have to crane his neck to look up at her. "And yer wings just started glowin', what's up with tha'?"
Tooth Fairy's eyebrows shot up, and he turned his head to look. Sure enough, his wings glowed very faintly, pulsing bright and dim, bright and dim, in time with his heartbeat. He ran a hand through his hair and frowned at how damp it already was. Now he knew what was going on. "Drills and scalers, that's just perfect..."
"What?"
He saw how alarmed she was becoming, and he was rather unnerved himself. "My magic's in flux. It doesn't happen to us very often, but it usually comes on when we've had too much stress in a short time. Sorta mimics the symptoms of a stomach flu. Only had it twice before..."
"Is it serious?"
He wanted to tell her no, because generally it wasn't, but as with the flu there could be complications. The last time he felt this lousy was centuries ago. He had just become the Tooth Fairy after losing his mother, and his sister had been missing for about a month. It hadn't been serious then, but now? Who could say? He shivered some more, and rested his head on the table as he grew woozy. "Probably not."
Alpha had a tendency to get a bit motherly towards people when they were sick, and now was no exception. "You need to go home."
He nodded. "Yeah...Alpha, can you do me a big favor?"
"Of course."
"I can't risk using magic right now. Can ya...would you please get me home?" He said all this without raising his head. He felt hot and cold at the same time, and as someone who was very rarely ill, this scared him. There was no room in him for embarrassment now; he simply wanted...what, exactly?
"Aye, nae problem. I've been there once, I can find it again." Alpha summoned a Fairy Ring right in the middle of her living room, and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Here, can ye stand up?"
"I think so..." He forced himself to his feet, and wobbled as the floor seemed to tilt, but she adjusted her grip and wrapped her arm around his waist instead, draping his arm over her shoulders.
"Whoa! Easy...here, lean on me."
Now he protested. "No, I'm all sweaty..."
"I don't care. Ye think this's the first time I've done this? C'mon, let's get you home."
He shut his eyes as they stepped into the Ring, fervently praying that the trip wouldn't upset his stomach more than it already was, but it didn't. When they emerged in his living room, he knew immediately that he would never be able to get up his stairs. He was far too dizzy. He nodded towards the couch, and sat down heavily when she led him over to it. "Th-th-thanks..."
"Here, take your shoes off and lie down," Alpha pulled the afghan off the back of the couch as he did as he was told, and then she hesitated. "Wings covered or not?"
Instead of giving a verbal answer, he arranged the blanket himself. Soon he was all bundled up, wings and all, shivering uncontrollably.
Alpha knelt on the floor in front of the couch and touched his shoulder. "Can I get you anything?"
Her words barely filtered through his hazy brain, and he shook his head. "I don't know..."
Alpha scraped her teeth on her lower lip and glanced at the clock. It was getting near dinner time, and she knew that soon enough he would have to go to work. If he couldn't take time off to grieve, she didn't think he would get time off to recover from an illness, and this didn't feel right. Her anger surged beneath a cool exterior, but her hands gave her away. They glowed with a faint purple light, similar to the rare occasions when Tooth Fairy was extremely angry, and this got his attention.
Unfortunately, he misunderstood and became distraught. "I'm sorry..."
"Huh? For what?"
"You're mad at me..."
"What?" Alpha shook her head, and her hands immediately stopped glowing as she laid them on his arm. "Nooo, nononono, it's not you I'm mad at. Don't you think that for a second."
"Then..."
Alpha sighed, adjusting his blanket a little, mostly to keep her hands occupied. "I just think you should be able to take time off work to get well. It just doesn't seem fair. You can't fly like this!"
His pained expression cleared a little, and he shook his head. "Oh. Well...the last time my magic was in flux, Father Time did something weird."
His eyes drifted shut, and he didn't elaborate. She took out her phone. Her heart pounded as she braced herself for what she was about to do. Father Time intimidated her a little bit, and she was reluctant to contact him at all, but Tooth Fairy certainly wasn't up to it at the moment. "Should I call him?"
"I dunno..." he mumbled.
Alpha didn't like how confused he sounded. This decided it for her. She called Father Time's number and braced herself for...well, she hardly knew what!
Father Time's phone went to voicemail, but he called her back before she could try again. "Hello, Alpha. I'm a little surprised to hear from you. How is everything in The Hollow?"
Alpha tried to tune out the sound of her ill friend's chattering teeth. "Oh, everything's fine there, thanks. Um...but there is a bit of a problem."
"Oh?"
"Well, it's Roy-I mean, 'Tooth Fairy'. He's not feelin' well at all. He said his magic is 'in flux', whatever that means, and I was hoping..." she trailed off as Tooth Fairy shifted on the couch behind her, and she looked back to see that he had curled up into a ball in an effort to get warm. "He just can't work right now. I was hoping that you would have a solution."
"Hold on for thirty-three seconds," Father Time said before speaking to someone else who was there with him.
Alpha thought she recognized Mother Nature's voice, and she wondered, not for the first time, if those two were an item. Not that she cared, but they seemed awfully close.
Father Time got back on the phone, exactly thirty-three seconds later, and said, "We'll be right there, as soon as you tell us where you are."
"Oh! We're at his house. In his living room." Alpha sagged against the front of the couch, glad to have the hard part over. Then she nearly jumped out of her skin when Mother Nature and Father Time appeared before them without warning. She put a hand to her chest and sighed. "Och, jumpstart m'heart..."
Tooth Fairy cracked one eye open, then nodded in commiseration. "Yeah, they like to do that..."
Mother Nature came forward and knelt down at the end of the couch, putting her hand on his forehead before clicking her tongue in sympathy. "Hmm, you're feverish. How are you feeling, Tooth Fairy?"
"Awful." he admitted.
"Are you achy?" she asked, and he nodded. "Nauseated?"
"Yeah...It's better now that I'm lying down, though." he mumbled.
"Mm-hmm. And I can see that you have the chills." Mother Nature nodded again and turned to Father Time. "Alpha's correct. He can't go out tonight. Possibly for the next several nights."
Alpha didn't quite understand. "So, what're ye goin' tae do?"
Mother Nature arose once more and went to stand near Father Time, who explained his plan. "I can't cast anything on him directly, but what I can do is encapsulate his house in a sort of 'time bubble', if you will."
She blinked. "I'm sorry, a 'time bubble'? What's that?"
"Time will pass much more quickly inside of it. He will have the time he needs to recover, but for the rest of the world, only a few minutes will have gone by." said Father Time. "It's not something I do unless it's absolutely necessary. It's too easy and too tempting for people to abuse it, so aside from us...and now you...no one knows about it."
