Chapter Text
Coalecroux:
- You woo these two as a pair; it’s being a throuple or nothing. Which means you’ll woo Gideon first, but once Gideon finally finds the courage to mention it to Kremy, it won’t take too much longer.
- It’ll either be you or Gideon who finally breaks and says something, because Kremy would rather pay a permanent visit to The Good Baron before he says anything. He won’t even admit it to Gideon at first.
- Gideon will probably try to have sex and get it out of his system, assuming he just wants you physically. It won’t work, of course, and will actually probably make him feel worse.
- It’s clear to everyone else that something fishy is going on because Gideon is more of a show-off than normal and extremely protective of you now, along with Kremy.
- It’s subtler with Kremy, but having traveled with him for almost a decade, your friends can see it. He listens to what you say and genuinely considers it, he gives you and Gideon the best plates, and he’s quick to come to your defense when some idiot insults you.
The heat of the tavern’s fire and the copious amounts of liquor sank into your bones, finally forcing some tension out of your weary flesh. The stress of travelling had caught up with you, and everyone had decided to use some of the spare coin that you had snagged earlier to get a room at the tavern and have a few drinks.
A few sweet words and a wink at the barkeep had kept the liquor flowing for the group, generous round after generous round as you drank your share of whiskey. Gricko had dragged Frost, both thoroughly tipsy, into the crowd of dancing patrons, and Gideon had followed shortly after, towering above the rest of the crowd.
You couldn’t help but cast a sideways glance at the alligatorfolk sitting next to you, unable to pull your eyes away from him for a moment. It was rare to see Kremy so relaxed, sinking into the couch with his legs uncrossed, swirling a glass of whiskey. His eyes flicked towards you, shades of grey, and the very edge of his mouth pulled up. Words died in your throat, and it took all the effort you had left to force words out of your mouth.
“I have something for you,” you said suddenly, like the small item had begun to burn a hole in the pouch tucked between your skirts. Scooting a couple of inches closer, you dug through the layers of your skirts until you felt the little item and produced it, dropping it into his waiting palm. The little glass unicorn landed in his palm with a faint clink against the scales of his hand.
Kremy’s eyes lit up, unable to hide how pleased he was with the gift. The liquor and the comfort of the tavern were disarming. It was warm in his palm from being kept so close to your body, and heavier than it looked. The statue was pale blue and milky white, with a glittering horn. You had clearly taken a risk by stealing such an expensive item, all for him.
“Thank you,” he finally said, eyes finally dragging away from his palm. You shrugged and brought your drink to your mouth, desperately trying to play off how your heart was beating hard in your ribcage. You normally didn’t react like this, so easily flustered. After years of travelling with your friends, you felt like you should be better than this.
“It’s nothing, I just thought it was cute,” you said, and another sip of dark liquor burned down your throat. Gideon laughed, loud and warm in the crowd. Both of your heads snapped towards him, watching him smile as his head hovered above the crowd. You grinned, unable to stop yourself, and turned towards Kremy, who also watched Gideon with soft eyes. “I wish things could always be like this; it’s nice.” Kremy seemed to mill over your words for a moment before he shook his head and grinned, sharp teeth on display.
“Where’s the fun in that? ‘Sides, we have too much to do,” Kremy said, leaning towards you and unfurling a small parchment map. You leaned forward and listened as Kremy began to relay the next steps the group would be taking tomorrow morning. It was easy to get lost in his voice, listening to him talk until it was clear you’d have to have him recount this again in the morning. It would be easy enough to claim drunkenness, as you let your eyes drift up to watch Kremy and found that Kremy was already watching you, eyes lidded as your gazes met.
There was a split second of tense eye contact, heavy with an emotion you had refused to put a name to. It was easier to navigate them if you avoided naming them, avoided having to address how uncomfortable you found harboring feelings for two of your most trusted friends, how you couldn’t stop feeling it if you tried. Kremy’s eyes flicked down to your mouth for a split second, and you leaned forward an inch, just a little closer to him.
Gideon hit the couch with an impact that made both you and Kremy jolt, the groan of the wood frame under him finally breaking the spell that had fallen over the two of you. He says something, voice rumbling from deep in his chest, and his arm comes to rest on the couch behind you. The warmth that radiated from him, even this far away, was intoxicating, and at any other moment, you would have leaned into him to enjoy it.
But you’re not listening or moving, not with the shock and embarrassment coursing through your body. They refused to admit it, but you weren’t blind. It was impossible not to see the silent touches on Kremy’s shoulder or how Gideon was the first to throw himself between a monster and Kremy. You saw how Kremy’s face softened when he watched Gideon while he thought nobody was looking, how he immediately found Gideon in the group cuddle and clung to him like a life raft.
Gideon and Kremy were clearly involved with each other in a way that moved far past platonic. The bond they held was intense, and you can’t believe you even considered doing something to hurt it for a second. The shame rose in your throat like bile, hot and acidic, and you promptly emptied your cup in a single gulp, before you rose to your feet and disappeared into the crowd of people. Gideon and Kremy shared a confused glance and tried to find you, but the rest of the night carried on, and when they went to bed, you were still gone.
