Fic: Changing of the Guard
The fairy’s name is Misha. Jensen leaves him standing at attention inside the ring of mushrooms while he goes about his chores. He’s a little slower than usual today, because he keeps finding himself going back to check on the fairy, as though dragged into his orbit by some kind of gravitational pull. Or maybe he’s just double; triple, quadruple checking that the winged man is actually real; that he didn’t just imagine him.
Whenever Jensen is near Misha, the fairy’s wings flutter and he stares at Jensen with such intensity that it makes him feel really self-conscious and he has to hurry away again.
The fairy’s invisible friends have gone back to the Fae Realm to report that Misha has found his soulmate. For a fairy, finding your soulmate is a big deal, apparently. It’s an even bigger deal if said soulmate is human.
Jensen drags his rake ferociously through dirty hay. He’s not quite sure how he feels about any of this. Yesterday, fairies didn’t exist. Today, he’s apparently destined to spend his life with one. It’s a lot to take in. He’s not even sure if he likes Misha. He’s not even sure if Misha likes him. The fairy looks stunned more than anything. Jensen supposes it’s a lot for him to take in too.
Misha’s attractive; in a flamboyant, Mardi Gras kind of way. Jensen tries to imagine going on a date with him and can’t. The wings are an issue for a start; they’re big and bluey -silver and people are going to notice them. Maybe Misha could wear a poncho? Jensen sniggers to himself. Also… all of the guys Jensen has dated have been really masculine. And it’s not that Misha isn’t masculine, because he is. It’s just that he’s also pretty, with big eyes and high cheekbones and if Jensen is honest with himself, he’s used to being the pretty one in his relationships.
Plus, most of the folk around Marshallville seem to be operating on a don’t ask, don’t tell policy when it comes to homosexuality. Even if Misha can hide his wings, he’d have to tone down his apparent penchant for sparkly silver suits and ballet pumps if they went out on a date, or the local boys might make trouble. Jensen heaps a load of soiled hay into the wheelbarrow and heads over to the compost.
As usual Brenda comes out to call him for lunch at midday. She can’t see or hear Misha, and Jensen feels sad for her. She would be so thrilled to see proof that fairies were real.
“I was hoping that we could have lunch together,” Misha says quietly. “I’m off duty as of now. And FYI, Jared and Chris just came back through.”
So as Jensen goes into the house with Brenda he explains to her that he’d like to have lunch on his own today, to take his sandwiches and his pie and a bottle of pop and go and eat out where the horses are grazing. He knows that his request makes her think that today is some kind of anniversary for him; someone’s birthday; or…the day, maybe, and he feels bad about it. But he can hardly tell her he has a date with a fairy who claims to be his soulmate.
Jensen is pensive when he gets back to the fairy ring. He’s carrying a red plaid picnic rug that Brenda fetched for him out of the blanket box in the storm porch, and a small cooler, packed with enough food for two, that she insisted on putting together for him.
Misha is turned away from him, looking over his shoulder.
“I don’t know, Jared,” he says irritably, “it should’ve worked! I… well, no. I just…” Misha makes a complicated gesture with his hand.
“I’m back,” Jensen says into the silence that follows Misha’s hand waving, but Misha shushes him.
“Alright, alright,” the Fae finally says with a sigh. “You win. Can you at least help me out here?”
“Uh what?” Jensen says.
Misha finally turns to look at him. “I was talking to Jared. I stuffed up the spell to make just my wings invisible,” he rolls his eyes. “Apparently paying more attention in class may have been advisable.”
There is a shimmering, like desert heat, behind Misha and he makes a satisfied noise.
“Thank you,” he says.
Jensen frowns. “I can still see your wings,” he says.
Misha explains that he can’t hide any part of himself from Jensen because they are soulmates, and that no-one else can see his wings.
There is more shimmering and then two more Fae become visible.
One of them is huge; taller, even than Jensen. Jensen can’t help but state the obvious.
