NanoWriMo and Blog addition

Hi friends,

Just a couple things I wanted to share.  I'm somewhat participating in NaNoWriMo, which is National Novel Writing Month.  I'm not actually attempting to write a novel in one month, but I am using this month to challenge myself to write something everyday, even if it's just a paragraph.  I'm also looking up writing prompts to help with this goal.  I won't post what I write every day, but I will share some of my work.
   
Also, I've added a blog archive option to the page.  It's at the bottom, left hand side.  Most of what I write and share this month won't be linked in the way I've done my other stories on the site, but if you miss a post or want to go reread something, the archive will probably be the easiest way to do so.  

Alright, yesterday's Writing Prompt that I chose was this: Write about two people seeing each other for the first time.

I tweaked that prompt a little, and below is what I came up with.

****

Clueless.  That was me.  Clueless, oblivious, dense…and the worst part, so self-absorbed that I didn’t recognize it until this night of my twenty-eighth birthday.  From this day forward I should be called Cruise Carter, race car driver and egocentric idiot.

My friends had thrown me a birthday party, and since I was a well-known…okay famous…race car driver, we’d completely taken over the large lake house we’d rented.  I’d guess upwards of two hundred people filled the house, its large front patio, and the even larger backyard and pool area.  I didn’t know most of them.  If they lined up, I could point out my six closest buddies—four from college and two who worked my pit crew—and then another dozen or so who I’d met through them.  The rest of the crowd were acquaintances, friends of friends, a fair number of fans, and even a couple celebrities who’d somehow become of part of my party-crew. 

The night had been a blast so far.  Alcohol, music, and scantily dressed people making use of the pool tended to make for a good time.  I’d been working the crowd, tossing back drinks with my guests, joining in the impromptu karaoke, opening the occasional gift that was thrust into my hands, and thoroughly enjoying being the star of the show.  I won’t lie.  I liked the attention.

I also like the attention of any hottie I saw, male or female.  I’d been sharing the love with whoever struck my fancy for a few years now, and it hadn’t gotten boring at all. 

I was wonder who I might get to share my bed that evening when my gaze landed on the ideal target.  Twenty-something, black hair, blue eyes, slim but with broad shoulders, and being a bit of a wallflower as he sat on a deckchair on the outskirts of the crowd enjoying the pool and its diving board.  I tended to fancy the shy ones.  Drawing them out was a game I enjoyed playing…and winning.

Maneuvering my way through the crowd, it took a good five minutes to reach my destination.  I’d purposefully come up from behind.  The timid ones tended to take flight if they saw me approaching, hiding nervously before I could even talk to them, so I’d learned to be where I wanted—within touching distance—before they realized I was there.

Now, standing behind the man I hoped to have in my bed very soon, I took a moment to admire his dark hair and mild scruff before crouching down next to him.

“Great night for a party,” I commented, and couldn’t help grinning when the guy’s head turned abruptly in surprise.  He’d clearly thought he hadn’t been noticed.

“Oh…uh…yeah, it is.”

His voice was lower than I expected it to be, and I found that incredibly sexy.  “You’re not joining in much.  How can you know how good it is if you don’t involve yourself with anyone?”

His head tilted slightly, his eyes narrowed slightly and he seemed to size me up in a way I wasn’t used to.  “I’ve involved myself more than I should have in the past,” he said in a way that felt cryptic.  “Now, I prefer to watch.”

“Watching anyone in particular?”

His cheeks pinked slightly and he looked away from me.  I reached out to gently grip his wrist, knowing what to expect, and not being disappointed when the touch quickly brought his eyes back to me. 

“Your expression says I might have been the one you were watching,” I said with confidence.  “Want to go somewhere private and have a drink with me?  We can watch each other all we want then.”

I fully expected hesitation, and then a nod or a shy yes.  Then I’d take his hand, and gradually get us to that private location.  What I didn’t expect was the hurt that came to his eyes and the question, “You don’t remember me, do you?”

I admit, that knocked me completely off my game.  I tried to reclaim my faltering smile as I stupidly said, “We’ve met?”

He sighed, his head dropping to look at the ground and I barely heard the words, “I knew I shouldn’t have come.”

He started to stand, but I gripped his wrist harder and the action stopped him.  “Hey, I’m sorry I don’t remember.  I’m not always the best with names and faces since I tend to meet a lot of people.”

“Yeah,” he said, that sadness lingering in his voice.  “I know you do.”