Alpha could understand why! Her anger spiked again when she remembered what the Tooth Fairy had gone through, was still going through, and she thought that this would have been a useful little ability to bring into play. Then her anger faded as she thought about it again. It would be all too easy to fall into a pattern of wallowing in it and doing nothing, never moving on, and perhaps being forced to stay in the working world with everyone else was a good thing. If nothing else, it let you come to terms with things a little more quickly. She nodded.
Mother Nature carefully observed Alpha's reaction to this, and saw how closely she was sitting to the Tooth Fairy. He really was sicker this time than he had been the last time, and the nature goddess wasn't sure if it was a good idea to leave him on his own. She herself could stay (her duties wouldn't suffer if she made use of the time bubble), and she would have offered if it wasn't for a sudden notion she got. She could sense that Alpha's presence was a calming influence, and she had seen the Werewolf show him great tenderness more than once. Mother Nature turned to Father Time, winking with the eye that wasn't currently in their line of sight. "You know, I really don't think it's a good idea to leave him alone. Maybe I should stay, in case his condition gets worse."
Father Time caught on and hid a smile by stroking his beard. "Someone should stay, but you're a busy woman."
Alpha folded her arms and gave them an annoyed look. Did they honestly think she didn't know what they were doing? Poor Roy was oblivious at the moment, but she knew bad acting mixed with hint dropping when she saw it. Ignoring Mother Nature and Father Time, Alpha turned and put her hand on Tooth Fairy's arm again. "Hey...d'ye want me to stay with ye when he does the 'bubble thing'?"
Tooth Fairy opened his eyes and tried to focus his vision. Her words sank in, and he found himself hovering dangerously close to tears for no reason that he could think of, but he shook his head. "I don't wanna put you out more than I already have..."
Alpha smiled gently. "I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't prepared to do it. I want to help, if you'll let me." She waited, but he seemed torn. She asked him again. "Do you want me to stay? I will."
He did. "Yeah..."
Alpha nodded. "All right, then."
Mother Nature chimed in. "You might want to pop back home and pack a few changes of clothing, just in case. This could play out like a twenty-four hour bug, or it could take a little longer. It depends on how healthy he was before this happened."
Tooth Fairy knew his health was good otherwise, but he didn't have the energy to say so. He closed his eyes, and he must have dozed, because the next thing he knew he was alone with Alpha and she was speaking to him. "Hm, wha'?"
"You're going to feel something cool on your forehead." she told him.
He felt her lay a cool, damp cloth on his forehead, and it was heaven. His nausea was subsiding for now, but he was shivery, achy, and his energy was gone. When the cloth grew uncomfortably warm, he felt her remove it and heard her dip it into a bowl and wring it out. Then the blessed coolness returned, and when he heard her whisper, 'There you go', he found himself beginning to get a bit weepy. Which was odd, because emotionally he felt fine! He put a hand over his face to hide it.
He was too late, though, and Alpha blinked once. "I...Are you crying?"
Tooth Fairy sniffled and shook his head. "Sorry...I'm not even sad, I dunno what this is..."
Alpha gently smoothed back his hair. She had seen this happen a few times before while caring for various ill friends over the centuries; fevers could do weird things sometimes. "It's okay. You can cry if you need to."
He sniffled again, drying his face on the blanket. "No, I'm okay...I think it's the fever. I got like this the last time, too...but I was on my own back then, so it didn't matter." He remembered his last bout of magic flux, how the stress of his new job and his missing sister had gotten to him, and he sniffled a few more times. Okay, now he was a little sad.
Alpha saw the subtle shift in his behavior, and she made a sympathetic face as she continued to stroke his hair. "Aww...you need a hug?" He nodded without uncovering his face, and she leaned over and hugged him as best she could, her kneeling on the floor and him lying on the couch. "It's okay...I know you don't feel good."
His mild tearful episode, if you could even call it that, didn't last any longer than this. When his hand slid down from his face, she realized that he'd fallen asleep. She decided to let him nap for a bit, knowing that he probably wouldn't remember it later on. While he slept, she occasionally refreshed his cool cloth and flipped through a book she found on his coffee table.
He woke up a few hours later and flung off the blanket with a huff. "Hot..."
Alpha saw that his clothes were soaked through with sweat, and she rifled through her overnight bag. She'd brought a thermometer with her, and now she held it out. "Here, I want to see where your fever's at."
"Your grammar stinks," he informed her, but he took the thermometer and stuck it in his mouth.
She ignored the comment and went into his kitchen to refill the water bowl and to get him some ice chips. When she came back, she saw him squinting at the thermometer as he tried to read it. "Here," she held out her hand, and he gave it to her. "Hm, one hundred and two. Do you have any ibuprofen?"
"No, I'm allergic to it. Um...can't think, hold on..." he massaged his forehead as if to prod his mind into action.
"Take yer time," she told him, putting the thermometer away and handing him the cool cloth, which he put on his forehead.
"I have Tylenol. It's in my medicine cabinet upstairs." he settled back down halfway between lying on his side and on his belly, accepting the ice chips and spooning one into his mouth before putting the mug carefully down on the floor. His wings idly moved back and forth, both in an effort to cool the blood that flowed through them and to create a little breeze on his neck.
"Mind if I go get it?"
"Have at it," he replied. "It's up the stairs, and you'll have to cut through my room to get to it. Right door; the left one's a closet." At this point, it was a little late to be shy about having her in his living space, and he wasn't sure if he could handle the stairs just yet. He watched her go up, and after a moment or two she came back down with the pills in her hand and a glass of water. He accepted them with a sigh. "Thanks...Man, I feel disgusting...M'sorry you have to see me like this..."
Alpha resumed her seat in front of the couch, ignoring the armchair altogether. "Please, ye think I've never seen this kind o' thing before?"
"Not with me you haven't..." he handed back the glass after swallowing the pills. "It's embarrassing..."
"Does it help that I don't think any less o' ye?" she asked, putting the glass on the coffee table.
"Kinda..." he closed his eyes, but he didn't feel like sleeping. "I just hate being all sweaty, y'know? I'm roastin'..."
"A warm bath might help with the fever," she said by way of conversation, but if his wide-eyed reaction was anything to go by, she might just as well have suggested that he strip naked and run through a crowded shopping mall.
"No way. I can't even make it up the steps, so..." he turned an interesting shade of red and didn't finish that sentence. There was no way he was going to attempt a bath until he could do it on his own!
She hadn't meant to embarrass him, and she wasn't implying what he seemed to think, but she also thought he was being rather silly about it. "Ye think ye got somethin' I haven't seen?"