The tall Fae shrugs good-naturedly and steps forward, offering his hand to Jensen.
“I’m Jared,” he says. “It’s so awesome that you’re gonna be Misha’s soulmate! I love humans.”
His hand is huge and when Jensen looks into his eyes he gets lost, just for a minute. He feels Misha bristle beside him so he gives Jared a wide, friendly smile and says, “Hi Jared. I’m Jensen. Nice to meet you when you’re not invisible.”
Jared’s grin is brilliant and unrestrained. “Do you get many moose here? I’m told there are moose in Iowa.”
Jensen gapes at him. “Uh. Not really,” he says. “Maybe one a year in the whole state. It’s rare enough that it makes the TV news when it happens.”
Jared’s face falls and he reminds Jensen of a very sad puppy. “But Steve said there were moose,” he says morosely, turning to the stocky, long-haired Fae.
“Steve’s from LA,” the other Fae says with a shrug, “and it’s been a long while since he lived in the human realm.”
“Maybe he was thinking about Minnesota?” Jensen says diplomatically. “They still get a fair few moose.”
He offers his hand to the stocky, long-haired Fae. “Nice to meet you,” he says. “I’m Jensen.”
“Yeah I got that,” the Fae drawls. “I’m Chris. At least we’re not gonna have to deal with his lordship bitching about your name.”
Jensen raises an eyebrow at Misha, but the man…fairy…whatever…is staring at him intently again and he loses his train of thought.
“Jensen,” Misha’s voice is warm, gravelly and melodic. “Shall we go?”
“Uh, yeah. Let me just,” Jensen reaches down and picks up the cooler and picnic rug.
Jared claps him on the shoulder and tells him that he hopes he enjoys his lunch with Misha. Jensen gets a little entranced by his wide soulful expression again.
“You’ve really got the puppy dog eyes happening, haven’t you?” he says. He gets a sudden clear picture of Jared running barefoot through woodlands with a herd of deer, his hair and his wings streaming behind him. “There’s something very earthy about you,” he murmurs. “I bet you love animals.”
Jared gasps and Jensen shakes himself out of his trance. All three fairies are gaping at him. “I’m sorry?” he says. “Did I…say something offensive?”
Misha breaks into a grin. “Hasn’t even set foot in the Fae Realm yet,” he says proudly. “He’s gonna be awesome!”
Chris smiles and shakes his head and mutters something about Steve.
Both Chris and Jared head back into the fairy ring and disappear and as they walk toward the bottom paddock, Misha explains that Chris has gone back to the barracks to get some more sleep because he’s on night shift, and Jared has re-cloaked himself and taken up position guarding the ring.
Jensen spreads out the picnic rug on the grass and unpacks the food; a plate of sandwiches, half an apricot pie and a hunk of goat’s cheese. There is also a bottle of Mountain Dew and two plastic cups.
“Help yourself,” Jensen says, picking up a cheese and tomato sandwich.
He watches as Misha carefully selects a sandwich for himself and sniffs at it cautiously.
“So,” Jensen chooses a second sandwich for himself. “What do I need to know?”
Misha inclines his head to one side, birdlike, and appears to consider Jensen’s question.
“When the Fae mate, we mate for for life,” he says. “Not all Fae find their soulmate. Many simply engage in casual exchanges of the Goddess’s gift, but once they have found their soulmate, no other touch will ever be satisfying.”
Jensen raises an eyebrow. “The Fae have a Goddess?”
Misha nods. “And a God. And sometimes each is also neither or both,” he sees Jensen’s puzzled frown and sighs. “It is…complex.”
Jensen nods. “Okay,” he drawls. “And what about the ‘no other touch will be satisfying’ thing? Is that just a fairy thing? Or does it apply to me too? Am I now screwed as far as ever being with anyone else is concerned?”
Misha’s eyes tighten. “I don’t know,” he says. “But I very much hope that being with another won’t be of interest to you anymore. We would not be soulmates if we weren’t compatible in every way.”
