∞∞∞
“You need to get out more,” Alfred commented idly, walking to my back slider to open it. Hooking his fingers on the catch for the slider’s screen, he jerked it open with a vicious yank to shove his head out. Werewolves were weird about smells and being cooped up in other people’s domains, their territories. He’d said on many occasions it made him feel hemmed in. With the scent of what I’d been doing on the air as the men filed inside, as if I’d invited them in or something, I could practically see the Werewolf’s hair standing on end. If he’d been in his wolf form, his hackles would be up.
“Your house stinks, green bean,” Ben muttered, stomping from one end of the house to the other. Picking up Alfred to heft him out of the way, I expected him to toss the wolf and keep walking. Instead, he toted him along with him onto the back veranda. Ben had softened considerably after the twins had been born. I mean, not towards me or anything, but overall in general.
“What the hell, one-eye,” the Werewolf snarled. “I look like your tiny tote-around wife to you?”
“No, but if I’m ever in the need of a second, I’ll be sure to keep your light ass in mind.” Smirking, the Cyclops tossed the wolf a wink and blew him an over exaggerated air kiss. Okay, so maybe he hadn’t softened so much as found weaknesses and easy ways to get under people’s skin, with minimal effort, for maximum annoying potential. Did that make Ben an evil genius... or his Penny, who had a rather dark side if you did her or her loved ones wrong?
Snorting, because sadly those two just got each other and had been in exceptionally good moods with all this... babies and mating catching on, like a disease, a regular bromance with dry quips, manhandling, and playful banter that made me want to dry heave all over them, Alfie snickered, “Kiss my ass, Manclops.”
Segrid, nose wrinkled as he gave a few cursory sniffs and had himself a look around, walked out to join them, leaving me and William, the only two unmated in our tiny nook of a community in Bauhdare’s Crook, left. William called that mate hook a disease. I was wildly jealous of them all. I’d never wanted a ‘disease’ so desperately in my life.
“Gotta buy me flowers first, wolf boy.” Ben smirked at Alfred, then walked over to one of my lounge chairs and plopped his ass into it.
Irritation filled me, annoyance and that unrelated to plants green feeling I’d been struggling with lately.
“Enough with your lovings for each other. I have just eaten.” Segrid jumped into the melee with ease, eventually stirring up shit between the Cyclops and Werewolf until they were sniping at each other with more vigor than before.
Feat accomplished, the Troll took an empty lawn chair, grinning as he sat back and let the bickering unfold. He was a shit starter through and through. I wanted to smack the content look off his face, knowing it was his mating that had put it there.
I was so green eyed with envy there were moments I wanted to poke their happy smiling eyes. Maybe just a little.
“You’re lonely.” William spoke quietly, studying the contents of my home as if it held the secrets to my person. Perhaps it did, by his astute observations.
“Don’t be silly,” I blurted, flustered, and began rushing about to pick things up and tidy the house. There wasn’t really much to do. I kept a pretty clean house. I wasn’t much for messes and preferred order to chaos. I just needed something to do.
William’s eyes narrowed as he watched me. “I get it,” he said lower, with a pointed glance towards the males taking pot shots at each other on my loungers.
Pausing as I put the comics on the coffee table away, I glanced up. “Have you- Do you ever- Do you think…”
William shrugged. He understood a lot more than I actually said. “Have I thought of seeking out an agency? It’s crossed my mind.” Walking to the kitchen, he made himself at home, putting on the kettle for tea, grabbing two thick mugs down.
My gaze darted to the open slider as I sat back down on the sofa. I’d just settled, leaning against the back cushion, one of my long arms sliding up along the back, when I thought about just what I’d been doing moments before in this very spot.
Grimacing, I sat up.
Nope. I was still thinking about it.
Popping up, I strode to the small bar along the island counter and slid onto a bar stool.
“It’s not so simple,” I muttered, “you know, what with me being…”
“Green?” William grinned at his pun.
Picking up one of the cooking utensils I kept in the metal container along the counter, I chucked a soup spoon at him. “Hooved heathen.”
William caught my green Loch Ness monster looking soup ladle with ease. “Indeed,” he retorted, his voice deepening unnaturally as he brought the butt of the ladle to his mouth and tapped it once, twice. But he did know. The Faun had his own issues to navigate, being half human, half Satyr. Dating was hard enough, even more so with those pesky hybrid issues. For me, it really wasn’t easy being, well, me and green.
Walking back to the kettle as it began to whistle, tossing the ladle at me from over his shoulder, leaving me floundering to catch it with my fumbling fingers, he paused at the large pot on the stove.
“Chili,” I informed him as the ladle tumbled from my grasp and clattered to the floor. Bending to pick it up, I straightened to find the nosy Other grabbing spices from my cupboard and lifting the pot handle.
“You never add enough seasoning,” the mooch of an oaf complained.
“Hey!” I barked. “Don’t you touch my chili! It’s just the way I like it!”
William paused, grimaced, and lifted the garlic powder in his hand another inch. “With little to no flavor, you mean?”
