Chapter Text
Krel sat in the corner of the sectional in his living room, working rather slowly and casually on a small device meant to effectively and painlessly curl human hair (he wanted to prank Douxie in his sleep).
He was mostly alone tonight- he could hear Douxie quietly practicing guitar behind his closed door, the sound muffled, and Jim had gone to bed already. Cara was over, as well, sitting curled up in the other corner of the couch. She wore headphones and a focused expression, gaze fixed on her tablet as she sketched, intent but relaxed. Now and again she’d get distracted by her music briefly and shift around in her seat, unable to sit still, before returning to her sketch.
Krel watched her with a content little smile. Nothing else seemed quite the same as these moments in the evenings they spent together, quiet, together without any pressure to interact if they didn’t have the energy. She was effortless. He adored her for that.
Krel scooted over, setting his project on the coffee table and wrapping all four arms around Cara to gently squeeze her. She looked up, and her look warmed to affection. “Hi,” she mumbled, taking off one headphone.
“Hi,” Krel responded, then rested his chin on her shoulder such that it slid comfortably into place against the curve of it, his head pressed lightly against hers.
“You’re warm,” Cara noted, snuggling comfortably against him. “What’re you working on?”
“It’s completely stupid,” Krel admitted.
“Now you have my attention,” Cara grinned warmly, turning her head to rest her forehead against his.
Krel chuckled. “It’s to prank Douxie by styling his hair in his sleep. I’m trying to figure out how to make it painless.”
Cara burst into giggles, burying her face in one hand even as she shook her head. “Oh, Krel… that’s absolutely incredible. You are incredible.”
Krel laughed with her, squeezing her and pulling her ever closer to him. “... I love you,” he said quietly as they caught their breath, shifting his arms to rest more comfortably around her.
Cara glanced up at him, her expression softening beautifully like it always did when he said that. It always left her speechless for a moment, and seemed to make it harder for her to make eye contact. She became soft and small and shy and sweet in ways she never was otherwise, and Krel cherished the fragile vulnerability he was privy to.
“I love you too,” she murmured. She lifted one hand to cup his cheek as she pressed her forehead and nose against his. “You know, sometimes I can’t believe you’re real.”
“I’m real,” Krel assured her in little more than a whisper before kissing her gently.
She smirked as he began to pull away and followed him, turning to reach him more easily and playfully pressing him against the back of the couch before cupping his skull and jaw with her hands and kissing him soundly.
“Hmm,” Krel hummed a laugh against her lips before pulling away just enough to inform her, “Your hair is tickling me.”
Cara laughed and flopped comfortably against his side. “So how’s this thing work?”
“The idea is to gently twist the hair around this central column,” Krel explained, “and then this outer part coats it in a compound to make the curls stay put. I haven’t nailed down the compound yet.”
“So it’s two in one auto-curler and hairspray,” Cara concluded. She paused. “Hey, when you’re done with this, can I borrow it to use on Irene?”
Krel laughed. “Please yes.”
Cara laughed at that, then found one of his free hands and laced her fingers between his. A moment of silence, wherein Krel worked on the little device, and then-
“I am so glad you’re here with me,” Cara said quietly as she watched his hands.
Krel glanced up, and spent a moment unraveling the look on her face. It was purely genuine, and it didn’t feel like a simple statement of romance- she meant him, as a person, as the entire entity he was. She was grateful that he, and everything in him, and all the things both platonic and romantic between them, were hers.
Krel swallowed. He was briefly blindsided by the pure caring in her look, and he enveloped her in all four arms, burying his face in her shoulder.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed his shoulders gently, leaning her head against his and enjoying the simple comfort of his presence.
“I’m glad you’re here too,” Krel said quietly, and she squeezed him.
After a long, soothing minute, she pulled away. “Alright. So, have you been able to test your hairspray solution yet?”
“Not yet,” Krel said, and Cara tapped her transduction band, shifting to her human form.
She moved all her hair to the shoulder closer to him. “Behold, test hair. Please don’t set me on fire.”
Krel laughed. “Come now, don’t you trust me, my love?” He teased.
“I trust you,” Cara teased right back, “but I trust that thing not to mangle my hair about as much as I trust a cat not to.”
Krel flopped against the back of the couch, laughing so hard his ribs began to ache a bit, feeding on her giggles. Once he caught his breath, he said, “I’ll keep it on a low setting and use small locks of your hair. Promise.”