Jensen finds some paper napkins and helps himself to a hunk of pie. It’s not like he has a boyfriend at the moment. He doesn’t even have his eye on anyone. In fact, Misha is hands down the hottest guy he’s come across in a long while. Jensen’s not going to lie; he’s attracted to him. And he’s put out for guys he was a lot less attracted to, for no better reason than a roof over his head for the night. But if it’s going to be forever, shouldn’t there be more to it than being vaguely willing to put out?
Misha clears his throat. “There’s more you should know.” He has given up on the food and is eyeing off the bottle of Mountain Dew. Jensen pours some into one of the plastic cups for him and he sniffs at it dubiously before taking a tentative sip. He spits it straight back out again.
“That is not dew from a mountain,” he says. “It is carbonated water, corn syrup and…something…very…unnatural.”
The fairy looks horrified and Jensen can’t help but laugh. “It’s just a name, dude. Hey, speaking of names, what did Chris mean when he said some lord wouldn’t bitch about my name?”
Misha blushes faintly. “Chris has a human soulmate. His name is Steve. It is a bland name; there is no music in it. It doesn’t sound at all nice to the Fae ear. Jensen though, that is a beautiful name.”
Jensen frowns. He has so many questions trying to elbow their way to the forefront of his brain that he isn’t sure what to ask first.
“So fairy/human soulmates are common then?”
Misha shakes his head and explains that they’re quite rare; only about 3% of the Fae have a human soulmate.
Jensen rubs a hand through his hair and then rubs it across the back of his neck. This is all so incredibly weird.
“What else do I need to know?” he asks Misha. “You said there was more?”
Misha bites at his bottom lip. “You will likely begin to change as a result of our bond.”
Jensen’s stomach clutches painfully. “What? Change? How?”
Misha picks up the entire hunk of goats cheese and begins to eat it. He seems much happier with the cheese than with the sandwiches.
“How will I change, Misha?” Jensen asks again.
“It is never possibly to say,” the fairy replies. “Steve grew wings.”
Privately, Jensen thinks that wings would be cool, but it would make him stand out far too much. Unless of course Misha-or Jared-made them invisible for him. Jensen frowns. If he and Misha are supposed to be soulmates, then surely they are supposed to live together? And right now they live in different worlds; which is going to make that difficult. Maybe it’s different with the Fae? Maybe they won’t be expected to live together. Maybe they’ll just hook up every so often? Jensen puts the question to Misha who explains that as far as he is aware, all Fae/Human couples live in the Fae Realm.
A frisson of fear travels up Jensen’s spine at the answer, but then it starts to morph into something a lot closer to excitement. He’s already moved around so much during his life; what’s one more move? On the other hand, when Misha inevitably gets bored of him and kicks him to the curb, having to move worlds could be a major hassle.
Jensen takes a long hard look at Misha. The fairy has a strong jaw with a dimple in his chin and beautiful full (slightly chapped) lips. His dark hair is a mess and his eyes are big and blue. Right now those eyes are staring intently at him, yet again, and Jensen, he just doesn’t feel it.
“Are you sure about this soulmate thing?” he says. “Because I don’t feel,” he pauses. “I mean, you’re hot and I’m attracted to you, even if you are ridiculously over-dressed, but shouldn’t I feel…something?”
“Something?”
“Some soul deep connection or something?”
Misha licks his dry lips. “I believe you should feel something, yes.” He reaches out a hand and places it against Jensen’s head. He inclines his head and narrows his eyes. “You don’t believe you deserve to be loved,” he says.
Jensen knocks the fairy’s hand away. “What? Don’t be stupid,” he says. He starts to gather up the remains of their picnic and pack it away.
“I am not being stupid,” Misha growls. “Your mind is preventing your soul from feeling the bond properly, because you don’t believe that you are truly worthy of being loved.” The fairy gets to his feet, eyes flashing with fury. “I will hunt down every mortal who has ever made you feel this way and I will-”
Jensen scrambles to his feet and grips the enraged fairy by the arm. “Whoa! Chill, dude.”
