?? Oh cool.I have to show Mike.Did Peter not take your new job well?
Theo bit his bottom lip and started typing “No, it went fine.Maybe I was overreacting from the start,” but he deleted that.Am I overreacting?Maybe he’s just… Maybe the problem is me.I got him to give me a cock-lock clause, and he learned how to slice apples into flowers for me.Maybe I can’t be happy because I’m…because I’m actually messed up.
It was fine.I’m starting at Celeste’s tomorrow.
Cool!I’ll come visit, and you can make me a drink.
Theo sighed heavily and took a wedge from the orange, turning it in the light that came in from the window.Peter had removed most of the pith.Who even does that?I don’t do that.How would he even know whether or not people mind pith?Vikings didn’t have oranges, right?
Theo sighed again before putting the fruit in his mouth, savoring the extremely sweet flavor.He was about to text Peter a thank-you to assuage those stirrings of guilt he didn’t know what to do with when a commotion outside drew his attention.
From his spot by the window, Theo had a good view of what was maybe an art display.Or someone sharing their cosplay with the world.
A tall man with long, flowing hair was walking along the gravel path that led from one building to another, in this case coming from the library and heading toward the cafeteria.What color even is his hair?Oil spill purple?Does it shimmer?But it wasn’t just the strangely shimmering hair, it was also the sheer size of this guy, the broadness of his chest, and the revealing pants he’d chosen.Then again, those match his renaissance shirt, which is also pretty revealing.Wait, is that glitter on his chest?
Theo was gawking, much like most of the other students.He was pretty sure that even those on the ace spectrum couldn’t help watching.He spotted a math professor who stared after the guy over the rims of her glasses before turning away and shaking her head.
The guy stopped at one point, briefly looking around, then continued on into the cafeteria.
“It’s just one of those days,” Theo mumbled while he finally texted Peter.
Thanks for making my lunch pretty.
Of course.How’s your day going?
Normal.Busy.Yours?
Many billable hours.It’s a good day.
Theo was about to text back, but a murmur that spread through the room distracted him, and he looked up.
The tall guy with the hair and the renaissance shirt was here.He was easy enough to spot because of his height and the strange hair, and everyone was oohing and aahing at the guy.And the guy was… Theo looked around, but he was pretty much the only person in this corner of the room.And the guy was coming his way, intense eyes that also happened to be purple focused on him.
“The fuck?”Theo mumbled.
He considered just packing up, but then Peter texted back.
I look forward to seeing you tonight, Theodore
When he looked back up, the guy was there, standing right by Theo’s table.
“Fear not, human, I shall free you of what thrall the vile bloodsucker has cast upon you.”
He put a hand on his hip, and from this distance, Theo could see that something absolutely shimmered on the guy’s chest, except he wasn’t sure it was glitter.He could also see the guy’s ears.They were pointy.That could be part of some costume—lots of places sold pointy ears since all those books with the hot, brooding Fae had gotten popular, and frankly long before then.These looked really good.Really realistic.
“Excuse me?Do I know you?Is this some kind of joke?”
Theo was too close to Tall Guy’s crotch, which was wrapped way too revealingly, pretty much the way nature had wrapped the banana that was still sitting in Theo’s lunchbox.
Tall Guy raised his chin.“No, we have not been introduced.My name is Cloudtree Fairweather, and I shall free you from the blood yoke you’re under.”
“Uh-huh,” Theo said, while hurriedly closing his lunch box.“That sounds fascinating.Can you wait right here for a sec?Nature calls.”
Cloudtree—and what kind of fucked-up name even was that?—crossed his arms in such a way that his shirt was pushed open farther, revealing a firm pink nipple.
“You hear voices?I had not thought it, but if you are of magical descent, feeble though human magic might be, I shall be able to guard you in better defending yourself after I free you.I will accept naught but your gratitude in return.”
“Wow.Yeah, that sounds… Let’s talk about that more when I get back, okay?”