"Forget it. No. End of discussion." He hid his burning face in the pillow. He knew it was just meant to be harmless teasing, but he doubted she knew how he felt about her, and he just couldn't let his mind go in that direction. Playful or not, he didn't find her joke at all amusing.
"Sorry." Alpha turned her back and retrieved the book she'd been reading. Me and my big mouth...
Thinking he had offended her with his tone, he sighed. "Sorry..."
"Relax." She told him. "My fault, not yours. I shouldn't have said that. Sometimes I can't seem to help myself."
"Ehh..." he shrugged, relieved that they were still okay and that he didn't feel quite as hot as when he'd first woken up. Now that his embarrassment had mostly passed, he could sort of see the humor in it, and he shook his head with a little smirk. "That's okay, I'll get ya back later."
Alpha heard his stomach growl, and she looked over her shoulder at it in disbelief. Was that a hunger rumble, or a sick rumble? "All right, there?"
He nodded and had another ice chip. "Yeah...lost my breakfast earlier."
"I saw some instant soup when I was in your kitchen. Ye think you can keep it down?" she asked.
Tooth Fairy hesitated, reluctant to try it, but his stomach growled again. "Guess there's one way to find out..."
Alpha got up and went into the kitchen, and Tooth Fairy sat up a little and idly stirred his ice chips. He hated being unable to do these things for himself! Still, there wasn't much he could do about it, and it kind of felt nice to be cared for. Nice...and rather awkward. Alpha didn't seem to mind doing it, but he felt sorry for inconveniencing her just the same.
Was he inconveniencing her? Technically, yes. But she'd almost seemed to fall into a routine, as if she'd done this before. It was reassuring in a way, to know that she knew what she was doing and that he would eventually be fine.
Before he was done pondering all this, Alpha returned and traded him his mug of ice chips for a mug of soup. "Thanks."
"Mm-hmm," she sat back down.
Now that he was sitting up, he saw a bucket stashed discreetly beside the couch, and he blushed. As he sipped slowly from his mug and his stomach behaved itself, he didn't think he would be needing it.
It was too quiet, though. He sipped again, then pointed at his TV. "Let's see what's on...oh, I forgot."
"What?"
"Well, the TV will work because it runs on magic, not electricity, but we won't get any shows in here. Time's almost stopped for everyone outside, so..." He peered at his entertainment system, and was pleased to note that his vision had cleared a little bit. "Pity...there was supposed to be a game on today. Oh well...wanna watch a movie?"
"Sure," she got up and padded over to the DVD rack. "What do you want to watch?"
"I don't really care," he shrugged. "Anything. Well, not 'Rocky III'. It's a good movie, but there's this one scene..." This was already a cruddy day, and he didn't need to get himself sobbing on top of everything else! He usually wasn't emotional when things were normal, but the exception seemed to be the handful of times he was seriously ill. Every time he was sick in his life, he had cried at some point. Possibly because of the fevers, or maybe because Fairies got sick so infrequently that he never got used to feeling so bad. Or both. Whatever the reason, he couldn't help it when it happened. He thought he could remember getting weepy earlier, and Alpha giving him a hug and telling him it was okay, but that could have just been a fever dream and he didn't want to ask about it.
Alpha wasn't sure what he was talking about, having never seen 'Rocky III', and she didn't ask. "Hm...'The Princess Bride'? What's that about?"
"Oh," he reached across the gap and set his soup down on the coffee table, having eaten two thirds of it; his stomach had given him a silent warning, and he didn't want to eat anymore. "Kinda hard to explain. Why don't you pop it in and find out? I think you'll like it. You, uh...know how to work a DVD player, right?"
Alpha smirked at him as she got things set up. "I'm not that out of touch. We have a sort of movie theater down below. Well...it's not really a movie theater, it's more of a community center...a few rooms with TV setups, that kind o' thing. But you don't want to hear about that."
"Why wouldn't I?" he asked, bundling up again as the chills returned.
"Well, it's kind of boring, isn't it?" she asked as she sat in front of him again and handed him the remote.
"No, I think it's kinda cool." From what he had seen of The Hollow, he was impressed that the people there could make so much with so little. Then, seeming to notice for the first time where she was sitting, he frowned. "You don't have to sit on the floor, you know. There's a chair over there."
"I'm fine here," she told him, then added, "unless you want me to move."
"You can sit wherever you want," he shrugged, relieved that she wasn't sitting there because she felt some kind of obligation to watch over him. He really was grateful not to have to be alone this time around, though! In fact, he couldn't remember the last time someone had taken care of him like this. Certainly not since he was a small boy.
While Alpha watched the movie, the Tooth Fairy watched Alpha. He had seen 'The Princess Bride' more times than he cared to admit; it was one of his favorite movies. He preferred the humor and the interaction between Fezzik and Inigo to the love story between Buttercup and Westley, but now he wondered how Alpha would rate their relationship. By the time Buttercup said, 'I will never love again', Alpha rolled her eyes.
"What?" he asked.
"Hm?"
"Just wondering why you rolled your eyes. Penny for your thoughts?" he smiled, remembering the day she'd said that to him.
Alpha held up a finger as Buttercup made plans to marry a man she didn't love, then shook her head and paused the movie to answer him. "I'm just not buying into their love story. It's obvious that he just wants her because she's pretty. She certainly isn't nice to him. And she wants him because he's handsome and he does things for her without question, hoping to get in good with her. That's infatuation, it's not love."
"Oh," Tooth Fairy frowned thoughtfully. "Then, what is?"
"Well..." Alpha hadn't been expecting that, and she thought a moment before answering. "Okay, for one thing, looks don't last...at least, for most people they don't. People get old. And you'd think that after a while he'd get tired of being ordered around like...well, a dog."
She smirked and gestured at herself, and he smiled a little at her pun. He had to disagree with her, though. She wasn't a dog in this form, and in her other form she was a wolf. He thought the distinction was very important. And he kept his thoughts to himself. "This might be a spoiler, but she gets pretty passive later on."
"That's worse."
He nodded; he had to agree with her there!
"If this was happening in the real world, they'd be in divorce court in ten years or less. And then," Alpha went on, warming up to the subject, "she decides to marry a man she doesn't even like. Is it for money? Power? Boredom? I don't know, because it didn't say."
He nodded, then rubbed his belly a little; his stomach was feeling iffy again. "You didn't answer my question, though."
"What was...oh! Well, love can start with infatuation, but not always. If it's goin' tae last, you have to be friends. Even when you're furious with each other, and bein' around the other person is work, if you love'm you're willin' tae do the work. And...never mind." Her accent grew a little thicker, as if the subject made her nervous.