In the morning, they awoke to find you already up, bedroll neatly packed away next to your pack. This pattern continued, and although you all were travelling together, it was becoming exceedingly hard to spend any time with you. You rose early with Frost to meditate, and they woke up to the two of you coming back, chatting quietly with him and smiling. Who was Gideon going to spend sleepy mornings with now? That had been your job, rolling over to face Gideon and giggling together until everyone else woke up. He hated waking up early, but those moments together had been worth it. Now, Gideon rose early and spent that time alone.
Lunchtime was no better. Where you had once spent every lunch with Kremy, you now found yourself doing anything else. Reading scrolls, maintaining weapons, sewing, or really anything you could do by yourself. Kremy insisted that cooking was actually better like this. No distractions, no requests, just Kremy and his chef's knife. But when he needed a second opinion, there was nobody to ask, and giving a taste to Gid was useless. He liked just about anything.
Truly, the place where they’d felt your absence the most was at night. Kremy refused to admit he had been sleeping poorly, but Gideon saw it. He was snippier than normal and had even burnt a roux the other day. Gideon understood. The space to his left was yours, just like how his right belonged to Kremy, and without you, everything felt off balance. He found it hard to put into words exactly why this all felt so wrong. He had Kremy, and Kremy was all he had needed for so long. That alligatorfolk was his rock, his life partner. Gideon should have felt content, but your absence was hurting them both. Kremy really wasn’t as good at lying to Gideon as he thought, and he could tell that he was hurting too.
Knowing Kremy, he’d let everyone suffer in silence and refuse to address this until he died of old age. But Gid couldn’t do that—wouldn’t do that. This whole song and dance of avoiding the truth was killing him. He loved Kremy, and he loved you, and he had it on good authority that those feelings were shared between the two of you as well. It was just a matter of getting the two most stubborn bastards he’d ever met to admit it. He looked to where you were lying, holding Twig against you like a stuffed animal as you slept, and then down to Kremy, who was curled into his side. He rubbed a hand across Kremy’s back and resolved to fix this himself.
You awoke to a deep cough and a hard shake of your shoulder. Panicked and determined to keep them from taking Twig, you sat up with one arm clutching a confused Twig tightly to your chest and the other swinging wildly in defense. One of your hands struck warm flesh, and the chuckle that followed had you relaxing. As the panic faded, your eyes focused, and it was clear now that Gideon was crouched next to you. He had a sheepish smile on his face as he apologized.
“Sorry, I didn’t think you’d wake up swinging,” he said, patting Twig on the top of her bonnet. You let your grip on her relax, and she yawned.
“I thought someone was trying to steal Twig again,” you muttered, looking down to see her watching you, eyes squinting with the effort of seeing without her glasses. You halfheartedly adjusted her pjs from where you had twisted them in your grip. “Sorry, Twig.”
“Thanks for trying to keep me from getting bullynapped again,” she mumbled. “I’m gonna go back to sleep now,” she said and went boneless in your grip again, almost instantly asleep.
“I wish I could do that,” you whispered as you lay her down on your bedroll and tucked the blanket around her. You watched her for a moment, chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. “Why’d you wake me up, Gid?” You turned to see him, still crouched next to you and shifting uncomfortably on his feet.
“The sun is about to come up, and I’d like to see it…with you.” He paused and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d like to talk to you.” Your heart dropped into your stomach, and you felt sick. Gideon knew, despite your best efforts to avoid the two of them, that you loved them both. He watched you shift, face neutral, and eyes full of panic, before you nodded and stood. He tried to get a word out of you, he really did. He made jokes that normally would’ve had you giggling, and tried to talk about the scenery in front of you both.
And yet, you remained silent. While Gideon was busy trying to get a word out of you, you were too busy in your own personal brain hell-prison of your own making. Was he going to tell you to leave the group? Did Kremy want you to leave, too? You didn’t know where you’d go if they actually made you leave.
You felt a hand latch onto your shoulder and stop you from walking, finally turning your eyes from your feet to look around you. It was another small clearing, soft grass on the ground, and a shallow river in the distance. The area was beautiful, something you would have only dreamt of as a child in the material plane. Gideon says your name, and your head snaps towards him as your heart starts to pound. He looks nervous, an expression so rarely seen on his handsome face.
“I don’t know what happened, but please just tell me so I can fix it,” he said. You open your mouth to say something, anything really, but he puts his hand up and stops you. “You stopped spending time with us all of a sudden. We don’t even know what we did.”
“Gid, you didn’t do anything. It’s just…complicated,” you say, forcing your voice to keep from wavering. You had been so lost in your own mind, trying not to feel anything, that you hadn’t noticed how it had hurt your two favorite people.
“I need a better answer than that.” Gideon paused and took a deep breath, allowing one of his twitching hands to find a place against your cheek, his thumb rubbing against your cheek. “I care about you both, and I trust you both with my life. You and Kremy are the most important people in my life. I need you to know that.” You felt yourself melt against his hand, leaning into it. It was so much harder to fight the instinct to gravitate to them than you’d expected, and that gentle touch ruined all of the miserable effort you had put into it. The guilt of feeling romantic love for them and the relief of them not hating you hit, tears welling at the corner of your eyes.
