For All His Feathers - Chapter 7: The Stranger
To Sarah's surprise, his reply pulled a laugh from her. It wasn't that she'd necessarily forgotten about his nudity, but she'd done her best to ignore it. To have it so bluntly pointed out was jarring and had her feeling off-kilter.
His eyes crinkled in the corners. "I'm thrilled my disadvantage amuses you."
"Sorry, it's just… this is all absurd," she told him as she crawled over to the box of Toby's clothes.
She pulled out a pair of jeans, then frowned, glancing at his shredded leg. Long pants weren't going to be an option. She rummaged again and found some basketball shorts she thought might fit, though the imagery of the Goblin King in athletic wear made her stifle another giggle.
I'm really losing it, Sarah scolded herself as she got to her feet and moved toward the bed. She was careful to avoid looking at him as she offered the shorts.
"Such shyness is a smidge belated," he commented, taking the shorts. "I haven't the faintest idea of how long you ogled me in my vulnerable state before I awoke."
Her gaze snapped to his. "I did not ogle!"
The Goblin King shrugged before hissing like he regretted the movement.
"Don't shrug with a broken arm, dummy," Sarah admonished, unable to squelch the veterinarian urge to hover over him as he struggled to sit up.
Her hand was at his back before she gave it the command.
The Goblin King caught her eye, a look of mild surprise on his face. He looked like he nearly thanked her, but said nothing as she guided him forward.
He glanced at the pair of shorts in his unsteady right hand, then at his useless left arm. With a small groan, he lurched forward to try and feed his feet through the holes.
"Jesus, hold on," Sarah said, though her tone didn't sound as bitter as she'd intended. To make up for it, she added, "But I'm only helping so the stranger in my house isn't a naked stranger."
"I'm hardly a stranger," he told her, relinquishing the shorts to her snatching fingers.
"Lie back down," she ordered.
The Goblin King obeyed without protest, though his eyebrow raised at her commanding tone.
Sarah moved to the end of the bed, ignoring his amused expression. She slid one foot into the shorts, then the other. Trying to be as businesslike as humanly possible, she pulled the shorts up his legs, cautious not to let the waistband drag along his injuries.
Or his cock, which is rightthefuckthere, her traitorous mind whisper-screamed as she stretched the elastic as far as it would go while slipping the shorts over his hips.
"Such care," he rasped, his tone more playful than Sarah felt comfortable with.
She risked a glance at him and was annoyed to see he barely hid a smirk. Her eyes darted away, cheeks flushing as she tightened the drawstring.
"There," she said, taking a comically large step back. "All pantsed up. I'm afraid they're a little looser than your standard fare."
The Goblin King abandoned any attempt he had been making to conceal his smirk. "Didn't forget everything, hmm?"
Sarah scoffed because shutup and also because ofcourseIdidn'tforgetthatpart.
"Why is everything a question with you?" she asked, hoping he didn't notice the tremor in her voice.
His smile stretched. "Why are you blushing?"
"I'm not," she argued, though she felt her face flaming with heat.
He reached for the glass of water and brought it to his lips. His unuttered mhm hung between them as he peered over the rim and sipped.
The audacity of his teasing had her veins pulsing with indignant fury. "I just don't think we need to be talking about your bulge after I just helped you get dressed."
The Goblin King choked on his sip, sputtering water onto himself. "My what?"
Oh, no. Oh, God. Delete, delete, delete!
"Your, uh," she gestured helplessly at the juncture of his thighs. "I just remember—I mean, I think I remember it being…"
He stared at her, his expression bemused, curious, and eager.
"Prominent," she finished with a begrudging scowl.
He barked out a gravelly laugh before wincing. "Gods, that hurts."
Sarah huffed and crossed her arms. "Serves you right."
The smile was back, a wicked tilt at the corner of his mouth. "Are you really that mad about the fact that I have a—"
"Are we enemies?" she interrupted, dragging the question back out between them.
The Goblin King settled back onto the pillow. He inhaled deeply. His breath out was ragged but resigned. "Once, perhaps. Though I think adversaries is a more appropriate descriptor."
Her back stiffened. "If we are perhaps-enemies-but-more-appropriately-adversaries, what the hell were you doing snooping around my house?"
"I told you," he said. "You were forgetting."
"So?" she bit out.
He was quiet for a moment as he considered her. When he spoke, the sincerity in his tone caught her by surprise. "Can you imagine what it might feel like to be forgotten by someone you could never forget?"
His words traveled along Sarah's frayed nerves and settled heavily behind her ribs. Somehow, they felt like something she'd always wanted to hear.
Needed to hear.
She did her best to hold on to her glower. She felt her expression slip at the way he looked at her, like what she said next might just break his heart.
After a prolonged bout of flustered speechlessness, she decided to change the subject. "Why were you naked, anyway?"
The Goblin King chuckled. "All that effort to clothe me, and you're still thinking about it."
Her fists clenched, and she unclenched them immediately when he smirked at her reaction. "Can you please just answer my question?"
"It takes energy to summon clothing," he explained. "Energy that I, unfortunately, lack at the moment."
She sent him a dubious frown. "But you had the energy to transform from an owl into a whole-ass person?"
"Barely," he admitted with a slight lift to the corners of his lips.
"So," she said, dragging the word out as she gathered her thoughts and her rapidly dwindling wits. "Let me guess. You can't just transform back into a healthy owl and fly the fuck out of here?"
"No," he confirmed. "Nor can I pop back home as I am now. Shifting while injured has drained my magical reserves."
Sarah's curiosity was ebbing away at her defenses. "Then why didn't you just wait to heal a bit before shifting?"
"I overheard what was on the menu for birds in your care," the Goblin King said, his face contorting into a disgusted pinch. "Crickets and worms? I'd rather die mid-shift in this horrid little doll house bed."
"You still might," she offered, trying to sound hopeful.
Something behind his eyes sparked. "So cruel," he told her, the accusation dislodging another string of memories.
A ballroom. Laughing strangers. A song—something about her eyes, and a sad love deep within them.
He must have noticed the reverie she had slipped into, for a satisfied chuckle rumbled out of him. "You're remembering."
"Yes," she confessed, though she hated the truth of it. "Did we dance?"
"We did," he said, the softness of the words juxtaposed with the way his eyes flashed with something she didn't want to name.
Sarah's frown deepened as the memory began to slip away. "Why can't I remember?"
The Goblin King waited a beat, his searching gaze making her feel all the more unsteady. "I haven't given you my name."
"I-I don't—" She swallowed hard past the lump of apprehension forming in her throat. "I don't think I want your name. I didn't ask for any of this."
His eyes dimmed before he sent her a mournful smile. "As you wish."
A/N: Thank you, Geliot99 and rantobi for beta-reading! Any mistakes are my own as I meddled post-beta.
So stoked to share more S/J interactions with you! Thank you so much to everyone who left a comment on the last chapter. I get such a kick out of your reactions! 3
Please let me know what you think!