Tooth Fairy listened like an attentive pupil. He knew she was speaking from experience, and he was fascinated to hear about it from someone who had been lucky in love. "What?"
"Maybe I should get off my soapbox now." She realized she was rambling.
"No, I'm really interested. What were you gonna say?"
Alpha's mouth was suddenly dry, but she did as he asked. "Well...if ye'll pardon my bringing up the topic, it's not about goin' to bed with someone. I mean...aye, that's an important part of it, but that can't be all there is, or it's not goin' tae last. People spend a lot of time alluding to sex, makin' jokes about it, pursuing it and so on, but very little time is devoted to the act itself. It's not just about making love, or what the other person can give ye. It's gettin' up with'm in the mornin'. Facin' the world as a united front. Havin' each other's backs. Forgivin' each other when ye louse things up. That kind o' thing."
Tooth Fairy shook his head sadly. "I wouldn't know about that."
"Oh, I find that hard to believe..." Alpha turned to face him more fully.
"Well, it's true. Women don't like me. Maybe they do as a friend, but not like that." He avoided her gaze, and his stomach churned. He internally begged it to settle down again; he was trying to have a moment here!
She stared at him for a long time, to the point where he finally glanced up at her, then looked away again. He's lonely, she realized. Like me...
"I think it's the girly wings, personally. The name doesn't help...neither does this mug I got." he pointed to his face.
"Well, they're missing out," Alpha told him. "And don't worry about your wings. I don't know the significance your people attach to their appearance, but the rest of you is very masculine. Just my opinion, but I think your wings make it stand out all the more."
"Aw, go on..." he waved that off, glad that he could blame his red face on his fever.
"I'm serious," she reached over and put a hand on his arm. "You're a good man. You're kind...you're funny...and you'd give someone the shirt off yer back if they needed it. You bein' so down on yourself isn't really attractive, but y'know...you can work on that, eh?"
He roughly rubbed his eyes with a thumb and finger. "Guess so..."
She removed her hand from his arm and hit play, and they watched the movie in silence until Fezzik stepped forward and captured Buttercup. "Oi! Did he just do the Vulcan neck pinch?" She pointed at the screen.
"Yup," he smiled a little. Then he closed his eyes and settled his hand on his belly. His stomach gave him a big old 'screw you', and he did not appreciate it. "Oh, no..."
"What's wrong?" Alpha looked over her shoulder at him. Her hand hovered near the bucket, some instinct telling her that she might want to grab it.
"Oh boy...gimme the bucket..."
He lost his soup a minute later.
It was back to ice chips again. Tooth Fairy wished he could melt into the couch cushions and just disappear. Alpha didn't seem phased by things at all, but that still didn't make it any less embarrassing. She wouldn't accept his apologies, and she gave many assurances that it was fine and that he couldn't help it. He simply shook his head and avoided eye contact. He was almost ready to cry from the shame and because he felt so lousy, but he managed to keep it in. At least she knew when to console and when to back off. Right now, she kept to herself and just watched the TV screen. Things were silent for so long that he was startled when Alpha burst out laughing at Buttercup flinging herself down the hill after Westley.
"Sorry," she apologized when he jumped.
He shrugged, smiling wearily. "It is pretty funny..."
They watched the movie through to the end, saying very little. He had to grin when Alpha flung back her head and gave a belly laugh when the priest began his 'Mawwiage' speech. He loved to listen to her laugh!
"Not how you'd expect him to sound, huh?" he asked.
She shook her head, wiping laughter tears from her eyes. "Ohhh, my...Funny thing is, I know someone who talks like that! God forgive me, I know she can't help it, but...to hear that come out of his mouth...You'd expect something impressive, and you get that! Hahaha...Ah." She turned and pointed to his empty cup. "Need more ice chips?"
"Uh-uh," he shook his head and handed her the cup, which she set down on the coffee table, and he apologized again. "I'm really sorry...I can't believe I threw up in front of you."
"You wouldn't be the first person to do that." she told him.
"That doesn't make me feel any better," he grumped, but there was no energy behind it.
"Well," she shrugged as the movie began to finish up, "maybe I'll throw up in front of you someday, how's that sound?"
"Sounds gross." he smirked. His stomach was holding strong so far.
"Heh...aye."
When the credits began, Alpha clapped her hands three times and nodded. "I really liked that. The couple seemed a little flat to me, but everything else was great."
"Toldja," he propped himself up on an elbow. "Got a favorite character?"
"I like Inigo and Fezzik," she replied, not seeing his pleased smile at this coincidence. "That rhyming game they got goin'."
"Heh, yeah...Y'know, Miracle Max kinda reminds me of Cupid." he rested his chin on his fist.
"Och, they could be cousins!" she laughed. "And the choreography for the sword fights was amazing."
"I didn't think you liked-" he began, then cut himself off when he realized he had broached a sensitive subject, but it was too late. His eyes widened in horror. "Oh, I...sorry."
She smiled a little. "The swords in the movie were rapiers, not claymores. And it's okay. You can ask."
But he didn't ask her. He just wanted to pass the time with a few nice movies, to help himself feel better and make sure she wasn't bored while she was there. He didn't want to dredge up their sad pasts. And yet, now that his mind was on that track, it kept going back to things said and done, things he couldn't take back.
He rested his head on the pillow and shut his eyes. Maybe if she couldn't see the sadness in them she wouldn't ask. And yet, a part of him wanted her to ask. He occasionally alluded to Brinna, but he never really talked about her, and it wasn't something he could just start on his own. Not yet.
Alpha mistook his melancholy for illness, and she put a hand on his forehead. "Still a bit feverish...How's yer tummy?"
"Rounder than I'd like, but feeling okay," he tried for a joke, but she didn't laugh. And she didn't ask. Finally, he sighed. "I was thinking."
"Hm? 'Bout what?" Alpha rested her arms on the side of the couch, her face not far from his.
He opened his eyes and looked at her. "About her. About Brinna."
Alpha nodded slowly as comprehension dawned. "Do ye wanna talk?"
"I think so...but..." he shook his head. "Fevers kinda throw me outta whack, and I don't wanna go on a crying jag, y'know?"
Alpha nodded again and moved to get a little more comfortable; her feet were falling asleep. "You can cry if you need to. Grieving is a process. It doesnae go away overnight..."
That wasn't a fever dream...
"I just..." he exhaled heavily and picked at the brocade on the throw pillow. He wondered if it had left an impression on his cheek, then decided he didn't care. "I just wish I coulda gotten out of my own head back then, y'know? Not out of my mind, just out of my head."
"Uh-huh." She knew what he meant.