“I care about you and Kremy too, I just felt so guilty,” you said, the battle to hold back tears already lost as they streamed down your face. “When you sat down at the tavern, I wanted to kiss Kremy, and then you sat down, and I suddenly felt so awful because I knew you two were involved. I’m sorry, Gid.”
“And we make jokes about Torbek being oblivious,” he said, shaking his head. The joke made you laugh, tears stalling as you looked at Gideon like he had grown a new head. He leaned forward, his other arm wrapping around the small of your waist to pull you closer, and kissed you. The tickle of his beard, the scent of his cigar smoke, and the heat of his body made it hard not to throw your arms around his neck and pull him closer still.
You found the strength to pull away from Gideon, brows knit together in confusion as you tried to regulate your breathing. Everything in your body begged you not to pull away, begged you to kiss him again and hold him as close as you could.
“You shouldn’t have done that. It’s not right.” You tried to pull from Gideon’s grasp, but his grip stayed firm, and you found it difficult to fight any harder, especially with the cool forest air blowing over you. He shook his head in frustration, like he had hoped that a kiss and vague declarations of care would fully explain everything.
“Yes, Kremy and I are together. It was us against the world, just fighting to survive. I never thought that would change at all, but it has. You need to talk to Kremy yourself, sweetheart,” he said finally. “He’s got a tenderer heart than you’d think, but he’d rather go meet the Good Baron than deal with this.”
“What are you trying to say, Gideon? That Kremy would be okay with you kissing me?” You scoffed. “He looked like he wanted to Eldritch Blast Cowslip into little fairy bits when you kissed her, and that was just to get your fire back.”
“Listen, I won’t speak for him. He needs to grow a pair and do that himself. But please, just talk to him so we can be done with this. If he doesn’t get a good night of sleep soon, he’s gonna blast us all into fairy bits…especially Gricko.” With his speech done, he let go of you, hand lingering on your face for an extra moment before he gestured for the two of you to walk back towards camp. You both spoke quietly at first, but by the time you had made your way back, you were both laughing.
As you approached camp, the sun rose above the trees, casting dappled light against the soft grass and your friends' figures as they milled about the little camp you had set up. Kremy had his back to you as you approached, eyes glued to the sizzling pan. Gideon turned to do something else on the far edge of the clearing, and when you looked towards yours and Twig’s bed, she had already put it up in a neat little roll.
With nothing else to distract you from the task at hand, you sat down on the log next to Kremy. His shoulders jerked, but his gaze remained on the fire. You looked around and saw Gideon, gathering the rest of the crew and leading them in the direction the two of you had come from, winking exaggeratedly at you as they all traipsed into the underbrush.
“I’m sorry for ignoring you and Gideon,” you said, but his gaze didn’t move from the pan. You took a deep breath and continued, wringing your hands in your lap as you spoke. “I have romantic feelings for you and for Gideon, and when we were talking at the tavern the other day, I realized that I wanted to kiss you, and it scared me.” His hand had stopped moving, and the pan was set against a quilted cloth lying on the ground, still sizzling. He didn’t look at you still, but it was clear he was listening, and that had to be enough for now. “It made me feel bad because I knew you and Gideon were together. I’m not blind or stupid. I didn’t know what to do, so I tried to put some distance between us. But all it did was make me think about you both more and made me feel worse.”
“You and Gid talked this morning, I guess,” he finally said, looking at you from the corner of his eyes. You nodded, suddenly more interested in a spot of dirt on your overskirt. He snapped his fingers and the dirt disappeared, leaving the skirt clean and smelling faintly of his laundry soap. “You’re not wrong, Gideon and I are more than friends. I care about him, I trust him with my life.” The sentence made you chuckle, and he sent a sharp look your way, but all you did was smile.
“Gideon said the same thing earlier, ya know.” You watched Kremy soften, the very corner of his mouth pulling up at the admission. “He…he kissed me, while we were out there. He implied that you’d be okay with that, but I’m a little…scared to admit that.”
“I figured he would,” Kremy said. “He’s not the best with getting his point across with words.” His hand found yours, gently pried one away from your tangled mess of anxious fingers, and laced it together with his. Your head snapped up to look at him. “But I am better with words, so I’ll tell you this.” He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie with his other hand.
“I care about you, too, in the way I care about Gideon. I don’t know exactly when it started, but by the time I noticed, it was already too late to do anything about it. You balance us out, lacking where we succeed and so talented where we lack. Things aren’t right without you.” He pulled your hand to his snout and pressed the tip against your hand. “We could all die tomorrow. If I have any say in it, we won’t, but there’s no guarantee of the people I love’s safety. Garou could come tomorrow. But for the time we have left on this quest, however it ends, I want you to be by our side.”
“Gladly,” you said and pulled his hand towards your mouth, pressing a kiss against the scales of his hand. “I really am sorry, by the way. This would’ve been way easier if I had just dared to say something.”
“Well, you both can thank me,” Gideon said from behind you both, making you both jump. “I’m glad you two talked this out.” He looked at you, and you nodded, beckoning him to sit down with you two as Kremy let go of your hand and went back to making breakfast, grumbling about burnt bacon and wasted food. You chuckled, leaning against Gideon’s side as you relished in the relief of being with the two people you loved.