He did stand then, and reached into the pocket of his shorts to pull out a folded paper and hand it to me.  “Happy birthday, CJ.”

Shocked landed in my gut.  I hadn’t been “CJ” in more than ten years.  Only a handful of people from my high school years had ever called me that, mostly because I’d begged to be called anything except my given name, ‘Charlie Jensen Carter’, which I’d never liked.  In college I’d picked the name ‘Cruise’, always telling people to call me that so that very few knew my real name now.

I looked down at the paper in my grasp and nervously unfolded it.  As soon as I saw the picture inside, I knew who the dark-haired man was—Tyler Jacob.  TJ to my CJ.  My childhood friend who’d draw me pictures to make me laugh, my karate partner for the one year we’d taken it together when we were ten.  The first person I’d confessed I was bisexual to after he told me he was gay.  The one who’d given me his virginity, and I’d given him mine when we were sixteen.  He’d moved away just a few months later, forced to relocate due to his dad’s job.  I hadn’t seen him in twelve years.  No one would judge me for not recognizing him.

I shook my head, knowing I should be judged…judged and found guilty, because I knew what I’d done to him—both when we were teenagers and this night.  I’d once told him I loved him.  When he had to move I said I’d never forget him and that we’d be together again one day. 

I’d never followed up on those words, those promises.  And now, I’d proven how shallow my love had been by not even recognizing the one I’d first offered it to.

Looking up, I desperately scanned the crowd.  I had to find him.  I had to make it right, somehow…but he was gone.

 

The Warrant

I promise I'm still here!  It's just been a crazy few months--two jobs, extra training, etc, etc, etc.  Anyway, here's just a little ficlet.  Enjoy!
JL-

*****
THE WARRANT

The doorbell roused Connor from his sleep.  Groaning, he rolled to his side and then slowly sat up.  Mark remained asleep on the bed, dark circles still visible under his eyes.  Connor was sure he had matching circles, considering their crazy week and the red-eye flight that had brought them home. 

The doorbell rang again, followed by pounding knocks.  Connor frowned and hurried as much as he was able to prevent the intrusive noise from waking his partner.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” he grumbled, and then yanked open the door.  “What do you...want?”

His question fell away as he stared at the three officers at his front door.  They looked intimidatingly serious, and one of then handed him an envelope. 

“Sir, do you live here?”

“Um…yeah.  What’s going….?

“We have a warrant to search this residence.  Please step aside.”

Connor’s tired brain was having trouble keeping up, and he felt like he was caught in a bad cop drama.  “A warrant?  For what?”

One of the cops made a subtle motion for the other two to enter and start searching, while Connor looked on in confused shock.

“The warrant is for any and all ‘toys’ of a sexual nature,” the lead cop explained, his face making an expression of disgust. 

“Connor’s mouth fell open.  “What?  Why?!”

“It’s all explained in the warrant,” the cop replied.

Frantic, Connor ripped open the envelope, his mind trying to make sense of the legal jargon while his heart panicked at the thought of the cops looking in the drawer of his nightstand or the small trunk kept in the back corner of his and Mark’s closet. 

Before he could finish reading the information in the documents of the warrant, the two cops reentered the room, both now wearing gloves as they held the contents of his nightstand drawer, including the small wooden paddle that Connor definitely did not consider a ‘toy’.  He frantically looked over the policemen’s shoulders, hoping to see Mark come out to help him, but saw no sign of his partner.  How could Mark sleep through their search?!

The head officer turned a menacing look onto him.  “Sir, do these items belong to you?”

“Uh…I…ah…I mean….”

Apparently they took that answer as an affirmative, because in moments his wrists were being handcuffed and one of the cops started saying the familiar, “You have the right to remain silent” speech.

“Wait!  No!  I’ve done nothing wrong.  Mark!” he called in a panic.

Not looking impressed or merciful, the head cop looked at his partner who still held the paddle.  “Take him down to the station.  If he gives you any trouble, use that on him.”

“What?!  No!  NO!  Mark, wake up!  Help!  Help!”

“Connor.  Connor!”

With a gasp and a muffled shriek, Connor sat straight up in bed, his heart pounding.  “Mark!  Help!”

“Connor-love, I’m here!  I’m here!  You’re just dreaming.  You’re okay.”

Gulping, Connor turned desperately into Mark’s arms as his partner pulled him close.  Vestiges of his dream floating around him for a few terrifying seconds before they drifted away.  His breathing was rough for a minute more before he started to calm.