Misha turns to him and cups a gentle hand against his cheek. “I can feel your soul, Jensen,” he says, “and it is a bright and beautiful thing.”
Jensen blushes faintly under his touch. It’s sweet that the fairy is saying such kind things to him, but Jensen knows the truth. No-one ever wants him to stick around. Not once they get to know him. Jensen is short term. Temporary. Always being asked to move on.
He finishes packing up and refuses to let Misha carry anything. “Look,” he says. “All this soulmate stuff…I know you believe it, but you don’t know me. If you did, the last thing you would want is to be saddled with me for life. So just. Go home, Misha. Share the Goddess’s gift with a bunch of other fairies and be happy. You don’t want me.”
“Yes I do!”
The fairy sounds panicky and it gives Jensen pause.
“You say I don’t know you,” Misha says quickly. “And that is true,” he moves in close and puts his palm to Jensen’s cheek again. Jensen can’t help leaning into the touch. “So let me know you,” Misha says softly. “Let me woo you.”
Jensen barks out a laugh and takes a step backwards, away from the fairy. “You want to ‘woo’ me?” he says.
Misha purses his lips. “Is that not the right word?”
“Well, sure,” Jensen says, “except that wooing is generally reserved for chicks. You know, girls?” his eyes suddenly widen. “You do know that I’m not a girl, right?”
Misha closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. “The biology of the Fae and that of humans is very similar,” he says, before turning his piercing eyes back on Jensen. “I am perfectly aware that you are male. You are a beautiful, infuriatingly stubborn man and I would like to get to know you better.”
Jensen blushes under his gaze. He supposes there’s no harm in that. It may even convince Misha that he’s got it all wrong; that this soulmate business is all a mistake.
“Okay,” he says.
Misha’s grin is a little like the sun coming out.
“You can woo me,” Jensen adds.
Misha’s grin slides slowly off his face. “Great,” he says. “How do I do that?”
Jensen shrugs. “You’re the wooer,” he says. “You figure it out.”
Misha flies down the barracks’ corridor toward the mated quarters, mostly ignoring the shouted congratulations coming at him from left and right. News of him having met his soulmate in the Mortal Realm has travelled fast, but he doesn’t stop to respond to the well-wishers. He goes straight to Chris and Steve’s room and knocks softly on the door.
Steve slips out of it a moment later, his forefinger against his lips.
“I figured you’d stop by,” he says. “But let’s do this somewhere else. Chris is asleep.”
Together they go out into the gardens and sit down beneath a big, old tree.
“Okay,” Steve says. “Shoot.”
Misha takes a very big breath. “How do I woo a human?” he asks.
Steve rubs a hand across his jaw. “First off, is he out?”
Misha frowns. “Out of what?”
Steve sighs. “Sexuality isn’t as…easy going in the human realm as it is here. Most humans are only interested in members of the opposite sex and among a lot of humans there are strong taboos against sexual relations between members of the same sex.”
“Oh,” says Misha. “Why?”
Steve shrugs. “They believe their God forbids it.”
Misha frowns. “Why would a-”
“I don’t know, Misha. The question is; what does your soulmate believe?”
Misha is completely confused by the question and it must show on his face because Steve sighs and says, “Yes, I know he wouldn’t be your soulmate if he wasn’t capable of being sexually attracted to you, but a lot of humans repress their sexuality out of fear. Revealing that you’re attracted to the same sex can be a big deal in the Mortal Realm. We call it ‘coming out’.”
Misha nods. “I see. My soulmate is called Jensen by the way.”
Steve grins. “Thank goodness he isn’t called something bland like Sam or Dean.”
Misha rolls his eyes. “Jensen didn’t react badly when I told him I found him attractive. And I caught him looking at my ass several times. He was also pretty eager to make sure that I knew he wasn’t a girl.”