Being with Gideon and Kremy felt like the comfort of knowing someone had your front and back, no matter what.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Morning Frost:
- Another emotionally stunted dork who will NOT be admitting that he’s romantically interested in you until he feels like it was almost too late.
- Once the Jabberwock kills you in front of him, he realizes that there is no point in keeping this secret. His friends all die in front of his eyes, brutally, and the guilt of his inability to save everyone and the crushing regret of keeping his feelings secret is too much for him to bear.
- You probably wouldn’t know that he had a crush on you before this. He’s attentive but not a super affectionate Tabaxi, as you know, so his thoughtful but small actions of kindness don’t register as romantic.
- In retrospect, it’s fairly easy to pick up on the subtle cues. He knows you’re capable, but he still pays close attention to you in battle (especially AFTER the Jabberwock), he often has small, practical gifts for you, and he’s the first one to notice when you feel off.
Empty, white eyes stared down on you with unforgiving, uncaring malice, the face of the Jabberwock spattered in the blood of your companions. Gideon lay crushed and sallow, seeping blood into the dirt, and Kremy had fared no better. It swung at you, his limp body still hanging from the creature’s talons. The shock hides the pain for a moment as it catches the flesh just below your collarbone and drags down, splitting you open with no more effort than splitting a banana peel. Kremy’s limp body knocked you back, stumbling as you tried to take a shaky step away from the monster.
The noise that escaped Frosty made your and the Jabberwock’s heads snap towards him. A horrible, shrieking cry that you had never imagined the Tabaxi would ever be able to make. You had barely even seen him cry before, and now he was weeping, wobbling on his feet for a moment before dropping to his knees. If the eternally clever, always one step ahead Morning Frost was lost to despair, then Carnivale Lecroux truly had no hope.
“It’s gonna be okay, Frosty,” you said, using the last bit of strength you could find in your body to comfort him. This was a lie, and he knew it as much as you did. This strange, slipping sensation took you, and you looked down, only catching a glimpse of shiny pink and red spilling from your split torso before darkness took you.
~~~~~
You were ripped into consciousness, gasping as you pulled a deep breath into your lungs. Your hands flew to your torso, feeling for any sign of the wound that had ended your life. There was nothing, no scar or mark upon your skin, and your dress was intact as well. It was as if nothing had happened, nothing left but the mental turmoil in your mind.
The bed of roses you had been laid upon shifted, and you had to fight back the frightened cry that begged to be released. You turned and saw Kremy and Gideon lying next to each other with Torbek on the outside edge of the rosebed. The three of them seemed to be in the same condition as you, fully healed and breathing. On your other side lie Gricko and Hoostie, and Frosty, not a patch of fur out of place. Your hand reached for him, moving without your permission as you grabbed his paw. He was warm to the touch, blood rushing in the skin under your palm.
Watching your friends stir and wake up was a gift you would never take for granted again. Gideon rubbed his eyes, eyes barely scanning the world around him before reaching for Kremy. Kremy called for you all before calling for Gideon, hands finding the fire genasi just as quickly. Torbek sat up and ran his hands over his body in confusion. Hootsie and Gricko came together like magnets in an embrace, Gricko disappearing into the fluff of Hootsie’s feathers.
Frost opened his eyes, blinking quickly, and you watched as his pupils narrowed in the light of the forest. He took in the sight of his friends all being alive before he finally looked at you, and as soon as you felt his grip tighten on your hand, you crawled over and threw yourself into his arms. Frost stiffened, but it took but a second for his arms to close around you and crush you into his chest. As quickly as they had pulled you close, he let go and pushed you back a few inches.
“Are you injured? Did I reopen your wounds,” he asked, his eyes tracing your body, looking for evidence that the Jabberwock had actually split you open. You wrenched down the neckline of your blouse, and he saw no scar, no leftover blood, no hint of your previous evisceration.
“I don’t know how, but my injuries are gone. Please,” you said, not really sure what you were asking him for. Comfort, perhaps? He seemed to know either way as his arms pulled you back into his chest. His heart beat wildly under your head, thumping against your cheek as you heard Gideon say something. You couldn’t bother to listen until Frosty gently sat up, pulling you with him.
You were quick to climb over Frosty and pull Gricko and Hoostie into a warm embrace as well, holding the goblin and owlbear to your chest for a moment. You patted her feathers back into place and brushed Gricko’s hair out of his face before making your way to the others, hugging them all as waves of relief threatened to bring tears to your eyes. Torbek wrapped his long, gangly arms around you and cried, tears seeping into your hair.
As the relief of resurrection mellowed, the gravity of what had happened began to weigh on you. You excused yourself and clambered off the roses, suddenly desperate to be alone from everyone. Now that you knew they were alive, you needed a moment. Probably a lot more than a moment, but pretending to disappear to use the bathroom would be enough to get started on the process.
Frost watched you leave, almost running into the woods as the bright colors of your dress disappeared into the thick underbrush of the woods. If he knew you as well as he thought he did, he knew that you would be struggling. Everyone was, but you were a social creature by nature and found comfort in your companions. To disappear into the woods by yourself was unlike you, and Frost had to fight the urge to follow you.