“Fine by me,” Cara said, and tilted her head to help him out as he separated a thin lock of hair from the rest of the ginger mass.
***
“Are you sure you’re not lost?” Irene checked as Douxie made his way through the woods, her hand tightly interwoven with his and his free hand lighting their way.
“Positive. Are you all right?” Douxie double-checked.
“Yeah,” Irene said, glancing around. “Yeah. Just- had that feeling like someone is watching us.”
Douxie frowned and paused, looking around and shining his light around them. There was no sign of movement.
“Do you want to turn back?” He asked her, ready to turn around if she felt unsafe.
Irene considered, then shook her head. “No, no- you said we’re almost there.”
“That we are,” Douxie smiled reassuringly and pushed aside the last of the undergrowth.
Before them, on the precipice of the steepest side of the hill, stood a meticulously maintained gazebo, painted white and gleaming faintly in the light of the moon. The lights of the town glittered in the distance beyond the edge. There was the sense of magic in the air, protecting the place and putting Irene at ease.
In the lush, open clearing around the gazebo, flowers in countless magical varieties peeked out of the grass, and vibrant fruits hung on boughs about the sides, giving the cool moonlit air a certain fragrance. The place felt as alive as it did secluded, and something about its ambience seemed to usher them into its quiet comfort.
Irene whistled softly. “... Okay, so maybe this was worth the hike.”
“You brought me to someplace personal,” Douxie said quietly. “I thought I ought to return the favor.” He smiled a bit and kissed her knuckles. “Plus, with how hectic our lives have been, it occurred to me I’ve never actually finished a dance with you. I figure I owe you a proper one.”
Irene raised an eyebrow. “Really? Not once in 900 years? How in the world did we manage to screw up that impressively?”
Douxie laughed and hugged her. “I don’t know,” he admitted, “but I’d like to fix it.”
Irene smiled and took his left hand in her right, gently pulling him down to kiss him with her left hand. “Well then, we’d better get to it before the next apocalypse drops out of the sky on us.”
“Don’t jinx us, dear,” Douxie deadpanned with a small smirk.
Irene cackled before resting her head on the right side of his chest, and Douxie pressed her palm over his heart, with his hand resting over it and his thumb running over her fingers.
“I love you, Irene,” he said quietly, his voice low in her ear. The glass swished and glittered with soft green-blue light in faint bursts at their feet as they moved in sync.
She closed her eyes and smiled. “I love you too.” She took a long, relaxed breath, then quietly sang,
“Say you love me every waking moment
Turn my head with talk of summertime.
Say you need me with you now and always,
Promise me that all you say is true.
That’s all I ask of you.”
Douxie kissed her hair as she finished, then started up as well.
“Let me be your freedom,
Let me be your light.
You’re safe, no one will find you
Your fears are far behind you.”
Irene had pulled back a little, to sing more easily, but her eyes were still closed, and Douxie relished the sweet, happy look on her face as they swept through the grass together and she continued.
“All I want is freedom,
A world with no more night-
And you, always beside me
To hold me and to hide me.”
Douxie smiled before joining her again,
“Then say you’ll share with me
One love, one lifetime
Let me lead you from your solitude.
Say you want me with you, here, beside you
Anywhere you go, let me go too.
That’s all I ask of you.”
“Say you’ll share with me
One love, one lifetime
Say the word and I will follow you.
Share each day with me,
Each night, each morning-”
“Say you love me,” Irene sang softly, finally looking up at Douxie.
“You know I do,” his effortless reply, pressing his forehead against hers and smiling softly.
“Love me, that’s all I ask of you…
Love me, that’s all I ask of you.”
The two went still, holding onto each other, and Douxie shifted to rest his chin protectively on top of her head.
Irene frowned a little. “I’m getting that feeling again, Douxie.”
Douxie opened his eyes and looked around, but with the overpowering moonlight and the softly-glowing magical flora, it was clear there was nothing else there.
Nothing he could see, anyway. Perhaps whatever it was was simply skilled at evading detection.
“We finally finished our dance,” he pointed out. “Mission accomplished, so- would you like to head home?”
“If that’s alright,” Irene said, a bit sheepishly. “I guess I’m still a little jumpy from the cult.”
“It’s fine,” Douxie assured her gently with a warm smile. “I trust your instincts. Let’s head back.”
And so the two retreated into the woods, unaware of the tribute left behind by an unseen hand- a single rose, adorned with a bow of ribbon in black satin.
Fin.