“You’re okay, baby.  You’re okay,” Mark heard murmured in his ear.  “It was just a dream.”

“A nightmare,” he corrected, his voice muffled against Mark’s shoulder. 

“I believe you.  You sounded terrified.  Want to talk about it?”

It only took a moment’s thought before Connor shook his head, at first horribly embarrassed as to the contents of his dream—cops coming with a search warrant for dildos, plugs, and a paddle.  Then, exhaustion and residual emotion took his mind another direction and he began to chuckle, then laugh, and then completely lose himself to hysterics.  His eyes watered and he had to keep wiping at them until his laughter faded away.  Mark looked at him with a mix of worry and amusement.

“What in the world did you dream about, love?”

Connor shook his head, unable to find the words to explain the weird dream.  “I’ll tell you when I can think more clearly.  I think the red-eye flight and plane food has played havoc with my brain.  Let’s just go back to sleep.”

Still looking concerned, Mark nodded and they snuggled together under the blankets.  Connor closed his eyes, sighed, and then spoke quietly.  “Tomorrow, maybe we can find a way to lock the nightstand drawers.”

“Um, sure, whatever you want, baby.”

Connor knew Mark was saying that just to placate him, but it helped, and he fell back asleep with thoughts of his husband instead of images of cops at the door holding paddles and sex toys.

Fairy Tales - Part Eleven

A few hours later, Fin felt an unusual tickle run through his wings a few moments before the door to Crill and Sera’s home opened.  His two hosts were working on the evening meal together, and Fin had been entertaining himself in the family area with a jar of colored sand.  It was something he’d included in the leaf pack he’d brought with him from home.  He nearly spilled the fine grains on the floor when he saw Jac enter the house.  It was inevitable that his cheeks and wings blushed to a nervous pink when he saw Jac’s expression go from shock to uncertainty to a sad kind of relief.

“Fin,” the older fairy voiced, sounding uncertain.

Fin stood quickly from his spot on the floor and took a step toward Jac before doubt of his welcome made him hesitate.  “Jac?” he said, uttering it like a question.

The silence filling the space between them felt incredibly heavy.  Fin couldn’t remember anything he’d planned to say in that moment, and he’d never seen Jac look so insecure.

Then, Fin watched Jac’s demeanor go from hesitation to resolve, although what that resolve was, he couldn’t be sure.  Still, a seed of hope bloomed in his chest when Jac closed the distance between them and simply pulled Fin into an incredibly warm hug. 

The welcoming embrace surprised Fin, and for some reason made his eyes well up with emotion, but he hugged Jac back.  “I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me,” he admitted into Jac’s shoulder.  The arms around him tightened a little.

“I feared the same thing,” the older fairy admitted.

“I need to explain to you.”

“Yes,” Jac agreed, but he didn’t let go of their hug.  They stood like that for several minutes, until Crill came into the room and made a noise of surprise.

“Uh, I’m sorry.  I didn’t realize you’d arrived Jac.  I’ll just go…”

Jac finally dropped his arms from around Fin, which left the younger fairy with a bereft emotion he didn’t expect.  “No, Crill.  It’s okay.  Fin and I will go.  We need to talk anyway.”

Crill didn’t look surprised, although he did ask a question.  “Should I expect you here tonight?”

With just a moment’s pause, Jac shook his head.  “No, I don’t think so.  I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”

Putting an arm around Fin’s shoulders, Jac walked with him out of the house, and then made a motion upward.  “Follow me.”

He flew straight up, and Fin followed automatically, although he wondered where they were going.

Jac continued a course that didn’t veer from its upward progression.  He finally stopped when they reached the very top of the tree cover, and then settled on a sturdy limb and patted the spot next to him, inviting Fin to his side.

Taking a breath, Fin sat and then opened his mouth to attempt a start to his explanation, but Jac spoke before he had a chance.

“I’ve been thinking about you constantly for months, Fin,” the older fairy started, surprising Fin with the words.  “And I have a lot I should probably tell you about those thoughts, but for now most of my focus has been on what happened after your Bond Guard meeting, and how I could have prevented you running from me as you did.”  His tone had gotten much sadder, but he kept going.  “I don’t know what you need to explain to me, but before you do, I need to tell you that I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Fin interrupted with honest surprise.  “For what?”