The sounds of your friends slowly faded as you found an overturned tree and slumped against it, crossing your legs in front of you. The horrible tangle of emotions inside you seemed impossible to understand, to put a name to and begin to sort through. You didn’t know how they were able to talk about robbing Nib after you all had died.
Logically, you knew why everyone seemed ready to keep moving. There wasn’t much of a choice, with Garou on your tail and the deal with Bavlorna looming above your heads. You had to get up and keep going. But your feet wouldn’t work, wouldn’t carry you back to your friends, back to Frosty. In a way, you’re grateful that you died before him. Seeing Morning Frost so hopeless already was playing in your mind like some cursed movie. Watching him die would have truly broken you. The crew would have had to leave you curled up on the ground to wither away in the trees.
‘Frosty, are you there,’ you asked in your mind, trying to mentally reach the psionic user. It was a long shot; You were pretty sure that Frosty had to open that channel first. The silence in your head led you to believe that no, Frosty was not there, and you were truly alone for the moment. Which was what you had sought out, so why did it still feel so bad?
‘I’m sorry to intrude,’ Frost said, slipping into your mind carefully. He tried to avoid the parts of your mind that you didn’t want to share, but your emotions were so high that it was hard to avoid them. You were so scared. ‘You’ve been gone for a while. I wanted to check and ensure that you are safe.’
It was like a dam broke, and the tears you had been trying to force back began to stream down your face, the landscape of your mind an ocean you couldn’t hope to navigate. ‘I’m fine, Frosty. I’ll start coming back.’ You made no move to stand, just leaned over your crossed legs and tried to calm yourself before your tears started to make you gag.
Time passed, slow and miserable, as you forced your tears to stop and dried your face. You didn’t feel any better. If anything, you felt worse, but Kremy was surely getting irritated at having to wait. They were already talking about leaving when you’d escaped into the woods. You’re picking at a spot of the fraying embroidery on the edge of your dress, begging yourself to get up and go join your friends.
The crunch of leaves underfoot snapped you to attention, body tense. Growing closer, you caught a glimpse of orange between the brush, and Frost appeared in front of you, ducking gracefully under the branches that you had barrelled through during your rush here.
“I’m sorry, I’ll get up. I just needed some time.” You move, shifting your legs from their crossed position. However, Frost settled next to you, shoulder brushing yours. He looked at you from the corner of his eye, and you understood what he was offering. It was always so easy to communicate with Frosty. Maybe it was the privilege of knowing each other well, or maybe it was his ability to explore and understand someone’s mind.
Either way, you scooted closer, and he lifted his arm to let you tuck yourself against his side. It was so easy to sink into his side, firm muscle hidden under a layer of fur. “I know we have to keep going, but…I just don’t know how to. That was awful, Frosty.”
“I understand,” he said as he wrapped his arm around you and shifted you closer. “When I-” Frost tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat. “I was the last one alive. I have never felt so hopeless in my life.” Your heart dropped as you thought back to the carnival ride that displayed your greatest fear. He had lived it out, actually experienced the worst thing he could imagine.
“I’m so sorry, Frosty. I didn’t know that,” you said, head tucked into him. His chest stuttered under you, his head nodding slowly. The twitch of his hand against your back made you shift and look at him. He blinked hard, grimacing before he twisted his body towards you and grabbed your shoulders gently.
“What I am attempting to say is that I understand,” he says. “Our end was so sudden, and we were so woefully unprepared. Even I was at a loss for what action to take. I couldn’t do anything to help, and it has shaken me to my core.” You open your mouth to say something, anything that might comfort him, but for once, he doesn’t let you speak. “It had made me realize that I can keep this to myself no longer.”
“Frosty, what are you trying to say?” One of his paws moves from your shoulder to your face, warm and soft against your face. He furrowed his brow, like whatever he was going to say next was taking more effort than he could have realized.
“I care for you, romantically. As I watched you die, I realized that I felt an immense amount of regret that I had not shared my feelings with you.” You were silent for a moment, taking in the confession that you had only ever dared to dream about in the privacy of your mind. “It appears we have been given a second chance, and I refuse to squander it.”
Words failed you, but your next actions could not. You reached for him, hands finding the curve of his jaw, leaning slow enough to give him a chance to pull away. He leaned forward instead, meeting you in a kiss halfway that paled in comparison to any daydream you had before. His whiskers tickled your face, and you didn’t bother to fight the urge to smile against his mouth. Frosty pulled away first, a paw coming to smooth your stray hairs as he watched you melt into his paws.
“I’m so fucking scared,” you whispered, and Frost nodded in agreement. “But I’d rather be scared and be with you than anything else.” He smiled, a small, genuine smile that took great effort. You leaned forward to peck him again before pulling yourself to your feet, and Frost followed suit. “I guess we should go back, I’m sure Kremy is getting irritated at having to wait for me.”
“He actually was the one who suggested that I come and find you. I was torn between coming to you and allowing you space to process alone.” He reached for you and tangled his fingers with yours, beginning the walk back to the place they had woken up in. “Besides, he was just getting started on making pancakes when I left to find you.”
“Let’s hurry then, before Gideon eats them all.” You had perked up considerably, and Frost smiled to himself as he allowed you to drag him through the woods back to their friends. Things would not feel safe or right for a long time, but no matter what, at least you would be together.
