Chapter Text
I hummed softly as I worked.
I didn’t need to check the inventory of my store, Blitzen’s Best, but I was trying to keep myself sane.
Hearthstone had been gone for two whole days and three nights, and I missed him terribly.
I also had no idea where he was.
So fun.
I scribbled down the number of belts we still had in stock — one hundred and seventy-two — and was finished.
I sighed and moved over to the register, where I opened a cupboard below it and stored the clipboard in there. I sat down on the counter and sighed again. Gods, I was so fucking lonely without Hearth. He was my everything at this point, and I missed him terribly.
I heard the jingle of the bells that hung over the door and glanced up to see my elf in the doorway.
i jumped up and he spotted me, and then he was running towards me and he tackled me in a hug. And I mean tackled. We fell to the floor from momentum.
I let out a grunt as my butt and back hit the floor — hard.
hearthstone didn’t seem to care and instead nuzzled his face into the side of my neck, letting out a tiny, content sigh.
The pain of falling was beginning to fade, so I hugged him back as best I could.
Suddenly, he seemed to realize what he was doing and pulled back immediately, and his face was bright green.
i grinned up at him. “Missed me that much, huh?”
Fuck off, he signed, blushing a little more, which was very adorable.
”D’you want to go upstairs? I can make some coffee and we can talk.”
hearthstone nodded, running a hand through his platinum blond hair, which stood up in spikes, which also happened to be very attractive.
in other words, very, very hot.
He was dressed in his usual outfit — black leather jacket, starched white shirt, black motorcycle pants, and black motorcycle boots.
As well as his red-striped scarf, which I’d made for and given to him. He never not wore it.
”Help me up?”
he nodded and reached out a hand, which I grasped and he pulled me up.
Suddenly, we were very close together. Our noses nearly brushed, and I found myself wanting to lean closer, wanting more, but I made myself pull back. “Come on.”
I kept a gentle hold of his hand and led him up the stairs to the living space of the store. When we reached it, I told him to sit at the kitchen table, which he ignored and instead stayed in the kitchenette with me, leaning against the counter in a suave and attractive way that was very distracting as I made coffee.
i finished and handed a mug to him, keeping one for myself, and then we sat at the table.
”Where were you?” I asked eventually.
Alfheim.
”Why?”
Hearthstone shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Inge needed me. He signed this carefully, as though afraid of what I might say.
i sipped my coffee.
You’re not… mad? He asked, looking relieved, but still hesitant.
”Why would I be?” I asked breezily.
Well, you two don’t get along well.
“And why is that?”
I don’t really know. He looked me dead in the eyes.
i set my mug down. “Well, I’m very glad you’re back. I missed you.”
that didn’t seem to be the answer he’d been looking for, but he nodded.
”Sleeping in the tanning bed tonight?” I asked later on, right before I was about to get ready to go to sleep.
hearthstone shrugged. I got a lot of sun in Alfheim; I don’t really need to.
”Couch, then?”
he tilted his head at me, then signed carefully, i was going to sleep in your bed. With you. Like usual.
I nodded, trying not to show how pleased I was. “Alright.”
We both walked into my bedroom, and climbed into the bed. We’d done this for I don’t even know how long. It was just something we did.
It did hurt to know it was just platonic, of course. But it was always going to be platonic; Hearthstone didn’t like me like that.
I sure as fuck liked him like that, though.
Within moments of me turning the lights off, Hearthstone was moving over to cuddle with me, another thing we’d done forever. It was a routine, and it was lovely.
i fell asleep with a final thought of: Gods, I love this elf.
I awoke to a loud knocking at the door.
i shot up in bed to see that Hearthstone wasn’t there with me.
i heard the door open and thanked the gods that Hearthstone could feel vibrations, and ran to the bathroom to quickly change into a crisp, white button-up shirt, a light blue vest, and slightly darker blue pants. I brushed my teeth and combed my hair, and was finished in a record time of three minutes and ten seconds.
I strode out of the bathroom and into the living area to see Hearthstone, and his dear friend Inge.