“Okay,” Steve says. “That’s a good start. At least he’s not freaking out because you’re a guy. Is he freaking out because you’re a fairy?”
“Not really,” Misha says. “He’s freaking out because I’m his soulmate. He doesn’t believe he is worthy of being truly loved. So I need to woo him. To prove to him that he is worthy.”
“Okay,” Steve says. “You need to take him on a kickass date. What does he like doing? What are his interests?”
And Misha falls at the first hurdle, because he has absolutely no idea.
Jensen hasn’t gotten any better at rounding up the chickens. They flap and they squawk and they run this way and that. Jensen wonders if it scares them that they can no longer take to the skies; he wonders if they miss flying. He wonders if he’ll get wings. He wonders if he’ll be brave enough to try them out if he does.
Brenda comes out and helps him with the hens as she normally does. There isn’t the usual laughter today, though. Brenda is quiet and shoots him thoughtful looks, as if trying to gauge his mood.
When they round up the last wayward hen and head toward the house, she finally asks him how he’s doing. He tells her that he’s fine; that it’s just been one of those days, but he’s doing okay now. She puts a tentative arm around his shoulders and pulls him close, just briefly. It’s been a while since someone touched him with the sort of kindness that doesn’t expect anything in return.
Upstairs in the bathroom, Jensen peels his clothes off slowly while he waits for the shower to heat up. Once it’s steaming, he steps inside and lets the water beat a soothing rhythm against his shoulder blades. He tips his head back, mouth open, and lets the water cascade over his face.
Today, his entire understanding of the nature of the world changed. He really thinks he should feel something other than vaguely perplexed. Then again, it’s not exactly the first time he’s experienced a world-shattering revelation. At least this one is mostly positive. Jensen begins to soap his body. The fairies seem friendly; just like regular guys really, only with wings. He can imagine drinking at a bar with Jared and Chris. He’s still not sure what to make of Misha.
Jensen pictures Misha’s blue eyes; the way the fairy stares at him as though seeing straight into his soul. Maybe he can? The way he got all fired up at the thought of someone hurting Jensen was pretty hot. Misha is pretty; not at all the type of muscle-bound macho guy that Jensen typically finds himself in bed with; but in that moment, when he was standing there with his eyes blazing, Jensen had clearly been able to see the strength in him, to imagine the fairy gripping his wrists and pinning him to a mattress while he fucked him slow and deep and hard, opening him up; making him take it; all the while staring intently into his eyes and saying, mine, mine, over and over again. Jensen isn’t quite sure when he wrapped his hand around his cock, but he’s fully hard now and stroking himself firmly. He widens his stance and leans his forehead against the shower wall and then reaches behind himself with a soapy hand. He rubs a finger against his hole before pushing it inside. He finds his prostate and bites back a moan. It’s been a while since he jerked off; getting dumped had messed with his libido; so it isn’t long before he’s shooting all over the shower wall, biting his bottom lip hard to keep from crying out.
Later, after supper, Jensen helps Brenda to clear the table and wash the dishes. She’s humming to herself and when he asks what the song is, she tells him that it’s an old Irish folk song called King of the fairies.
Jensen puts away the serving dish that he’s just finished drying and then leans back against the kitchen table, with his feet cross at the ankles and the tea-towel draped over his shoulder. “Can you tell me about the fairies?” he says. “The ones we put cream out for.”
Brenda’s hands still in the dirty dish water for a moment and then she resumes scrubbing at the pan. “What do you want to know?” she asks.
Jensen shrugs. “Dunno,” he says. “Just whatever mythology there is about them.”
So she tells him. About Tir na Nog; the realm of the Fae. About the Seelie and the Unseelie-the good fairies and the bad. She tells him that if you eat or drink in the Fae Realm you can never leave it; that time moves differently there and you could come back to the Mortal Realm and die of old age as soon as your feet touched the ground. She tells him of the Wild Hunt and of Changelings and Jensen’s head is soon spinning; some of the stuff she says sounds completely made up, some of it sounds like there might be a little bit of truth there. Jensen smiles to himself because he’s going to be able to check with the source soon enough.