Being with Frost felt like having someone to lean on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gricko:
- Gricko is definitely the most well-adjusted of the group, so when he realizes he feels something different for you, he ruminates a little, but it doesn’t take much for him to
1. Put a name to those feelings and
2. Decide what he wants to do about said feelings
- When he decides he wants to tell you, that’s where he gets stuck and starts to get nervous. He knows you care about him, but you care about seemingly everyone. The idea of ruining a friendship and possibly denying Hootsie a mother is frightening
- It’s INCREDIBLY obvious to everyone. Even you are finally starting to pick up on it. Subtlety is not his strong suit, and every compliment and praise from him slowly becomes less and less platonic with every word.
“Now, ya’ll understand our goal tonight, right?” Kremy stood in front of your group, adjusting the sleeves of the deep purple, 3-piece suit he was wearing as he spoke. “Gideon, Frost, and I will distract and entertain while Gricko and Torbek will sneak into the back room and steal that painting. And you,” Kremy said, pointing a slender finger at you. “You are going to stand where and keep watch?”
“I’m going to stay at the bar and keep watch. If I see anything, reach out to Frosty. He’ll leave a channel open in case I need to speak to him,” you repeated, only half paying attention to him. You’d been able to approach this heist with more time for preparation than normal. That led to Kremy drilling everyone on this plan so many times that you were sure you could answer his questions in your sleep. Where were you supposed to stand? What was the emergency code word? How did you know the hosts? Kremy and Frost had developed a tight, well-thought-out plan. This was going to be a simple heist and an easy way to make some decent money. You couldn’t fuck this up.
Twig called your name, ushering a well-dressed and groomed Gricko out of the bathroom. She had been banned from joining the crew on this trip due to her being Twig, but her magic was providing everyone with outfits that would blend in with the nobility that you would be mingling with. Gricko had swapped out his normal clothing for brown trousers and a matching vest, perfectly fitted to his short, muscular frame and decorated with intricate trim and embroidery. Twig had also helped him brush out his hair and braid a few small pieces, strategically pulled back to keep his hair out of his face.
He strutted towards the group, pleased with his makeover and the attention it garnered from you all. Amongst the chatter of the group, you wolf whistled at him and grinned as you watched a faint, deep green flush dust the tips of his ears. When you first joined the crew, getting Gricko to blush was an undertaking that took great effort. These days, though, it was easy. A well-timed compliment or a tender touch had him turning forest green in the face.
“You should do your hair like this more often,” you said and reached out to touch a braid, tracing it from his temple to where a thin length of leather was tied to keep his hair in place. “It suits you.” He opened his mouth to say something as color rushed to his cheeks, but Twig called for you again, tiny voice leaving no room for lollygagging. “I’ll be back, can’t keep Twig waiting.”
You turned on your heel and walked over to where Twig was waiting, foot tapping impatiently in the air. What had gotten into you? It was so forward, actually touching Gricko like that. You barely listened to Twig as she played with your hair and styled it, opting to instead let yourself sink into your mind for a moment.
Things had felt different with Gricko recently. You knew that you liked him, though it felt impossible to pinpoint when your feelings had shifted from platonic to romantic. Maybe they were always there, buried underneath the stress of trying to run a shitty carnival, or maybe they had only begun to develop recently. When did the weight of his body against yours in the cuddle pile shift from platonic to making your breath catch in your chest and heat your face? It had been so gradual.
“What are you thinking about?” Twig asked, twisting and pinning your hair into an intricate style. There was no mirror, but considering how sharp everyone else looked, trusting her to do you right was easy enough.
“Gricko,” you said, not bothering to hide it from her. She had long since put the pieces together, watching you dance the line between friendly touches and something deeper. Sometimes it felt like she was a psionic user too, the way she watched and read you like a book. Twig had taken to giving you relationship advice against your requests, pushing hard for you to tell Gricko.
“You should just say something,” she grumbled, reaching for more hairpins. You leaned forward and grabbed a few, handing them back to her. “It’s clear that he likes you, too.” You turned over her words in your mind, considering. You thought that she might actually be right. But the idea of making the first move was too scary, with too much on the line, so you shrugged lazily. “Now stand up, I’m gonna change your clothing.”
You followed her lead, rising to your feet so she could work her weird swampy magic. You felt your clothing shift as a moist, green magic swirled around your body. For a second, you feel exposed as the gown begins to take shape, practical fabrics shifting into a shimmering, deep red fabric that drapes across your body. Golden ivy vines snaked across your bust and shoulders, fixing the fabric in place on your body. The vines snaked across your legs and twisted around your feet, forming soft slippers.
Twig clapped, a huge smile splitting her little face in half. She gestured for you to do a little spin, and you oblige, twirling on your tiptoes as the gown fluttered around you. The scent of flowers floated up to greet you as the dress moved before settling against your legs.
“I really have outdone myself. You look so pretty,” she said, flying around you as she inspected the dress. You felt her tug at a couple of spots and smooth out the dress, but it didn’t take her long to float away from you, arms crossed over her chest and a satisfied look on her face.
“Is there a mirror around here? I wanna look at myself,” you asked, reaching down to touch the dress. Not only did it look and smell like petals, but the dress was the same velvety texture, smooth and cool against your fingers. “Is this actually made of flowers?”