"I wish I'd tried to see her side of it...We usually got along, believe it or not," he scooted back and sat up, partly to test his stomach, but mostly because he'd been lying in the same position for too long. His stomach seemed to handle it well enough, and he took this as a good sign. "We did everything together, y'know? Got each other in trouble...took the blame for each other sometimes. Heh...I remember one time, we went down to the marsh to catch frogs, and our mother was furious when we came back all muddy and smelling like a peat bog. She's there, 'Whose idea was this?!' And we just pointed at each other."
He smiled, and she chuckled. Then he turned serious again.
"She was three years younger. But Fairies age so slowly, we might as well have been twins. I..." he shook his head. "Gosh, I don't even know where to go with this."
"Hm...you can just say whatever comes to mind," she told him. "I'll listen."
He nodded slowly, then shook his head. "This is hard..."
Alpha reached out and took his hand, saying nothing, just offering her silent support.
He licked his lips. "I didn't want to be the Tooth Fairy. I hated my name, I still hate it. But she saw it as this...big, important thing. And it is. She wanted to be 'important', too. And she was...she just couldn't see it. That job...I didn't want it. And she did. And..." His voice cracked and he put his free hand over his face and tried to turn away as tears began to stream down his cheeks. "Dang it..."
"It's okay..." Alpha whispered, lightly rubbing the back of his hand. "It's okay..."
He sniffed hard, wiping his face with the heel of his hand, but the tears just kept flowing, and finally he just let them. His voice, however, was more or less steady. "When we lost our mom...that's when it really fell apart for us. She was the Tooth Fairy before me. It was always a woman before."
Alpha got up and sat on the edge of the couch, still holding his hand between hers.
"I should really look a lot younger than I do," he told her, "but the job's magic aged me up to how I look today. And that just pushed us further apart. I mean...aside from the smaller purple wings, I looked just like our dad. We'd just lost him the previous year. And she...she couldn't stand the sight of me..."
Alpha shook her head, still silent, just letting him talk.
"Just because I was born first, I lost my best friend..." His chin quivered, and he put a hand over his mouth to hide it. "And then I pushed her away when she tried to talk it out, because she'd hurt me and I wanted to hurt her back...And then she left, and I really did lose her..."
Alpha let go of his hand, but only so that she could wrap her arms around him. "Oh, Roy...she knew ye loved her..."
"But I can't remember the last time I told her that...What does that make me?" he sniffled, melting into the hug and letting himself be comforted.
"It makes you a flawed person, just like the rest of us...and that's okay." she told him, rubbing his back just below his wings with one hand and holding his head to her shoulder with the other. She could feel the heat radiating off of him, and she wondered if it was safe to give him another dose of Tylenol. She didn't know if he threw the pills up earlier or not, and she decided not to risk it. "You made some mistakes...so did she...but that doesn't change the fact that you loved each other. And you both went through so much before ye even had yer fight...of course tempers would flare. I'd be surprised if they didn't."
He heaved a shuddering sigh, hugging back and thinking this over.
"You know what I think?"
He sniffled and shook his head, preferring to stay in the hug rather than sit back. "Uh-uh..."
"I think you've carried this burden of guilt around for so long that you don't know how to put it down," she whispered, then held him a little tighter when he hitched in a sharp sob. There was only one, though, and she went on. "That's something only you can do...but I'm right here wi' ye. I know it hurts..."
There was another hitching breath, and he nodded against her shoulder. This was nothing like that night on the rooftop. There was sadness, but it was almost of a cleaner sort, and instead of buckling under its weight he simply bent. Alpha's presence meant more to him at that moment than he could ever find the words to express, but maybe he didn't have to. Maybe this was okay. And maybe it was okay to love her, even if she'd never love him back. "You're an angel, you know that?"
"Och..." she smiled in spite of herself, still rubbing his back. "Never been called that before..."
"You are..." He sat back and accepted the hankie she offered him. "I never felt like I could talk about this...not to anyone. Growing up, my father always drilled it into my head that men don't cry. Said it makes ya weak. I think...because of my wings, he thought he was looking out for me by saying that. But...there've been times when I just felt...so heavy. I don't think anyone ever...well...gave me permission, I guess you could say."
Alpha shook her head. What his father had done, however well-intentioned it might have been, could easily be called emotional abuse. She rubbed his arm as he used the handkerchief. "You don't need permission. It's okay to cry. It doesn't make ye any less of a man. I certainly don't see you as being weak for it. If you prefer to do it in private, then that's perfectly fine, but this idea that 'men don't cry'...Lord, it's so bloody toxic. Look what it's done to ye..."
He sniffled a final time and nodded. She was right. Holding it in for centuries had only made him all the more unstable now, and he was only just getting back to normal. "You don't know what it means...just to have someone listen. There's Mother Nature, but...she's kind of our boss..."
Alpha nodded. "It's not easy, is it? Thinkin' you have to keep it all in."
He nodded, then looked at her. Something about what she said struck a chord, and he blinked. "Do you ever feel like that?"
Alpha gave a noncommittal shrug. "To a point. It's not that I think folks won't listen. Or that I can't trust'm."
"Then..." he shook his head, worrying the handkerchief in his hands.
She frowned, trying to decide if it was right or wrong to let the focus shift from him. But he had asked. She took a deep breath and sighed. Okay. "Over the years, I've sort of taken on the role of protector. First I was protectin' my family's secret...my second family, that is, my mate and my son. Then I was standing up to distract The Founders from taking things out on my people. And now...well, now I'm officially their leader. If the leader cracks, people get scared. I can't show that side of myself to them. Even Punky, and he's probably the one I'm closest to there."
"But you can show it to me," he said. It was almost a question.
Alpha nodded. "I can now. Those two hurt us both...I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for them, and I'm not so sure that's a good thing. And I've seen the kind o' man ye are...After everything you've been through, you're still a good man. If there's anyone I can confide in...it's you."
His fever wasn't as high as it had been before, but it was still high enough to impair his judgment. He leaned forward again, but instead of hugging her he rested his forehead against hers. He might have even been tempted to kiss her, but he needed to brush his teeth, and he still didn't trust himself to climb his stairs.
Then he realized what he was doing, what he was thinking. How could she ever see him as anything more than a friend? And here he was, doing something as intimate as this. And...she was letting him? How confusing was that? He pulled back, but she merely favored him with a soft smile and wiped a stray tear from his cheek. He lowered his eyes, wishing he hadn't been so bold. "Sorry..."
She cocked her head. "For what? You've done nothin' wrong..."
"...Nothing." He got comfortable again and closed his eyes. Maybe he just needed to sleep this off. "M'gonna take a nap."
"Okay," she adjusted his blanket as he began to shiver again. "Mind if I use your bathroom?"