“Do the myths say anything about the fairies interacting with humans?” he asks.
Brenda turns and looks at him suspiciously and he endeavors to make himself look harmless and innocent. “Just wondering,” he says. “I’d really like to see one.”
Brenda’s eyes narrow and she holds his gaze for an uncomfortably long time before appearing to decide that he’s not trying to make fun of her.
“The Fae don’t typically make themselves known to mortals,” she says, “but there are tales of them kidnapping human lovers to service their needs.”
Service their needs? The way she says it, and the flush of her face, leaves Jensen in no doubt as to what she means. And Misha did say that human/fairy soulmates pretty much always lived in the Fae Realm, but kidnapping? Would Misha kidnap him if he didn’t go with him voluntarily? Would he force Jensen to service his needs? Jensen huffs out a quiet laugh. Kidnapped and kept as a sex slave; that sounds more like his life.
Jensen comes out of his reverie to find Brenda staring at him with a strangely sad, almost envious expression on her face. “Another less well-known myth,” she says softly, “tells of fairies finding their soulmate among the humans and whisking them away to live for all eternity in the Fae Realm.”
Jensen fakes a smile and offers to slice up the lemon meringue pie that they’re having for dessert. In truth, he doesn’t know what to think about Misha and his intentions. It’s all just incredibly weird. He supposes he’ll find out soon enough.
Misha and Steve have been brainstorming dating ideas for several long, painful hours when Steve decides that they need reinforcements. Chris is on duty now, but Jared is back and Steve reaches out to him to join them. Jared, Chris and Steve had already been friends when they arrived at the barracks for their period of guard duty. Misha is still bemused that they decided to welcome him into their ranks. He knew Genevieve from the Royal Court and she introduced him to Danneel and he had been content with their occasional companionship, not really looking to make friends. So far, Misha has kept his two groups of friends separate, but he thinks now, that a female perspective might be helpful so he tells Steve that he will also call on them to join in their brainstorming session.
Jared arrives first and the girls arrive shortly after. Misha introduces everyone and the minute that Genevieve and Jared shake hands, the air around them practically crackles with magic. A moment later they’re locked in a passionate kiss and Steve is trying to pull them apart for long enough to go and register their new status.
“Seriously?” Danneel scowls, her hands going to her hips. “I’m gonna be the only one here without a soulmate? So not fair!”
Misha knows how she feels. He may have met his soulmate, but his soulmate is an emotionally stunted human who can’t feel their bond and doesn’t believe it’s there. He watches with envy as Steve shoves a still-kissing Jared and Genevieve out of the door. Why couldn’t he have had that?
Thanks to Danneel, the rest of their brainstorming session is actually very short. She suggests that as Misha is likely to see his soulmate at work tomorrow, perhaps he should simply ask him what he’d enjoy doing on a date.
Misha retires to the dormitory, only to discover that all his stuff has been moved into the mated quarters. He’s grateful for the larger bed and private bathroom, but lying by himself in the big, fluffy bed, he feels like a fraud. His soulmate; his Jensen; should be here with him. Misha imagines spreading Jensen’s legs wide apart and then licking and sucking and tonguing at his hole, until he is loose and wet and sloppy. He imagines sinking into his soulmate’s tight heat, imagines the pretty, desperate sounds Jensen will make as he fucks him slow and hard and deep, nailing his prostate dead-on every time. Misha slides a hand down to his cock and jerks himself off with quick, efficient tugs. When he comes it’s to the image of his soulmate’s beautiful face twisted in the ecstasy of orgasm. Misha cleans up with a wave of his hand and wonders if his fantasies will prove to be all he ever has of his soulmate.
Jensen’s stomach flutters with something he shies away from naming when he sees his fairy standing on guard duty. Misha is dressed more casually today, in a pair of expensive-looking jeans, a grey shirt and a black suit jacket.