“For the way I handled our relationship after my meeting with the Bond Guard.  You wanted so much for me to tell you what had been said, and I kept cutting you off or delaying things.”  He looked regretfully at Fin.  “The Bond Guard told me I couldn’t let you know I was your mate until your time came, that you wouldn’t be able to handle the information yet, but that I could prepare for the time when you were.  I was also struggling a little with some things I was told by the Guard, and needed to work through them.  That’s why I had to delay fulfilling my promise to you, and it’s why I chose to move here to Apple Hollow after helping with the fire.  I…didn’t trust myself around you just then.  I’m just…I’m sorry, Fin, that I pushed you away and made you not want to be matched with me.”

He stopped talking then, and Fin just stared at him for a long minute, having not expected any of what Jac had just said.  The information was rolling around in his head, and he tried to correlate what he’d just heard with his own take on what had happened.  Jac was sorry?  Jac had apologized?  But, from everything Fin could see, Jac hadn’t done anything wrong.  He had a feeling there was going to be a lot more to this conversation with Jac than he had initially expected, but he knew he had to make his own apologies first.

“Jac,” he said quietly, and with his nerves close to the surface.  “It sounds like you were trying to do right by me, not push me away.  I’m the one who hasn’t behaved as I should.  I really need to explain why I ran that day, but I think…I think I might hurt you when you understand.”

Jac looked at him, and Fin felt like the other fairy was trying to look into his mind and see the words before they were said.  Then, tentatively, Jac slid his hand over Fin’s and squeezed it gently. 

“Before you explain, can you answer a question for me?”

“Um…sure.”  Fin didn’t know what would be asked, but he’d try to say whatever Jac wanted.

“We both know that the Bond Guard has said we are each other’s ideal match.  The bond we create between each other has the potential of being rich and deep.  But, I need to know, do you want to match with me?  Do you want to be my mate, Fin?”

It was not a question Fin expected right then, and he wasn’t entirely sure he even knew the answer.  He did his best to be honest, but his throat tightened painfully as he did so.  “I want to try,” he choked out.  “I’m not sure I understand what the Bond Guard sees for us.  You weren’t who I expected to be told was my mate, and I’m still trying to…adjust…to that.  I do want to try though, with you.”

Jac’s face became very hard to read, although that Fin’s words weren’t what he had hoped to hear was clear.  He turned toward the dimming sky, not looking at Fin as he spoke very quietly.

“You want to try.  I wasn’t who you expected.”  He murmured very sadly and almost to himself.  “There’s someone else you want, isn’t there, Fin?  You didn’t run because you saw me.  You ran because you didn’t see who you wanted.”

With fear, surprise, and sadness warring in him, Fin confirmed Jac’s words with a nod, and then started the explanation he’d promised.

“Remember when you found me at Rock Arch awhile back and we fought?”  He continued without waiting for an answer.  “I made a friend there.  Her name is Luna, and she was who I expected to be matched with.  I met her when some of us transplanted saplings there to save them and strengthen the tunnel home of the mole, Talpi.  I was drawn to her and started to visit Rock Arch in the hopes of seeing her again.” 

Jac had grown very still, clearly listening, but not reacting at all, and Fin’s inability to read him made him talk faster.

“I was attracted to her, and we became good friends.  I saw her almost every night—well, whenever the dreams didn’t call her away—and I was so happy when I was with her that I believed she would be the mate the Bond Guard would lead me to.  I hoped for it, planned for it, so I wasn’t prepared when the Guard told me the first fairy I’d see when I left his home would be my mate and it ended up being you.  I thought it would be her.”

He was breathless by then, so he stopped talking and turned an imploring gaze to Jac, hoping for understanding, for forgiveness, but Jac was still silent.  His eyes were no longer looking at the sky, but down toward the ground, his head hanging slightly and his hands clasped between his knees.  

His silence was unnerving enough, but his utter stillness after Fin’s monologue sent chills of anxiety throughout the younger fairy.  It was unsettling that even Jac’s wings were absolutely still, not moving even with the evening breeze blowing around them.

“Jac?” Fin tentatively lifted a hand to touch the other fairy’s shoulder, but stopped short of his destination, suddenly unsure if it was the right thing to do.  “Please say something.”

The deep breath Jac took at least erased the statue-like impression he’d been doing, but there was such sadness in the sound that it didn’t ease Fin’s worries.

“You haven’t said the words, but they’re in your voice.  You loved her—you still love her.  How can you match with me when your heart belongs to someone else?”

“But it doesn’t,” Fin debated, and that finally brought Jac’s gaze to meet his.  “It’s true—unfortunately—that I did offer my heart to Luna, but she was wiser than me.  She knew better than I did that we wouldn’t be matched, and she tried to prepare me for that.  She guarded my heart better than I did, and she made sure I didn’t give it away.”