"No, not at all. You know where it is."
When Tooth Fairy finally woke up, he had no idea how long he had been asleep. The clocks were nothing to go by, since they had all stopped the moment Father Time had sectioned the two of them off from the world. However long it had been, he felt somewhat rested, and he took a brief body inventory. He still felt weak and tired, but he was no longer sick to his stomach and his head ached less. He felt uncomfortably hot and disgustingly sweaty, and now the inevitable side effect of so much sweating was beginning to creep up on him. He needed a bath. He also needed to go.
Wait...where was Alpha?
Tooth Fairy turned his head this way and that, but he didn't see her anywhere. Then he heard a faint snore, and he looked down. Alpha lay on her belly in front of the couch, one arm tucked under her head and the other arm and the corresponding leg on that side flung out and resting underneath the coffee table. Looks like someone's a sprawler...
He almost laughed when he saw that her wild hair had fallen across her face, puffing up with every exhale. The hem of her shirt had ridden up a little, exposing the small of her back, and this was somewhat interesting. But the 'funny' outweighed the 'interesting'. What he wouldn't give for a camera! Then he frowned. She had slept on the floor.
"Ah, jeez...Alpha..." he whispered, laying a hand on her back and giving her a jiggle. "Aaaalllphaaaa..."
"Mmn...five more minutes..."
He shook her again, speaking a little louder this time. "Alpha...c'mon, wake up. Gotta tell ya something."
Remembering where she was and why, Alpha sat up and automatically tugged her shirt back into place, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "Oh...hey. You need anything?"
"Yeah," he sat up and tried in vain to smooth down his hair. "I need you to not sleep on the floor. You coulda slept in the recliner, or even crashed on my bed if you wanted."
"If I slept in your room, I wouldn't have heard you if you called me; I'm a deep sleeper. And I wouldn't feel right takin' yer bed. That's where you should be." Alpha stretched, and her spine popped. He had a point; the floor wasn't the most comfortable place to nap. "Anyway, that was unintentional. I think I must've fallen asleep sitting up, then just kinda slid over sideways." She demonstrated with a hand gesture.
He smothered a laugh and threaded a lock of her hair through two of his fingers. "You sure looked funny, though. Your hair was in your face, and-"
"And I snore. I know." she smirked, then her expression softened. "You look better today...well, it's still technically 'today', isn't it?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "I feel a bit better, too. Umm...sorry, I gotta get up for a minute."
"Oh!" Alpha didn't need him to explain. He'd been on the couch for a good twelve hours, so it didn't take an Einstein to figure things out. She got up and moved, standing by in case he lost his balance.
He didn't. He went upstairs, and Alpha dug an apple out of her pack for herself when she heard the shower turn on. She turned the apple in her hands while he took care of business upstairs, but she didn't bite into it. She wondered if he was hungry. Earlier, he hadn't been able to keep something as mild as chicken broth down, but if he felt well enough to climb the stairs he might be able to eat. She put her uneaten apple down and went to grab that box of saltines she'd spotted earlier.
She saw empty pizza boxes in his trash can, and frowned. There was very little food in the house, but it seemed that he frequently ordered out. Maybe he didn't like to cook. Or maybe he just sucked at it. She hoped it was one of those, and not something worth worrying about. She decided that she would ask him about it later.
Alpha was on her way back when there was a loud, house-shaking 'thump!' from upstairs. Without thinking about whatever state of undress she might find him in, she dropped the box of crackers and bolted up the stairs, taking them two at a time. His bedroom door was closed, and she rapped on it sharply. "Are you all right?!"
No answer. She tried again, but he still didn't answer her, and she decided that she would act now and ask forgiveness later.
Fortunately, when Alpha tried the door, Tooth Fairy at least had his pajama bottoms on. Unfortunately, he lay unconscious on the floor. His wings, which had steadily glowed the whole time he was ill, still pulsed bright and dim in time with his heartbeat.
Alpha dropped to her knees beside him and rolled him over onto his back, being careful of his wings, and she cradled his head on her lap as she took his pulse. Finding it strong, Alpha sighed. It seemed he had merely fainted. "Roy? Come on...come on, open your eyes. Roy? Roy, luv, can ye hear me?"
Tooth Fairy eventually groaned softly and began to stir.
"You'll be all right...you'll be all right..." she repeated over and over until his eyes fluttered open, and she smiled with more relief that she would have thought possible. "Hey...there you are. What happened?"
He was shivering again, and he closed his eyes once more. "Dunno...just...getting dressed, and the room started spinning..."
"Ohh..." Alpha spotted his pajama top lying nearby, and she draped it over his torso for now to keep him warm. "When you feel up to it, let's get you into bed. Did ye hit your head when ye fell?"
"I don't think so..." By now, he realized where his head was resting, and he didn't know how to feel about it. What he did know was that he was hot and cold again, and the floor was putting uncomfortable pressure on his wings. But her cool hand felt so nice on his forehead...
It took him a little while before he was sure he could risk sitting up without growing dizzy once more, and she helped him on with his pajama top. She noticed that there were two little slits in the back for his wings, but they were so cleverly made that they were hard to spot if you didn't know to look for them. When he was bundled up once more, she sat on the edge of his bed and shook her head. "Boy...when you get sick, you really get sick, don't ye?"
Now that his head was a little clearer, he fully realized what had happened. His eyes widened. "Jeez, Alpha...what if I was still naked?"
And now she'd seen him shirtless as well!
"I wasn't thinkin' o' that..." she admitted, avoiding eye contact. "Ah was more worried I'd find ye wi' yer heid split open. Ye really landed hard. Scared the daylights out o' me."
From the small portion of her face that he could see, he realized that she was even more rattled by this than she was letting on, and he slipped a hand out from under the blankets to clasp hers. "Sorry. Hey...it's okay, I'm fine..." He felt her squeeze back, but she was still looking away. "Scared me, too...I'm not really a fainter, y'know?"
She finally cracked a smile and faced him again. "Aye...And besides, I wouldn't have looked. Anyway...you feel better, now that you're in your bed?"
He let go of her hand and nodded, once more glad that a fever flush could cover a blush. It was more comfortable here than the couch. "Yeah...thanks. Not just for getting me here, but...well, for everything. I dunno what I would've done if you hadn't been here..."
"You would've managed," she said truthfully, smoothing back his hair without really thinking about it. "But I'm glad I was here."
"Me too..." he closed his eyes with a deep sigh that was almost one of contentment. It really felt nice when she did that! Then his stomach growled loudly, and he wondered how long it had been since he had that soup. There was no way Alpha didn't hear that!
