It’s been weeks since she met her Birdboy. 

It’s late summer, and he’s always at their meeting place, it seems. Today is no different.

His head snaps up as soon as she’s in shouting distance, and she sees him smile. It’s soft at first before it takes on a wicked angle. He must have thought of a new way to tease her.

“Thandi, good evening.”

“Good morning, sir Birdboy.”

There’s an airy laugh as he pushes himself up, striding toward her with a purpose. “What’s the agenda today? Tend the garden, ogle me, and what else?” As always, he leans close to her, and she catches that minty tone with the smell of his exertions. She watches a drop of sweat bead and roll down his chest, biting her lip.

“Ogling is all you’re good for, truly. Maybe I’ll tell you on our walk?”

He steps closer and she puts out her hand, stopping him before he gets closer. She’s noticed that he objects much less to her touch now. It’s curious, how he plays. Surely he’s got experience with touch?

Her palm presses flat to his bare chest, and he tilts his head ever so slightly, daring her to touch his hair. That glimmer he gets when he’s enjoying himself is intense. Usually he’d balk as she reaches up, but his smile only gets wider.

The offending lock of hair is carefully tucked behind his ear, and he takes her hand as she pulls away from his face. This is new. He doesn’t touch hands. 

There’s a beat as he gathers his resolve, then she feels his lips on her palm. He kisses her hand, eyeing her as he does this, triumphant when she reddens. The kisses get closer to her fingertips. He opens his mouth.

He takes a finger and sucks on it.

Oh dear. Thandi gapes, astonished at his boldness, shock prompting him to slide off her finger. And move on to the next.

“B-Birdboy! What are you doing?!”

Her hand is released and he smiles at her again. “Hassling you. I like when you get like this.”

“Right, of course, you love setting me off. But perhaps we can find something a little less!! Unhygienic?”

“Where have you been putting your hands that I should worry?” The way he says this, it reminds her of a cat purring. She laughs.

“Your mouth, I should say.”

“Then it’s fine.”

It can’t wait.

She was so close today. The feeling of her fingers in his hair and over his body. They’re lingering on him. He’s dying for release.

The door to his apartment slams shut and he kicks off his shoes. He doesn’t even bother taking off his necktie as he drops onto the couch, unzipping, remembering the shape of her hips as she fell back into him weeks ago.

Thandi.

He’s so stupidly in love with her. Every little touch sends him spiraling. They flirt. They play. She calls him darling, makes him food.

His guilt freezes him midstroke. Is he a pet to her?

Thandi…

He wouldn’t mind. Not at all. If he could live with just what she gave him now, he’d still be happy. Especially when she pets him. Oh, he loves that. She’ll be teasing him and her hands touch his chest, his back, his stomach. 

He wishes, just once, her hands would venture lower. 

Thandi!

His hips rise and he gasps at the feeling of near-release. Just a little more.

Remember how soft she is, how kind, how doting. Remember that gentle way she smiles when he’s down. Her fingers in his hair. Tangling. Grabbing. Her voice. What sorts of noises would she make?

It doesn’t matter as long as it’s his name coming from her. She’d say it and kiss him with everything she’s got. Does she think of him? Does she remember that fall, his hands on her waist, holding her to him for that short moment? Does she think about touching his hair, kissing him?

I love you, Thandi!

Charlie catches his breath and slumps. Of course he does. Of course he loves her. There’s no world where he isn’t hopelessly in love with Thandi, he’s sure of it.

It’s been well over two days and Charlie still can’t sleep. He doesn’t get it. Chamomile. Lavender. Cannabis seeds. Valerian root. Catnip. Nothing he makes brings sleep. It just makes him exhausted on top of the insomnia.

He’s already useless as a doctor, but a doctor without sleep is worse. Things poke him, prod him, and he’s so weak-willed right now. Eventually, his constant weeping gets a gruff sigh and a shove into Thandi.

“You’ve got potion for that, right, Thandi?”

“I should…Charlie? Come along now, darling.”

He stumbles after her, his wrist grasped tight. She sits him down in her bedroll, opening her bag and pulling out her signature silver flask. “This always helps me, Charlie. Vitani brews it herself!”

“I…that’s your medicine, Thandi…” She looks at him, dark rims under his eyes giving him a ghoulish appearance. He’s looking horrible. In fact…worse than he should be.

“Manifestus veneficium.“

“What are you looking at, Thandi?”

She shushes him, looking him over, and she sees it. A glittering thread, highlighted with her altered vision, mended into his vest. A curse given form. “There it is! You’ll be just fine, Charlie. Just like so…“

He watches her hand come toward him and he flinches. There’s a moment where it’s like she’s unraveling him, and then it’s gone. Thandi winds the thread between her fingers and holds it out to him. Charlie furrows his brows.

“Come now, you have to break the curse. Just sweep your hand through, darling.”

The thread is invisible to him, but he slices his hand through the air all the same. As soon as it’s broken, it’s like everything hits him all at once. Thandi catches him and eases him back to sleep on her bedroll. She straightens his hair with a small smile and lets him catch up.

Her hand hesitates when she reaches out for him. To feel that touch…he leans forward, but she shies further. Charlie’s heart aches.

“Please. Dearest…it’s me.”

The words come out twisted, a snarl that can’t seem to wrap around the common tongue. Thandi flinches and Charlie’s wings droop. He’s not familiar with the creature he’s become, but it’s so big that Thandi is dwarfed by him. There’s these enormous wings, feathered between long stretches of skin. He sees both fur and scales on his body, talons that would be more at home on the feet of a raptor than his…could he call them hands?

All five digits. Hands it is.

Again, he touches his nose to Thandi. I miss you. I love you. It’s me.

“Darling…you’ve become…”

An answer is what he needs. 