“Yes and yes! There’s a mirror in the entryway, and it’s made of rose petals. Romantic, right,” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows as she pulled the door open and ushered you out with a surprisingly strong push. You stumbled a little, shooting her a half-hearted glare. Twig could be such a little shit-stirrer when she wanted to be. You padded out into the hall and rounded the corner into the main room of the inn, where the guys stood, talking amongst themselves.
It was Torbek who caught sight of you first. He clapped his long, spindly hands together and rushed over, taking one of your sleeves carefully between his fingers and feeling the fabric. You know he said something kind, and you thanked him, but all the compliments faded into the background and became faint, unintelligible noises as you felt Gricko’s eyes on you. He stood, mouth hanging open, gazed fixed as you showed the dress to everyone, and they touched the delicate fabric.
“You want a feel,” you finally asked, drifting over to where he sat on a tall barstool as your friends began to pack their bags. Gricko was silent for a moment, and you raised an eyebrow, snapping your fingers a couple of times in front of him. He snapped back to reality, giving his head one good shake before nodding and reaching to touch the fabric on your shoulder. His fingers moved, trailing from the dress itself to the vines that wrapped around your chest.
“You look heavenly,” he finally said, voice tight. You smiled and chuckled at his strange pronunciation of heavenly while you tried to ignore the heat rushing to your cheeks. It felt like Gideon was standing next to you.
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” you said, and brushed a strand of his hair back into place. The talkative goblin once again struggled to get his sentence out, and just like earlier, the moment was interrupted. Kremy called for you two, asking if you were ready. You were, in fact, ready. You scooped up your wristlet from the table and looped it around your wrist, hanging against the fabric of your dress.
~~~~~
The party was boring. There wasn’t a better way to describe it other than painfully, achingly boring. Events like this were never your idea of a great time in the first place. As much as you loved to wear a pretty dress, a stuffy formal event where you couldn’t be yourself felt like punishment. Social stress like that made you act strange and standoffish. Today, that was for the best, as you pretended to nurse a glass of wine and scanned the room from the bar.
It was also boring, partially due to the fact that things were going perfectly. Kremy was at a table with a handsome elf man and woman, sweet-talking them like a professional. It was hard to get a blush from an elf, and yet he had succeeded with ease. On the dance floor, Gideon had a small crowd of women orbiting around him, touching his arms occasionally and flirting with him while he danced with no rhythm. Distracted by Gideon, the womens husbands gathered around Morning Frost at the card table and watched, impressed, as Frosty played cards with skill that you knew was only slightly boosted with his psychic powers.
A presence slid up next to you at the bar, and at first, you paid it no mind. Plenty of people had come and gone, grabbing drinks from the kind, spring Eladrin who was crafting drinks.
“Excuse me,” the man said, and out of the corner of your eye, you noticed that he was now facing you, leaning against the counter. His suit was bright, poppy red, and fit poorly. It hung across his shoulders awkwardly and drooped pittifully. Gricko crossed your mind, and how handsome he had looked in his fancy outfit this evening. You found yourself doing that a lot, comparing every man to him. Even when you spotted one that was as handsome or as funny, he lacked the other traits that Gricko possessed. “I just have to tell you that you look beautiful tonight.”
“Thank you,” you said, short but not unkind. You had hoped that your lack of interest was clear and that he would soon be out of your hair. It was funny how wrong you had been.
The man stuck around, lavishing you with compliments. Each one was met with the same unenthusiastic, monotone response that seemed not to reach his brain. How he managed to interpret your various hums of agreement and complete lack of conversation as you being interested would forever escape you.
“You should come to my room here,” he said, slipping a hand across your thigh. You stiffened and turned your head to face him, furious.
“Shut up,” you spat, magic flowing from your words, twisting around him in a faint, pearlescent mist that froze him in place. He looked shocked, eyes moving wildly as he looked at you and around the room in panic, hoping for any help. He found none and turned pleading eyes back toward you. Your hand found his and wrenched it up in front of his face and squeezed until you felt his bones begin to creak under your grip. Turning your gaze to the room, you scanned over the room and saw that Torbek had made his way back to the hall, looking pleased. Gricko wasn’t with him, but maybe he had already disappeared into the crowd to enjoy the rest of the night.
“Do you see that bugbear over there,” you asked quietly, turning his head slightly so he was directly looking at Torbek. “That’s my dear friend, Ribble.” You waved at Torbek, and he waved back, sharp fingers clear for the man to see. “If you so much as think about putting your hands on anyone else at this party, I will go get Ribble, and he will rip you apart, tear each limb off your body like you're a little fly.” You paused and thought about your threat. “Actually, I take it back. When I release you, you’re going to turn around and leave this event without so much as a word, or I'll go get Ribble, and then we'll come find you. Blink twice if you understand.”
The man blinked twice, eyes full of fear. You watched him for a moment longer before nodding and releasing the man from the spell. He took a deep breath, cradled his hand against his chest, and silently fled the room. You sighed, shoulders sagging as you finished the glass of wine and wove through the empty tables and crowds of people until you found Torbek, emptying flutes of sparkling wine into his mouth.