"You in the mood for somethin' to eat?" she asked him. "I didn't see much food in the kitchen, but I saw some eggs in your refrigerator, and the bread on the counter seems to be okay. I could fix you some scrambled eggs and toast, if you want. That should be easy on your stomach."
His stomach growled even louder, and that gnawing sensation was definitely hunger, not nausea. "Sure, thanks...that sounds great." he rubbed the back of his neck. "You have some, too, if you want. My kitchen's your kitchen."
"Hehe...I might eat in a bit. You want anything else while I'm down there?"
Tooth Fairy shook his head, and watched her leave the room. At the rate he was recovering, he would probably be back to normal in less than forty-eight hours. As awful as he felt before, as embarrassing as this had been at times, he almost wished his time alone with Alpha could last a bit longer. Not so that she could take care of him, because he really preferred to do for himself, but just so that he could be here, with her, where the outside world couldn't touch them.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily, muttering to himself, "I think I'm in trouble...If I didn't know his arrows didn't work on us, I'd be having a little talk with Cupid..."
Alpha leaned against the counter and waited for his toast to pop up. She couldn't let him see how badly his fall had upset her, but now she was taking deep breaths to center herself. She knew she should have gone up with him, but she also knew he never would have allowed it. Of course, she would have looked the other way for the sake of his dignity, but she understood why it was a no-go for him. She, too, would have said no if their positions were reversed.
But the sound of him hitting the floor kept playing over and over in her mind, and so did the sight of him lying there, looking so helpless. What if he'd hit his head on the corner of his dresser? What if something had happened with his magic, causing something much more serious than a faint? And why did the thought fill her with a quiet sort of panic?
She knew why.
I love him. Heaven help me, I love him. How could this happen? I don't know if I can handle this again...I've buried three mates, and the last one nearly destroyed me. I don't want to be in love. But...how could I not love him? He's so sweet and kind...He's had to deal with so much, and he's still the nicest man I know. This...this didn't just happen. When did it sneak up on me? I'm not ready for this...
What a pickle she was in...
Then the toaster popped, and she stifled a yelp before glaring at it and retrieving the slices. She put together the rest of his meal and got him a glass of water before heading back up.
He was able to keep his food down this time, and they passed the time with several games of gin rummy. Over the course of the 'day', the pulsing glow in his wings grew noticeably more faint. That 'night' he even felt well enough to get up and tend to his teeth. Going so long without brushing was unacceptable to him, and finally being able to do it was a great relief. He and Alpha stood side by side at his sink, brushing in companionable silence.
He broke the silence with a corny joke after spitting a mouthful of foam into the sink. "Y'know, I've never brushed my teeth with a woman before."
Alpha nearly choked on her toothpaste, hastily spat, and gave his arm a light smack with the back of her hand as she laughed with her face turned away. "See what you made me do?"
"Hehehe...sorry." He reached for the mouthwash right when she did, and he snatched his hand back as if burned when their fingers touched.
She took the mouthwash and snorted. "No, you're not."
"...No, I'm not." he agreed, smiling again as she handed him the bottle. He felt the chills looming, but he also felt like it wouldn't be as bad this time around. They rinsed, flossed, and washed their hands.
They still had no idea where she would sleep, and neither of them had brought it up yet. The couch was hardly ideal, and his recliner was old. The floor was out of the question.
He began shivering again as he reached for his shaving equipment, and Alpha pictured the damage that a straight razor and a pair of shaky hands could do. "Um...Roy, don't you think it'd be wise to hold off on that until you can keep yer hands steady?"
"Hm...Yeah...I probably should," he sighed, rubbing at his slight growth of a beard. He had started their ill-fated visit clean-shaven, but his facial hair grew in rather quickly, and nearly twenty-four hours had passed for them. His stubble itched. Still, it was better than slipping up and cutting himself. He gave a sudden, violent shiver and rubbed his arms. "Brrr!"
Alpha put her hands on his shoulders and turned him towards the door, managing to be playful and authoritative at the same time. "Bed."
"Bed," he agreed, ambling out and lying down again.
"Oh, do ye mind if I use your shower?" she called after him.
"No, go ahead. Linen closet's right by the tub." he replied as he burrowed under the blankets. He dozed a bit as the drone of her hair dryer whirred in the background, but opened his eyes again when he heard the door open. He peeked out from under the comforter. She was wearing a pair of light blue sweatpants and a black T-shirt that said 'Get oot ma hoose' in white text, and the tongue-in-cheek humor of a written-out Scottish accent wasn't lost on him. He snickered. "Nice shirt."
"Thanks." She sat at his desk, turning the chair to face him.
"Why didn't you pack PJ's?" He was curious, and he was pretty sure they'd reached a point where they could just ask each other these things.
"Don't got any," she shrugged.
"Then what do you...oh." he rubbed his face as if to wipe away the red, and he heard her giggle at him.
"Aaand ye just answered yer own question, I think. This is fine for now." She stifled a yawn against her fist.
Since she didn't seem offended by that, he decided to try another question. And it was a valid question, because he didn't have a guest room. "Where do you wanna sleep? And don't say the floor. I'll feel bad."
Alpha considered for a moment. Was he offering in a roundabout way to share the bed? Not wanting to assume, and not sure if she wanted to do that anyway, she shrugged. "Ah dinnae ken."
He knew that this meant 'I don't know', and he also knew that her slipping into that mode of speech meant that she was probably just as nervous as he was about the idea. But what was there to be nervous about? He knew he wouldn't try anything, and he hoped she knew that, too. Even if he thought she would allow it, he didn't feel well enough to entertain the thought. This wouldn't really be all that different from him sleeping on the couch and her sleeping on the floor in front of it. And she would have a softer place to rest, one that he hadn't perspired all over. Friends could share a bed without it being weird, couldn't they? And she was his friend.
Finally she couldn't take the silence, and she gestured vaguely at the other side of his bed. "Were you offering..."
"Well..." he pushed the blanket all the way off his head, having warmed up a little. "It's up to you. I stay on my side, you stay on yours."
She chewed briefly at the inside of her cheek, then shrugged and stood up, walking around the foot of the bed and sitting on the other side with her back to him. "Well...wouldn't be the first time I bunked with a friend. You sure this isn't weird?"
"Heh...it's a little weird. For both of us, I think. But you know me. I won't..." he trailed off.
"I know. Neither will I."
"Cool."
"Good."
She sat there for another moment before settling down under the covers on her side of his bed as he turned out the light. It was still daylight outside, which felt a little strange for how long they'd been in the time bubble, but he had dark curtains to block out a good deal of it, and they were drawn.