“…a dragon. One I’ve never seen before. And…”

Please. Love me anyway. I need to hear it.

“…I can’t bear to love a monster.”

The world crashes and falls through his fingers.

Fingers, not talons. He stares at his hands, his skin, the familiar calluses, his hardy palms. A relief.

A bad dream…he’s been having  only bad dreams lately. Not nightmares, but depressing. Like his spirit is being crushed. Every night, something different. A bear. An eel. a goblin. Dozens of creatures he could not name, and less that he would even recognize. 

Charlie pushes himself up, stepping over Merre as he goes to sit by the fire. The ghost white of her dress brings out a worried sigh. Charlie sits beside Thandi and puts a hand on her back. She startles for a moment and he sees the tears in her eyes. Quietly, he opens his arms. “Come home,” he mumbles and she laughs. 

Then she’s warm in his arms and he squeezes her gently. “Thandi. I’ll help you. No matter what. No matter what.”

“Even if I’m… sp…”

“I will hold you together myself.”

She’s so tight around him. They’re frozen, quiet, him twitching inside of her as they wait for the footsteps to fade. His nerves are being frayed, but at the same time, it’s exciting to be so close to being caught murdering propriety.

Thandi’s face slips from one of mortification to a sly smile.

The game is on.

Though he tries to keep a grasp on her hips, she rocks against him, biting her lip as she gives him the look. The one that haunts his best dreams, the one she shows only him, the one that shows how much she really desires. The look that pulls him back into a rhythm, trying desperately to steady his breath as they rut.

Gods…no, goddess…She rules him. Body and mind. It’s so close. He’s so close. Charlie throws his head back, stifling a moan as she picks up speed. Thandi always knows what she wants and how to get it. He’s just another part of that collection.

That’s right…he should be working to keep his spot in her ranking of importance. It’s not enough to simply be a distraction. He’s got to be as close to number one as he can get. She looks mirthful when she sees him smirk, a wicked grin spreading.

Thandi loves that look. It means he’s done being passive. And she’s about to get really fucked.

He’s pacing. How could this be happening?

He can’t believe it. Thandi would never betray him like this!

But it’s all right there. The evidence. The bracelet has been cut. Thandi admires a ring on her finger. She smiles and blushes as she talks about someone else. There’s no room for him here.

Why is she so happy about this? She knows she has a perfectly suited marriage candidate in him! And she…she…she cut it. She cut it off. And the look she gives him, one that once was walking the line between pity and tenderness, is simply cool indifference. 

It’s maddening.

He could see the bracelet writhe on the table before her, reflecting his inner turmoil. As much as he adores her, if she’s found true love…Charlie grinds his teeth and storms into the forest. 

He can’t stop her. No matter how in like they are. No matter the promise they made. No matter the circumstance. If she is happy then so is he. Eventually.

Charlie watches Thandi, the pressure in his chest rising with every breath. Every movement of hers is lovely. Every expression. Every small detail. He feels her through the bracelet and it’s heaven. The beat of her pulse and the warmth of her body pressed to his, even degrees removed, is a comfort he never thought he would enjoy.

The bracelet squeezes gently as his heart rushes, wasting precious heartbeats on his adoration. Thandi looks up at Charlie and smiles. There’s some relief to the pain.

Thandi watches his face light up, inner coil moving against her wrist. It never lets her forget. A giggle bursts out of her as she smiles broader, seeing his goofy, crooked smile in return. What a gorgeous man he is.

Charlie is giddy. No one knows what they did, and his seed is still inside of her. He can’t stop smirking at the backward glances Thandi gives him. Both of them share this secret excitement, knowing she’s filled with him.

Her small giggle is wonderful as she blushes at him. She feels the bracelet twine and stroke at her wrist, tightening possessively. She gives it a peck to calm his excitement, but instead rouses him more.

The two hook pinkies as they walk, bumping hips and brushing fingers. Being so close. Being so loved. And knowing that he’s left his mark in her…what a thrill. He can’t wait to do it again. And again. And again.

It’s gotten to be a game. How quietly can they tease one another? Who can pull the most noise from the other? Moments alone are filled with butterfly kisses and fingers tracing forbidden places. 

Tonight, Charlie is winning. He’s behind her, holding her, trailing kisses down her neck before giving her a playful nip. The arch of her back is a subconscious response, and he takes advantage by trailing his fingers along her thighs.

She feels her sensitivity heighten. His tongue. Him sucking on her now. Fingers creeping closer. She feels herself getting wetter. She feels him pressed to her. He won’t let up until she signals her defeat.

The temptation is strong. Let them become one. Let him finally break down the barrier between them. Let them both cave into one another’s desire. 

Let him fuck her until words have no meaning and all she knows is begging for more.

Instead, she leans back and whispers, “That’s enough, darling.” He pulls back his touches and gives her a final kiss on the neck before simply holding her to him, eyes closed. Her head clears. 

Things are fine as they are.

She sees him as he rushes past, grabbing his arm. “Hold on. Look at you! You want to go in looking like that?”

“Like what?”

He’s a mess after staying overnight in the lab. His hair is askew and his collar is rumpled. His tie…oh, his tie. She knows he’s playing ignorant. No one but her ever sees him like this. He just likes to be preened.

So she smiles at him and straightens his collar, fixes his tie, and runs her fingers through his hair. It earns her a contented sigh and that cute little smile that she’s certain is only for her. He leans forward slightly, and there’s a moment where she thinks he might kiss her.

But he restrains himself yet again, nods his head as he murmurs a thank-you-very-much, and dashes out of the room.

The love of such a small gesture makes his heart race, and she’s so lovely. So wonderful. He’s tempted to stay in the office again overnight for another preen, but honestly, one could only be a mess so many times in a row. Shame.