“Hi,” Jensen says. “You look good.”
Misha smiles and his wings flutter. “Thank you. I didn’t wish to be ‘ridiculously over-dressed’ again.” He makes air quotes with his fingers and Jensen can’t help smiling back at him, because it’s kind of adorable, in a really dorky way.
“I would like to invite you on a date,” Misha says. “Where would you like to go and what would you like to do?”
Jensen figures that dating is an important step in the wooing process and he’s actually quite pleased that Misha is looking for his input. After his talk with Brenda he’d been a little worried that the fairy might decide that wooing was too much trouble and just kidnap him instead. He hands Misha the bowl of cream while he considers the (somewhat limited) dating options in Marshallville for a gay couple. He watches in awe as Misha flicks his hand and makes the cream in the bowl rise up out of it and then disappear.
“What do you guys do with all the cream anyway?” he asks.
Misha explains that there are no non-sentient creatures in the Fae Realm, so the Fae don’t produce meat or dairy products. They don’t eat meat period, but they are rather partial to dairy products, so whenever humans offer tribute, the Fae ask for it in cream.
Jensen is sure he looks as horrified as he feels. “So I’d be right in guessing there’s no steak in the Fae Realm?”
“No steak,” Misha says.
Jensen rubs a hand across his jaw. “We’re gonna be living in this Realm then because I ain’t becoming a vegetarian for no-one.”
Misha beams at him. “You want us to live together?”
“I…uh…dunno. It was more a figure of speech?”
Misha frowns at him. “Was that a question?”
“No? I. Um. So,” Jensen clears his throat. “Can we go to Texas Roadhouse for our date?”
Misha inclines his head. “You wish to go to a roadhouse in Texas?”
“It’s a restaurant. They do awesome steak.”
Misha glares at him. “I don’t want to see you eating the flesh of dead animals.”
“Yeah?” Jensen bristles. “Well too bad, buddy, cuz I’m from Texas!”
Misha’s brow furrows. “You hail from a restaurant?”
“What? No. Texas is a state. The restaurant is named after…you know what? Never mind. I’m not giving up steak. That’s just…it’s just a road too far.”
Misha looks utterly perplexed. “Is this road that is too far, the same road that the Texas house with the steak is on?”
Jensen stares at him. “I’m not drunk enough for this conversation to make sense,” he says, before stomping off to do his chores.
Several hours later, Jensen is feeling like an asshole. He loves his steak way too much to ever give it up, but if Misha is a vegetarian, then Jensen really should respect that. He can deal with eating rabbit food whenever they eat together, so long as he gets to eat meat at least a few times a week. Jensen turns away from the feed trough he’s just filled with a sigh and practically walks into Misha’s chest.
“Dude!” he says. “Personal space!”
Misha takes a step back.
“And aren’t you meant to be guarding the fairy ring?”
Misha rolls his eyes. “I have one of your hens doing it for me.”
Jensen gapes at him. “One of…the hens?”
“Yes. I put a spell on her. She will alert me if there is any danger.”
Jensen raises his eyebrows and then runs a hand across his jaw. “Okay. Well. Did you want something?”
Misha’s eyes dim. “I wanted to spend time with you. Do you...want me to leave you alone?”
Jensen shakes his head. “No. You can tag along if you want. Fair warning, though; you’re gonna get dirty. Especially in those shoes.”
Misha looks down at Jensen’s boots and then a moment later he waves his hand and his own dress shoes are replaced with boots.
Jensen thinks that’s a pretty neat trick and wonders if the fairy is as skilled at magically removing clothing. He scratches his head. “So listen, I owe you an apology.”
Misha inclines his head quizzically and Jensen really shouldn’t find it as adorable as he does.
“For the whole steak thing. I mean, I ain’t gonna give up my carnivore ways any time soon, but, uh, I guess I don’t have to eat meat in front of you if it makes you upset.”
“Thank you,” the fairy says. “You’re not a carnivore, you know. You are an omnivore.”