"I should warn you," Alpha piped up, "I travel a bit in my sleep. Not as bad as my friend Sarima, though. One time I woke up and her feet were in my face..."
He laughed, and the bed jiggled a bit. "I don't think I move a lot, but then again, I'm not awake to see it."
"Mm...anyway, if I get in your space, just go ahead and push me back over. Probably won't even wake me." she turned so that she lay on her side, facing away. They would have been back to back, if they weren't so conscious of each other's boundaries. "Hey, Roy?"
"Yeah?"
"What's with all the pizza boxes?"
He was silent for a moment, then he sighed. "Those aren't new. This is embarrassing, but...they sat on my counter for over a month."
"Oh..."
"Yeah...I know how it sounds," he closed his eyes. "I'm not usually such a slob. For a while there, I just...didn't care. About anything...About myself."
"Mmm...I know that feeling..."
"It's not like that now," he continued. "I guess you're asking because of how bare the cupboards are, huh?"
"Thought did cross my mind...and I know it's none of my business, but-"
"No," he gently interrupted, "I appreciate it. After all, you're the one who brought me back."
She didn't know what to say to that, but she smiled.
"So, I finally got around to cleaning up in there. And I'm a little behind in a few things, so the shopping didn't get done this week. I plan on taking care of that as soon as I'm over this thing. So, you don't have to worry." he ritched around a little to get comfortable. As much as he'd slept earlier, he was still sleepy.
She grinned in the semi-darkness, getting comfortable in much the same way he had. "M'gonna worry anyway. S'kinda my thing."
"Heh heh...I noticed. Night, Alpha."
"Good night, Roy."
Tooth Fairy woke up first. During the 'night', he had turned over onto his other side. Alpha must have done the same, because they were almost nose to nose, and somehow each had ended up with an arm draped over the other. This was far from unpleasant and it brought on a wave of desire, but he reluctantly disengaged himself, taking care not to wake her. He gently moved her arm from his waist and laid it on the mattress, untangled his legs from hers, then settled down to observe her after scooching back a bit.
She never looked this peaceful. When she wasn't cracking funnies she was serious, or sympathetic, or any number of other emotions. But he almost never saw her at peace, and he thought the universe had done her wrong by heaping so much responsibility on her. This was the strongest woman he knew. And he knew that, for the most part, she could take it. But that didn't mean she should have to.
Alpha sighed deeply. "I can feel your eyes on me. S'creepy to watch people sleep."
"I..." Realizing he was caught, and realizing she was right, he winced. "Sorry. I just woke up myself. Guess I'm still zoning out a little."
She opened her eyes and smiled to show that she wasn't really upset by this. "Your wings aren't glowing anymore. How do you feel?"
He thought about it, and he realized that, physically, he felt just fine. A little confused emotionally, but he could handle that, too. "Pretty good, actually. I think my magic's finally stable."
"Good..." Alpha sat up and ran a hand through her hair. It was wavy, and just sort of did whatever it wanted. After having slept on it, it was more wild than ever. "So..."
"So?"
"Did I move, or did you?" she smirked.
He must've woken her up when he shifted away from her. His mind flashed back to the moment he woke up and realized their limbs were intertwined, and he felt his face go bright red as his body responded against his will. Ah well, might as well just answer the question. He smiled sheepishly. "I think we both did. Sorry."
Alpha shrugged good-naturedly and got out of bed. "I'll let you get dressed. I want to run a comb through this mop."
Tooth Fairy nodded and watched her leave the room. Then he got up and went into his bathroom for a very cold shower.
The moment they left Tooth Fairy's house, the time bubble 'popped' and they were back in synch with everyone else. There was time to grab a meal before he had to go to work, and since Tooth Fairy still hadn't gotten around to getting permission for Alpha to step foot in his town they went to their favorite haunt; the cafe in Elfsburg.
Cupid watched them from afar, his eyes narrowed in thought. He really should have bet against Jack, but the god of love betting against love? That just went against the grain. They hadn't really thought this bet through, though. All Jack had done was suggest to the Council that they send Alpha, but he hadn't told them why. Cupid knew why. And he'd only entertained the idea because he was bored.
Now, watching from his perch on top of one of the table umbrellas, Cupid was certain that neither he nor Jack would end up having to embarrass themselves. In a way, it was a pity. On the other hand...maybe Jack was on to something. Dilated pupils, little touches to the arm from both sides, mirrored body language...her tucking her hair behind her ear and giving her head a flirtatious tilt...she even laughed at the guy's stupid jokes! Clearly, to her, they weren't stupid. He and Jack hadn't really had to do anything, had they? These two are in love...and I don't think they even know the other feels the same.
"Having fun?"
Jack Frost startled Cupid so badly that he fell off the umbrella, and Jack caught him. Cupid punched him in the shoulder and freed himself, fluttering out of reach. The courting couple remained oblivious.
"You dummy! You want 'em to know we're here?" Cupid hissed.
"Oh, chill...They're in la-la land."
"Yeah..." Cupid folded his arms and hovered near Jack's shoulder.
"Haha...aren't they cute?" Jack grinned, then gasped and put a hand over his heart. "Awww, look, he's letting her have the last cookie!"
"I know. It's nauseating." Cupid snorted, but he was trying very hard to keep his face as uncaring as usual. "At least they're not feeding each other..."
"Then why are you smiling?" Jack pointed at Cupid's face.
"I'm not."
"Ohhh, yes, you are. I see dimples!"
Cupid put a hand over his mouth and swatted at Jack with his bow. "Cut it out."
They watched as Alpha and Tooth Fairy finished with their meal, hugged, and went their separate ways, then Cupid spoke again. "I think we should change the terms of our bet."
"Hm?"
"Yeah. If we're not betting against each other, there's no point."
Jack nodded thoughtfully. He couldn't bet against Alpha and Tooth Fairy becoming a couple because it was his idea in the first place, and he understood why Cupid couldn't bet against them either. "So?"
"So..." Cupid settled down to sit on one of the tables. "How about this; we both try to get these two together and keep 'em there. And if they ever break up...we both gotta pay the piper."
"Hmm...okay." Jack extended a hand for a handshake, but Cupid snubbed it.
"All right, with that. Go freeze somethin', I got couples to unite."
Note: TF and Alpha might have acknowledged their feelings, at least to themselves, but they're still figuring things out. Part of this chapter was inspired by real life experience. A few male family members of mine can get kind of emotional and clingy when they have a fever. My dad actually burst into tears once during a commercial that had a song from 'The Sound of Music' because it reminded him of his mom. She loved that movie. We just kinda passed him the tissue box and gave him a pat. XD Hope you enjoyed this!