Jac didn’t look wholly convinced.  “I’m not sure you truly want me to have it though.  I think—I fear—that you still wish to give it to her.”

Timidly, Fin inched himself closer to Jac until their legs brushed against each other.  Jac didn’t pull away, which Fin was grateful for.  “I think I’m learning some things about hearts, Jac.  I think it’s things my dad and Luna and the Bond Guard were all trying to teach me, but I didn’t understand.”

“What things?”

“That sharing a heart with someone isn’t just how you feel about them.  It’s a choice too—maybe even more importantly.  It’s true that my heart felt—feels—love toward Luna, but I am not the right mate for her, and she’s not the right one for me.”  It was hard to utter those words, but he managed to say them without faltering.  “It’s my choice now to care for her just as a friend, and my choice to make a connection to you and hopefully be a mate you deserve.”

Jac’s posture was still guarded.  “Do you truly choose me, Fin?”

It was a question that begged for honesty, yet gentleness too.  Fin moved another inch closer and shyly reached for Jac’s hand.  “If I didn’t choose you, then I wouldn’t have come at all.  I would have stayed with Luna and probably tried to force her into a match with me, but that wouldn’t have been kind.”  He felt Jac’s fingers squeeze gently around his, and he returned the gesture.  “I want every fairy to have as happy a life as possible, and as my dad helped me realize, that means participating in what is best for them, and not pulling myself or them into bad choices.  I know many fairies bond quickly with their match.”  He felt a little shame for his next words.  “I’m not sure that will happen with us.  I think I might need some time to feel out the connection the Bond Guard says you and I can make.  That doesn’t mean I’m not going to try though.”  He forced himself to look Jac in the face.  “Are you mad?”

Fin slowly shook his head.  “No, I’m not mad.”

“Disappointed?”

“No…well…maybe,” Jac admitted.  “I would, perhaps, wish for a quick bond, but maybe that’s not the right path for us.  Also, you’ve been very honest with me, and I need to offer you the same I think.”

“What do you mean?”

Jac’s expression became sheepish.  “My initial reaction when the Bond Guard told me who my mate was to be was not the most joyous either.”

Fin thought about that and couldn’t help a sliver of upset over those words.  “What do you mean?  I wasn’t who you wanted?”

“Not exactly that.  I didn’t have any fairy in mind for a mate, so I was anxious to hear what the Bond Guard would tell me.  When he did reveal your name to me, I had some reservations.”

“Oh.”

That single word seemed to hold such letdown that Jac quickly tried to explain more.  “It wasn’t that I didn’t like you, Fin.  I did…I do.  I just thought you were kind of immature and…annoying sometimes.”

“Hey!”

Fin’s sincere offense for some reason made Jac chuckle, which helped break the seriousness of their conversation.  “I don’t mean to insult you,” he assured, and pressed an affectionate kiss to Fin’s temple.  “I just thought you had some growing up to do, and it seems I did to.  I did get over my bother quickly though.  I’ve watched you from a distance, Fin, and I’ve spent months preparing and imagining our life together.”

“Really?”

“Really.  Want to see what I’ve been working on?”  Jac rose, keeping Fin’s hand in his, and Fin readily stood with him.

“Am I going to like it?”

“I hope so.”

Jac’s wings flapped strongly and he was soon leading Fin back through the trees, giving the younger fairy a bit of hope and excitement blooming in him.

*****

“Whose house is this?”

Jac had brought him to the entrance of a lovely-looking dwelling.  Like Crill and Sera’s home, this one was also built into a sturdy tree, but the roof over the entrance was made of colorful pond pebbles instead of twigs, and the path to the front door was wonderfully squishy moss instead of stones. 

“It’s our house,” Jac answered.  “At least, I hope it will be.  It’s part of what I’ve been doing to prepare for you.  I wanted to have a home ready for you.  Do you think…would you like to see inside?”

Fin didn’t answer at first, just looked wide-eyed at the abode’s entrance, and then back to Jac.  Traditionally, newly mated fairies moved in together right away, but usually it was with either their parents or close friends while they got to know one another better.  Few couples immediately had a place that was just theirs.  It made Fin both excited and anxious, but he did want to see inside.