Jensen pats him on the arm. “Just a figure of speech, man.”
Misha grins at him. “Also? When our bond solidifies you will lose your taste for meat. Steve also used to enjoy steak and now, after so long with Chris, even the thought of it makes him ill.”
Jensen groans. And then wonders how much of himself will actually be left once (if) this soulmate bond thing solidifies.
Over the next couple of hours Misha debunks most of Brenda’s fairy myths. He is highly amused by some of them; the idea that the Fae must stop to count sugar grains if they are tossed before them has him doubled over with laughter; and he is infuriated by others; the suggestion that the Fae would kidnap humans and keep them as sex slaves makes him particularly angry. He says that the Wild Hunt and Changelings are 100% myth, but concedes that there is in fact a Seelie Court and an Unseelie court, although it isn’t so much a case of good and bad so much as light and dark. He explains about The Balance; the maintenance of the natural order; the preservation of Mother Earth’s innate cycles and rhythms. The Fae play an important part in Earth’s cycles, apparently.
“When a new mortal life is due to be born it is the Seelie,” Misha explains, “who escort the chosen soul to the body; when an old mortal life is due to die, it is the Unseelie who escort the soul to the Summerland. The Seelie are responsible for Summer and Spring; the Unseelie for Autumn and Winter. It is our job to maintain The Balance; to ensure the preservation of the cycles.” Misha leans against Black Betty’s stall with his feet crossed at the ankles and his hands in the front pocket of his jeans.
“Unfortunately,” he continues, “every now and then, someone somewhere believes that the Light should conquer the Dark or vice versa. But we can only co-exist. There can be no Spring without Winter; the price we pay for life is death; the cycles must be maintained or chaos will ensue.”
“Yeah, I get it,” Jensen says, as he shovels soiled hay into the wheelbarrow. “In our myths, us humans interpreted the Unseelie as being evil because we’re not big fans of the dark, winter, or dying. But they’re not evil, they just represent the parts of the cycles that we’d rather forget about.”
“Just so,” Misha agrees. “It’s interesting to determine the likely roots of your myths about us. That myth that once you’ve eaten in the Fae Realm you can never leave? It likely came about because once you have eaten in the Fae Realm you don’t want to leave, because our food is so awesome. Human food, in contrast, is terrible.”
Jensen rolls his eyes. “I’m gonna prove you wrong on that,” he says. “There’s a bar in town that does good food. Let’s go there for our date. I’ve eaten there with Brenda and Larry and they do vegetarian stuff, so you’ll be fine,” he sighs. “And I won’t have steak if it’s gonna bother you.”
Misha wants to pick Jensen up from the house and fly him to the restaurant, but Jensen explains that it would be too hard to explain how he’d arrived at the farm and how they were planning to get into town. Also, although he doesn’t mention it to Misha, Brenda and Larry don’t know that he’s gay and he doesn’t want to tell them. If they take it badly and kick him out, he’ll lose both the roof over his head and his job and he doesn’t want to feel that he has no choice but to join Misha in the Fae Realm, doesn’t want to go into this with the power imbalance between them any greater than it already is.
Misha agrees to meet him at the bar and Jensen promises to text him the address.
Misha inclines his head and frowns. “Text?” he says.
Jensen blinks. “Huh,” he says. “Fairy. Guessing there ain’t no cell towers in the Fae Realm.”
“The palace has many towers,” Misha tells him gravely and Jensen turns and lets his forehead thunk against the wall of the barn before turning back to Misha and explaining about cell phones.
Misha is visibly impressed and waxes somewhat lyrical about the ingenious steps humans have taken to counter their lack of magical ability.
“Yeah, okay,” Jensen rolls his eyes. “I’ll look up the bar’s address at lunch time and write it down for you.”
“No need,” Misha says airily. “If you get there first, I’ll be able to track you via our bond.”
Jensen swallows. “Right. Cuz that’s not stalkery at all.”
<
| NEXT>>
Masterpost