“How’d it go?”
“We got it,” Torbek said, clearly pleased with himself. You smiled, happy to see his confidence boosted, even if it probably wouldn’t be for long. “Gricko has it in his bag of holding.” You glanced around, looking for any flash of green skin, but there was none.
“Speaking of, where’d Gricko go? Torbek rubbed the back of his neck, eyes downcast. “Torbek, is he okay?”
“Gricko is fine, but well, Gricko saw that man touching you, and then he left for some ‘fresh air’,” Torbek said, putting air quotations on the words fresh air. Your heart dropped into your stomach, suddenly nauseous. “Torbek thinks that he might have thought that you were enjoying yourself, but Torbek could clearly see that you were ready to kill that guy.”
“Which way did he go, Torbek?” You couldn’t let him think that you wanted that stupid, ugly man for even a moment. This had to be fixed; you had to explain to Gricko that you wanted nobody but him. Even if the vision of a jealous Gricko, pouting outside, did amuse you a little.
“Well, Torbek thinks Torbek saw him leave out the front door after you broke his hand.”
“No, no, no, not that guy. Which way did Gricko go? I have to find him.”
“He left through those doors,” Torbek said. You thanked Torbek and turned, jogging through the doorway. You spoke to Frost in his mind, telling him that the item has been secured. The plan was complete, and you all were free to trickle out of the party at random intervals to not draw suspicion to yourselves.
The corridor was open and lit with candles, French doors leading to patios dotting the wall on your left. You looked through each one, face pressed into the glass as you tried to see out and catch sight of your goblin.
It takes you a few tries to find the right patio, but eventually you do. You crack the door open and slip out into the cool night air. The intricate stone patio was overlooking a wide, painstakingly maintained field of flowers that looked identical to your dress. The burgundy flowers shifted in the breeze and shimmered in the moonlight, releasing the gentle scent of roses. You scan the scene and find Gricko, perched on the stone railing and muttering to a large olive green toad, speckled with brown spots and intelligent eyes.
“Gricko,” you said, panting slightly as you made your way towards him. He turned around, the sound of your voice startling Gricko and the toad. The toad croaked indignantly and hopped away to another stone patio. “Are you okay? Torbek said you needed some air, and it’s not like you to turn down a chance to party.” You watched his face twist into a frown for a moment before he forced a smile onto his face and shrugged.
“I just needed some air,” he said. He paused and looked at you before adding, “Besides, you seemed preoccupied.” You had to hide the laugh that almost escaped. So he was, indeed, jealous.
“So you really were jealous,” you giggled, quickly closing the distance between the two of you. Gricko looked shocked for a moment before the expression twisted to something closer to frustration. You continued speaking, leaning against the rail next to him. On the rail, Gricko was much closer to your height, and you got to look at the profile of his face. It was a rare pleasure with the height difference between the two of you. “I told that guy if he didn’t leave the party quietly, I’d have Torbek tear him apart. I also think I broke his hand.”
Gricko looked shocked for a moment, like he had genuinely assumed that you were interested in some loser. He reached out and touched the fabric of your dress once more, eyes slowly moving from the sleeve of your dress up to your face. His eyes seemed to sparkle in the dim light of the moon, so earnest in his affection as he regarded you.
A heavy silence settled over the two of you for a moment, and you knew you had to do what your heart told you for once. You reached out and cupped his face in your hand, running your thumb gently over the rise of his cheekbone. On one hand, you still felt fear about your next moves, but a voice in the back of your mind told you that you had always had an inkling that he felt the same way. It was just easier to ignore it and pretend that you were unsure, but Gricko’s reaction to that man had solidified your belief.
Gricko smiled and grabbed your elbow, the movement pulling you forward enough for him to pull you into a kiss, messy and playful. His lips were chapped, but that only reminded you that you were kissing Gricko, one of your closest friends and the object of all your pining. His hands came to rest against the sides of your neck and held you against him. You felt him nip against your bottom lip with sharp goblin teeth, and you gasped into the kiss.
You pulled away, in desperate need of air. Unable to make yourself pull away from Gricko, you rested your forehead against his and allowed both of you to catch your breath, panting and smiling.
“I really like you, Gricko. I think I have for a long time, if I’m honest.” He laughed and brushed his nose against yours, mouth pulled into a grin. He leaned forward and gave you another chaste kiss.
“The feeling is mutual,” he said. “I really like you, and I like how you’re good with Hootsie.”
“I’m so glad this happened. I think if I had to pine and listen to Twig pressure me to say something, I would have lost it,” you mumble. Gricko’s eyes widened before he cackled, face scrunched up as he struggled to compose himself.
“She’s been bugging you about it, too?”
“That nosey little…” You said, trailing off as you heard Frost looking for you in your mind. You two were the last two left in the building, so you reluctantly parted from Gricko and stood up straight. “You ready to head out, everyone else is gone.”
“Yeah, let’s get outta here,” he said. You reached out to him like you always did, and he grabbed onto you and hoisted himself onto your shoulders like he always did. As you made your way out of the building, chatting like nothing had happened, you noticed how natural it felt to be with Gricko like this. Not like he was your other half, you both were whole people.
Being with Gricko felt like finding your complement.