Jac opened the door and motioned for Fin to enter ahead of him.  The younger fairy walked into what was clearly the main living area of the home.  Windows had been whittled out on either end of the room, at just the right angles to catch the rising and setting sun.  The ceiling was arched, and on it beautiful carvings of vines and flowers graced the space.  And on the walls themselves, Fin saw that wooden planters were sculpted straight from the tree, and the beginnings of Forget-me-nots and wild violets were peeking out. 

“I know it’s kind of empty right now,” Jac’s voice said from behind him.  “But I thought you might want to help decide on furnishings.  I’ve been collecting bunny fur to make a couch and chairs.  A fox family is saving their cubs’ molted fur for me as they lose their kit layer, so we can use that as we wish as well, and there’s a running stream nearby that has some really smooth stones if you want to pick some for an eating table or anything else.”

Fin couldn’t do much more than nod as he took it all in.  Jac stepped to his side, looking uncertain.  “If there’s anything I did you don’t like, we can change it.  And um, there’s more.  Do you want to see?”

Another nod, and Fin’s hand was grasped in Jac’s.  They rose together to the ceiling where a cleverly hidden door was unlatched, and then flew upward through a circular tunnel before coming to another door.  Jac opened it and brought them up into what was clearly their abode’s cooking space.  Almost the entire perimeter of the area held decorative shelving fashioned into the wooden walls, but several spots also had flat counters of gray and red shale.  A fire stove made from river rocks stood against one wall, its careful positioning and design showing there was no way a cooking fire would spread beyond the stones.

Fin moved around the space, taking in everything in silent awe.  When he looked to Jac, the older boy’s lips twitched in a sweet smile and he held out his hand.  “There’s one more room.”

Fin willingly put his hand in Jac’s, and the two of them once again went through a hidden ceiling door and upwards to the home’s final space. 

There was no secret that this was their dwelling’s sleeping quarters.  A four-poster bed of beautiful elm graced the room, with a lovely canopy that looked to be spun from rose silk draped over it.  It was striking, but it made Fin’s wings tremble.

“Fin?  Fin, are you alright?”

He turned to Jac, feeling too much all at once—nerves, happiness, anxiety, appreciation, uncertainty.  “It’s…it’s all wonderful, Jac, but I can’t…I’m not ready….”

Strong arms abruptly wrapped around him, and the embrace grew warmer as Fin felt Jac’s wings encompass them.  “Hey, it’s okay.  Shh, Finny.  Don’t shake so.  I won’t force anything you’re not ready for.”

He hadn’t been aware of his shaking, but he felt the tremors now, although the comforting embrace helped.  “It’s all so much.”  Fin’s words were muffled against Jac’s chest, but they were heard.

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to overwhelm you.  I only wanted to show you that I care, that I’ll do anything for you, runt.”

The nickname Jac had bestowed on Fin months ago was now said so affectionately that Fin found himself calming further.  He stayed in Jac’s embrace but tipped his head up to meet the other fairy’s eyes.  “I can tell you care.  I’m sorry for not being ready.”

Jac lifted a hand to trace a finger down Fin’s cheek.  “That’s not something you have to apologize for.  We don’t have to live here yet, or ever, if it’s not what you want.  It’s okay.”

Fin shook his head.  “No, I want to live here, with you.  It’s a great place.  It’s…it’s the bed I’m not ready for.  My dad told me, and the Bond Guard explained, but…I’m not sure I can….”

Jac hushed him again and tucked Fin’s head against his neck.  “Fin, I don’t think I’m ready for that between us either.  It’s too…personal. We have some other things to figure out first.  If you want, we can go back and stay with your parents or mine for a time.  We can even live separately for a while if you want. There’s no reason to rush.”

Fin’s cheek rubbed on Jac’s smooth skin, considering his offer.  “I think being apart wouldn’t help, but could we stay with our parents first, just for a while?”

“Of course.”

Fin felt a kiss pressed to the top of his head, and he relaxed a little more.  “Thanks, Jac.”

Eventually, Jac’s wings and arms released Fin.  “We’re going to be okay,” he promised, sounding more assured than Fin felt.  “Are you hungry?  I have some food stored in the kitchen.  We can eat and then head to one of our parents.”

“Are you sure?  It’ll be late when we get there.”

“I don’t think they’ll mind, but maybe we could go to your parents?  Mine don’t know who my mate is yet, and I’d rather not have to introduce you as my match in the middle of the night.”

“Okay.  And yeah, I am a little hungry.”

So they returned to the kitchen, and Jac routed around until he set out an apple cake that Sera had made, and some roasted black walnuts he’d collected. 

They ate without talking, and shortly after were on their way to Fin’s parents.